# Uwe Boll **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 3, 2008, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807 "2008-09-03T03:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![A\_qui\_profite\_le\_crime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@A\_qui\_profite\_le\_crime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_qui_profite_le_crime)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/21 "2008-09-05T14:36:17Z")
Nice disclaimer. Seconded for an addition of “You’ve been warned. No refunds, rent at your own risk” I agree with **Half Man Half Wit**. According to Uwe Boll’s wikipedia page, he is not exploiting a loophole in the tax law, he’s using it exactly as intended. If the movie loses money, then you get a tax write off. > [@](#): > > […]he was actually one of the few directors to use the tax shelter as intended. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uwe\_boll](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uwe_boll) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/22 "2008-09-05T15:17:50Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Through a loophole in German tax law, Boll’s films are tax shelters for his investors . . . but only if they’re flops. Wait a minnit! They _have_ to be flops? That explains a lot, but it’s starting to sound like a real-life _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/23 "2008-09-05T18:59:08Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Wait a minnit! They _have_ to be flops? That explains a lot, but it’s starting to sound like a real-life _A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum_. I was gonna say a real-life Producers, especially since Germans are involved. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/24 "2008-09-05T20:56:01Z")
I’ve heard there _was_ an actual loophole, but it was closed after his first or second film, and he didn’t intentionally exploit it. It’s just a good story. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/25 "2008-09-05T23:45:57Z")
But Uwe Boll isn’t the worst writer-director in the world. Stevan Mena is. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/26 "2008-09-05T23:51:55Z")
> [@A\_qui\_profite\_le\_crime](#): > > I agree with **Half Man Half Wit**. According to Uwe Boll’s wikipedia page, he is not exploiting a loophole in the tax law, he’s using it exactly as intended. If the movie loses money, then you get a tax write off. The reason I’m gonna continue to call it a loophole is that I sincerely doubt the \*intention \*of the law was to produce _more flops_. “Using it as intended” simply means he’s working within the law. Like . . . a loophole. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/27 "2008-09-06T05:54:54Z")
> [@mobo85](#): > > I was gonna say a real-life Producers, especially since Germans are involved. D’oh! You’re right. I was thinking Zero Mostel and conflated the two. I plead pre-caffeine. ---
**Author:** ![A\_qui\_profite\_le\_crime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@A\_qui\_profite\_le\_crime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_qui_profite_le_crime)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/28 "2008-09-06T06:56:09Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > The reason I’m gonna continue to call it a loophole is that I sincerely doubt the \*intention \*of the law was to produce _more flops_. “Using it as intended” simply means he’s working within the law. Like . . . a loophole. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Robin\_Goodfellow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Robin\_Goodfellow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robin_Goodfellow)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/29 "2008-09-06T07:24:55Z")
> [@Arnold\_Winkelried](#): > > You need to throw in something about Mr. Boll defending his reputation against movie critics in the boxing ring, and the movie critics being trounced by Mr. Boll’s fists of fury. Unless, of course, the [critics are shown](http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3154304) to actually have more fighting experience than Boll himself. > [@Seanbaby](#): > > Uwe, learning that he wasn’t fighting a midget, asked for my age, height, weight, and fighting experience. I e-mailed this information, along with the reassurance that the Holocaust survivors got together and agreed he was the worst thing to come out of Germany. I figured this would make him mad enough to ignore that I’m several weight classes above him in F-List Celebrity Boxing. It didn’t. After reading my stats, he suddenly couldn’t make it on the show. There was a short discussion of flying me to the set of Postal, but I’m not holding my breath. Uwe is the one making the Nerd Combat rules, and rule No. 1 is: Uwe only hits people who don’t explode Uwe’s face when they hit back. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/30 "2008-09-06T19:01:47Z")
I once had dinner with Uwe Boll (ooo, there’s a movie! “My Dinner With Uwe”). He seemed like a nice enough fellow. He had a pretty impressive knowledge of film, and really seemed to love what he does. He genuinely has no idea just how incompetent he is as a filmmaker. In his mind, we’re all wrong, and he’s a genius. But, on the other hand, he did pick up the dinner tab. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/31 "2008-09-06T21:22:03Z")
No loo-vay for Uwe around here, huh? I wouldn’t mind seeing a documentary of Uwe Boll and Andre Gregory having dinner together… could be erudite and witty conversation, could be a no-rules-barred cage match. [checking with Wiki] Andre Gregory’s still alive, but he’s 74. Maybe Boll could fight with his right arm tied behind his back, or something. I’m having a tough time believing that his movies are really as bad as everyone says they are, but then I haven’t seen any. Can you guys recommend one to somebody who usually has no interest whatsoever in superheroes, other comic book characters, or torture-porn flicks? ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/32 "2008-09-06T22:04:24Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I’ve heard there _was_ an actual loophole, but it was closed after his first or second film, and he didn’t intentionally exploit it. It’s just a good story. The “loophole” existed for several years and closed in 2005. Unfortunately I can’t explain the details (and it is surprisingly hard to find good explanations of obsolete tax law) but as far as I can tell it wasn’t all that spectacular. The general idea was that these film funds generated huge losses initially and at the time you could offset those against any other income, lowering your taxes significantly. Later you had to pay taxes on profits from this investment but those were generated in smaller increments at a later time. Apparently because of the tax effects it was worth it even when the real return on investment was rather poor. Besides a few funds that made actual profit the old-fashioned way there were some where the real business was pretty unimpressive and everything was about the tax effects. In addition to that film funds were a notorious investment fad in the twilight years of the dotcom bubble and shortly afterwards and many simply lost money. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/33 "2008-09-06T23:07:09Z")
> [@Anamorphic](#): > > I once had dinner with Uwe Boll (ooo, there’s a movie! “My Dinner With Uwe”). He seemed like a nice enough fellow. He had a pretty impressive knowledge of film, and really seemed to love what he does. He genuinely has no idea just how incompetent he is as a filmmaker. In his mind, we’re all wrong, and he’s a genius. > > But, on the other hand, he did pick up the dinner tab. There’s an extra feature on the Bloodrayne DVD called “Dinner with Uwe,” where two semiretarded fanwankers asked him stupid questions through mouthfuls of Thai food. He comes off as, yes, knowledgeable, but also a real idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Rachael\_Rage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71c47a/32.png) [@Rachael\_Rage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachael_Rage)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/34 "2008-09-07T01:21:20Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > Can you guys recommend one to somebody who usually has no interest whatsoever in superheroes, other comic book characters, or torture-porn flicks? I think the point is that these films cannot be recommended for _anyone_. Therefore, take your pick. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/35 "2008-09-07T01:24:09Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > There’s an extra feature on the Bloodrayne DVD called “Dinner with Uwe,” where two semiretarded fanwankers asked him stupid questions through mouthfuls of Thai food. He comes off as, yes, knowledgeable, but also a real idiot. There are people who are un-ironically fans of him? The world is a strange place. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/36 "2008-09-07T02:20:14Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > I think the point is that these films cannot be recommended for _anyone_. Therefore, take your pick. Definitely. There’s a review of _Heart of America_ that calls it “Hands down Uwe Boll’s best movie”–and gives it one star. A case could be made that it is, in fact, his best, but it’s also a terrible movie. It’s the exploitation flick based on the Columbine shootings. There’s a scene where the football team rapes a retarded girl, and the scene is shot for maximum boob-view. \*Bloodrayne \*is immensely entertaining, but mostly because you’re like–wait, that doesn’t make any sense at ALL–or the hilariousness of the clunky editing, which makes it feel like the MadTV parodies of the _Dolomite movies. Or the extremely amateurish–but enthusiastic–gore effects. Kind of a straight-faced Evil Dead._ It’s a fascinating study in how NOT to make a movie. Same goes for _Alone in the Dark_. Just, like, wow. First off, Tara Reid plays a scientist. Nuff said, right? Plus–OK, they want to show that there’s a problem with the electrical systems in the museum where most of the movie takes place. Mostly so they can shoot in the shadows, I think. But then, for “effect,” the set is lit by wildly flashing and waving lights, like a disco floor. I think we’re supposed to think that the display spotlights have gone crazy or something. Or more likely, we’re not sposed to think anything at all. \*In the Name of the King \*is not as entertainingly bad; it’s about as boring as a medieval swordfight movie could possibly be. Not ever Jason Statham can breathe any life into it. _Postal_–now, \*Postal \*is a masterpiece of outrageous bad taste. It’s clunkily made; it’s basically a catalogue of anti-PC outrages. It feels a bit perfunctory–kind of like what made \*It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia \*wear thin; you could just see them going down the list of cliche outrages: Nazis, check; child molesters, check. Pretty much the same outrages are checked off in Postal, but it has the added frisson of Dave Foley’s first full frontal, and Verne Troyer getting gang raped by chimpanzees. Again I say, masterpiece. Run, don’t walk. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/37 "2008-09-07T04:21:12Z")
> [@The\_Scrivener](#): > > I’m having a tough time believing that his movies are really as bad as everyone says they are, but then I haven’t seen any. Can you guys recommend one to somebody who usually has no interest whatsoever in superheroes, other comic book characters, or torture-porn flicks? **Alone in the Dark** was only half as bad as everyone says. I was able to watch it all the way through without praying for death as a reprieve. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807/38 "2008-09-07T05:57:26Z")
> [@Robin\_Goodfellow](#): > > Unless, of course, the [critics are shown](http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3154304) to actually have more fighting experience than Boll himself. I love the first line of that article: > [@](#): > > Uwe Boll makes terrible movies. Anyone who tells you otherwise is Uwe Boll. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uwe-boll/461807.md?page=1)