Every year, the night before the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards its prestigious Oscars in a gala ceremony that is televised for the entire planet, the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation recognizes the year’s most disappointing films with its “Razzies.” This little-known event is being held this year at the Barnsdale Gallery Theatre in Hollywood with no fanfare whatsoever.
Whether a film is good or bad is a matter of personal taste, but “Razzies” are disdained by large numbers of film buffs. There are some people, however, who enjoy movies that are so bad that they become “good.” The “Razzies” could provide these fans of trashy movies with some good leads for movie rentals when they come out on DVD.
Razzies in a Class by Themselves
The “Razzies” are a special category: those films that were supposed to be good, that seemed like they would be a hit with fans and commercially successful, but instead, bombed. Such a film that immediately comes to mind is Ishtar (1987). This was a big budget film that was backed by a major Hollywood studio and had major actors starring in it. None of those factors could save this pathetic film. Ishtar was a box-office flop, nominated for a “Razzie” and has become the poster child for bad films.
Why Pay Attention to Bad Movies?
Why should anyone care about bad movies? Shouldn’t they die a natural death by going straight to DVD or to late night TV? The truth is that’s what happens to most bad movies – and there are plenty of them. People don’t care when a bad movie dies a natural death when it is a little-known, low budget project. However, when Hollywood bets big on a movie, investing lots of money, hiring big names to star, and gives a film a first class media campaign to make it succeed, that’s another story… It’s financially disastrous, is embarrassing for the director and actors involved, and can (conceivably) derail industry careers. Artistically, producing a cinematic bomb is a life and death matter, so it is important to know when something is really bad and why.
The Best Publicity: Word of Mouth
If a potential viewer wants to get an idea about how good a film is, he or she can simply follow the money. During premier week, fueled by pre-publicity campaigns, many films start off with a bang or close quickly – much like plays on Broadway. Unlike Broadway where bombs close after opening night, during the coming weeks, movie ticket sales generally either go up or down, depending on what people have told their friends. Whether or not a film is critically acclaimed isn’t the real test – ordinary, lay people know what they like and don’t like. They tell their friends, it’s as simple as that.
There Will Always Be Razzies
Can Hollywood learn from its mistakes? The “Razzies” have been around for decades. There will always be bad movies to “honor.” Doesn’t the industry take a look at why these films fail? They probably do, and yet, people in the industry (like everyone else) don’t always see when their work is bad.
There are bad scripts – tons of them – that get made into films, and undoubtedly many good ones that get ignored. Why? Because people are people and owe their friends favors. Because people aren’t objective. Because people make mistakes – even big ones. And actors and directors want to work – even if on bad films. They always hope that they are wrong and that their film will turn out to be good. After all, what’s good and bad is a matter of personal taste. Since there will always be bad films, why not have fun and “honor” them along with the good. That’s what the “Razzies” are all about!
Author Paul Linus
Whether a film is good or bad is a matter of personal taste, but “Razzies” are disdained by large numbers of film buffs. There are some people, however, who enjoy movies that are so bad that they become “good.” The “Razzies” could provide these fans of trashy movies with some good leads for movie rentals when they come out on DVD.
Razzies in a Class by Themselves
The “Razzies” are a special category: those films that were supposed to be good, that seemed like they would be a hit with fans and commercially successful, but instead, bombed. Such a film that immediately comes to mind is Ishtar (1987). This was a big budget film that was backed by a major Hollywood studio and had major actors starring in it. None of those factors could save this pathetic film. Ishtar was a box-office flop, nominated for a “Razzie” and has become the poster child for bad films.
Why Pay Attention to Bad Movies?
Why should anyone care about bad movies? Shouldn’t they die a natural death by going straight to DVD or to late night TV? The truth is that’s what happens to most bad movies – and there are plenty of them. People don’t care when a bad movie dies a natural death when it is a little-known, low budget project. However, when Hollywood bets big on a movie, investing lots of money, hiring big names to star, and gives a film a first class media campaign to make it succeed, that’s another story… It’s financially disastrous, is embarrassing for the director and actors involved, and can (conceivably) derail industry careers. Artistically, producing a cinematic bomb is a life and death matter, so it is important to know when something is really bad and why.
The Best Publicity: Word of Mouth
If a potential viewer wants to get an idea about how good a film is, he or she can simply follow the money. During premier week, fueled by pre-publicity campaigns, many films start off with a bang or close quickly – much like plays on Broadway. Unlike Broadway where bombs close after opening night, during the coming weeks, movie ticket sales generally either go up or down, depending on what people have told their friends. Whether or not a film is critically acclaimed isn’t the real test – ordinary, lay people know what they like and don’t like. They tell their friends, it’s as simple as that.
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There Will Always Be Razzies
Can Hollywood learn from its mistakes? The “Razzies” have been around for decades. There will always be bad movies to “honor.” Doesn’t the industry take a look at why these films fail? They probably do, and yet, people in the industry (like everyone else) don’t always see when their work is bad.
There are bad scripts – tons of them – that get made into films, and undoubtedly many good ones that get ignored. Why? Because people are people and owe their friends favors. Because people aren’t objective. Because people make mistakes – even big ones. And actors and directors want to work – even if on bad films. They always hope that they are wrong and that their film will turn out to be good. After all, what’s good and bad is a matter of personal taste. Since there will always be bad films, why not have fun and “honor” them along with the good. That’s what the “Razzies” are all about!
Author Paul Linus
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