On June 22, author-screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis tweeted he lives in the same West Hollywood building as the notoriously reclusive Deadline Hollywood blogger. Three weeks later, according to Ellis, Finke called ICM and threatened to sue.
Bret Easton Ellis is on the defensive amid criticism over his tweet about Kathryn Bigelow, whom he said “would be considered a mildly interesting filmmaker if she was a man but since she’s a very hot woman she’s really overrated.”
Fueling Internet outrage, with Ellen Barkin knocking Ellis as a “shit writer,” the outspoken author and Twitter troublemaker continues to stand by his statement, unleashing several tweets Friday morning.
“I still believe that if The Hurt Locker had been directed by a man it would not have won the Oscar for best director,” he wrote, following up with: “The best movie Kathryn Bigelow has made so far–and by a long shot–is the deliriously campy Point Break but I’m afraid to watch it again.”
STORY: Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Sets Washington Premiere
But wait, there’s this too: “The only time I felt a woman director deserved the Oscar was Sofia Coppola for Lost In Translation because it had a no bullshit female tone.”
And this: “I hated Avatar.”
Bigelow, meanwhile, is about to unleash Zero Dark Thirty, which hits theaters in limited release Dec. 19. The action thriller — which chronicles the U.S. government’s intelligence hunt for Osama bin Laden and the Navy SEALs raid leading to his death — has received stellar reviews in advance screenings and earned best film awards from the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Board of Review.
She won the best director Oscar for 2009’s The Hurt Locker, both a critical favorite and audience nail-biter. It also won best picture.
As for Ellis, the American Psycho scribe has been working on The Canyons, an indie film starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen.
His no-holds-barred social-media tirades often get him into trouble and are seemingly intended to shock. Recall his “come over … bring coke now” tweet and verbal grenades pitched at pop-culture phenomena from Les Miserables to Glee.
In response to Ellis’ initial anti-Bigelow slam, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof joined the chorus of critics, tweeting: “I would be so much more successful if I was hot. #BretEastonEllisIsAnEffingMoron.”
Barkin’s tweet (hat tip: Jezebel) to Ellis referenced Mary Harron, who directed the 2000 film version of American Psycho starring Christian Bale: “@BretEastonEllis & if u were a ‘very hot woman’ youd still be a shit writer. Say TY to Mary Harron. That MOVIE was the best book u ever wrote.”
Ellis tweeted: “Anyone Unfollowing me should have known better and never Followed me in the first place. Wise up: pussies and snowflakes. Get the F over it.”
Twitter: @ErinLCarlson
Email: erin.carlson@thr.com