I'm Mad As Hell and I'm Not Gonna Take it Anymore!!!

A short break from the rigors of Oscar clairvoyance, in order to gripe/bitch/kvetch about a recent "editing" job perpetrated by the editor/publisher of a local alt bi-monthly that I write for.

I wrote a review (as I am oft to do) for the film Brokeback Mountain. My intention was to have it published in a local alternative newspaper called Central Alternative (a publication that I regularly write dvd reviews for). So, as the story goes, I write the review, and it is one of the best reviews I have ever written; perhaps it is not great literature, but I liked it. I send the review to Mr. Frank Pizzoli, editor of the aforementioned Central Alternative and he publishes it in the January/february issue - just in time for its local premiere of January 6, 2006. And this is when the problem sets in. The man took a bloody hatchet to my review. Sure, that is what editors are supposed to do, "clean" things up for publication, but Mr. pizzoli took a rather lengthy piece, written in a somewhat Proustian style (although nowhere close to the elaborate poetics of M. Proust himself), with long languid sentances and page long comments, and turned it into a chop-sockey mess, that makes it appear as if I am a bad writer. Yes, he said I had spoilers in my review - and I suppose I did "allude" to the tragic thesis of Brokeback (as did Andrew Sarris and about every other critic who reviewed the film), and he wished to remove them, but in the process he chopped up sentances and "created" an ending that seems greatly truncated and far less powerful than my original final few words. I am so angered that I asked for the review to be taken off of the local Midtown Cinema website, where it had been co-published, and replaced with my original, intended piece.

If you think I am just belly-aching or that I just like the sound of my own voice (which may be true), see for yourself. I have created a Comparison Page on The Cinematheque, where you can see a side-by-side comparison of the two versions.

Anyway, more on this subject later (I fired off a rather bitter e-mail and am sure of a response soon), as well as more Oscar talk as well.