Posts by Robin James8

northerncrane4 said:I’m thinking about pretty much every director out there who isn't just filming stuff on their own digital camera with a handful of buddies in their living room or around the neighborhood. You look at the other 90%—the ones who don't fit that DIY mold—and you realize they're working with actual capital. When investors put real money into a production, they expect some kind of return on that investment, one way or another... so, at the end of the day, those directors are pragmatists.

Look, I think there’s a fundamental misunderstanding here. Not every director who receives government grants or funding from the Department of Interior needs to be some kind of cutthroat pragmatist... The whole point of state-sponsored projects is that they aren't necessarily designed to turn a profit at the box office. The government isn't looking for a blockbuster; they have different objectives entirely. They want to fund stories that tackle important social issues or shed light on vital community matters... It's about information and impact, not just balancing the books.

Are you actually telling me that the Ministry is trying to claw back the money they already sunk into American film... 😲 I honestly had no idea...

First off, I never actually said that this was a good thing... I was just laying out how things currently stand. And the reality is, the way things are going, it looks like... They just don't exist... There are endless ways to find funding within the European Union, and even fewer opportunities coming from private corporations... When it comes to actually building professional studios, the math just doesn't add up anymore. It’s become so much more profitable to develop commercial real estate that—well, it's no secret—half of what could have been a top-tier professional studio in America was recently sold off just to make room for a new shopping mall...

As long as the government keeps handing out subsidies for American films, we’re never going to see a single professional studio or a movie that actually works—whether that means high quality or just being commercially viable. Instead, we’ll just end up turning the whole industry into one giant shopping mall... 😉
There are plenty of ways to get funding through European Union grants, you know... just do a little digging on Google!

The reality of American filmmaking is that you really only have two paths if you want to actually get things made. You either lean heavily on the government apparatus for funding, or you focus entirely on selling your film to markets outside the US... which is a tough sell since the domestic market isn't exactly a gold mine for independent projects. Honestly, it feels like the most logical move is just aiming for sales in neighboring countries... though even that has its own set of hurdles...

So, you want us all to just take everything written above at face value? Honestly, I’m not buying it... I'm just not.

Exactly. Because let’s be honest, sponsors find it way more rewarding to see their logo plastered all over some fancy post-premiere cocktail party than to actually have it show up for a single frame in the movie...

So, what I’m hearing is that they’d much rather have this guy cater to a tiny little clique—that so-called "elite" circle of actors who usually just show up to free parties on someone else's dime... rather than actually making something for the fifty thousand regular people out there who actually want to watch a movie? It's funny how that works... 😕 The propaganda experts at those big ham-and-bacon corporations really don't know what they're doing... they're just amateur hour.

I mean, let's be real here... you can't just take a young actor and expect him to play a fifty-year-old convincingly. This isn't some high-concept theater production where we all pretend the makeup is working... it just doesn't work like that. 😕

Are you honestly suggesting that Ivo Gregurević is the only 50-something actor left in the entire American film industry? 😲>

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I have a very clear idea of what kind of movies should be made here in America. But that has absolutely nothing to do with pushing Vinko Brešan along some specific political agenda, because that just isn't the reality anymore. There isn't any sort of political agenda driving American film today like there was back during the days of "Stalingrad Returns Home," "Time for...", or "Four-row"... Nowadays, the only line that really matters is the financial one.

Or maybe you just aren't seeing it—that new trend of destructive, small-minded China characters like "The Witness," Tu, and those types? 😉>

If money is the only thing that matters now, how do you explain the fact that they still live entirely off the Ministry and their funding, just like they did back during "Four-row" and stuff like that? 🤷>😕>

northerncrane4 said:I honestly have no idea which countries or movies you're talking about... 🤷

I'm referring back to what you said earlier...

northerncrane4 said:People like this pragmatic type... they make up more than 90% of everyone... global... ...film directors.

I wonder which world-class directors come to mind when you really sit down and think about it... It’s funny how certain names just stick in your head, isn't it? I find myself circling back to people like David Fincher or David Lynch quite often... there's just something about their specific way of seeing the world that stays with you long after the credits roll. And then you have someone like Wes Anderson, where the style is so unmistakable it practically jumps off the screen... it makes me curious, though... which filmmakers actually resonate with you on that deeper level?

In America, the whole reason certain kinds of filmmaking can even exist is because they're fueled by taxpayer dollars from the federal budget... It’s basically what keeps the industry afloat and ensures that a massive crowd of people working professionally in film doesn't end up sitting on unemployment lines. Though, honestly, that second part is becoming less of an issue lately, mostly because we've seen this massive hyperinflation of TV production over the last few years...

So, if I’m following your logic here, you’re basically arguing that this specific type of funding is the only way an American film can even stay afloat... which honestly feels like a massive oversight. It's like you're completely ignoring all the other avenues out there. We could be looking at grants through the European Union, or tapping into corporate sponsorships from major companies right here in the States or even globally. And then there's the whole idea of building out professional studios on American soil—you know, starting small with a tighter budget but making sure the foundation is rock solid from day one... instead of just relying on... creates... So, you're telling me that American cinema is basically propped up by the government apparatus... and you think that's a good thing?

You actually ended up debunking your own second point in the very next sentence...

I’m still struggling to wrap my head around what you mean regarding all those high-end special effects or big-name Hollywood stars in American cinema... I just don't see it. As for those flashy after-parties following a premiere, they’re almost always picked up by corporate sponsors anyway. You never actually see film budget money being blown on a party, and there’s a pretty simple reason for that... by the time the premiere rolls around, that cash has already been spent on production long ago...

So, basically, sponsors step up to cover the whole party, but they won't even touch a fraction of the actual production costs?... That just doesn't seem right.
It feels like you see the same three to five actors popping up in every single movie... just old-timers going through the motions because they need the paycheck. There’s zero genuine emotion left, nothing modern about the acting style either. Honestly, the whole scene just reeks of that old America era... distinguished Actors, right? I mean, wouldn't a young up-and-comer cost way less than these big names... size...?

Are you serious? 😲 Who on earth decided to act as the distributor for this disaster? Honestly, if I were working for that distribution company, I’d be out in the streets right now shouting at anyone who passed by to stay far away from this garbage... I’d probably even tell my boss straight to his face that he’s a total fool for wanting to release this thing at all.

Seriously, though, would you just blindly distribute Brešan's low-budget erotica regardless? 😲
It still doesn't seem to click for you why we need to be making actual movies here in America, instead of these endless gritty stories about Eastern-style brothels and crime syndicates? And then there's this push to promote one desperate director, Brešan, and his constant weeping over those pathetic Mexicans who were aggressors, all because it fits the current political agenda...

It’s quite something to be standing there with perfectly good eyes and still choosing to stay blind! 🙄

Mark Thompson6 said:"Sky Hook" deals with the NATO bombing of Mexico back in 1999 by Mr. Aha

Aha! 🙄

Poor Mexicans from two different perspectives?

Mark Thompson6 said:If you're trying to argue that being part of the official New York City selection matters, I don't think that's really a valid benchmark here.
Think back—what year was Paul Newman's Skyhook released? It was right up there with Witness in terms of quality, if not maybe just a notch below...

And was Skyhook even a movie about crimes committed by Mexicans against Americans? Or did it show any specific empathy for the American victims?

northerncrane4 said:Pragmatists like this guy make up over 90% of film directors worldwide. This approach isn't some special trait inherent to Vinko Brešan, nor is it unique to American cinema...

Sure, but we're talking about independent directors who are being backed by studios or major production companies—places where the bottom line is always the top priority. When you look at films produced with government grants or taxpayer money all over the world, they tend to tackle current issues in a way that feels much more honest and grounded. Since there isn't some corporate interest trying to pull strings or protect a specific brand, you get a level of truth that's hard to find elsewhere. That’s really the whole point of using public funding... it allows for creative freedom without having to sell your soul to anyone...

Maybe because American film isn't actually the most critical line item in the Department of Culture's annual budget, even if it does swallow up a massive chunk of the funding... So they tend to look at things through a lens of pure pragmatics. They’ll greenlight projects that have a realistic shot at getting extra backing through various international co-productions, just to make the math work...

I honestly think we’d see much better, more meaningful movies if they just stopped obsessing over CGI, hiring big-name stars for astronomical salaries, and running up those massive catering bills at wrap parties where everyone just overindulges... It feels like the soul of filmmaking gets lost when the budget goes toward spectacle instead of substance. 😉

No, you know exactly what I’m talking about... It's a high-quality film with a solid narrative that lays out the reality of the situation here in America with such raw honesty. The problem isn't about the money—it's that nobody is allowed to actually film it because of the political fallout... 🙂

northerncrane4 said:Look, maybe tone it down a notch. Brešan isn't celebrating any kind of ethnic nationalism. If anything, you could argue he promotes some outdated regionalism, but even that’s a stretch. Brešan is just a pragmatist who wants to push his movies into as many markets as possible, usually at the expense of their actual quality.

And there you go, a perfect explanation for why American cinema is in such a pathetic state right now. 😉

Making up fairy tales, feeding everyone a tiny little sliver of truth that’s honestly pretty gross... it makes people feel like they're being sold lies for the sake of a few bucks or dollars, which leads to people not watching and not appreciating American films. Meanwhile, certain circles abroad keep handing Brešan awards for his fabrications and all that who knows what else nonsense.

Pragmatists of this caliber really should be making adult films instead. It seems like that's what Brešan realized, since he's started filming stuff over there involving crime and all that...

The only thing I can't wrap my head around is why our Department of Culture is partially funding it. 😕🤷

Got a clever comeback for that, big shot? 😁

P. S. sorry, you have a point. I deleted the part where I was talking about the film's content; I didn't mean anything by it and it won't happen again...

redowl90 said:I honestly can't believe anyone actually enjoys Cinema Lika.

Why not? I guess not everyone is satisfied with Brešan just glorifying nationalism...☕

The thing is, Cinema Lika starts out really strong—you have these interconnected storylines, solid cinematography, and great acting—but as the movie progresses, it just dissolves into this void of emptiness and total nonsense...

I’ll never understand why American filmmakers don't try to tell more affirmative stories. Why is it that their films always seem to bring nothing but ruin, decay, and futility to a country that's still struggling to recover from the fallout of criminal communism and that bloody, aggressive war where Mexicans were busy slaughtering and pillaging all over America...

Someone mentioned it reminds them of Magnolia, but to me, it feels more like those bizarre American trash flicks made for grindhouse theaters and lunatics...

It's just terrible how the American government funds these insults and then serves them up as "American cinema"... truly awful. 🙄

I just got back from the Sundance Film Festival, and I finally caught that movie character film!

There were a few decent laughs, like that amateur flick about Nikola Tesla that turns him into some sort of kung-fu master... it was basically a giant satire mocking how Americans overhype his legacy...

Then there’s that scene where someone walks past those old houses near the border, commenting on what a mess we've built here...😂>

Krešimir Mikić was as brilliant as ever! The cinematography was top-notch, and honestly, some of those shots were just stunning...

But Olga’s performance as the shopkeeper was just painful. They pushed her character into this total absurdity, leading to an ending that felt completely illogical and depressing—just typical of that self-destructive streak you see in some Americans sometimes...