kissing ass during promotion

[Born Under Punches]

You know how you always see these behind-the-scene documentaries where the cast and crew are always going on and on about how the film they're working on is such a great piece of genius, and the cast is remarkable, and how the director is great because he let's the actors do whatever they want to do?  i always have adverse reactions to those things.  i just want to say "tell the truth, you overpaid twat! just tell everyone that the movie sucks!  you don't have to keep acting while doing the press junket."  

I was just wondering if anybody has a favorite "yeah, right" from one of those?  where you just hear the actors talk and say to yourself "how far is the movie company's dick up your ass to tell these lies?"  

Mine has to be the one from "Saving Silverman" where Jack Black (someone who I like) goes on to say that the comedy ensemble can match even the greats from long ago, like Laurel and Hardy.

[©brad]

i laughed a little when I read an article with Anthony Hopkins talking about how energetic and fun and smart Brett Ratner was.

[Pubrick]

I dunno 'bout Ratner, but PTA drinks way too much coffee.

I dunno 'bout coffee, but Ratner drinks way too much semen.

[bonanzataz]

I like Saving Silverman and I love Jack Black... but Laurel and Hardy? Yeah...no.

[RegularKarate]

I like Saving Silverman and I love Jack Black... but Laurel and Hardy? Yeah...no.

I saw a clip of an interview where he says this and it's in a completly bullshit, sarcastic tone... that's just the way JB does things, he exagerates everything... he's not serious.

[bonanzataz]

yeah, i should have figured as much.

[Born Under Punches]

What about Steve Zahn and Amanda Peet's comments?  I think there's was serious.

[CollinBullock]

Vince Vaughn, in teh documentary on the Cell DVD says something like: "Everyone was great, and it was wonderful, and I loved it.  Fuck that.  I'm gonna be the only one here who doesn't sound like a christian athlete"  I laughed.

[snaporaz]

that's funny how in every behind-the-scenes thingee, every actor always says how the director "knows what he wants".

i don't know. after watching that decent movie novocaine, i watched the docu on it, and the director came off as a total momo. he's basically some guy that's fascinated by dentistry and actually wrote a decent script. i think it's the only movie he ever planned on making.

and helena bonham carter just seemed to say some obligatory compliments on behalf of the director because she couldn't say anything else.

[bonanzataz]

i haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated novocaine.

[picolas]

i haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated novocaine.

well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me!

[MacGuffin]

Top Ten All-Time Self-Promoting Directors
Cavalcade of auteurs who mastered the art of themselves.
By Richard Rushfield, Times Staff Writer

Cecil B. DeMille: His film "The Ten Commandments," a remake of his earlier film entitled "The Ten Commandments," opens with the by-then-legendary master of big-screen epics standing on the stage, as if before you, speaking to the assembled audience, introducing his latest installment in his Bible's Greatest Hits collection.

Walt Disney: Named his theme park "Disneyland" and his TV show "The Wonderful World of Disney."

Alfred Hitchcock: Made comic cameo appearances in all of his films and starred as host of his TV series, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." Also one of the first directors with his own catch phrase: "Good evening."

Brett Ratner: The most ubiquitous player in the new Young Hollywood, notably present every time a red carpet lays down in Tinseltown. Not content to leave it to the paparazzi to certify his nearly middle-aged party king status, however, Ratner published a picture book, "Hilhaven Lodge: The Photo Booth Pictures" — 216 pages of shots of his closest personal friends, from Justin Timberlake to Chelsea Clinton, clowning around in his living room.

Quentin Tarantino: Despite highly questionable talents, has cast himself and taken on numerous acting parts, including a walk-on in the "Golden Girls" as an Elvis impersonator. Committed the guaranteed attention-getter of spitting at a reporter in the very private setting of the red carpet at the 1997 Oscars.

Steven Spielberg: Very publicly kvetched when he was repeatedly denied Oscars trophies through the first half of his career. The academy finally placated the then-boy genius by giving him, when he was a mere 40 years old, the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award for "body of work," a prize more often bestowed upon aging kingpins clinging to their final hours.

Robert Rodriguez: On his last film, "Sin City," the action auteur gifted himself with the following credits: directed by, original music by, cinematography by, film editing by, sound rerecording mixer, visual effects supervisor and camera operator. Apparently he was too busy to be hands-on in the craft services department, however.

Kevin Smith: It wasn't quite enough for Smith to cast himself and his notable anti-charisma, as the one joke (or fewer) supporting character "Silent Bob" in his breakthough film, "Clerks." Smith's sense of his place in the screen pantheon required that he spin off his alter ego as the star of his own film, "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." But apparently, in Smith's mind this film still did not quench the public's thirst for more images of the backwards baseball capped stoner. Smith then stood by as his wife directed a three-hour plus documentary about the making of "J.A.S.B.S.B." Entitled, "Oh, What a Lovely Tea Party," the film screened at Vulgarthon, a film festival hosted by and devoted to Kevin Smith.

Vincent Gallo: A one-man festival of self-promotion. Earned his place in history, however, when he posted an offer on his website to sell his sperm. For $1 million. And $50,000 extra if the buyer wanted to receive it the old-fashioned way.

M. Night Shyamalan: The self-promotional old saw of casting himself and his bizarre non-acting stylings in his films is just a warm up for Night. For the main course, the man who would be Hitchcock goes on to create portentous American Express commercials in which beautiful young waitresses coo about loving his work and he reveals how he sees art in the most mundane details of a late-night diner. And then of course there is that book....

[pete]

that article sucked so bad.  first of all, like, shamalayan is an easy target and an asshole but why the hell is he on the list?  the reason for disney was so lame.  too easy on ratner.  and every real person knows that robert rodriguez actually cooked for his crew.

but Re: the original post, three years too late--I got really turned off while weatching I heart huckabees while listening to the commentary, because turned out they took themselves a lot more seriously than I'd previously thought.  also, tv shows like the arrested development and both versions of The Office had a ton of idolatry.  I was obsessed with those shows but it was kinda sickening to see their casts reveling in the jokes more than I did.

[polkablues]

shamalayan is an easy target and an asshole but why the hell is he on the list?

He got on the list the old-fashioned way.  He earned it.

[Derek237]

I can't really think of any particular ass-kissings that stand out, but something that comes instantly to mind is how completley deluded every single person involved in Big Momma's House was. I watched a making-of featurette on it, and everyone was talking about how great the quality of the script was, and how the make-up was so convincing that no one could tell the actress who played Big Momma and Martin Lawrence apart, and how the villain in the film was "genuinely threatening," and that Martin Lawrence was soooo funny. It was just unreal.