Australia Wakeup

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Manhattan media maven Bill McCuddy attended a midnight showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at the Zeigfeld last night, and reports that the trailer for Baz Lurhman's Australia got booed. What does that mean? That Spielberg fanboys have had it up to here with Nicole Kidman...? It can't be about Luhrman or Hugh Jackman. I'm grasping at straws, but I know that boos from paying audiences are a bellwether that distributors can't afford to ignore.

comment #1

diesel says ...

and i who liked the trailer, especially the photography. stylish as always with baz.

comment #2

bfm says ...

Maybe they just wanted the movie to start.

comment #3

NDH says ...

Sometimes people "boo" just so they can "boo." I wouldn't read too much into it.

comment #4

thevisceral says ...

Poor Baz Luhrman...getting caught up in that lingering Kangaroo Jack backlash.

comment #5

Breedlove says ...

Probably they were so fired up for Indy to start that they didn't want to see a preview just then. And that's not exactly a fanboy picture. That said, the casting of this film is a bit problematic, to my eyes at least. Kidman jumped the shark for me when the plastic surgery or excessive botox or whatever it is kicked in and she changed from a beautiful woman into a freak overnight. I like Hugh Jackman, but both of the these actors have the stink of numerous flops all over them. Personally I'm looking forward to this film very much but would be moreso were it's stars, say, Naomi Watts or Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe (who as we know was originally going to do it) or, better yet, Mel Gibson. Off-field issues aside, Mel is one of the all-time movie stars, and I miss his screen presence.

comment #6

Dave Polands Gut says ...

Geeks who go to midnight opening shows don't care for other trailers. They justwant the movie to start

comment #7

Mark says ...

For most geeks, watching a midnight movie prior to the 8-to-5 public is equivalent to sex, which they've only seen performed in movies. I imagine the Austrailia trailer is like paying for a prostitute, and before she enters, her well-to-do brother pops in and tries to convince you to go back to school and get your Masters degree. GET THE FUCK OUT! Maybe they'll hold their load for some jokes, some Tropic Thunder, but talk to them after breakfast tomorrow if you want to capture something deeper.

comment #8

Undercover Brother says ...

They booed becasue if it's like all the other prints of Skull there are 7 damn previews playing in front of it. They just wanted the fucking movie to start. FYI the preview for "Benjamin Button" is a great one. Can't wait for that. Go Finch!

comment #9

cjKennedy says ...

"For most geeks, watching a midnight movie prior to the 8-to-5 public is equivalent to sex, which they've only seen performed in movies." Ahahahahah. That was good.

comment #10

Roman says ...

I certainly wouldn't boo it. And I am still excited for it. However, when I finallly saw the trailer I found it to be empty. I don't know.

comment #11

Geoff says ...

I liked the trailer. It could be a good epic romance adventure thing. I also liked the AUSTRALIA font.

comment #12

dp4m says ...

Speaking as someone who was there -- and makes midnight showings like this a mainstay of my activities (and one which is tradition in my family with my 60+ YO parents and 30-40+ YO siblings) -- anyone who says that the people at the midnight Ziegfeld showings boos "because we want the movie to start"... respectfully hasn't been to a Ziegfeld midnight showing. ;)

First of all, the trailer is a fucking mess. And it looks AWFUL. Nothing like the Baz Luhrmann I loved from the Red Curtain Trilogy. I couldn't tell one thing about the story from the retarded "Nicole Kidman telling a story" bit other than Hugh Jackman probably dies and Nicole cries a lot when she hears about it. So, yes, we booed this awful, piece of shit trailer. I still hope, however, that the FILM ITSELF is great and Luhrmann keeps making good films. For G-d's sake, Kung Fu Panda got applause over Australia.

IIRC, the trailers were:

Hancock (high applause).

Australia (boos)

Kung Fu Panda (mild applause)

Benjamin Button (insane applause)

Eagle Eyes ("meh" response)

There were about two more, but as I went to sleep at 4 am-ish last night after cabbing back to Brooklyn, I cannot recall. If someone remembers, I can try and rejigger my "applause-o-meter" in my head to recall them.

comment #13

BurmaShave says ...

THE CLONE WARS got maybe my favorite reaction ever, which is disdainful laughter. The BENJAMIN BUTTON trailer was great.

comment #14

dp4m says ...

Right... Clone Wars. That got mild applause at my screening, very possibly due to the fact that there were like 60 people (or more) who were affiliated with the Revenge of the Sith line-up for charity randomly at this Indy midnight showing (and the folks with those folks).

To be fair, even as a life-long Star Wars fan -- I'm not quite sure what to make of all of this CW animated series stuff, but for likely entirely different (and far geekier) reasons than the rest of you fine folk. ;)

comment #15

BurmaShave says ...

Yeah just for the record, this will be a prequel to a prequel. Fuck George Lucas.

comment #16

Rich S. says ...

You want the fanboys to love Australia? Have Hugh Jackman wear the outfits they used to wear on Monty Python with the corks hanging off the hat, and call him "Bruce." That'll pack 'em in.

comment #17

Gus Petch says ...

Thevisceral and Geoff hit the nail on the head: Nicole Kidman has turned herself into a freak, and the trailer makes the movie look cliched and dull. But there's one thing no one mentioned: this movie seems to be targeted exclusively at women. And the audience at a midnight showing of Indiana Jones has to be at least 80% male, no?

comment #18

PastePotPete says ...

It probably got booed because the trailer is so pompous. It looks like an Edward Zwick movie without the marketability.

comment #19

Spicer says ...

I agree with everybody else, the Benjamin Button trailer was great, it was a lot better than Indy.

comment #20

D.Z. says ...

Didn't get stuck with Australia, but I ended up booing Indy 4. I'm surprised Koepp wrote the screenplay, though, because I thought it was really Seth MacFarlane and Michael Bay, what with the script's constant pattern of "remember that scene in that other Indy film", followed by, "money shot of something getting smashed and/or blown up". And no, Stevie, I don't want to watch Ford channel Tom Hanks in Da Vinci Code and discuss the history of the treasure and culture for over an hour.

comment #21

D.Z. says ...

Oh, and George, your subversive take on the 50s Red Scare was totally pointless and irrelevant to the series. Stop ruining my childhood favorites with your half-assed political commentary and make your own damn Michael Moore movies. [The same goes for you, Andy and Larry(?).]

comment #22

moviemaniac2002 says ...

Kidman has always seemed strange and "off"
to me, more of an imitation-movie star than a
real one. The Cruise-Kidman marriage played
out like a lengthy publicity stunt that had finally
run its course. Then there's her current
almost bizarrely invisible pregnancy...(apparently her handlers finally convinced her to stick a
soccer ball underneath the gowns) Somewhere
there's a split apart giant seed pod and next to
it the dried husk remains of the real Kidman.

comment #23

Legowombat says ...

Where's the financial evidence audiences *ever* liked Nicole Kidman? Far more misses than hits.

Baz Lurhman's name is on my 'avoid at all costs' movie list.

comment #24

MAGGA says ...

Baz Luht\rman is one of the most hated directors working today. I liked Moulin Rouge somewhat, but admitting it has caused many a fanboy's jaw to drop.

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