Mr. Cranky
Encyclopedia
Mr. Cranky, a satirical
film critic, was created in 1995 by Jason Katzman and Hans Bjordahl. The Cranky personae premises that all movies are terrible; at issue, solely, is the severity of pain, insult, discomfort or idiocy projected, injected, ingested, subjected or otherwise presented. There are no good films in the Cranky pantheon; only films which inflict greater or lesser suffering.
Subtextually, the Mr. Cranky website is a comment on an uncritical film-reviewing culture. In contrast to boilerplate, overly effusive reviews—often including declarations that incorporate a film's theme or title in a pun or play-on-words—the Cranky review is received on the originality of its portrayal of physical suffering and mental anguish effected by the viewing experience.
The movies are rated on a six-step scale, with the least worst (i.e. best) film receiving one "bomb." Films that cause greater suffering receive additional "bombs." (Up to four.) Movies deemed particularly offensive receive a Dynamite or "Boomstick" rating. The worst films (i.e. those Cranky has marked as irredeemable-- "Proof that Jesus died in vain" in classic Cranky vernacular) receive the Animated Atomic Explosion or "Kaboom!" rating.
In October 2001, a "guest reviewer" named Mr. Smiley appeared. A post-modern reflection of the Cranky character's anti-reviews, Mr. Smiley is a mirror opposite of the Mr. Cranky personae: all reviews are hyperbolically positive. Mr. Smiley is a stereotypical smiley face smelling a pink Freesia
flower, appearing every year near Halloween
. Consistent with the theme, the Smiley character has a rising five-step scale going from one smiley face to the "Prozacerrific!" Happy Pill. Consistent with other 20th century artists including the post World War I Dadaists (Absurdists) and post-modern anti-art of the 1960s—best embodied by Warhol's "pop art" works and Lichenstein's self-portraits—Mr. Smilely was an effective ironic tool used to comment on the deficiencies of uncritical analysis and review.
Shadowculture's Mr. Cranky Rates the Movies. The character was created for a Colorado
-based website named XOR. Katzman, the primary writer, and Bjordahl, his editor, purchased the rights to the feature in 1998 and established Cranky's website, which includes an archive of reviews, editorials, and message boards. The website launched on October third, a date that Crankylanders (see below) sometimes refer to as "Cranktoberfest".
The Mr. Cranky reviews also appear on the Chicago Tribune
website. They can be found in print in both the Tribunes free publication RedEye
and in the self-published trade paperback book Shadowculture's Mr. Cranky Presents: The 100 Crankiest Movie Reviews Ever (Author House, 2004; ISBN 1-4184-4812-5)
Jason Katzman is employed at the University of Colorado
and also contributes articles to MSNBC
. Hans Bjordahl worked on Where the Buffalo Roam
, the first internet comic strip, and is currently employed by Microsoft
.
Infamous Site to Call it Quits August 31, 2008... After 12+ years ripping Hollywood films to shreds, the infamous movie review site that made vitriol an art form, Mr. Cranky, has decided to shut down... August 31 is our deadline to discontinue the site, but also the deadline to see if there’s any last-ditch means of selling or saving it... Until that time, there won't be anymore reviews, but the site and the "Goodbye Mr. Cranky" forum will be open for fans to search and recall the past." http://www.mrcranky.com/
The announcement was premature. The site has been redesigned, and new reviews are being posted. Posts on the site indicate that the original Mr. Cranky team is still involved, but new reviews are contributed by other writers as well. http://www.mrcranky.com/content/authors
All the old reviews and forums can still be accessed at http://randallgaz.com/archives/index.html.
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
film critic, was created in 1995 by Jason Katzman and Hans Bjordahl. The Cranky personae premises that all movies are terrible; at issue, solely, is the severity of pain, insult, discomfort or idiocy projected, injected, ingested, subjected or otherwise presented. There are no good films in the Cranky pantheon; only films which inflict greater or lesser suffering.
Subtextually, the Mr. Cranky website is a comment on an uncritical film-reviewing culture. In contrast to boilerplate, overly effusive reviews—often including declarations that incorporate a film's theme or title in a pun or play-on-words—the Cranky review is received on the originality of its portrayal of physical suffering and mental anguish effected by the viewing experience.
The movies are rated on a six-step scale, with the least worst (i.e. best) film receiving one "bomb." Films that cause greater suffering receive additional "bombs." (Up to four.) Movies deemed particularly offensive receive a Dynamite or "Boomstick" rating. The worst films (i.e. those Cranky has marked as irredeemable-- "Proof that Jesus died in vain" in classic Cranky vernacular) receive the Animated Atomic Explosion or "Kaboom!" rating.
In October 2001, a "guest reviewer" named Mr. Smiley appeared. A post-modern reflection of the Cranky character's anti-reviews, Mr. Smiley is a mirror opposite of the Mr. Cranky personae: all reviews are hyperbolically positive. Mr. Smiley is a stereotypical smiley face smelling a pink Freesia
Freesia
Freesia Ecklon ex Klatt is a genus of 14–16 species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to Africa. Of the 14 species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, one species extending north of the equator to Sudan.The genus was named in honor...
flower, appearing every year near Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. Consistent with the theme, the Smiley character has a rising five-step scale going from one smiley face to the "Prozacerrific!" Happy Pill. Consistent with other 20th century artists including the post World War I Dadaists (Absurdists) and post-modern anti-art of the 1960s—best embodied by Warhol's "pop art" works and Lichenstein's self-portraits—Mr. Smilely was an effective ironic tool used to comment on the deficiencies of uncritical analysis and review.
Origins
Mr. Cranky, who takes the form of a self-gagging purple frowny-face, appears on the websiteWebsite
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
Shadowculture's Mr. Cranky Rates the Movies. The character was created for a Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
-based website named XOR. Katzman, the primary writer, and Bjordahl, his editor, purchased the rights to the feature in 1998 and established Cranky's website, which includes an archive of reviews, editorials, and message boards. The website launched on October third, a date that Crankylanders (see below) sometimes refer to as "Cranktoberfest".
The Mr. Cranky reviews also appear on the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
website. They can be found in print in both the Tribunes free publication RedEye
RedEye
The RedEye is a daily publication put out by the Chicago Tribune geared toward 18 to 34-year-olds. RedEye was created due in part to the loss of readership among young people of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers...
and in the self-published trade paperback book Shadowculture's Mr. Cranky Presents: The 100 Crankiest Movie Reviews Ever (Author House, 2004; ISBN 1-4184-4812-5)
Jason Katzman is employed at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
and also contributes articles to MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. Hans Bjordahl worked on Where the Buffalo Roam
Where the Buffalo Roam
Where the Buffalo Roam is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts Hunter S. Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar Zeta Acosta. Art Linson directed the picture, while Bill Murray portrayed the author and Peter...
, the first internet comic strip, and is currently employed by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
.
Retirement and continuance
On July 3, 2008, the homepage stated, "Mr. Cranky Retires!!Infamous Site to Call it Quits August 31, 2008... After 12+ years ripping Hollywood films to shreds, the infamous movie review site that made vitriol an art form, Mr. Cranky, has decided to shut down... August 31 is our deadline to discontinue the site, but also the deadline to see if there’s any last-ditch means of selling or saving it... Until that time, there won't be anymore reviews, but the site and the "Goodbye Mr. Cranky" forum will be open for fans to search and recall the past." http://www.mrcranky.com/
The announcement was premature. The site has been redesigned, and new reviews are being posted. Posts on the site indicate that the original Mr. Cranky team is still involved, but new reviews are contributed by other writers as well. http://www.mrcranky.com/content/authors
All the old reviews and forums can still be accessed at http://randallgaz.com/archives/index.html.