Sabina Mijatovic – Movies and the Masses

Today’s guest on Movies and the Masses is one of our own faithful readers, Sabina Mijatovic. She’s a native of Croatia, and she recently wrote in to tell me how much she enjoyed Only Good Movies. Never one to pass up an opportunity, I asked her if she’d like to share her views on cinema.

I don’t have a lot of background info to share about Sabina Mijatovic, so I thought I’d provide a few facts about her homeland of Croatia, instead. Never let it be said that you only learn about movies at OGM.

• Croatia is located in central and southeastern Europe. It borders Slovenia and Hungary to the north, Serbia and Montenegro to the east, and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast.
• The capital of Croatia is Zagreb.
• Croatia became a sovereign state by declaring independence on June 25th, 1991.
• The primary religion of Croatia is Roman Catholic. It’s estimated that 88 percent of the population follow this faith.
• Of all the countries in the world, Croatia ranks in the top 20 when it comes to popular tourist destinations.
• Almost half of the population speaks English, according to a survey conducted in 2005. German and Italian are also commonly spoken.
• The most popular sports in Croatia include handball, football (soccer), basketball, tennis, skiing and water polo.
• Croatia is famous for the many national parks that dot its landscape.

And just in case you’re wondering about famous Croatians, I’ve put together a small list of some you might have heard of. While many of these people live and work in Croatia, I’ve also included those who trace their lineage back there.

• Mira Furlan (actress who played Danielle Rousseau on Lost)
• John Malkovich (American actor/director/producer with Croatian bloodlines)
• Bill Belichick (coach of the NFL’s New England Patriots and son of an ethnic Croat)
• Dennis Kucinich (US Representative from Ohio with Croatian heritage)
• Goran Visnjic (actor who portrayed Dr. Luke Kovac on television’s ER)
• Andrew Bogut (NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks, he was born to Croatian parents)
• Krist Novoselic (bassist and co-founder of Nirvana)
• Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic (MMA fighter, police officer, and former member of the Croatian Parliament)
• Pat Miletich (MMA trainer who fought under the nickname of “The Croatian Sensation”)
• Roger Maris (Legendary MLB player and son of Croatian immigrants)
• Werner Herzog (German director/actor/producer/writer with Croatian bloodlines)
• Nick Saban (coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide)

Now that geography class is over with, let’s see what the lovely Sabina Mijatovic has to say for herself. It should be noted, by the way, that I screwed up and sent Sabina the questions for Critical Mass instead of Movies and the Masses.

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie that you remember seeing?
Sabina Mijatovich: Some French movie about couples. The story was a cliché, and I didn’t understand anything about it. Boy meets a girl, they fall in love, they get married, the fights start, and they split. Then I wonder why I’ve run from marriage all this years. Hmm…

OGM: What’s the most recent movie you’ve seen?
SM: District Nine.

OGM: Is there a particular film that you feel is criminally underrated?
SM: Mirror Mask – Gaiman kicks ass and chews bubble gum, and he’s all out of bubble gum.
Six String Samurai – Have to see.
Watchmen – I can’t believe that some people didn’t like this movie. What kinda world do we live in, I ask?
And wait! Princess Bride!! Legendary line: ” My name is…”

OGM: Which director do you feel has turned out the best overall body of work?
SM: Terry Gilliam and Darren Aronofsky.

OGM: From an artistic standpoint, which film do you think is most important?
SM: Uf…errr…The Fountain. Can’t get more serious than that. Maybe Cecil B. Demented. God knows why. Hehehe.

OGM: All artsy considerations aside, which movie is your personal favorite?
SM: It’s actually a series – Cowboy Beebop. As far as a single movie…Cinema Paradiso. I always cry.

OGM: In your opinion, which film is entirely overrated?
SM: Grrrr. Everybody is crazy about Mary. I found nothing crazy about her. Titanic, Armageddon, like…. uf. So many disappointment, so little time.

OGM: Have you ever walked out of the theatre during a film? If so, what movie was playing?
SM: Naaaaah. I respect movies, even the awful ones. If I go to the theatre for a Cecil B. Demented-bad-movie (which is, by the way, an awesome movie), I just pierce my fingers with needles to forget the pain.

OGM: In your mind, what’s the ultimate goal of a movie critic?
SM: Information, opinion, advice.

OGM: Time to look into the future. Do you predict any major changes for the movie industry over the next 25 years?
SM: They’ll get more visceral, less funny, and more existential. If we have the brains.

OGM: Here’s another chance to predict the future. Name a relatively unknown actor or actress who’ll be a huge star within five years.
SM: Wooohuuu. Great for her or him, but everything has a very short expiration period nowadays. Things and people today aren’t made to last. I stick to the old stars and ways. But WAIT. Demetri Martin. Aaaaaaaah. He’s so Beatles!

OGM: Who’s your favorite movie critic to read?
SM: Bwahahaha. Who is your favorite tax collector? Nobody likes a critic. Well, most critics anyway

Thanks again to Sabina Mijatovic for taking part in this edition of Movies and the Masses. Join us again next week for another exciting installment. In the meantime, check out the following links:

• The 100 Best Movie Quotes
• The 100 Greatest Movie Villains
• Top 100 Slasher Horror Movies

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