#1 ·
Why does our government completely ignore our own seventh art, while simultaneously bragging about all the contributions American cinema has made to the world? It’s a joke—I can't even find a way to buy *How to Start a War on My Island* on DVD or Blu-ray... it feels like a total pipe dream. I'm only bringing that specific movie up because my brother is absolutely obsessed with it. Why is it impossible to find a masterpiece like that in any format, yet there's an endless stream of low-budget garbage being churned out? They throw money at everything under the sun, but they can't seem to scrape together a few million dollars to restore, digitize, or preserve our homegrown classics and series. I mean, how could those modern shows even compare to the likes of *Wild Pigs*, *Smog*, or *Small Town, Big Town*? Will there ever be a day when I can actually pick up a high-quality, Full HD restored Blu-ray of *Birch*—complete with behind-the-scenes features and all? PBS sucks up massive amounts of money through those shameless subscription fees—nearly billions of dollars if I'm not mistaken—yet they won't invest a cent into preserving our cinematic gold, choosing instead to broadcast pile after pile of junk. Honestly, I'm losing hope. If they just implemented a simple 5% tax on movie tickets, maybe they'd finally have something to work with. $0.67 With what kind of funds can I actually get this done? — Honestly, why couldn't Hollywood trash step up and help finance the restoration of our local, patina-covered gold?