Director Statement
I will never object to someones' opinion about a movie. A film should stand alone on its own merits. It takes hundreds of people to take a film from concept to distribution but the director receives the majority of the credit or blame. That's how the system works and one has to accept that.
My only objection is when reviews of films become personal attacks on people. Of course, if you hate the person, you will hate everything they make if you've seen it or not. However, if you hate the filmmaker then it seems pointless to keep watching his/her films and throwing your money away. I'm sure everyone has a filmmaker who they think is terrible and at some point, just stop bothering to see their films. It's only natural.
There are many of my own films that I am not pleased with. I am proud of NIGHTMARE MAN and will stand behind it. There are many supporters of this film (and no, they are not all friends and family) and there are also people who didn't care for it as you can see from some of these posts. I'm sorry you didn't like it. But we all know that you can't please everyone. Horror/comedy is a delicate balancing act. People like Rob Zombie hate movies like SCREAM. And some people hate Rob Zombie movies and love SCREAM. Nobody is right and nobody is wrong. It is all personal opinions.
I have seen plenty of movies that I have walked out hating but I don't find it necessary to jump on the internet and bad-mouth them and their films to "warn others away". People should make up their own minds. Nowadays everybody is a film critic. A few get paid for this service and hundreds of thousands do not. Do critics serve a purpose? Well, I suggest watching "Ratatouille" for a wonderful speech about the job of a critic.
It's fun to write nasty and sarcastic things about a work or art or whatever term you wish to call the horrible things you've been subjected to. Filmmakers like Michael Moore try to sway people's opinions in stronger ways. Some agree with him. Some don't. That's fine.
If NIGHTMARE MAN is the worst movie you have ever seen, I have no argument with you and I won't hold a grudge. If you like my next movie more, then great. If you never want to see another one of my films then please don't.
I make movies because I love making movies. I always have and I always will. Nobody goes out to make a bad movie. It's hard to believe sometimes but it's true. My goal is always to entertain and what some people find entertaining, others find to be a torture worse than hell. There's nothing I can do about that. If you search the internet for my movies and reviews you will find many, many positive glowing responses. Now, I know if you hate a particular film, you will be baffled by this. How can someone like this piece of *beep* Are they insane?! Do they have no taste at all?!! Did the filmmaker pay them to write this?!! The answer is no. They have a difference of opinion. That's life.
Opinions and facts can be hard to separate at times but the fact is, I am a professional filmmaker (meaning I make my living writing and directing films that do get released in theaters, video stores, cable, television, etc...) I've had to work hard to get to where I am and will continue to do so.
I have seen comments comparing me to Ed Wood. Well, Tim Burton made a wonderful film about Ed Wood because despite his talent or lack thereof, he was also a driven filmmaker and tried his best. I do not have a problem with that. I object to when a filmmaker has the money to make something and just phones in the work. I have never done that (even with films that I am not so proud of). I always try.
Also, there are some very talented filmmakers on youtube. So, I do not object to that comment either.
And for the record, some of the posts come from a person who heard that I did not like someone else's movies. Well, I have always tried to be honest. I think it's worse to lie to someone and tell them that they liked the film when they did not. I've had many friends and family tell me that they didn't care for some of my work. I do not hate them for this. I do not put them on my enemy list for this. I get slightly annoyed if I disagree and then I put it behind me. Revenge is a pointless action that doesn't help anyone or anything. It doesn't get you anywhere. Hate letters are not productive.
You will find even the most famous and greatest movies ever made have their detractors. People that don't understand why certain films are so great. We always have lists of the best of the year and the worst of the year. It's fun to read about the worst and some of the biggest actors in Hollywood and biggest filmmakers have been awarded "worst films of the year" and guess what? They're still making movies and many of the films they go on to make are great!
So, to wrap it up. For all those who continue to leave comments and letters, I want to thank you for all the positive feedback and for all of those who have hated my previous films, in the words of Ed Wood in Tim Burton's Ed Wood; "Well, I hope you'll like my next film better."