Hollywood's Lesson for the Day: "Love is Better Than Suicide"
By Sarah Carlson
March 26, 2007
In another sign that those who work for Hollywood studios are so far removed from reality they no longer know what "bad taste" means, After Dark Films is facing yet another PR-campaign controversy over its new film "Wristcutters: A Love Story." The film, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is set to bill itself with signs showing people killing themselves.
After Dark Films co-owner Courtney Solomon said late Friday that while the film's promotion may feature images of people jumping off a bridge, electrocuting and hanging themselves, they would be displayed as traffic-style stop or yield signs with a barring-style circle and line over the illustrations, along with hearts to reference the film's romantic story line. He said the campaign may change before its mid-July rollout because of the outcry.Solomon intends to offer screenings or DVDs of the film to concerned organizations in the next few weeks, then discuss the campaign with them and ask for their input. "The movie takes place in purgatory, and its message is that love is better than suicide," he said, adding that the film may even help prevent suicide. "Our job is to get people into the theater in a way that's accessible to them. There are many different ways to skin a cat. God forbid someone was considering committing suicide. This film may change their opinion."
... Solomon said he'd been too busy to reply to the [suicide prevention and mental health] groups [protesting the ad campaign] because he's been reshooting and editing-in the more violent scenes to "Captivity" to make it more appealing to the audience that turned "Saw" and "Hostel" into hits.
What's "Captivity," you ask? It's the latest film in the Torture Porn genre, and its even-worse-than-making-light-of-suicide PR campaign caused a stir last week when 30 L.A.-area billboards and 1,400 New York City taxi tops promoting the film were taken down. They depicted the film's star, Elisha Cuthbert, in four stages: Abduction, Confinement, Torture and Termination. (A photo of the billboard is on the jump, and this is your warning that it's disturbing. I put it there and not here because I don't hate you. Courtney Soloman does, though. ) I was going to write about the grotesque ads last week, but my eyes started bleeding and I lost consciousness several times while attempting to logically break the situation down.
What the hell is wrong with the folks at After Dark films? What the ... I mean ... It's just ... ugh. I'm getting dizzy again, so I give up. Just know this: If you attend a film like "Captivity" or its porntastic counterparts, you're joining the long list of Hollywood's enablers. Just say no.
(Only click on the "Continue reading ..." link if you want to see the "Captivity" billboard.)
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