You think you have an encyclopedic knowledge of mid-century Italian cinema. But how well do you REALLY know Fellini?
We do not plan to read A.O. Scott’s book about why the world needs critics as we will just take his word for it. But anyone who can’t stand film snobs should enjoy this campaign from Arnold Worldwide for internet provider CenturyLink. In the series of four spots, classic “I’ll Take Anything, Seriously!” actor Paul Giamatti performs for a family of self-made critics, who proceed to do the thing that such people do.
This is Giamatti’s first ad campaign, and the collaboration makes sense because he gets to act like he’s discussing the nuances of acting.
The anthem ad “Movie Titles” links the client’s new Prism On the Go service to an exhaustive reserve of information about movies that no one really watches.
What is “interactive TV,” though? From what we can tell, it’s a standard box with a wi-fi connection.
In “Hair & Makeup” (which first aired in January), the Johnson family again critiques Giamatti’s performance as a pitchman describing the features of the product in question.
“Hands” concerns the expressiveness of Giamatti’s extremities or the lack thereof.
As Paul Charney of Funworks told us last month, “Yes, and…” really is the founding principal of all improv.
Regarding the campaign, which concludes on Oscar night this Sunday with the still-unlisted spot atop this post, Arnold global CCO Jim Elliott told Fast Company’s Co.Create: “Thanks to all the amazing forms of technology at our disposal … We’re becoming armchair film critics. We’re becoming Hollywood Insiders. And we can’t get enough of it.”
Director Will Speck of Furlined directorial duo Speck and Gordon (Blades of Glory, etc.) said, “It was an opportunity to be able to cast an ensemble of actors that would be good sparring partners for Paul Giamatti and be able to be believable as these slightly annoying but still likeable characters.”
Paul Giamatti is a pretty good actor (loved him in Private Parts), but we recently tried to watch the Billions premiere and lasted about ten minutes before we threw our remote at the TV. Showtime really needs to embrace its status as a shittier version of HBO with shows that you’ll only watch on a long weekend.