from the natural-stupidity dept

I’ll admit, when I’ve been able to witness some of the fuckery around the use of artificial intelligence in stupid ways, some part of me has always gotten some amusement at those being fooled. I’ve gotten to witness most of this from afar, after all. It feels a bit different when you write about a situation where you were among those fooled by the bullshit.

At some point in the last week or so, I personally recall seeing the following trailer for Megalopolis, the forthcoming film from Francis Ford Coppola.

Now, the reason I recall seeing that trailer is due to those opening quotes from movie reviews of previous Coppola films. See, I’m a fan of many of his movies, as are millions of others. I recall laughing at those quotes, wondering just how in the hell reviewers could have gotten it so completely wrong when it comes to films like The Godfather and Apocolypse Now. I even thought briefly about googling those critics’ names and seeing if I could find the full reviews, just to laugh at how hilariously wrong they were.

Well, someone else did exactly that. And they found that those are AI-generated quotes from fake reviews that those reviewers never wrote.

Lionsgate has parted ways with Eddie Egan, the marketing consultant who came up with the “Megalopolis” trailer that included fake quotes from famous film critics. The studio pulled the trailer on Wednesday, after it was pointed out that the quotes trashing Francis Ford Coppola’s previous work did not actually appear in the critics’ reviews, and were in fact made up.

Sources tell Variety it was not Lionsgate or Egan’s intention to fabricate quotes, but was an error in properly vetting and fact-checking the phrases provided by the consultant. The intention of the trailer was to demonstrate that Coppola’s revered work, much like “Megalopolis,” has been met with criticism. It appears that AI was used to generate the false quotes from the critics.

That’s being far too kind. Some of these critics supposedly trashing Coppola’s work absolutely loved the films they were supposed to have denigrated. Variety was able to generate similar quotes with some trial and error prompting using ChatGPT, which is likely where this all came from. Misattributing the words and reviews of a film critic merely to drum up fake outrage as an interest multiplier for Coppola’s new film is both a complete violation of the actual work those critics did and an abdication of trust the public will have in the studio.

Now, to be fair, it appears Lionsgate had no idea that the quotes in the trailer were fakes, and worked fairly quickly to pull the trailer once it found out.

“Lionsgate is immediately recalling our trailer for ‘Megalopolis,’” the company said Wednesday. “We offer our sincere apologies to the critics involved and to Francis Ford Coppola and American Zoetrope for this inexcusable error in our vetting process. We screwed up. We are sorry.”

Still, at a time when both the public and every SAG member out there is concerned about how AI is going to start filtering into creative work in negative ways, this is a fairly terrible look for the industry.

Or, if Lionsgate would like ChatGPT’s take on this:

Lionsgate’s use of fake quotes generated by AI for the trailer of “Megalopolis” was a significant misstep and attracted considerable criticism. Using AI-generated quotes can undermine the authenticity and credibility of marketing materials, especially when presented as genuine endorsements from critics.

For many, the inclusion of these artificial quotes not only misleads potential viewers but also raises ethical concerns about transparency and trust in advertising. When audiences or critics discover such manipulations, it can damage the studio’s reputation and affect the film’s reception.

In the case of “Megalopolis,” this controversy highlighted the broader issue of how AI can be misused in promotional contexts. It underscores the importance of maintaining integrity in marketing practices and being transparent about the sources and nature of endorsements.

And on that, you can quote me.

Filed Under: ai, francis ford coppola, marketing, megalopolis, trailer

Companies: lionsgate

In any case, I would certainly love to have the confidence of the series’ producer, Ng Kin-hung, who started shooting this third film – reuniting with The Brotherhood of Rebel’s director, screenwriters and lead actors and even recycling its narrative framework – before the latter was released in cinemas.

As in that film, The Unwavering Brotherhood tells the story of three mid-level gangsters – Wah (Bosco Wong Chung-chak), Fei (Louis Cheung Kai-chung) and Kwok (Carlos Chan Ka-lok) – who make some very bad decisions for themselves and inadvertently bring about the downfall of their beloved triad faction leader.

Returning director Terry Ng Ka-wai’s engaging, if familiar movie again boils down to a test of loyalty for the trio, this time after they are ambushed on a money transfer assignment; the conflicts here stem primarily from Fei’s need to pay for surgery for his severely ill sister (Angel Lam Chin-ting) and Kwok’s gambling in the stock market.

Next to the leading trio of blood brothers it is, surprisingly, their boss, the honourable Fa Kam, and his fiercest rival for leadership inside the syndicate, Kwan (played respectively by Mark Cheng Ho-nam and Michael Tao Dai-yu in eye-catching supporting roles), who prove the most watchable.

Cheng, who was in both Young and Dangerous 5 (1998) and Election 2 (2006), is hugely charismatic as the endlessly amiable father figure to the protagonists. Meanwhile Tao, who is not at all known for nuanced acting in spite of his range of TV drama leading roles, is suitably despicable as the villain.

The Unwavering Brotherhood offers the kind of comfort watch that long-time aficionados of Hong Kong gangster movies should readily seek out. Instead of wasting time reinventing the wheel, the film simply adopts the same old genre formula and briskly shuffles its tragic heroes to their predictably bitter end.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a sports drama based on the inspiring true story of a Little League team from Dallas, Texas who defy the odds. The movie tells the team’s journey through the eyes of Robert, the first baseman, whose father, Bobby, has terminal cancer. The boys rally around their teammate and dedicate their season to Bobby. Coach Jon begins to take coaching the boys seriously, and the team’s underdog story begins. Eventually, the team has a chance to prove themselves at the Little League World Series.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a fantastic addition to the sports drama genre. It has a heartfelt story of perseverance, team camaraderie, and never giving up. The movie is based on the true story of Robert, his father’s battle with cancer, and their amazing Little League run in 2002. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE tells an inspiring, well-structured story with some phenomenal acting. The movie isn’t explicitly faith-based, but it has a brief moment of prayer. However, YOU GOTTA BELIEVE also has several relatively light obscenities and one light humorous innuendo. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger audiences, especially pre-teen children.

(BB, CC, L, V, S, A, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong moral worldview, with a strong father and son relationship, stresses the importance of never giving up, sticking together as a family and as a team, and perseverance through hardships, plus a man prays to God in one scene;

Foul Language:

Six or seven obscenities (including one BS word, a crude reference to male anatomy, and four or five “d” words), plus there’s a use of “mother-sucker” and a man ill with cancer throws up throughout the movie;

Violence:

A player gets injured, and his ankle is swollen, a man in the movie has cancer, and players get into a brawl, but no blood or gore is shown;

Sex:

No sex scenes, but there’s a quick light joke/innuendo about sex or lovemaking that’s easily missed (someone jokes that a woman should put her husband on a “schedule”);

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

Man drinks a beer, and someone asks for a drink as a joke;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:

A younger brother has a rabbit’s foot that he hopes will allow his brother to run fast, but it doesn’t work, and he throws it away, plus the boys on the Little League team are fond of calling each other and opponents names (none of the names are very graphic or obscene, but this continues throughout the movie).

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a sports drama about the true story of a Little League baseball team in Dallas, Texas that banded together and dedicated their inspiring, underdog season in 2002 to their coach, Bobby, who has terminal cancer and is the father of the first baseman, Robert. YOU OTTA BELIEVE is an incredibly well-told story, with loads of heart and inspiring moments, about an underdog team that defies all odds, and the movie promotes family, perseverance, looking out for other people, and prayer, but there is some foul language and name-calling.

Bobby and Jon coach a little league team in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas. Their regular season comes to an end after a tough loss in their final game of the season. Bobby tries to encourage Jon to take the team more seriously next year.

Jon and the team are offered to represent their district as an All-Star team. However, Jon is reluctant to say yes after their difficult season.

Meanwhile, Bobby passes out one day while throwing to his son, Robert, at home. He learns he has terminal cancer. While Bobby begins treatment, Jon agrees to take on coaching the Little League team to represent their district.

Competition is high, but Jon and other people begin to seriously coach the team. As the underdogs, they dedicate their season to Bobby, and their inspiring run to the 2002 Little League World Championship begins.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE is a great sports drama about an underdog team that defies all odds. It also has a heartfelt story about a father’s love for his son and perseverance in the face of terminal cancer. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE stresses the importance of family, never giving up and sticking together as a family and as a team.

There is a scene where Bobby asks God to not take him away from his family, but the movie doesn’t have an explicitly Christian worldview. “You Gotta Believe” becomes their mantra in the movie, but that belief is directed inward toward themselves, or outwards toward their teammates, not toward God or faith. YOU GOTTA BELIEVE also has a brief scene where Robert’s younger brother has a rabbit’s foot charm that he hopes will allow his brother to run fast. It doesn’t work, however, and he throws it away.

YOU GOTTA BELIEVE has some truly inspiring and heartfelt moments. However, due to brief foul language, and adult themes of cancer and death, Movieguide® advises caution for children and young teenagers.