doing it right for the wrong reasons?

Started by Sal, August 06, 2003, 04:52:02 AM

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SoNowThen

Did you not just read all the above? As I explained, everything the kid said made me totally uninterested in him. Specifically.

HIM.

I didn't make any blanket statement that anybody and everybody who likes Spielberg will be shit. Scorsese likes 'Berg movies, and he's my favorite director.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

Witkacy

I think it's amazing that a 17 year old is making a movie and thinking of making something bigger.  More power to them!    It's not about rich parents but more about connections.  I'm sorry but you can't make a film (not DV) without connections into the film world... whether or not you want to go there is your choice.  The rest is nickels and dimes. I've had friends make films with their Hollywood friends off the clock... Life experience of a 17 year old is different than a 40 year old...  Maybe a wall is just ahead but maybe not?

ono

I think Finding Forrester is great, but I still shook my head, only because October Sky doesn't seem like to ambitious a film to admire, and because, well, winning an Oscar is both short-sighted and unrealistic.  It's like Jodie Foster once said, they just put five names in a hat, pull one out, and it's like "BINGO!  You won!"  There's no rhyme or reason to it, and it's rare that the best actor/actress/picture/whatever really gets it.  It's politics.

kotte

Quote from: metroshane
QuoteHow can it be a good thing to do what he's doing at his age? But I guess you're right...it worked out well for Macaulay Culkin.

How can you at once support young directors (see above) and then compare young folks to Macauly Culkin in the next paragraph.  This is a very weak argument.

Sorry but you're not convincing me.

Well, I'm comparing the 17 year old to Culkin...not PTA...it's a huge difference between 17 and 25...

It's not like the's making a comedy or something...he's starting off with cancer...as a 17 year old! I don't care if he's had alot of cancer in his family...it wont make an interesting film...since he's 17!

Someone here said (don't have the energy to find out who) that you should concentrate on telling a good story and wait with the heavy films about life, loss, regret etc.

You have your opinion, you're entitled to it but SO ARE WE...why are you insulting us with your name calling??

metroshane

QuoteYou have your opinion, you're entitled to it but SO ARE WE...why are you insulting us with your name calling??

...because your opinions are baseless.  I have yet to see a strong argument to why this kid can't make a good film.

QuoteI don't care if he's had alot of cancer in his family...it wont make an interesting film...since he's 17!

That's flat out descrimination.  I guess charlette chruch can't sing because she's young.  I guess Mozart's early symphonies are bunk.  I probably can't compare him to Mozart, but I can't dismiss him either b/c I haven't even given him a chance.  Oh yeah, S.E.Hinton's stories suck.

QuoteYou have your opinion, you're entitled to it but SO ARE WE...why are you insulting us with your name calling??

Yes, my opinion is that you are a snob.  That's almost as bad as calling someone a facist or nazi :roll:
We live in an age that reads too much to be intelligent and thinks too much to be beautiful.

kotte

Quote...because your opinions are baseless.  I have yet to see a strong argument to why this kid can't make a good film.

You're not giving good arguments why his film will rock the world.
And we ARE giving good arguments...his age. Sure you can dismiss it but it's still an argument. A good one. As I said, why start off with a film like this and not a comedy or whatever? You need life experience to make deep films and films about cancer are deep.


QuoteThat's flat out descrimination.  I guess charlette chruch can't sing because she's young.  I guess Mozart's early symphonies are bunk.  I probably can't compare him to Mozart, but I can't dismiss him either b/c I haven't even given him a chance.  Oh yeah, S.E.Hinton's stories suck.

What do you mean discrimination? I ain't discriminating anyone. It's my opinion. I'm not saying he can't make a film because he's black or chinese. I'm saying he can't make an interesting film about cancer with an original point of view because he's 17.
Sure, Charlette (or whatever her name is) can sing but is she the one who writes the songs? My cousin Sandra can carry a tune like no one else and she's only 6 but I sure as hell don't think she knows what "I will always love you" is about.


QuoteYes, my opinion is that you are a snob.  That's almost as bad as calling someone a facist or nazi :roll:

And you're just a nice guy....

metroshane

QuoteYou're not giving good arguments why his film will rock the world.

I'm sure everyone is facinated by this, so I'll just make my point short.  I'm not saying his film will rock anything...it might suck.  But, jeez, give the kid a chance.
We live in an age that reads too much to be intelligent and thinks too much to be beautiful.

Witkacy

I'm sorry but age has nothing  to do with experience on a certain level.  If life experience around cancer is a theme then so be it.  Many people I know have experienced things well beyond their age... it just happens.  Then again I have experienced much more than most teenagers, but does that entitle me to disregard their projects.  Experiencing life through many perspectives is just part of cinema... whether it be 17 years old  or 80 years old.

kotte

Quote from: WitkacyI'm sorry but age has nothing  to do with experience on a certain level.

Sure, but you need a couple of years to express those experiences in an interesting way. There are ten year olds in Iraq or Brazil who have experienced more loss, grief and shit than any of us will in our life time but that won't automatically make him a great filmmaker...but there are exceptions of'course.


Quote from: metroshaneBut, jeez, give the kid a chance.

It's not like we're taking away his legs...he can still make the movie.

ReelHotGames

everyone should go see "thirteen" and then say that teens have nothing to say, or don't have the life experience yadda blah blah blah...

Granted, nikki reed had some help through catherine hardwicke, but nikki reed was the light on that film.

So maybe we should all step back and say "damn this F***ing kid for having the money and ability to do what I am so far unable to"

Grab your  laptops, fire up final draft and churn out your masterpiece then take that DV cam and go shoot it.

Sh*t or get off the pot kids
"Body Count Cinema the Customizable Card Game"
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markums2k

I remember what I was like at 17, and I can tell ya, I didn't know shit about making a good movie even though I thought I did.

But, you know, that wasn't too long ago.  I'm 22 now, and I think I have a pretty decent grasp on things... but in another five years, I'll probably look back and say, I didn't know shit about making a good movie!

So, at some point, you have to take a risk and put yourself and your ideas out there.  Sometimes sooner is better than later, sometimes not.

I suspect the kid will try to get away with mimicking the style and emotions of other films and TV shows.  It's not that kids have trouble understanding subject matter (such as cancer), but misguided ambition is still misguided, no matter how ambitious.  When I was 17, I wanted to make a movie just like Seven because I really admired it, and that's a really terrible goal to have.  I'm glad I didn't have the money or resources to make a movie then.  It would just be embarrassing.

I think most of the frustration on this board comes from our mature realization that a lot of hard work and pure luck stand in the way of our dream career, and this kid just gets it handed to him.  There's a definite sense of unfairness, but his work will eventually have to speak for itself...

On the bright side, at least he's not 16.  :wink:

Anyways, I think mindfuck put this all into perspective right before it got started up again by the new guy.  And I agree with everything alessandro said too.

MacGuffin

Quote from: OnomatopoeiaI think Finding Forrester is great, but I still shook my head, only because October Sky doesn't seem like to ambitious a film to admire.

I would rather he admire and strive for films like "October Sky" than crap like "Charlie's Angels 2." I love "October Sky", it is a very touching/heartfelt movie. It might be a cliched, sappy, tug and the heartstrings movie, but the characters and their modivations are winning. You want them to succeed, feel for them when they fail, and cheer and cry when they finally do what they set out to do. We need more movies like this, and less 'money-modivated' brainless films. More power to this kid if those are the films he wants to make.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

***beady***

For starters guys, hes done a lot of films himself, he knows roughly how it all works. So, it's not like he is any ordinary 17 year old. I expect he has read tons and tons of scripts in his little life so far. He has a lot more knowledge on films than say a 35 year old. So, really his age hasn't got much to do with his film making. As hes more advanced in that area than a lot of people.
Who knows if hes had someone in his family die or battle cancer? You don't know. Also, you don't really know what his film will contain on the subject matter.
But not only that, I've worked in hostpitals before, and when I see films or programmes with some kind of ill health related story, a lot of the time things just don't ring true in them. I saw a film (can't remember what it's called), with a girl who was trying to become an athelete and she got cancer. There was this moment when the doctors were doing something or other to her, and the way in which they did it, was all wrong. I found  myself shouting at the tv telling them to do it properly.

I say give the boy a chance, who knows, yeah, he may be shit, but he could be quite good. At the end of the day, if the wants to make films, he's got to start somewhere. Even if it does turn out to be a pile of wank.

blah

well...  judge for yourselves, guys:

http://www.rainydaypictures.com

id say that it seems like a well put together movie - you can disregard my obvious slanderous comments and just check out the trailer yourselves.  i'm still a bit bitter over what had happened in terms of our friendship though :p

kotte

I still think 17 is too young to make a movie about cancer.

It's not jealousy that makes us say these things. Not me anyway. I honestly think the guy is doomed in the industry,

I won't be posting here anymore...we've all proved or points.