Some things should just be off-limits -- even for Nikki Finke, who interrupted a relatively minor news break on Tuesday to take swipes at one of the most respected film distributors in the world. And in an especially rare counterattack, Finke's readers stood up to her.
Sony Pictures Classics, whose only real mistake in the last 24 hours was approving this poster for Whatever Works, drew a personal foul for reupping its co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard and hiring a new PR firm to represent the label. "Compared to Peter Rice's Fox Searchlight, Sony Pictures Classics has done its business in the dark," Finke wrote, slapping it with the "faux indie" epithet for good measure. "Meaning the place has been clueless about getting attention for itself and even its Oscar-nominated films for years."
In a way, she's right; compared to Searchlight since at least 2006, everyone has done its business in the dark. But if you're looking for the one remaining distributor that still invests heavily in documentary and foreign-language cinema -- with an emphasis on theatrical, not dumped on DVD or on-demand -- while maintaining one of the most reliably profitable front offices in the business, Sony Classics is pretty much it. Last I checked, an Oscar nomination was notice for one's film. Like Frozen River? Two noms and $2.5 million domestically for a Sundance winner with no name actors? And don't these guys release Pedro Almodóvar's films? Why are we even discussing this?
Anyway, SPC doesn't need me to defend them, because in a weird bit of backlash, Nikki's comments section -- the North Korea of the blogosphere -- took care of her on its own:
· Why 'faux indie' Nikki? SPC has bought and promoted small and foreign films for years, in purest indie spirit, regardless where their backing comes from. I don't understand your little jab there.
· SPC should be lauded. They're the only studio-backed specialized distributor that picks up foreign films, and limited-appeal-but-interesting indies like SYNECHDOCHE,NY, [sic] TYSON, etc. Save the snark for those who deserve it.
· What are you talking about? You must really not care about movies at all. Sony Classics is a real indie, picking up small movies and distributing them appropriately. They didn't try to get into the shit genre business or spiral out of control with over-bids on Sundance audience buzz pictures that were never really any good. If they are changing their PR strategy a bit, great... but I hope they stay who they are.
· All SPC has to do is keep doing what they do. Lesher fell for "the trap" of PR, glitz, huge overhead and unprofitable with Vantage and ran it into the ground. Barker and Bernard are the guardians of specialty film now and should be commended - if only for taking the risk of acquiring Synechdoche [sic]
Hey! That's right -- no SPC, no Synecdoche, New York, the best film of 2008. Get me rewrite.