[Newsbot]

Title: Racy film stirs controversy on Parliament Hill
Category: Misc CDN
Posted By: WDHIII
Date: 2008-05-29 18:40:26
Canadian

[Deiwos]

I only have one thing to say, and that is this. Members of the Conservative Party of Canada, you cannot place judgement upon something such as a film until such time as you have seen it, and even then, you have to listen to the opinion of others around you (members of other parties, and citizens of multiple parties) until such time as you label it as a waste of film. There are many films in recent times I didn't think were worth the film they were on, but millions of North Americans demonstrated their disagreement by buying lots of tickets. This rule rests even stronger when it comes to something like "art." Few people can truely understand art for what it really is, but even I understand the importance of art. I understand a connection between the advancement of a society, and the advancement of it's art.

[commanderkai]

Well since the film was released last year, it's more than possible that they did see it. However, you don't have to listen to ANYBODY if you think a film is a piece of crap. That's just turning us all into drones. I never ever listen to a critic whenever I say a movie is good or not, because usually the critics have NO IDEA what I like in a movie.

These artsy independent films which I will bet you few Canadians watch anyway, are getting taxpayer dollars. They complain about the fall of the Canadian film industry, but most of the Canadian film industry, to most Canadians, is unwatchable. If the Canadian film industry wants Canadian taxpayer dollars, then maybe they should make what Canadians want, instead what's hip or artsy.

[ridenrain]

Why do we have another thread on this? Oh, I know. Because we deflated the last one.

[Red_Eye]

Ok , theres another title I'll be looking for in the DVD stores , if it smells contravorsy then I'll be there to watch it . I'm just that curious.
Like many years ago the Moddana movie, Body of evidence, pffffft what was the contravorsy in that? I see that every week end on the french channels...It was tame.
But thats beside the issue.

[bootlegga]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Well since the film was released last year, it's more than possible that they did see it. However, you don't have to listen to ANYBODY if you think a film is a piece of crap. That's just turning us all into drones. I never ever listen to a critic whenever I say a movie is good or not, because usually the critics have NO IDEA what I like in a movie.

These artsy independent films which I will bet you few Canadians watch anyway, are getting taxpayer dollars. They complain about the fall of the Canadian film industry, but most of the Canadian film industry, to most Canadians, is unwatchable. If the Canadian film industry wants Canadian taxpayer dollars, then maybe they should make what Canadians want, instead what's hip or artsy.

Do you know anything about the Canadian film industry or are you just talking out your ass?

Until Bon Cop, Bad Cop dethroned it, Porky's was the highest grossing Canadian film of all time...ever seen it? Plenty of T&A in that film to go around. If YPF is so bad to the Conservatives, then I'm sure Porky's would be right up there too.

The problem, you seem to think, is that we don't make Indiana Jones or Star Wars movies. Guess what...no one except Hollywood does either. Why? Because no one can afford to, that's why.

Big budget blockbusters take massive production and promotion budgets, leading into the hundreds of millions. A good rule of thumb is that if you hear a movie cost $150 million to make, then the studio will spend roughly that much promoting it too. How many Canadian films companies can shell out $100 million, let alone $200 or $300 million? ZERO. Paul Gross' Passchendale will end up costing almost $20 million to make (he got a $5 million grant from the Alberta Film Commission too), and you can bet they will spend another $10 - $20 million promoting it.

The Canadian film industry makes what films it can, given its limited scope. If you want to see us making non-artsy, big budget movies, then the government will have to step in and really fund them, to the tune of a BILLION or more annually, because no one up here has deep enough pockets to do it themselves. Given the Conservatives aversion to spending anything on Canadian culture, that won't happen. I don't think even the Libs or NDP could justify such an incredible outlay either.

[C.M. Burns]

commanderkai commanderkai:

Well since the film was released last year, it's more than possible that they did see it. However, you don't have to listen to ANYBODY if you think a film is a piece of crap. That's just turning us all into drones. I never ever listen to a critic whenever I say a movie is good or not, because usually the critics have NO IDEA what I like in a movie.

These artsy independent films which I will bet you few Canadians watch anyway, are getting taxpayer dollars. They complain about the fall of the Canadian film industry, but most of the Canadian film industry, to most Canadians, is unwatchable. If the Canadian film industry wants Canadian taxpayer dollars, then maybe they should make what Canadians want, instead what's hip or artsy.

Exactly! I agree 100% FUCK ART! Canadians want more mindless shit like Bon Cop, Bad Cop. Give shit directors all the money!
I'm sure Harper will give you a job as the conservative party's chief culture nazi.

[commanderkai]

C.M. Burns C.M. Burns:

commanderkai commanderkai:

Well since the film was released last year, it's more than possible that they did see it. However, you don't have to listen to ANYBODY if you think a film is a piece of crap. That's just turning us all into drones. I never ever listen to a critic whenever I say a movie is good or not, because usually the critics have NO IDEA what I like in a movie.

These artsy independent films which I will bet you few Canadians watch anyway, are getting taxpayer dollars. They complain about the fall of the Canadian film industry, but most of the Canadian film industry, to most Canadians, is unwatchable. If the Canadian film industry wants Canadian taxpayer dollars, then maybe they should make what Canadians want, instead what's hip or artsy.

Exactly! I agree 100% FUCK ART! Canadians want more mindless shit like Bon Cop, Bad Cop. Give shit directors all the money!
I'm sure Harper will give you a job as the conservative party's chief culture nazi.

It has nothing to do with culture, it has to do with money. If this guy made the film with private funds, let him. Should we sponsor any sort of films just because it "contributes" to Canadian culture? No.

[C.M. Burns]

commanderkai commanderkai:

It has nothing to do with culture, it has to do with money. If this guy made the film with private funds, let him. Should we sponsor any sort of films just because it "contributes" to Canadian culture? No.

Do you always need to lie to make your point? The Canadian government does not sponsor 'any sort' of film. Funding goes to bona fide filmmakers/artists after a serious review process.

Should the government decide what 'art' is? NO!

[commanderkai]

C.M. Burns C.M. Burns:

commanderkai commanderkai:

It has nothing to do with culture, it has to do with money. If this guy made the film with private funds, let him. Should we sponsor any sort of films just because it "contributes" to Canadian culture? No.

Do you always need to lie to make your point? The Canadian government does not sponsor 'any sort' of film. Funding goes to bona fide filmmakers/artists after a serious review process.

Should the government decide what 'art' is? NO!

Which then, after that review process, the film gets public taxpayer dollars to support his film, and I bet the Canadian government gets a nice symbol saying it had a part in providing the funding for the film

Now, let's look at the definition of sponsor.

"5. One that finances a project or an event carried out by another person or group, especially a business enterprise that pays for radio or television programming in return for advertising time."

So the Canadian government is helping to finance a project, in this case, a film, in which they get something in return for, which would be a mention in the credits of the film, and a new addition to "Canadian Culture". How is that lying? Bootlegga mentioned another prime example about how the Alberta film commission gave a filmmaker $5 million in a production that will cost $20 million. That's five million dollars that can be used for what else? Modernizing a hospital? Hiring new police officers? Fixing roads?

Should the Canadian government be sponsoring culture. In my opinion, no.

[bootlegga]

Sponsoring films is no different than giving tax/royalty breaks to major corporations. Why is it okay to give away hundreds of millions in tax concessions to big business but not to give a few million to film companies to make movies?

[Zipperfish]

The problem is that the government is forced to subsidize the film industry, because it is subsidized everywhere else, especially in California. Everyone wants film bucks. I don't agree with subsidies myself, but I also understand that ending them will probably kill the industry in BC, espcially given the parity of the Canadian dollar.

But if they are going to kill the subsidy, do it based on Economics, not Leviticus.

[commanderkai]

bootlegga bootlegga:

Sponsoring films is no different than giving tax/royalty breaks to major corporations. Why is it okay to give away hundreds of millions in tax concessions to big business but not to give a few million to film companies to make movies?

I don't support tax breaks to corporations either. I believe in lower taxes, sure, but for everybody.

Like whenever a province or a city is trying to attract an auto plant (as an example) by escaping property taxes annoys me as well, and if some person lobbied the government to end it, and replace it with lower commercial property taxes for all businesses, big and small, I'll be more than happy to vote for it.

For now, I guess nothing will change, since like how Zipperfish pointed out, everything is subsided, especially unnecessary things (looks at the entire farming industry).

[spikereli]

thank gowd we dont have public funding for the arts.....film industry people are fuckking dumb and they leach off the big producers trying to make a movie,,, then they claim its canadian art,, give me a break,, i need some criss rock,, to take you lazy canadian asses to a new level... get lost,,, go to la become a crack dealer and try to make a few bucksss, go get drunk on your lazy asses and do it somewhere else... ciao........