u/AppropriateCap8891

While I knew that "Animal Farm" when it was released back in May was a bomb, I had no idea how big of a bomb.

Production cost, $35 million. Box office take, $6.2 million.

And I am one of those that made the choice to not see it at all. I absolutely love the book, and own two versions on video. But the moment I read about the changes in the story, I had absolutely no interest in giving them any of my money for this.

And in an article just released today, Andy explains what went wrong.

>"They just showed such an interest. I think they’re slightly changing the messaging of who they are and are backing films which bring light to the world. I think that’s the way they like to talk about it, or of films that hopefully affect some sort of change. And they really loved it.

>"But we wanted to debate and, boy, did we get a debate in the States. It was from both left and right, and they each had their own particular reason for reviling it. It was criticized for being anti-capitalist. It was criticized for being not anti-communist enough. It seemed to do what we wanted it to do, which was cause a debate, but what it didn’t do was encourage parents to take their children to see it. It literally got something like 60 million hits on the first trailer — and of outrage. It was a very very strange outing."

After $6M Box Office Bomb, Andy Serkis Breaks Silence On Reception Of His Adaptation Of 81-Year-Old Dystopian Novel

And the movie from everything I have read and reviewed was a complete bastadization of the original story. Where they made it anti-capitalist and pro-communist. It is almost as if Oceania had gotten their hands on it and edited it until it was unrecognizable from the original story.

The cope with Hollywood today is almost impossible to comprehend. And if I did not know better that this is simply Hollywood Arrogance, I would almost swear it was done deliberately as a way to discredit the story and discourage people from reading it.

Most people are likely not aware that TMZ is an actual geographical term. It literally stands for "Thirty Mile Zone", an area set up around Hollywood in 1934 that allowed movie companies to film within that distance without having to pay extra to cast and crew for transportation. Film within the TMZ, you pay the same as you would in Hollywood. Film outside the TMZ, you pay extra for the people to get there.

That is why all the "Studio Ranches" were made just inside the TMZ, and locations within that distance have been a mainstay in productions for almost a century. There is also a "Secondary Zone" that extends an additional 10 miles to include places like Palmdale and John Wayne airport that can be used with Union agreement and advanced notice.

So now everybody knows where the online gossip site got their name. And within that zone you can film not only cities, but small rural communities. Beach scenes and scenes up in the mountains or out in the desert. Almost everything can be found in the TMZ.

I see a lot of people posting clips from TV and movies, but one I have never seen referenced is one of the most memorable I think. The late and phenomenal Robert Duvall in "The Great Santini".

And remember, never go to a party without a can of Cream of Mushroom soup.

Note: edited out spelling mistakes