+TotalBiscuit, The Cynical Brit Hello TotalBiscuit! Dan Murrell (@murrelldan) here from the SJ account. Nice to meet you (digitally). Joe and I knew this would be a controversial issue, but man - this surprised even us! A lot of people agree with your comments - and we're all about having a discussion. That's one of the reasons I wanted to make this video - and, yes, this video was my idea. I just wanted to respond to your well-stated reply with a few of my (personal) thoughts and ideas.
I felt, with the reaction to both trailers, that having a discussion about the negativity surrounding Ghostbusters would be an interesting topic for this week's show. I never set out to foment an argument or fan flames. The Screen Junkies Show often covers topical news and, in my opinion, it seemed worthy of discussion. I 100% sincerely wanted to sit down and examine the reaction to this movie and the possible reasons for it. The bandwagon effect is something that also very likely contributed to the response to both trailers and it's an effect, to be fair, that we didn't address in the video. But this wasn't an attempt to get anyone to jump on that bandwagon.
In regards to sexism - I state very clearly that it is ONE of the reasons for the negative response, but not THE reason. As a matter of fact, I tried to make it very clear that I thought the sexism issue was given too much weight by some people, given that there are a lot of other contributing factors (remaking a beloved franchise, remake/franchise fatigue, etc).
The main point I was trying to get across was that trailers are absolutely open to criticism - I've done it myself on many occasions on this very channel. But I think it's also important not to write the book on any movie sight unseen. And I absolutely know that movies cost money. I don't expect everyone to have the means or the inclination to go see every movie that's released. I don't get into every movie for free, and believe me - when I pay to see a stinker, I'm not happy. My main point of contention is that so many people have already declared that Ghostbusters IS a terrible movie, that it IS an abomination, without giving it a chance to be seen by critics or moviegoers, and without the benefit of audience reaction of any kind, good or bad. In hindsight, I probably could have stated my side of the issue a little more clearly, but I feel like I got the essence of my point across.
I've criticized trailers for lots of movies, but I've still gone into those movies with an open mind. In putting this episode together, I'd hoped to stimulate a discussion on why Ghostbusters isn't getting the same benefit of the doubt that so many other movies do. Obviously, the response has been overwhelmingly negative, but I stand by what I said. I wasn't speaking for ScreenJunkies as a whole - I was speaking for myself, another distinction I could have made more clear.
I don't believe my mention of sexism was a blind accusation, but I also don't believe that everyone who disliked the trailers is a sexist. I feel that I was very clear on that point in the video. This is a very complex issue with lots of moving parts and I wanted to talk with Joe and Hal about it. This video wasn't seen as a chance to "make a quick buck" or "fuel the flames" - I was legitimately interested in having and starting a conversation. I count my blessings every day for the dream job that I have and I don't live in a world where I think that I'm above anyone or take what I have for granted. I'm a guy who's loved movies since I was a kid and I get to do what I love every day, which includes having discussions like these about movies.
And speaking of movies - I think it's also important to remember that "at the end of the day" (as Andy would say) - this is just a movie.
Good or bad, I don't think that liking or disliking it says much about anyone except how much they like brightly colored ghosts and slime. Thanks for sharing your thoughts - Dan "No More Ghostbusters Talk" Murrell
