So I was thinkin’ the other day - about what separates really good movies and really bad ones, when the both have over $150 million to spend.
One of the main things I came up with is that the best big-budget movies seem to all be made by people who really cut their teeth making edgy, successful independent film. Now of course, nothing competes with character, theme, etc., but you can’t have these things if the director doesn’t push for them.
Sam Raimi
Made The Evil Dead for $350K in ‘81 before getting $300-odd million for Spider-Man 2
Peter Jackson
Made his indie career mostly from financing from the New Zealand Film Board, now the country’s most famous filmmaker after The Lord of the Rings
Chris Nolan
Shot Following for $6000 (less than Robert Rodriguez could), and is now the first Hollywood filmmaker to shoot a film on IMAX film - this summer’s “The Dark Knight”
The list goes on and on (John Favreau - Iron Man, Alfonso Cuaron - Prizoner of Azkaban + Children of Men…) but you get the idea. These guys know how to stretch a dollar; I’m pretty sure Michel Gondry would’ve made a pretty awesome Fantastic Four.
My mum told me, a long time ago, that I absolutely must read the works of George Bernard Shaw. Today, I came across the first thing I’ve read from him, and he sure leaves a good first impression 
“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality . It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capability to the changing phases of existence which can make itself appeal to everyone . I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of today . The medieval ecclesiastics either through ignorance or bigotry painted Islam in the darkest colors. They were, in fact, trained to hate the man Muhammad and his religion. To them, Muhammad was anti-Christ. I have studied him-the wonderful man, and in my opinion, far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the saviour of humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness. But to proceed, it was in the nineteenth century that honest thinkers like Carlyle, Gibbon and Goethe perceived intrinsic worth in the religion of Muhammad-already, even, at the present time many of our people have gone to his faith, and Islanistan of Europe may be said to have begun.”
On that note, my sister started a new site which is exponentially better than this one: Truthful Seeker. Check it.
So if someone starts a facebook group claiming they’ll change their name to McLovin if a million people join
And they only hit the target after years have gone buy
how much funnier is it when they’re McLovin and it’s not even funny anymore?
Look it up on facebook, and join the group.
Just not yet.