Introducing Crusader Pictures: Movies, the Culture War, and Restoring Sanity
by Wendy A. GoldmanMovies have the power to make us laugh or cry, to anger or inspire us, to move us, or just to provide escape. And, sometimes, they have a power beyond simple entertainment; they can influence new ways of thinking, feeling and pursuing our lives.
Movies are also one of the primary arenas in which the so-called “culture war” is fought, where the battle for the hearts and minds of the public, and the conflict between values considered traditional or conservative, and those considered progressive or liberal is played out—reaching people in a profound, instinctive way. Conservatives, while finding success at the ballot box, in talk radio, the blogosphere, and in cable news, have been less successful at the box office, and therefore, are playing catch-up in the culture war.
It is with this in mind that we have launched Crusader Pictures. Crusade means the vigorous advancement of a cause, and the cause at the heart of Crusader Pictures is to produce entertainment which stands up for individual liberty in a manner that will appeal to a wide audience.
It’s been 13 years since my producing partner Becky Best and I met over lunch at The Wednesday Morning Club in Los Angeles, a forum for right-thinking entertainment executives that was meant, in the words of David Horowitz, “to give conservatives an opportunity to share ideas, push their agenda, swap political tales and lament their endangered-species status in Hollywood.”
Attending the luncheons felt like a subversive act, and while the ranks of Hollywood Conservatives (or those who didn’t completely march in lockstep with liberal orthodoxy) may have been relatively small then, still, the message one took away was “I am not alone.” It also stirred one to ask, “How can I help break the liberal grip on Hollywood content?”
It was at this time that we came across a series of tongue-in-cheek articles on political correctness by author Judith Weizner that originally appeared in Heterodoxy Magazine, a journal published by The David Horowitz Freedom Center. While we recognized the articles had great potential to be translated into film, we knew the time wasn’t right.
Fast-forward to 2010, and the political and media landscape is vastly different. The Conservative blogosphere flourishes; the Tea Party movement is gaining power, women are emerging as a dominant and vital force in Conservative politics, and Conservatives are making inroads in the late-night comedy-news arena, a la Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld, which, in the words of Andrew Breitbart, “has solidified itself as television’s most reliably absurdist, unpredictable and laugh-provoking news hour.”
Observing the political landscape, we knew the perfect storm had been created for box office success for a comedy about the excesses of political correctness. So Crusader has slated as its first film project, An Incorrect Man, an original satire by screenwriter Baxter Taylor, inspired by Judith Weizner’s articles.
An Incorrect Man uses humor to give people a vision of life in a world overrun by political correctness—one man’s journey through an Orwellian nightmare in which he can’t say or do anything without offending someone.
When we first came across Judith’s visionary articles, we appreciated the satirical take on political correctness, but now observe with chagrin that they are becoming more fact than fiction, as evidenced by a recent news item in which health inspectors for Multnomah County, Oregon shut down 7-year-old Julie Murphy’s lemonade stand for selling lemonade without a business license (later the county’s top elected official, county Chairman Jeff Cogen, “apologized for the sour treatment Julie got.”)
When a 7-year-old can’t engage in the iconic tradition of setting up a corner lemonade stand, it’s time to restore sanity and common sense values back into our culture.
It is this reality that motivates us. So with a passion for film, coupled with a desire to make a difference, we stake a claim in the culture war of ideas. We choose to produce entertainment that will be a positive force in our culture, presenting compelling messages about family, patriotism and tradition.
An Incorrect Man is being financed entirely through private citizens who share our ideals. Production is scheduled to begin in April 2011 with an October 2011 release, strategically timed to kick off the 2012 election.
Find out more about Crusader Pictures, including Judith Weizner’s articles and the progress of An Incorrect Man, at CrusaderPictures.com,and on Twitter and Facebook
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150 Comments
It's ironic that such a project should be announced after a weekend that included David Cross saying that O'Reilly and Hannity should be silenced. The Big Apple Hate Speech article buttresses against the "comedian's" call for taking away free speech so nicely that it almost seems pre-destined to occur in such proximity.
With Crusader Pictures and Declaration Entertainment, it seems like this industry is getting ready to feel the effects of a revolution. I can't wait.
I wish nothing but the best of luck to both Declaration Entertainment and Crusader Pictures. There will be several skeptics on the left and the right (unfortunate to be sure but it's hard to blame them). Press on and stick to your guns and we'll support you guys.
Good luck on a much needed, long overdue, venture. Just remember, it's not just the overtly political, conservative films that need to be made. We need movies and TV series with realistic villains, where the white guy with the flag pin isn't always the bad guy; teen comedies where the 15 yr old that hasn't had sex isn't an object of ridicule; thrillers where the terrorists trying to destroy our way of life aren't Eastern Europeans or Irish; and shows where Christians aren't hypocritical, mean spirited, close minded morons.
As evidenced by the growing crowd of tea partiers and patriots, there is a huge public that will likely support conservative, quality entertainment by patriotic filmmakers. This is a great endeavor, and I, for one, will be spreading the news about Crusader Pictures, as well as Declaration Entertainment.. I am so ready for their messages.
Here's to great success to both companies!
Does this mean my screenplay about a rodent who packs heat can FINALLY come to light?
Seriously? The best of luck. I know there will be no shortage of integrity and hard work.
…Three Cheers for Crusader Pictures….May "An Incorrect Man" be the start of a Great Cultural Correction !
My wife and I will fully support every picture you make by seeing it in the theater then buying the DVD for ourselves and as gifts. Maybe you should actually make a picture about the true history of The Crusades to show the liberals, er, uh, I mean, progressives, how long there have been insane members of the cult of islam out to conquer the West.
I am one who does not watch TV and only a few movies My entertainment dollar will return if I am able to recognize "entertainment" once again.
Exactly! The true damage is the pervasive drip drip drip of reshaping what a "villian" is. We all can easily recognize, and therefore ignore, the obvious slams against conservatives and conservative values.
And of course, the name 'Crusader Pictures' will really put a weed up the Muzzies' ass.
If you ask me, the issue isn't to make overtly political material all. I see that as the problem. Make good, compelling stories that don't pull punches in order to be politically correct is the way to go.
Hollywood has been spewing a constant stream of politically overt movies that have been bombing left and right. Green Zone, Rendition, and what ever that Sean Penn dribble was about Plame, I didn't even pay enough attention to remember the name.
I'm just a customer, not in the business, but if I want politics, I've got the internet, when I watch a movie, I want entertainment, not lectures.
What kind of bass do you have in your pic? I have a 9001 Rickenbacker.
Some saw the writing on the wall when Tom Clancy's novel, "The Sum Of All Fears" was made into a movie. The Islamic terrorists somehow morphed into Eastern Europeans. Didn't want to offend the Muslims, you know?
Actually, "An Incorrect Man" sounds like the description of the average American's day at work. My tongue had become swollen from biting it so much.
Sometimes I wonder if this PC movement didn't occur because of the removal of good manners and politeness from our society.
Almost every mainstream show or movie I see has as a bad guy some dope-dealing filthy predator, or some big mogul, or a terrorist, but rarely is he a flag-pin wearing white guy. And when shows depict Christians as close-mined morons, it's because in fiction you always depict the odd and the peculiar. When you have a Christian in a show depicted as a person who believes that the world is only six thousand years old, that's not even fiction. And such ideas deserve to be ridiculed.
Now, with that said, the example the writer Wendy Goldman above cited as "political correctness" demonstrates to me that she doesn't understand what the term means, and she's just tossing it around because she enjoys the sound of it to promote her agenda. What that lemonade-stand shutdown is really about overzealous law enforcement, probably by a young cop enjoying his new-found power, and lacking commonsense. I'd bet that the charge came from a conservative policeman. In any case, the example is not at all about "political correctness." With such a shallow understanding of common terms, you can bet her contribution to the conservative agenda will be shoddy, and only people like yourselves will see it, mostly because it'll be promoted by sites like this. Quality will not be what draws you to it; it'll be the agenda. At least these so-called "liberal elites" aren't providing entertainment as an agenda; they're producing it because they think it'll put butts in seats. And it usually does.
Sorry about the double post….my connection was acting strangely.
You know what might make a really good movie? C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy.
"Out of the Silent Planet" and "Perelandra" were impossible for me to put down, and while "That Hideous Strength" takes forever and a day to properly set up the Chess Board, once the action starts it was near impossible to put down as well.
I do miss being able to sit and enjoy light TV entertainment. Bones finally jumped the shark in a major way (Conservatives in the government gunning for the ME investigating damage done to soldiers).
I so agree with above posting: shows were not all teenagers are sluts and parents are clueless hypocrites or cool morons.
It's what I call a Fender Fretless Frankenstein. It was made back in the 70s and the guy had some sort of weird pickups put in to replace the originals. But I get every sound from Deep Bass Thunder to Classic Fretless with just the flip of a switch.
Quite frankly, you're most likely blind to the reality of such anti-Christian and anti-Conservative TV shows and films because you agree with them, and your post proves that. The fact that you think ideas need to be ridiculed means you have a closed, intolerant mind.
As far as the term PC (political cowardice) is concerned, it's not just about Leftist idealogy. It does indeed have broader connotations, such as common sense being trampled on in the case of the lemonade stand. PC requires a little girl to have a license to sell lemonade because they're afraid the lemonade might hurt someone who drinks it!
Films that come out of Hollywood today which are clearly anti-American do not do well at the box office. They generally have to insert a sucker-punch somewhere in an otherwise enjoyable film just to get their anti-Christian, anti-Conservative digs in there because they can't help themselves.
So art should be nothing more than light hearted entertainment? That's a problem in and of itself and one of the many things wrong with our growing "mob rule" culture.
Sounds cool. The guy who taught me bass used to have a Fender Mustang bass. Bass strings, hardware and pickups on a standard strat body. That was a fast bass, you could reach frets all over the place in no time flat. Plus it weighed about half what my Rick does.
Stuff it troll, go pick a fight with some one else.
If a person sits down to write a story and the first thing in their brain is politics, the end product usually sucks. How ever if a person sits down to write a story, and a political theme happens to emerge, its usually not nearly as sucky.
Quite frankly, you most likely see shows as anti-Christian and anti-Conservative because they don't forward a pro-Christian or pro-Conservative agenda. And ideas are some times ridiculous, and therefore should be ridiculed. Don't you spend your days at sites like this, which ridicule liberalism? Don't you relish the caricature of liberalism created by the Limbaughs and Becks of the world you inhabit? Sure you do, because you're close-minded and refuse to see anything good in liberalism. You're in denial of just what the liberal contribution has been to the development of our modern society. Without liberalism, women wouldn't have the right to vote or have access to birth control. And that's just two off the top of my head. There's no way a close-minded person like yourself is going to acknowledge that, though.
And you can stretch the term "political correctness" so it covers how it was sued by this red-mean feeding gasbag of a writer, but it in fact has a very specific meaning, and how she used it wasn't it. The lemonade stand was shut down because political correctness. The girl didn't have a license, and I bet if you looked more directly into it, you'll see my reasons for the shutdown was more accurate than hers. It wasn't because people were afraid someone would get hurt drinking the lemonade. Test yourself. Go ahead and look it up.
I have to admit I don't know what anti-American films you're talking about. Many films fail for a variety of reasons. If I remember correctly, you loons were declaring Avatar as anti-American, and it made millions of dollars in profit. Millions. That said, I wish you'd list some of these anti-Christian, anti-Conservative shows you're talking about, and be specific. Be very specific. And throw in the un-American films while you're at it.
Hmmm. Crusaders does imply a strong Christian element, which I'm not seeing in the studio or project. Making a case for the Crusades, would that be a project? For our children, the masses, are learning that the Crusades were invaders, occupiers, colonizers of Islamic peaceful hippy tolerant sophisticated civilizations. How do I know? I read my daughter's 7th grade history book.
My other electric bass is a Fender Pink Paisley Re-issue and I them through play a Fender 100W Rumbler amp. Here's some rough demos: http://www.myspace.com/spokusjones
keepdad, if no one has responded to your post you should be able to delete it.
Long overdue. I wish you the best of luck.
Have at it, and don't be afraid to collaborate with Declaration Entertainment.
Here's to the rebirth of the movies.
Another one?
Once again, I want to support this, but I'm skeptical that the products will be any good, since you're approaching this from a political moralizing perspective. Avatar only succeeded because of the pretty pictures — most movies, liberal or conservative, that preach at the viewer fail and fail hard (see any Iraq War film, as well as An American Carol.)
Here's a quote from Breitbart himself:
"That's the huge problem that I see with the conservative movement. We do so well arguing our points on talk radio that the idea is 'I wanna make a movie that's talk radio, but that has pictures to go along with it.'"
He said that in a speech for Americans for Limited Government.
Props will be withheld until the showing and proving has commenced.
Good stuff. That's the way I like my blues, more delta style. Good luck with your music. I hit my brick wall about 10 years ago. I started playing too late in life.
I'm overjoyed to hear the news about Crusader Pictures, but I agree with Kendama above. The hard part is actually producing films that are watchable, let alone good, and (let's be honest) that is an area where conservatives have yet to make much progress.
The solution is a bottom-up approach so that the concepts that are developed are selected strictly on merit and not interpersonal connections. The liberals learned this decades ago: the first step would be to hold a multi-stage pitch fest, with each phase narrowing down the entries. Then we would focus on recruiting experienced talent from within Hollywood, leaving all political considerations aside.
I've attended many meetings of LA-based conservative film groups and it's been a disapointment because they are mostly gatherings of below-the-line people trying to network to line up their next gig (working on another left-wing movie of course). It all comes down to puting food on the table; no one has time or interest in conservative movies because it's hard enough as it is to make a living making any movie.
I'm going to follow this story closely and I'm wishing them all the best.
the Templar Knights…
That several of us here are direct descendents of. They invented the modern system of finance we now enjoy, including international banking, checks, and credit chits. Based on the noble hierarchy of the Christian Fellowship, these systems ONLY worked amongst honorable men.
Which, of course, now explains why our financial affairs are so screwed up. No honor exists any more.
How can one offer credit to another if the other person has no intention of repaying? Or uses deceitful methods
to avoid the debt? This what the Crusaders created.
Not to mention forced conversions to Christianity, but that's a tribute to the times. Islam did the same under dhimmitude. So, perhaps the elements of what made these visionaries the fathers of our Founders can be channeled in their films.
One can only hope…
Somehow it's easy to believe that David Cross is a relentlessly censorious leftist lunatic.
Hmm. I'm interested to see where this goes. I've been waiting for a studio like this to emerge for awhile. Then again, I am a bit worried about the quality of these films. I hope this is a serious attempt and not some lackluster attempt to capitalize on the conservative movement. I guess I'll have to do some research and wait for some actual films. I'm definately interested though.
Well I like That Knight Templar, Standing at the ready with a sword. The knights Templar were a very interesting formation of Soldiers, yea they were Monks too, but they were Soldiers. Some say they all were put to the stake other say the found places in Scotland and Else were, and the Treasure they were suppose to have well that was an Idea! They are still around, as an extendison of the Free Masons. Or was it the Free Masons that came out of the Templar's its a muddled and interesting history!
BTW, I'm sure you won't read this comment, but I must say something. Vincent Gallo is a very right wing Reagan conservative Republican filmaker who has been outspoken about his political leanings and ideologies from the beginning of his career. His films also have conservative messages if you are willing to look. His new film Promises Written in Water is looking for distribution and it would be a great(and cheap) film for this company to grab hold of. His previous films include Buffalo '66 and The Brown Bunny. It would also be interesting if you bought the film rights to right wing novels like The Christmas Sweater or The Overton Window, both by Glenn Beck.
Well that would be a good thing, anything to mess with there heads is a good thing.
Ed, I'm with you. I don't really care to see anything particularly political when I go to the movies. It doesn't mean that they can't make those films (that's for the stupid troll), it's just that they can tend to dominate. That's why we call them sucker punches.
The best films have been politically neutral at best such that each side can even try to claim that the message was liberal or conservative.
Even something like The Blind Side should be politically neutral – it's just about a woman doing something good for a kid she didn't know. She helped him out of a sense of love and a desire to help a fellow human being.
But, as you said, a film with a specific message usually bombs because of it.
I am going to agree with Kendama (and Edski) as well – I wish you guys luck, but the best thing would not to make movies with a specific political message.
I agree that An American Carol was not the best. It was funny in parts, but because it was so specific, it was not as funny as it could have been. I mean, remember Blazing Saddles and the Governor – it was not political in any specific way, just watching those in power act like asses and only work to increase their power. Party was not an issue. Ideology was not even an issue. It's what the Tea Party is about – gov't has gotten out of control because of BOTH parties.
So, good luck, but keep the political message subtle.
Exactly. We just watched The Blind Side again the other evening. And its a very compelling story, well written, acted and directed.
I don't believe it was meant to push a conservative agenda at all. It just tells a good story that contains ethics and morality. And that sells.
Start with the story, and if its part of that good story happens to have a political bent, then that's fine. For example most of the Tom Clancy films have villains who work for government. But the story is so good, it doesn't bother me. Not to mention I think there's something quite patriotic about Americans in service taking down evil Americans in government.
Just read one of the articles re Chess: at first I had to remind myself that the articles were described "tongue in cheek" because I couldn't believe it was true! LOL! I could see them doing something like that though, those crazy PC Lefties.
There is good in CLASSIC liberalism which amounts to individual liberties including the right to be a total *$$hole in public and receive retribution for being same, the right to think freely and speak freely, the right to believe how we choose to believe, the right to privacy, security in our own environs, the right to vote in peace-unobstructed by hate groups who use intimidation tactics to keep you from voting on the basis of the color of your skin: basically, the principles in the founding documents. LIberal Progressives are different. In reality they are tiny little Hitlers, Maos telling people what to think, feel, and if you stray from the Borg Collective you are branded "closed minded" "Intolerant" "stupid" and "racist", or exterminated. We are quite open minded here because we have heard the party line. Progressives problem with us is, we don't buy it . We could submit a list of movies, but it wouldn't do any good. You've got your group-think on. Every once in awhile, do a close-reading of what you think you know.
Yeah…I read the same book…
I agree. One thing we have to be able to accept is that there are good and bad in our gov't, even sometimes our military, and in our country. It's just that the balance is so one sided; that is my objection. It's ALWAYS the White Christian, the military guy, etc.
Now, part of me thinks it's the same reason why so many men in comedies are the dolt and their wives are 200 IQ saints: I think it's simply an immature form of revenge. For all the years that all criminals were portrayed as black or hispanic, or that the women were dumb and meant to keep silent while the man was the smart one, I think this is what they did.
I don't agree with it – 2 wrongs don't make a right. That is why shows like Family Ties and The Cosby Show were so entertaining: the parents were in control and they were EQUALS. Neither was 100% stupid or 100% smart. They were human and approachable, something you could aspire to.
Awesome! Looking forward to it! All my best!
If you'd like some unique music cues…
I think the reason so many dads are portrayed as dolts is because a lot of these types of shows have their roots in stand up routines with self deprecating humor.
That stuff works much better when you have a straight man to bounce it off of, Laurel & Hardy, Abbot & Costello, Martin & Lewis, Obama & Biden.
And if you're going to have family show, that means kids, that means a mom, so its the perfect foil already on the pay roll.
I agree with others here who want to see quality movies not a political message per se, but by all means take shots at democrat sacred cows as the Left does in their films with Conservatives. What I’d like to see are films that are meant to entertain, not preach, with a deviation from typical liberal characters. I would like to see new villains not the liberals villains such as CEO’s, white people and any Republican. Make the criminals reflective of the trash in society such as violent union goons, child abusing and molesting public school teachers, community organizing crime syndicates, seditious journalists, democrat politicians being bought off, Muslim terrorists, black fascist and Latino supremacy groups, etc. Reinvent the Hollywood paradigm.
Well, that is true as well. I can see that. But it also feels like it's a form of revenge as well.
BTW: Obama & Biden – I guess Obama is the straight man? LOL!
"Growing 'mob rule' culture?" Are you serious? How do you think all of the leftist bias gets into movies/tv shows in the first place? The mob in charge wants only one perspective to be shown and shoved down the throats of any and all unaware consumers. I cannot say I'm surprised – after all, for someone of your predilections, the only "realistic" drama has to follow a trite formula.
the sinner,
Patrick
Yeah, there's nothing funny about Obama.
Except maybe that he's a hen pecked, girly man with big ears who can't speak in public with tripping over himself with out a teleprompter, named his dog after his own initials, has that thing for a dog, Walked into a White House window on first week in office, bumped his head getting into Air Force 1, thinks Austria has its own language, thinks there's 57 states, and gives Chris Matthews tingly legs.
Other than that and maybe a couple more, nothing funny about him at all. Now Biden, he's got comic talent. I can see him as Al Bundy in remake of Married With Children.
I don't consider dolt dad's to be any kind of revenge if the show is based upon stand up routines such as Tool Time and Everybody Loves Raymond because the guys playing dolts are the ones running the shows. That's how they want the shows to be.
Don't you remember the Bruce Willis film Armageddon, when he took a shot at environmentalists? That's one I thought of right off the top of my head.
White people aren't necessarily just the bad guys. I just saw a film a couple of weeks ago called Brooklyn's Finest which showed a bevvy of criminals, most of the black. You people clearly don't see enough movies to discuss them in context of politics. I saw Harry Brown two nights ago and it had criminals of different types, black and white, but all thuggish and trashy. And so much has been done to make unions look like goons it's basically polluted how unions look to the general public perception. Your whole list of recommended criminals is just ridiculous. Here's some advice: watch more movies. Let's not start smearing teachers as child molesters and community organizers and "syndicates." That wouldn't be realistic.
I do a close reading constantly. Just because you spouted some group-think screed against progressive liberalism doesn't make it true. Please, you human stain, describe for me how American liberals are "little Hitlers." Be specific. And take your examples out of mainstream liberal progressives, not some crap given to you by Glenn Beck. Heal thyself, nitwit: Take a close reading of what you think you know.
Avatar made money because it was a 3D experience, so *despite* it being anti-American (and a complete rip-off of any number of sources, not the least of which was "Call Me Joe"), it made money. Movies like "In the Valley of Elah," "The Kingdom," "Jarhead," "Lions for Lambs," etc., all fail spectacularly. All of Damon's "I hate America" movies flounder. TV shows like Law and Order repeatedly have the Christian as the bad guy – or the lunatic red herring that the audience is supposed to think is the killer. Then, of course, the recent "Easy A" portrays Christians as hateful and ignorant. "Kingdom of Heaven" went out of its way to re-write history to portray Christians as bloodthirsty. "The Golden Compass" is a movie directly aimed at the Latin (Roman) church, and the entire series of books is violently anti-Latin. We can also throw in the wildly historically inaccurate "DaVinci Code" and, of course, "Angels and Demons." "Jesus Camp," as a documentary . . . and then there are the average films that just have to have a snide comment or two but that don't specifically focus on the US or Christianity. "Pleasantville," and nearly every single History Channel show in Christianity, which use pathetically inaccurate materials (like Procopius' "Secret History") to slander early Church leaders and Fathers. The list just goes on.
And Beck and Limbaugh don't create caricatures of liberalism – liberalism does it itself. Liberalism didn't contribute to women having the right to vote – a sense of equality did. What liberalism is today isn't what it use to be. In fact, it isn't even close. Access to birth control? Why is that *necessarily* a great thing? What ever happened to self-control? After all, it is a considerably better form of birth control. To say that birth control is some seminal right that we must all applaud as a great leap forward is to make the assumption that having sex is vitally important (in and of itself, a statement of belief) to even living and that we, as human beings, have no control over doing it.
You can bet about the girl with the lemonade stand – you'd lose that bet. Try looking it up yourself and coming back with something substantive instead of pure speculation.
And if people like Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Bill Ayers, Barbara Boxer, etc., aren't worthy of ridicule for ridiculousness (why not throw in the murder, Ted Kennedy?), then who is?
the sinner,
Patrick
Normally I wouldn't respond to such drivel but it's a slow day.
Don't you remember the Bruce Willis film Armageddon, when he took a shot at environmentalists?
This is supposed to prove what exactly, that leftwing Hollywood doesn't routinely take shots at all things non-leftist in their movies and tv shows? For every example of a liberal villain there are 10 examples of Republican/Conservative/white/religious villains. As far as unions it is they who make themselves look like goons by beating up dissenters and acting like street thugs. And of course it's not surprising that you wouldn't want to have any of your leftwing groups portrayed as criminals. Thousands of children have been molested by public school teachers; we have a case here in CA of one hispanic teacher that appears to have molested dozens of children. Maybe that hits to close to home since most of you leftists are perverts. Of course you'd object to Muslim being portrayed as terrorists, in the wasteland of the liberal mind only Christians and Jews can be terrorists. Community organizing has become a racket; Hussein was one of the plaintiffs that sued Citigroup while he was a street agitator; that's what these black shakedown groups like Jesse Jackson's organization do. Then there are journalists that fabricate stories and release sensitive information during a time of war to undermine our troops and war effort. I'd like to see a movie where these leftwing dregs get hanged for their treason. The audience would give a standing ovation.
But you're right, I don't watch much of the liberal dreck because it's unoriginal, predictable and politically correct to the point of cowardice.
I'm praying they will put the script first. I don't have much confidence in the ability of staunch conservatives to decide what sort of stories the general public would find entertaining.
Most conservatives who think about film believe the world needs "another John Ford." I feel this ignores market and demographic realities. What the world really needs is a conservative Quentin Tarantino.
Trouble is, most conservatives despise Tarantino and anyone like him.
We need to produce films that make a lot of money. We need to make the conservative equivalent of Reservoir Dogs (not necessarily a caper flick, but you get the idea – fresh, edgy, surprising, awesome).
A conservative "Green Berets" (1968, John Wayne) set in Iraq? I'm falling asleep just thinking about it. We need a pro-American Apocalypse Now.
I hope they hire the best below-the-line people they can find, regardless of politics. If they use an inexperienced DOP because his father the Republican congressman put up ten percent of the money, they are dead. They need to come to LA and use the kick-butt DOP with the Obama sticker on his bumper.
Crusader huh? Great name for more muslim haters.
How 'bout this: the notion of secular, humanistic totalitarianism is solely the product of what we commonly call, today, the left. It is the notion that the human intellect is "god," and can, and will, "create" a better life out of whole cloth. It denounces the concept of morality, since it necessarily rejects the notions of absolutes beyond human control and determination. The starting presumptions are based on the belief (yes, belief) that the human intellect is the source of all reality (or the interpretation thereof, which is the only way any experience, shared or otherwise, has any meaning).
Thus, without a belief in external sources of morality, all that is left is to craft a culture/society in one's image. This is how liberals can say "we know what is best for you." Even if liberals don't think they, on an individual basis, know what's best, they practice egocentrism by proxy in following leaders who best embody the "prepossessions of their hearts," to take a phrase from St. Irenaeus. Such a choice allows the individual liberal to believe that he is "ruling" through the proxy who is doing nothing but putting into practical effect the same beliefs that individual liberal espouses.
Without such a base of belief, Hitler (and Lenin, and Stalin, and Mao, and Castro, and Pol Pot, etc.) would not have been possible. Such leaders knew what was best for the masses, who often only too willingly agreed. Though I don't believe that liberals are all "little Hitlers" in the genocidal/murderous aspect, they do share a common origin of belief – the worship of the self. That is why the comparison, though a bit crude and inaccurate in *implication*, is still applicable.
Glenn Beck, though he does wonderful work on the interconnectedness of various liberal groups (though anyone following ActivistCash.com for the last 12 or so would have known all of that for several years), does have some trouble with history on occasion. I would instead recommend Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom," Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism," Muravchik's "Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism," and any of the works on the gulag, itself (Solzhenitsyn, Alexander Dolgun, Applebaum, and, as far as fiction goes that really hits the gut, I can't recommend enough "The Foundation Pit" by Platonov).
the sinner,
Patrick
Just to clarify your point of this being a studio – Crusader Pictures is being set up as a production company. Not a studio. A studio is a who-o-o-ole different ballgame and one that won't be played until we get many more companies with a similar outlook on their production values.
No wonder you don't know anything, while at the same time thinking you do: You're clearly one of Beck's Beckerheads.
EXACTLY! I'll say it again – There are enough people in this town who just want to work. The best crew members are here, the best writers are here, the best directors are here. They'll overlook a trivial disagreement with the content any day to be able to put a well received and mildly financial successful title on their resume.
We just have to know that the efforts will be seen. And that comes down to distributors and exhibitors. And they seem to sway to the desires of the corporate entities that control the entertainment production today. In the end we do need many more of these companies, and the studio and distribution network sympathetic to the upstart vision.
Thanks. Are you in LA? We should have coffee.
I'm curious to find out what other projects Crusader Pictures is considering and if they are looking for scripts to read. The script is everything. Lots of indy filmmakers in this town go nowhere because they start with the location, the actors, even start with the money, then add the script as an afterthought.
From what I've been able to see, conservative filmmakers are too timid. Many dream of re-creating the classics of a bygone era. Huge mistake. They need to get edgy and understand the power of irony and having a left-wing protagonist who arcs big time. We need to create new classics from thin air.
And we need to embrace controversy. Race. Islam. Be unafraid. A "heart warming coming-of-age story set around a1964 Muncie Indiana girl's softball team" will get us to Brokesville, USA.
Watching/listening to a pundit for entertainment doesn't make one's IQ inherently lower. More leftist pretension.
"Beckerheads." How cute, did you make that one up yourself?
Wow. Someone absolutely TROUNCES you in an argument, and this is all you can come up with? For a second there I had you mistaken for not being a miscreant troll because your first couple of responses had a couple well-thought-out, reasoned arguments.
My mistake. Someone destroys your rationale and you just come back with a bunch of useless name calling. He gave you the specific examples of the movies you asked for, and of course your response is to assume he hasn't even seen them.
A more brilliant example of modern liberalism I couldn't have come up with if my life depended on it.
My goal is to find that sweet edge where the story will PO everybody, but at the same time everybody will see the wisdom in what the story is saying. There is nothing better than when a valid truth in life is presented wrapped up within a storyline and people of all stripes can relate to that truth.
And coffee sounds good. How do we connect?
Doesn't surprise me in the least.
Talk about ticking someoneoff! Last year I had some great fun taking a couple of intermediate screenwriting classes at UCLA. The instructor for both courses was the same ol' lefty producer, somewhere to the left of Larry David., in town 35+ years, career got off to a great start then sputtered.
My concept was a dark comedy mocking Islamic fanatics and the lawyers who protect them. Strangelove meets Breaking Bad, staring Mohammed Atta, Gloria Allred and Stan Smith (American Dad). The poor instructor was furious. "WHY?" he asked. "WHY are you doing this?"
It was sweet.
Toward the end he was reading a scene out loud where some fanatics were bragging about Theo van Gogh. He literally slammed the pages down in front of me and shouted, "You've gone too far!"
So I might be on the right track. And he did give me two A's.
gdamato@fefilmsonline.com
"Crusader Pictures". That right there is 360 degrees of awesome. Well done.
Cog in the past:
http://bigpeace.com/pspoole/2010/09/21/thinkprogr...
1 week ago @ Big Peace – ThinkProgress.org Stri… · 0 replies · 0 points
Muslims are BAAAAAD.
Time to die, Muslims!
http://bigpeace.com/dyerushalmi/2010/09/21/the-pr...
1 week ago @ Big Peace – The Progressive 'Analy… · 0 replies · 0 points
Islam is a plague on American freedom. Purge the Islamist threat now! Escort them off of our shores. I'm sure some of them can swim.
http://bigpeace.com/dwest/2010/09/16/sharia-trans...
2 weeks ago @ Big Peace – Sharia Transit Authority · 0 replies · +1 points
KILL ALL OF THE MUSLIMS NOW!!!
Cog just recently:
Crusader huh? Great name for more muslim haters.
Crusader Cog, then?
Really? that's it? A pathetic, childish, half-baked ad hominem attack? You offer nothing to refute anything I've said. Everything I've listed I read years ago, long before I saw a single episode of Beck. I state, outright, that Beck is often wrong, but he does good work in some areas.
You, on the other hand, are so moronically short of substance as to make mocking you just seem . . . sad.
the sinner,
Patrick
It seems to betray a incredible amount of out-of-touchness to name yourself after what most of the world considers to be murderous, horrible intolerance waged as sanctioned holy war.
That's just bad business.
Ed, Perhaps the reason lib writers/directors portray men the way they do is because of what they see in the mirror or in those they choose to bind with?
It doesn't lower your IQ and I never said it did. But you probably already have a low IQ, along with an undiagnosed personality disorder to be entertained by such crap. And you're certainly not going to be more informed.
And I did make that one up, you Beckerhead.
Oh, excuse me. Did you say something that wasn't so obviously ridiculous that I needed to respond to it? I must have missed it. The rest looked like one long ad hominem attack. It just too ridiculous to deal with, a silly screed completely out of touch with liberals are really about. It's so flat-faced far out, there's no toehold in it anywhere for a starting point. It was just ridiculous. That's all I can say. Take it or leave it. In your false piety, you enjoy seeing them that way. So, enjoy yourself. You're in the right place, among friends.
Good luck to the Crusader Pictures and the Declaration Entertainment! I hope to see great movies coming out from them.
I've seen some of Tim Allen's early stand up work on TV, and the routine was basically Tool Time and the family gags. When you watched his show what we were seeing was an extension of that gag. Same with Everybody Loves Raymond. Kevin James from King of Queens has made a career our of playing the lovable goof. The amiable dunce is their act.
That being said I'm sure there are just as many examples to the contrary. But I can't think of any because I stopped watching network prime time around the time Seinfeld went off the air. On Seinfeld every character was a lovable dolt. That character is a time honored tradition. Look at pretty much every movie Ben Stiller ever made. It's a fairly easy shtick.
"the Templar Knights…
That several of us here are direct descendents of."
Oh wow, there are some PURE BLOODS here? I should have known!
I notice by the way that IN THE SAME paragraph you bring up "forced conversions to Christianity" and "perhaps the elements… can be channeled in their films".
You are really letting it all hang out today, aren't you? I guess the time for subtlety is passed!
May the Holy Roman Empire rise to glory once again!
guess picking at nits beats picking at scabs…
Perhaps someone aspires to greater things. Maybe they even have a history of such. Now, we wouldn't expect you to understand the noble sacrifice. for you are far too involved in temporal matters which engage us not. BTW, Mr O'Keefe sends greetings and salutations…
Wow, Mr. O'Keefe knows who I am? That's sooo cool!
Although I do believe in the concept of "Noblesse Oblige", no, sorry I lack the secret knowledge required to decipher your oblique references.
As for your temporal matters…
Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves – or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth. -Ayn Rand
see now- you CAN rise to the occasion…
Yes, noblesse oblige can be a way of life- if one sincerely believes that individuals make the most impact. Certainly not the king's squires. One can be a better man by helping those less fortunate.
In Special Foeces it is referred to as 'De Oppresso Liber'. You're a smart guy; you'll figure out what that means.
And Ayn Rand? Good for you. She- a jewish atheist- saw the beauty of the Christian fellowship- once again those Templars come to fore- and the community of men united by their own self-interest. She proved it can be intellectualized, and perhpas that's why she is so loathed by the collectivists…
look, I have suffered reading too much Ayn Rand to – on top of that – have it spun back at me.
she was very hostile to faith, mysticism, and "holy men" aka "witch doctors" (in her view).
Would you like quotes from her to that effect? What a vast pool I can draw from…
If I were to speak your kind of language, I would say that man's only moral commandment is: Thou shalt think. But a 'moral commandment' is a contradiction in terms. The moral is the chosen, not the forced; the understood, not the obeyed. The moral is the rational, and reason accepts no commandments.
…or…
(The Doctrine of Original Sin) declares that (man) ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge – he acquired a mind and became a rational being. It was the knowledge of good and evil – he became a moral being/ He was sentenced to earn his bread by his labor – he became a productive being. He was sentenced to experience desire – he acquired the capacity of sexual enjoyment. The evils for which (the preachers) damn him are reason, morality, creativeness joy – all the cardinal values of his existence.
I'll admit that I have about a molecule of curiosity on how your "Christian Fellowship" jibes with that.
we did say she was an atheist…
In our little 'community' there are a good deal of Objectivists. Atheists, or agnostics all, we get along just fine. For, you see, Objectivism IS the 'Christian Fellowship'- without the Divine. She saw the theoretical beauty of Free Men making alliances in their own (selfish) self interest.
She even understood the concept of honor; without which- as you now currently see- contracts mean nothing. For her it was strictly an intellectual decision to run from the mind numbing clutches of Collectivism and to embrace the Noble Individual. John Galt would be that representation. Now, Objectivism is not our philosophy- hope we represented it well-
but it does help explain why Christians AND Objectivists co-exist so nicely…
all very well except…
maybe your little "community" could also be called a "collective"?
you certainly come off sounding like the "Borg" with all of your "we" this and "we" that.
You also, to be sure, sound quite elitist.
Do you consider yourself part of a special class of Christian? Part of a small chosen few – chosen by God – for a very special role in serving His Will?
(…yawn…)
it may be called that- but it is one of choice…
keeping in with Rand's philosophy of Free Men associating with each other out of self interest. The 'we' is because there is more than one mind inputting this site. As far as elitist, well can one be elite and still an ordinairy fellow? Can one strive to be more than just a drone, yet keep his good cheer?
As far as the Christian belief(s) it is a given that Christ came here to show The Way.
Everything else is superstitious hokum; a mixture of Sumerian and Babylonian myth.
Organized religion deserves much of the scorn heaped upon it.
Don't want to keep you up past your bedtime…
well how can I fall asleep now if I'm wondering whether I've tapped into the inner circle?! The secret cabal of…
ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
perhaps we can hum you a lullaby…
Look at him. So peaceful in his little nap. Ahhhhhh….
Oh my, a new word.
And it's long enough to sound pretentious.
It's not enough to make you smart or know what you're rambling on about. But it is a new long word.
Do you get a troll star for that?
Yes, he said a lot of things that way.
You always miss it. That's why you are a -67. Not the brightest bulb is only brushing the surface in your case.
Can you give us some more long words, I like the way you 'almost' use them right.
I missed it, the administrator pulled it before I read it.
What did the moron say, and how many 15 letter words did he bother using?
Seems like the Texas school people are putting a crimp in the liberal spin machine.
Every time I hear about them it's something they won't tolerate any longer in the books.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/education/13tex...
We can win this one, we just need to win some elections with candidates with a pair.
There are some people making family friendly movies with no political agenda.
I've been buying and gifting them for a couple of years now. http://www.familytv.com
The one I just watched was "Safe Harbor" based on a true story. I don't want the hollyweird elite getting near my money.
Can't remember offhand, now that I try to think of it. He just got really personal and was using a ton of juvenile attacks instead of addressing any of the specific points.
As I noted, in an earlier post he asked for some specific movies that were anti-American, and somebody somewhere listed several in response, and he seemed to conveniently completely dodge that. Instead just decided to pick on this guy and call him names. Although, not sure why it was deleted. Don't recall any actual curse words or anything.
Oh he is such a bigoted hatemonger.
Everytime he lurks in the corners it's to insult and smear. He never says anything to actually add to the debate. I wonder if that comes from eating too much halil food with his muslim friends.
The moderators usually don't just pull comments.
Must have had something in it. These liberal trolls are so predictable. It's just a matter of pushing the right buttons. Being talked into a corner may have done that for this troll.
Facts are not their friends.
Oh, IIRC, he's gone the "badge of honor" path with regard to his reputation score, because we who "probably already have a low IQ, along with an undiagnosed personality disorder" (to put it in his snotty manner) just cannot see the majesty of his oh-so-mighty intellect.
Something tells me he's got massive… issues. It's hard to tell from some of the layman's descriptions. Is it an inferiority complex, or a superiority complex? Psychiatry is wacky sometimes. I'm erring towards inferiority, since he seems compelled to let us know just how icky and dumb we supposedly are compared to him.
Oh, my. What are you prattling on about? I can see you were just circling the post, needing to say something because you condition requires it, forgetting the sagacity in the saying about saying nothing and letting people just think you're stupid; and after some deliberation, you came in with that little doodad. I was reminded of some little kid hopping up to see what was on the counter. It was cute.
I'm gong to give you a star — a red, white, and blue star — for giving it a partisan effort in coming to defend your side. All it had going for it was your seething disdain and that pathological need you right-wing toots have to gang up. It was a heroic effort, but unsuccessful. Read more and eat your Wheaties, so you'll grow up smart and strong.
That's twice already that you've mentioned my use of "long words." At first, I thought you were talking about "Beckerhead," but now you're mentioning again, and there were no big words at all. If anything I've ever said here seems "pretentious" because of the language I've used, you really need to read more. You really do. And I don't mean those books by people like Beck that are written for people with a limited vocabulary and even simpler emotions.
And since you mentioned my dullness as a bulb, let me take up that point, since you seem to regard my low score here as indicative of my intelligence. My score, Little Engine, is due solely to what I'm saying, and now how intelligent I am. If you weren't such a short stack yourself you'd have known that the score for a liberal here is nothing except a reflection of the attitudes you slugs have against liberals. I score low because I disagree with you. I'm not surprised I have to tell you this, because you seem to me totally incapable of seeing yourself. When you don't have anything to come in with except a bad attitude, don't come int.
And, please, be sure to point out any of my misuses of any of these words. Please. I'd love to break that off in your arse. Please. Do it. I bet you just said that because you liked the way it sounded. It's like this: I truly am smarter than you, and smart enough to know the proper use of words, enough so that I can't be bluffed. Now, try it. Point it out.
Oh, boy. Pop Psychology 101. Now that's going to put a hole in my self-esteem.
And you are icky and dumb.
Oh, aren't we the one filled to the maximum capacity with such clarity and sagacity. Why the mere thought of your deliberate and intellectual limitations is cause for debatable probability.
I read and didn't comment for a certain length of time while you honed your skills at saying nothing in 5,000 words or more. But there comes a point where you really need someone to burst your bubble before failure would be catastrophic instead of merely crushing.
It would be hard to put a hole in your self esteem. It's so small and so ragged there isn't a piece large enough to aim for.
And the icky you can wash. The dumb you are stuck with.
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