I normally don't comment on reviews I find about me or my work but this one was especially interesting since it was posted by a person whose pseudonym I recognize from comments on this blog.
Here is his review of Heart String Marionette as posted on imdb:
M Dot Strange's work is hateful to women. One starts to really notice it after seeing all of his work - especially his "badassery" series. Women are always depicted as prostitutes, harlots, as users not to be trusted, or as objects to be raped and discarded, and I find that to be a disgusting attitude - as well as boring. Portraying characters of the opposite gender takes a certain amount of ability to understand them, and I'm not seeing that here.
The character development really needs to be worked on, overall. The visuals and music are great. M Dot Strange could be a great director, and its' amazing that he was able to accomplish this level of quality with just himself and a small team. There's just one problem - the story. Why is it that animators tend to think the story will take care of itself?
Also, the story doesn't have much contrast – either in the landscape or the characters. The two main characters don't have any arc – they don't change in any way. Throughout the film, we have the feeling of darkness but without any hope or expectation of justice. Darkness on its own isn't really all that fascinating, and unrelenting darkness just becomes tedium.
I wish I could give this film a "one hundred percent wonderful" rating, because I really would like to see him succeed hugely. Honestly, he probably could get hired by Hollywood right now to go direct a big film (with a script written by someone else) and make millions. He's obviously that talented, but the writing skills still need work.
Not recommended for anyone with an ounce of moral intelligence.
I'm posting my response here so Mr. Zambori can reply....
How is Siouxsie Silen's character hateful to women? Do you actually know any women in real life? Like not movie women? She's not a saint and she's not a whore- she's a real person- you know there are prostitutes in real life right? And strippers? And they can be portrayed in films that don't have happy endings where they aren't "saved" by a man and become "normal" like in Pretty Woman or some shit right? Have you ever seen real people talk or act? How is Siouxsie Silen's character hateful to women? Because she uses her body to get a man to do what she wants? You don't think some real women do things like that? Welcome to the real world SON- How was I supposed to portray this woman? As a virginal princess waiting for a man to save her? Who never speaks any bad words because it wouldn't be ladylike?
I don't think you know any actual women? Do you know how many women are RAPED and DISCARDED every day all over the world? What fantasy land do you live in? Maybe I'm just portraying reality? Did it make you uncomfortable to see reality portrayed in a film?
Why review my current film and base most of your review on my other work? You clearly have a personal problem with me- bringing in your personal issue with my work as a whole is a disservice to the people that go to the imdb page looking to read a review about HEART STRING MARIONETTE not some d00d's personal problem with my work as a whole. The imdb review section for Heart String Marionette does not ask you to review the filmmaker- its supposed to be a review of the film.
Badassery is this thing called a "satire"- please read the definition of what that is- by your logic isn't Badassery also hateful to men with my portrayal of the MALE Operative 69 as a giant dumb penis that shoots everything and only thinks about sex? Why not say my work is hateful to men as well?
Do you even know what a character arc is? Have you written a script with one in it? Have you made your own film that portrayed these supposed character arc's you know so well? Or did you just read a few screenwriting books and become familiar with this buzzword? Well if so read it AGAIN- Samhaine Tsuke/The Child has no arc eh? Did you even watch the film? Please send me a link to your work so you can show me how it is done because I would like to learn since I'm doing it wrong ^_^
Hollywood?! Oh you think so Tyler? If I stop making satires and stop portraying women as realistic humans and not male fantasy creatures you think Hollywood would let me direct a big film? OH GOSH GOLLY GEE! VOMIT!
Please explain "moral intelligence" to me -because based on the rest of the psychological profile you've filled out for yourself in this "review" of my recent film I'm going to translate it differently...
So allow me translate the end of your review- "Not recommended for anyone with a stick up their own ass"
Or is this moral intelligence thing some sort of passive aggressive Christian statement?
Looking forward to reading your reply Tyler.
I have no issue with people saying my work and/or I suck- but please post it in the appropriate places- Its like me posting a review for James Cameron's Titanic and writing "He has no respect for the victims of the Titanic 2/10 - Not recommend for anyone with an ounce of historical respect"
Nobody gives a fuck what you think of the filmmakers- review the film.
P.S. Thanks to the people that took time to review the film on imdb and didn't make it personal ^_^
I was waiting for some manginas to comment on the whole prostitue thing. I dont even have a beard.. but a lotta dudes nowadays need to grow a pair and stop white knighting every fucking little thing. Maybe listen to some 80's metal or something? I recommend the Wheels of Steel album hahaha
ReplyDeleteTrue dat. Well you helped me re-find my balls a few posts back ^ ^ So maybe yer reply will help this guy- but yeh you hit the nail on the head---> WHITE KNIGHTING
Delete@Azel
Delete"I was waiting for some manginas to comment on the whole prostitue thing."
"Mangina" .... that's not a sexist word at all. o3o
Because man+vagina (something belonging to women, here used in a negative way) = a weak man?
Right. You sexist fuckface.
Also -
“Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.”
Signed,
someone who actually knows what it's like to be a woman, because they are one.
I'm not hating on Mr Strange's movie, btw, just sexism and misogyny in general.
Hey M dot, tell this dude to start reading Berserk.
ReplyDeleteHe will probably be enraged with the opening page, haha.
You don't mean there's a manga where the opening page is some d00d having sex with some hot chick?! OMG ^_^ Then he kills her when she turns into a demon OMG WOMAN HATER! YES lets send him to the world of Berserk and see if he survives watch the Eclipse ^ ^
DeleteHey M dot, maybe you should make your movies more like Disney films where the leading lady is this obedient homemaker that will never speak against the husband and weakly put up with his bullshit.
ReplyDeleteNever mind this ludicrous review M dot. It's great you show the ugly side of reality as well as the ability to over come. I will always prefer the satiric honest approach any day compared to the fairy tale fallacy.
Haters be hatin'~
i don't think any of the people are really good representations of people. (not in an insult way pal)
ReplyDeletethe majority of the characters are perverts,murderers,rapists,or not really heroes. the fact he picks it up
as just an insult to woman is an act of sexism in its self.y'dick.
i think it's refreshing to have an animated film of a morally corrupt cast. never really see that,which is why this is great.
keep up the good work pal.
Wow. I seriously dont think this guy actually watched the movie. How in the hell could they say that Samhaine was completely unchanged from beginning to end?
ReplyDeleteAnd referring to your past works like that (completely ignoring the fact that Blue saves the day in WATS) also shows a low level of intelligence, and, as you said... no idea what the heff is going on in the real world.
Good job on the response, i hope he reads it.
He makes it sound like he's seen all your films, which is obviously not true. If he were to watch WATS, then he would see what a fucking STRONG, POSITIVE, and CARING character Blue is.
ReplyDeleteAn artist recreates the world inside to show to the world outside... the important thing is it do that as honestly as one can and let the chips fall as they may.
ReplyDeleteBesides, isn't it interesting that the reviewer has watched seemingly all your filmography?
it always turns this way, when someone judges a person - another one- judges him ..I believed in your conception of inner child, both of you, dnt wor , please
ReplyDeletehuge respect
I am sorry all, and I firmly believe that the person who caused the trauma should apologize
ReplyDeleteDarkness is very interesting. And story lines that start with a problem, and end with a solution to the problem aren't always interesting. They certainly aren't realistic. Arc? some people change, some don't.
ReplyDeleteMdot creates his own standards or goals, each film has it's own strangely created ways of accomplishing it's goals of storytelling and mood creation. Some people, maybe those who believe in human fabricated made up ways like "morality" won't ever get that.
'Not recommended for anyone with an ounce of moral intelligence' - That's major fucking offensive. To you, your audience and everyone who supports you. I'm personally disgusted.
ReplyDeleteSome people don't think very hard at all before writing this shit. They see the world in terms of simplistic binaries - i.e. cause/effect, good/evil, moral/immoral, on/off, republican/democrat.
This fool fails to understand an important fact about film theory & criticism. This is that great swathes of it are based on the theories of Freud and his disciple Jacques Lacan. So what you have (most of the time) is a situation whereby the supposed 'framework' to film theory is heavily influenced by the ideology of a women-hating misanthrope who actively feared the imagination and a total narcissist & charlatan who stole his entire worldview & all his ideas from the former. They saw everything in terms of binaries. Kind'a like the d00d who wrote the 'review'.
It follows that a good deal of screenwriting & so-called film criticism is actively anti-imagination because it's following the dictates of these two fucks (and most who do this, don't even know it). They are to imagination what Edison was to Tesla!
Is it any wonder why so many films & 'reviews' are so fucking dumb. Burn Hollywood Burn! :D
"Moral Intelligence' is an oxymoron. If your intelligence is being clouded by morality (Ala; as in organized religion, media & groupthink) then it ain't very fucking intelligent!
There is no way I would support you for a second if what he said was true.