Comments on: The Eternal Return of Hollywood Politics

By: MikeB

MikeB — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:36:10 +0000

I stop at the same gas station every morning for coffee and there is a rack of inexpensive DVDs next to the checkout counter. On the top of the rack is “Redacted.” It’s been there for 6 months+ and I can’t help but wonder what person would see that movie in a gas station and be inspired to buy it. Apparently that person has not yet been to this gas station.

By: franco

franco — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:04:14 +0000

I didn’t see any of these movies, but art does not mix well with politics. Art can have political overtones if it starts out as art and stays that way, but politics cannot be made into art. Theatre must ring true to the human condition.

As soon as an audience sees something that doesn’t fit, there is no massaging the outcome and suspension of disbelief is violated. Most if not all of these films try to adapt a plot and create characters and relationships that are flawed so as to affect the theme and political point, taking the long way around and trying to force something on the audience. Even for those who are inclined to agree with the point find themselves with an inferior artistic experience. Hence a flop.

Classics don’t indulge in the petty concerns of the time they are made, but are universal.

By: Tuttle

Tuttle — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:58:59 +0000

Maybe I missed something re: The Kingdom.

I saw the movie when it came out and loved it. I didn’t take the end as saying the FBI and the terrorists were moral equivalents.

I thought it was simply portraying the reality of the situation, which is that the terrorists are going to keep coming, because that is their goal, to “kill every one of” us. And we, in turn, are going to have to “kill every one of them” if we are going to defend ourselves against their evil intentions.

I didn’t see moral equivocation. I saw the reality that violence will continue until one side or the other wins by destroying the other.

And I sure hope it’s US who wins.

By: lloydrmc

lloydrmc — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:23:33 +0000

This is mostly exactly beside the point. As a group, with no exception that I know of, movies about Iraq have been made by liberals and have been dismal commercial failures.

By: Hustla

Hustla — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:55:13 +0000

I didn’t think it was a great movie but it was enjoyable. That end bit everyone keeps referring to didn’t convey anything to me other than reality, a kid irrelevant of the situation is going to want to avenge his fathers death, especially if his not old enough or smart enough to grasp the circumstances of that death, if I’m a child and want to avenge my fathers death and while getting older come to realize what a scumbag he was, the desire for vengeance would subside dramatically.. i don’t see any moral equivalencies, just human nature, people need to stop reading too much politics into movies, they exist, but i don’t see it in this case..

By: TBinSTL

TBinSTL — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:52:13 +0000

The ending of The Kingdom felt to me, like an apology to the leftists for daring to make an otherwise fairly reasonable film about terrorists.

By: Tom Shillue

Tom Shillue — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 01:47:59 +0000

Great post Scott. Been reading Powerline for years, and it is great to be a co-contributor with you here on BH!

By: wlpeak

wlpeak — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:54:46 +0000

Yes, I second the recommendation of the “Traitor”. Didn’t know it was a “Cruel Shoes” Martin though. Sweet.

By: josil

josil — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:16:19 +0000

The Kingdom was a fine movie until the sophomoric ending dialogue designed to be ironic (the usual moral equivalency). What a waste. Hollywood writers continue to think that they are clever when they are only immature.

By: Thomass

Thomass — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:35:28 +0000

The Rambler – January 6th, 2009 at 11:18 am

“It does not stop with these anti-Iraq movies. Movies like the recently released “Che” or Sean Penn’s “Milk” also tell the same kind of story.”

There is an upside to this… the far left always is completed to create idols and push them. Just explain who these people really were and then the left looks bad.

Che, mass murdering totalitarian psychopath. Who would like this guy? Oh yeah, lefties…
Milk, actually a person with a lot more dimensions that the left tells you about. Veteran, Goldwater supporter, got into politics in large part because as a small business owner he was disgusted with SF City Hall (re: kind of Palin-esq). Oh yeah, he was gay too.