Was reading this article from the LA Times, and could barely contain my eye rolls when I read the following excerpts from conservative bloggers:
...conservative commentator John Podhoretz called the movie's clash between heavily armed humans and an indigenous tribe of aliens as "anti-American, anti-human."
...A headline on a piece by John Nolte, editor of Andrew Breitbart's conservative Big Hollywood site, declared the movie wasn't for Heartland America: "'Avatar' Is a Big, Dull, America-Hating, PC Revenge Fantasy."
...On the Drudge Report, the headlines made clear the film was viewed as a misguided stealth missile of liberal rhetoric, not a popcorn entertainment.
This last comment infuriates me the most. The idea that mainstream cinema ought just be mindless and banal, entertaining enough to get the most buttcheeks in the most chairs chomping the most popcorn is so perfectly in line with some conservative viewpoints that I have to wonder whether or not they're just screwing with us. It reminds me of a conversation a friend of mine told me about, where he was at a party where there happened to be several older conservatives involved with public education. One of them imparted the wisdom that "students need to just pick something and get through college, there's no room for that finding yourself bullshit, we have to keep up with China and India." A wonderful sentiment that seems to span across industries. Don't bother with individuality or what you really think, screw all that stuff, just do whatever makes the biggest numbers pop up in your bank account. Remind me who hates freedom again.
It seems even with the conservative high council making a stink over Avatar, their constituents don't care. Over a billion dollars and still going, and I know I'm going to see it again. Of course, Podhoretz of the Weekly Standard has to justify just how out of touch he is by insulting the intelligence of, well, Joe Six-pack.
One reason for the disconnect between the bloggers and the box office may be the simple fact that the movie about big blue aliens didn't feel all that connected to modern-day politics once the spears and dragons started flying. "A lot of people see 'Avatar' as a 22nd-century story and they don't analogize it," Podhoretz said in an interview. "They see that the guy turns into a 10-foot-tall blue guy. Whatever political message in it sails over their heads...If [average] people come out and say this is really vile and disgusting and defames our military and defames our country, that would have a different effect. But no one's really saying that."
Get over it, dude. Avatar's a great movie. It may have cliche archetypal characters, it may be predictable, and it may be ham-fisted with its politics, but goddamn is it pretty. I really think that a lot of what these conservatives are pissed about is that Cameron does point out some significant issues that we're facing today. I find it laughable that Podhoretz believes there are people who would be able to miss the message when it's three stories high and three-dimensional. What a twerp.
James Cameron has always been schmaltzy and heavy handed. That's his schtick and it works. But if you're mad at this, why not be mad at the social commentary of Titanic, the anti-technology themes of T2, the anti-Cold War elements of The Abyss, or the anti-human rhetoric of Piranha 2: The Spawning
ReplyDeleteThis is all just false outrage and crocodile tears. I mean let's be honest, if you're blown away by the politics of Avatar, you're probably 13.
Anyways, you've got to give it to them. It's a bold statement to come right out and say "I'm mad this movie said destroying the homes of native people is a bad thing."
Perhaps this is why it's no fun to see movies with hypersensitive conservatives.
ReplyDeleteYou know, unless you're seeing An American Carol, in which case they'd be weeping with joy.