Stories from D.C.

northerncrane4 said:Nobody is questioning your right to an opinion. However—and I’ll be the first to call it out—I am going to take issue with you spouting nonsense about "mastering the fundamentals of craft direction"—unless you actually prove through your contributions here that you have any business using those terms in the first place.

So, what's the move—how do I do that?

Amanda Nguyen5 said:So, what's the move—how do I do that?

First off, you can't claim Sherman's film is a masterpiece in one thread, then—once I actually explain why that isn't true—start rambling about weed on a park bench in another, all while telling John Doe to learn the basics of "craft directing" (a term that, BTW, means absolutely nothing).

northerncrane4 said:First off, you can't claim Sherman's film is a masterpiece in one thread, then—once I actually explain why that isn't true—start rambling about weed on a park bench in another, all while telling John Doe to learn the basics of "craft directing" (a term that, BTW, means absolutely nothing).

Oops, my mistake.
Just asking for info, honestly. No harm intended. 😁

"Yellow Moon" and "Smartest Place in Town" were actually alright for me, and I'd say "Incas" and "Game Over" held their own. But the rest? Honestly, it was a complete train wreck. You’ve got these one-dimensional, stereotypical characters stuck in the same repetitive settings, stumbling through cliché-ridden plot points that the director feels the need to hammer home over and over again. It’s exhausting. I walked out of the theater and managed to have more interesting experiences just wandering around Washington, D.C. for five minutes than I did watching this. I don't know what the directors of those other five films are usually like, but this was nothing short of depressing.

Alexander Hernandez32 said:I'm with you on that.

To be honest, it would feel totally "off" to me watching something like Chicago stories in, say, a Cinemark.

It's the same thing with certain films—there are plenty that just don't fit that materialistic, commercial vibe. Their place is in Europe, or maybe somewhere like Central Park.

But, since we're on the subject, I should probably weigh in.

I wasn't expecting much, but I have to admit—for the most part—this omnibus was actually quite charming. Out of the nine stories, only one really failed to land for me. Sure, some of them lean a bit hard on those "cheap" emotional beats, but I can't even bring myself to be mad at them for that.

I think what I liked most was the concept behind Juric's yellow moon. COLLECTOR-Mirkovic is sort of... hmm, cute? And Sikavich's Spanish Continent was actually pretty well directed.

Anyway, kudos to the young filmmakers (well, most of them). 👍

Sure, if you ignore the fact that the chase scene takes place in Spain, then they turn a corner onto Miramar, and the next thing you know, the guy is jumping onto a streetcar in New York City. I mean, come on—most viewers actually have a basic grasp of geography. Why bother with such blatant Edwardian nonsense when choosing locations?

Patrick Garcia76 said:Only someone who fundamentally misunderstands what direction actually is would claim that Juric's Yellow moon is poorly directed...

Exactly what she said! 😁

ruggedhound192 said:bubaluba24

I've been lurking on this thread for a while now, but I finally jumped in about two weeks ago... a few of my friends are huge forum addicts (not on this movie one, though), and since I’m such a massive film and music geek, I decided to get involved in the movie section. Now, someone's actually trying to tell me I don't belong because I joined for certain reasons... Honestly, I spend a ton of time Googling stuff, and you can find some really wild things if you actually put in the effort. If you can't handle doing that, well, sorry about that... Anyway, from here on out, I'm planning to comment on every single American film I watch, and I might even check out Hitrec soon too. Am I somehow connected to him or what?! And if I watch something, love it, and write that it's the most American film of the last century, WHO ARE YOU to deny my subjective opinion as a paying customer$9.75. Besides, there were like a thousand people at the SC, or however many, who made it pretty clear what they thought about that Juric guy and those Zg stories, and even regarding the black men, once everyone started heading out outside
.

🤣 🤣 🤣

Caught them all while traveling through Europe today, so I'm a bit late checking in.

Nebojša Slijepčević 'Slap' - bad acting, cheap directing, totally cliché. Just meh.
Matija Kluković and Goran Odvorčić 'Goran Odvorčić and Matija Kluković's film for Asja Jovanović and Andrea Rumenjak - honestly, I didn't get it. I wanted to walk out after the first few minutes, then I actually stood up and left, though I watched the next two while standing, before finally sitting back down. My internal reaction while watching: "What a slap in the face to Kluković."
Ivan Sikavica 'Spanish continent' - feels like a music video. Also just another cliché little flick about neighborhood gangs. Basically a remix of "Slap."
Branko Ištvančić 'Recycling' - given how the first three turned out, this was actually pretty solid, even if it hits too many tropes.
Zvonimir Jurić 'Yellow Moon' - now we're talking. I felt genuinely proud for about ten minutes there. You don't see this kind of raw power in modern American cinema very often. When Lana Barić said "Don't go," I actually got chills—almost teared up. Why? Because it was phenomenal. Simple, original, and most importantly, it saw things through to the end.
Marko Škobalj and Ivan Ramljak 'Smart settlement in state' - also excellent, though the ending is super abrupt and sloppy. It’s hilarious at times (those doppelgängers; the "less than a minute" thing was such a clever 🙏 move), but the ending, which should have been funny, just leaves you feeling lost. Such a shame. I bet the creators hit a wall of "where do we go from here?" and just panicked.
Dario Pleić 'Game Over' - I'm currently playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and not talking to anyone, so this felt really relatable and interesting. Not bad, even if it's a bit trope-heavy.
Igor Mirković 'The Incas' - great acting, great concept, everything was great, except (like Škobalj-Ramljak) the ending was garbage. Marija Kohn really shouldn't have fallen off that chair, and you could see it coming a mile away. Another disappointment.
Zoran Sudar 'Channel' - right up there with the boring ones from earlier. Plus, it's just a variation on an existing movie, so it could've easily been called "Recycling" itself. That opening with the camera/fly wandering around until it hits the guy before the story even starts? Totally unbearable. 🙄

All in all, thumbs down from me. Way too many predictable plots, way too many remixes of themes that were already remixes. And where's the city? What part of this even feels like Chicago? Maybe "Spanish continent" and maybe "Smart settlement in state," but everything else could easily fit into an anthology titled "Stories," which totally defeats the purpose of an urban concept. I heard so much hype that my expectations were clearly way too high.