Straight Out of LeCarre
Responding to the online Wolverine leaking, HE reader JckNapier2 has floated a highly speculative, bordering-on-looney-tune theory that's nonetheless fascinating to consider: "If Wolverine turns out to be terrible, immediate suspicion would fall on 20th Century Fox for leaking it to create an excuse for [a diminished] box-office performance. When I first wrote this I was just tossing it out there. But as a friend correctly noted, this could be a form of insurance fraud.
"If Fox has insured the film from all matter of maladies, could they cash in said insurance policy if they can somehow convince the carriers that the film flop because of third-party criminal action?
"As it is, if the film is a hit despite today's leak then it becomes a goofy embarrassment. If the film flops, especially on opening weekend, the leak becomes one of the biggest entertainment stories of the year, period. As far as consequences, the only people responsible for this are the ones who leaked it, period. If Fox cracks down on critics and press screenings and/or public paid screenings, then there will be a huge press backlash."
Another reader, continuing on this double-agent, cloak-and-dagger Le Carre jag, says "it's more than likely that it was an ex-Fox employee who was attached to the production while there. In fact there's a guy who fits the mold well." He doesn't mention a name. "Check MTV's movie blog for quotes about Wolverine by an exFox vp. "I'm not saying it's him but the timelines for the estimated age of work print and his departure do match up, more or less. Read his quotes back then had me scratching my head as to why an ex employee was giving quotes on a film he was effectively thrown off of. Just a thought."
I like the insurance fraud scenario better.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 1, 2009 at 3:28 PM
comment #1
DeadPool
says ...
Pure Paranoia...
Posted by DeadPool
at April 1, 2009 3:41 PM
comment #2
ScottMendelson
says ...
Probably, but it's fun to speculate as long as it's stated that we're purely speculating.
Posted by ScottMendelson
at April 1, 2009 3:46 PM
comment #3
moviemaniac2002
says ...
If anybody at Fox was that deviously clever...
....they would have leaked "The Day The Earth
Stood Still" on to YouTube last summer......
Posted by moviemaniac2002
at April 1, 2009 3:57 PM
comment #4
loyal
says ...
Just finished watching it about a hour ago. No amount of finished FX or reshoots could salvage it.
Posted by loyal
at April 1, 2009 3:59 PM
comment #5
Sabina E
says ...
of course not.
Posted by Sabina E
at April 1, 2009 4:06 PM
comment #6
Aris P
says ...
I wouldn't admit seeing seeing it if I were you. Though we've been hearing it for years now, at some point the MPAA is going to get some tougher legislation passed and is going to have the power to crack down HARD on people who download it, watch, rip it, whatever. Saying you just watched it makes you complicit in an illegal act.
Posted by Aris P
at April 1, 2009 5:21 PM
comment #7
loyal
says ...
Just wait until we get reviews up on our main site from users LOL, though we've had issues with Fox in the past. Then again, who hasn't
They know where I'm at if they want to find me. Instead, they need to focus on why they're released shite product after shite product after shite product.
And Wolverine is the epitome of shite product.
Posted by loyal
at April 1, 2009 5:30 PM
comment #8
btwnproductions
says ...
http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/04/wolverine-pirac.html
Posted by btwnproductions
at April 1, 2009 5:36 PM
comment #9
BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey
says ...
Why's it so shite?
Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey
at April 1, 2009 7:11 PM
comment #10
loyal
says ...
There are many reasons but if I were to narrow it down, I'd say several issues really stand out
SPOILER***
Too many mutants that are either underdeveloped or uninteresting. Bad casting is a problem as well. will.i.am was horrible.
The action sequences (both those that were complete and those waiting to be finalized) didn't stand out or pop. X3, which was a real mess, actually was a better action film.
Wolverine's quest to avenge the death of his girlfriend didn't seem authentic. Ditto for the murder mystery of former teammates/mutants of Wolverine turning up dead.
Stryker making a Frankenstein mutant out of his son by collecting powers of various mutants to avenge the death of his wife seem clunky even by summer standards. There was no payoff when the master plan was revealed.
The only real plus for the film was Hugh Jackman, the credit sequence, and a certain cameo at the end of the end.
Posted by loyal
at April 1, 2009 7:49 PM
comment #11
loyal
says ...
*end of the film*
sorry
Posted by loyal
at April 1, 2009 7:51 PM
comment #12
astrophore
says ...
Now I finally understand why Dick Shawn was cast as Wolverine.
Posted by astrophore
at April 1, 2009 9:43 PM
comment #13
Ray
says ...
I really didn't think it was all that bad by summer movie standards:
http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/unfiltered-lens/thoughts-on-the-wolverine-workprint.php
Posted by Ray
at April 1, 2009 11:23 PM
comment #14
D.Z.
says ...
What? No one wanted to use my theory that someone who got axed from X Men 3 did it as payback?
Posted by D.Z.
at April 2, 2009 1:17 PM
comment #15
wow gold reviews
says ...
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at March 4, 2011 12:26 PM