Paul Haggis-what's with all the hate?

[matthall]

Why is it that everyone is hating Paul Haggis now? I know there were a lot of mixed opinions of Crash, and can sort of understand that. I loved the movie, but can understand it's not for everyone. I thought Million Dollar Baby on the other hand is a film that is hard to find flaws. I didn't see Flags of Our Fathers but I hear it is pretty good, though not great. The Last Kiss was another film written by him and it was an above average adult drama IMO and while again dividing viewers it generally is considered pretty good. Casino Royale was written in part by him and I hear good things about it,so why is it that so many people have such strong hatred for him? Mostly in regards to Crash it seems, but why hate someone so much for one film that you don't like when they have a pretty darn good track record?

All I see on the internet anymore is Haggis bashing, and it is ridiculous. If it's because of Crash tell me why and don't bring Crash bashing without giving any backup for such arguments, because I have not heard a single anti-Crash rant where anyone has anything credible to say about it.

So I am not saying if you don't like him don't post, I am just saying be intelligent about it, and please enlighten me as to why everyone hates him now.

[Andrey83]

I havent seen Crash so I cant really comment on wheather or not this has any validity, but many people bash him for basically ripping of Magnolia with Crash. I guess that is one thing :)

Personally I havent seen any of his works (written that is)

[Doomsday]

Eh, I think he's alright, although I think he's more like M. Night when it comes to his necessity to throw in something controversial or surprising. I thought Million Dollar Baby was very good (although I associate that more with Clint Eastwood, any other director I don't think would have been able to do as well as he did). Crash I didn't think was so hot, I thought it was okay, but tried waaaaay too hard to push the racism issue that it presented. There are movies that have a message that are presented well, but Crash took racism and shoved it down your throat until you were just sick of it. Flags of Our Fathers is a very good, solid war movie, but like I said in my review, it just didn't bring anything new to the table, so if you're looking for innovation, look somewhere else, but a good traditional war movie, then it's worth watching. I dunno, I don't find Haggis to be outstanding or terrific, but I think he has solid work.

[cmitchell]

I havent seen Crash so I cant really comment on wheather or not this has any validity, but many people bash him for basically ripping of Magnolia with Crash. I guess that is one thing :)

Eh? What? How on earth was Crash a rip off of Magnolia? They were two completely different movies.

[Dracula]

but many people bash him for basically ripping of Magnolia with Crash.

Those people who are saying that are ****ing ignorant. The multi-storry format that they think crash ripped from Magnolia was invented by Robert Altman in 1975's Nashville. The format was also used by Altman in Short Cuts. If Crash was a ripoff then Magnolia is every bit as plagerous.

The internt is full of (for lack of a better term) player-haters. Who just love to be against anything that is popular and successful.

[Citizen Kane]

Dracula's basically right. I don't really consider it ripping-off though, at least not in Magnolia's case, since it used the whole interconnected-characters thing as a jumping-off point for so interesting ideas and powerful moments.

As for Crash, I've only seen it once and I know I need to see it again, but it felt a little contrived to me.

[darthspielberg]

I don't hate him. I hate his movies. I have seen, to date, everything he's written and directed. Hated Crash, Hated Last Kiss, I saw Million Dollar Baby and Flags of Our Fathers, because I like Clint, but after those two films, the Clint factor is diminishing as well. Hopefully his other "Iwo Jima" movie is a much better film, as the reviews state it is.

I saw Crash from the persistance of a friend, and walked out as one Mr. Dracula states it, f***ing ignorant, because I felt like I had just watched a terrible remake of Magnolia with Matt Dillion as a racist cop, and I don't just say this because of the format (which, i assume is what you would think I mean), i say this because friggin large plot points from Magnolia show up in Crash thinly vailed as new original ideas.

Yes, you are right that the format of multiple stories is not new, and I don't accuse Haggis of ripping of that idea. I just don't like the fact that it seemed so familiar and bland when critics were hailling it as a creative tour-de-force. I didn't see the film they did. I saw a film that made me very, very angry.

I have only liked one thing Haggis has been involved in, and that is the largest thing he's been involved in to date, and almost took the box office this weekend. Casino Royale. I give him credit for whatever he did in the writing of that script. I loved every minute of it, so perhaps their hope for my ignornace yet. ;)

[Dracula]

i say this because friggin large plot points from Magnolia show up in Crash thinly vailed as new original ideas.

large plot points like...?

[matthall]

large plot points like...?

I would like examples as well.

[darthspielberg]

Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the rare storm that happens in both (Frogs in Magnolia and Snow in Southern California in Crash). Yeah, it bugs me how similar they were.

I also hate Crash for how manipulative it was. CAN YOU SAY GUILT TRIP! Nice, Paul, Nice. How Very Subtle.

[Citizen Kane]

Yeah, I thought the thing where we think the little girl got shot was laying it on a bit thick. Although I don't think the storms in both films are comparable, the snow in Crash was kind of just a semi-resonant ending note, whereas the storm of frogs in Magnolia was something much more epic and significant.

[Dracula]

Oh, I don't know. Perhaps the rare storm that happens in both (Frogs in Magnolia and Snow in Southern California in Crash).
or the Earthquake in Short Cuts and the assassination in Nashville :rolleyes:

[Citizen Kane]

Spoiler alert...*hasn't seen Short Cuts yet* :(

[Dracula]

sorry dude, there's a statue of limitations on this spoiler ****. That movie is almost fifteen years old.

[matthall]

CK I love the avatar. Since his death have been rewatching his films again, and they are every bit as amazing as before.

[sec127]

i actually really admire Paul's tallent. I have enjoyed all his films, "Million Dollar Baby", "Crash", "Flags of Our Fathers", "The Last Kiss" and "Casino Royale". He is very tallented and creates some really great mamorable charecters and drama. I have no problem what so ever with him.

[Citizen Kane]

sorry dude, there's a statue of limitations on this spoiler ****. That movie is almost fifteen years old.

Still, there will always be someone who hasn't seen a movie.

But I've seen Short Cuts now, so I guess it doesn't matter.

[AnimalLova]

crash wasnt such a bad movie