MOONING THE PUBLIC

Yeah, that's what you did, you crappy movie people - you mooned us! There was a clever science fiction movie without all the big explosions and special effects doing the rounds and you not only failed to promote it with any kind of flair or gusto you pretty much ignored it.

I'm talking about MOON, the Duncan Jones directed psychological sci-fi thriller starring Sam Rockwell. I'm a child of 1970s/1980s science fiction movies and you failed to include me in your crappy target audience research. What was the matter? Not enough big spaceships blowing the crap out each other? Did you feel the absence of giant robots having fistfights might confuse the audience? Or maybe because there wasn't a hero with perfect teeth and big laserguns you felt the audience might get bored?

I enjoy my in-your-face films because they're fun but, honestly, demographics mean nothing to me - there's room for more thoughtful films, too. I understand that they're trying to run a business and it's all about money, but when that's used as a reason as to why they don't promote movies such as this because it'll only appeal to a 'minority of moviegoers' really makes me grind my teeth. So it's okay to splash massive action movies everywhere but not interesting thoughtful ones? Cinemagoers responded well to movies such as The Sixth Sense, so why not movies like this? Or do the big movie companies feel we're not that clever and we'll only respond to explosions explosions explosions?

Perhaps if they did promote better they'd have much better attendance numbers at the cinemas from those of us who enjoy these kinds of movies. Try enticing film lovers back to the cinema, movie people, and stop relying on CGI-laser-death 'event' movies for the bums-on-seats approach. I think you'll be surprised by the results.