Mr. Cranky rates the movies (mrcranky.com) is shutting down on August 31.
07-11-08, 07:07 AM
#1
Mr. Cranky rates the movies (mrcranky.com) is shutting down on August 31.
http://www.mrcranky.com/movies/goodbyemrcranky.html
Goodbye Mr. Cranky
Mr. Cranky says "Goodbye!"
MESSAGE FROM YOUR HOST: In the summer of 1995, Hans Bjordahl and I were sitting in a friend's dining room drinking beer when he posed this question: "Do you have any good ideas for a web site?" Hans was the creative director for a small internet firm about to build its first internet mall. I was the film critic for a local newspaper. After a few more beers for creative inspiration, Mr. Cranky was born.
The site began building in October of 1995 and was launched in February of 1996. It was an instant hit and the mall's most frequented property. Traffic skyrocketed within the first three months. Emails came in fast and furious. Some were actually furious - mad at Mr. Cranky for trashing some recent film. There were death threats. However, most emails were ecstatic, thrilled that finally somebody was out there not blowing smoke up the ass of Hollywood, but dragging it over the coals for its failures. Mr. Cranky received mention in "The New York Times", "The Guardian", and many, many others. We were the "Cool Site of the Week". When books printed lists of the best movie web sites, we were on them. The phone started ringing with offers of advertising revenue and such.
Much of the reward for doing Mr. Cranky all these years has been the excitement it created. There was a lot going on during the 1990's and we frequently found ourselves in the midst of all kinds of developments. We were flown to San Francisco and wined and dined by an up and coming Internet company. We had our pictures taken for the Hollywood issue of "Vanity Fair". We found ourselves with an agent and discussing book deals. Like most things that seem "pie in the sky" when you hear them, most of them fizzled out. Like most things, the excitement was never met by the potential financial rewards that seem to be mentioned in the same breath. That being said, Mr. Cranky did turn into a pleasant hobby with a small financial reward at the end of the year.
Even after the end of the Internet boom, Mr. Cranky still got by. We were excited to be picked up by "Redeye" in Chicago, a new type of daily directed at Gen Y. The feature was so well received that the editor of the Chicago Tribune mentioned it in one of her meetings. Google contacted us to assign our account its own ad representative - something they probably do for most accounts or groups of accounts, but still, it made us feel important.
Well, as they say, all good things.... Let's face it, Mr. Cranky has been dying a slow death for a number of years now. It's increasingly irrelevant, if not completely irrelevant. We'd rather sign off before that becomes the case and we're probably already too late. Are there other reasons? Well, it's not bringing in the revenue it once did. The time it takes to keep the site going is substantial. There's too much other stuff to do. When I first started writing Mr. Cranky, I would sometimes see 8 movies in a week and make 6 trips to Denver from Boulder (70 miles RT). That was great when gas was $1.99. Now, not so much.
Before we retire Mr. Cranky, there are some questions that seem worth answering. Did one person write all the reviews? The answer: about 98% of the reviews were written by me, Jason Katzman. The other 2% were written by others, but mostly Hans, who took up the mantle when I was too tired or had a conflict. Not a single person ever figured out who wrote what even though we got many emails from people asking where "the real Mr. Cranky had gone". In every instance, they were comparing two reviews I had written, just in very different styles.
Another question that was asked of me often was "Are there any movies you like?" I'm proud to say I never once answered that question and we never tried to pander to the people who just didn't get it. Not only are there movies I like, I usually enjoy most movies in some way, shape or form. It's actually pretty rare when I watch a film that has no redeeming value. Is there anybody out there who really thinks that I would spend as much time as I do watching movies if I didn't enjoy it?
That being said, the reasons we started Mr. Cranky are more than simply "we like to make fun of people". There are the simple ones, like we wanted to reject the culture of celebrity worship, which is utterly repulsive. Unfortunately, it's only grown larger since Mr. Cranky started. During my time as a film critic, I did tons of interviews and went on lots of junkets. I can tell you, generally-speaking, most actors aren't that interesting and aren't that smart and will rarely tell you the truth about something, particularly what they think about another person in the industry (there are some exceptions, of course: John Sayles, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Guillermo del Toro come to mind. There are also the few stars one meets before they're stars. I met Kate Winslet when she was 19, before the release of "Heavenly Creatures" and she told a story that I doubt she ever repeated).
A less obvious reason we started Mr. Cranky also emanates from some of these experiences. Film critics, in general (myself included), are full of themselves. They believe that their opinions actually matter. They also believe that somehow there's a right and a wrong when it comes to film criticism. Mr. Cranky was started to thwart that notion by making fun of film critics and film criticism and pointing out that film writing could be subjective to the point of a critic who didn't like anything. Besides, if these junkets proved one thing, it's that most film critics could be swayed by nothing more than a plate of donuts (watching a group of largely fat film critics charge toward a free plate of food while in the midst of a junket in which they're supposed to form unbiased opinions of the film is its own form of hell). And if the Internet has proved one salient Mr. Cranky point, it's that anyone can be a film critic. The forums were put in place for just this reason. Mr. Cranky was the first site to invite the reader to challenge the film critic, in fact, to make that challenge a founding principle of the site.
And how could I depart without mentioning the site's many fans - the Crankizens. There's no doubt that the activity in the forums have powered the site over the years and become larger-than-life and something we never expected. Over the years, I've met a fair number of fans of the site and have been overwhelmed by it all. One of the people I met and befriended through Mr. Cranky is now a successful screenwriter in Hollywood. Early on, a fan from Perth, Australia embarked on a Mr. Cranky World Tour, visiting various places around the world populated by Mr. Cranky fans, culminating with a surprise visit by me in Los Angeles. Then there were the numerous Crankycons that spawned. I went to two: one in Toronto and one in Cedar Point in Ohio where I rode every roller coaster I was challenged to ride (keeping my cool on the world's fastest, highest coaster, I might add). Heck, people met on Mr. Cranky and got married. I was truly humbled by the invitations and the interest in Mr. Cranky.
And we don't want to completely close the door on this whole thing. For dedicated Crankizens, there is one sliver of hope: August 31 is our deadline to discontinue the site, but also the deadline to see if there’s any last-ditch means of selling or saving it. We’ve had ‘big plans’ for Cranky 2.0 many times over, but other priorities (not the least among them our “day jobs”) have always intervened, and at some point you’ve just gotta break that cycle and put up or shut up. Serious inquiries along those lines (i.e. those backed by serious levels of funding or remuneration) should be directed to [email protected]. Until that time, there won't be anymore reviews, but the site and the "Goodbye Mr. Cranky" forum will be open for fans to search and recall the past.
Thanks to Randall Gaz for keeping the site going all these years. Thanks to Holley Irvine for all her design work. Thanks to Hans Bjordahl for all the hard work and 12 years of a partnership that was 99% fun with virtually no conflict whatsoever. And most of all, thanks to all the Mr. Cranky readers past and present who made writing Mr. Cranky so rewarding. It's been a pleasure. We feel like Mr. Cranky introduced a certain style into the Internet world and we hope to hear Mr. Cranky mentioned when the history of the web is written. If not, we'll be sure to contact whoever is doing the mentioning and tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine as only Mr. Cranky can.
Goodbye Mr. Cranky
Mr. Cranky says "Goodbye!"
MESSAGE FROM YOUR HOST: In the summer of 1995, Hans Bjordahl and I were sitting in a friend's dining room drinking beer when he posed this question: "Do you have any good ideas for a web site?" Hans was the creative director for a small internet firm about to build its first internet mall. I was the film critic for a local newspaper. After a few more beers for creative inspiration, Mr. Cranky was born.
The site began building in October of 1995 and was launched in February of 1996. It was an instant hit and the mall's most frequented property. Traffic skyrocketed within the first three months. Emails came in fast and furious. Some were actually furious - mad at Mr. Cranky for trashing some recent film. There were death threats. However, most emails were ecstatic, thrilled that finally somebody was out there not blowing smoke up the ass of Hollywood, but dragging it over the coals for its failures. Mr. Cranky received mention in "The New York Times", "The Guardian", and many, many others. We were the "Cool Site of the Week". When books printed lists of the best movie web sites, we were on them. The phone started ringing with offers of advertising revenue and such.
Much of the reward for doing Mr. Cranky all these years has been the excitement it created. There was a lot going on during the 1990's and we frequently found ourselves in the midst of all kinds of developments. We were flown to San Francisco and wined and dined by an up and coming Internet company. We had our pictures taken for the Hollywood issue of "Vanity Fair". We found ourselves with an agent and discussing book deals. Like most things that seem "pie in the sky" when you hear them, most of them fizzled out. Like most things, the excitement was never met by the potential financial rewards that seem to be mentioned in the same breath. That being said, Mr. Cranky did turn into a pleasant hobby with a small financial reward at the end of the year.
Even after the end of the Internet boom, Mr. Cranky still got by. We were excited to be picked up by "Redeye" in Chicago, a new type of daily directed at Gen Y. The feature was so well received that the editor of the Chicago Tribune mentioned it in one of her meetings. Google contacted us to assign our account its own ad representative - something they probably do for most accounts or groups of accounts, but still, it made us feel important.
Well, as they say, all good things.... Let's face it, Mr. Cranky has been dying a slow death for a number of years now. It's increasingly irrelevant, if not completely irrelevant. We'd rather sign off before that becomes the case and we're probably already too late. Are there other reasons? Well, it's not bringing in the revenue it once did. The time it takes to keep the site going is substantial. There's too much other stuff to do. When I first started writing Mr. Cranky, I would sometimes see 8 movies in a week and make 6 trips to Denver from Boulder (70 miles RT). That was great when gas was $1.99. Now, not so much.
Before we retire Mr. Cranky, there are some questions that seem worth answering. Did one person write all the reviews? The answer: about 98% of the reviews were written by me, Jason Katzman. The other 2% were written by others, but mostly Hans, who took up the mantle when I was too tired or had a conflict. Not a single person ever figured out who wrote what even though we got many emails from people asking where "the real Mr. Cranky had gone". In every instance, they were comparing two reviews I had written, just in very different styles.
Another question that was asked of me often was "Are there any movies you like?" I'm proud to say I never once answered that question and we never tried to pander to the people who just didn't get it. Not only are there movies I like, I usually enjoy most movies in some way, shape or form. It's actually pretty rare when I watch a film that has no redeeming value. Is there anybody out there who really thinks that I would spend as much time as I do watching movies if I didn't enjoy it?
That being said, the reasons we started Mr. Cranky are more than simply "we like to make fun of people". There are the simple ones, like we wanted to reject the culture of celebrity worship, which is utterly repulsive. Unfortunately, it's only grown larger since Mr. Cranky started. During my time as a film critic, I did tons of interviews and went on lots of junkets. I can tell you, generally-speaking, most actors aren't that interesting and aren't that smart and will rarely tell you the truth about something, particularly what they think about another person in the industry (there are some exceptions, of course: John Sayles, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Guillermo del Toro come to mind. There are also the few stars one meets before they're stars. I met Kate Winslet when she was 19, before the release of "Heavenly Creatures" and she told a story that I doubt she ever repeated).
A less obvious reason we started Mr. Cranky also emanates from some of these experiences. Film critics, in general (myself included), are full of themselves. They believe that their opinions actually matter. They also believe that somehow there's a right and a wrong when it comes to film criticism. Mr. Cranky was started to thwart that notion by making fun of film critics and film criticism and pointing out that film writing could be subjective to the point of a critic who didn't like anything. Besides, if these junkets proved one thing, it's that most film critics could be swayed by nothing more than a plate of donuts (watching a group of largely fat film critics charge toward a free plate of food while in the midst of a junket in which they're supposed to form unbiased opinions of the film is its own form of hell). And if the Internet has proved one salient Mr. Cranky point, it's that anyone can be a film critic. The forums were put in place for just this reason. Mr. Cranky was the first site to invite the reader to challenge the film critic, in fact, to make that challenge a founding principle of the site.
And how could I depart without mentioning the site's many fans - the Crankizens. There's no doubt that the activity in the forums have powered the site over the years and become larger-than-life and something we never expected. Over the years, I've met a fair number of fans of the site and have been overwhelmed by it all. One of the people I met and befriended through Mr. Cranky is now a successful screenwriter in Hollywood. Early on, a fan from Perth, Australia embarked on a Mr. Cranky World Tour, visiting various places around the world populated by Mr. Cranky fans, culminating with a surprise visit by me in Los Angeles. Then there were the numerous Crankycons that spawned. I went to two: one in Toronto and one in Cedar Point in Ohio where I rode every roller coaster I was challenged to ride (keeping my cool on the world's fastest, highest coaster, I might add). Heck, people met on Mr. Cranky and got married. I was truly humbled by the invitations and the interest in Mr. Cranky.
And we don't want to completely close the door on this whole thing. For dedicated Crankizens, there is one sliver of hope: August 31 is our deadline to discontinue the site, but also the deadline to see if there’s any last-ditch means of selling or saving it. We’ve had ‘big plans’ for Cranky 2.0 many times over, but other priorities (not the least among them our “day jobs”) have always intervened, and at some point you’ve just gotta break that cycle and put up or shut up. Serious inquiries along those lines (i.e. those backed by serious levels of funding or remuneration) should be directed to [email protected]. Until that time, there won't be anymore reviews, but the site and the "Goodbye Mr. Cranky" forum will be open for fans to search and recall the past.
Thanks to Randall Gaz for keeping the site going all these years. Thanks to Holley Irvine for all her design work. Thanks to Hans Bjordahl for all the hard work and 12 years of a partnership that was 99% fun with virtually no conflict whatsoever. And most of all, thanks to all the Mr. Cranky readers past and present who made writing Mr. Cranky so rewarding. It's been a pleasure. We feel like Mr. Cranky introduced a certain style into the Internet world and we hope to hear Mr. Cranky mentioned when the history of the web is written. If not, we'll be sure to contact whoever is doing the mentioning and tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine as only Mr. Cranky can.
07-11-08, 08:04 AM
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Very interesting read. If you've never experienced Mr. Cranky, check out his reviews of Good Burger, Antitrust, Boat Trip, and Christmas with the Kranks, for starters. It's definitely true that the past few years haven't been kind to Cranky though.
07-11-08, 10:10 AM
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I really like this paragraph. It echos my thoughts on film critics perfectly. I've hightlighted the particular points I have argued for years.
A less obvious reason we started Mr. Cranky also emanates from some of these experiences. Film critics, in general (myself included), are full of themselves. They believe that their opinions actually matter. They also believe that somehow there's a right and a wrong when it comes to film criticism. Mr. Cranky was started to thwart that notion by making fun of film critics and film criticism and pointing out that film writing could be subjective to the point of a critic who didn't like anything. Besides, if these junkets proved one thing, it's that most film critics could be swayed by nothing more than a plate of donuts (watching a group of largely fat film critics charge toward a free plate of food while in the midst of a junket in which they're supposed to form unbiased opinions of the film is its own form of hell). And if the Internet has proved one salient Mr. Cranky point, it's that anyone can be a film critic. The forums were put in place for just this reason. Mr. Cranky was the first site to invite the reader to challenge the film critic, in fact, to make that challenge a founding principle of the site.
Last edited by Indy Jones Fan; 07-11-08 at 10:44 AM.
07-11-08, 11:31 AM
#9
DVD Talk Limited Edition
And if the Internet has proved one salient Mr. Cranky point, it's that anyone can be a film critic.
Frankly, I was more surprised to learn that they were still around. It'd been awhile since I bothered.
