5 Myths About Those Tinseltown Liberals

Steve

Mostly Harmless
Joined
Jul 9, 2008
Messages
21,985
Reaction score
7,541
Location
Covington, WA
nope, dont think so, and you aint gonna change my mind

lets just put it this way

name the last military movie that painted the US Military in a positive light?
How many war movies are being made right now? One that jumps to mind is Band of Brothers. That was AWESOME.
 

Archangel M

Senior Master
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
4,555
Reaction score
154
That was HBO. Then they had to make "Generation Kill" to balance the ledger a bit without insulting ALL US servicemen.
 

RandomPhantom700

Master of Arts
Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
1,583
Reaction score
69
Location
Treasure Coast, FL
How many war movies are being made right now? One that jumps to mind is Band of Brothers. That was AWESOME.

There was also A Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, and We Were Soldiers; all older movies, but still examples of Hollywood painting soldiers in a very positive light. Then there's Platoon, a much older film which, while not making shining beacons of soldiers, depicted the moral ambiguity and personal conflict of a soldier at war. Point being, Hollywood films kinda run the gamut of glorifying soldiers, demonizing them, and everything in between.
 

Steve

Mostly Harmless
Joined
Jul 9, 2008
Messages
21,985
Reaction score
7,541
Location
Covington, WA
That was HBO. Then they had to make "Generation Kill" to balance the ledger a bit without insulting ALL US servicemen.
Are you suggesting that they have a tally sheet? :) The question was if anyone could think of a recent film made that paints US Military in a positive light. Band of Brothers came to mind.

Again, not sure if I could list a bunch of recent ones, but I can tell you some of my favorite from my lifetime.

Saving Private Ryan is up there.
Memphis Belle is one of my favorites.
Flags of Our Fathers
Letters from Iwo Jima (although not specifically about our troops)
We Were Soldiers

Honestly, I'm having trouble thinking of any movies that paint our soldiers in a strictly negative light. Some, like Full Metal Jacket, attempt to tackle the moral ambiguity of combat and don't specifically make us out to be heroes. I haven't seen every movie that's been released, for sure, so maybe I'm just missing them.
 

Tez3

Sr. Grandmaster
Supporting Member
Joined
Oct 13, 2006
Messages
27,608
Reaction score
4,901
Location
England
If I'm honest it's the films like the Saw series that worry me, historical facts get changed and twisted every day and if a film distorts or maligns people like soldiers at least they can get up and protest that the film is wrong. What worried me is the insidious pushing of boundaries where violence is concerned. I don't think this is political or even done by people with a political agenda, it's done purely to get jaded people who have become used to violence into cinemas. This to me is far worse than anyone trying to use cinema for propaganda purposes.
If someone makes a film presenting a politician for example in a certain light, good or bad at least people can discuss it, refute it or make a film with an opposing view. Films with extremes of violence however are marketed as entertainment and it becomes accepted that it's normal to watch scenes of torture, we become hardened then to scenes of real violence in warzones, on the street etc. We become desensitised and less compassionate, we become worse people not better. Politics in the cinema can make us angry or amuse us or we can ignore it altogether, it does far less harm in the long run.
 

Nolerama

Master Black Belt
Joined
Apr 5, 2008
Messages
1,227
Reaction score
71
Location
St. Louis, MO
I'm dropping the Troll Hammer (from some POVs)...

Maybe Conservatives don't have a whole lot of creativity on a general level...

Look at Adam Sandler. Outside of a few Focus features, he's pretty much made the same movie since Billy Madison. (Staunchly Republican)

Oh yeah, while Michael Moore is an abrasive, loud-mouthed, "Liberal", he does make good points.

But from my end: who cares? It's sad when your vote is swayed by bad TV or Movies. Really sad.

Hollywood isn't the "Evil Liberal" organization that's going to tear this country apart. It's the big international conglomerates (who are very "Conservative") that will.

Again, name calling is a fruitless effort. Getting beyond that whole semantic thing will probably ease some minds.

Oh yeah, the whole "Why are there so many negative movies about the US military?" thing is awkward and an unfounded argument. Someone can watch Full Metal Jacket and think that it's a patriotic and very real story. If there are problems with that point of view, then deal with it. Lament over how Free Speech is denying your right to pursue happiness.

To attempt to deny someone the right to think about their true opinion on a movie is totally un-American, fascist, and plain ignorant.

Do you want open propaganda? We, as Americans, are a hair's width away from experiencing that (if not already). We're told what to buy, convinced that consumer goods are life necessities, and offered to vote for two parties that just so happen to have huge bankrolls to fund their advertising on national television.

One might bemoan the "Tinseltown Liberals." I bemoan the swill consumer propaganda that floats from the airwaves, to our TV screens and into our minds, as if it were handed down by God.
 

Archangel M

Senior Master
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
4,555
Reaction score
154
If I'm honest it's the films like the Saw series that worry me, historical facts get changed and twisted every day and if a film distorts or maligns people like soldiers at least they can get up and protest that the film is wrong. What worried me is the insidious pushing of boundaries where violence is concerned. I don't think this is political or even done by people with a political agenda, it's done purely to get jaded people who have become used to violence into cinemas. This to me is far worse than anyone trying to use cinema for propaganda purposes.
If someone makes a film presenting a politician for example in a certain light, good or bad at least people can discuss it, refute it or make a film with an opposing view. Films with extremes of violence however are marketed as entertainment and it becomes accepted that it's normal to watch scenes of torture, we become hardened then to scenes of real violence in warzones, on the street etc. We become desensitised and less compassionate, we become worse people not better. Politics in the cinema can make us angry or amuse us or we can ignore it altogether, it does far less harm in the long run.

Agreed. That and the "gangsta" idolization films. The thugs are good and the cops are all corrupt.
 

Latest Discussions

Top