OK, so you all know, as a marketing person serving a large software client, I have to take a hard line on piracy. Remember kids: Just Say No!
That said, I had to buy a pirated movie today. Not because I really want to watch it - it's "Babel", which I hear is good, but I rarely come home from a long day at work and say "I really need to watch a deep, complex film filled with emotional distress." More often, it's something like "Earnest Gets Stupider II" or "Exploding Helicopter: The Movie." (Props out to Pat!)
In this case, however, I had to shell out the 5 yuan (63 cents)just for the packaging. It's a cheap tri-fold knockoff of the real packaging, all cardboard, complete with the Cannes logo and a cutline from Rex Reed - "A Genuine Masterpiece!" - on the cover.
But on the back, the package designer decided to provide a little counterpoint:
I almost busted a gut.
Now, this HAS to be deliberate. It's a real review - I looked it up. Maybe an English-speaking designer thought it would be funny and most people wouldn't get it or care, or maybe he didn't like the movie, or maybe he counted on suckers like me actually going out of their way to buy it because it amused us and, at 63 cents, I've already gotten my entertainment value out of it.
In any case, it will have a special place in my collection when I get home.
