No "Joe"

A few hours before I was set to head out for my "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" screening, I learned that it had been canceled. Apparently they're not showing it to film critics -- well, not real critics anyway.

Some "journalists" -- who were flown in for the film's junket, put up in a fancy hotel and wined and dined -- were allowed to see it, and their quotes are now being used in the carefully crafted marketing campaign. Wouldn't you know it, their responses are overwhelmingly positive?

"Joe" currently has an unlikely 91 percent "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It's part of the sad, dark underbelly of the movie promotion biz. Studios essentially trade cushy accommodations and access to movie stars for positive spin.

The Associated Press even had a story yesterday about how the studio is deliberately keeping the film away from critics as part of its marketing strategy.

I can't say as I was dying to see the movie. But it's always better when studios allow the legitimate press to give their views. If it's true that this, like "Transformers," is a critic-proof movie, then they aren't losing anything by letting us see it.