CBS’s Fall Movie Preview Slants Largely Left

THE MOVIES: Fall Movies - The fall film season is upon us, the time that many moviegoers eagerly anticipate, when the studios release many of their best films, films they think may be contenders come Oscar time. With Los Angeles Times Film Critic Kenneth Turan as our guide, we look at some of the new films coming soon to a multiplex near you. Image Credit: Saatchi & Saatchi

CBS’s Fall Movie Preview Slants Largely Left

We, at MAXINE, were watching CBS Sunday Morning at about 7:37 AM PT and a review of the new fall films was put together and played with what seemed to be an obvious perspective slant.

We do know it is not just us, people have complained over, and over again that when Hollywood produces a film about military conflicts and/or current political situations, only one side of complex issues is portrayed. That one side, or point of view, is almost always from the political American Left/Progressive/Socialist/Group Rights to the rejection of traditionally American Right/Conservative/Self-Reliant/Individual Rights based perspective.

Therein lays our observation, and it has to do with the knowledge of one film that was blatantly omitted from the presentation.

"American Carol" is being advertised as unabashedly based in making fun of the political Left in our country through a tale told about a mythical situation that centers around Michael Moore.

Moore, who we are familiar with from movies titled Bowling For Columbine, Fahrenheit 911, SICKO, is a filmmaker who uses a documentarian style to illustrate a point of view he holds about any subject he chooses to highlight. The biggest problem with Michael Moore’s style of filmmaking is that it really isn’t either a documentary, or an issue exploring political tome themed film … it bases itself somewhere in the middle, ending up in the end with just his point of view … which is politically American Left/Progressive/Socialist/Group Rights.

"American Carol" punches large holes of situation-comedy into circumstances the film character of Michael Moore finds himself involved in … through parody from the politically American Right/Conservative/Self-Reliant/Individual Rights based perspective.

CBS Sunday Morning, in it’s presentation, highlighted three of the fall season’s politically themed movies and showed clips of the films, all of which were from an overtly critical viewpoint that stands clearly on the Left. Oliver Stone’s “W.” about a pre-presidential George Bush, "Frost/Nixon" which gives a focus on the interviews that British interviewer, David Frost did with the disgraced President Nixon after he resigned President, and Sean Penn in “Milk” showing Harvey Milk’s life and struggle as a gay rights activist before he was assassinated by one of his fellow city councilmen.

Out of the 23 films previewed (however briefly), why wasn't there room for a movie from a different point of view than these three obviously are?

How about removing any of these other culturally questionable movies while they are at it … and make room for a political comedy from the other side?

Kenneth Turan - The red carpet may be rolled up and every starlet in town may be wearily kicking off her Manolos, but the premiere isn’t really over until Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan serves judgment with breakfast. Even the most mindless summer blockbuster is treated to an inspired, intellectually discerning review by Turan, also a regular commentator for NPR’s “Morning Edition.” … well, duhhhhhh! Image Credit: MovieMaker

This Excerpted and edited from CBS –

The Fall Movies Are Coming
And ... Action! Critic Kenneth Turan Previews Hollywood's Oscar Bait And Box Office Hopefuls
CBS - Sept. 14, 2008

The new movie season has arrived. We'll be bringing you a variety of coming attractions in weeks ahead. To begin, Jerry Bowen with a look at fall movies...

Big names … epic sagas … even a tall tale or two. If you really love the movies, then this is your time of year.

The very best time of year, says Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan:

"You have to be optimistic in the fall," Turan said. "The fall is the season when the studios put all their quality eggs into that basket. So, if you're not optimistic in the fall, you're gonna have a terrible time the rest of the year!"

If its spy craft you crave, there's "Body of Lies," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe from director Ridley Scott.

"He's really turned into one of the great craftsmen, I think, of modern movies," Turan said. "He always does something interesting."
.
----
"Titanic" stars DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite in "Revolutionary Road," suffering together in suburbia.
----
And what of this pair? Oscar-winners Meryl Streep and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are nun and priest in the film "Doubt" about accusations of clergy sexual abuse.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing how they interact with each other," Turan said. "These are two of our best actors, with really strong material. It could really ignite."
----
In a year when the longest-running and most riveting political drama has been the still-evolving presidential campaign, it seems appropriate to have a choice of political dramas at the box office, a trio of films to remind us that truth … or what passes for truth … is always stranger than fiction.

Director Oliver Stone bids farewell to President Bush with "W," Stone's version of how the 43rd president made it into office. Josh Brolin stars.

"You know, this could be anything," Turan said. "It certainly won't be boring. That's the one thing you'll say: 'I don't think it's gonna bore anybody.'"

"Frost/Nixon" is based on the real televised interviews David Frost conducted with the disgraced ex-president.

And Sean Penn stars in "Milk," the story of gay politician Harvey Milk who was murdered by a fellow San Francisco supervisor, a performance with Oscar buzz.

"The strength of the film is gonna be in the performances, and especially Sean Penn's," said Turan. "And whenever he gets really into a part, you want to watch."
----
World War II is back in a big way. Daniel Craig leads the Jewish underground against German troops in "Defiance."

"Miracle at St. Anna" is director Spike Lee's story of African American soldiers caught behind the lines in Italy.

And in the epic "Australia," Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman fall in love as war with the Japanese looms.

In an odd way, says critic Turan, Americans find comfort in WWII movies:

"We are in such a quandary now about our place in the world. And I think we have a real nostalgia for the days when it was crystal-clear who the good guys were, the bad guys were, what we should be doing. And also, when we clearly won."
----
So if it's movies you like … this is your time of year.
Reference Here>>

Turan observes that in an odd way we all find comfort from WWII movies – then he goes on to impugn the history we have all lived through here in the War On Terror.

Hey Kenneth (from the LA Times), haven’t you noticed that our country has not had a follow-on attack to the Islamic Terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001? That the surge of troops in Iraq has worked to turn the security quotient of this brand new democratic country (three nationwide votes with over 70% participation of 25 million citizens) which includes the recent turnover of one of the formally most violent provinces back to security Iraqi authorities?

What!? There is nothing to dramatize here that would allow Americans to take comfort and know that we do know our place in the world?

If it is largely slanted reporting you want … this (CBS) is only one of about six network channel offerings out of seven available on broadcast and cable/satellite to ones television set.

Thanks for the constant reminder, CBS and Kenneth Turan, to all of us here at MAXINE.

POV Point, Counterpoint – Global Warming Opinion Intentions

A general view shows the lower house of Parliament Bundestag inside the Reichstags building during a commemoration ceremony to mark the Holocaust memorial day in Berlin January 29, 2007. Image Credit: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch (GERMANY)

POV Point, Counterpoint – Global Warming Opinion Intentions

When we, at MAXINE, see, listen, or read anything from longtime flame-throwing MSM liberal hack (Boston Globe, The McLaughlin Group (NPR), and go to “talking head” for biting MSM POV commentary for any political talk enterprise) we are stunned at the echo chamber logic expressed given almost any topic she jumps off into.

Usually, it is easy to just discount the views as coming from a very liberal, journalistic, and socialist camp.

That is, until her latest attempt to place people who want to deny that the Holocaust (where people of the Jewish faith were rounded up, taken to prison camps, placed in gas chambers, and executed) actually happened during WWII are used as the measuring stick for people who wish to debate against the proposition that Human activity is the primary cause of Earth’s temperature changes (Global Warming).

Dennis Prager makes it very clear as to how WRONG, damaging, and piously-political her latest column is on the subject of Global Warming in the Boston Globe through his latest column featured in Townhall.

Point, Counterpoint!

This from Dennis Prager, contributing writer for Townhall –

On Comparing Global Warming Denial to Holocaust Denial
By Dennis Prager - Tuesday, February 13, 2007

In her last column, Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman wrote: "Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers . . . "

This is worthy of some analysis.

First, it reflects a major difference between the way in which the Left and Right tend to view each other. With a few exceptions, those on the Left tend to view their ideological adversaries as bad people, i.e., people with bad intentions, while those on the Right tend to view their adversaries as wrong, perhaps even dangerous, but not usually as bad.

Those who deny the Holocaust are among the evil of the world. Their concern is not history but hurting Jews, and their attempt to rob nearly six million people of their experience of unspeakable suffering gives new meaning to the word "cruel." To equate those who question or deny global warming with those who question or deny the Holocaust is to ascribe equally nefarious motives to them. It may be inconceivable to Al Gore, Ellen Goodman and their many millions of supporters that a person can disagree with them on global warming and not have evil motives: Such an individual must be paid by oil companies to lie, or lie -- as do Holocaust deniers -- for some other vile reason.

The belief that opponents of the Left are morally similar to Nazis was expressed recently by another prominent person of the Left, George Soros, the billionaire who bankrolls many leftist projects. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Soros called on America to "de-Nazify" just as Germany did after the Holocaust and World War II. For Soros, America in Iraq is like the Nazis in Poland.

A second lesson to be drawn from the Goodman statement is that it helps us to understand better one of the defining mottos of contemporary liberalism: "Question authority." In reality, this admonition applies to questioning the moral authority of Judeo-Christian religions or of any secular conservative authority, but not of any other authority. UN and other experts tell us that there is global warming; such authority is not to be questioned.

Third, the equation of global warming denial to Holocaust denial trivializes Holocaust denial. If questioning global warming is on "a par" with questioning the Holocaust, how bad can questioning the Holocaust really be? The same holds true with regard to Nazism and the George Soros statement. Claiming that America in the Iraq War is morally equivalent to Nazi Germany in World War II trivializes the unparalleled evil of the Nazis.

Fourth, the lack of response (thus far) of any liberal or left individual or organization -- except to defend Ellen Goodman -- or from the Anti-Defamation League, the organization whose primary purpose has been to defend Jews, is telling. Just imagine if, for example, an equally prominent Christian figure had written that denying America is a Christian country is on a par with denying the Holocaust. It would have been front-page news in the mainstream media, the individual would have been excoriated by just about every major liberal individual and group, and the ADL would have cited this as an example of burgeoning Christian anti-Semitism and Holocaust trivialization. But not a word at the ADL on Soros's comments about de-Nazifying America or Goodman's Holocaust-denial comment.

Fifth, and finally, the Ellen Goodman quote is only the beginning of what is already becoming one of the largest campaigns of vilification of decent people in history -- the global condemnation of a) anyone who questions global warming; or b) anyone who agrees that there is global warming but who argues that human behavior is not its primary cause; or c) anyone who agrees that there is global warming, and even agrees that human behavior is its primary cause, but does not believe that the consequences will be nearly as catastrophic as Al Gore does.

If you don't believe all three propositions, you will be lumped with Holocaust deniers, and it would not be surprising that soon, in Europe, global warming deniers will be treated as Holocaust deniers and prosecuted.

Just watch.

That is far more likely than the oceans rising by 20 feet.

Or even 10.

Or even three.
Reference Here>>

Hey Ellen! ... Al! Surf's Up!

Good on ya', Dennis.