My movie is better than yours: Tim Burton harshes Kevin Smith and other filmmaker take-downs
Fanboys and critics are cruel about the work of directors, but evidently not so cruel as other directors are if Flavorwire's collection of the 30 nastiest director-on-director insults is any indication. Even the supremely unflappable Clint Eastwood flips one to Spike Lee.
My movie is better than yours: Tim Burton harshes Kevin Smith and other filmmaker take-downs
Carrie Rickey, Film Critic
Fanboys and critics are cruel about the work of directors, but evidently not so cruel as other directors are -- if Flavorwire's collection of the 30 nastiest director-on-director insults is any indication. (Hat tip, Anne Thompson). Even the supremely unflappable Clint Eastwood flips one to Spike Lee.
My favorite take-down is Jean-Luc Godard's of Quentin Tarantino: "Tarantino named his production company [Band of Outsiders] after one of my films. He'd have done better to give me some money."
Also amusing is the serve-and-return between Tim Burton and Kevin Smith. After Smith tweaked Burton for stealing the ending of Planet of the Apes from a Smith comic book, Burton snorted, "Anyone who knows me knows I would never read a comic book. I would especially never read anything created by Kevin Smith." To this, Smith retorted, "Which, to me, explains [effing] Batman."
Filmmakers work in their own bubbles. Unless they are close friends, they typically encounter other filmmakers in the supercharged atmospheres of film festivals and awards shows where tension and competition are high.
Many of these Mean Boys provocations are collected by journalists at film festivals where one publicity-seeking filmmaker gets ink by dissing another. Hence Spike Lee, upon release of his World War II-themed Miracle of St. Anna, bashed the paucity of African-American soldiers in Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, eliciting the elder filmmaker's retort: "A guy like him should shut his face."
I'll shut my face. Heard any other good directorial takedowns?
I'm glad that Kevin Smith now believes that a “a bloated sense of self-importance is the most unattractive quality in a person or their work,” given that he's adapting a Warren Zevon song about a hockey goon into two separate films.— Adam B.- HA! I just this morning read this column of actors bashing actors http://moviemorlocks.com/2011/08/11/they-said-what-classic-insults-from-classic-actors/#more-39278
I think the bigger the director/star, the bigger the ego, right?— gmk - @gmk: I don't think there's a correlation between the bigness of the person and his ego. I do think there's a proportional correlation between the degree of insecurity and the likelihood to put someone else down. The secure ones are less likely to harsh on others.— carrierickey
- Interesting and challenging issue, that work bubble. It's one thing to be surrounded by those who share one's vision but beware of sycophants.— californiafan
- So Vincent Gallo has more directorial takedowns than films directed? Way to set your priorities, Gallo!— frankenslade
- I don't like Kevin Smith, but he wins over Burton. The Batman film sucked (it really did) because Burton would never read a comic.— Tyrone Biggums
Clint was right to tell Spike Lee to "shut his face" as his comment directed at Clint was completely incorrect. Also, "Flags of Our Fathers" was about Marines (soldier is the term used for someone in the Army).— Professor Smart E. Pants, PhD.
- A List of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago
- American Women Film Journalists
- Anne Thompson on Film
- Dave Kehr on Film
- David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson
- David Edelstein's The Projectionist
- Dennis Cozzallo on Film
- Edward Copeland on Film
- Flickgrrl posts 2/07 through 5/08
- Glenn Kenny's Some Came Running
- Green Cine Daily
