THE DUKE WAXES FILMIC
WITH HARRY KNOWLES
WITH HARRY KNOWLES
The Duke has been a fan of The Harry Knowles Digest, AKA Ain’t It
Cool News for much of the past five years. I've visited pretty-
much on a daily basis, and spent many nights debating how "Matrix
Revolutions Will OWN Your Ass" in the chat-room and so on with
folks who think that sort of thing is acceptable vis a vis
conversational etiquette. It was also the first place to post The
Duke’s witterings of a filmic nature, when I flung over reviews
of the likes of Bloody Sunday or Battle Royale II under the name
Ed Wood.
Pseudonyms, man. The Duke thinks they’re fucking ridiculous, is
what.
Cool News for much of the past five years. I've visited pretty-
much on a daily basis, and spent many nights debating how "Matrix
Revolutions Will OWN Your Ass" in the chat-room and so on with
folks who think that sort of thing is acceptable vis a vis
conversational etiquette. It was also the first place to post The
Duke’s witterings of a filmic nature, when I flung over reviews
of the likes of Bloody Sunday or Battle Royale II under the name
Ed Wood.
Pseudonyms, man. The Duke thinks they’re fucking ridiculous, is
what.
Now that Mondo Irlando is getting a tiny bit of recognition from
wonderful, beautiful people what like how The Duke says
“motherfucker” and send lovely emails and so on, I thought the time
was right to request an interview with the Texan Insurrectionary
himself, Mr Knowles.
Of all the critics of Cultural Affairs on the Web-Net, Harry Knowles
is probably the most famous after The Duke. For some, he’s the
personification of the overweight, overwrought movie geek, like the
Comic Book Guy in The Simpsons, except less worried about Lois And
Clark Issue 46 and more worried about "That Aliens Versus Predator
Is Gonna Fucking Suck Like The Time I Couldn’t Make The Rent."
For others, though, he represents how the little folks
(metaphorically speaking) have gone ahead and grabbed the
loudspeaker and made themselves heard and have managed to scare the
fuck out of a bunch of executives who can’t get away with flinging
the same old crud onto the screen the year round and expecting us to
pay five quid a time for the privilege.
Things change, though. Times move on and so on, like in that Bob
Dylan song. Possibly Hurricane. Whatever it was, it talked about how
things can’t stay the same for very long, and so one has to wonder
if Aint It Cool still has the influence it once had. Has the site
once blamed for tearing Batman And Robin asunder still got the clout
to make Hollywood piss itself / shit itself / other bodily functions
meaning “scared”?
“AIC never had the power to make or break a film”, explains Harry.
“You do realize that opening weekend, Batman And Robin made over
twice as much as Titanic. AIC got the rep for destroying Batman &
Robin and of saving Titanic. That's the media (at large) attempting
to justify why one movie ultimately didn't do well and the other
went on to be the biggest in film history.”
Harry seems to be less convinced of the site’s ability to affect the
box-office, than with its ability to anticipate the general
consensus.
Harry; “What hardly anybody realizes about AIC, is that the site
isn't so much about making or breaking films, but of accurately
reflecting the eventual acceptance, success or failure of a film,
based on whether it is good or not.”
One example he gives is that of Brad Bird’s delightful The Iron
Giant, based on the Black Sabbath song. “AIC campaigned with every
breath for The Iron Giant, but, ultimately, Warner’s never put any
effort into marketing it, so the film had to wait till Cable and DVD
to find its audience.”
"But", he notes, "It did find its audience, and that's what AIC was
saying; that this was a classic and timeless film. Had Warner's
listened and actually spent the money necessary to market the film,
get the fast food tie-in’s and treat the film the way we were
advising, it could've been a huge success at the box office."
“But, ultimately, the only people that did find the film were those
that read (Aint It Cool) and trusted it, and a few people that
happened to wander in.”
This doesn’t mean, however, that Knowles feels he has no influence
whatsoever. “The industry”, he notes, “Reads the site daily and pays
attention.”
He continues; “The real power of AIC isn't in the average reader,
but the readers that happen to work in the industry, and the readers
that happen to work in the media. I can't possibly convey just how
many radio stations take news leads off of AIC each day, how many
foreign newspapers and magazines and tabloids take the word from our
early reviews as the gospel.”
“And”, he suggests, “That's why the studios panic. And yes, they
still do.”
wonderful, beautiful people what like how The Duke says
“motherfucker” and send lovely emails and so on, I thought the time
was right to request an interview with the Texan Insurrectionary
himself, Mr Knowles.
Of all the critics of Cultural Affairs on the Web-Net, Harry Knowles
is probably the most famous after The Duke. For some, he’s the
personification of the overweight, overwrought movie geek, like the
Comic Book Guy in The Simpsons, except less worried about Lois And
Clark Issue 46 and more worried about "That Aliens Versus Predator
Is Gonna Fucking Suck Like The Time I Couldn’t Make The Rent."
For others, though, he represents how the little folks
(metaphorically speaking) have gone ahead and grabbed the
loudspeaker and made themselves heard and have managed to scare the
fuck out of a bunch of executives who can’t get away with flinging
the same old crud onto the screen the year round and expecting us to
pay five quid a time for the privilege.
Things change, though. Times move on and so on, like in that Bob
Dylan song. Possibly Hurricane. Whatever it was, it talked about how
things can’t stay the same for very long, and so one has to wonder
if Aint It Cool still has the influence it once had. Has the site
once blamed for tearing Batman And Robin asunder still got the clout
to make Hollywood piss itself / shit itself / other bodily functions
meaning “scared”?
“AIC never had the power to make or break a film”, explains Harry.
“You do realize that opening weekend, Batman And Robin made over
twice as much as Titanic. AIC got the rep for destroying Batman &
Robin and of saving Titanic. That's the media (at large) attempting
to justify why one movie ultimately didn't do well and the other
went on to be the biggest in film history.”
Harry seems to be less convinced of the site’s ability to affect the
box-office, than with its ability to anticipate the general
consensus.
Harry; “What hardly anybody realizes about AIC, is that the site
isn't so much about making or breaking films, but of accurately
reflecting the eventual acceptance, success or failure of a film,
based on whether it is good or not.”
One example he gives is that of Brad Bird’s delightful The Iron
Giant, based on the Black Sabbath song. “AIC campaigned with every
breath for The Iron Giant, but, ultimately, Warner’s never put any
effort into marketing it, so the film had to wait till Cable and DVD
to find its audience.”
"But", he notes, "It did find its audience, and that's what AIC was
saying; that this was a classic and timeless film. Had Warner's
listened and actually spent the money necessary to market the film,
get the fast food tie-in’s and treat the film the way we were
advising, it could've been a huge success at the box office."
“But, ultimately, the only people that did find the film were those
that read (Aint It Cool) and trusted it, and a few people that
happened to wander in.”
This doesn’t mean, however, that Knowles feels he has no influence
whatsoever. “The industry”, he notes, “Reads the site daily and pays
attention.”
He continues; “The real power of AIC isn't in the average reader,
but the readers that happen to work in the industry, and the readers
that happen to work in the media. I can't possibly convey just how
many radio stations take news leads off of AIC each day, how many
foreign newspapers and magazines and tabloids take the word from our
early reviews as the gospel.”
“And”, he suggests, “That's why the studios panic. And yes, they
still do.”
The Hellboyaroni
This is a staggering achievement when one considers that the site
was first envisioned as a way for the then-bedridden Knowles to
occupy some time, a humble slab of web-net run from the fella’s
home. It begs the question, when did Harry realise that this was
all starting to outgrow his bedroom somewhat? “I haven't”, he says.
“I'm still writing it from my bedroom.”
With all this success and so on, of course, comes the inevitable
backlash. Brit Sci-Fi magazine SFX, for example, mournfully noted
how “The big guy’s lost it” following Harry’s review of Blade II, a
piece of filmic analysis which went the way of describing the work
in question as an especially graphic bout of oral-sexing, ie,
chasing the badger, eating muff, muff diving etc.
Then there was the occasion when he was granted a secret screening
of Attack Of The Clones, long before any other journalists had laid
eyes on it. His highly enthusiastic response (which, I might add,
The Duke in fact shares) was looked upon as Ain't It Cool’s nadir
when everyone else went to see it.
Now that he’s had the time and all to think about it, is he still
so enthusiastic?
“Absolutely”, he gushes. “It is a kids movie. That's how I've
decided to look at George's prequel trilogy. I believe the Original
Trilogy was made for all audiences with an eye for being timeless.
With the Prequel Trilogy, the great tragedy is that the series is
being made for today's youthful audience. It's why it is a lesser
series.”
“That being said”, he continues, “If you were brought up on Alex
Raymond, Edgar Rice Burroughs and E.C.'s artists, the visuals (In
Attack Of The Clones) are so strong that to dismiss the artistry
involved would be an insult. Compare Attack Of The Clones to other
PG films being made for audiences today and you have to agree, it
stands quite high within that company.”
Harry recently announced that he had been given the dream-job of
producing his own film. Little is known about the project,
provisionally titled Ghost Town, and Knowles is
uncharacteristically tight-lipped about this particular filmic
affair. “You'll see” is as much information as The Duke can extract.
He’s slightly more open, however, with regards his writing career.
A couple years back his first book, the modestly titled Ain’t It
Cool – Kicking Hollywood’s Butt was published, being simultaneously
an autobiography, a history of AIC, and a state-of-the-union
address to contemporary Hollywood.
I had previously asked him, via the AIC chatroom, what he was
working on at the minute, with regards the scribbling. He had
informed The Duke that he was working on three books, although said
nothing more about the matter. Now, with the chance for a more in-
depth reply, I put the question to him again.
“The problem with writing 3 books, producing 2 movies, running AIC,
dating, having a family and sleeping/eating/shitting”, he
regretfully ponders, “Is that there never seems to be enough time
for it all. Right now, and for the last year and a half, I've been
in full on creative mode, working up a slate of films that truly
make me happy.”
Which, presumably, means that we won’t be seeing Kicking
Hollywood's Butt Again, This Time With Pointy Shoes on the
bookstore shelves anytime soon.
Whilst no one would wish Knowles any less than the most hectic
schedule he can handle (Except maybe for Paul W.S Anderson, about
whom Knowles is notoriously vocal in his dislike), it naturally
seems that, at some point, Aint It Cool News will feature a lot
less input from the Foul-Mouthed, Big-Hearted Red-Head.
Harry, however, seems to see Aint It Cool as playing as big a part
in his future as it has in his past;
“I've always had other contributors to the site, and editorially
the site will grow”, he says, when I ask if perhaps he envisions
handing the reigns over to someone else.
“Already you can see more of the day-to-day (work) being handled by
Quint, but, that being said, I love writing about film.”
“I have always seen the site as my love affair with movies, fans
and Hollywood. Just because I'm finally making movies, doesn't mean
I have to stop writing about movies.”
On the contrary, Harry sees his experiences behind the scenes as
being beneficial to his musings on the work of others. And anyway,
as he notes himself, “Kevin Smith manages to write on his site, and
I know I can piss more people off than him.”
When asked, finally, about what moment in the history of Ain’t It
Cool he feels might define the site’s potential, Harry chooses not
Butt-Numb-A-Thon, the annual AIC-run film-festival which has played
host to not only the likes of Tarantino and Mel Gibson, but has
also been among the first festivals anywhere to screen the likes of
The Passion Of The Christ. Nor does he choose the many occasions
when he has been jetted out to various windswept locations for to
banter with the folks what make the films. He doesn't even mention
The Duke’s fucking stunning critiques of Filmic Affairs what have
graced his server.
Instead, he opts for a recent competition wherein readers were
asked to craft a Hellboy sculpture using pasta and tomato sauce.
“The Hellboyaroni Contest. A silly yet poignant work of art that is
both respected and loathed!”
Good luck Mr Harry Knowles of The Harry Knowles Digest.
The Duke salutes you.
Contact The Duke Via Electronical Email
was first envisioned as a way for the then-bedridden Knowles to
occupy some time, a humble slab of web-net run from the fella’s
home. It begs the question, when did Harry realise that this was
all starting to outgrow his bedroom somewhat? “I haven't”, he says.
“I'm still writing it from my bedroom.”
With all this success and so on, of course, comes the inevitable
backlash. Brit Sci-Fi magazine SFX, for example, mournfully noted
how “The big guy’s lost it” following Harry’s review of Blade II, a
piece of filmic analysis which went the way of describing the work
in question as an especially graphic bout of oral-sexing, ie,
chasing the badger, eating muff, muff diving etc.
Then there was the occasion when he was granted a secret screening
of Attack Of The Clones, long before any other journalists had laid
eyes on it. His highly enthusiastic response (which, I might add,
The Duke in fact shares) was looked upon as Ain't It Cool’s nadir
when everyone else went to see it.
Now that he’s had the time and all to think about it, is he still
so enthusiastic?
“Absolutely”, he gushes. “It is a kids movie. That's how I've
decided to look at George's prequel trilogy. I believe the Original
Trilogy was made for all audiences with an eye for being timeless.
With the Prequel Trilogy, the great tragedy is that the series is
being made for today's youthful audience. It's why it is a lesser
series.”
“That being said”, he continues, “If you were brought up on Alex
Raymond, Edgar Rice Burroughs and E.C.'s artists, the visuals (In
Attack Of The Clones) are so strong that to dismiss the artistry
involved would be an insult. Compare Attack Of The Clones to other
PG films being made for audiences today and you have to agree, it
stands quite high within that company.”
Harry recently announced that he had been given the dream-job of
producing his own film. Little is known about the project,
provisionally titled Ghost Town, and Knowles is
uncharacteristically tight-lipped about this particular filmic
affair. “You'll see” is as much information as The Duke can extract.
He’s slightly more open, however, with regards his writing career.
A couple years back his first book, the modestly titled Ain’t It
Cool – Kicking Hollywood’s Butt was published, being simultaneously
an autobiography, a history of AIC, and a state-of-the-union
address to contemporary Hollywood.
I had previously asked him, via the AIC chatroom, what he was
working on at the minute, with regards the scribbling. He had
informed The Duke that he was working on three books, although said
nothing more about the matter. Now, with the chance for a more in-
depth reply, I put the question to him again.
“The problem with writing 3 books, producing 2 movies, running AIC,
dating, having a family and sleeping/eating/shitting”, he
regretfully ponders, “Is that there never seems to be enough time
for it all. Right now, and for the last year and a half, I've been
in full on creative mode, working up a slate of films that truly
make me happy.”
Which, presumably, means that we won’t be seeing Kicking
Hollywood's Butt Again, This Time With Pointy Shoes on the
bookstore shelves anytime soon.
Whilst no one would wish Knowles any less than the most hectic
schedule he can handle (Except maybe for Paul W.S Anderson, about
whom Knowles is notoriously vocal in his dislike), it naturally
seems that, at some point, Aint It Cool News will feature a lot
less input from the Foul-Mouthed, Big-Hearted Red-Head.
Harry, however, seems to see Aint It Cool as playing as big a part
in his future as it has in his past;
“I've always had other contributors to the site, and editorially
the site will grow”, he says, when I ask if perhaps he envisions
handing the reigns over to someone else.
“Already you can see more of the day-to-day (work) being handled by
Quint, but, that being said, I love writing about film.”
“I have always seen the site as my love affair with movies, fans
and Hollywood. Just because I'm finally making movies, doesn't mean
I have to stop writing about movies.”
On the contrary, Harry sees his experiences behind the scenes as
being beneficial to his musings on the work of others. And anyway,
as he notes himself, “Kevin Smith manages to write on his site, and
I know I can piss more people off than him.”
When asked, finally, about what moment in the history of Ain’t It
Cool he feels might define the site’s potential, Harry chooses not
Butt-Numb-A-Thon, the annual AIC-run film-festival which has played
host to not only the likes of Tarantino and Mel Gibson, but has
also been among the first festivals anywhere to screen the likes of
The Passion Of The Christ. Nor does he choose the many occasions
when he has been jetted out to various windswept locations for to
banter with the folks what make the films. He doesn't even mention
The Duke’s fucking stunning critiques of Filmic Affairs what have
graced his server.
Instead, he opts for a recent competition wherein readers were
asked to craft a Hellboy sculpture using pasta and tomato sauce.
“The Hellboyaroni Contest. A silly yet poignant work of art that is
both respected and loathed!”
Good luck Mr Harry Knowles of The Harry Knowles Digest.
The Duke salutes you.
Contact The Duke Via Electronical Email
