Film Screening in Portland

[Jason]

I hope Steve doesn't mind me posting this but I know there are some Portland folks on this forum and Steve visits there from time to time. A film I worked on for a number of years (House of Numbers) will be screened at Regal Fox Tower Stadium 10 on January 22 and will run, I think, for one week. This screening is very important to me and the producers because Regal is using Portland as a test city to determine whether or not the film will get a wide or a limited release in theaters. You can view the trailer here: http://www.apple.com/trailers/

The LA times gave us a favorable review. The NY Times... not so much.

[steve]

I watched the trailer. Looks fascinating!

[kaufmannphillips]

This film?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Numbers

(I'm at work - not the best place to view the trailer.)

[Jason]

Emmet, that's it. But it should be noted that the wiki article was written by someone who knows nothing about the project, other than what they read in the Times and the Wall Street Journal. I was Brent's biggest critic when he brought the idea to me. It was watching the raw, unedited interviews with the mainstream scientists early on in production that threw me for a loop. I couldn't believe what these guys (who are now protesting the movie) said on film. The backlash has much to do with a British scientist named John Moore and a few others who didn't come off looking so great. They said Brent took them out of context but he has offered to show the unedited footage to them and debate them in public. They have, thus far, declined his offer citing that he isn't worthy to be debated. The film has won best picture at a number of film festivals so the general public seems OK with the content.

[Murf]

Wow

[darinhouston]

I'm not sure I understand the alternate message from the trailer -- it seems intriguing, but I'm not sure what the movie is about after watching it (maybe that was by design). Is there a synopsis of the basic argument being made by the movie somewhere ? If it's not HIV/AIDS killing (let's just say) Africans by the millions, then what is it ?

[Jason]

Darin, the website is http://houseofnumbers.com/ and there's more info on there. The film is a documentary about the history of HIV/AIDS on a global scale and questions some of the scientific dogma that has been held up for dubious reasons. As to your question about people dying in Africa, that is a major part of the film and one of the most gut wrenching revelations. The French guy at the end of the trailer won the Nobel prize for discovering HIV and he claims it's a virus that will clear itself from the body if you have a good immune system. In the film Brent follows up by asking him why they don't give poor Africans clean water instead of toxic drugs and the man responds, "There's no money in it."

Will anyone here be attending the Portland screening? Brent will be there doing a live Q and A after the show.

[Jason]

Just a heads up... the Wikipedia article is being changed as we speak. The bias of the original piece was called into question so others, more knowledgeable about the project, are assisting in the development of content. I use Wiki on occasion but am starting to see it as an unreliable research tool, especially for controversial topics.

*EDIT*
Wow... every time an update is made, Wiki just changes it back to the original article. Someone just posted that the film had won 11 best picture awards and gave a bio of the director and it was erased within minutes of going live. Has anyone else experienced this kind of treatment from Wikipedia?

[darinhouston]

Yes, they refused to keep an entry for Steve's bio. Of course, the bias is pretty obvious most of the times, and there is a record of changes, so I do find it a reliable starting place most of the time.

[Jill]

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