Totally. I feel like winning Best Director is your one-time free pass to get a risky project greenlit that normally you could never.

And if those movies don’t smash the box office then maybe, in part, it’s because the director quietly never intended them to be the kind of movies that would.

Fair :)

There’s a time for everything, is my personal take. Sometimes I want a film that will be original and challenge me, but I don’t want that every day.

Sometimes it’s relaxing to know there won’t be any big surprises.

You see Statham on the poster, you know exactly what you are getting.

All movies have a story. This happens, then that happens, then that happens. That’s a story.

But IMO, what often separates a good story from a dull one are the thematic elements.

The theme is the big narrative idea into which everything else slots. It drives the plot. It defines the character’s motivations and creates stakes. It creates tension and makes character’s actions feel like they have purpose.

We need a great story, but good story comes from solid themes.