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Alan Smithee
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorKathy
Registered: May 29, 2007
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I hereby vow to never buy a DVD with the name (or alias etc.) Alan Smithee thereby never having to worry about this subject again! 
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
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That sounds like a plan Kathy, i like it.      


Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
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Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantVibroCount
The Truth is Silly Putty
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting Kathy:
Quote:
I hereby vow to never buy a DVD with the name (or alias etc.) Alan Smithee thereby never having to worry about this subject again! 


With very few exceptions, Allen Smithee (later Alan Smithee, and a few Adam Smithee) credits are when a director dislikes what a producer or studio has done to a film, that the director asks the DGA (Directors Guild of America) to remove the director credit. "Death of a Gunfighter", directed by Robert Totten and Don Seigel, was the first to be credited to Allen Smithee. Al Smith was first suggested, but the DGA had a director with that name.

Other genres have adopted the name, but it was started by the DGA for directors only.

So, with no exceptions I can think of, any film directed by Allen Smithee (Alan Smithee, or Adam Smithee) is essentially unwatchable.
If it wasn't for bad taste, I wouldn't have no taste at all.

Cliff
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorErik
It's a strange world.
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting VibroCount:
Quote:
So, with no exceptions I can think of, any film directed by Allen Smithee (Alan Smithee, or Adam Smithee) is essentially unwatchable.

Not exactly an exception, but American History X was *this* close to being an Alan Smithee/Humpty Dumpty film...

Kaye couldn't keep quiet, though.  But if you take that away, it's in that group.

Long story with many POVs, basically he cut the film down to 85 minutes or so, got every chance to fix it up again, instead chose to drag things out and do all kinds of cooky bits of business.

So...

http://www.edward-norton.org/articles/usdec98.html
Erik

"Has it ever occurred to you, man, that given the nature of all this new stuff, that, uh, instead of running around blaming me, that this whole thing might just be, not, you know, not just such a simple, but uh - you know?" -- The Dude, The Big Lebowski

DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
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If I understand the arguments correctly, Rifter doesn't want "Credited as Alan Smithee" because Alan Smithee is a pseudonym and Rifter is of the opinion that "credited as" should be used only for variations of the actors / crewmembers normal name.

Skip doesn't want "credited as Alan Smithee" because the common name thing hasn't been nailed down, so essentially he doesn't want "credited as" used at all for now.

These are two entirely different objections. Personally I understand Skip's position, and I now vote neutral on anything using "credited as".

For the sake of this discussion, though, I have to say that I don't buy Rifter's arguments. It seems clear to me that if we are to use "credited as" (once the common name thing has been settled), psedonyms are definitely candidates för "credited as" entries.
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Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsurfeur51
Since July 3, 2003
Registered: March 29, 2007
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Quoting skipnet50:
Quote:
No, it would NOT be correct. alan Smithee on screen. Alan Smithee in our credits. A real name would be UNCREDITED and the Rules do not allow that.

Skip


Hopefully, everyone can do as he wants. Just lock your files and don't contribute. There has been a long time since I don't follow anymore stupid rules that are made by principle fundamentalists. Alan Smithee doesn't exist and therefore is not in my database.

I'm not against rules, I am against people that are unable to consider exceptions that were not considered when the rule was made.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantRifter
Reg. Jan 27, 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
If I understand the arguments correctly, Rifter doesn't want "Credited as Alan Smithee" because Alan Smithee is a pseudonym and Rifter is of the opinion that "credited as" should be used only for variations of the actors / crewmembers normal name.

Skip doesn't want "credited as Alan Smithee" because the common name thing hasn't been nailed down, so essentially he doesn't want "credited as" used at all for now.

These are two entirely different objections. Personally I understand Skip's position, and I now vote neutral on anything using "credited as".

For the sake of this discussion, though, I have to say that I don't buy Rifter's arguments. It seems clear to me that if we are to use "credited as" (once the common name thing has been settled), psedonyms are definitely candidates för "credited as" entries.



I also come down with Skip because Ken isn't finished yet with that feature.  As for the pseudonym, aside from the fact that it's a false name, it is added after the fact when the movie is done.  I accept it on the basis of that is what you see on the screen during the credit run, but only for that reason.  Substituting another name - regardless of whether or not it might be the real name - goes totally against the idea of recording the names as they appear in the credits.
John

"Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice!" Senator Barry Goldwater, 1964
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DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorNewEnglander
Registered: 11/13/2003
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
Skip doesn't want "credited as Alan Smithee" because the common name thing hasn't been nailed down, so essentially he doesn't want "credited as" used at all for now.


Actually, Skip does not oppose the Alan Smithee use, he oposses the other uses of common njame.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
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To attempt to clarify my thinking on the broader topic a bit further. As credited is the starting point for EVEYTHING, without it Credited As doesn't work. And correct on the narrow topic of Alan Smithee, Erik. It is probably the ONLY part of the Common name problem that is easy to cope with, unless we are going to have users start ping-ponging over Lon Chaney (Credited As Alan Smithee), Lon Chaney, Jr., etc. that's the only weakness in that part of it. BTW for those who wnat to argue Lon chaney never used Alan Smithee, that is a hypothetical example.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorpdf256
PC, iOS and Android
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
If I understand the arguments correctly, Rifter doesn't want "Credited as Alan Smithee" because Alan Smithee is a pseudonym and Rifter is of the opinion that "credited as" should be used only for variations of the actors / crewmembers normal name.

Skip doesn't want "credited as Alan Smithee" because the common name thing hasn't been nailed down, so essentially he doesn't want "credited as" used at all for now.

These are two entirely different objections. Personally I understand Skip's position, and I now vote neutral on anything using "credited as".

For the sake of this discussion, though, I have to say that I don't buy Rifter's arguments. It seems clear to me that if we are to use "credited as" (once the common name thing has been settled), psedonyms are definitely candidates för "credited as" entries.



I also come down with Skip because Ken isn't finished yet with that feature.  As for the pseudonym, aside from the fact that it's a false name, it is added after the fact when the movie is done.  I accept it on the basis of that is what you see on the screen during the credit run, but only for that reason.  Substituting another name - regardless of whether or not it might be the real name - goes totally against the idea of recording the names as they appear in the credits.

John, I ask once again, what do you want the data for? You seem to want an exact copy of the credits without any cross-linking. What good does it do you? If you could tell us why you need this 'pure' data it might help us understand your stand on this issue.

The joy of Ken adding "credited as" is that we can have both "pure" data and cross-linking. I can't understand why someone would think that it is a bad thing.

pdf
Paul Francis
San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
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John's argument Paul is not so much about the Credited As as simply that we have function that at the moment we cannot apply, MOST of the time. I don't know what you are seeing, in Coomon Names, but I am seeing very little being done with A-List people, I see a lot being done with little known and "unknown" names. We have NO standard and no criteria to apply so that we are ALL on the same page, WHO determines the Common name, and on what basis, Paul. Especially for second and third tier people for whom documentation becomes increasingly difficult. I think once we have a set of standards and criteria you will find John right there with you.

Are you going to pretend that you have some mystical ability to determine what someone's common name is...I don't. I own a whopping 1% of the titles in the database and another .5% in my wishlist, hardly statistically significant for me to able to claim that I can determine what someone's Common Name, and yet we have users claiming they have this ability and they own .01% of the titles.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantDan W
Registered: May 9, 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
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I haven't read the entire thread but if I get the jest of it..... some are disagreeing with using the actual credits when a pseudonym is given? Maybe I'm not understanding it correctly but what difference does the name make as long as it is entered correctly?

I don't like the "credited as" thing either but after all the work is done for each credit for each actor and each actress, individually, for each film, it should work; at least on the entries that were "correctly" contributed and accepted (again, individually).
Dan
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
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Once we get standards and criteria, i agree. but as long as we are all working from our own page, instead of the SAME page, it won't work.

So I continue to wait for ken.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantRifter
Reg. Jan 27, 2002
Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting pdf256:
Quote:
Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
If I understand the arguments correctly, Rifter doesn't want "Credited as Alan Smithee" because Alan Smithee is a pseudonym and Rifter is of the opinion that "credited as" should be used only for variations of the actors / crewmembers normal name.

Skip doesn't want "credited as Alan Smithee" because the common name thing hasn't been nailed down, so essentially he doesn't want "credited as" used at all for now.

These are two entirely different objections. Personally I understand Skip's position, and I now vote neutral on anything using "credited as".

For the sake of this discussion, though, I have to say that I don't buy Rifter's arguments. It seems clear to me that if we are to use "credited as" (once the common name thing has been settled), psedonyms are definitely candidates för "credited as" entries.



I also come down with Skip because Ken isn't finished yet with that feature.  As for the pseudonym, aside from the fact that it's a false name, it is added after the fact when the movie is done.  I accept it on the basis of that is what you see on the screen during the credit run, but only for that reason.  Substituting another name - regardless of whether or not it might be the real name - goes totally against the idea of recording the names as they appear in the credits.


John, I ask once again, what do you want the data for? You seem to want an exact copy of the credits without any cross-linking. What good does it do you? If you could tell us why you need this 'pure' data it might help us understand your stand on this issue.

The joy of Ken adding "credited as" is that we can have both "pure" data and cross-linking. I can't understand why someone would think that it is a bad thing.

pdf



For starters, you're right, I want an exact copy of what's in the credits, no more, no less.  As for cross-linking, the way it works now - pre-common-name that is -  is plenty for me.  I don't care much about C-list actors, and only the top end of the B-list.  A-list, I can remember in my head which movies in my collection have what stars in them, and the current setup is plenty good to jog my memory if need be.

As I've said countless times, I don't give a damn what the rest of you do.  If you want all this fancy dan crosslink stuff, OK by me, but don't force ME to deal with it.  And don't implement something (anything) that forces me to make a decision as to whether or not to make a contribution.  Because, if I have to compromise my local setup to make a legal contribution, then I'm being deprived of my rights as a user.  Now, Ken said he would set it up so we could opt out of accepting this stuff and that contributions wouldn't be compromised either. 

As Skip said, when KEN finishes the changes and all is working as he promised, THEN I will go along with no problems.
John

"Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice!" Senator Barry Goldwater, 1964
Make America Great Again!
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile RegistrantStar ContributorTheMadMartian
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Registered: March 13, 2007
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Quoting Rifter:
Quote:
For starters, you're right, I want an exact copy of what's in the credits, no more, no less.  As for cross-linking, the way it works now - pre-common-name that is -  is plenty for me.  I don't care much about C-list actors, and only the top end of the B-list.  A-list, I can remember in my head which movies in my collection have what stars in them, and the current setup is plenty good to jog my memory if need be.

As I've said countless times, I don't give a damn what the rest of you do.  If you want all this fancy dan crosslink stuff, OK by me, but don't force ME to deal with it.  And don't implement something (anything) that forces me to make a decision as to whether or not to make a contribution.  Because, if I have to compromise my local setup to make a legal contribution, then I'm being deprived of my rights as a user.  Now, Ken said he would set it up so we could opt out of accepting this stuff and that contributions wouldn't be compromised either. 

As Skip said, when KEN finishes the changes and all is working as he promised, THEN I will go along with no problems.


I don't recall Ken saying anything of the kind.  He said this concerning uncredited, but not about the cross linking.  Credited as is something most people wanted.  It was the single biggest complaint about the use of 'as credited' in 2.x.  Ken has now solved that problem and your reason for us not using it is because you don't want to deal with it?  Sorry, but there are a lot of things in the program that I don't like and don't care to use.  I use them because I know that other people want them.

I understand the 'we don't have a standard yet' reasoning.  I do not, however, understand the 'I don't want to use it so you can't use it' reasoning.  If I misunderstand, I apologize, but that is how you are coming off.
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Against this power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand.
The Centauri learned this lesson once.
We will teach it to them again.
Though it take a thousand years, we will be free.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorWinston Smith
Don't be discommodious
Registered: March 13, 2007
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I am simply stating, Unicus, that I think anyone who tries to make broad useage  of Common Name at this time, is out of their cotton-pickin' mind. Just my opinion, But whatever page I may be on relative to Common Name may not be the same page you or someone else is on...end result...conflict. WE need a standard and as I said three months ago, I don't care if it is user generated standards, though I don't think we could do it, or something ken has to create at his end, as long as their is a standard. And my doubts about US being able to come with a standard have been absolutely validated.

So I wait for Ken. I have waited THREE years and waiting some more is no skin off my nose, when we have it I will be right there, not one second before.

Skip
ASSUME NOTHING!!!!!!
CBE, MBE, MoA and proud of it.
Outta here

Billy Video
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