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Read the original reviews of this fantastic documentary! Moriarty's Review and My Review as well!!!

Attention all you film fans, once again the head of injustice has sprung up it’s ugly head to viper attack… the little film.

Over the period of history of this site, we have fought for screenplays, films, actors, actresses, directors… etc etc etc… This time Moriarty and I are fighting for a Documentary. BEYOND THE MAT

You may remember my coverage of that film… way way waaaay back, but it is just now coming out to a theater near you. (On MARCH 3rd in Memphis and Charlotte…. Then on MARCH 17th it will roll out to the rest of the country.)

Now, Moriarty and I had thought our work with this film was done. We had alerted the readers of the site as to the film’s existence and quality, and it had found it’s way out of the “we ain’t gonna release this film” vault at Universal.. and had found a home at LION’S GATE FILMS. Not only that, but the film was on target to a national release.

Today, Moriarty and I were following Lorenzo all over town, trying to see if we had a chance to grab the latest draft of SUPERMAN by Bill Wisher Jr, and decided to take a break to eat an entire cow at Homer’s favorite Bar-b-Que joint near CREATURE FEATURES… when suddenly my Harry Knowles Film Emergency Watch goes off, and I have a phone call from what sounds like a frantic filmmaker named Barry Blaustein. Because the paint chips hanging from the ceiling… my HKFEW was getting a busted signal, so Moriarty and I returned asap to the labs to find out the rest of the story. From what I could understand on the phone, it seemed that the ad campaign for BEYOND THE MAT had suddenly become ‘semi-blacklisted’ by some very ‘William Randolf Hearst/Citizen Kane’ strong arm techniques which were effectively set to destroy the release of BEYOND THE MAT… and ensure it’s imminent failure.

Moriarty is about to launch into the meat of the story. That we got from the second interview with Barry Blaustein back in the Labs… But folks, here’s what we have to do. If the following story upsets you, vote in the only way you can. Go see BEYOND THE MAT… Don’t wait for the crowds to die down, with what is apparently happening with the ad pulls… this movie looks to simply disappear from screens. This is where we Film Advocates come into critical light. When you read what follows, I think you will agree that there are serious issues at stake here. This isn’t just about a ‘documentary’, this is about the power these gigantic corporations and multi-national deals and how they can be used to destroy… the little guy. And how we little guys can try to make a difference, one ticket at a time.

Hey, everyone. “Moriarty” here. As Harry said, Barry Blaustein called The Labs today in a panic, and he had perfectly good reason. As he told me about the developments with BEYOND THE MAT, I couldn’t believe my ears. It’s one thing when Disney counterprograms one of their animated films against any other animated feature that comes out, but it’s another thing entirely to muscle a film right out of existence. I believe the term is “restriction of trade,” and it’s a serious issue. Vince McMahon and the WWF certainly seem to have some serious charges to answer for now.

Let’s go back to when the film was in production. Since many of the people that Barry interviewed for the film were members of the WWF, including McMahon himself, there was a sense of cooperation between the filmmaker and the organization. As Barry got into the film, Vince approached him about buying the picture so the WWF could release it themselves. He liked Barry’s enthusiasm for the subject and the fact that Barry wasn’t trying to do some expose about whether wrestling is “real” or not. Instead, the film is a celebration of what draws men to pursue wrestling as a career or to be fans of this giant theatrical display. It’s a very skilled love letter, and it’s no wonder McMahon wanted it. Blaustein manages to make the wrestlers into real people, humans who you have to have empathy for. That even extends to McMahon himself. He’s really likeable and funny in the film. One of the things that really won me over to liking him was the sequence where he actually wrestles. You have to respect a guy who puts himself through the same amount of abuse as his wrestlers. He’s such a lunatic in the film that I was able to overcome my other impressions of him as a shady, Don King-like snake oil salesman, formed every other time I’d seen him speak.

Turns out I may have been too hasty. First impressions can, in fact, be correct. McMahon didn’t handle Blaustein and Imagine’s rebuff very well. When Lion’s Gate, the film’s new distributor, started placing ads with their fairly tight ad budget, they were very canny about what they bought. They focused on USA Networks and their WWF broadcasts as well as UPN’s successful new SMACKDOWN show. They also planned some other UPN and USA spots, aiming for the same demo the networks were targeting with their own wrestling spots. It’s not only the natural choice, it’s the only real way to see this film succeed in the theater. Documentaries, no matter how well reviewed, always seem to have an uphill battle towards commercial success. This film has a unique appeal, being about something as popular and as mainstream as wrestling. Look at the recent casting of The Rock in THE MUMMY 2. There’s a reason Universal was willing to take the risk with an unproven actor. It’s the same reason Fox okayed the use of Tyler Mane as Sabertooth in this summer’s X-MEN. They’re counting on a certain audience following their favorite wrestler from the small screen to the big screen. I know when I saw the film during its short Academy run last fall, the crowd I saw it with was a strange mix of the average documentary crowd from LA and the typical wrestling crowd. It made the experience a lot of fun as a result.

Based on what Blaustein’s been told, though, Vince McMahon doesn’t want you to have that experience. In fact, he doesn’t want you to have any experience with the film. He specifically instructed his wrestlers not to mention the film or promote the film in any way. When Barry confronted McMahon this week about the film, he asked why Vince has a problem with its release. He said, “This film can help you guys. It gives a human face to your wrestlers.” McMahon’s reported reply was “That’s not what I’m selling this year.” When Mick Foley, also known as Mankind, appeared on the TODAY show with Barry Blaustein, Vince allegedly made severe threats about Mankind’s continued appearance as a WWF wrestler. Foley, who just retired this past week, was in the middle of his last batch of appearances, and even Barry advised him to do what McMahon suggested. Mick finished his last match this weekend, and it was this past Monday when the WWF stepped up efforts from simple pressure to full-on attack. Lion’s Gate was informed by USA and UPN that all the ads had been pulled. Not just the ads that were set to run during the wrestling programming, but the ads during other shows as well.

Think about that. Because one person is a spoiled child who wants to play the game his way or take his toys and go home, the efforts of two companies (Imagine and Lion’s Gate), a director, and a number of people who opened their lives to a film crew are all going to be suppressed. There’s no way for Lion’s Gate to effectively open their film this Friday now, and that’s no accident. McMahon seems to have timed his strike strategically. There’s nothing Lion’s Gate can do about that, but there’s something you can do. First, see the movie. You’ll have a great time. Secondly, once you’ve done that, write to USA Networks at wwf@usanetwork.com and let them know exactly what you think of the situation. Ask them why they let Vince McMahon dictate advertising policy. I’d give you addresses to contact UPN or Chris-Craft Television, but they aren’t available online. If you’re in Charlotte or Memphis this weekend, here’s your chance to see something first. If you do, send us your reviews of the film so we can run them here. It’s a spy mission for those of you who aren’t normally in prime spy territory.

If something like this is allowed, and if we don’t comment on it and do our best to correct the situation, then what are we going to do when media giants like Time/Warner/AOL/Castle Rock/Turner/Etc. start using their integrated distribution systems to crush the competition? It’s possible that small films simply won’t be able to compete because of how this sort of “synergy” works. This is the dark side of that concept, the danger that we’ve been warned of. It is truly restriction of trade, a strangling of the very ability to advertise a product. I would understand if it was just during a McMahon produced show that the freeze took place, but that’s not the case here. One man’s ire has shut the film out completely from both networks, the two networks where this film absolutely has to be sold.

Even if you think to yourself, “oh, it’s just a stupid wrestling movie,” support Lion’s Gate here. Next time, it could be a gay-themed film or the work of a young Latino or African-American filmmaker that gets frozen out because someone disagrees. It’s a slippery slope, one we can’t afford to step onto. Do your part, people. Here’s where we all get to step up.

“Moriarty” out.