Comments on: Paul Schrader Says Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s ‘The Assassin’ Is “A Compendium Of Art House Cliches”

By: HouFan

HouFan — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

The Assassin is a much shallower movie than Hou\’s Alienation Trilogy (Millenium Mambo, Cafe Lumiere, Three Times), which I find to be deeper and better films. But while the content of the Assassin is rather rote (an Assassin with a conscience), it\’s a sumptuous film that transports you directly into the world. Its pleasures are solely aesthetic, but rewarding nonetheless.

By: Dean Treadway

Dean Treadway — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

What a disgraceful excuse for an article–reportage on a writer/director\’s FB feed. But let me say this: THE ASSASSIN is an overrated mess. Schrader got it absolutely correct.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

…just a thought.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Movie reviewers who have never made a film, period, give their opinions all the time. And Schrader is well-versed in film history and has enough good will in the bank from his books on film and the films he has written and/or directed to spout off now and again on the quality. It\’s his opinion.

By: Ben Armington

Ben Armington — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

It would seem that Schrader is reacting to the fawning critical coverage of the film more than the actual film…too bad he couldn\’t express himself in a manner that didn\’t come off as a cross between a pompous film studies professor and a first time internet troll.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Way to prove my point by deleting my comment.

By: Charlie

Charlie — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

"Schrader is free to dislike the film, but considering he hasn\’t made a good film himself in quite some time, it\’s not a great look to casually spout off about one of 2015\’s most well received films. Just a thought."

Jeez, Kevin, what a childish swipe
to disregard someone\’s opinion. Many people can judge a creative work with intelligence even if their own creative output is lacking. I certainly read your own writing even though the published material is posted with errors that you will later covertly fix and then delete the comments calling you out on it.

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

I\’m curious to see what kind of traction these comments from Schrader can get, and from what quarters.

By: dan

dan — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

I feel the same way about The Revenant. "But overall, meh".

By: Joseph Krings

Joseph Krings — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

People have opinions. It\’s a good thing. It creates conversation. Lambasting someone for having an opinion and trying to turn it into a clickbaiting article is the kind of stupid I often find myself hating Indiewire for. Will we see an article calling out the Indiewire critic for bashing on THE MEND despite pretty wide acclaim everywhere else?

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Buying shares in a director – like the Playlist with James Gray!

By: bing

bing — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Paul Schrader is a compendium of bitter, has-been filmmaker cliches.

By: peter

peter — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Maybe he hasn\’t made a good movie in quite some time, but when have you ever made a good movie? Or a movie? When you invoke the "what have you done lately?" argument to diss someone\’s opinion, be prepared to have it thrown back at you.

By: Enrique

Enrique — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Is this what Paul Schrader turned into?

By: Mike Ashcroft

Mike Ashcroft — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

"feeded on"?

By: Da Truth

Da Truth — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

The Canyons is an embarrassment.

By: zil

zil — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Agree. And I count Millennium Mambo as one of my favorite movies ever.

By: John

John — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Hey Kevin Jagernauth, your reporting skills are examples of whimpering gossip passing and spreading through your cut and paste keys only. Simply slapping up your flimsy opinion to undermine Paul\’s casual, friendly post to his Facebook friends and followers proves you not only to be completely unqualified for journalistic postition but also clearly incapable of expressing any thoughtful, explanatory argument. You are evidence of how worthless online news sites truly are.

By: Mohammed

Mohammed — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:16 +0000

Haven\’t seen Assassins, but he\’s right. Whole frenchises live on a sizable of audiences and critics overlooking flaws. Star Wars is one good example. And is it me or does it seem like masterpieces are dime a dozen these days?

By: Thomas Earlham

Thomas Earlham — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:15 +0000

Schrader is on the money. I say this as someone who counts Hou among his favorite living filmmakers, and had been waiting for The Assassin like a kid who had had Christmas postponed seven years running. It just amounted to so, so little beyond its elegant staging. Perhaps my reaction would have been different if I were more familiar with the wuxia fiction upon which it was based, but I am not so sure of it.

By: DEW

DEW — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:15 +0000

Classy, Indiewire. Classy. (NOT)

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:15 +0000

I have a lot of admiration for the indiewire conglomerate, but this seems like shitty snide clickbait posturing, which seems a bit below your usual standards. It\’s fine for someone to dislike a critically acclaimed film and make no difference whether they\’re in the public eye or not. The fact his work has been sub par for all of 2/3 films seems more like you sticking the knife in than any meaningful statement. Also – \’not a great look\’ what are you, fucking Cosmopolitan?

By: Preach

Preach — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:15 +0000

100% True, even though Schrader himself sucks as filmmaker.

By: MARK

MARK — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:15 +0000

The guy used to write film criticism before he started making films, how many have you made? Also it\’s called an opinion, we don\’t all have to like the pretentious bullshit hipsters like yourself fawn over.

"Schrader later doubled down on his comments, saying that "critics and viewers consciously or unconsciously purchase shares in an artist\’s work," to the point where they can to blind to any flaws. And that\’s a fair argument, because that certainly does happen, with some fans and critics embracing directors so closely that they get a lot more leeway if their pictures don\’t work."

Case in point this place, some of the directors you guys love and review on here could make a snuff movie and you\’d love it, providing it\’s independently made and allows you to stroke your beards and ponder, also have a shave mate for gods sake, you\’re not a frontiersman and it isn\’t the 1960\’s anymore.

More and more i\’ve been reading comments on here about how pretentious this place has become, i knew it was pretentious when i first visited the site but now it\’s becoming unbearable.

By: Yann Pennequin

Yann Pennequin — Fri, 13 May 2016 07:32:15 +0000

I do like his "share holders" illustration and I think we should use on him: if you consider Shrader\’s recent work, we should not even talk about him anymore!