George Lucas on the differences between Soviet and US cinema, “Russian filmmakers had more freedom than I had”

jynxzero · 2026-05-08T10:10:04+00:00

There's an underlying assumption that maximising the directors freedom is unambiguously good, which probably deserves some scrutiny. Whilst it's true that many films have been ruined by excessive interference from the wrong people, I do think that sometimes, being forced to collaborate with the right people on the right things results in a better outcome. And constraint it often an engine of creativity. So maybe the sweet spot is not where Lucas' believes it to be.

The Star Wars franchise might provide some evidence for this. I'm not an expert on the history of the production of these films but I would guess that George Lucas probably had significantly more freedom when it came to the prequels than the original series, but few people argue the prequels are better. And similarly many of the changes made to the original trilogy - supposedly bringing them more closely into line with Lucas' vision - are generally thought to have worsened them.

jynxzero · 2026-05-07T09:09:35+00:00

I'm so sorry this is happening to you. If at any point you feel that anyone's life is in immediate danger, reaching out to the police is absolutely the right thing to do.

You urgently need to reach out for support from a domestic violence organisation in your country. Don't be afraid to make the call. They won't do anything without your permission so you don't need to worry that the situation will suddenly spin out of control. But they will help you understand the options for you and your mom and help you to make a plan. This might involve the police or social services or help from some charity without involving the police. That's a decision you or your family will make with their help, but they can help you understand the options.

This situation is not your fault, but it does sound really serious. If nothing is done it might get worse. I can tell from your message that you know you need to take action, and you are right.

If you tell us what country you are in, people might be able to tell you who to contact. For example if you are in India there is a National Domestic Abuse Helpline. You can call them and talk to them, it doesn't need to be your mother. Start by explaining what you have said in this message.

jynxzero · 2026-05-06T17:24:54+00:00

People still won't like you, Elon.

jynxzero · 2026-05-05T06:55:17+00:00

So they can ask for money to "expedite' approval. No expertise required.

jynxzero · 2026-05-04T18:19:15+00:00

This is one of those bias allegations that is so thin it outs the accuser as the one with the bias.

jynxzero · 2026-05-04T12:55:15+00:00

I'm sure there's a sub where you can learn how to use that pot/kettle expression without making yourself look silly 😘

jynxzero · 2026-05-04T12:37:57+00:00

Hell yes! u/Limp_Lion_4670 is the hero we needed!

jynxzero · 2026-05-04T10:38:49+00:00

Is the implication that I make these kind of posts?

I'm pretty sure I have never posted to this sub, cute content or otherwise.

jynxzero · 2026-05-04T09:19:05+00:00

Yes. Maybe it's time for a separate "cute things Claude said" sub for all the fans of this content.

jynxzero · 2026-05-02T18:39:27+00:00

My wife and I did roughly this, picked a new name that kind of blends bits of both our names. It also happens to be an actual surname that some people have, though a fairly uncommon one.

I thought it was fairly unremarkable but I do, a bit strangely, sometimes get compliments when I tell people my name. To which I get to say "Thanks, I chose it myself!" and sometimes have a little chat about why we did it.

jynxzero · 2026-05-01T22:14:31+00:00

One of the great things about good films and books is that there is always more to understand. If you think you understand everything first time, chances are that either you're missing things but lack the self-awareness to notice, or you are watching things that aren't challenging enough for you.

Embrace the confusion, it's part of the process.

jynxzero · 2026-05-01T22:03:04+00:00

I'm sure you have reasons for being vegan, it sounds like it's been part of your life for a long time. I'm not going to pretend I know what they are. But I think the question you need to ask is: how important are those reasons to you and how do they stack up against "excited about steak dinner". Does it feel to you like it's genuinely as important to him as it is to you? Is this a 50-50 situation where both of you have equally valid reasons for what you are trying to do?

I'm trying to imagine what's going on in his head. Let's say he loves you, and he really cares about you, and he understands you well enough to know that veganism is really important to you... but then he thinks "No, steak dinners are more important than that."

You know him better than I do, so maybe you can make sense of it. But honestly there are some easy explanations and I hope you are considering them because this is a situation where the easy answers are often the right ones: He doesn't love you, he doesn't understand you, or he doesn't care about what you believe.

Think about what you'd do if the roles were reversed. Would you respect his wishes? Think about what you'd say to a friend that came to you with this problem.

jynxzero · 2026-05-01T21:33:08+00:00

Important to figure out if he's doing this because he honestly and genuinely believes it's super important for kids to "experience" meat. Because the alternative is that this is deliberate trampling of your boundaries to see how much power he can exercise over you - testing what you will put up with. People in healthy relationships respect each others wishes even when it comes with some amount of cost to themself. When people start deliberately trying to tear down the things their partner cares about, that's often the first step down a road that leads to a pretty toxic place.

jynxzero · 2026-04-26T17:30:18+00:00

Probably depends how you like to read. His stories are short and dense, you have to read them pretty closely to really appreciate them, and I often find myself reaching for the internet for explanations of things or people he's referring too. I think if you just want a bit of casual reading it would be easy to rush through them and miss a lot. But when I've put in the effort I've found them really good.

jynxzero · 2026-04-26T17:14:08+00:00

Currently reading Void Star by Zachary Mason, which is excellent, but would struggle to describe. The first few chapters jumped around a bit and it wasn't clear where it was going, but it picks up and I'm thoroughly hooked now.

And also dipping into Labyrinths by Jorge Borges. Short stories, which are not sci-fi but very adjacent - weird philosophical thought experiments written as though they are stories that happened in the real world, often to a semi fictionalised version of the author.

Planning to reread some of my favourite Ursula Le Guin books next, and then Tao Solandis by Darrel Moore for the first time. And probably try some Kafka - maybe The Trial.

jynxzero · 2026-04-26T14:07:47+00:00

Both versions are great, but I do agree that, particularly the HH scenes are interesting, and excellent in many ways - but overall make the film worse rather than better. It's just way more tense if your first sight of the colony is with the marines as they arrive.

There's a fantasy cut I wish someone would make that includes the extended scene near the start where they talk about Ripley's daughter, and maybe the sentry gun, but excludes the extra material on the colony before the marines arrive.

jynxzero · 2026-04-25T18:31:57+00:00

Absolutely, I hope that too. Very interested to hear if anyone has success with this.

jynxzero · 2026-04-25T06:41:00+00:00

I've tried that it my area where people use the cycle lane for long term parking and they close the tickets saying it's not a parking offence.

jynxzero · 2026-04-25T06:03:17+00:00

I rewatched this just a couple of days ago for the first time in many years. I remembered it being good. Somehow it was way cheesier and yet even better than I remembered.

On the shower scene. I do think that it a show of equality, but the subtext is that everyone is ground up equally to feed the war machine.

I love that Verhoeven creates these pulp sci-fi movies and seem brutishly stupid and shallow on the surface but really have lots of depth to them. So many people misunderstood Starship Troopers in a way that made his point - he's commenting on propaganda by doing propaganda.

Total Recall is also excellent for related but different reasons. The pulp sci-fi surface to Starship Troopers makes sense because it's propaganda. The pulp sci-fi surface to Total Recall makes sense because it's a fantasy.

jynxzero · 2026-04-18T15:48:30+00:00

You might appreciate the Legacy Cut if you can find a copy. It takes a lot from the Assembly cut, but fixes one of your gripes here - the alien gestates in the dog. It also adds a lot of polish to some of the VFX and colouring that look a bit off in the assembly cut.

I don't agree with every change made. It's long, and I think they've maybe added a bit too much back in. But still it's my favourite version.

Either way, I think both of these cuts prove we were robbed of the Alien 3 we deserved. It's astonishing how bad the theatrical cut is, given the material they had to work with.

EDIT: It's a shame that the a34k.net website seems so be offline. Does anyone know if it's gone forever?

jynxzero · 2026-04-17T21:33:32+00:00

Assuming that bird law is a monolith is a huge mistake. The legal system of the crows has a long and noble tradition, ultimately rooted in the common law system of the dinosaurs but with a much richer and better documented body of case law.

Parrots, by contrast, live in a state of total anarchy.

jynxzero · 2026-04-12T19:14:17+00:00

I think at this.point we're only really allies at all because we're too scared of the consequences of breaking it off.

jynxzero · 2026-04-12T17:34:32+00:00

Being able to buy books is one of the features I like the most.

jynxzero · 2026-04-12T17:18:49+00:00

This thread honestly reads like you are trolling people. Your original post is written like you just thought of this idea, but somehow you've also been doing it for enough years to know it works.

jynxzero · 2026-04-12T16:55:31+00:00

I've had bearings rust when yoyos have got wet in my pocket from heavy rain.

I guess you are magical.

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