I'd echo that. I thought it would have at least 10 reviews like Mrs. Henderson Presents by now, but knowing that some released positive reviews haven't been counted yet makes me feel a little better.

And it's a big one, from COTP Rex Reed. Finally a big name called it one of the very best films of the year. The collective tone of past positive reviews had bothered me since they all seemed to have at least a little reservation.

Rex Reed is the worst movie critic in the world.

He makes Leonard Maltin look like Francois Truffaut.

An endorsement from him is just about the worst thing I can imagine for MEMIORS. It's like having Charles Manson write you a college recommendation letter.

You know what's even weirder?

Where the hell is the Narnia reviews? The film has been done for awhile.

I mean Kong was just wrapped 2 days ago on the 27th and already there is a gigantic fluff piece (that was probably written seeing a rough copy of the film) in Newsweek.

Where are the massive amounts of Narnia reviews?

It comes out in what.... 10 days?

Geisha, Narnia and Brokeback should be having those "TIME CALLS IT THE BEST PICTURE SINCE CINEMA BEGAN" type commercials, but I haven't seen anything.

This is bizarre. Something is going on.

As I always say, an endorsement is an endorsement. Would I like to see Rex Reed, Peter Travers, Tom O'Neil, Corliss all trash it when I'm a fan pushing for the film? Of course not. Regardless of their credentials, a positive review is always better than a negative one, and more raves always the better. If they had trashed it, wouldn't the film be in worse shape now (or pretty much dead)?

Geisha did get the huge Time cover and feature article there full of hyperpoles, so that's pretty much the equivalent of Newsweek for King Kong.

Not Time USA though. Time Asia.

That magazine won't be on the racks here.

See, I still have this bad feeling about Narnia. I think it's going to make an absolutely astonishing amount opening weekend, possibly above 75-80 million. However, the quality of the film... I'm pretty worried. As you said, we're supposed to have heard things about the movie by now, especially one with this much of a grassroots campaign. No free advance screenings for churches? Nothing? The film has always looked visually pretty (Well... mostly. I still think that the production design and costumes come off as rather clunky and flat in some of the commercials), but more then ever I fear it's going to be too bland and safe, trying to win over every last demographic at once. I don't think that the lack of religious overtones is going to make it as bland as it oculd be, but just the overall product itself. It'll still probably have decent WOM among general audiences, but on RT I'm expecting around 40%, and unless it's nearly twice that, a shut-out at the Oscars.

"So much to see and hear, yet the magic of Memoirs of a Geisha is the human way it touches the heart. The cumulative effect is like being knocked unconscious by the wing of a butterfly."

Is there a vomit emoticon?

The first update at IMDb has its average at 6.8 with 100 votes. With the kind of controversy surrounding the film, the average won't get close to 8.0, but settling around 7.3-7.5 will be good enough.

Indeed, an indorsment IS an endorsement, as you say. Problem is, Rex Reed is usually stranded all alone on his soapbox, praising garbage flicks and condemning good movies. If he likes it, that is NOT a good sign for its critical reception or, frankly, its quality. And he RAVED. *Gulp*

I can think of no critic at any level, whether it be major newspaper or tiny internet site, as out-of-touch and just plain goofy as Rex Reed. Seriously. Be afraid.

Peter Travers' review has been added to RT.

For RT, I'm predicting reception in the 68-72% range.

Metacritic started tracking: http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/memoirsofageisha, and the Hollywood Reporter review is given a score of 80 instead of the rotten rating as RT assigned it.

Hmmm, 80 is CERTAINLY not Rotten. But RT has always been weird like this.

I expect Memoirs to finish at around 70% at RT, just like andaroo has said. Similar to Cold Mountain.


Funnily enough Cold Mountain got 90% at COTC and yet was shut out. Same can happen to Syriana this year.

More news on Memoirs:

http://www.armyarcherd.com/

Only a score of 84 at BFCA: http://www.bfca.org/newmovies.asp. Not as good as I liked (was thinking about 86-88 range). The BFCA score is always very inflated, as many scores are higher than 80. A score of 80 for Jarhead and Rent translated to mediocre RT averages. Even Fantastic Four somehow got an 85.

RT score is back down to 50%, thanks to another C review:

http://www.flipsidemovies.com/memoirsofageisha.html

The Phantom of the Opera had 80 last year at BFCA.

If Memoirs goes... Does it open the door for...?

I'm thinking an epic... Kong, New World, Cinderella Man...

Hmm, Kong to me seems just as likely as Cinderella Man right now, heh.,

Maybe. I'm not certain on Kong, but I also don't think Cinderella Man is completely dead.

Here is a picture of my mind at the moment:

(lock #1) Walk the Line
(lock #2) Brokeback Mountain

(=) Munich
(+) Good Night, and Good Luck.
(-) Memoirs of a Geisha
(+) Capote
(+) King Kong
(=) Match Point
(+) The Producers
(=) The New World
(+) Cinderella Man
(+) The Squid and the Whale
(=) A History of Violence
(-) Crash

That's one of the very few, and I'm pretty sure if BFCA had to do it all over again knowing how little traction Phantom got, they wouldn't have nominated it as they had a bunch of other films with higher scores. Phantom is the only one below 85 among 2004 BFCA top 10 list, and Seabiscuit and The Last Samurai are the only two from 2003's list. Cold Mountain had 86. You have to go back to 2001 to find a lot more films with low 80 scores.

Still believe Memoirs will get nominated. The tech is simply too strong as indicated from the reviews.

What do you think about Marshall?

I believe he has a harder time to crack the top 5 than the film to drop below the top 5.

I agree.

Another negative review posted. Slant's (I believe is the new one).