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The Critics Are Raving (Mad): ‘Megalopolis’ Scandal Reminds How Blurbs Are Used and Misused in Movie Advertising
The fake quotes that appeared in Lionsgate’s already notorious ‘Megalopolis’ trailer are just the latest way movie studios abuse what critics say.
Admittedly, critics have a long tradition of turning up their noses at garish, big-budget productions like “Megalopolis.” In 1979, Canby complained of “the lack of restraints on the artist” and faulted Coppola for risking his own fortune on such a “grandiose scale” in his “Apocalypse Now” review. Today, they do it with influencers, forgoing all-media screenings (advance showings routinely provided for press) in favor of special promo events, where folks with TikTok followers are offered free cocktails and encouraged to share their reactions on social media. In the early days of John Waters’ career, the prankish low-budget director relished scathing notices and slapped them on posters (“Pink Flamingos” quotes the Detroit Free Press review: “Like a septic tank explosion, it has to be seen to be believed”).
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