Ratner Iinterview

[Cyclops]

They don't get out much, do they? Gee, only ONE script for an X4 put together by a fan? People, there are dozens of those already. Not to mention several full length movieverse novels that were written and published on the internet over the last few years!

And their reaction disturbs me as well. There are worse, crazier things people could be doing. I consider this to actually be positive and deserving of praise, not ridicule. It's for dedication like this that X-Men got to be where it is in the first place.

Yeah, go make another stupid reality show, or try showing music videos like you used to back in the 80's when you were actually cool.

MTV people are going to say stupid stuff all the time, simply because their execs want to appeal to the stupid kids who watch that drivel. They hire stupid "veejays", writers who know how to write stupid material, and shove a camera around a bunch of whiney stupid college age kids being whiney and stupid. And every once in a while, they'll put those whiney morons into some inane competition sport thing.

 

[gambitfire]

Too think I ACTUALLY HAD FAITH IN RATNER!!

Yes ill say it i'll admit it. I had faith in him.

So i was really dissapointed.

I was naive enough to believe Singer revolved too much around Wolverine but i didn't see the good he brough too the other characters as well, not too mention FOX had alot more to do with that. I wasn't happy when Singer left but i actually thought we would get less of Wolverine and more of the X-men.

LOL boy was i wrong.

 

[Retroman]

I found this with the interview, an extract of Ratner's diary:

LMAO!!!!!!!t: t:

Yeah, I agree. Singer sounds so arrogant in most of his interviews. I didn't like SR, but I just guess directing these kind of successing 200 million movies makes a director overate himself.

Yes Singer has made somewhat arrogant statements even the biggest SR fan will admit that but he's not even half as Mr.Ratner.

They don't get out much, do they? Gee, only ONE script for an X4 put together by a fan? People, there are dozens of those already. Not to mention several full length movieverse novels that were written and published on the internet over the last few years!

And their reaction disturbs me as well. There are worse, crazier things people could be doing. I consider this to actually be positive and deserving of praise, not ridicule. It's for dedication like this that X-Men got to be where it is in the first place.

Yeah, go make another stupid reality show, or try showing music videos like you used to back in the 80's when you were actually cool.

People have been writing fan scripts for movies and tv shows for years. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lois & Clark season 5 etc. etc.
Those are more enjoyable than a lot of the crap that comes on MTV now.

 

[ntcrawler]

People have been writing fan scripts for movies and tv shows for years. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Lois & Clark season 5 etc. etc.
Those are more enjoyable than a lot of the crap that comes on MTV now.

Exactly. and MTV makes a big deal by stating that a fan wrote ONE script for a possible sequel?

Are they that afraid of competition?

 

[Seen]

Yes Singer has made somewhat arrogant statements even the biggest SR fan will admit that but he's not even half as Mr.Ratner.

I consider myself to be a rather sizeable Superman Returns fan, and I admit that Singer on occasion can sound a wee bit overconfident. As much as I love that movie, I can freely admit that he was too overconfident in his vision or in the belief that fans and audiences will readily and heartily accept his ideas, just because he made a few good and successful films.

He lost the objectivity he had when making X-Men and X2, which I believe was his biggest mistake in regards to Superman Returns and resulted in the negative reception it consequently recieved.

 

[Sunstar]

This interview makes me feel like sticking my foot in Ratners mouth just to shut him up once and for all! He is so full of himself and believes that his films are flawless!

I swear, this guy's greatest wish would be to have long elastic lips so he could kiss his own ass!

I actually had Simon and Zak there the whole time I was making the movie. They're the biggest "X-Men" fans in the world, so, you know, I'm not taking anything away from them.

ROTFLMAO!
Yes Ratner, and the Popes a 'closet Muslim', the world is flat and Pluto is still a planet!

 

[Downhere]

Many are acting like Ratner has just started portraying himself the way he did in this article. He's always been like this, I don't see why everyone is so fired up about it. Everything he said in this interview he said in all the other interviews and I didn't see such hatred as I do now. Geesh. lol.

 

[Rac]

Brett Ratner: When I was shooting the movie it was 90 percent negative, and then it became 90 percent positive.

Ratner: I'm sure if there was an "X-Men 4," they would all show up if I was directing it.

Boo!

EDIT:

HAHAHAHAH! Missed that one: Ratner: but I did stay very true not only to the first two movies but to the comic books.

 

[La_She-Beast]

Downhere LMAO your avatar...

Too think I ACTUALLY HAD FAITH IN RATNER!!

I hear you min. When I read his "what I can say about this movie is that it has more action than the first two" I thought he knew what he was doing- X2 PERHAPS needed a bit more of action. But I totally misinterpretated him. He's a mindless... hulk.

A book series that hasn't been written or completed yet. Goodness, sounds very similar to the X-Men situation, doesn't it? At least X-Men had written material to draw inspiration from. Harry Potter is all based on what the author may think up in the future.

Funny you say that because I really, really was hoping for this movie to be like Harry Potter, the third would be the darkest. Sigh.

GRRRRATNER!!!

 

[Hugh'sMrs]

Ratner only granted an 'interview' to XMF to do damage control ---- same as Kinberg and Penn did with their Q&A over on the Xverse board.

Bryan Singer has a fairly decent relationship with his fans. As evidenced by his affiliation with Justin and BlueTights.net for Superman Returns and a Wolverine and Rogue fan club for the X-Men franchise.

Bryan has said that he's the coordinator of a film that has hundreds of people who contribute to its creation. So he's definitely given credit where credit is due and isn't selfish and arrogant the way Ratner comes off. I'm surprised Ratner conceded that part of X3's success was due to the built in audience. Of course he blows any humility with the rest of his self-contratulatory statements.

The profit margin on X3 was the smallest of all three films --- so even though its box office was bigger, the bottom line is that it's really the least successful film of the franchise. Fox and Ratner can spin it however they want, but the cost-to-profit ratio is what it is. If I were writing the checks for X3, I'd be ticked that the first two films had a better return on their initial investments.

 

[Cyclops]

Many are acting like Ratner has just started portraying himself the way he did in this article. He's always been like this, I don't see why everyone is so fired up about it. Everything he said in this interview he said in all the other interviews and I didn't see such hatred as I do now. Geesh. lol.

Yes, but people here didn't have personal investment in his work before. This is the X-Men here, so of course when the man speaks as if he's the best thing to happen to the X-Men since sliced bread, people who are huge fans of the X-Men are gonna get agitated.

 

[TrailerCues]

He's a mindless... hulk

The sad part is if there is an X4 FOX will probably hire him again because he submits to their every command. Ratner is a Studio Robot

 

[danoyse]

Exactly. Even more reason to sign them up with options for multiple movies in the future, just in case. Don't these people ever think ahead? FOX Bought the rights for what... 10-15 years from Marvel? Surely not just to make ONE movie...

They were signed for two movies. Plus signing people for multiple movies is a huge commitment. I remember an interview with Natalie Portman saying she'd basically signed away 10 years of her life when she signed on for the "Star Wars" prequels. It's long time, and I imagine it's restricting for an actor if they want to do other projects.

Comic book movies also weren't big at the time. Now it's a different story.

And don't forget, Anna Paquin already had an oscar under her belt by the time X1 came along, but no one accuses her of being controlled by her ego.

She was also a kid. And she was the only in the end credits with the "and" before her name.

 

[danoyse]

A book series that hasn't been written or completed yet. Goodness, sounds very similar to the X-Men situation, doesn't it? At least X-Men had written material to draw inspiration from. Harry Potter is all based on what the author may think up in the future.

Not the same situation at all. "Harry Potter" was always going to be one 7-book series, along linear storyline. It's one story, it was always going to be about Harry's 7 years at Hogwarts and the fight against Voldemort. Whereas with X-Men it's 40 years worth of different stories and character arcs to go from, and it's still always changing.

He's not the only one who thought of that idea. FOX just doesn't sound fan or creativity friendly lately, does it?

Lucas had that attitude towards all studios, not just Fox. They're run by corporations, and I don't think any of them understand the material they have.

 

[Downhere]

Yes, but people here didn't have personal investment in his work before. This is the X-Men here, so of course when the man speaks as if he's the best thing to happen to the X-Men since sliced bread, people who are huge fans of the X-Men are gonna get agitated.

You misunderstood me. I meant, ever since he has been attached with X3 he has been saying this stuff. Before, during and after the film premiered he has been uttering the same words over and over again. Now, many X-fans were a bit pissed at his comments but not as much as I can tell from this thread. I mean, this is a recent article which has him saying the same stuff he has been saying for a year and now everyone is more heated than ever. Shouldn't everyone have been this way ealier? I mean, many were but it seems a bit extreme now. I don't know, it kind of doesn't make any sense. It's not like the film was Batman and Robin here, it was good for what it was. I mean, I myself complained when the movie came out but what are you going to do? We got what we got and Ratner is hardly to blame for most of the nitpicks.

 

[Hugh'sMrs]

She was also a kid. And she was the only in the end credits with the "and" before her name.

You're right, Anna won her Oscar when she was a child, and for her very first film, beating out more experienced actresses --- a pretty remarkable feat taking all those things into consideration.

The 'and'designation in film credits is an honor signifying the importance of the person it's given to. Therefore, it's acknowledging Anna's special status. If you think it was some sort of afterthought or that it deems her less important than her co-stars, you're completely incorrect.

 

[X-Maniac]

This interview is really only a rehash of everything he's said before. There are no new revelations in it.

Directors never admit weakness or failure - that's never the done thing in Hollywood (see Bryan Singer's comments on SR, blaming marketing etc) - so they come off as arrogant. Truth is, they have to be pretty arrogant to survive in that kind of industry. Strong self-belief is essential in that shark-infested pond.

 

[ntcrawler]

This interview is really only a rehash of everything he's said before. There are no new revelations in it.

Not everyone has seen it before. I don't spend every waking hour following Ratner around. Truth be told, he's NOT that interesting. And since I've never seen this interview or others like it, Ratner's dialogue is therefore new to me

Directors never admit weakness or failure - that's never the done thing in Hollywood (see Bryan Singer's comments on SR, blaming marketing etc) - so they come off as arrogant. Truth is, they have to be pretty arrogant to survive in that kind of industry. Strong self-belief is essential in that shark-infested pond.

Oh I don't know about that. Marsden does a pretty good job at not being arrogant. You want an example of award-winning directors who aren't arrogant? Sam Raimi. Peter Jackson. Roberto Benigni (why BTW, did something you rarely, ever see. When he accepted his award, he BOWED to the audience. That's class. That's the sign of a true artist acknowledging and thanking his audience). So your supposition that they have to be arrogant to survive that kind of industry is incorrect. Being arrogant like Ratner and self-congratulating himself at being a bad-ass is one way. Actually being GOOD at what you do and being respected by peers and fans, is another. I choose the latter.

 

[X-Maniac]

Perhaps so, but a director has to have strongly believed what they were doing was right...

Sam Raimi's approach is entirely different. In here we argue about 'realism' and 'toning down' the comics, yet he managed Spider-Man's spandex bodysuit and a cackling Green Goblin flying round on a glider in a metal mask... I'd love to see what he would do with an X-Men movie. I'd also be interested to see what Matthew Vaughn might do - the Wolverine movie might suit his penchant for gritty gangster-style stuff....

 

[ntcrawler]

Perhaps so, but a director has to have strongly believed what they were doing was right...

Those examples I cited above all do, and they managed to do it in a way that doesn't portray them as being arrogant or full of themselves. With all the money they're making, all directors should be able to afford manners

 

[tonytr1687]

Yeah, I agree. Singer sounds so arrogant in most of his interviews. I didn't like SR, but I just guess directing these kind of successing 200 million movies makes a director overate himself.

Are you kidding? The guy is one of the most self-deprecating ppl I've ever listened to. He's a very modest guy. As far as Ratner is concerned, he goes back and forth. I've read some interviews where he seems modest and then others like this one where he seems arrogant.

 

[tonytr1687]

Wrong. X2 made $215 million domestically. It's production budget was $130 million. As for X3, it made $234 million domestically with a production budget of $210 million. So it's safe to say that X3, while a hit, didn't earn much compensation for its budget.

X1 - Budget: 75...Gross: 157

X2 - Budget: 110...Gross: 215 (adjusted 234)

X3 - Budget: 210...Gross: 235

 

[ntcrawler]

You're right, Anna won her Oscar when she was a child, and for her very first film, beating out more experienced actresses --- a pretty remarkable feat taking all those things into consideration.

Exactly. Anna may have been a child, but her agents are not. When the kid doesn't have an ego, that's what their managers are for. So Halle is not the only one who had an oscar. People keep insisting that Halle being an oscar winner therefore had a huge ego and tried to smear herself all over the film, but I find that hard to believe since Anna got an Oscar too and was actually a very nice person to work with and didn't insist on being the center of attention. So what gives?

The 'and'designation in film credits is an honor signifying the importance of the person it's given to. Therefore, it's acknowledging Anna's special status.

Exactly. Last but not least, here's Anna Paquin.

 

[X-Maniac]

X1 - Budget: 75...Gross: 157

X2 - Budget: 110...Gross: 215 (adjusted 234)

X3 - Budget: 210...Gross: 235

Is domestic gross all that matters?

Why isn't the revenue from the rest of the world important????

 

[ntcrawler]

Is domestic gross all that matters?

Why isn't the revenue from the rest of the world important????

Because X-Men is consideerd a domestic phenomenon, not an international phenomenon like Star Wars or LOTR.. The rest of the world does not consume the comics at a rate comparable to the U.S. population. The vast majority of the fanbase has been and is in the USA. So it's not surprising that a studio would expect to make the bulk of its money here.

If a studio can't make back its money here, trying to make up for lost profits with the rest of the world is seen as a backup strategy and the film won't be considered a wild success.

I'm not saying the rest of you people don't count, but it's just not as big in Europe or Asia as it is here.