Let’s cut the crap and get straight to the point with this one. This is my second report about Angelina Jolie‘s directorial debut In The Land of Blood and Honey and some readers are probably wondering why the hell am I still writing about this movie. I recevied a letters from Filmtrophy readers (mostly Serbian ppl) who are (as you can see in a comments section of the first text) very upset about the whole thing, and more than ready to boycott a premiere of this movie in Belgrade, scheduled for February 23rd, 2012.

There were a few readers who said that this story is a complete bullshit, probably because when nobody except some small movie website like FT is writing about things like this – then it’s a totall disaster, bullshit, lies, just us trying to get a little bit of attention, etc…

Well for all you out there who actually think THAT’s what we’re trying to achieve with this reports, here’s my message – I don’t give a shit! They also say I stick to translation of some unconfirmed sources from Serbian press, and that this is a complete waste of time. Ok, I have a plenty of free time, so shoot me! Instead of writing about hot Hollywood super-heroes, Avengers, vampires and zombies, I’ve decided to research this blood & honey (aka “lies & money”) subject. If you have any problem with my decision – please leave this website. Immediately, I say!

Ok, so after my first report, where I shared some quotes from the Serbian press, people came to me and said – well done, thank you, it really means a lot to us… Then, the next day, some folks came here and said – look, thanks for the support, but please don’t talk about something you simply don’t understand, you’re doing us no favor just by citing some trash newspapers who fight with some imaginary Twitter accounts, it’s just ridiculous. They were right. I’ll stop with that. I promise.

But, as you see, here I am again. No press quotes. No imaginary accounts. I want to see some facts this time. And you won’t believe what I’ve found. A press conference for Jolie’s movie, which I saw earlier (as most of the movie-freaks). It’s just that it was … well, let’s say – quite boring then, I admit! But now? Wooo-hoo, trust me, this is a really fun press conference! Here’s why…

First of all, I’m sure most of the Serbs recognize Mr. Tom Gjelten. But if you, my dear reader, are not so familiar with his name, here’s a little description of Mr.Gjelten work:

He is a veteran correspondent for NPR News, specializing in national security and international affairs. His overseas reporting experience include stints in Mexico City as NPR’s Latin America correspondent from 1986 to 1990 and in Berlin as Central Europe correspondent from 1990 to 1994. During those years, he covered the wars in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Colombia, as well as the Gulf War of 1990-1991 and the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

Impressive stuff, indeed. Anyway, what’s interesting about this conference is that Mr. Gjelten at one moment said that all who had a chance to watch this movie, had all been very touched by Angelina’s story, they will all carry a strong impression, no matter if they’re in New York City or Sarajevo. Wait, wait, wait – and what about the crowd in Belgrade? I mean, Mr. Gjelten says – what you see in this movie is what you get, it really happened, “he saw all of that”! What a man… I’m sure all Serbs would love to hear where was he during the NATO agression against Serbia, in 1999?

People in Serbia, who were “lucky” enough to see this movie, mostly say they left before it even ended. Why? Well, here’s their impression – they’re shocked! Angie, Angie, they just can’t believe you did something like this! Humanitarian – my ass, they say! They think you must have skipped some history lessons, they think you picked the wrong scenarists (their executioners) for your movie, they think you did an awfull thing to Serbia! Like it’s not enough that every time you write the word Serbs on Google, it immediately recommends:

(Hey, at least you’re tall, crazy ppl!)

And even though during this press conference the whole team of Angelina Jolie‘s movie sticked to words like “this movie has nothing to do with the politics”, Mr. Gjelten tried to touch the audience with some personal traumas of the actors. But here’s an interesting thing, they all had quite strong impressions about the war subject, except Nikola Djuricko, Serbian actor who simply answered he was in Belgrade during the war (and where else, you funny man?), and that he studied for ten years in order to escape the battlefiled. Yeah, way to go man!

It’s quite logical we all now feel compassion for Bosnian actors, who were mostly in basements (but some basements in Slovenia, New York and London), and BOOM – all of the sudden THEY are all the part of the cast that Angelina Jolie just adores. Hey, they did all of the scenes twice, you can’t blame her!

When asked if this movie is actually a “Romeo & Juliet” love story, Jolie said that it’s a simplified description. Anyone confused? It’s not a love story, but it’s also not a political story? Then, what the hell is this movie about?

It’s definitely “not” about the politics, and here’s the proof:

Mercury Scriptum: It’s really unbelievable that, until now, no serious director had guts to deal with Yugoslav War. Except, of course, Angelina Jolie. She really made an awesome cartoon. Congratulations, Angie! You’ve only managed to open Serbia’s and Bosnia’s old vulns. But, at the end, another little message for Serbs – don’t worry, we hate Angelina’s movies too, it’s not like this is going to be a blockbuster! Or, maybe it’s better to hear what Ricky Gervais has to say about her work!