Harry Knowles

Harry Jay Knowles (born December 11, 1971) is a film critic and writer known for his website called Ain't It Cool News. Knowles was a member of the Austin Film Critics Association until he was removed in September 2017 "by a substantial majority vote" of the organization following allegations of sexual assault.[1][2]

Harry Knowles
Knowles at July 2010 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
Harry Jay Knowles

(1971-12-11) December 11, 1971
Austin, Texas, U.S.
OccupationFilm critic, writer
Spouse(s)
Patricia Cho Jones
​
​
(m. 2007)​

Early life

Harry Jay Knowles was born in Austin, Texas, the son of Jarrell Jay Knowles and Helen Jane (Harrison) Knowles, who married September 19, 1970, in Austin. His parents then settled in Austin. Knowles's parents separated in 1983 and divorced March 12, 1984; his mother received custody of him and his younger sister Dannie. The children subsequently lived with their mother on her family's ranch, the Portwood Ranch in Seymour, Texas. Knowles' other activities included the Boy Scouts of America, and he attained the rank of Eagle Scout.[3]

On January 24, 1996, Knowles tripped on a hose at a memorabilia show and partially paralyzed his legs. Then, "like the 12-year-old asthmatic Scorsese, or the wunderkind Coppola stricken with polio," he wrote, he realized his destiny was to become an internet movie journalist.[4]

Career

His first semi-professional job was providing weekend box office reports to the Drudge Report.[4]

Reviewer

After purchasing a computer in 1994, Knowles started to navigate the Internet and began frequenting newsgroups to exchange gossip and rumors with other fans about upcoming films. After being chastised by future film critic Mike D'Angelo for posting binary image files to the newsgroups, Knowles launched the website that would become Ain't It Cool News in February 1996.

Appearances in the media

Because of the popularity of the website, Knowles was sought out by the mainstream media, including magazines, newspapers, and television news programs. In 2000, he was ranked No. 95 in the Forbes Celebrity 100.[5] Knowles has made guest appearances on the television shows Siskel & Ebert & the Movies and Politically Incorrect.[6]

Knowles is featured in the documentary For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism as an advocate of film criticism on the Internet; he articulates the divide between older and younger critics and advocates for the films of Michael Bay, as well as being one of the first major critics to champion genre favorite Adam Green.[7]

Butt-Numb-a-Thon
Harry Knowles (center) along with Tim League (left) and Cole Dabney at the 2010 Fantastic Fest.

From 1999 to 2016, on the weekend closest to his birthday (December 11), Knowles hosted an event called Butt-Numb-A-Thon. The event, also known as Geek Christmas, was a 24-hour celebration of film, featuring unofficial premieres, and vintage films, from classics reprinted for the big-screen, to the rare, weird and unheard of. Film fans and professionals alike traveled from all over the United States and the world to attend the event, which was hosted in Austin at the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse. BNAT was called "the world's most exclusive and mysteriously secretive film celebration" and "the hardest film event to get into in the country". Following revelations of sexual assault and harassment allegations against Knowles in September 2017, the Alamo Drafthouse, which had been the venue for the festival, ended all association with Knowles.[8]

Fantastic Fest

Additionally, Knowles is a co-founder of the annual Fantastic Fest, held in Austin. It was founded in 2005 by Knowles, Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival focuses on genre films such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, action, Asian, and cult. The festival takes place in September at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

On September 21, 2017, days before allegations of sexual assault by Knowles surfaced, it was announced that AICN had been dropped as a sponsor of the festival.[9] On September 25, 2017, the Alamo Drafthouse severed all business ties with Knowles.[10]

Controversies

Accusations of biased reviews

Knowles attends events offered to the press, paid for by the movie studios, including visits to movie sets and premieres. Questions have sometimes emerged about the resulting impartiality of his articles and reviews.[11] For example, after being flown to the premiere of the 1998 Godzilla movie, he gave the movie a wildly positive review,[12] while the vast majority of critics disliked the film.[13] Knowles later reversed his position and panned the film after the ensuing outcry. Knowles and his defenders have noted that he has given mixed reviews to movies for which he has been sent to junkets and premieres, and in any case is often out of step with mainstream critics. Knowles also gave a negative review to the film Monkeybone, in which he made a cameo appearance.[14] In 1999, Knowles praised a script by Drew McWeeny and Scott Swan, but he did not mention that McWeeny was a contributor to the site (writing under the pseudonym "Moriarty"). This and other alleged lapses were reported in a series of articles in Film Threat magazine.[15]

Fake Oscar nominees story

In early 2000, Knowles posted materials stolen from an ABC staffer's home computer, which Knowles took at face value to be the Oscar nominees for the Academy Awards—a day before the official announcement. When the actual nominees were announced the following day, it was discovered that his finalists in almost every category were incorrect. Knowles acknowledged his error when it became clear he was wrong, but then disclosed the IP address of the person whose computer had been hacked, compounding the error. The Academy considered suing Knowles for trademark and copyright infringement, but ultimately decided against it.[16]

Feud with Uwe Boll

Filmmaker Uwe Boll has long feuded with Knowles, calling him a "retard" in response to his criticisms and accusing him of being "played" by film studios that "kissed his ass" with set visits and fake interest in producing movies for him, and suggesting to Knowles that the reason he hates him is because "I never kissed your ass, Harry."[17]

Texas Chain Saw Massacre visit claims

Knowles claims that at his third birthday party, he was treated to a visit from the entire cast of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Knowles retains extremely detailed, happy memories of the event, including being given a basket full of dismembered body part props from Gunnar Hansen (the actor who played Leatherface), as well as cutting his birthday cake with the actual chainsaw used in the film. Hansen adamantly denied that any of this ever occurred.[18]

Sexual assault allegations

On September 23, 2017, it was reported on IndieWire[19] and circulated in other national media[20] that Knowles had allegedly sexually assaulted a woman named Jasmine Baker on two occasions in 1999 and 2000 at Alamo Drafthouse events in Austin, and that when informed of the incidents by Baker, Drafthouse owners took no action. Knowles has since denied the allegations.

In response to the story, a number of Ain't It Cool News contributors resigned from the site.[21] Ain't It Cool writer Horrorella announced her departure on September 24.[22] Longtime writers Steve Prokopy, who used the pseudonym "Capone," and Eric Vespe, who as "Quint," had been with the site since its beginnings, announced September 25 that they were leaving AICN.[21]

On September 25, Alamo Drafthouse owner Tim League announced that the company, whose theater had served as home to the annual Butt-Numb-A-Thon film fest Knowles organized, had severed all ties with Knowles as a result of the controversy,[10] while the Austin Film Critics Association voted to remove Knowles as a member of the group.[2]

By September 26, four more women had come forward on social media and through interviews with IndieWire to accuse Knowles of sexual assault and sexual harassment.[23]

Following the release of the additional women's allegations, Knowles announced on social media on September 26, 2017, that he was taking a leave of absence from Ain't It Cool News.[24]

On March 11, 2020, Knowles posted "AN APOLOGY" on the site, three years after the accusations.[25]

Personal life

In his book, Knowles states: "I was skinny up until about the second grade, when I started to bulk up. Then I was the big kid. I was tall, stocky, and they wanted me on the football team. Also, I was never ostracized as weird just because I was a film geek, because my parents would come to school and show 16mm films, or teach leatherworking and jewelry classes, which all the kids thought was cool. … It never occurred to me that I was fat until the fifth grade, when a new kid at school started causing problems. That's when Dad showed me José Ferrer as Cyrano de Bergerac; when someone hurls an insult at him, he says, 'Is that all? Ah, no, young sir, you're too simple. You might have said a great many things. Why waste your opportunity?' And then he names a score better than himself. Or Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast). Or Charles Laughton in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. You don't have to feel bad about yourself just because you're different (boiling oil notwithstanding)."[26]

Knowles married Patricia Cho Jones on July 15, 2007, at Green Pastures in Austin.[27]

On April 4, 2008, Knowles announced that he was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic.[28] In January 2011, Knowles underwent emergency spinal surgery to his T-10 vertebra. According to Knowles, the surgery restored sensation in his legs for the first time in over 15 years, and he would be undergoing physical therapy to learn to walk again.[29]

Film credits

Portrayals

He was played by Ethan Suplee in the 2009 movie Fanboys.[30]

References
  1. Weinraub, Bernard (November 16, 2007). "The Two Hollywoods; Harry Knowles Is Always Listening". The New York Times
  2. "Statement Regarding Harry Knowles". austinfilmcritics.org. Austin Film Critics Association. September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  3. Knowles, Harry; Cullum, Paul; Ebner, Mark (2003). Ain't It Cool?: Hollywood's Redheaded Stepchild Speaks Out. Warner Books. p. 214. ISBN 0-446-67991-7. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  4. "Ain't It Cool's Harry Knowles: The Cash-Strapped King of the Nerds Plots a Comeback". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  5. "Harry Knowles". AmIAnnoying.com.
  6. "Harry Knowles". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013.
  7. For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism at the TCM Movie Database
  8. Rahman, Abid (September 25, 2017). "Alamo Drafthouse Severs Ties With Harry Knowles Over Sexual Assault Allegations". The Hollywood Reporter.
  9. Erbland, Kate (September 21, 2017). "Ain't It Cool News Dropped as Fantastic Fest Sponsor". IndieWire. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  10. "Alamo Drafthouse Severs Ties With Harry Knowles Over Sexual Assault Allegations". The Hollywood Reporter. September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  11. Patterson, John (March 1, 2002). "The Trouble with Harry". The Guardian.
  12. Metcalf, Stephen (April 15, 2002). "Attack of the Fans". Slate.
  13. "Godzilla (1998)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  14. Knowles, Harry (February 20, 2001). "MONKEY BONE Review". Ain't it Cool News.
  15. Wells, Ron (July 17, 2000). "Ain't It Criminal: Deconstructing Harry (part 3)". Film Threat. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  16. Wells, Ron (July 17, 2000). "Deconstructing Harry: Ain't It Unethical? (part one)". Film Threat. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
  17. Whyte, Jason. Uwe Boll Vancouver Interview for RAMPAGE: PRESIDENT DOWN (2016). Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  18. Hansen, Gunnar (2013). Chain Saw Confidential: How We Made the World's Most Notorious Horror Movie. Chronicle Books. pp. 207–208. ISBN 9781452129501.
  19. Erbland, Kate (September 23, 2017). "Harry Knowles Allegedly Sexually Assaulted Austin Woman Two Decades Ago, and Drafthouse Owners Didn't Take Action". IndieWire.
  20. Washington, Arlene (September 24, 2017). "Ain't It Cool News Founder Harry Knowles Accused of Sexual Assault". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  21. Maddaus, Gene (September 25, 2017). "Ain't It Cool News Contributors Step Down Amid Sexual Assault Controversy". Variety. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  22. About Jude Terror (n.d.). "Quint, Capone, Horrorella Step Down From Ain't It Cool News in Wake Of Harry Knowles Allegations". Bleedingcool.com. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  23. Kate Erbland (September 26, 2017). "Four More Women Accuse Harry Knowles of Sexual Assault and Harassment". IndieWire. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  24. "Harry Knowles Takes Leave From Ain't It Cool News Amid Sexual Assault Accusations – Variety". Variety. September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  25. Harry Knowles (March 11, 2020). "An Apology". Aint It Cool News.
  26. Harry Knowles, Paul Cullum and Mark Ebner. Ain't It Cool? New York: Warner Books, 2002, pages 34–45.
  27. Knowles, Harry (July 15, 2007). "Dum Duh Da Dummmmmm". Ain't It Cool News.
  28. Knowles, Harry (April 4, 2008). "Harry was jumping, squirming and squealing throughout THE RUINS... and was shocked by that reaction..." Ain't It Cool News.
  29. Knowles, Harry (January 15, 2011). "What's happening with Harry...". Ain't It Cool News.
  30. "Fanboys (2007) Acting Credits". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.

Further reading
  • Harry Knowles, Paul Cullum, Mark Ebner (March 5, 2002). Ain't It Cool?: Hollywood's Redheaded Stepchild Speaks Out (1st edition). Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-52597-9.
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