He’s almost universally loathed. He caters almost exclusively to the basest human desires – pleasing only the lowest common denominator on his best days. He’s been likened as a modern day Ed Wood, the director of famously awful B-movies like 1958’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space.”
He’s hack film director Uwe Boll and he, without any trace of irony, rules.
If you’re not immediately familiar with the name, it’s because most of the movies he’s made have been in and out of the theater in one week or so. “House of the Dead,” “Alone in the Dark,” “BloodRayne,” not to mention the upcoming “Postal.” All of them are video game adaptations and they’re all relatively low budget and widely despised.
None of these projects made any notable amount of money. Each time they only made enough of a profit to pay off the German investors that funded the films.
In other words, Boll is the Antichrist of geek culture. So, aside from making nerds angry, what’s to like?
The Onion A.V. Club recently published an interview with Boll. In it, he is very candid and sincere about his passion for film-making.
Boll explained why his career has focused primarily on adapting video games into film. He said, “[I]n the beginning, it was money ” It’s easier to raise money than if you come in with an original idea. But I also found more games I really like. I liked the game “Alone In The Dark” a lot. It’s really creepy. “BloodRayne”, I didn’t like the game, but I liked the character. This super character with two swords, and she needs sex and blood to survive.”
That sort of passion, honesty and sincerity I find very appealing in any sort of endeavor.
Let me be completely upfront. I have not seen – and I frankly have no intention of seeing – any of Boll’s work. I doubt seeing them would change my opinion of him; I’m sure the movies are as awful as everyone claims, but that’s not the point.
This is the point: Boll is a man who wants to make movies. And damn it, the man makes movies! He doesn’t need to work within the Hollywood system, he doesn’t need awards, he doesn’t need big box office returns, he just needs the ability to do what he loves: Make movies.
His story is too ridiculous not to like. With his deft balance of charisma and insanity, he’s not unlike Teddy Roosevelt.
Consider a year ago, September 2006, when Boll challenged his detractors to a boxing match. This is completely true. Internet writers from sites such as SomethingAwful.com and Ain’t-It-Cool-News.com showed up for this boxing match and were all beaten handily by Boll.
Boll is a man who doesn’t take guff from reviewers. And damn it, the man takes no guff from reviewers!
These are principles I believe we all ought to apply. Legitimately, I think there is a lot to learn from Boll’s mindset. Maybe not exactly literally. I wouldn’t condone boxing your professor over a contested grade, but that idea of being creative as a way to burn energy and only as a means to essentially satisfy yourself, I think that is kind of noble.
Despite the fact that the overall products he makes are poor, Boll sincerely believes in what he does. It’s refreshing and it’s a reminder of why we ought to do anything creative in the first place – not to be noticed or praised necessarily, but because we enjoy the process of doing it at all.
That’s the whole point.
