Apr
9
10

The good, the bad and the ugly

I’ve been getting lots of emails and press clips. And people have a lot of opinions. Some pretty negative. Which is especially surprising since no one has seen the film. I mean, not even my mother. I’ve developed fairly thick skin but it’s always nice to hear something positive. Especially when it’s unsolicited. So it was great to get the following email today from someone named Brandon:

Now why would I want to pay $15 to go sit in a movie theater to watch a film about people brewing and drinking beer??? Why? Because I LOVE BEER!!!! Site looks excellent, can’t wait to see this next Thursday!!

Tags:

10 Responses to “The good, the bad and the ugly”

  1. Charlie says:

    Far Out! That’s just as slick as snail snot! Who’d have thought there would ever be a movie about craft beer?

    Why the heck would people go so negative about a beer movie? I can understand indifference, but why negative? OK, maybe Moms Against Damn Near Everything and the I Hate Everything American crowd but, ya know, tough titty :D .

    The Malt Munching Mash Monsters (all five of us) will be there with bells on.

    Charlie

  2. Greg Koch says:

    Here’s what I wrote on a BeerAdvocate.com thread on the subject in which folks’ comments varied from “I’m going to spend my money at my local brewpub instead” to “$16! No movie should cost that much”:
    ——-
    The one-night event is not simply a movie theater showing of a movie during a run. It is quite a production. Choosing to spend money at a local brewery ‘instead’ is always a valid thing to do, although I’m glad I’ve never had to weigh “Hmmm…beer…or movie…beer…or movie” as I looked from left hand to right while making a scale weighing motion.

    Ben Stein is simply a moderator for the Panel afterwards. It is the Panelists who (hopefully) will have something interesting to say (c’mon Todd…you’re under pressure now!) ;-]-=

    I am VERY much hoping that all the theaters are PACKED. I think that there is very little chance that the filmmaker will turn a profit, as it’s tremendously hard to do that in independent film. The reason I hope that the theaters are packed is that it will make people take real notice of the groundswell of craft beer. It is important to keep this movement moving forward. You guys on BA do a tremendous amount towards this and it is incredibly important. Craft Brewers, beer enthusiast publications, bars and restaurants and stores that sell craft beer, homebrewers and their organizations, etc., all do a tremendous amount to move brewing forward.

    This film is yet one more voice…one more tool…in that regard. In the last 25-30 years there has not been one year in which there was less variety, less quality, or less availability than the year before. I hope that I never see a “less” year for craft beer in my lifetime. Groundswell efforts such as what I hope this movie will be helps.

    Thanks for listening. Hope as many as possible can make it. Todd and Sam and Charlie and everyone and I will do our best to be as entertaining as possible in the Panel following the film (which is the ’special feature’ of the one-time simulcast) and make that extra few bucks worth it.

    Cheers!

    Greg Koch, CEO & co-founder
    Stone Brewing Co.
    ——-

  3. Hans says:

    I really wanted to see this movie, but no dice. You should have had a showing in Alaska. I am sure you could’ve sold out the show. We even have a theater that brews and sells its own beer at the shows. I guess I’ll have to wait for it to come out in VHS in the bargain bin in Wal-Mart :)

  4. Hahn says:

    @Hans, That is awesome. I feel fortunate to have a movie theater that serves beer, but if they brewed their own beer… that would be poetry.

    The Front Door in Boise Idaho is hosting a showing of this documentary and I am counting the days!

  5. Geez people, this is an unique adventure to have a movie and interactive afterwards, you can always go to a pub afterwards or anytime for that matter, you can’t do this anytime.

    Come to my house for some homebrew but go see the movie.

    In OKC.

  6. Madpix says:

    Bottom line is this…the film exposes truths that you WILL NOT SEE in the mainstream media, period. This is independent filmmaking at its core…about people who are independent to their cores…taking on a system that has in many ways gotten us into the many crisis we’re in today. Want to change America for the better? Why not start here?

    THAT’S worth the ticket price, and then some! I know of what I speak…I cut the film with Anat. You won’t see films like this anywhere else.

    GO!

  7. Vladamir says:

    I love craft beer too. Movie looks awesome and cant wait to see it.

  8. sonny peters says:

    don’t sweat the critics. no matter how beautiful your masterpiece may be, there will always be haters. i am looking forward to seeing your film.

  9. Dan Brothers says:

    Cant wait to see your movie. After spending25 years plus in the AD Agency business servicing AB,I hope you tell the story as to how In-Bev has destroyed many vendors as well as employees lives.
    Big cultural change…..

  10. brian stratmann says:

    This has all been word of mouth in my small town. A movie about beer. Beer i pay a little extra for because it tastes good. And these breweries are involved in this movie. I had my roommate use his credit card to buy tickets online because i was afraid it was going to be sold out. I am lucky I work at two pubs or I think I would be hearing about it the next day….

Leave a Reply

Oenophiles have SIDEWAYS and BOTTLE SHOCK; now their beer-loving counterparts can claim a film as their own.
- Rotten Tomatoes
A David and Goliath story pitting the country's smallest brewers against the largest.
- CNN
Beer Wars: Brewed in America, is an eye-opening, funny and righteosly infuriating documentary by first-time filmaker Anat Baron. Her film (think of it as Suds: A Love Story) is also a pretty damning idictment of not just the beer industry but contemporary unfettered unregulated capitalism's disturbing excesses.
- Box Office Magazine
In Beer Wars, entrepreneurialism and opportunity go awry when tainted by greed and a thirst for power.
- Los Angeles Times
Beer Wars certainly raises some interesting questions, the most potent of which is, is this what capitalism is meant to be?
- New Times
For those who are keeping the American dream alive, this spirited documentary raises a toast.
- St Louis Post-Dispatch
A trenchant analysis unapologetic in its rebuke of Big Beer, Beer Wars is heartily recommended for patrons already inclined to opt for the local brew at every tap. It will also appeal to patrons interested in craft foods as well as homebrewed beer and wine and others particular about quality.
- Library Journal