Now that director Kathryn Bigelow, screenwriter Mark Boal, and Sony Pictures have conspired to completely undermine any chance they had at garnering our goodwill with the upcoming saving Obama’s ass killing Osama bin Laden movie, we should look at it as a savings — a savings of the ticket price of around $10.

Those of us appalled by the idea that Sony Pictures and their politically-mercenary filmmakers would use a universal American triumph and our selfless troops in this partisan manner, need to find something to do with our sudden ten-dollar windfall. It’s quite likely that by the time the film’s released, just a few weeks prior to the election, America might need that ten bucks to buy a gallon of gas or milk. But let’s be optimistic and dream a little…

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The filmmakers of the upcoming movie about the pursuit and capture of Osama bin Laden, set to open in the heat of the 2012 campaign season, released the following statement claiming that the film is “non-partisan”:

Our upcoming film project about the decade long pursuit of Bin Laden has been in the works for many years and integrates the collective efforts of three administrations, including those of Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama, as well as the cooperative strategies and implementation by the Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency. Indeed, the dangerous work of finding the world’s most wanted man was carried out by individuals in the military and intelligence communities who put their lives at risk for the greater good without regard for political affiliation. This was an American triumph, both heroic, and non-partisan and there is no basis to suggest that our film will represent this enormous victory otherwise.

So the “Obama Got Osama” film is not meant to boost the re-election chances of our beleaguered president?

Prove it.

If the slated Oct. 12, 2012 release date is merely a coincidence–as the statement suggests–or solely based on opening the film during “Oscar season” (which runs through December and even into early January), surely those responsible for the film will agree that it is obscene to politicize the triumph of our most heroic Americans by unnecessarily injecting them into the election cycle against their will.

So, we call on Oscar winning director, Kathryn Bigelow, and Oscar winning screenwriter, Mark Boal, to formally ask Sony Pictures to release the bin Laden film in late December — long after the 2012 election season is over, long after the film itself and the publicity surrounding it can have any kind of impact. (more…)

For the last couple days we’ve run several posts reporting on Sony Picture’s apparent decision to make a $50M+ soft money contribution to the Obama campaign a month prior to election day in the form of a Mark Boal/Kathryn Bigelow bin Laden movie.  The screenwriter/director tandem previously teamed up for the repetitive and subtly anti-military “Hurt Locker,” which won numerous Academy Awards despite not having a plot and pulling in a total gross domestic box office roughly equivalent to the opening weekend of “Confessions of a Shopaholic.”

But this isn’t Sony Picture’s only effort to subvert common decency that’s making headlines this week.  Their new film “30 Minutes or Less” is brewing up some controversy of its own.  From the Associated Press (emphasis mine):

PITTSBURGH (AP) – The family of an Erie pizza delivery driver killed eight years ago won’t be among those in line when the comedy “30 Minutes Or Less” opens nationwide Friday.

Brian Wells died when a time bomb collar he was forced to wear exploded after he robbed a bank. The movie plot features a pizza driver forced to rob a bank while wearing a time bomb vest. A spokesman for Sony’s Columbia TriStar Motion Picture group says the filmmakers and stars knew nothing about the Wells case, though he acknowledges the screenwriters were vaguely familiar with it.

The screenwriters haven’t responded to requests for comment through their agent.

Jean Heid of Erie is Wells’ sister. She says the movie isn’t funny—whether or not it’s based on her brother’s death.

Now that you know that the screenwriters (IMDB lists them Michael Dilibert and Matthew Sullivan) of this goofball buddy comedy starring Danny McBride (but I repeat myself) were inspired by pain and suffering inflicted on one man and his loved ones, watch the preview (above) again.  Go ahead.

Pretty messed up, right? (more…)

Accusing a film studio of exploiting our military and their heroism for partisan political purposes is a pretty serious accusation. Accusing the White House of cooperating with this kind of propaganda is also a serious accusation.  But that’s exactly what New York Times’ Leftist Maureen Dowd said is happening.

What do you think?

Celebrated actress Meryl Streep’s latest project “Julie & Julia” is out in theaters. I have not seen the film and am not sure if I will. I did see the trailers, and admit to being tickled by Streep’s uncanny portrayal of Child’s mannerisms and unusual voice. (For Big Hollywood reviews of this film, click here and here.)

Streep is one of those rare thespians who truly morphs into the character she is playing. You forget for a while that you are watching Meryl Streep (as opposed to never forgetting it’s Tom Cruise in “[insert film title here]“), and for that she deserves heaps of praise.  But her off-screen silliness is ripe for mocking.

Take, for example, her declaration during a promotional interview for “Julie & Julia” that she was “disappointed” in Child because 20 years ago, Child refused to take part in Streep’s efforts to get organic produce into supermarkets: (more…)

Hang on to your keesters: the first movie to celebrate the ascension of Barack “The One” Obama to the throne Oval Office is on its way to a theater near you:

Sony Pictures tells Whispers that it has acquired the rights to distribute the HBO documentary “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama.” In describing the film, the media giants say that the previously untitled flick won’t be just a collage of biographical and campaign video. Added will be interviews with staffers and campaign aides to give us a behind-the-scenes look at life in Obamaland. It ought to be pretty polished: Ed Nortons Class 5 Films did the work.

Yes, it should be a gas…Ed Norton’s the same guy who told us all to turn out our lights for an hour in order to symbolize the fight against the greedy overuse of fossil fuels that are killing our planet. (Global warming savior Al Gore must not have seen Norton’s appearance on Larry King Live.) Apparently, that doesn’t apply to the fossil fuels used to make the film, let alone what will be needed to distribute and screen it for the adoring masses. (more…)