Rotten Tomatoes Halts Comments on ‘Dark Knight’

[pixy0stix]

artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/rotten-tomatoes-halts-reader-comments-amid-dark-knight-furor/

While Batman is busy defending Gotham City from Bane and other miscreants, some fans of that comic-book crime fighter have proved too vocal in their attempts to defend the coming Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises” from negative criticism.

The review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes said that it had suspended user comments on reviews of the film, directed by Christopher Nolan, after readers reacted angrily to two negative write-ups and made threatening and derogatory remarks about the critics who wrote them.

On Monday, Rotten Tomatoes posted and linked to a negative review of “The Dark Knight Rises” by Marshall Fine at his Web site hollywoodandfine.com. That generated a wave of irate reactions from “Dark Knight” fans – many of whom have not yet seen the movie, which opens on Friday – and an overwhelming influx of traffic to Mr. Fine’s site.

Later that day a second negative review of the movie, written by Christy Lemire of The Associated Press, was posted at Rotten Tomatoes. Matt Atchity, editor in chief of Rotten Tomatoes, said he and his colleagues spent several hours policing the post and removing comments with misogynistic or threatening remarks about Ms. Lemire and announced that comments would be suspended.

“Just take a deep breath, step away from the computer, and maybe go for a walk,” Mr. Atchity wrote in an open letter to Rotten Tomatoes readers. “Have a smoke if you need one. There are plenty of other things to get angry about, like war, famine, poverty and crime. But not movie reviews.”

In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Mr. Atchity said that Rotten Tomatoes would probably restore commenting on Thursday or Friday, once a wider range of reviews had been posted and more readers had been able to watch “The Dark Knight Rises” for themselves.

But as he looked ahead to the release of fantasy films like “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” Peter Jackson’s version of the Tolkien book that is also likely to provoke strong reactions (and reactions to those reactions), Mr. Atchity said his site was contemplating a new system under which readers could no longer comment anonymously on reviews.

Or, Mr. Atchity said, the site could remove the user comment function altogether.

“It’s within the realm of possibility,” he added. “I’m not sure that’s page views we really want.”

[dylanite]

Silly people.

Other note, I can't wait to see it at 8am this Saturday. So damn excited.

[pixy0stix]

I'm sort of meh about the movie. Then again, I'm not a big fan of the Cat Woman storyline. I'll probably see it, but I don't know when.

DH is hoping Batman and Spiderman play together at the drive-in.

[Deleted]

Yeah, this and the new Spiderman rakes high on the "meh" scale for me. Indifference FTW!

[heyjude]

I hated the last batman.

[laladypoet]

how is that even possible?

[pixy0stix]

Jul 18, 2012 11:55:44 GMT -5 heyjude said:

I hated the last batman.

Shunnnnnnnnnnn!

[dylanite]

Jul 18, 2012 11:55:44 GMT -5 heyjude said:

I hated the last batman.

The idea of you, of all people, hating something truly boggles the mind.

[niemand88f]

Jul 18, 2012 11:55:44 GMT -5 heyjude said:

I hated the last batman.

I didn't hate it but I don't think it's all that great either. I much prefer Batman Begins. The Dark Knight just throws you into the story and there's a little too much going on to flow very well.

ETA: But I am excited for the new one anyway, even if Anne Hathaway seems like the worst choice ever for Catwoman.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

I can't wait to see it Saturday. The new Spiderman movie can blow me.

[heyjude]

Jul 18, 2012 12:17:50 GMT -5 dylanite said:

Jul 18, 2012 11:55:44 GMT -5 heyjude said:

I hated the last batman.

The idea of you, of all people, hating something truly boggles the mind.

I don't even know what this means.

[meshaliuknits]

I can't deal with whatshisface as Batman. I keep expecting him to peel something off his face or drop a chainsaw on someone.

[dylanite]

Jul 18, 2012 12:51:05 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Jul 18, 2012 12:17:50 GMT -5 dylanite said:

The idea of you, of all people, hating something truly boggles the mind.

I don't even know what this means.

I'm sorry.

[osulori]

I'm not wild about the idea of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman either, but that's not stopping us from going to the 12:02am show tomorrow night/Friday morning. SO excited!

[laladypoet]

12:05 showing. cape optional.

[teflep]

Jul 18, 2012 13:06:56 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

12:05 showing. cape optional.

No, it isn't

[laladypoet]

I will be wearing a cape.

[dylanite]

Jul 18, 2012 13:12:24 GMT -5 laladypoet said:

I will be wearing a cape.

Well now I want to wear a cape.

[laladypoet]

CAPES FOR EVERYBODY!

[meshaliuknits]

Do I have to see the movie to get a cape or can I just have a cape? I promise to make wooshing noises while wearing it.

[IIOY]

I can't believe there's not a single Batman gif in this thread. Thread fail.

Jul 18, 2012 12:52:15 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I can't deal with whatshisface as Batman. I keep expecting him to peel something off his face or drop a chainsaw on someone.

The fuck, mesh?!? Now I gotta hate you! And HeyJude, how could you hate the last movie? It was spectacular to the nth degree!

I cannot wait to see this movie. Can. Not. Wait.

[heyjude]

Jul 18, 2012 19:07:57 GMT -5 IIOY said:

I can't believe there's not a single Batman gif in this thread. Thread fail.

Jul 18, 2012 12:52:15 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I can't deal with whatshisface as Batman. I keep expecting him to peel something off his face or drop a chainsaw on someone.

The fuck, mesh?!? Now I gotta hate you! And HeyJude, how could you hate the last movie? It was spectacular to the nth degree!

I cannot wait to see this movie. Can. Not. Wait.

It was two weeks before the bar. I wasn't sleeping and a mess. The movie was just too intense for me at the time. I wasn't prepared for it. The first one wasn't so edgy.

[meshaliuknits]

I can't help it! It's all I see in my head when I see his face. American Psycho ruined him for me.

Sent from my EVO

[basilosaurus]

I'm pretty sure the last batman movie I saw occurred some time in the 90s.

[laurenpetro]

if you go to the midnight showing you're pretty much required to wear a cape.

[emmybean]

Jul 18, 2012 19:26:35 GMT -5 heyjude said:

Jul 18, 2012 19:07:57 GMT -5 IIOY said:

I can't believe there's not a single Batman gif in this thread. Thread fail.



The fuck, mesh?!? Now I gotta hate you! And HeyJude, how could you hate the last movie? It was spectacular to the nth degree!


I cannot wait to see this movie. Can. Not. Wait.

It was two weeks before the bar. I wasn't sleeping and a mess. The movie was just too intense for me at the time. I wasn't prepared for it. The first one wasn't so edgy.

So... Rather than just refrain from commenting, you respond in true heyjude fashion just to shit all over everyone's parade.

[basilosaurus]

JFC, Emmy, knock it the fuck off. I'm not sure if you think you're funny or blunt or intentionally trying to be an asshole. You've only succeeded at the asshole part.

[heyjude]

Jul 18, 2012 19:46:49 GMT -5 emmybean said:

Jul 18, 2012 19:26:35 GMT -5 heyjude said:

It was two weeks before the bar. I wasn't sleeping and a mess. The movie was just too intense for me at the time. I wasn't prepared for it. The first one wasn't so edgy.

So... Rather than just refrain from commenting, you respond in true heyjude fashion just to shit all over everyone's parade.

Fuck off Emmybean.

[teflep]

Jul 18, 2012 12:52:15 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I can't deal with whatshisface as Batman. I keep expecting him to peel something off his face or drop a chainsaw on someone.

[stephiehun]

Jul 18, 2012 19:27:25 GMT -5 meshaliuknits said:

I can't help it! It's all I see in my head when I see his face. American Psycho ruined him for me.

Sent from my EVO

Watch Newsies. They should cancel each other out.