comment #1

Ortega says ...

Oh boy. Jeff, you should know better than to invite the unholy Wrath of the Whedonites; they make Islamic fundamentalists look like toy puppies. As for me, I find Whedon enjoyable in small doses, like that X-Men comic book. Don't know if I could handle a whole Buffy DVD box set, though.

comment #2

JD says ...

I'm not a huge fan of Whedon, but I find it puzzling that Jeff always picks a genre/area of filmmaking and goes after the best in that area: Judd Apatow, Quentin Tarantino, Joss Whedon, etc. There are so many lesser comedy and/or genre filmmakers you could "take-down."

comment #3

The Movie Man says ...

Good point JD. But I'm with Jeff on Whedon, his stuff is ok, but there's an annoying, smirky, self=referential thing that's off putting, sort of like Kevin Williamson but not that bad. His legion of fans makes the whole thing more irritating.

comment #4

The Bandsaw Vigilante says ...

Oh, absolutely, re: the Whedonite fanatics.

Witnessing the debacle surrounding the whole SERENITY release just underlines my point.

The fanatics are not people who might've seen and liked the movie. The fanatics were the people swamping messageboards with requests to go and vote it a "10" on IMDB as soon as it was listed there, many months before its release.

The fanatics were the people who were out telling everyone they know and everyone they *didn't* know to go out and see it. The people seeing it nine times in a weekend. The people buying 10 tickets every time they saw it just to get the grosses up. The people buying out ENTIRE screenings and trying to give away tickets to strangers.

Whatever warmth I might've once held toward Whedon and his early stuff (first couple of BUFFY seasons, and even certain parts of ALIEN: RESURRECTION) evaporated soon thereafter, once the Cult of Whedon took hold, and legions of fen who view him as the Alpha and Omega of creative pop-culture began their slavish campaign of blindered worship towards him.

One of the most notorious -- of course -- is AICN's "Herc," who can't even be arsed to cover a project unless it's (A) Star Trek or (B) a Whedon endeavour. Look no further than today's column -- he just put up a new feature on Whedon's "Year Eight" BUFFY comic series, for fuck's sake.

Herc's official scale for grading shows:

***** = Joss Whedon had something to do with it! / **** = A BUFFY cast member is in it! / *** = Kinda like BUFFY, but not BUFFY. / ** = Not much like BUFFY at all! / * = J. Michael Straczynski wrote it.

comment #5

The Winchester says ...

Joss Whedon is a touchy subject, indeed. I personally think he's fantastic, far better at television than the vastly overrated Aaron Sorkin. And I think that Serenity is a great film, certainly more entertaining than any of the big budget monsters that came out the summer before it.

But I will not launch into a tirade about how Jeff doesn't "get" Whedon, or any nonsense like that. I can't speak for my fellow Whedonites, and how they will react, but I don't speak for all.

I do have to agree with JD's post, though. There are far worse people (Shawn Levy gets to direct the Flash? Brett Ratner is still working?) that need a good "taking down", while those at the top of their game, who produce quality work, get the shaft.

comment #6

christian says ...

oh yeah. hot fuzz looks great.

comment #7

jeffmcm says ...

On subjects like this, Wells is a cranky old man and should be treated accordingly: ignored as he shuffles around the park in his pajamas.

On the subject of Whedon, I agree with the 'small doses' comment made above. After watching enough episodes of his stuff, his 'serious-serious-serious-joke!' writing rhythm gets extremely predictable.

comment #8

RoyBatty says ...

Maybe it's personal - Wells and Whedon both use the same DVD store in West LA. Perhaps Whedon gets special consideration when it comes to new releases. Maybe he got the last copy of BECKET once and Wells has never forgiven him...

comment #9

Craig Kennedy says ...

I dig the majority of Whedon's work. He seems like kind of an insufferable prick in interviews and his hard core fanbase are as annoying as any other hard core fanbase...people for whom pop-culture opinions are statements and ways of life...but neither of those things really effects my attitude towards his work.

I like Sorkin too, so you want to fight about it?

Kidding.

comment #10

The Movie Man says ...

I will say it again I just don't get it. ALIEN:RESURRECTION is a jokey, half assed, ridiculous movie (the very, very underrated ALIEN 3 is far superior.) SERENITY is not so much bad as just another generic space adventure movie that I never bothered to finish. (Nathan Fillion is as overrated a lead actor as Whedon is a writer)and BUFFY, well, BUFFY has its moments, but at its best its ok, and it gets cloying really fast.

comment #11

wayne76 says ...

I agree with most everyone here on Whedon-fans, but I did enjoy Firefly, and I flat out LOVED Serenity.

I seem to have missed the boat on Buffy, though. It's fine, but I'm still not convinced about it's so-called importance.

comment #12

storymark says ...

I'm a Whedon fan. But I have to agree that the fanatacism of many of his fans is annoying - even to other fans.

I have to say, though, every single person I've introduced to Firefly has become a fan within about 2 episodes at most.

comment #13

Reint says ...

Oh, eff you, Wells!

The man's talented, witty and I'm looking forward to whatever he'll be doing next -- but yes, I'm also glad he's not doing WW, 'cause really...who gives a shit?

Whatever warmth I might've once held toward Whedon and his early stuff (first couple of BUFFY seasons, and even certain parts of ALIEN: RESURRECTION) evaporated soon thereafter, once the Cult of Whedon took hold, and legions of fen who view him as the Alpha and Omega of creative pop-culture began their slavish campaign of blindered worship towards him.

We can hardly blame the man for having ridiculous fans, now can we?

comment #14

storymark says ...

Also, JD has a damn good point, about others being more deserving.

Is it just me, or are Jeff's attempts to stir-up extra posts by attacking something becoming more transparent?

At least he's not still droning on about Factory Girl.

comment #15

Devin Faraci says ...

HOT FUZZ is great.

comment #16

breadlymoore says ...

"We can hardly blame the man for having ridiculous fans, now can we?"

Puh-leeze. The man toys with them with Jim Jones-like sway. It's not like he stand by and watch traffic go by; Whedon is pretty involved with the poisonous "browncoat" crowd.

Count me in the pile of disinterest. I watch two episodes of BUFFY years ago, and couldn't see the appeal of Backstreet Boys references and terrible acting.

comment #17

storymark says ...

I'm soooo tempted to link this posting on one of the Whedon message boards. They'll spam the hell out of this site....

comment #18

jesse says ...

The thing that bothers me about this kind of post from Jeff is that it will often lack context in a strange, willful manner. See also calling Apatow a soulless sell-out based on not liking 40-Year-Old Virgin, with the vague sense that he hadn't seen any of Apatow's TV work (of which 40YOV is more or less of a smart, relaxed piece).

This is even more left-field -- who wants to take bets on the fact that Jeff hasn't seen episode one between Buffy, Angel, or Firefly? Much less anything Whedon actually directed, like episodes of those shows or the Serenity film?

I understand a reaction against his interviews alone. I mean, I like most of Whedon's stuff (though his writing does begin to sound mannered and/or predictable if you go through a lot of it at once -- but I'd argue that happens for a lot of very good writers with a particular style), but I'm not a big fan of his interviews. He seems to go out of his way to sound cutesy. But as a writer, he's entertaining.

comment #19

lesterg says ...

"I'm soooo tempted to link this posting on one of the Whedon message boards. They'll spam the hell out of this site...."

Someone attack Nathan Fillion's acting talent first.

comment #20

JD says ...

I'm glad to hear "HOT FUZZ is great." But why is it great? Shaun of the Dead was hugely entertaining, but it certainly wasn't great. Is Hot Fuzz significantly better... or is it more of the same, as the marketing implies?

comment #21

Devin Faraci says ...

I thought SHAUN was great, so there you go.

comment #22

christian says ...

SOTD was indeed great. one of the best screenplays alone of the year. these guys deserve their buzz. or fuzz.

and as per whedon, since i don't need a soap opera fix, i never watched his stuff. seemed smarter than the average bear, but basically what movie man said.

comment #23

The Movie Man says ...

SHAUN OF THE DEAD is great, it is very funny, has loads of heart and manages to out Romero George Romero. What more can you want? The prospect of these guys doing that to the LETHAL WEAPON/Tony Scott genre fills me with great anticipation.

comment #24

JD says ...

I love Shaun of the Dead, but it makes Little Miss Sunshine look like Last Year at Marienbad. It's an aggressively shallow, ingratiating pastiche made with a sitcom sensibility and no substance whatsoever. And that's not a bad thing. On this level, it's a blast -- seriously, if anyone's a sucker for shallow, visceral entertainment, it's me -- but I'm not sure it's doing anything to really earn a distinction like "great." Maybe I'm wrong. It's certainly one of the few zombie movies that warrants consideration alongside Romero's zombie films (out Romero-ing Romero is a bit of a stretch, though) so I'm obviously psyched for Fuzz. Seriously, tell us more, Devin.

comment #25

Sean says ...

"I love Shaun of the Dead, but it makes Little Miss Sunshine look like Last Year at Marienbad. It's an aggressively shallow, ingratiating pastiche made with a sitcom sensibility and no substance whatsoever."

First of all, the tight writing alone made it *better* than 'Little Miss Sunshine'. But I wouldn't argue that's what makes it not-shallow. Rather, it is the various ideas it brings up of the 20-something age group pissing their lives away, becoming a generation of zombies, etc., that gives it more depth than 'LMS'. It also has the whole "guys growing up, abandoning the things they love" stuff which, while not deep, is at least not explicitly spelled out and beaten into you. Again, advantage, 'Shaun'.

But, really, it's all relative; 'Shaun' is deep for a zombie movie, especially compared with every zombie movie to come since 'Day of the Dead'. 'Little Miss Sunshine' is shallow, even for a shallow genre of Sundancey movies.

comment #26

Sean says ...

and, re: Whedon vs. Sorkin, I was just thinking this week that if Whedon was doing 'Studio 60' instead of Sorkin, something interesting and/or surprising would've happened by now.

Specifically, I think the snake would've bitten Bradley Whitford or Amanda Peet right after their big emotional moment, but maybe that's just because I'm a sentimentalist.

comment #27

cobhome says ...

anyone notice the who is doing the mystery cameo in Hot Fuzz???

comment #28

Spacelamb says ...

Gee , this kittens got claws! A bit harsh, Jeffrey.

comment #29

christian says ...

i avoided SOTD because i feared it would be snarky english humor which is just as obnoxious as the american version. but this was the first time i shed a tear during a zombie movie. it has heart and soul and is easily the best living dead film since romero's DOTD. it might not be LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD but it's certainly as artfully made as LMS and riskier. but SOTD has the better script. shoulda been nominated.

comment #30

MPNeeb says ...

Shawn Levy, Gore Verebinski and JJ Abrams continue to draw breath but Wells goes after Joss Whedon?
Whedon's body of work is better that all three of those combined.
He's not worthy of hate at this moment.

comment #31

The Winchester says ...

I got so wrapped up in the Whedon bit, I forgot to proclaim my undying love for Shaun Of The Dead (as you might have noticed) and all parties involved in it's making. I'm highly anticipating Hot Fuzz, and this And I'm jealous of Devin for having caught it already.

Aint It Cool has an internet only trailer cut by Wright himself, and allegedly scored by Robert Rodriguez.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/31505

comment #32

The Movie Man says ...

I should have been a little clearer on SOTD, it out Romeros modern Romero (I'm sorry guys but LAND OF THE DEAD, for lack of a better, more perceptive word, blows.) Shaun isn't as strong as Night or Dawn, but then again its not really playing the same ball game either.