This is what happens when contracts are in play! Welcome to WatchMojo, and for this list, we’ll be looking at the most telling instances of those involved in a movie getting candid about the poor quality of the project while it was still in promotion.
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00:00 So you're worried not because you'll be in a house full of vampires but because you think they want to prove you.
00:05 Welcome to WatchMojo and for this list we'll be looking at the most telling instances of those involved in a movie getting candid about the poor quality of the project while it was still in promotion.
00:18 The last thing any director needs is you of all people to stick up for us.
00:24 Number 10. Jennifer Lawrence, Mother.
00:27 He didn't just stumble on us he's a crazy fan. I know. Excuse me?
00:33 Darren Aronofsky's mother divided audience as a surreal ultra-violent allegory condemning religion.
00:40 Not even star Jennifer Lawrence knew what to make of it. In an interview with Variety following the film's premiere she voiced appreciation for its confrontational nature.
00:49 She still admitted that her first reaction was "we took it too far".
00:53 But I think we definitely went really really intense. Too far. We went too far. Well we always go a little too far sometimes.
01:00 As reviews came out Lawrence became honest about her frustration with the movie whose hectic production left her with lasting injuries.
01:08 She also voiced her confusion about the narrative saying that she still didn't totally understand it after it premiered.
01:14 Critics at least agreed that Lawrence's hardship paid off for a stellar performance.
01:19 They're gone. Come let's go to bed. You don't need to do that. Do what? Clean up their mess?
01:26 Number 9. Jim Carrey, Kick-Ass 2.
01:29 Dude how badass is Colonel Stars and Stripes? Yeah I still can't believe he's the next mob enforcer.
01:33 Despite being one of Hollywood's most outrageous comedic actors Jim Carrey is often outspoken about serious issues.
01:40 He opted for silence about Kick-Ass 2 in which he plays brutal vigilante Colonel Stars and Stripes.
01:46 Okay well when I found you guys online you were all swapping these awesome origin stories.
01:51 I mean Colonel you're ex-mafia for Christ's sake. Yo don't take the Lord's name in vain.
01:56 Carrey tweeted that he would not be participating in the movie's press tour after the Sandy Hook school shooting.
02:02 He just couldn't bring himself to promote such violent media so close to the tragedy.
02:06 His colleagues were not completely in agreement assuring audiences that the film itself condemned violence.
02:12 However Kick-Ass 2 eventually received negative reviews for lacking the first film's character and racking up the gory action.
02:20 Carrey may not have said anything about the quality but his infamous content warnings still resonated with critics.
02:27 Tonight you die.
02:28 Ladies first.
02:31 Number 8. Matthew Goode, Leap Year.
02:34 You fried my blackberry.
02:36 You fried the whole village, Egypt.
02:40 Critics didn't exactly leap for the cloying rom-com Leap Year.
02:44 British moviegoers knew what to expect when the film hit cinemas a month after its American release.
02:50 And that was probably because Matthew Goode reminded them in an interview for the Telegraph.
02:54 The actor admitted that he knew the project was doomed from the script.
02:58 Have a little faith. That'll all work out.
03:02 He took it mostly because of the location which made it easy to return home to his wife Sophie Dimmock and then newborn.
03:10 Goode was glad for the paycheck and fun filming experience but predicted that many would name Leap Year one of the worst movies of 2010.
03:18 Even though it came out at the beginning of the year that proved to be his best bet.
03:23 Ah, is it yourself Louis? Can I give you a hand getting into the car?
03:27 Louis, name the suitcase. Use a crackpot.
03:30 Number 7. Matt Youkasiewicz, Babylon AD.
03:34 Go to the train. We need to catch it. Come on.
03:37 Matt Youkasiewicz built a strong following with his elevated French thrillers, particularly the masterpiece La Haine.
03:44 Still, he's never been quiet about his degrading experiences in Hollywood.
03:49 As much as he hated working on Gothika, he couldn't wait to disown Babylon AD.
03:54 Something's not making sense.
03:56 How could you know how to operate a 30 year old Russian sub?
04:02 In an interview just before its release, he ranted about production issues and constant studio interference.
04:09 His sci-fi passion project was reduced to what he says is pure violence and stupidity,
04:14 with political themes amounting to a bad episode of 24.
04:18 Audiences agreed. Babylon AD opened to disastrous reviews and disappointing revenue.
04:25 Youkasiewicz may have redeemed himself in France with the acclaimed Rebellion,
04:29 but he's burned plenty of bridges in Hollywood and that might be the way he likes it.
04:34 Number 6. Paul Schrader, Dying of the Light.
04:55 Paul Schrader's incredibly prolific career hit a rut in the 2010s.
05:00 The espionage thriller Dying of the Light especially struck viewers as cheap and uninspired.
05:05 Schrader defended himself on Facebook two months before the movie's release,
05:09 condemning the producers for taking control of the final cut to create a generic disjointed mess.
05:14 The post also featured photos of Schrader and colleagues wearing t-shirts printed with the
05:19 contract clause demanding that they not criticize the film during its promotion.
05:23 What do you propose? I would like to set up a task force,
05:26 establish Bonaire's whereabouts, extract him and have him return to the United States for trial.
05:30 But the defiance didn't end there. In 2018 Schrader leaked his director's cut on Torrent
05:36 platforms. While the retitled Dark didn't get glowing reviews, it's considered sharply
05:42 superior to Dying of the Light. Schrader has since regained renown throughout independent
05:48 studios that actually respect his artistry. Everybody figured he was dead. I had my doubts.
05:54 The sluggish IRA melodrama The Devil's Own seemed to lack direction. In a promotional
06:11 interview for Newsweek, Brad Pitt told the critics just how right they were.
06:15 He revealed that a promising script was scrapped at the last minute,
06:18 leading to drastic rewrites and improvisation during production.
06:22 He angrily described it as the most irresponsible bit of filmmaking he had ever seen.
06:32 Years later, Pitt admitted that he came around on The Devil's Own despite the lost potential.
06:37 At the time, though, he nearly cost Columbia Pictures a fortune in promos by attempting
06:43 to quit the crumbling project. There's no telling how much he cost them by warning audiences
06:48 of the mess they were in for.
06:50 The Twilight Saga was one of the most popular and polarizing film franchises of its era.
07:12 Some stars later admitted to quietly joining the bandwagon of hate. Robert Pattinson,
07:17 on the other hand, has been quite vocal about his disdain for the story since the beginning,
07:22 and made quite the habit of publicly bad-mouthing the film series with each installment.
07:26 This mingled with on-set tension almost got him fired. But his and Edward Cullen's
07:38 mutual popularity forced him to stay to the bitter end. Afterwards, the reluctant
07:43 heartthrob rose to become one of today's most respected actors. Pattinson now gives credit
07:49 to Twilight for helping make that possible. But some series haters still consider his
07:54 brutal outspokenness an early sign of his good taste.
07:57 (Clip)
08:03 Number 3. Josh Trank – Fantastic Four
08:06 After two less-than-fantastic movies, Fantastic Four fans were rooting for the 2015 reboot.
08:20 Josh Trank's low-budget superhero hit, Chronicle, raised those hopes. Then the director dashed
08:27 them. On the eve of the movie's release, Trank responded to early negative reviews with the
08:31 tweet claiming that his original vision was much better than the final cut. The post was
08:36 quickly deleted, but screen grabs went viral. (Clip)
08:43 Even with greater critical panning, it was estimated that this one tweet costed $10 million
08:50 dollars of the movie's disastrous revenue. The scandal also imploded Trank's professional and
08:56 personal life. Still, he continues to publicly mourn a Fantastic Four that was grittier than
09:02 the dull and generic finished product. (Clip)
09:03 Number 2. Jim Sheridan, Daniel Craig, and Rachel Weisz – Dreamhouse
09:24 Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz certainly got along on the set of Dreamhouse.
09:29 Director Jim Sheridan, however, was reported to be in constant conflict with producer James
09:34 Robinson. The final straw came when the studio put out a trailer that gave away the movie's big twist.
09:52 This supposedly prompted Sheridan's unsuccessful push to have his name removed from the credits.
09:57 The then newlywed Craig and Weisz were themselves so disappointed with the final cut that they
10:02 refrained from promoting it in solidarity with the director who brought them together.
10:06 The extent of this behind the scenes drama wasn't made public until after Dreamhouse came out.
10:12 But with the lack of press beforehand, it's no surprise that the horror dud
10:16 bond with critics and at the box office. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel
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10:35 occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings
10:40 and switch on notifications. Number 1. Arthur
10:45 Hillard and Alan Smithy film Burn Hollywood Burn.
10:49 For years, Alan Smithy was Hollywood's mandatory pseudonym for directors who didn't want their
11:04 names attached to dissatisfying projects. Some notable examples where you'll be able to spot
11:09 the name include 1990's Catch Fire and 1992's Maniac Cop 3 Badge of Silence. Such bureaucracy
11:16 was the subject of the mockumentary Burn Hollywood Burn in which a filmmaker actually named Alan
11:22 Smithy's struggles to disown a movie. His name appearing in the credits wasn't part of the joke.
11:32 Director Arthur Hillard hated the movie so much that he himself took the alias.
11:38 Sure enough, Burn Hollywood Burn would go down as one of the worst comedy films
11:42 ever made with its failure inspiring the Directors Guild of America to retire the
11:47 Smithy pseudonym. Kiefer Sutherland's Woman Wanted was the last film to receive the dubious honor.
11:54 What are your favorite awkward moments of honesty about an actor or filmmaker's work?
12:06 Open up in the comments down below.
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12:23 Thanks for watching!