Wanna be filmmakers retell a story in a way that adds absolutely nothing new- I don't understand how so many people get funding for a film, then get corporations to buy in and everyone makes nice fat stacks.
I'm not sure why these new directors choose to add actors to make a story inside of a story- it's pointless, adds nothing to the story, and is an odd direction choice to make when you had a fascinating story on its own without these weird breaks.
That being said, I'm not sure how I feel, especially regarding 'investors'- it's almost like the old adage that's been prescient since the beginning of time has suddenly been seen as unnecessary. NEVER DO BUSINESS OR LOAN FUNDS WITH FAMILY OR FRIENDS. Full stop. No good can come from it and often leads to disastrous outcomes. You would be far better served by throwing money into a paper bag, starting a large fire, then soaking said sack in gasoline, then tossing it on the fire.
The egotistical people surrounding Hollywood has always been obvious, but watching them behave so foolishly without even the most rudimentary due diligence is crazy; family and/or friends were victims because people such as this prey upon that trust and exploit it until the bitter end. I don't understand the mentality of 'oh he had phone calls right in front of me!' when that is one of the easiest and silliest maneuvers to fall for. It takes absolutely no effort to perform perfunctory tasks to research before investing hundreds of thousands (MUCH LESS 1.3 MILLION DOLLARS! WUT?!) that would at least open your eyes to the nonsense yet so many will charge full-steam ahead, and then actually wring their hands and clutch their pearls that they could be victims.
Look, I get it, being a victim sucks. Losing money really is horrifying. But I would suppose this to anyone considering placing themselves into the same position- if you were asked to place a stack of $1000 on the hood of your car and walk away, in the middle of a busy Walmart parking lot, and you were told you would receive $10,000 if you leave it there for 30 minutes, would you? I promise it will be surveilled by armed guards hiding in plain sight and I guarantee it isn't going anywhere! You've known me twenty years, and I'm conducting an experiment on the susceptibility of human nature! There will be film crews all around!
If you would let this happen, just send that money to a homeless shelter, at least it will help someone in an honest way.
Con men/women (yes women will do this, too) is a term short for CONfidence, which operates under the assumption that the criminal will prey on your trust and belief that you're too smart to fall for this. Do not allow someone to turn you into a victim-if they're angry you won't do whatever it is they've asked for, they're not a good person. Their reaction will tell you everything you need to know about their character and intentions.
