First, we'd like to personally congratulate Uwe for climbing on stage in front of hundreds of people who ... dislike his films to present his side of the story. Sure, a lot of folks got right up and walked out (not unlike seeing his films in theaters!) and the clips he showed off didn't elicit an overwhelmingly positive fan reaction ... but we're still proud of Uwe for sticking to his clichéd guns without resorting to fisticuffs.
PAX 07: Uwe Boll's guest appearance on video
First, we'd like to personally congratulate Uwe for climbing on stage in front of hundreds of people who ... dislike his films to present his side of the story. Sure, a lot of folks got right up and walked out (not unlike seeing his films in theaters!) and the clips he showed off didn't elicit an overwhelmingly positive fan reaction ... but we're still proud of Uwe for sticking to his clichéd guns without resorting to fisticuffs.












(Page 1) Reader Comments
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yeah, he's a douchebag. I woulda walked outta there at the start too, If I wasn't 10 miles away watching the mariners win again
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Movie Director isn't one of them...
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Good for Uwe Boll. It's nice to see someone who stands by his work. This guy does what he wants and that's exactly what you have to do if you want to get anywhere in the world. He's been in the film industry for 16 years - it's hard to stay afloat in that industry for three years let alone 16.
And that guy who said that he's late getting to the table with 9/11 jokes is a dumbass - the fact is, it's only okay if cartoons do it because cartoons are faceless. Boll and his actors all have faces and they are taking a chance because they believe in the message of the film. The reason why the U.S. is getting flooded with crappy remakes is because none of these directors or studios want to take chances anymore. Boll's the first director I've seen take a legitimate chance with content in a film since 9/11 - and it's a big one at that.
I've never seen a Uwe Boll movie, but I'll definitely check out "Postal" if it's in my area - just based on the principle that he didn't let these little bitch, know-nothing gamers try to tell him he was wrong.
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Oh yeah, right. Because "United 93", "World Trade Center", or even "Reign Over Me" weren't big at all. Nope, takes a real man with vision to tackle 9/11 with dick and fart jokes. I'm slightly insulted you think that "Postal" will be the first movie to "tackle" 9/11.
I respect Boll's continued effort, and yes, 16 years at anything is hard to do. But you know what? 16 years of terrible movies (and yes, they are terrible, a movie that's "a fun time" is still a terrible movie.) is not something to be rewarded. If he had improved his skills instead of making worse movies with bigger budgets, I'd give him credit.
There's also a difference between "standing up for your work" and "ignoring any constructive criticism because you don't agree with it." See his recent interview with Wired for an example of that.
Let me tell you something: I've seen his movies. They suck. He is a horrible director and a horrible person for using 9/11 to stir up controversy for his movie. His movies are pretty much the definition of shit. You ever see Catwoman? His movies make Catwoman seem watchable.
Anyway, how about you TFSU about something you admit to never watching.
"I've never seen a Uwe Boll movie"
"I know exactly what I'm talking about" -John Musco
I happen to be a film student at UNT who watches a lot of movies as well. And I've seen by share of good and bad movies. Even if I didn't know anything about film, it doesn't take an educated person to find your statements hypocritical. You're trying to defend someone you don't know or never met yet you've never seen anyone of his films. And it isn't just gamers who criticize him, the mainstream press and critics isn't quite too fond of him either.
Anyone remember the spat between Boll and Wired magazine recently? Or how about the time he invited critics of his movies to a boxing match a while back? Then of course there was writer Blair Erickson's account of Uwe Boll's ego and incompetence when he wrote the treatment for Alone in the Dark for him.
Did it ever occur to you that some people are just simply bad directors, just as there are simply bad singers, bad actors, or bad lawyers?
He is an abominable scar on the already greasy face of Hollywood and nothing he will (inevitably) spew up will ever be justifiable as an average movie, let alone a piece of art.
But I do agree about the 9/11 thing. That was a stupid question to ask, but it’s not reason enough to brand every video game player as a “little bitch, know-nothing gamer(s)” especially when you specifically stated “I've never seen a Uwe Boll movie.” And if you’re lucky, Postal will go straight to the bargain bin and never get a chance to even glance itself against the big screen.
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Then you pretty much don't know what the fuck you're talking about...
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I appreciate your response, but the fact is, "United 93" and "World Trade Center" didn't really take chances. Those movies did exactly what the audience expected - that's not to say that their approaches were wrong or that they were bad movies, but they weren't taking chances either.
I think people that try to address serious events through humor take much bigger chances and, in many situations, they get to the core of the subject more effectively. Humor is under attack in the U.S. because Special Interest Groups and (many people in general) think that they are entitled to having everyone else around them care when they are offended. So I do find it very impressive and promising when someone tries to address a serious issue with humor. Entertainers are taking less chances and that is why many different forms of media are becoming bland - including films.
I disagree with you when it comes to a "fun time" not being a good movie. A good movie is a movie you enjoy personally - it's as simple as that. MST3K proved this over a decade ago. If you are talking about the quality of a production, that's a different story. At the same time, there are plenty of great filmmakers out that that are too pretentious to make an enjoyable movie. Wes Anderson has an incredible cinematic vision and is a true auteur. Personally, I really love his movies, but there are plenty of people that don't get the jokes, don't like the look, and don't enjoy his films.
To Loki:
First off, thanks for your reply. Second, I know exactly what I'm talking about - you don't judge a movie by the movie that came before it; you judge a movie by itself and on its own merits. If you haven't seen "Postal", then technically, we know just as much in that respect.
I also know enough to know that every director makes good movies and bad movies - and that there isn't a set ratio for the two. Also, a good movie and a bad movie aren't mutually exclusive. It also takes more than a bad director to make a movie bad. "Postal" seems to have a few comedic actors that I've enjoyed in the past and I'm smart enough to watch a movie before judging it. If you judged every Dustin Hoffman movie based on his performance in "The Graduate", you'd be pretty pissed off after you watched "Ishtar."
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As for MST3K, that MAKES a movie a "fun time". I love MST3K, but you simply CANNOT watch any of the movies they review without them making fun of it. "Manos: The Hands of Fate" and "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" are painful to watch and even with some hilarious commentary they still are straining to be "fun times". It is a very hard line to walk between being "so terrible it's awesome" and "just terrible". Uwe's movies have stayed on the latter side of that line.
This is the same guy who after the screening of Alone in the Dark, he called the whole audience idiots because they didn't understand the movie.
This is the same guy who called Ain't It Cool News retards because of their House of the Dead review.
This is the same guy who after the screening of Postal told a guy from Wired magazine "go to your mum and f**k her ...because she cooks for you now since 30 years ..so she deserves it".
This is the same guy who invited his critics into a boxing match. The guy from SomethingAwful.com said that they were all lead to believe that it was a friendly boxing match. But when the thing actually happened, Uwe Boll took it seriously and beat the crap out of him.
The more I read about Uwe Boll and the way he responds to criticism, the more he sounds exactly like Jack Thompson. When you meet them in person, they sound like really nice people. But once you criticize them, then they become your worst enemy.
And as for the people walking out. Yeah, I don't like the name calling and heckling. That was uncalled for. But who the hell said you had to stay? If people want to leave because they don't want to listen to someone, isn't it their free right to do so? If Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter appeared out of nowhere at a convention and started their anti-liberal rants, do I stay out of respect or do I leave because I don't want to listen to his crap?
And seriously, why does everyone act like he's the only director to make video games into shitty movies? At least he didn't make Street Fighter & Double Dragon.
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"Boll's the first director I've seen take a legitimate chance with content in a film since 9/11 - and it's a big one at that." - John Musco
"I've never seen a Uwe Boll movie" - John Musco
Wow. This is either an awesome troll, or the most uninformed, hypocritcal crap I've ever seen. I wouldn't have even posted, but you dared compare the greatness of MST3k (which MOCKS horrible movies) to a Uwe Boll production, which creates those horrible movies to be mocked. Let's stop doing that, ok sweetie?
Good job trolling, I hope.
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Also, I'm sure it wasn't a surprise to see people walking out during his segment. I personally would have at least heard him out before judging like the majority of people that let the public decide so that they don't have to.
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Now Mike Vick is a true victim.
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But i believe the 17 dead dogs they found on mike vick's estate were the victims.
A female from the audience shouts out, right in the middle of Uwe Boll's post-trailer speech, "What the fuck is that piece of shit you fucking asshole, get the fuck off the stage!"
That's gotta be a classic moment in the history of both movies and games.
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First off, I'm not a troll - I visit Joystiq a few times a day and it's pretty much my #1 source for gaming news. I don't post that often because, for the most part, I really don't care that the Katamari demo is up on XBA, nor do I care about the 3 daily blurbs on Guitar Hero 3 or Rock Band. I posted on this subject because it goes a lot deeper than merely gaming.
Second, I really don't understand how anyone can call me a hypocrite when I'm clearing stating that I am NOT judging a film before I've seen it. Uwe Boll's other movies may very well suck, but what about this one? If you haven't seen "Postal" then it's just as hypocritical on your part to judge it before seeing it. You can say "based on Boll's reputation as a filmmaker, I'm not going to see this," but you can't accurately make the determination that the movie sucks unless you have seen it. You also can't go by the trailer because trailers lack context. It'd be awfully ignorant of me to form an opinion based merely on what all of you are saying, especially considering that none of you have seen the movie either.
I don't think it's fair judge a movie based on a director's past work - do you know how many box office duds Robert Zemeckis made before "Romancing the Stone"? His track record was so bad that it was nearly impossible for him to get "Back to the Future" made initially - every studio in Hollywood passed on it twice.
Also, what I meant about the MST3K comment was that MST3K showed that even a bad movie can have merit. If you took a movie that appeared on MST3K and watched it by itself, you could enjoy making fun of it on your own. - That's what I meant. In terms of the humor being used in "Postal", like everyone else, I haven't seen it so I can't judge it. However, I interact with a lot of people in Europe, and I get the impression from them that the idea of Bush and Bin Laden being pals is a somewhat common thought in that region. I live in the NY area and, while I'm sure many Americans will view the film as disgusting, globally this film might be very successful.
Finally, I am not Uwe Boll's publicist, but if he's willing to shell out some of that German tax shelter fund money out, I'd gladly field any questions from English-speaking moviegoers.
In closing, I'll say this: At one point in time, I was an aspiring filmmaker. Over time, it stopped being enjoyable for me. So yes, I do respect Uwe Boll (and anyone for that mattter) that has the gumption to press on in that industry. Whether the movie is good or bad, it is extremely difficult to achieve a vision of that scale - it's not like drawing a picture. I think the fact that Uwe Boll has pressed on in the face of criticism speaks volumes about his character.
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Typo, "pissed on the face of criticism."
And I think it's really great that he showed up to PAX in front of a bunch of braying jackasses and took it. I really get sick of people taking pot-shots in anonymity whether it be on the internet or in a crowded audience.
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Whether you like him or not, the interview was actually pretty interesting.
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Personally, I like the way he has responded to criticism. In my opinion, critics are a pretty shitty breed of people who couldn't cut it in whatever industry they are criticizing. There are also plenty of critics out there that just want to squeeze a lemon for the sake of it. Go to RottenTomatoes and read a review of a classic movie - there's always one douchebag that has to complain about it instead of give it it's due.
I think what he said to the guy from Wired magazine is hilarious - the broken English just makes it funnier. I like the fact that he wiped the floor with some of the guys in that boxing match - while those guy are eating Fritos, playing video games, and doing nothing legitimate with their lives, Boll is working out and pursuing film-making. When in the history of the world has there ever been a "friendly" boxing match? I think that's a cop out on their part. In the end, nobody knows or will ever remember the names of the critics because they are zilches - they've brought nothing to the table, but they'll all remember Uwe Boll.
"If Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter appeared out of nowhere at a convention and started their anti-liberal rants, do I stay out of respect or do I leave because I don't want to listen to his crap?"
Personally, I think it depends on two things: (A)if the person is a boring speaker and (B)how much you care about the overall conflict at hand. If you have a real cause that opposes theirs, then you owe it to yourself and your cause to stay. Cable news pundits make their money by NOT listening and NOT progressing - their money is in having the conflicts that they are "experts" on continue. But if you believe in your cause and you want to make progress, then you have to hear out the opposition - if for no other reason than to usurp them more sufficiently in the future. Basically, if you aren't willing to hear the opposition out, you really don't have grounds to complain about them because you're being just as ignorant as they are.
Thanks again for your reply.
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The thing is, I just have a general dislike of egomaniacs.
To just to name a few: Jack Thompson, Donald Trump, Mark Cuban. What all these guys have in common is that they have very big egos, think very highly of themselves, and are quick to attack their critics. Mark Cuban is the perfect example of a guy that you either love or hate. Yeah, some people criticize his childish behavior on the basketball courts, but he also has his loyal fans. I used to be a fan of the Apprentice, but when the Trump vs Rosie thing started, I totally lost all of my respect for Donald trump .And when I look at Uwe Boll, I see him as being in the same exact boat as those people.
So I hope that explains my view of things.
But I think it's cool that you took the time to respond to everyone's comments in a civilized manner.
BTW, Uwe Boll said that at the screening of Postal in CA, they had the highest percentage of walkouts. 40% walked out of the movie and said they were offended. On the flip side, he said that 30% liked it and thought it was funny. So it appears it's one of those love or hate situations, kind of like Team America that was released a while back. I don't know, it could be interpreted either way.
I really haven't been following the Jack Thompson stuff because I think both sides are handling that matter poorly. I too don't care for Mark Cuban and Donald Trump because they both seem incredibly pompous. I do get the impression that Mark Cuban would be polite to you if you met him in person, but I just don't care for his personality. Trump is just delusional and if you actually look at his career, his only real success was with "The Apprentice." His fortune is all inherited from his father and he's been pretty much failing upward his entire life.
I also don't think Trump would have the balls to face a crowd like that the way Uwe Boll did because Trump thinks he is better than everyone else. In the video, I didn't see Boll exploding at the audience and that might be for a number of reasons - perhaps he felt picking a fight with a crowd that size was foolish or perhaps he didn't want to make a scene since he was a guest of Penny Arcade and they were kind enough to let him promote his film.
One thing to keep in mind with those one-on-one interviews, is that we only get to see it from one perspective - the critic's. After a conflict like that, the critic can't help but be bias - so much so that the article's point is rendered useless. At that point, the critic is making himself the story. It would not surprise me in the least if in many of those situations, the critics are rude to him up front. And in that situation, the critic is going to write whatever he wants anyway, so it's probably in Boll's (or anyone else in that situation's) best interest to do what it takes to be able to look at yourself in the mirror the next day and not feel like a chump. Letting a critic get the best of you is a dangerous thing - it endangers you creatively and emotionally.
I think the reasons why I don't mind that Uwe Boll does it, is because he's a pretty funny guy (definitely compared to the likes of Cuban or Trump) and he is also very much an underdog. The guy is a filmmaker, not a murderer, and yet wherever he goes there is someone there to tell him that he sucks. Can you imagine having to deal with that on a daily basis? That's why it's so impressive that he's lasted so long.
Thanks again.
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The reason I mention Jack Thompson is because I've been following up on him ever since his name was first mentioned in GameInformer about 3-4 years ago. And I've also been following his movements on GamePolitics for the past few years and did a bit of research on his past. I even contributed a little bit on his Wikipedia entry some time ago.
If you thought Uwe Boll was funny, Jack Thompson is hilarious. I mean, this is a guy who actually got banned from commenting on GP by Dennis over 30 times, and each time he got banned would create a new account and start bitching and complaining again. It got to a point where he got a flat out permanent ban and couldn't comment anymore. The guy's over 50 years old and he has the persona of a 12 year old. I mean, he literally was an internet troll.
It's a shame. JT news is pretty slow nowadays since he agreed to not start anymore lawsuits and he's limited himself to just occasional TV appearances. Plus, all his crazy comments and rants on GP have long been deleted since GP changed format. Those days on the old LiveJournal format were the good ol' days because you could argue directly with JT himself.
It was also where JT would spam the comments section with his crazy press releases. He actually sent a letter to the Japanese ambassador at one point and accused the Japanese of dumping pr0n on American children. And on numerous occasions, he actually threatened us and Dennis by contacting the FBI, making some crazy sh*t up that we were threatening him.
Seriously, if you were just there back on 05 and 06 in the comments section, you would have loved Jack Thompson (in a comedic way). I wish Dennis hadn't changed format and therefor deleting all of that stuff so that we could have an archive and prove to the world how crazy JT really was.
And speaking of Trump, there was a video on the news of Trump sitting at a basketball game. You know how the camera and monitor would randomly focus on celebrities or people in the audience? At one point, the camera zoomed in on Trump and when he was on the big screen, everyone booed. And this happened pretty recently (with the Rosie vs Trump incident fresh on everyone's mind). Mr. Trump not surprisingly just sat there stone cold. He acted like it didn't even happen. Go figure.
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So this director walks in, and is about to show some (from the audience's POV) a crappy movie. They have every right to walk out. I wouldn't want to sit through that crap either. People can mock him all they want; he was mocking them by being there.
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still sound like a nice guy? he tortured puppies for fun. sounds more like a sicko who needs help. everyone on the film comittee for the horror fest i volunteer at turned the tape of after five minutes because of how sickening it was.
he's tried to send this piece of shit to all kinds of horror conventions and everyon has turned him down because it's uncalled for and psychotic.
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