Ive been saying it for years, the middle budget project is the perfect film for streaming. Moviegoing is a completely subjective experience, not all theaters are equal in quality and quantity and the same goes for the people who attend. Some crowds are fully in on the experience and the requirements on them in respects to their fellow audience members, others treat the theater like their own personal living room and all that it implies. Combine that with the inconsistent ticket prices depending on what region of the country or even the world you are in, that really does limit the type of films people are willing to venture out and pay between 20-40 dollars per ticket for.

Blockbusters work well because its sold an "event", like sports or music, you go to have the experience with a crowd, a crowd who is also equally excited to watch it. Thats why those Audience Reactions to Avengers Endgame are so fun to listen and watch, it captures the type of excitement that film and films like it generate. Its the equivalent of "I saw them live back 1976/2019..." Its why people go to the theaters in droves. Smaller films very rarely generate that type of audible reactions (there are exceptions but those are just that, exceptions). Those films tend to be more intimate and introspective and while watching those films in a theater is fine and good, in this day and age with the massive advances in tv and sound technology, is one really missing out by staying home? Subjectively, not likely.

That's my two cents, anyway.

Its the "absolute" part of her statement that I don't agree with. I don't think its IMPOSSIBLE for a Western filmmaker to tell an Eastern person's story, its really about doing the due diligence. And after watching Ron's MasterClass, he definitely is one to do the proper research into the subject so that his approach will achieve the authenticity needed. You really cant compare what Niki Caro did with "Mulan" to what Ron's approach to this film, if Ron directed Mulan, we would have a very different film than what we got from Niki. Because each is their own artist and bring different sensibilities to the work.

Not likely.

I totally understand that the theatrical experience is completely subjective. Growing up in the Bronx, it wasnt uncommon to be into a movie only for a fight to break out and shutting the theater down. My wife ad I only go to certain films, mostly action adventure ones because those are the most fun to watch in large groups. But movie lengths getting longer means I gotta be careful drinking too much just beforehand and Ive definitely been too close to some obnoxious audience members, so really staying at home is really the way to go nowadays. I just bought a beautiful 4K HDR screen for 300 dollars and a great sound system. Drama, horror, documentary, those I prefer to watch those in isolation so I can really get wrapped up in them. Plus a lot easier on the wallet.

My main issue with The Irishman VFX is that they don't look younger so much as "smoother". It reads more like a heavy beauty post filter. At least with the deepfake, I'm looking at 40 year old DeNiro. Its not flawless, but its not nearly as distracting as what they finally went with.

The second issue is that its 70 year old men playing 40 year olds but they cant because they are 70 years old. At 40, you still have that youthful spryness in your movements. I present the store beatdown scene and that sad kick that DeNiro delivers as to why perhaps casting younger actors would've been better.

According to Public records, Nakoula was charged in 1997 with the intent to make narcotic drugs, spent one year in jail, violated his 3 year probation on those charges in 2002 and spent another year in prison. then in 2010, he was federally charged with bank fraud, spent another year in prison, followed by a 5 year probation, one of the conditions of his probation was that he could not have access to the internet without approval from his probation officer. Which he violated in 2012 when he distributed the film you mentioned via Youtube under a false name. Prior to even all that, Nakoula had massive tax liens against him for failing to pay multiple business taxes well inti the hundreds of thousands of dollars. So it would appear that Nakoula's issues are that he cant seem to get out of his way.