Posts by Paul Mendoza8

I bet Carver would be thrilled 🙂

Yep, that’s exactly how this whole thread kicked off...
Between that pathetic excuse for a letter and their total marketing failure, they might as well just fade into obscurity.

Is this for real? I don't want to get my hopes up too early. I just spotted a standard issue on the newsstand with Darth Vader on the cover. I'm assuming this is a new release.

Carmela said:Check out this director’s little disclaimer:

"Papić: Critics hate me; they aren't going to like the movie."

Poor Papić. He’s so insecure about his own work that he’s already trying to pre-emptively excuse the bad reviews. Pathetic.

A few pointers and tricks
(disclaimer: "them" = the admissions board

- Never, under any circumstances, suggest an American film is bad. Why? Because the director of that movie likely graduated from the very academy you’re trying to get into. Criticizing the work is basically spitting in their professors' faces.

- You have to pretend to be obsessed with marginalized groups; it’s a guaranteed win with the committee. Stories about social struggles, the impoverished, the street dwellers—wow, yes, they eat that up! Wealthy characters are a hard pass unless you're "exposing" them to show that "even the rich suffer." Interest in the sick, the disabled, the eccentric, or any minority group (ethnic, sexual, etc.) works even better. They’ll cry, your camera will capture the tears, and *they* will nod and say, "That's it! That's real cinema." *Sniff sniff.*

- Never admit you’ve had any experience working on a professional or semi-professional set. You need to present yourself as raw dough that they can knead into something useful. You cannot arrive there fully formed, or even half-formed.

- Don't walk in with a solid, established point of view. They are there to provide that for you.

- Don't let anyone realize you've actually read books or watched a lot of movies. Knowledge is a liability here; it might accidentally highlight their own ignorance. Never question authority—it's a four-year degree, after all.

- On the flip side, don't act ignorant, or what exactly are you doing there? You have to find that sweet spot: show you're interested, moderately informed, and reasonably bright, while making it clear you're ready to soak up everything they teach you. After all, they are the masters and your mentors.

Simple enough, right?
And once you're in, unlike other universities where students are just students until graduation, at this school, everyone becomes an actor, a director, or a screenwriter the second they pass the entrance exam.
Cheers!
🙂

Escape from LA is a total mess—but then again, taste is subjective. 😉
What exactly didn't work for you? The plot was solid, and the movie had this great self-aware distance from the first one. Kurt did too... I've actually watched it three times!
Maybe Carpenter was just a bit off his game here— body bags—but hey, even the best can slip up. 😉 Even if he isn't at his absolute peak, Carpenter is still plenty entertaining enough to watch. Being a fan doesn't hurt either. 😉

The original is a total classic—a modernized western at its core—but this remake isn't even a remake; it’s just a blatant, shameless theft of a title. 😠
As for the actual content, it barely bears any resemblance to the source material. They just swiped the basic premise of cops and a bunch of lowlifes being forced to work together to fight off outsiders, and that's where they stopped. The "changes" made are completely nonsensical. And the atmosphere? John Carpenter’s minimalism [not to mention that soundtrack... my god... 🙏 🙏 🙏] was perfect for building that claustrophobic, trapped feeling. This "remake," however, feels more like a slightly overlong episode of some mediocre police procedural. It’s garbage filled with mindless gunfire and Laurence Fishbourne, who honestly needs a role in a comedy just so someone can finally shake him out of that ridiculous, brooding pose 😠

@casualotter21/">@@casualotter21 - You've convinced me. I'll give it another couple of episodes before I call it quits. We'll see which direction this thing takes. 😁

Brian Williams => Your sheer level of insight makes continuing this conversation with you an impossible task.
👍

Look, I really tried to give it a chance, but it’s just not happening. It’s trying way too hard to be cool, spooky, and mysterious. Every single frame, every character, every tiny non-event is supposed to have some *deeper*, *different* meaning. It’s incredibly pretentious and relentless. They lean into every cliché and generic setting with such heavy-handed seriousness that it actually makes my stomach turn.
🙂
They tried far too hard; that’s my honest takeaway.

But hey, who actually likes.... 😁
It’s not my cup of tea. I'll stick to OZ 👍

0$4M4 said:It’s not my fault they’re being so selfless! 😁

I’d sell my own mother just to make it, but between all these auditions, I haven't had time to sleep, let alone catch a DHF. 😢

As long as you get to brag about knowing Goran Dević and going to auditions, right? 👍 Who even are you? Are you that Markham guy?

Hey, Carol Jackson45...
What exactly were you watching? The first movie, the second one? Do they even have names? Here we go again—everyone is talking about everything under the sun except for the actual films! It’s just like heading to Napa Valley to gorge on food and wine, and if someone actually bothers to watch a movie, fine, whatever.

0$4M4 said:If you want free food and drinks. 😬

Unbelievable! 😁 So, they've started baiting crews to the Academy Awards with press passes and free grub? Where is this world heading... what happened to the love for cinema?
Seriously, is nobody actually going to watch these movies?
Does nobody have anything left to report?

Edward Howard39 said:Isn't every entrance free?

😕 It always has been, but I suppose the high-rollers need their fancy credentials. 😛

So, where are all the filmmakers hiding?
It’s officially American Film Week, yet the thread is dead. Not a single person starting a discussion? No one bragging about what they’re watching?
😕

cosmicpanther702 said:I have a question. How much does removing a mole hurt? I have one on my face that needs to go, but the idea of surgery terrifies me.😢

Using a laser? It doesn't hurt at all. When I had some warts removed, they just gave me tiny little local anesthetic shots. You only smell napalm😉—like burnt meat. Though, admittedly, it doesn't smell quite as delicious as something coming out of an oven.😉

Good grief. It seems even Spielberg is off-limits now, let alone saying anything negative about the Author. 😁
I'm out of here!
👋

BEPANTHEN—it’s basically magic in a tube for healing after procedures like this. I finally pulled the trigger.
👍

quietdriver3 said:This movie had the potential to be the greatest thing in the universe, right up there after Raiders.
Unfortunately, the guy just didn't have the stylistic touch to direct it properly. He’s clearly a novice, if you can even call him that. He managed to drag the tension right up to that edge—the point where you actually start getting goosebumps—but he lacked any real ideas to push you over the brink.

Look, this movie is the very essence of style. It’s directed with such effortless grace that you’d never guess it was a debut. What it lacks? A bit more polish on the script.

What would someone with a Spielbergian sensibility even do if they were tasked with making a film based on the Golden Age of Comics?

He’ll just churn out some pretentious, sterile crap like he always does—ever since he decided he was a "serious director" after Schindler's List. 😛

I think we touched on this before—people were raving about Dr. Sandy. I went to see her myself and honestly? Highly recommend. She’s incredibly easy to talk to and actually treats you like a human being instead of just another chart. I went in for some laser work on a stubborn skin issue and was thrilled with the results.
I don't want to sound like a walking advertisement, but if anyone is looking...
click right here 🙂