Great specific examples, everyone.

As far as the Tom Clancy thing, without going into a poli-sci discussion, he's just sorta representing what goes on in real life in the gov't. The fact of the matter is, with the US so ridiculously armed and powerful, pretty much every nation would be the proverbial tinpot by comparison. There really is no match for the US armed forces these days; it's all relatively of low risk. (Please, please, please, I'm not trying to start a political debate. I'm just talking about Clancy and his preferred topics, and how it relates to reality).

Imran:

Cool.


Keith:

Once again you've nailed it. I'm thinking the horse is now dead on this issue, however.


BTW, are there cool shorts, etc. to watch on this site? I just linked to this forum because the the thread bears my movie's title. I'm always open to watching what other people are doing with DV.


Todd

Todd,

Check the "DV for the Masses" forum. You'll find some threads mentioning member's online films there.

John, my main problem with that scene in THE PATRIOT was that it felt incredibly phony. Here was a film where the makers claimed they were putting a lot of effort into historicity and then they have the Gibson character pull out the flag like it was a lightsabre. It was like a video game where the hero picks up a magical yummy and instantly everyone's morale increased +10. PHONY. I realize in history there were many examples of symbolism turning the tide but the way it was done in this case destroyed any realism the film had built up. It felt only one step removed from the rebels banging together a Revolutionary war battle truck a la A-Team.

It was also a blatant ripoff of a similar scene in REVOLUTION with Al Pacino. Except in that scene Pacino only picks up the flag to joust with out of desperation.

I am aware that Emmerich is not American. Tony and Ridley Scott are British. Kubrick was American living in England. Same with Terry Gilliam. It doesn't mean anything to me.

Yup, follow John's advice and head over to the Masses forum. (Shameless plug, couldn't resist!)

This is a great thread, I wish the major studios would take notice.

Giving Michael Bay credit for his film's cinematography is going overboard. This man cannot be defended. Sure, the DP's he hires are top notch and some of the best in the business, but still, I cringed throughout all of Bad Boys 2. Every dialogue sequence had opposing cameras dollying around at breakneck speed for a simple exchange between actors. He's the symbol of everything wrong about Hollywood. Image over substance.

Keith,

Point taken... but I wish you hadn't conjured up memories of the A-Team! How will I sleep tonight now?

The reason I mentioned the fact that Emmerich is German is because I think it's interesting how many U.S. "flag waving" films are made by non-American directors. "Air Force One" is a prime example.

I've often wondered if that's due to the fact that, being from a different culture sometimes restricts foreign directors to a "comic book" simplicity in the overall message...especially where patriotism and/or national psyche are concerned. If I were making a film about an event that occurred in Germany, I'd be unaware of all the little events leading up to and affecting that one event, and I'd have no idea how the German psyche viewed and evaluated all those events, so naturally, I'd have to rely on the obvious--even the cliché--to attempt to duplicate it.

Or is it due to the fact that due to these cultural limitations, they reduce the story to its simplest and most symbolic elements. "Air Force One" is basically a western set on a modern jet and instead of a U.S. Marshal as the lead character, we have the president.