Review rules

email this story
read comments (14)
post a comment

I posted a somewhat negative review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix two days ago, but I took it down 45 minutes later after a Warner Bros. publicist reminded me that an embargo demand (printed on the invitation, she said) stated no reviews until opening day -- Wednesday, 7.1. Now I don't wanna pickle, but I was scratching my head and feeling a little confused as I did the obedient thing.

It had seemed to me that the Potter cat was out of the bag last Friday with reviews already posted from Variety's Todd McCarthy, the Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt, Time's Richard Corliss, Rolling Stone's Peter Travers, New York's David Edelstein and Emmanuel Levy.

And I mean particularly on top of last Tuesday's David Halbfinger piece in the N.Y. Times that talked about the increasing trend of major publications going earlier and earlier on reviews, in part because of a kind of domino effect created by this site and Movie City News and other online sites going early-ish on reviews of certain films.

Halbfinger began his piece, in fact, by saying that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix "does not open in theaters in the United States and Europe until July 11, but the reviews are already rolling in." He also stated that "the odds that the New York Post and the N.Y. Daily News will hold their...reviews until the movie hits theaters are, roughly speaking, zero."

Pheonix reviews aren't a big deal. The big deal is whether or not J.K. Rowling will kill off Harry in the seventh and final novel, which comes out 7.21. Still, I'm wondering how to play this. I'm thinking if the N.Y. Post or the N.Y. Daily News run their reviews on Monday or Tuesday, then I'll go that day also.

Edelstein on "Phoenix"<< previous | next >>"If..." again

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 8, 2007 at 2:02 PM

comment #1

Dan Revill says ...

If your review had been positive, you'd be in business.

Posted by Dan Revill at July 8, 2007 2:09 PM

comment #2

corey3rd says ...

well at least you made one flack in the PR department claim victory in the tide of Blasts.

What is the point of printing a review on the day a film comes out? Haven't people already decided if they're going to see it that night? Haven't they already lined up a babysitter or their dinner date by Friday morning?

Posted by corey3rd at July 8, 2007 3:06 PM

comment #3

TheScott2K says ...

Rowling will "kill" Harry off but pull some Marvel Comics bullshit where he becomes one with the force or some shit and could easily come back again.

Posted by TheScott2K at July 8, 2007 3:14 PM

comment #4

Geoff says ...

So Harry Potter is going to die a virgin? Well that just sucks man.

Posted by Geoff at July 8, 2007 3:26 PM

comment #5

Circumvrent says ...

I can feel it all ready: Jeff is going to be dying to give away the ending to the Harry Potter book the minute the AP reports it. I'm going to have to take a sabbatical from this site in about a week.

Posted by Circumvrent at July 8, 2007 3:50 PM

comment #6

Mark G. says ...

Maybe they didn't like the fact, that you're calling the movie Harry Potter and the Order of the PHEONIX...

Posted by Mark G. at July 8, 2007 3:58 PM

comment #7

The Winchester says ...

Not for nothing, but Harry's looking a little Zach Snyder Dawn of the Dead-ish in that picture

Posted by The Winchester at July 8, 2007 4:02 PM

comment #8

SpinDozer says ...

on one of the HP sites I visited yesterday or this morning, there was a note saying that Phoenix had a 91% fresh rating on RT, and acknowledged that it was still early with only 11 (I think) reviews in...

Posted by SpinDozer at July 8, 2007 7:14 PM

comment #9

Ian Sinclair says ...

All the Harry Potter pictures have very high scores on Rotten Tomatoes. All of the RT Cream of the Crop scores for all three Lord of the Rings pictures are 100%. That means nothing to Jeff because he can't differentiate between ERAGON and THE RETURN OF THE KING, which is, frankly, his loss.

Posted by Ian Sinclair at July 8, 2007 7:53 PM

comment #10

EDouglas says ...

The New York Daily News also had a review of the movie (positive of course) on the front page.

Posted by EDouglas at July 8, 2007 8:31 PM

comment #11

SpinDozer says ...

My comment on the RT score wasn't to demonstrate anything to JW other than reviews were being published...I don't really care what critics say about these flicks, I'm thankful they are as good as they are (which I admit is nowhere near being great) and enjoy them as such.

Posted by SpinDozer at July 8, 2007 9:29 PM

comment #12

Don Murphy says ...

Wells- fucked again

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33251

Posted by Don Murphy at July 8, 2007 10:34 PM

comment #13

cobhome says ...

it does not matter what the reviews are on any Potter film - people - huge numbers of people - like the characters - are delighted by the setting of the stories - and love seeing the books come to life in the films - therefore - they will go - in huge numbers - and enjoy the films even if they have film making flaws -

Posted by cobhome at July 8, 2007 10:42 PM

comment #14