Until now, there's been nothing but incredibly positive buzz coming from the direction of Darren Aronofsky's highly anticipated movie The Fountain. The trailer is phenomenal, and the handful of critics who've reviewed it have in some cases described it as one of the best films of the past decade.
All of that has suddenly changed after the movie's first official screening at the Venice Film Festival. There, a rowdy and rude Venice audience treated the film to boos, says the Associated Press. The reason? They say the movie left viewers confused.
Hold on now Fountain fans, no need to panic yet. Wait until you hear what movie these fickle festival goers cheered. By contrast, Helen Mirren's rather boorish looking The Queen received a standing ovation. That ought to tell you something about these heckler's tastes. It's the second time Mirren has played a Queen Elizabeth this year, and let's face it, no matter what sort of spin they've put on the story it's very likely to be a retread of the same costume drama crap we've seen over and over and over again in boring film after boring film.
I'm inclined to believe that this is a Venice audience with its head collectively up its ass. It sounds like bunch of crusty old fidler crabs unwilling to experience anything different, you know, the kind of audience that loves bland costume dramas. Someone has to, otherwise they'd stop making them.
We'll let you know how The Fountain is received elsewhere, but I wouldn't put too much stock in anything coming out of the Venice Film Festival.
