The modern hero is less than perfect, to put it mildly. Think Showtime’s “Dexter,” or films like the “Bourne” franchise where shades of gray are the order of the day.

The era of John Wayne-style heroes is no more.

Enter “Safe House,” the new Denzel Washington thriller about a rogue CIA agent who possesses a file so important people are lining up to kill him. Washington’s character, Tobin Frost, is a prime example of the modern anti-hero. He’s a mastermind who went off the grid a decade ago against the will of his government.

At least that’s what we’re told.

The film keeps us guessing about Tobin’s true nature, and that’s part of the story’s appeal. But “Safe House’s” impressive nuance ends abruptly when it’s time to give us a typical Hollywood finale. (Major Spoilers Ahead)

The story’s big reveal involves a number of government spy agencies trying to hide damaging information on some of their members. So one of the film’s key characters chooses to leak the information in toto so the bad guys can be outed – and punished.

But what other information got leaked? Were there field agents compromised by the intelligence dump? Could the move impact ongoing missions or terrorism tracking efforts?

The film just doesn’t care. The screenwriters insist full and complete transparency, in the grand WikiLeaks style, is the order of the day. The leaker is deemed a hero for dumping the data. Real life doesn’t work that way, and the film is poorly served by pretending it does.

So which is it, Hollywood? Are anti-heroes and shades of gray the building blocks for great stories? Or are they gimmicks to be set aside when there’s an agenda in play?

Yes, it does sound like a “Bourne” movie, doesn’t it? But no, this is “Safe House,” with Denzel Washington taking over for Matt Damon, Sam Shepard replacing Scott Glenn as the steely Agency overseer, Brendan Gleeson in for Brian Cox as the dodgy controller, and Vera Farmiga stepping into the Joan Allen role as his straight-shooting subordinate.

The picture has a familiar swarming hand-held visual style, thanks to cinematographer Oliver Wood (who shot all three “Bourne” films) and editor Richard Pearson (who worked on “The Bourne Supremacy”). At one point, an agitated spook even yelps out a demand for remote surveillance with the words “I want eyes on this!”—a line previously yelped by David Strathairn’s agitated spook in “The Bourne Ultimatum.”

“Safe House” may be faux Bourne, but for those counting the moments till the release of “The Bourne Legacy” next August, it might seem better than no Bourne at all. Swedish director Daniel Espinosa has a flair for action staging—the one-on-one fight scenes, agreeably many in number and often set in confined spaces, are smashingly effective. And first-time screenwriter David Guggenheim has usefully adjusted the Bourne template. Here, Washington’s character, Tobin Frost—nominally the Jason Bourne figure—isn’t an unwitting innocent being set up by his shadowy CIA masters; he’s an actual traitor who has been selling Agency secrets for nearly a decade.

Read the full review at Reason.com

Denzel Washington stars as a rogue CIA agent who turns himself in to U.S. authorities, and before you can say “human rights abuse” his character undergoes a waterboarding treatment.

Had “Safe House” come out five years ago, the scene might have included jabs at the Bush administration, the War on Terror or both. Likely both. Instead, the scene arrives and leaves without any sermonizing to lessen the moment’s impact.

We’re supposed to learn that Washington’s character, the colorfully named Tobin Frost, is a certifiable bad-ass, and that the information he possesses is critically important to the story. And that’s it.

Nice.

Left unsaid is the notion that if an Oscar winner like Washington is willing to be waterboarded for a movie, perhaps the technique isn’t as torturous as Bush critics once claimed it to be?

GOING STREAMING, CANCELLING CABLE

Fascinating reader Email:

I cancelled cable about a year ago, and have not regretted it once. The only casualties have been about ten pounds and a callused channel-flipping thumb. Steaming really is a major time saver and has helped me discover a lot of shows that I bypassed the first time around. Of course my peers are skeptical, but they’re asking more and more questions.

Cancelling our cable and satellite plans is also a protest vote that says we’re not going to pay for channels we don’t watch and we’re no longer willing to subsidize those, like MSNBC, OWN, LOGO, Sundance and others, who constantly attack who we are.

In related news…

YOUTH MOVING AWAY FROM WATCHING TELEVISION ON TELEVISIONS

How is cable supposed to survive this:

New research by Nielsen confirms that Americans 35 and under now watch an increasing amount of television programming on phones, laptops, or devices other than a traditional, ad-friendly television. In 2011, that demographic’s daily TV viewing decreased by an average of nine minutes. (TV, in this sense, is defined as a Nielsen-measurable set and not a show made for television.)

Entertainment providers like ESPN have made a point of standing with cable providers, but people are moving elsewhere. Moreover, they’re used to getting unlimited choice and value online.

Within the decade, outlets like ESPN will have to move to online streaming and the old model of making money through ad revenue. In other words, when I was a kid we got TV for free. It was only a few channels, but you didn’t pay a penny for it. The way the networks made money, was through the sale of commercial time.

Today, networks make money from commercials and per-subscriber fees paid by cable companies. We might not watch OWN or MSNBC, but if we subscribe to a package that includes those channels, they still get the money. This is how networks nobody likes or watches stay alive.  

If, however, we start cancelling our cable subscriptions and move towards streaming, outlets like MSNBC and OWN and ESPN will have to broadcast online via streaming. This means fewer cable fees  and going back to the old model of making money off of ad revenue. This also means a lot of crappy networks go under.

One workaround to hold on to the old system that could be attempted online would be to sell streaming access in packages like they do cable. Meaning, if you want to stream ESPN, your package will also include MSNBC and OWN.

I don’t think this is going to work, though. The model of appointment television is what’s dying. We’re moving towards picking and choosing titles and watching them when we want to watch them. So outlets such as Netflix Streaming really are the future — and Netflix isn’t going to pay for OWN’s Rosie O’Donnell Show if no one’s watching it.

‘BRIDESMAIDS’ THE MOST POPULAR VIDEO-ON-DEMAND TITLE OF ALL TIME

What to make of this:

Bridesmaids is officially the most in-demand movie available on video-on-demand (or VOD). The Oscar-nominated comedy has racked up 4.8 million rentals in just over four months, according to Rentrak (via a Universal Pictures release), which adds up to over $24 million in VOD grosses.

“Bridesmaids” is a good flick, to be sure, but not this good.

Perhaps this is just another sign of a trend where people are ready to watch movies from the comfort of their own living rooms.

TRAILER: BOURNE’S LEGACY GETS RENNER’D

I like Jeremy Renner, a lot. But if this is more shaky-cammed anti-Americanism, no thanks.

From the trailer, it looks as though director Tony Gilroy used a tripod, but who wants to bet that the Edward Norton character talking about protecting America is the villain?

WARNER MUSIC LOSS WIDENS IN LATEST QUARTER

What music industry?

Warner Music Group on Thursday reported flat revenue and a slightly higher loss for its fiscal first quarter.

The music company posted a loss of $26 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $18 million.

Revenue was virtually unchanged at $779 million in the quarter. Digital revenue rose 17 percent to $219 million.

If I’m reading that correctly, Warner is spending nearly a billion dollars in order to lose $26 million.

Music has the same problem as movies, a shortage of real stars — at least not in the sense that there were stars twenty-five years ago. Rap and country have their stars, but it’s always funny to look at the concert tour stats and see senior citizens in the top-grossing slots.

SIRIUS XM SWINGS TO FOURTH-QUARTER PROFIT

Baffling:

The satellite radio company ended 2011 with a record subscriber count of 21.9 million and projects net additions of 1.3 million this year. …

The satellite radio firm posted quarterly earnings of $71.3 million, compared with a year-ago loss of $81.4 million.

To each their own, but I cannot imagine paying a monthly subscription fee for radio.

DENZEL WASHINGTON WATERBOARDED FOR NEW FILM

Ruh-roh:

The actor plays an ex-cia agent battling to escape rebel soldiers in Africa, and to fully understand his character, he opted to put himself through a terrifying torture scene, where water was poured over a cloth on his face.

He tells New York Magazine, “I wanted to see what it would be like. It’s strange. You can’t breathe in, because the water comes in, and it’s filling up your mouth.

“And that was just one time for a short time. Imagine having that done for 20, 30 seconds? You will give up the answers! You may not necessarily tell the truth, but you will tell (your captors) whatever they want to hear.”

Man, after all the nice things I said yesterday, I hope this isn’t what it looks like. 

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Interiors (1978) — This seems like the type of movie I should make fun of, but I happen to like it quite a bit. Woody Allen’s first leap into a purely dramatic picture is a fascinating examination of the dynamic of a family poisoned by Mom (an amazing Geraldine Page) and a damning indictment of the self-centered, dysfunctional, insecure, petty, and smallness of the godless left.

It’s only Maureen Stapleton’s character who earns any of our sympathy. About halfway through, she shows up in a red dress that hits like an explosion in a world defined by an oppressive lack of color. She also eats red meat and refuses to over-think things like Broadway plays into the meaninglessness leftists find so comforting. What a breath of fresh, unpretentious, bourgeois air.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

‘WOODY ALLEN: A DOCUMENTARY’ STREAMS FREE OF CHARGE TOMORROW

EFFECTS GURU DOUGLAS TRUMBULL: “WE’VE GOT TO HAVE SHOWMANSHIP IN THE THEATERS…”

BILLY CONNOLLY SIGNS ON FOR ‘THE HOBBIT‘

DENZEL WASHINGTON IN TALKS TO STAR IN “2 GUNS” WITH MARK WAHLBERG

MARC WEBB TALKS ‘THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN‘

MICHAEL BIEHN TO STAR IN AND PRODUCE THREE GRINDHOUSE-STYLE FILMS

WILL SMITH AND M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN SHARE ‘AFTER EARTH’ SET PHOTOS

AMY ADAMS TO STAR IN “AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY” BASED ON STEVE MARTIN’S NOVEL‘

THE CALLOUS LIES OF DENZEL WASHINGTON MOVIE TITLES

BIG-SCREEN ADAPTATION OF ANNE RICE’S “THE TAIL OF THE BODY THIEF” IN DEVELOPMENT

AS 35MM FILM DIES, HOW DO REVIVAL THEATERS COPE?

RIDLEY SCOTT TALKS ‘BLADE RUNNER’, HARRISON FORD, AND ‘PROMETHEUS 2′

NEW PHOTOS FROM “ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER”

OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORTS, COMING TO A THEATER NEAR YOU

THE SAVE “TERRA NOVA” FAN CAMPAIGN BEGINS

FILMMAKER CLIVE BARKER AWAKENS FROM WEEK-LONG COMA

HOLLYWOOD BY THE NUMBERS

THOUGHTS ON THE STATE OF TV REMAKES

10 FACTS AND FIBS ABOUT PINK FLOYD

10 TRULY TERRIFYING HORROR MOVIE JUMP SCARES (SPOILERS)

A LOOK BACK AT NICKELODEON’S “DOUG”

25 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT “VIVA ZAPATA!”

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CLASSIC PICK FOR FRIDAY,  FEBRUARY 10

TCM:

10:30 PM  Cheyenne Autumn (1964)  –  A reluctant calvary Captain must track a defiant tribe of migrating Cheyennes. dir: John Ford Cast:  Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden. C-156 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format.

A movie that proves that political correctness is so toxic to art and storytelling that even John Ford, the greatest motion picture director ever, couldn’t overcome it.

This is nothing more than a stillborn piece of crap that strips humanity from the Indians and replaces it with stifling nobility.

So more of a lesson than a pick.

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

Some think her career is pure marketing and her fans believe she’s a real trend setter. There has always been a wide range of opinions about this woman, an entertainer who has enough monikers to be in the witness protection program. As her personal life has evolved through marriages, children and boyfriends, her songs are what are more familiar to people.

For the first time since she became famous, she got to be the star attraction at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. What aspect of her performance did people focus on? Her voice? Nope. What she wore? Not really. Her new song? Sure, a little. Her age? Bingo, report her to AARP, stat!

How dare she try to pull off that type of show as a woman who has experienced more than three decades on the planet? Perish the thought! She has some nerve being on that stage and lifting her leg up at the age of 53. Where are her Mom jeans with the elastic waist? How could she be in high-heeled, thigh high boots when she knows she should be in Easy Spirits? This is even more of an abomination than her performance in “Swept Away.”

Doesn’t she know that woman over 35, let alone 40 in this country, are considered older than Methuselah? You mean she has no clue that she should be referring to herself as “long in the tooth” “an old bag” and a “has-been.” Doesn’t she realize that she has to grow into her date of birth by talking about things she can’t do anymore? Where is her rheumatoid arthritis? COPD? High cholesterol? She should be punished for doing a jumping jack.

Just check the reaction to her performance on social media outlets if you think I am exaggerating.

It is amazing that in 2012, with the way racism and homophobia have been addressed – and rightfully so – that ageism rage against woman is on perpetual mute. Hello, media, I’m talking to you, too.

Let’s substitute Mick Jagger for Madonna at the same age doing the same moves. There would barely be a mention of his cumulative years. I remember when he was 53 and it was a blip, if that. Jagger is now approaching 70, and when he announces a new music project it’s applauded. Harrison Ford (69), George Clooney (51), Denzel Washington (56), Brad Pitt (48) are revered, immortalized and sought after for tons of opportunities without hesitation as to how their crow’s feet or beer bellies may look on the big screen. Regis Philbin got the “Millionaire” gig at almost 70.

TV executives would run over their Bishons before they would hand a new hosting gig to a talented woman in a similar age bracket. Please spare me that Meryl Streep or Helen Mirren still work. That’s because producers know these ladies can deliver no matter what crappy script they are handed. Betty White is getting a little attention now, and that’s because she is making fun of herself.

I wish I had a nickel for every time someone mentioned how old Jennifer Grey was when she appeared on “Dancing with the Stars.” When Susan Lucci wrote her autobiography last year every interviewer wanted to focus on her age and why she didn’t mention hot flashes in her book.

The realm of politics is no better. Hillary Clinton’s age is highlighted constantly as to how she would be too old if she were to to run for President, yet John McCain was how old and could barely communicate – I rest my case (this has nothing to do with who I would vote for).

This cuts across, race, income bracket and political persuasions. I thought liberal Democrats were suppose to be so open, so unwilling to judge. Ha! I have never seen so much judgment since my last family gathering. As for conservative Republicans, don’t be so full of yourselves. You’re just as bad. This isn’t a bi-partisan problem. This is a life problem.

We need to stop taking someone’s age and putting them in categories based on physical and emotional expectations. Everyone has different experiences, lifestyles, choices and genetics.

These judgments are printed and said out loud, and then they seep into people’s minds and become embedded in society. It halts opportunities and, let’s be realistic, at the rate we’re all going, our work years are increasing and we need to be open to all age brackets of people working and not just the twenty something crowd. There is no true price for good experience, no matter what the profession.

Similar to the opinions of Madonna on a more miniscule level, you will either like or dislike this article depending on what your mindset is. However, if I can get you to take a moment to think about your daughter, niece, mother or grandmother and think about the injustices, then I have communicated effectively. “Like a Prayer,” I hope things at the very least change for our girls who growing up now.

OVER TWO MILLION WATCHED SUPER BOWL LIVE STREAM

This is the first time the NFL live-streamed the Super Bowl and the hook was what they called a “second screen” experience, which sounds like the idea was to convince those watching the game on television to also keep their computers on.

How many people, though, watched because they didn’t have access to a television? In the car, for instance? The NFL has to sell this as a “second screen” experience or else cable and satellite providers will howl. If this kind of programming starts streaming, people will cancel their cable packages.

Two million is less than 2% of those who watched the Super Bowl, but that’s still a lot of people.

Right now, the NFL and content providers make a fortune off of cable fees, but you have to wonder  if numbers like these won’t have them looking for a way to cut out the middle man.

WHY DENZEL WASHINGTON IS THE LAST OLD-FASHIONED MOVIE STAR

The author of this piece makes some good observations, but misses the big one. Denzel has never insulted, talked down to, or offended his audience. I’ve seen him hug Obama, I’ve seen him visiting our troops in the Middle East, but there’s nothing divisive about him — nothing anyone can hold against him. That used to be the norm in Hollywood — class — and now it’s an endangered species. Washington is also a family man and openly Christian. What’s not to like about him?

Audiences also trust Denzel not to offend with his film choices. He not only chooses quality projects, but also sucker-punch free projects. We can relax during a Denzel Washington film. We can settle in and not worry about the cheap shot.

Most importantly, every once in a while he chooses a project that appeals to the conservative heartland. “Book of Eli” and “Man on Fire,” for instance.  That’s not to say he doesn’t also make left-of-center films. “John Q” and “The Siege” are both liberal fantasies. But a true movie star doesn’t choose films based on politics but rather story and script. If you look at Gene Hackman’s output, he did the same thing — which is why we miss him so much.

Of course, it also helps that Washington is a phenomenally talented and charismatic actor. But there are many phenomenally talented and charismatic actors — but only one Denzel Washington.

Will Smith, Sandra Bullock and Adam Sandler are in also in Denzel’s league, but that’s about it. Tom Hanks had it but blew it by starring in two openly anti-Catholic films and his trashing of WWII and the War on Terror as wars of terror and racism.

It all comes down to goodwill, doesn’t it?

NETFLIX LESS ABOUT FLICKS, MORE ABOUT TV

Two billion hours were streamed this last quarter, 60% of those hours were devoted to television. The article points out what I’ve said many times and that’s that people want to “dig in” to a show and watch one episode after another.

The article doesn’t reveal that most important truth, though, and that’s that the quality of television is ten-times better than 90% of the films produced today.

As a response to this unexpected demand, Netflix is bulking up its television content and worrying less about films.

And this is what I was talking about last week, as far as the studios having no muscle with their obnoxious 28 day waiting periods for their lousy film product.

Streaming is the perfect place for television shows old and new, television shows are more entertaining than today’s films, and so that’s where the customers are.

I know I drive you crazy covering this every day, but no one else is connecting the dots as the dots appear. Believe me, it would eat up much less of my time to simply link to someone else, but there is no one else and someone needs to tell this story.

Ahem. A-ah-ah-hem: Viacom Agrees To Stream TV Shows Through Amazon Prime

‘THE WOLVERINE’ SET FOR SUMMER 2013 RELEASE

The first “Wolverine” was a pleasant surprise, a simple story well told with plenty of action. Liev Schreiber might have been slumming but his presence added an unpredictability to his character (and therefore the film) few others could’ve pulled off.

FOX DELAYS ‘THIS MEANS WAR’ OPENING TO AVOID BOX OFFICE FACE-OFF WITH ‘THE VOW’

Reese Witherspoon looks astonishingly gorgeous in the “This Means War” trailer and poster, but the trailer is itself is exhausting. My biggest issue is how after you’ve watched those 150 seconds, you feel as though you’ve already seen the movie. All that remains is the question of who gets the girl, but the two guys are so unlikable and selfish, it’s hard to care.

DREW BARRYMORE TO SCALE BACK ON HOLLYWOOD CAREER

Yes, but will anyone notice.

CONSERVATIVE ANGER OVER M.I.A.’S FINGER GESTURE

Really? Only conservatives? Doesn’t say much about liberals, does it?

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COMING SOON TO HOME VIDEO

CLUELESS: Outrageously Funny Satire Makes an Entrance on Blu-ray™ May 1, 2012

Paramount Home Media Distribution invites you to revisit the halcyon days of high school in the ‘90s; a time filled with camaraderie, chaste dances and fervent study…AS IF.  Instead, kick off your designer shoes and enjoy the whip-smart comedy of the contemporary classic CLUELESS when it debuts May 1, 2012 on Blu-ray.  Written and directed by Amy Heckerling (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), CLUELESS stars Alicia Silverstone in a break-out performance as Cher, a beautiful and self-absorbed high school student who spends her days focused on assembling the ideal fashion ensemble, talking her way out of bad grades and searching for the perfect boyfriend.  What Cher discovers is that popularity only gets you so far, looks can be deceiving and love is sometimes found where you least expect it.  Whatever.

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LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING

Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) — One of those lovely, leisurely, classic MGM Dream Factory entries that replenishes your faith in human nature. The conflict doesn’t come from bad people, it comes from the humility and insecurity from the title character (Oscar-winner Robert Donat) over the course of his six decades as a teacher at a prep school for boys in England.

A nice movie, as well as also a genuine artistic achievement.

Can’t imagine life without DVD.

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SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINKTACULAR

OUR OWN MEIRA PENTERMANN’S ‘NINE-TENTHS’ HIT #1 IN POLITICAL FICTION AT AMAZON

TV PILOTS 2012: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

VAUGHN DISCUSSES HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH STEVE MCQUEEN

BRETT RATNER TO DIRECT AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE FOX’ NEW SPY DRAMA PILOT

MORE PHOTOS FROM ‘ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER‘

CONCEPT ART FOR PIXAR’S UPCOMING FILM, ‘BRAVE’

EXCLUSIVE NEW ONE-MINUTE TV SPOT FOR ‘JOHN CARTER’!

DIRECTOR BRYAN SINGER AND TV WRITER/PRODUCER BRYAN FULLER WANT TO BRING ‘STAR TREK’ BACK TO TV

‘KARATE KID’ SEQUEL MOVING FORWARD

VINCE VAUGHN AND OWEN WILSON WILL REUNITE AS INTERNS

FIGHT OVER WHO OWNS ‘RAGING BULL’ CARRIED UP TO 9TH CIRCUIT APPEALS COURT

TWO WRITERS CONFIRMED FOR ‘DOCTOR WHO’ SERIES 7

10 UNFORGETTABLE OSCAR SPEECHES

GUIDE TO RONALD REAGAN MOVIES AVAILABLE FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVE

HOLLYWOOD’S LACK OF IDEAS

SIGOURNEY WEAVER SAYS JAMES CAMERON WANTS SPECIAL SUBMARINE FOR ‘AVATAR’ SEQUELS

9 MISCONCEPTIONS PEOPLE HAVE ABOUT ‘GODZILLA’

CHARLTON HESTON AS A JEDI? A LOOK BACK AT ‘THE PHANTOM MENACE’ RUMOR MILL

COOL INFOGRAPHIC: MOVIE MONSTER SIZE CHART

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CLASSIC PICK FOR THURSDAY,  FEBRUARY 9

TCM:

4:30 AM  Boom Town (1940) –  Friends become rivals when they strike-it-rich in oil. Dir: Jack Conway Cast:  Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert. BW-119 mins, TV-PG, CC.

Oil men portrayed as pioneers and heroes.  Hollywood didn’t always suck.

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Please send comments, suggestions and tips to jnolte@breitbart.com or Twitter @NolteNC.

Sure, “The Book of Eli” had its flaws, and “The Manchurian Candidate” couldn’t live up to its source material, but few actors churn out as many consistently watchable movies as Washington.

The actor’s latest project looks like more of the same, and that’s a pretty darn good thing.

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In “Safe House,” Washington plays a rogue CIA agent teaming up with a newbie (Ryan Reynolds) to smoke out … well, it’s clear there’s been some double crossing going on.

The film boasts a capable support team including Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Robert Patrick and Sam Shepard.

The trailer makes it look like “Safe House” is Washington’s latest collaboration with director Tony Scott – minus the color saturation gone wild. Think again. The man behind the camera is Daniel Espinosa, a veritable unknown who clearly watched a few Scott films before yelling, “Action!”

In 2002 a group of Hollywood stars met to discuss ways to protest the war in Iraq. The meeting took place in a private swanky home, only an hour or so after President Bush took to the airwaves to announce the commencement of the military conflict.

The group — called themselves Artists United to Win Without War — with merry huckster members Susan Sarandon, Ethan Hawke and Jessica Lange speaking out from the east coast. The Grand Poobah of this rank and file of brilliant geopolitical-analysts was none other than Rob Reiner. The rest of the troops were made up by Sally Field, Blythe Danner, Christine Lahti and husband Thomas Schlamme (director of The West Wing), MASH star Mike Farrell, Dharma & Greg’s Mimi Kennedy, Bradley Whitford and then wife Jane Kaczmarek, writer/director Audrey Wells, producer Robert Greenwald, actress Fionnula Flanagan, TV stars Lindsay Wagner, Daniel Benzali, Sharon Lawrence, David Clennon and rising star Troy Garity, the son of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden. (This group has grown to over 140 members.) It was announced at the event that the Barbra Streisand Foundation was donating $5,000 to keep the group going. I assume the donation was for the Russian beluga and Crystal served to these wealthy Democrats by the Venezuelan help on loan from Hugo Chavez.

It is in the very heart of Hollywood, as misguided and self-serving as it is, to march in the streets, to make movies about their positions, and to yell like banshees: “War is not the answer!” The problem with Hollywood celebrities shouting anti-war babble is their inability to ask the question, “Without war, where would Hollywood be?”

Make no mistake, Libya is a war. It is the same war as the one fought in Iraq and Afghanistan. When you break something, bomb something, or kill someone it is war — and you own it. Libya is the next phase of the same war. This triptych wars first brush stroke came in 2002 at the hands of President Bush because he knew something the left could not grasp: people everywhere want to be free of oppression first and foremost.  That spirit of wanting to be free has now spread like a holy fire throughout the Middle East and into the lap of Hollywood liberals who now sit in silence.

Hollywood’s ruling class of totalitarian liberals cannot choose which war they protest simply because the soft-bigotry-of-low-expectations has put their man in office and the world has now placed him behind the gun.  If Hollywood groups like Artists United to Win Without War want to be taken seriously and respected for their anti-war positions they must be consistent. They cannot say this war in Libya is humanitarian. After all, Kurds were being slaughtered in Iraq and women had been treated like animals for hundreds of years in Afghanistan. Hollywood cannot choose what war kills people and what war saves people. Because all war does that, that is its purpose.

Without war Hollywood has no stories to tell, no actors to play pretend hero, and no special effects to blow up balsa-wood worlds. Without war Hollywood liberals have nothing left to fight, and when liberals have nothing left to fight, they have a hard time finding something to live for. Peace is the mirror that walks in front of them that they dread so much. They need war to say, “We are better than that which we do not understand.”

Today, the only group of anti-war Hollywood liberals meeting to discuss the war in Libya are those looking for an angle on how to produce pro-war movies in the name of Commander and Chief Barack Obama. When war breaks out and Democrats are in the White House, Hollywood liberals become warmongers by remaining silent to a cause they acted so passionate about when Bush was in office.

The story begins with Will (Pine) getting out of bed on what he believes is another average day. He’s been working as a train conductor for the past few months and he’s adjusting to the position. He’s assigned to work alongside a longtime train operator named Frank (Denzel Washington), who questions Will’s lack of experience.

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As they work together, these characters face personal distractions as Will tries to reconcile with his wife and Frank attempts to reconcile with his daughter. Neither of these men are perfect but both accept their own shortcomings. Pine and Washington do a great job in creating realistic characters who are soon put in an unimaginable situation. 

At another Pennsylvania station, train operator Dewey (Ethan Suplee) attempts to move a large train from one track to another. While driving, the lazy employee has trouble deploying the brake so he stupidly jumps out of the cab and runs towards a manual switch that will stop the train. Before Dewey can reach the switch, the train races past him and down the track. Suddenly, the train is speeding down the track without an operator.

Several fellow employees try to stop the train using manual switches but are too late. The train is already speeding down the track. The automatic brake that should stop the train if the operator becomes incapacitated wasn’t set correctly so there is no easy way to slow down the runaway engine. Containing hazardous materials, this train will keep going until someone manually stops it or it crashes. Eventually, Will and Frank discover the runaway train is headed towards them and work together to stop it. 

Most of the film’s action revolves around the attempts to stop the “unstoppable” train and the damage it causes. The story of the main characters is interspersed with news accounts. While the media watches, the train heads straight towards an elevated curve that would force it to make a sudden turn. With so many compartments, that curve could prove disastrous as the train would likely derail and cause massive damage to the surrounding area.

The action sequences are spread out in the story allowing audiences the chance to get to know the different characters. There are inevitably some stock characters who show up to play certain roles. There is a train executive who always makes the wrong decisions and a local supervisor who usually makes the right ones. However, those clichéd characters don’t take away from the two main characters, who are both well-written and well-developed.

Overall, “Unstoppable” is a really exciting and enjoyable movie. It features two strong lead performances from Pine and Washington. It is also full of tense and exciting action. If you’re looking for a good story and a fun time at the theater, “Unstoppable” shouldn’t be missed.

Had this published in Newsweek a few months ago, my guess is that the magazine would’ve sold for 50 cents instead of a dollar.

I think it’s possible that a slightly more obvious, disturbing reason could be behind Undercovers’ failure, and it’s pretty familiar: race. Prime-time audiences just weren’t ready for “super-negros” on the small screen. And that’s exactly what Undercovers was: a show about black people doing very “unblack” things. Before anyone gets upset, let me explain. “Super-negro” was a term my family often used while watching old Sidney Poitier movies back in the day. In Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (our favorite), Poitier portrays a black doctor in love with a white, wealthy young socialite during the ’60s. Pretty early in the film, you begin to realize that Poitier’s character is not just any black doctor (an accomplishment in itself for most people then, and now); he’s a black doctor with degrees from several Ivy League universities, an internationally known scholar behind cures of dozens of diseases in Africa and elsewhere. Overkill. But Poitier portraying a “regular negro” was simply not good enough during those times, so the “super-negro” was born. The same could be said of his character from In the Heat of the Night, a Philadelphia cop with highly decorated awards.

Fast-forward 40 years, and it’s plain to see that Hollywood still hasn’t figured out a way to move beyond that absurd premise. It still can’t just fit us in. Yes, we often appear as sidekicks or backup characters in an array of popular shows in prime time, but rarely do we carry a show as the star or let the viewers come home with us.

For starters, this premise is just factually wrong. Unless Ms. Samuels is going to push her already laughable theory to the breaking point of splitting the fine hair between movies and television, it’s just a cold truth that Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Will Smith not only qualify as her “super negroes,” but also happen to be three of the most universally popular and beloved actors in America today. Furthermore, only 6 million people tuned into “Undercovers” in a country where 42 million Black Americans currently reside. With those numbers you don’t need anyone of the Caucasian persuasion to create yourself a hit television show.

If NBC can’t win 20% of that particular demographic, how is the failure of “Undercovers” a race issue? Well, Ms. Samuels has an even more outrageous theory to answer that one. Be sure to pay extra special attention to what’s in bold [my emphasis]:

[I]t appears that the powers that be in Tinseltown feel quite comfortable relegating us to reinforcing every negative stereotype known to humanity in low-grade, embarrassing reality shows like Flavor of Love and Basketball Wives. So exactly how does the television audience (black, white, or other) make the gigantic leap from those constant images of foolery to a show like Undercovers? It doesn’t.

Wow.

Taking Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington and Will Smith off the table as though they alone don’t already completely dismantle this thoughtless line of thought, what Ms. Samuels is saying is that television has so socialized Black America that even Black Americans can’t deal with seeing themselves in fictional roles that don’t fall under her definition of “foolery.”

Of course, there is one exception to this theory; someone uniquely capable of seeing through all of this, someone whose superior intellect can’t be fooled, someone who possesses the otherworldly ability to retain a sense of self-worth even in the relentless face of all this pop cultural racism — ONE incredible human being with the strength and insight to sit back and enjoy “Undercovers” unlike anyone else…

And that someone is, of course, Allision Samuels.

If “elitist” ever becomes a race, I’m becoming a racist.