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Meet Tom Perkins. He’s a disturbingly enthusiastic young Brit who, until a few days ago, had a web show called FilmXTRATOM (“Film Extra Tom”), which was often promoted on the Heyuguys blog (settle down, I hadn’t heard of them before now either). That was when someone discovered that the movie reviews Tom had been excitedly reading into the camera had actually been stolen from other film sites. A site called the TheFollowingPreview has a thorough breakdown of which reviews he stole from where; mostly JoBlo.com and a handful of British sites. When JoBlo called him out for stealing their Iron Man 2 review a few days ago, he first tried to deny it, Tweefing:
Im a weird mood at the moment because people think i stolen someones review. Anyone that knows me knows that i dont read anyones review
It’s hard to know what he was thinking, considering anyone with Google and a pair of eyeballs could see he was blatantly lying. He finally copped to it a day later, and has since pulled all the videos from his YouTube Channel (if you can get the video to work, JoBlo has a rip of his Iron Man 2 review stolen mostly verbatim from their site). Today they posted his apology letter, which reads in part:
****
Yes I have plagiarised many of your reviews (and other website reviewers) and even though there is no excuse for what I have done, I am deeply sorry for my actions. I was stupid to think that I could get away with it. Now I know you don’t want to hear any excuses but my main reason for starting to plagiarise a while ago was mainly because YouTube has become so easily corruptible these days I kind of wanted to see how corruptible it can be. Which of course got way out of hand and I forgot that I was taking advantage of your hard work.
I also need to mention that the website HeyUGuys.co.uk (which was the website i was apart of) had no idea of my actions and were just in the dark as everyone else.
Uh, what?
“Young girls have gotten so corruptible these days, I wanted to see how corruptible they could be. I didn’t mean any harm. Anyway, yadda yadda yadda, your daughter’s in my crawlspace.”
The strange part of all this to me is, who steals a review? It’s not a math test, dude. How hard is it to have an opinion? I write reviews. Sexman does reviews. Brendan’s mom writes reviews. Hell, Ben freakin Lyons and Pete motherfrotting Hammond wrote reviews FOR A LIVING, and those guys can barely tie their own shoes. And I haven’t even gotten to the review he was actually caught stealing. Did this guy seriously not think himself capable of such cutting analysis as:
“Although director Jon Favreau never brings the look and pace of the film into grim territory, he actually keeps it funny and fresh.”
“The script by Justin Theroux may feel a bit too simple, but it is certainly rich in wit.”
“The two actors bounce off each other, beautifying the dialogue with style and humor.”
“Tony claims that the world doesn’t want to mess with it, so the suit should stay with him. The others, well, they think the wealth should be shared… especially when the ‘others’ happens to be the government.”
The 1300-word review has probably 1100 words of plot exposition. Different strokes for different folks and all of that, I guess, but I just don’t get it. You could argue I’m just bitter that he didn’t steal one of my reviews, and I wouldn’t have a good comeback for that. But to me this is representative of a larger problem, or at least, something that makes no sense to me.
It seems there’s this entire industry which is like a self-appointed marketing arm for movie studios. They want to analyze and discuss movies, but they can’t, really, for fear of saying anything too negative and losing their access and exclusives, or offending the stars who give them their scoops. And nowhere is this more clearly personified than in the person of Tom Perkins, a guy who wanted to be a cheerleader so badly that he couldn’t even take the time to write his own cheers.
To me that’s pretty f*cked up. And only slightly because “plagiarism is wrong.” Are people that afraid to express an honest opinion? Mickey Rourke should take a break from movies to start a boot camp for those in need of ball growing.
Anyway, sorry for the diatribe, folks. The techs and I are working out a “skip to the dick jokes” function, but it’s still in beta.
![[avatar]](https://profilecdn-woven.netdna-ssl.com/photo/257/profile)
I am deeply sorry for my actions. I was stupid to think that I could get away with it. Now I know you don’t want to hear any excuses but my main reason for starting to plagiarise a while ago was mainly because YouTube has become so easily corruptible these days I kind of wanted to see how corruptible it can be.
Translation: I’m sorry I got caught. I know you don’t want to hear any excuses but here’s a ridiculous excuse: I was Keyser Soze the whole time! Ta-da!
I don’t think he stole reviews because he doesn’t have an opinion; I think he stole reviews because he didn’t see any of the movies.
And seriously, how hard is it to paraphrase? Take bits and pieces from other reviews. It might take a little time, but at least you wouldn’t look like a douchebag.
*hastily deletes Filmdrank.livejournal.com*
He did see the movies, he was being invited to premieres and was an accredited member of the press. Worse, he was a YouTube partner, so he made money off of these people (primarily Matthew Turner of View, who had almost 45 reviews stolen).
It is a watershed day in my life that my rinky-dink Blogger page can get mentioned on FilmDrunk. Truth be told, I’m not really a JoBlo reader, because they banned me once and I hold grudges, but I really do hit up FilmDrunk every day (and have commented once or twice).
In any case, I’d like to thank Vince Vaughn.
“Officer, I know I was driving very fast, but cars go very fast these days, and I wanted to see how fast this one could go. I’m sorry about those handicapped kids in the crosswalk, but let’s be honest, they were never going to do anything worthwhile.”
I need to come clean.
*pours bleach into hand*
I was once suspended from school for plagiarizing the Cliff Notes for The Great Gatsby.
I argued, unsuccessfully, that removing the yellow paper cover and stapling a loose-leaf sheet with my name on it to the actual Cliff Notes book wasn’t really plagiarizing. They didn’t buy it.
Well, at least he didn’t lie about doing a benefit for a struggling website during his apology…
*starts deleting posts from film blog filmeborracho.com*
He’s taking the Mexicans’ jobs!
You didn’t mention that Tom is soldiering on with his video reviews anyway. I can’t wait to see his incoherent mumblings about Prince of Persia and Robin Hood.
I like this kid. He’s got moxie.
He looks like he lazily plagiarized Simon Cowell’s O-face.
I don’t see the problem with this. My Wife thinks I’m funny as hell because I use you assholes’ jokes from here when watching Tosh.O and The Soup.
Fuckin’ Limeys.
*quickly takes all the deleted posts from Filmdrank.livejournal.com and filmeborracho.com and starts posting them on moviebuzzed.net*
Lince, even though He steals your jokes, He at least has the decency to tell them in Klingon.
I think he looks like he lazily plagiarized Simon Cowell’s O-face.
C-Tate is really emails that I receive from Nick Cannon.
I think I need to come clean.
*pours bleach into hand*
Vince, even though He steals your jokes, He at least has the decency to tell them in Klingon.
Ok, you busted me. I just wanted to see what I can get away with.
Never trust anybody whose shirt takes more than 5 seconds to read.
I went to finishing school with an Ausie named Seacrest Wannabe III.
I understand this guy writes material for Dane Cook and Carlos Mencia.
Ok, you busted me. I just wanted to see what I can get away with.
The corruptibility of FilmDrunk is getting out of hand.
This is why I only steal jokes from sites that nobody reads, like Warming Glow.
I, too, have a confession. I plagiarize all of Zog’s lines from Keanu’s blog. Though, I typically use more pronouns and linking verbs than he does.
So he was a movie rereviewer.
Like I always say: make sure you steal two schticks. That way, if you get cold, you can always rub them together to make fire.
I don’t see what makes him a Seacrest wannabe, although I’m not very familiar with Seacrest to begin with. You see, Smug Dog and I don’t even own a tv.
I have a confession – I was Cross Country Heat.
[pulls corners of eyes back]
Ey pray jap eyes! Ching chong ding dong!
I have another confession – I’m wearing sweat pants. At work.
“You could argue I’m just bitter that he didn’t steal one of my reviews”
Wait until he does a review for “Neverending Story Rape Van”.
He should have posted on YourTube.
What is it with these infantile net-nerds being simply incapable of taking full responsibility for their shitty actions. Like when MJ Phillips and that fat cunt were accused of harassing that girl, the fat cunt put up a video that was all about how the big meanies on the internet hurt his blubbery feelings.
It’s funny because Rooster is a rapist!
I’ll just leave this here: [encyclopediadramatica.com]
I can’t believe this guy. Is it so hard to be original? Who cops a review? It’s not like it’s a physics test. It’s not the ripping-off that gets me, it’s the lack of originality. For me, this seems pretty f*cked up.
I want to start the Vince Vaughn for Captain Cold (stone creamery) campaign right now.