Blog Hating Jim Schembri Gets Abused At The AFI Awards, Responds Like An Angry Blogger.
Ah, public spats – you gotta love ‘em. The one I’m currently viewing from afar involves an AFI award winner, a well-timed profanity, and one hurt pissed off critic.
Let’s allow Jim Schembri, film reviewer for The Age and blog-hating blogger, tell his own tale of woe.
A telling thing happened at the AFI Awards on Saturday night. And it was all because of me.
While accepting an award for best original screenplay for The Black Balloon, co-writer Jimmy Jack took public exception to my long-standing criticisms of the Australian film industry, and of his film. He read some of it out, then followed it by saying “Jim Schembri. F*** you.”
This undignified descent into blogspeak – whatever remaining shreds of class the AFI awards had are now gone – reportedly drew a spontaneous round of applause from some in the crowd.
I didn’t realise the term “Jim Schembri. Fuck you!” was official blogspeak, but as a Professional Blogger TM, I plan on finishing every post with it from now on as I would hate to be seen as behind the interweb times! The other bloggers would, like, totes stop linking to me!! OMG
Jim continues:
That such abuse drew applause reflected an industry comfortable with its insular, anti-audience attitude. Sure, everybody loves a good “Stick it to The Man” moment – but this wasn’t that. Gestures of defiance against critics only mean anything if there is something in the criticism to fault.
Australian films have virtually no connection with Australian audiences. That those films are funded by the audience verges on cultural disgrace. The occasional hits – the Muriels, the Priscillas, the Kennys – are invariably one-offs. Now, while taking pot shots at the messenger might make good, mometary sport it doesn’t make the message go away – especially when the message is so screamingly obvious.
In the comments of Jim Schembri’s published response to the incident, reader Talia Cain remarks “Sure, the industry deserves critique but it seems that in this case that the tables have been turned and you have received a bad review.” Jim didn’t accept that, stating “There is a difference between legitimate criticism and personal abuse. Most intelligent people understand the difference.”
What are your thoughts? Was it wrong of the Australian film world to use their night of nights to pan Jim Schembri when he’s simply “telling it how it is”, etc? Is it possible none of the AFI audience really cared about Jim declaring their industry “at death’s door” recently, but rather simply resented the man because they’d sat through one of his satirical pieces in The Age?
I don’t have the answers!! I’m not a journalist!! I’m just a blogger!! LOL!! I can’t even work out if I find this entire thing infinitely amusing, or if I feel a little sad for Jim. It’s like the cool kids won’t let him play with them, and he’s all “I don’t even CARE about you guys!” but deep down, we all suspect he wishes he was liked more… Poor Jim :(
Oh, I nearly forgot the blogspeak… Jim Schembri. Fuck you!
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Comments
He deserves everything he gets. A smug little man who is caught up in his own self importance. Love the fact that everyone clapped. Just a pity he wasn’t there to witness it.
I think Jim “It’s popular and people like it, therefore I HATE it” Schembri makes a fair point about local movies not appealling to local punters, but he’d do well to go have another look at the end of Ratatouille and the critic’s place in the grand scheme of things.
And, Jim Schembri. Fuck you!
This article is lame. Schembri is right. The Australian film industry is a total disaster. As someone who works in it, it’s almost too depressing to bare at times. It’s easy and a cop out to take pot shots at Schembri, but that’s all you’re doing here Jess. He, on the other hand, is genuinely trying to make a difference. Your cynicism is cheap.
Yes, Australian film has limited “hits”, should we stop supporting it? I don’t know this man. And HEY! Fuck you all!!!LOL!!
Hirsty,
It’s not that it merely has limited hits. It’s that it has limited halfway competent movies. The decisions and policies at the core of how the industry here operates are totally dysfunctional. As for supporting the industry, that’s exactly what Schembri is doing. He’s just doing it by holding it to a certain standard, whereas others seem to do it by encouraging crap. We should be proud of our film culture. Instead we routinely make excuses for it. It’s not good enough. It isn’t a charity – it’s an industry. Films shouldn’t have to be ’supported’. They should be enjoyed. We should be making better films so people will WANT to watch them.
That’s all Schembri is saying.
schembri was attention seeking. my sister’s todler does it all the time. “look at me, look at me”.
it was such a disappointment to him when ch9 censored jimmy the exploder’s “fuck you” during the awards, that he had to jump on his blog, to tell everyone asap. (even though he bagged blogs and bloggers. sheesh the guy isn’t even consistent)
anyways he’s been trotting out the same criticism for years. it’s oooooooold. *yawn*
he’s a middle aged man trapped in adolescence and about as relevant as the films he bags. mebbe a stint in the real world would cure him of that.
as for people in the film industry bitching and moaning about how bad it is, if the film you want to make are that great, how come they’re not getting made? get off your arse and do somethingn about it. or mebbe your film ideas are just shite.
I think part of the responsibility of taking on the role of an artist (in this case a screenwriter) is being adult enough to take criticism when justified. Jim Schembri is a great film critic and it is his job to do just that provide insightful criticism, which he does well. Jimmy Jack just showed what an utter juvenile tool he is…a sad sad comeback from a flash in the pan. Besides, the Black Balloon is a pretty average film.