Hooray For Big Hollywood
by Andrew KlavanWhen it comes to deploring the leftist hegemony in Hollywood, I can deplore with the best of them. It stinks that America-bashing and God-bashing and military- and capitalism-bashing—the usual cowardly leftist conformism parading itself as courage—continue to alienate audiences and turn many films into predictable ideological yawnfests.
But because our dishonest media hypes this half-baked tripe while ignoring or attacking top-flight material that does not walk the lefty line, we may sometimes miss the good news slowly becoming apparent all around us: the conservative revolution is already underway; we’re winning and we’ll win.
Have a look at some of the great things that have happened recently at the multiplex. Spider-Man 3, a pro-American, pro-responsibility film with deeply Christian overtones topped the box office in 2007. 300, which said a lot that needed to be said about the war on terror, came in at number ten. Even more amazing, the Oscar winner for the year was No Country for Old Men, a decidedly conservative film that linked the evil of its nihilist serial killer to the decline of morals since the 1960’s. “Once you stop hearing sir or ma’am,” says the film’s lone moral voice, “the rest [of the evil] will follow.”
It was pretty much the same this year. Top of the box office so far: the blatantly pro-war on terror Dark Knight. The Christian Prince Caspian is at number eleven. The pro-abstinence Twilight is currently at sixteen and still hot. And perhaps most delightfully, and of course most ignored by the MSM: the Christian pro-marriage film Fireproof, despite suffering from its shoestring budget, still out-performed such favorites of our media elites as W, Religulous and Stop-Loss.
Now yes, it’s aggravating that good values have to go disguised as super heroes or vampires or Spartans while those who hate America and God can speak out plain. But if liberals in the arts sometimes bully conservatives into silence, it’s partly because conservatives let it happen. When the people whose welfare policies helped destroy the black family call us racist, we cower. When the people whose sexual revolution helped spread the plagues of divorce and STD’s call us sexist, we quail. When the people who blame 9/11 on America call us warmongers, we get defensive.
Well, to hell with that. They’re full of it. We ought to spit in their collective eye.
We’re beginning to get that idea. The very existence of this website is evidence of it. Andrew Breitbart’s not afraid of these clowns. Neither is John Nolte. Neither are the rest of us who’ll be blogging here. And I’m willing to bet that once we start talking out loud, there’ll be more of us and then more.
Because here’s the thing: It matters. The right to individual liberty is the greatest gift with which our Creator endowed us. It is immeasurably more important than some so-called Common Good as defined by intellectuals or politicians; more important than political correctness; more important than being loved by the rest of the world. A small band of brilliant dead white men bequeathed to all of us a machine for preserving this right: America and its Constitution. It’s a wonderful machine and it has to be defended in every generation. Sometimes, sadly, it has to be defended with the guns of our military. One day, it may have to be defended with the gun you have in your house. But always—every day—each of us has to stand up for it in our thoughts and with our words.
The movies are one of our most powerful tools for depicting ourselves to the world and to each other. The conservative revolution is not about turning films into pro-American propaganda. Not at all. We simply want to fight back against the distortions of spoiled, bitter, ignorant people who curry favor with cultural elites by undermining our belief in the project of liberty. We want to tell and hear honest stories of what it’s like to live here, stories in which qualities like virtue, faith, honor, manhood and womanhood take their rightful place as good things to be cherished.
The movies—the arts in general—exist to provide us with a sense of who we are. It was an honest sense of America that once made American movies great. We only have to recover that sense, and they can be great again.
So hooray for Hollywood. Let’s go take it back.
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106 Comments
Let me be one of the first to congratulate Andrew Breitbart for bringing us Big Hollywood. I’m migrating from Dirty Harry’s Place and I look forward to hearing more from those like John Nolte who share his (and my) views and values.
And to Andrew Klavan, thank you for not holding back.
And to all those in harm’s way – thank you for your service.
God bless America!
Woo hoo! First post!
I agree wholeheartedly, Mr. Klavan. Though I am but an insignificant commenter, I’ll do my infinitesimal part to help this little project work…by commenting every now and then.
Good day, and good luck.
Wow, this one gave me a chill! Great read! I love the war cry! I’m with you, Mr. Klavan!
Right on Mr.Klavan!Conservatives need to fight back before we lose all relevance.We are NOT a tiny minority destined to cringe in the shadows.We need to speak up and be heard,make ourselves heard.Too long have we let the left define us as on the “wrong”side.Too long have we surrendered the entertainment industry to the left.From now on we must stand our grand and even advance on all fields.Right is on our side and we must show confidence in our convictions.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for finally speaking out and giving the rest of us out here in “the real world” hope for Hollywood and entertainment. It’s hard to not want to throw the TV out the window, boycott the movies, and stop listening to the radio when all we hear is anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-common sense boundaries for life from the entertainment industry. Most of us are sick of people who maybe graduated from high school, but who make millions for doing one movie a year, telling those of us with college degrees (with the student loans to prove it) who work everyday of our lives so we can maybe own a house and send our own kids to college someday, that we are too stupid to really understand what is going on so they’ll tell us what we should be thinking and who we should be giving our money to. It’s past time they know THEY are the miniority in this country, THEY are the ones being laughed at, THEY are the ones too stupid and blind to understand what is really going on.
I am glad to read this article and to see this site since it was looking like all articulation, reason, and sense had been lost west of Arizona and east of the Potomac. I’ll stop wishing that global warming was true and the ice caps would melt so that those coasts would go away.
Thank you!
(Sorry, the moderation machine ate my other comment…If this double-posts, I apologize.)
I agree wholeheartedly, Mr. Klavan. Though I am but an insignificant commenter, I’ll do my infinitesimal part to help this little project work…by commenting every now and then.
Good day, and good luck.
Amen!!
I can’t wait to see what happens because of people like you, Mr. Klavan, and places like Big Hollywood.
My first post at big Hollywood! I am one of the migrants from Dirty Harry’s Place Good article, Andrew, and excellent point about No Country for Old Men.
Also, two other huge hits of 2008 had some conservative themes: Iron Man, for its relatively positive portrayal of the US military and US industry (as well as having some politically incorrect villains) and Indy IV, in its harsh portrayal of the Soviet Union and Collectivism in general
Thank you for starting this site. Liberalism withers when a mirror is held up to it.
The box office has been encouraging, but I wouldn’t call it “winning” yet. The conservative demographic hasn’t been served well and concentrates where it gets any, same as the popularity of the atheist books or a Howard Stern premiere. The fact that the country tolerated this total decline for decades can’t be minimized.
Nor do I think any religion can claim monopoly of the values in Spider-Man 3.
The issues of liberty and values should each be featured, the latter is not a subset and is equally vital to civilization.
Otherwise, this is a clear and bold summation of the industry situation.
Better movies can help re-popularize themselves in a feed-back loop.
“Once you stop hearing sir or ma’am,” says the film’s lone moral voice, “the rest [of the evil] will follow.”
I’d like to see a lot less of the Hollywood Right walking all over that with severely too much Howard Stern tastes.
Cheers
Interesting comments regarding No Country For Old Men. I’ve heard other conservative critics (most notably Steven Greydanus of decentfilms.com) who only saw the nihilism, not the Cohen’s condemnation of it.
Mr. Klavan, Breitbart, Nolte et al,
Hear! Hear!
This site is a long-overdue declaration to fight the good fight for Hollywood, the key shaper of our culture.
A lesser point but it has always perplexed me: How can an industry that shows contempt for half its audience expect to thrive? Even if you disregard the meanness, the small-mindedness, the prejudice of the Hollywood attitude, you have to wonder: Who considers that a sound business plan?
More important, why has it taken the other side so long to stand up?
No matter. Now the fight is engaged. The cause is just, and half the country, if not more, is on our side.
It’s a new day dawning. I want in.
I do think “Fireproof” (and “Face the Giants” before it) offer a very encouraging possibility of a trend for individuals or groups (a church in this case) to make their own films and bring them to the culture. They’re not just waiting around for Hollywood to change.
(Traffic Cop Timmy, Plissken79, what is this ‘Dirty Harry’s Place’ you speak of? It sounds like a wonderous site.)
Sir,
I don’t even know where to start with respectfully disagreeing with some of your points in this article. As a Christian, Film School Graduate, American, comic book nerd and yes, a liberal I would like to make a few points.
“the blatantly pro-war on terror Dark Knight”
Yes, Batman was against the Joker. The Joker represented terrorist and his acts were that of terrorism. Batman was determined to stop him as that was both his mission and purpose. However, the film cautioned against both giving into the Joker’s demands and losing your moral compass.
In reality we have seen an administration that shreds or whites out certain elements of our constitution to “preserve freedom” against the terrorist. We have seen our government torture “enemy combatants” in order to “keep us safe.” The scene in which Lucius Fox is prepared to quit because Batman has taken control over the sonar project and used it to monitor the whole city was a comment on the Bush Administration. Not
only that but Batman knew it was wrong as evident when we see that he had always planned to destroy the machine when Lucius entered his name and it exploded. As for torture, well Batman refused to kill the Joker even though that would have stopped him for good.
So while the film was “pro-war on terror” it was not without exploring the cautions and moral traps of fighting such a war.
“Now yes, it’s aggravating that good values have to go disguised as super heroes or vampires or Spartans while those who hate America and God can speak out plain”
Again, as a Christian and an artist I love the use of having to search for the metaphors. They remind me of the Parables which used metaphors to explain the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus could have plainly told us what he wanted to say but instead he “disguised it” as stories about landowners, fathers, widows, and the like, he didn’t make it simple.
The rest of this post contains angry words and phrases to be used towards “liberals.” You sir, clearly want to fight a culture war and your rifle is ready. Now, I’m not so naive as to not realize that there is a culture war, I just chose not to fight. I try to adapt to it and understand the culture to still talk about the Kingdom. I noticed that Christ never shunned the culture but instead used it to spread his message.
If we fight a war we will lose. If we work together we both can win. you appear to like the simple and easy answers. Forgive me for being blunt but your “simple” take on The Dark Knight is my evidence. That film alone is dense and murky with it’s themes.
Your take on liberals is just as simple. I fear with these lenses you will never see any solution that you will give you peace.
With Respect,
Jake VanKersen
Jake,
While I most certainly disagree with you on politics, and much of the premise of your analysis, I must thank you for coming to Big Hollywood and eloquently stating your contrary opinion and putting your actual name to it. I hope that others will follow your lead.
Please come back.
Best,
Andrew Breitbart
Jake VanKersen,
I would like to answer your comments on “The Dark Knight” and on Klavan’s supposedly “simple” approach. This is not at all a reflection on you as a person.
The moral murkiness of what Batman had to do to stop the Joker is exactly the point of the movie. While there was a clear, unambiguous evil to be fought, it wasn’t at all clear how to destroy it. It certainly wasn’t easy.
Secondly, search out an earlier article by Klavan called “What Bush and Batman Have in Common.” Here are two illustrative quotes:
“Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don’t always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless.”
“The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them — when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love…[t]hat’s real moral complexity. And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised — then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror.”
With these, you cannot accuse Klavan of liking “simple and easy answers.” Such answers are the hallmark of the utopian thinking that gave rise to Fascism and Communism. We, as a people know what is good, but actually doing it is not easy at all.
- Kendama
Another emigre from Dirty Harry’s Place.
Klavan’s article is essentially the war cry of Big Hollywood.
Sad to see Dirty Harry’s place fade to black, but happy to see Big Hollywood here!
Jake:
“Shreds or whites out certain elements of our constitution”? I see you have your own angry phrases to use. Please. Perhaps it was never in the constitution in the first place, until some justice indulged themselves and wrote it into the emanation of a penumbra?
Anyway, more to the point, the entrenched liberal Hollywood elite is not going to just wake up and give conservative voices a fair shake. We don’t have to “win” the culture war, we only have to fight for our place at the table of ideas in Hollywood. We might presume your good faith (that’s a bit punny, forgive me), Jake, but I don’t think you are representative of the Hollywood mindset.
“Now yes, it’s aggravating that good values have to go disguised as super heroes or vampires or Spartans while those who hate America and God can speak out plain. But if liberals in the arts sometimes bully conservatives into silence, it’s partly because conservatives let it happen. When the people whose welfare policies helped destroy the black family call us racist, we cower. When the people whose sexual revolution helped spread the plagues of divorce and STD’s call us sexist, we quail. When the people who blame 9/11 on America call us warmongers, we get defensive.
Well, to hell with that. They’re full of it. We ought to spit in their collective eye.”
I love it!
Grabbed me by the throat and throttled me into a political frenzy. Great writing Andrew.
Jake: “I’m not so naive as to not realize that there is a culture war, I just chose not to fight. I try to adapt to it and understand the culture..
Ohhh, Jake, I just have this mental image of you standing in front of the firing squad and, as their fingers press the triggers, you scream ‘I UNDERSTAND your pain!’. Frankly, honey, I’m not sure how one can ‘adapt’ to a hole in the chest but, hey, it’s your chest.
I, on the other hand, am choosing to fight. Yeah, it’s messy and it most definitely is not simple. It is also hard and it is lonely. But that is the price of good and I choose to pay that price.
The current culture of Hollywood is determined to destroy what I believe in. I am going to fight it. To begin with, I boycott films and everything associated with them that defile my beliefs. I also spend every dime I have on the films that DO promote what I believe in (which is why I bought two tickets off Fandango for ‘Christmas Carol’ even though I never used either of them, etc.) I also haunt sites that promote and uphold my beliefs – which is why my busy little fingers are typing on this site. Finally, I’m writing a screenplay which has Christians and soldiers as the good guys, etc. (You know, every bit helps.)
Look, Jake, I know fighting for what you believe in is scary as hell. But the alternative isn’t something I’m going to ‘adapt’ to.
Have a nice day, hon. (Please remember to duck.)
Bravo, Andrew! So good to hear from you, again. (I’m one of the many fans you gained after your “Uncommon Knowledge” interview…we corresponded a couple of times.) I am beyond thrilled about Big Hollywood, and even happier to see that you will be a regular blogger here. I agree that culture is more important than politics when it comes to preserving all that’s great about this country. And I also agree that things may be getting better. I saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last weekend, and found it beautiful and full of traditional virtues. And unlike many critics, I actually found WALL-E to be one of the best conservative movies this year. I wrote about that in the alternative newsweekly I edit here in Beaufort, South Carolina, where in my own small way, I’m trying to fight the same battle you, Mr. Breitbart, and company have taken on. (Here’s the link. http://www.lcweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=647&Itemid=94) I wish you all great success, and plan to drop in regularly. Keep the faith!
Jake,
While I thought your post to be thoughtful, a statement you used caught my eye, namely “I noticed that Christ never shunned the culture but instead used it to spread his message”.
When Jesus was literally throwing out the money changers from the temple, it seemed to me he was reacting quite strongly and correctly to the “culture”. Evidently it was accepted at the time to do business in the temple, or he personally wouldn’t throw them out.
That Jesus often made veiled and not so veiled rebukes of the Pharisees and Saducees, (polite Jewish society at the time), seems to me another example of directly shunning the culture of the time. That those same folks demanded his later crucifixion is not an accident.
My feeling is that Christ was indeed actively shunning the “culture” of his time and for all the right reasons.
I believe it is important that those of good and honest motives stand up for morality and our Constitution without blind obeisance to the flamethrowing left and their propoganda arm of film and news media.
Godspeed to Mr. Breitbart and his cause!
Carolyn, just for fun, compare the tone and content of your response to Jake, and the response offered by the site founder, Andrew Breitbart.
Thanks.
Just wanted to stop by and congratulate you on this new website! Did you actually say “Creator” w/a big C? **applause**.
I want all you administrators at Big Hollywood to know that you have my support and prayers (Christian or not). I would like to see more movies that I don’t have to wait till it comes out on DVD and use my curse free TV equipment. Or have to FF sex scenes. I would GLADLY pay $8.00 to go see a moralistic movie (are you listening Hollywood?). I was one that went to go see Fireproof mainly because it was a conservative movie! Again,thank you Big Hollywood for standing up. I look forward to visiting your website in the future.
As for torture, well Batman refused to kill the Joker even though that would have stopped him for good.
Actually, that would be for murder, not torture. Torture is reading through the various loopholes that some create in order to attempt to bring together things that are in different universes.
Audrey –
Just a quick question – do you actually use equipment to mute (or dub) profanities in movies? I’m not nitpicking and I respect your decision but I have to say, if I made a movie with a few mild curse words, I wouldn’t want to necessarily let someone simply edit them out at their leisure. I know one school of thought says: once the movie’s out there, it’s ours (see: fan edits of the Star Wars films, etc.) but something about the whole idea makes me uncomfortable, respectfully-speaking of course.
Sure, some films make me cringe (I just watched Basic Instinct and I had to look away during the murders) but I knew what I was getting into.
And I’ve said this before: while it depends on the film, if you have The Godfather and edit out the profanity and violence, that doesn’t necessarily make it a family-friendly film all of a sudden either.
ISO Sorry..
I posted and evidently IT was’nt up to YOUR Ideas? Was’nt a Democratic Statement,BUT about OUR Troops.SO Censorship abound’s,In Hollywood & here..SO SAD…
SO Sorry..
I posted and evidently IT was’nt up to YOUR Ideas? Was’nt a Democratic Statement,BUT about OUR Troops.SO Censorship abound’s,In Hollywood & here..SO SAD…
Carolyn,
Are we talking about a culture battle or a moral battle? Neither one will be won by man Carolyn, we are just salt of the Earth. The “hole in my chest” won’t be healed by my efforts either.
Now if it is moral than I will do everything I can do for Kingdom building because that is my charge. If it is cultural well I choose not to fight it’s a waste of energy. If something is completely against my moral beliefs I will not partake and even try to subvert it. For instance the pastors at XXXChurch are against pornography but they don’t shun it. Instead with prayer and compassion they reach out into the adult film industry by going to conventions and having personal relationships with Porn Actors to bring them to Christ. They don’t shun them, they “understand their pain.”
I do not understand how buying tickets for a movie you aren’t going to helps anybody. If a movie is made poorly but has a good message who is going to see it. If a movie is made great but has a poor message people will probably see it. But if it is a great movie with a great moral message then it might do some good. I say this because you are writing a movie with Christians and soldiers as the good guys. That’s great but if that’s all you have going for it then I might rework it a little bit. Also, I can’t think of many movies were “soldiers” are presented as bad guys unless they are bad people, is that a blanket rule. It might be against the war in Iraq but not the soldiers. Anyway, sometimes great moral lessons come from stories where people do bad moral things, like King David for instance. Sadly, “Christian Film” has a bad rap for this reason. It has become a synonym for bad films, like low budget horror films. Poor stories, poor production values, and poor acting.
I recommend the following two books as food for thought on this subject.
“How Movies Helped Save My Soul” by Garreth Higgins and “Behind the Screen” by various working Christian professionals from mainstream media.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Movies-Helped-Saved-Soul/dp/0971457697/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231265040&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Screen-Hollywood-Insiders-Culture/dp/080106547X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231265138&sr=1-1
Good luck with all your efforts.
Jake
Another migrant from Dirty Harry’s site.
Very glad this site has appeared.
Looks very good.
The Left has taken over, not the means of production, but the means of communication.
And in a free country, this is amazing. But true.
“Top of the box office so far… The Christian Prince Caspian is at number eleven.”
No small feat for The Chronicles of Narnia sequel, yet Disney felt that wasn’t enough, and they passed on any further films in the series. Talk about pulling a Plaxico…
Ive been waiting to hear a message like this for years coming from Hollywood.
God bless you Andrew, lets hope you are just the tip of the iceberg!
Beautiful cut at the ball, Andrew Klavan. Line drive straight up the middle for a stand-up double! I particularly like your metaphor of the American Constitution as the ‘machine for liberty’. Love that. Despite the haters who want to throw sand in the gears and switch around the wiring, we should all make sure it keeps running true. Godspeed to ya, sir. –GG
[and Jake...God bless ya, pal -- but grow a pair! "If we fight a war we will lose. If we work together we both can win." Please. Chamberlain thought the same group-hug approach would stop Hitler. We should work together with a Jihad bent on slitting our collective throats? You first, I'm right behind you -- with an M-4. Study your history and learn from it, ma man. Or the 'fighters' will have to spill their blood saving you... and the French...again.]
Gosh Jake. I think it depends on what part of the culture is offensive. I think a lot of people in Britain are not too happy that they have spent a decade or more “adapting” to the influence of Islam and radical Moslems in their country. Is that moral or cultural with you? How do you tell? When do you adapt and when do you fight?
Here, Here! Excellent article, Mr. Klavan, I look forward to reading more of your op-ed’s.
I’d like to submit the TV show Chuck as an example of non-liberal programming. It’s anti-terror, the main character does his duty, even to his own detriment, and there’s even a photo of Ronald Reagan in one character’s condo!
Amen.
This Country needs to return to conservative values. I for one have had enough of lefty “Toilet Humor”.
This is an awesome bit of writing Mr. Klavan. You all can count on me for moral support. The moment you realize you have nothing to fear from these people is the moment you gain the upper hand.
Great article Mr. Klavan! Another Dirty Harry immigrant here (perfectly legal too, I assure you). Glad to see Big Hollywood up and running. Looking forward to more of this.
Just wanted to say one thing to Jake about the “anti-Bush” subtext in the cell phone scene in Batman.
When Fox first learns of the device, he is horrified. He does intend to resign over it. But ultimately he comes to agree with Batman that it is necessary. He runs it for Batman. But only while it is still necessary to track the Joker. Once the conflict ends and the system is no longer necessary, it is destroyed.
Seems to me that the movie is coming down on the side of the President there. During horrible times fighting against an enemy like the Joker or al-Qeada, some times you have to do things that you wouldn’t otherwise. But you need to remember that these are temporary measures, justified only by the extrodinary circumstances. It seemed to me that Bush, just like Batman, tried to walk that line very carefully.
Andrew’s here? Excellent. You can’t hear me, but I said that like I’m straight outta Wayne’s World.
I still miss Dirty Harry’s Place, but this is getting cooler and cooler.
Jake: Are we talking about a culture battle or a moral battle? Neither one will be won by man..
Jake, I’m confused. You seem to be saying that man can NOT battle for culture or morals. Yet in the next sentence you contradict yourself and say you will do battle – i.e., ’subvert’ it. You even give an example of a church battling the immorality of the porn culture by reaching out to porn actors of that sad, sick industry in order to bring them to Christ (a wonderful act which I totally and completely applaud). But it’s confusing. I mean, it’s as if you’re fighting but you don’t want to call it that.
I do not understand how buying tickets for a movie you aren’t going to helps anybody.
Let me explain. I do not see films in theaters (noise pollution, price, etc.), instead I wait for them to come out on DVD. But by buying two tickets for the theater anyway (doesn’t matter if my two tickets were used, only that they were bought) puts money into the distributor’s pocket which shows him (and Hollywood) that conservative films can make a profit. Ergo, my two tickets accomplished what I intended – i.e., allowed me to put my money where my mouth was by supporting a film whose beliefs I support.
I can’t think of many movies were “soldiers” are presented as bad guys..
Well, maybe it’s just me but I can’t see how “Valley of Elah”, “Lions for Lambs”, “Rendition”, “Grace is Gone”, “Redacted”, etc., presented our soldiers as good. You know, as in intelligent (being a soldier is a smart decision), decent (ditto), well-adjusted (don’t dig foxholes in their front lawns), etc. I’ll be honest – if someone were to make the argument those films only portrayed the WAR as bad and NOT the soldiers who fought in them – well, I’m sorry but I would regard that as parsing words, playing ducks and drakes.
So, Jake, we’ll just agree to disagree.
Harley: Carolyn, just for fun, compare the tone and content of your response to Jake, and the response offered by the site founder, Andrew Breitbart.
Harley, you’re right. My tone and content ARE different. That’s because I am.
Mr. Klavan,
Fantastic job. Please come to Philadelphia and help spread your love also.
—Leroy.
Andrew,
God bless you! Hollywood and the media pretty much set the stage for what goes into the minds of young people, who are also our future leaders. We have been so contaminated with corruption, profanity, violence, God bashing, presidential bashing, military bashing…that Americans have forgotten what being American really means. America has been a faith based nation from the very beginning but we have allowed the courts to restrict our freedoms and the movies and news media have applauded and supported it. It is time to start sending a wholesome, Christ based, American based message back to American people. I sincerely applaud what you are doing. Maybe I can start going back to the movies again. I have stayed away and stopped spending money on movies that send such horrible messages into the minds of Americans. I also refuse to support the actors, actesses, producers that bash our values with these messages. I truly look forward to enjoying conservative, wholesome dialogue and messages which I’m sure will come from your efforts.
P.S. Jake. Thank you very much for the two Amazon links.
Which brings up a related question – does ‘Big Hollywood’ have a link here whereby any of us can link through to Amazon, thereby giving financial credit to Big Hollywood for our purchases? I wouldn’t mind it at all. If Breitbart, et al, will put out this incredible site to support beliefs I share, than the least I can do is support it financially. Thanks.
Larry -
I don’t think “toilet humor” is exclusively a lefty thing. (Although I have to say, I’m 25 and while I still think a lot of that stuff is still funny, I think I’ve kinda graduated from that sort of material. Give me witty dialogue any day.)
For a real conversation visit. PHillydancescene.com
Wow, now if that isn’t a rallying cry…well done!
It does sound as if there is hope for Hollywood, although the liberals are entrenched. I agree with Klavan, that there are bright spots being produced the city that shape, what many around the world, view as America.
“The movies are one of our most powerful tools for depicting ourselves to the world and to each other…” I am very happy to see this site and read these postings.
Jake – while I agree Christ never actively encouraged violent rebellion, He was never above putting the smack down on the people who deserved it. Tables in the temple ring a bell? Every reading of that chapter in the Bible gave me the view of someone who was quite actively engaging in a culture war – quite the opposite of ‘moving about them and trying to understand them’, dont you think?
As far as conservatives are concerned, we are overturning the moneychanging tables to get the attention of those numbed by the corrupt procedures.
I’m here after hearing Andrew on Dennis Miller’s radio show. I’m glad that there’s room for all views here, and I hope we’re all for good movies/tv, whatever our politics might be. You have a great site here; I’ll be a regular from here on.
Jack
Re: Gary Graham post:
So, when Jesus was dying on the cross was he in need of “growing a pair” to fight the war? His closest friends probably thought that he lost the war. The religious and political leaders of the day definitely thought he lost the war. But instead, in that one act, he defeated the separation between God and man. And during the process he asked God to not hold the sin of murder against his killers (could that be what you call the “group hug” tactic?). I would much rather emulate Jesus than Chamberlain (except for the cigar smoking). I think Jake is saying that we need to fight the right war. Jesus applauded peacemakers – not pacifists, mind you. Peacemaking requires a different kind of war, and it takes more that a “pair”.
I can’t think of many movies were “soldiers” are presented as bad guys..
Well, maybe it’s just me but I can’t see how “Valley of Elah”, “Lions for Lambs”, “Rendition”, “Grace is Gone”, “Redacted”, etc., presented our soldiers as good.
The sad part about these “types” of movies is they portray the soldiers as bad and the government as evil to promote their view that the war is in their opinion an immoral war. They have no actual proof that it is an immoral war (we did it for oil, Haliburton was behind it, etc.) so they go after the soldiers and create victims instead. It’s intellectually dishonest.
Hallelujah for ‘Big Hollywood’! Let the games begin!!!!
The right to individual liberty is the greatest gift with which our Creator endowed us. It is immeasurably more important than some so-called Common Good
Does this include the liberty of gays to marry being more important than the Common Good of society to promote hetero-sexual marriage only?
Jake’s comment is indicative of the “Superman Fantasy” that most Liberals have — that America and the West have perfect power, and a monopoly on Power, so they must be like Superman, pure as the driven snow and perfect at all times.
Otherwise America is the villain.
That’s a childish take, worthy of Oprah or Top Shaman Obama. It’s also a profoundly feminine view (i.e. all problems can be solved by social ostracism). Reality: Pakistan is a collection of squabbling factions, perfectly capable of sending out a the Bombay terrorists, or worse. The nation also has 100+ nuclear weapons and is expanding it’s arsenal. If anything, more ruthlessness is the order of the day or we see millions of American dead. THEN the pendulum will swing quite hard, the culture war will be the least of it.
As for Twilight, it’s an awful film about really, a Pick Up Artist “gaming” some schoolgirl. It’s hardly abstinence, since the girl in the books does indeed have sex with the much older guy who “looks” young but isn’t. Like the movie “Thirteen” all that girls pick up on is the coolness and glamor of the sex, or the much older and physically stronger, dominating boyfriend.
It’s possibly the worst book/movie combo ever yet seen, with the possible exception of Slumdog Millionaire, which is also profoundly stupid and dangerous.
Slumdog, aimed at young men, teaches them the EXACT wrong message and is likely to create a generation of angry losers with women. [The film teaches that persevering and so on will win the hero the girl of his dreams, AFTER she loses her virginity to his older, powerful, contemptuous Gangster brother. In reality we call these men virgins, at age 40. And what's the point of the girl after she's slept with the guy's brother? We know who she really preferred anyway.]
So you have Twilight, aiming young girls at older, suave, pick up artist types, and Slumdog, telling young men be a good-guy loser, and maybe get pity sex later (which in reality won’t happen). A social disaster, sure to produce lots of male resentment years later when the good guys figure out it didn’t work, and create havoc.
Jake & Matt, I think you are straying a bit off course here. I suggest you go back to the original thread and read the last four paragraphs – a couple of times. This (those paragraphs) are the fight Andrew (and Andrew) wish to fight.
For Jake’s Friend blah blah blah -
You’re right of course, Peacemaking does require more than a “pair”. But a “pair” is necessary nonetheless.
And who decides which war is right? What criteria? Is it Darfur because the right number of celebrities say it’s a good war?? I think you miss the point of what Gary Graham said. When there is evil before you, do you ignore it because it’s just a little evil like Chamberlain? Or do you grow a “pair” and do something about it?
Peacemaking requires a Peacemaker. Colt made a damn good one…
SCOTTDS,
First,please know that I say the following w/the utmost respect, not in an “attack” mode.
The curse free equipment I use does cut out the cussing,but I am an ultra conservative Christian and a cuss word is a cuss word whether mild or not. I can appreciate the fact that you don’t want your movies tampered with, but think of all the people who don’t want to go see movies because of the content. Art is not a factor here,morals are in my case.
The curse free equipment I use is called the “TV Guardian”.I love to watch movies and shows like “Iron Man” or Psych”and taking out the cuss words does not affect the movie one bit. I also like action movies and still can completely understand the content or plot w/out the cussing.
Please understand that myself and most of my friends do not watch movies w/nudity or pervasive language in them. I personally would like to see more action/family/comedy conservative Hollywood movies made with the same standard and budget as other Hollywood movies.
It’s not recent, but the most libertarian movie I’ve ever loved is “Serenity,” directed by Joss Whedon of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ and ‘Firefly’ television fame.
Please, please watch this movie. “Serenity” spells out the consequences of utopian central planners imposing their visions on ordinary people. Extraordinary and also wonderful entertainment.
While I agree with Mr. Klavan’s thesis, I find his examples stretched and jaded. Does anyone anymore even understand what is left or right? Conservative or liberal? You spout these terms as if they mean right or wrong. They don’t. Sorry. No matter how much you think you’re conservativism is right, it’s not. Liberal is not wrong. And the inverse is also true. It’s far more complex than that and you keep dumping it down making conservativism sound, well, dumber than it is.
I’m not sure if this web site is anything more than a echo chamber. People preaching to the people who are preaching to the same people who believe the same thing as the people who they are listening to. Easy to pat yourselves on the back. But knock yourselves out. I’ll call you on your crap.
Batman – George W. Bush, no doubt about it. Not just the pro-bush, pro-War on Terror storyline but also the 9/11 invoking imagery used in the film.
brilliant movie.
the Lord of the Rings also justified the Iraq war, for another example.
Bart, if you don’t even know what conservative and liberal means anymore, how can you categorically state that one or the other is not “right” or “wrong.” Seems you’d need a clear definition of something before critiquing it. Because you have no clear understanding of something, doesn’t mean no-one else does. To think otherwise is highly solipsistic.
Why don’t you ask Andrew to define what he sees conservatism to be? Maybe then you could bother to offer a substantial critique.
@ JB
While Bart understands very well that we take a position here (by claiming to be correct about our political beliefs), he does have a point about the “echo chamber” effect. Are we fated to become this? I don’t know — I’m just a lowly commenter — but it is definitely possible.
@ Kristi Seibert
May I interest you in a website called “The Proceedings of the Friesian School”? It has an excellent analysis of “Firefly” as a work that rejects the notion of an all-powerful government being best (though the show apparently does not take the position that government in and of itself is evil or wrong.)
I have to say what nice sight this site is for liked minded conservatives can talk and not be insulted. I have to agree with Andrew that Hollywood big shots and liberal elites need to be taken down but look to our own party to start fighting. To many of our fellow “conservatives” are falling into this trap set by the left and are turning their backs on the party of Reagan and Lincoln. These Rockefeller Republicans as Rush calls them are giving the conservatives a bad name and are ruining this party. By preaching high spending and drinking the Al Gore kool aid is not gonna work. The sooner we root those people the sooner we can regain the majority and save this country from a fall that will ruin this great nation we have. God bless the troops past, present, and future for the service they have or will be giving this country. Go Israel!!! Take down Hamas once and for all.
That Gary Graham. He takes no GUFF!
Mr. Klavan,
Contrast Spider Man with that latest scumbag version of Superman. I’m certainly no prude, but almost lost my teeth watching that last Superman with Lois being an unwed mother, no more “Truth, Justice and the American Way,” Lois living with a guy and tempted to cheat. Man, did Hollywood toss the baby out with the bath water on that film. Yuch.
When are the Hollywoodies going to do a movie about Chesty Puller? Talk about a real life legend. I venture most here don’t even know who the man was. Gary on this thread could play Chesty – he’s got the look.
Semper Fi
Gary’s old school like that. He takes no GUFF!
AudreyR –
Thank-you for your kind reply.
I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree to a point. Here’s my thing: do you consider simply witnessing someone cursing in a film a bad thing or does the problem come from emulating that behavior in real life? I have a Catholic friend who tries not to use profanity (one of her more endearing qualities) but she lets one slip every now and then. And while she won’t be seeing Saw VI anytime soon (nor will I), I don’t believe she has a problem with profanity in movies. Of course, context is important and some profanity/nudity/etc. is more gratuitous than others.
I’m Jewish (and not a very good one) so it’s simply something that is not on my radar. I’ve seen some disturbing/graphic films but I never felt bad or guilty for doing so. Oh well.
In any case, maybe we’ll agree on the next thing.
Billy Ray: One of the few things I’m grateful to Libertas for is that they helped turn “truth, justice, and all that stuff” into a killer meme for about a year after that piece of trash film came out.
I love the movies and am a mainstream conservative, (the shallow kind who instinctively likes the Palins). And I don’t think that sniffing out conservative movies is the answer. We are living in an era of very highly wrought, very bad movies. Time after time, I start watching one then turn it off or walk out.
If you asked me what movies are okay from recent years, I’d have to say The Incredibles, and maybe a couple of B flicks like Cellular or Red Eye.
Some of the movies purported to be “conservative”:
Passion of the Christ. Leaden plot, lingering mindlessly on crowd scenes and gore. Insipid actors, mumbling away in weird art-house moments between the mindless crowd-scenes and gore. A Jew-hater’s snuff movie. A dirty thing.
The Dark Knight. I get it. The hunted patrician who stays noble. The puritanical working-class leveller who goes to the dark side when things go wrong. The seductive, vulnerable terrorist. I get it, okay? But that doesn’t excuse mumbled dialogue, bad pacing, fatiguing multiple climaxes, long operatic speechifying (mumbled), oppressive and excessive design…and those limp, limp actors (mumbling).
3:10 to Yuma. The remake, obviously. Don’t blame Russell. He might have been okay in the original. But this is a perfect example of how posturing is replacing acting, and effects are supplanting drama. Overloaded action scenes are nearly as unfocused and fatiguing as those in Alexander.
Master and Commander. Claustrophobic. How is that possible? Because someone who studied something discovered that old ships really were claustro? Don’t educate me, you gerbil-racers! Just make like Michael Curtiz!I knew there’d have to be a storm scene at night, with shouted but inaudible dialogue. Sure enough…A good time to stop watching.
No Country for Old Men. That was conservative? Anyway, some tight, suspenseful moments when the Coens reveal an understanding of movie-making. But why waste time on entertaining when there’s so much neo and post-neo deconstructing to do? And the post-Derridan Oscars are coming up!
I could go on…but you guys are probably hating me already. I’m not saying that movies like American Beauty and Crash etc aren’t appalling in their leftist way. I’m saying that, since the eclipse of the studio system and solid directors like Curtiz and Daves, Hollywood has forgotten how to make westerns and sea-faring movies. And the rest. What’s worse, Hollywood had forgotten to make the Alternative Movie (though it tries continually to make Marty with a Ben Hur budget). The conceit of theorists in film-schools, the corporate nature of most movies because of such heavy tech input, the cult of the auteur which only serves to lay screwy personal affectation over the corporate bloat…Are these some of the reasons? Or is it just Christian Bale?
A leftist political movie like Z is okay because it’s an okay movie. It has pacing, subtle but flavourful performances, a clever angle where it uses a conservative hero to evolve the left’s case, and unlikely but convincing slap-stick moments with a stuck door. It’s no masterpiece, and Costa Gavras is a commie wanker…but it’s an okay movie. The Incredibles was an okay conservative movie, maybe because animated features are products of something more like the old studio system.
We need okay movies. Okay?
JB, all you have to do is read the articles here and more pointedly, the replies to see how muddy the definition (and more germain, the examples given, sociologically, morally, politically, and cinematically) of conservative and liberal are.
JB writes: Bart, if you don’t even know what conservative and liberal means anymore, how can you categorically state that one or the other is not “right” or “wrong.” Seems you’d need a clear definition of something before critiquing it.
JB, I wasn’t critiquing anything. The point, I either did or did not make, is that there is no right conservativism or wrong conservativism. There is no right liberalism or wrong liberalism. As I said, the facets of each are much too convoluted and muscular to apply any sort of blanket truth, either .
And as far as film…you may find conservative values in a film but I will guarantee you there will be liberal values in the same film. And you can take a film like “W” and find some strikingly conservative values laying out there for all to see amid the cinematic carnage. I read here someone complaining about “Superman” and Lois being an unwed mother…remind anyone of a girl in the news who had a baby and sold the photos for $300,000? Is she now the poster child for liberalism? Hardly.
My opinion – and it’s simply that, agree/disagree, it’s my view, is that we’ve divided things so smugly into conservative and liberal basically to be used by whomever doesn’t agree as a stone to pummel what they don’t agree with. Most films (MOST…)like most people, like most situations, aren’t easily classified as people seem to want to believe here or on other more quote-unquote liberal web sites. You will only bolster your opinions to those who already believe what you believe, the rest will simply write you off. Complexity be damned. I find everything to have far more facetted reality.
Hallelujah and pass the ammo! What a great site! Heard about it on Rush and Dennis Miller today. Rush even has it at the top of his daily newsletter. Andrew, I’ve read your books and seen you on Glenn Beck’s show, so I know where you’re coming from. I might not have agreed with your premise, but after reading your piece, I’m a little more likely to agree. Heck, I even heard that a lefty like Julia Roberts is making another “American Girl” movie. Maybe having kids opened her eyes to the dismal swamp that moviemaking has become.
I used to be a movie maniac, but now I won’t even give Hollowood the $$ they’d get from a DVD rental. We have a great library in my area, and they’ve got the latest stuff. I get on the waiting list and get it for free. Today I got the “new” release of a Charlie Chaplain film. It’ll be entertaining, we’ll laugh a lot and I won’t have to worry about my kids seeing or hearing anything I don’t want them to. My kids love TV and movies too, but all I let them see are classics. For Christmas we got them a boxed set of the Marx Brothers. Last year we went cartoon retro and got Rocky & Bullwinkle DVDs (they were big on fighting commies — Boris Badenov, you know — and are incredibly patriotic-sounding in this day and age. Fractured Fairy Tales are a good time too, i.e., “She had a face like ten miles of bad road…”
Lest you think I’m in the minority on this, my kids repeat some of the lines of these old cartoons to each other in public and THEIR FRIENDS JOIN IN! There’s clearly a need for high-quality, family-friendly movies/video.
When I see sites like this pop up and see the 100,000+ members of http://www.TeamSarah.org, I know that others have had enough of this cultural rot, too. I’ll be checking in here often! All the best to everyone associated with running this site.
Go Klavan and Big Hollywood!
I love Klavan’s take on The Dark Knight. I’ve seen and heard many arguments against it, but have yet to encounter one that can stand up under its own weight. It is this reason why Jake VanKersen’s comment grabbed my attention. Though it was well thought and sophisticated, it was the quintessential liberal argument of the 21st century. No matter how skilled and crafty the language, the content is what ultimately wins the argument. Most often, it is the liberal content that fails.
Let’s look at the 21st century liberal argument as if it were a play…
Act I: Commenter attempts to legitimize himself by claiming notable or respectable titles
“As a Christian, Film School Graduate, American, comic book nerd and yes, a liberal…”
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ve talked to WAY too many self-professed film school graduates in blogs over the years. Is it me, or are these schools’ graduation outputs just ridiculously high?
Act II: Commenter misconstrues the obvious and tries to explain
“Batman was determined to stop him as that was both his mission and purpose. However, the film cautioned against both giving into the Joker’s demands and losing your moral compass.”
Batman’s mission, if I’m not mistaken, was to be Gotham’s out cost. To be whatever Gotham needed him to be so the decent people can restore the peace and order. The important concept of self-criticism was indeed evident in the film as Batman’s character, Christian Bale, so stated while he destroyed all evidence of Batman before he planned on turning himself in. “What would you have me do?” he said. “People are dying because of me…” BUT!! The right choice for Batman was presented at the press conference when Harvey Dent falsely confessed to being Batman. Michael Caine’s character, Alfred said it best when he said to Rachel Dawes after she asked him why Bruce let Dent take the fall, “perhaps Bruce and Mr. Dent believe that Batman stands for something more important than just the whims of a terrorist, even if everyone hates him for it…” Bruce Wayne knows that he must break his ‘moral compass’, as it was put, to defeat the Joker. He can make that choice, because it’s the right choice. Harvey Dent believed that, Alfred the butler believed that, and Lucius Fox believed it when he chose to trust Batman by helping him spy on Gotham with that sonar-imaging machine. At the end of the movie, his faith in Batman’s choice was rewarded when the machine was destroyed.
Act III: Commenter takes an unjustifiable shot at George W. Bush and his administration
“In reality we have seen an administration that shreds or whites out certain elements of our constitution to “preserve freedom” against the terrorist…”
Ok. Bush is far from perfect. All of us are. But the grief he gets from the left is unprecedented in quantity. It’s the same, boring argument over and over and over. But the problem is not that it’s repetitive. It’s that the arguments are based on a refusal to acknowledge and fight evil. (Especially regarding the War on Terror!) Using harsh interrogation methods, pushing social boundaries with surveillance. These are only horrible ideas to the left if terrorists haven’t attacked them. Is it that they don’t want the America’s out cost to be GWB, or are they that blind?
Intermission
Act IV: Commenter exploits a notable title from Act I to legitimize previous Acts
“Again, as a Christian and an artist I love the use of having to search for the metaphors. They remind me of the Parables which used metaphors to explain the Kingdom of Heaven…”
Yeah, I remember the Christian title. That’s good. Yes, the meaning must be sought after in the Parables, but to the same level as in The Dark Knight? No. No. No. The movie’s message is blatantly obvious. It’s almost as if Jake made a concerted effort to find a deeper, no let’s say ‘alternative’, meaning to the film to try to rebut Klavan’s assessment. Jake must have kicked himself in the head and traveled to the Land of Oz to acquire his assessment. His argument doesn’t make sense because it doesn’t capture the concepts of the movie in their entirety. Not commenting further on Bruce Wayne’s road from self-criticism to self-sacrifice is a good example. Note to self: don’t attend Jake’s film school. J Kidding…
Act V: Commenter takes a few jabs at the author
“The rest of this post contains angry words and phrases to be used towards “liberals.” You sir, clearly want to fight a culture war and your rifle is ready…”
An on and on… To Jake’s credit, he doesn’t use profane or harsh language, but his message is the same: Conservatives use angry words. Conservatives want to fight. I am above this. Jesus is not on the conservatives’ side. Conservatives will never achieve peace of mind if they don’t change their mind. Blah. Blah. Blah.
The End
I guess I could have summed my feelings on this comment by saying: Jake’s comment is just a big, steaming pile of garbage wrapped in a soft, cuddly blanket of politeness, but that wouldn’t have been good enough. It certainly wouldn’t have been satisfying to me! J I’m glad Jake at least tried to be courteous, but I can’t help but visualize a vein popping out of Jake’s head after reading the article and my response to his comment. Hmm. I could be wrong.
With Respect,
Michael Bixler
P.S. I respect that Jake’s taken responsibility for his words by signing is name. You don’t see that much anymore. It’s inspired me to do the same.
[...] Another decent blogger created an interesting post today on Big Hollywood Blog Archive Hooray For Big HollywoodHere’s a short outlineby Andrew Klavan. When it comes to deploring the leftist hegemony in Hollywood, I can deplore with the best of them. It stinks that America-bashing and God-bashing and military- and capitalism-bashingâthe usual cowardly leftist … [...]
Bart, you didn’t say there is no “right” or “wrong” conservatism, you said conservatism isn’t “right”, and liberalism isn’t “wrong”, applying value judgements to both. That you now pretend you said something else tells me you are either too mushheaded or too dishonest to be consistent from comment to comment.
Generic rantings of a “it’s all too complex to discuss” variety are a rhetorical device to oppose arguments one dislikes without going through the effort of making a case based on merits.
It’s the same with people who use the “a pox on both their houses” device — neither side A or B is right, the truth is somewhere in between. Apparently it doesn’t matter to these types of people whether the truth is 90% towards one side or 10%, as long as it’s not 100% they will simply refuse to commit.
This is a fight worth joining in on. Thank you for your boldness to step out onto the front line.
Be Blessed!!
Values are absolute. That is the socialist, communist, liberal problem. To them, everything is relative, and when you do not have a moral compass, you are like a ship wondering aimlessly through life.
The Alinski Method teaches to ridicule those who disagree with you; and liberals are adept at ridiculizing those who stand firm against their debauchery and spineless view of live.
From the perspective of an American Soldier, he who stands for nothing, will amount to nothing. Those who stand for freedom, courage, and values, are destined to greatness.
Joe
As someone that sat on the jury of an “honor killing” trial, I can tell you with no equivocation that our fight for the “culture” is a fight for our lives. Don’t doubt that for one minute. Since the main antagonist for Western Culture(such as it is) is Islamism, people need to be thinking about taking sides and remember, everything matters, everything.
You mirror the poetry of my conscience, Klavan.
After looking over these comments, I think those concerned that this site might end up an echo chamber can stop being worried. I see disagreements on whether Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, etc., are actually conservative movies; disagreements on what content is appropriate for conservative movies; and disagreements on the best ways to support good movies. If these sorts of comments keep up, and people respond to one another’s arguments with good arguments of their own, this site could end up being very valuable.
Wow! Outstanding post, Mr. Klavan! Thanks!
Bart-
There is right and wrong within Conservativism and Leftism. You may not believe that, but it’s true.
Go far enough left and you get Socialism and Communism. Both stifle liberty, and that is wrong. Not to mention the tens of millions murdered under Communism. Definitely not too complex to call that wrong.
Go far enough right and you get isolationism, inflexability to any change whatsoever and totalitarianism (many Muslim countries are good examples of this). That’s wrong because it also stifles liberty.
In fact, right and wrong can be deduced from any ideology or specific situation based on the results and how the results are obtained.
Does it stifle liberty? Well, anything that increases government control takes liberty away. In America, most on the Left want more government control in the name opf compassion, but does anyone bother to ask what the results will be?
And yes, there are those on the right that wanna do the same things but that is a minority, although there are far to many Republicans that don’t want to follow good principles, I wouldn’t call them Conservatives or Classic Liberals in good standing.
My point is, good and evil, right and wrong are definitely present in politics, and if that’s too complex to see for you, then perhaps you should read more history.
That’s not to say there isn’t complexities, but as I said earlier, when you boil it all down, it’s the means and ends that matter, not good intentions.
Life and Liberty above all else should be the main concern of politicians, not another government program to control people even more.
Our Founding Fathers held these truth’s to be self evident (and without too much complexity to understand), so I think it’s possible for present day Americans.
V-Dawg-
Well said! Certainly no echo chamber here!
So, where have you been. We’ve been doing this at movieguide.org for years and years. By the way, our study of the major movies shows that, from 2002 thru 2007, movies with patriotic, pro-Americabn, capitalist content and Judeo-Christian morality do much better than movies with liberal and left-wing content.
Hello again Scott,
I get some of my values from the Talmud although I am Christian and read the other books we call the Holy Bible.My take is that I talk to my Creator everyday and it’s hard not to talk to someone (and read about what he knows to be best for me, in this case someone I call Father,Abba) and not be affected by their words (Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles proverbs 21:23 or Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones proverbs 16:24)? My words are not always pleasant but I know I have self control enough not to cuss.I believe this generation is desensitized to foul language and sex. It has become the “norm” on TV. That’s sad.But hey! I bet your radar will start to notice those cuss words now! : )
And how did you get those smileys on your messages?
**peace out and Shalom
[...] This chap created an interesting post today on Big Hollywood Blog Archive Hooray For Big HollywoodHere’s a short outlineby Andrew Klavan. When it comes to deploring the leftist hegemony in Hollywood, I can deplore with the best of them. It stinks that America-bashing and God-bashing and military- and capitalism-bashingâthe usual cowardly leftist … [...]
[...] reality of war from Andrew Sullivan Spider-Man, the savior from Big Hollywood Jett Travolta died from seizure from Jam! Gayest commercials from planet Earth [...]
In Spiderman 3 the Sandman is portrayed as a sympathetic character who commits crime to aid their sick child. We discover that he shot Spiderman’s Uncle and guardian, while attempting a car jacking. We are asked to believe that Spiderman forgave the Sandman because he realised it was all a mistake.
We are not asked to ponder the likelihood of death that accompanies taking a firearm on a robbery and the requirement to be responsible for ones actions. We are not asked to ponder whether Medicaid or Charity would support the sick child. Instead we are left in no doubt that society leaves the Sandman with no choice but to kill and steal in order to protect his child. And is a National Health Care system (such as might help) a demand of the left in America?
Given the centrality of these events in this film, I find some difficulty in accepting your contention that this is a pro-American, pro-responsibility film with deeply Christian overtones.
Please elaborate!
Now this is a great article!!!!! wooooo hoo!!
Audrey – to get a smile on this site, I think you need a hyphen in between the colon and the parenthesis
I’m late to the game but I have to say that after the last 8 years of conservative rule, the notion that conservatism = “pro-responsibility” is completely laughable.
Great article, and great website! Its about time there was pushback against the crazy Hollywood left. The discussion started as well was very intriguing. I have to disagree with Jake as well, for a number of reasons. I tried to post them, but it ran too long to publish here, apparently, so I put it here:
http://latticesofbogosity.blogspot.com/
“To see The Dark Knight as anything OTHER than a pro-war on terror films takes some pretty fancy mental gymnastics. The funny thing is that it is not pro-war on terror not out of some ideological partisanship, but an understanding of common sense, history, and human nature. The characters of Batman and the Joker were written long before the War on Terror, or Bush, or Bin Ladin, and the struggle they represent is as old as history, but they fit so well already to our modern issues…”
TGB1000,
There are so many mistakes in your short, little one-sentence comment, but I’ll only point out one…
You’ve equated a few actions of one man (or a small group) and your opinion of them (the actions) to the entire conservative spectrum. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Maroon doesn’t equal Red, Sapphire doesn’t equal Blue, and Mustard doesn’t equal Yellow. You may not like any of the shades. In fact, there may even be people telling you not to like the shades. Hopefully, someday you’ll see that in this world, all shades are beautiful in their own way as long as their underlying purpose is aimed at the greater good.
Michael Bixler
P.S. Forgive me for being so quirky in my comparisons
Dear Scott,
Thanks for the advice. However,I don’t think I am the only one who needs to do something to my colon to get a smile.On this website. There are just some downright grouchy people here!
Your commentary gives me shivers, Mr. Klavan . . . the good kind!
Thank you for focusing your SLR lens on what Hollywood needs to do . . .
Standards . . .
Leadership . . .
Responsibility . . .
Great conservative leaders have emerged from the film industry and can inspire and lead us again.
Mind games do not have to be an exclusive tool of the liberals . . . conservatives can be persuasive, too. Would more “Courage” improve the focus?
I’m not so sure The Dark Knight was pro-GWOT, but I definitely believe it is a conservative film about the use of power to combat evil.
In the scene where Batman is “questioning” the Joker, Batman says he has one rule, which the Joker says, “That’s the rule you’ll have to break.” Presumably, that rule is “thou shalt not kill” because Batman had a chance to kill the Joker earlier and didn’t. Instead, Batman worked a plan to have the Joker captured by the police and await trial. But when the Joker escapes from jail, Batman finds the Joker by utilizing a sonar device that most liberals believe President Bush has the NSA working on right now. Batman’s confidant Mr. Fox, in the worst display of self-righteousness and moral equivocation, proclaims that spying on 30 million people is wrong despite the Joker’s threat to blow up a couple of passenger-loaded ferries. But, thanks to Batman’s forethought, he has the device programmed to self-destruct at Mr. Fox’s instruction when the ordeal is over.
So, truly, Batman’s one rule is to not appropriate for himself more power than is necessary to combat evil. Where Batman could become a Ceasar of Gotham, he instead chooses to be a Cincinnatus. The movie’s tagline, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain” is, I think, a sympathetic recognition of the difficulties our government has to carry out its law enforcement and national defense missions while not running afoul of our constitutional (some would say natural) rights.
Where Christopher Nolan comes down on issues of domestic surveillance and warantless wiretaps is anyone’s guess. And that’s why this film is excellent –it asserts an absolute moral abstract and then shows that the application is much more nuanced than either liberals or conservatives would like it to be.
And lest anyone think that The Dark Knight only criticizes the government, the scene with the civilians on the ferry is a biting commentary on the cowardice and selfishness of those who adhere to moral relativism.
JB — please actually read my post. You quote only HALF of what I said about conservativism and liberalism. Sorry, the whole thesis of your argument is “musheaded” and completely disingenuious.
I’m glad you are 100% conservative and see everything from that slant. I find it a bit hard to believe but maybe you are that one-dimensional. I don’t know you. But good luck and God bless.
And USS Ben, I can’t see why you’re arguing with me. I agree, it was the point I originally had. I was simply saying that all that constitutes conservative isn’t right and all that constitues liberal isn’t wrong. And vice versa, depending on your political and social leanings. Thanks for the history lesson that there is right and wrong, evil and good in the world and in politics. Wow, I certainly would have never known that without your anaylsis. Point I was making is that good doesn’t solely belong to one group or bad to the other — in terms of conservative and liberal. I understand the evils of Communism…but how does that equate to liberalism? Or maybe you were equating that to conservativism, I’m not really sure what you were trying to say there except communism is bad. Which I agree with. but it had nothing to do with what I was writing about.
[...] in Hollywood isn’t dead, but it is forced to hide behind superhero costumes and worlds of fantasy. But that’s not nothing. Spider-Man still outsells anti-war flicks any day of the [...]
Re: The Dark Knight. I love how EW reviewers writhe that film is “anti-iraq war” etc. I think it’s pro BUSH/USA theme is the reason behind it’s lack of nominations from GG and SAG Awards.
Batman= BUSH/USA
Dent= leftist/European/intelligentsia
Joker= Islamist
The Ferry scene: The Islamists cannot force Americans to act as they do.
Lucius Fox/Cell Phone Machine: Yes, Fox is appalled. It does have potential for great abuse. But Fox’s faith in Batman is justified when the machine self destructs. Batman told him the password; he never said it will blow up. Fox realizes that Batman had never planned to abuse this device. It was a worst case scenario tool. ( hello waterboarders).
Gordon’s final speech: leftist talk a good game, but in the end they need USA to do “dirty work” to protect the world.
very little “iraq” stuff in there. Now dont get me started on how Forrest Gump is pro conservative.
Wow… I guess I’m alone here at Big Hollywood(Jake doesn’t count). But once O’Reilly gives it the big push tomorrow, there will be more like me, I suspect.
I suppose that anyone can read anything into a movie, if they really want to, but come on… this post is a bit of a stretch. NCFOM? Are you kidding? No matter how you try to twist and turn it, the Coen Bros, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin have not joined forces to push a conservative agenda. It was a good story, with a great director and excellent actors. It was not a right wing morality tale!
There is a built in audience for movies like Fireproof. The churches push it; O’Reilly gives Kirk 5 minutes to plug it, and it makes it’s huge return . I see no reason the religious right shouldn’t make movies for their base, and it’s base is big. But as someone that loves quality, thought provoking movies that push the limits and inspire conversation, it’s not what I want see.
Artists (in general) tend to lean left and no matter how many Big Hollywood sites come up, they always will. Reading right wing subtext into movies so that you can feel okay about liking them is self delusion.
I am a liberal. I know that Bob Hope and Bing Crosby were not. That doesn’t make me love the Road Pictures any less. I don’t pretend there was a hidden leftist agenda attached to them. I just enjoy them.
It’s possible to agree with many conservative values and goals – and in significant ways its political philosophy – while disagreeing that they rest on Christianity. Religion, all religion and Christianity in particular, are often opposed to self-assertion, self-reliance, individualism, individual liberty, respect for property rights, and more.
One need not be a Christian, or embrace any religion at all, to
uphold the worthiness of leading a moral life. Beware false alternatives.
Oh ya mean some people are… “Good for Goodness Sake”… An atheist group put that on a bus banner and O’Reilly burst an artery. You can’t reason that way with the Christian right. Mono- Theism, get it? One God- their God. One way- their way. Sad. ‘eh?
[...] territory.” Accomplished conservative screenwriters Robert J. Avrech, Michael McGruther and Andrew Klavan (thanks for kicking things off, Drew) set high writing standards for Big Hollywood on week one. And [...]
Thank you, Mr. Klavan.
As a long-time actress (about 55 years, now) with a very modest gift, I am saddened that films/theatre have gone so far into disrespect for human life in general, and American virtues in particular.
Those of us who fled the brutality of the big city streets (and plays and film), salute your courage in remaining.
Words have power, and yours are, very.
Isn’t it fun to see the conversation you started?
(It’s working. . . .) ;>}
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