# How do you know who's at fault for bad parts of a movie? Actors/Director/Screenwriter **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 6, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011 "2004-06-06T23:55:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/21 "2004-06-08T21:59:25Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I’m not sure how character driven THX is, but American Graffiti sure is. But I was referring to Star Wars movies, which have only gotten one best or supporting actor nomination Two, actually. One Oscar and one Golden Globe, IIRC, though it may have been a BAFTA. > [@](#): > > What are the best actor noms, by the way? I can find only two - Guiness and Candy Clark for Graffiti. In addition to the second Guinness nom, Paul le Mat won a Best Newcomer award and Cindy Williams was nommed BSA, both for Graffiti. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/22 "2004-06-08T22:15:53Z")
The only thing David E. Kelley can’t do is extended action scenes. Look at _Lake Placid_ for example. If the action is more than twenty seconds, and it is awful, then David wrote it. ---
**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/23 "2004-06-08T22:18:39Z")
**Cervaise** , can you tell us what it is after it comes out and stinks up the theaters? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/24 "2004-06-08T22:28:27Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > Two, actually. One Oscar and one Golden Globe, IIRC, though it may have been a BAFTA. > > In addition to the second Guinness nom, Paul le Mat won a Best Newcomer award and Cindy Williams was nommed BSA, both for Graffiti. Oh, Golden Globes. I was talking about real awards. 🙂 Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/25 "2004-06-08T23:08:59Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > For example, I saw a thoroughly awful film very recently. I happened to see it under very secure circumstances, and I can reveal absolutely no details about it, per the ironclad agreement I signed when I received my pass. I’d very much like to identify it, in order to warn interested viewers away from it, but I can’t, so don’t ask; I’m not even going to hint. [hijack]You have tickets to the Secret Film festival? Lucky. I had those one year - the movies were…interesting.[/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/26 "2004-06-09T17:54:34Z")
> [@vibrotronica](#): > > can you tell us what it is after it comes out and stinks up the theaters? Nope. The agreement I signed says “never ever ever reveal the title or any information, ever, on pain of attack by lawyers with glowing eyes and pointy teeth.” It’s not just that they don’t want the movie discussed in public too early; there’s also concerns about revealing _how_ movies were acquired (a couple of years ago, one film was an impossible-to-find archival title that was apparently “borrowed” from storage via a friend-of-a-friend of a programmer and then returned without the company that owned and held the print ever knowing it was gone) or about violating territorial premiere agreements (sometimes we see titles that have been slated for official openings at other festivals but the filmmaker wants to get it in front of an audience early, a technical breach of contract), or for other reasons specific to the film’s legal situation (e.g. “Karen Carpenter Superstar”). And yes, sometimes we see new mainstream movies that will be opening weeks or months later. As to which of these categories the movie I’ve mentioned best fits, or if there’s another more appropriate description, I can’t even say that much. But the situation with the secret festival, clearly, is pretty complicated, and the upshot is, I can’t say anything specific. I used that mystery movie as an example partly because it was fresh in my mind, but mostly because the general concepts I was trying to communicate about untangling a film’s flaws are more important than getting sidetracked into a debate on the particulars of the individual film. > [@amarinth](#): > > You have tickets to the Secret Film festival? Yep. Been doing it for a few years now. Kind of a pain getting up early for a Sunday morning movie after having seen the Saturday midnight flick, and the movie selections have been going seriously downhill in coolness the last couple of years, so I’m not sure I’ll be continuing (though this year’s second-week feature was fantastic). But yeah… _interesting_ selections. I’ll ask you about it next time I see you at trivia night. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/27 "2004-06-09T18:02:26Z")
I always blame the gaffer. Him, or the best boy. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/28 "2004-06-09T18:19:31Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > …For example, I saw a thoroughly awful film very recently. I happened to see it under very secure circumstances, and I can reveal absolutely no details about it, per the ironclad agreement I signed when I received my pass. I’d very much like to identify it, in order to warn interested viewers away from it, but I can’t, so don’t ask; I’m not even going to hint… Though he can neither confirm or deny it, I bet he saw The Stepford Wives. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/29 "2004-06-09T19:15:12Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The agreement I signed says “never ever ever reveal the title or any information, ever, on pain of attack by lawyers with glowing eyes and pointy teeth.” . Oh, they’re just sending in the jayvee squad then. They’re letting you off easy! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/30 "2004-06-09T19:16:53Z")
Will you be able to talk about on 6/11 or do you have to wait till 6/16 or 6/18? Any way if you see something bad in a movie based on a Shakespeare play you can narrow it down to the actor and/or the director. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011/31 "2004-06-09T20:35:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I always blame the gaffer. Him, or the best boy. It’s those goddamned PA’s muckin’ it up for the rest of 'em… Actually, one Blame-worthy party I haven’t seen mentioned is the Producer. There’re many stories of the Suits wanting their own personal touch, or some gag or a scene, included in a movie… and if they want it, and if the director/writer/actor wants a paycheck, then dad-blammit, it’s goin’ in, no matter how stupid it is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-know-whos-at-fault-for-bad-parts-of-a-movie-actors-director-screenwriter/249011.md?page=1)