692 It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

[FrauBlucher]

Think of how entertaining it will be if it gets delayed as long as Grey Gardens got delayed. They will really lose their minds.

[Perkins Cobb]

Think of how entertaining it will be if it gets delayed as long as Grey Gardens got delayed. They will really lose their minds.

And I have absolutely no qualms about rooting for this to happen, for that reason.

[Brianruns10]

I never thought I'd see the day, that a Criterion release would actually top "Tiny Furniture" for sheer controversy over its inclusion in the collection. I owe someone a Coke.

[domino harvey]

Here

I've read about a third of this thread-- the beginning and the end-- and it is truly bizarro Criterion Forum over there. A world where It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World is not just good but one of the greatest achievements of film history worthy of page after page of minutae and demands (when someone said they were going to send the HTF thread to Criterion, I had to laugh). Plus they called our forum "Disgusting" for not liking Stanley Kramer. If that makes us gross, who'd want to be anything but?

[zedz]

Maybe we should send our thread to Criterion along with a "please don't bother with this release" petition.

Though it looks like the HTF thread itself might better serve that purpose.

[Mathew2468]

But most of the movie IS absolute perfection...

Most of it is perfect.

[What A Disgrace]

The desperation about the title on the HTF is pretty amazing, and I'm pretty sure one guy was afraid of dying before its release. Its easy, at least for me, to forget from frequenting this place that a lot of people sincerely love (or like, whatever) movies, yet would rally so strongly around the release of a blunderbuss of a film like this, which they've already seen countless times already anyway, and is already on Blu-ray. And, of course, there's the reaction against this forum's reaction... its a bit of an eye opener for a variety of reasons.

[vsski]

While I think there is nothing wrong with enjoying movies - why would be here otherwise - and every movie has its fans I assume, what I find mind boggling is that the HTF thread for IAMMMMW has way over a 1000 entries by now and the WCF Scorsese box thread less than a handful. Yes it was announced later, but I only saw one person's comment on it so far aside from the announcement - the IAMMMMW thread had hundreds of entries within the first few days of the clue being revealed - truly different tastes to say the least.

[gcgiles1dollarbin]

That 'banana peel' [gag in IAMMMMW] was the 'Starchild of Schtick'.

[Mathew2468]

Charles, it sounds a bit corny -- but I swear true -- I got chills

watching that moment when he walks on the very ground where

that Big W existed.

[Perkins Cobb]

(when someone said they were going to send the HTF thread to Criterion, I had to laugh)

Not just someone -- that was Ron Epstein himself! And I'm sure Criterion hangs on his every word.

[Moe Dickstein]

If all those people have wallets and will be customers, they would be wise to listen...

[Mathew2468]

Isn't it just a few people who post a lot?

[swo17]

If all those people have wallets and will be customers, they would be wise to listen...

It will literally only be HTF posters purchasing this release, so yes, you are correct.

[FrauBlucher]

If all those people have wallets and will be customers, they would be wise to listen...

It will literally only be HTF posters purchasing this release, so yes, you are correct.

And what is the exact percentage of Criterion customers do they represent?

[Gregory]

It'd be wise for Criterion to pay attention to dozens of pages of hand-wringing and complaints that people didn't get the announcement they wanted when they wanted it? Why, so they can laugh at people who feel grievously wronged that a teaser drawing was revealed too early because they don't know how to be patient?

I only read about a page of it before getting extremely bored, but I loved the post saying that because Criterion decided to upgrade Grey Gardens instead of releasing IMMMMW in December or some such thing, it "gives new reason to despise Criterion's stupid hard-on for the Maysles." I guess that would have to equally apply to Criterion's stupid hard-on for Altman. Damn it, Criterion, drop everything else you're doing and give us our epic Cinerama hijinks, and don't spare any of the the bells and whistles or we'll get really mad.

[Mathew2468]

I don't like that place because it's nothing but old guys and their nostalgia. I don't like movie fetishists.

[triodelover]

I don't like that place because it's nothing but old guys and their nostalgia. I don't like movie fetishists.

Ahem...I'm an old guy (65 today). And my fetishes - movie and otherwise - are no concern of yours, sonny boy. \:D/

[Mathew2468]

Yeah, but people here aren't just nostalgic fanboys. That's been my experience.

[triodelover]

Yeah, but people here aren't just nostalgic fanboys. That's been my experience.

Well, it is Home Theater Forum. IAMx4W shows off the old geezers' toys better than say, The Housemaid. I saw IAMx4W in the theater on release. I was 15. I was hugely disappointed even then. Definitely a case where the whole was quite a bit less than the sum of its parts. I loved guys like Sid Caesar and Jonathan Winters. I used to sit in front of my aunt's big screen TV (21", glorious B&W) and watch Your Show of Shows religiously. All that talent to produce the comedic equivalent of moose farts.

[kingofthejungle]

I don't like that place because it's nothing but old guys and their nostalgia. I don't like movie fetishists.

The fact that their value judgements seem to be made on a weird mix of nostalgia and film geekery can get kind of exasperating. HTF taught me that there are people who collect films that were shot in particular formats, Award winners, released by particular labels, etc, etc.

I guess *It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World* represents a kind of nexus of their interests. It won an Oscar, was filmed in an unusual process, it released by a boutique label, contains a plethora of stars to be nostalgic about, was a very expensive film...if you don't care about the film's actual quality it seems to have a lot going for it.

As for that particular HTF thread, the constant quoting of the film's bad jokes was triggering some of my PTSD from having watched it, so I gave up on it fairly quickly.

All that talent to produce the comedic equivalent of moose farts.

I think you're being unfair to moose farts.

[Mathew2468]

...their value judgements seem to be made on a weird mix of nostalgia and film geekery...

Thank you. That's what I was trying to say. I'm not good at words.

[zedz]

if you don't care about the film's actual quality it seems to have a lot going for it.

Now that's a pithy pull quote!

[bamwc2]

I don't like that place because it's nothing but old guys and their nostalgia. I don't like movie fetishists.

Ahem...I'm an old guy (65 today). And my fetishes - movie and otherwise - are no concern of yours, sonny boy. \:D/

Happy birthday, triodelover! Your aged wisdom and trenchant insights always make the forum a better place.

[FrauBlucher]

I am on the other side of 50. I never want to be in the category of "nostalgia and movie geekery." (I think the word "film" is too high brow for them). The image I have for that description scares me.
I too enjoyed many of those comedians in their different incarnations but as a whole I found the movie to be very so-so, a novelty. Nothing more. If you want a good laugh watch Duck Soup or a few other Marx Bros. films. Now that is brilliant comedy on celluloid. But I guess to each their own.

Oh yeah, and one more thing. I would guarantee that everyone posting on that HTF thread still has a VHS copy of the Mad World. Geekery indeed.