Conflicted

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This weekend was the perfect one to curl up on the bed and read my book. I did some of that between chores, and even though I am looking forward to the ER finale that is on TV tonight, my eyelids are telling me to hit the pillows a bit earlier than normal.

My feeling of being conflicted comes from the news on the front of our paper/website today that says first that Avatar has surpassed Titanic, to be the biggest selling international film ever (which must mean highest earning). Good for them, well done and all that. Great that so many New Zealanders helped work on the film.

Then another article mentions how it was subsidised by New Zealand taxpayers money - $45 million of it. I know they want to attract big budget projects into the country, and I don't know all the ins and outs of the situation. But surely that money could have been better spent? If the government are going to assist Weta Workshops, then their accounts should be available to the public, and if they make a profit out of, which surely they must, then that money should be returned, repaid in full. I know that $45 million is probably a small percentage of the money needed, but hey, there are only 4 million of us, and god knows how big a percentage of us actually earn and pay tax. I bet the Weta Workshop team all have nice houses and drive nice cars. And why was more of our money used for Wolverine and other successful Hollywood movies? Why isn't this money used to help budding kiwi movie makers, instead of established successful and I am sure rich companies?

I wonder why the taxpayers didn't get subsidised tickets? Just saying.