BIG Update 5/27/04 

BIG Update 5/27/04

Would ya look at this mess?

You take ONE week off from blogging (news was at a trickle) and look at all the junk that crops up. Let's sort this out...

For starter's this happened:
http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/article/1753796

That's Hollywood.com reporting that Michael Moore's documentary accusing the Bush Administration of botching the current war on terror, "Fahrenheit 911," is now the first documentary to win the Cannes festival's top prize "Palm D'or" since Jaques Costeau in 1956.

Well, since Cannes is a festival celebrating film-as-art from around the world and thus a place of international unity where the free exchange of ideas forms the essence of cultural understanding and all; I'm SURE that all the usual suspects in the politicization-biz will do the respectful thing by holstering the guns and just letting all of these fine films that have been awarded be appreciated on their artistic merits at this point, right?

Hmm. Didn't think so.

Despite director and jury-foreman Quentin Tarantino's matter-of-fact statement both to Moore and to the press that the award was given for it's art, not it's politics, the usual fun-and-games just keep going.

Moore himself STILL contends that Disney CEO Michael Eisner is trying to "bury" the film at the prodding of Florida Governor Jeb Bush by not allowing their Miramax wing to officially distribute the film. Mike, look, I dig most of your films. I really do. But everyone has figured out that Disney was NEVER going to distribute such a "charged" movie and this whole "controversy" is mostly you fishing for publicity. Winning Cannes will now give you that, so stop with the Mel Gibson impression already.

Meanwhile, Miramax head Harvey Weinstein (currently working to buy the film as a whole from Disney and distribute it on his own) has taken the opportunity to gloat about how his endorsement of the film has "proven he hasn't lost his edge." Harv, sorry, you lost your edge back when you realeased "English Patient" and sealed the deal when you chickened out on "Dogma." If digging Michael Moore is such a proof of "edge" for you, where were you back BEFORE "Bowling For Columbine" when he was still an "underground" celebrity? Now and then, Miramax DOES release a good film (mostly because Tarantino somehow isn't sick of them yet). The rest of the time, they make "Cold Mountain"-esque crap. Miramax, "Fahrenheit" could go on to be the biggest film of the year, and you'll STILL have made "English Patient."

Oh, and don't think that Moore's agitprop-counterparts on the Right didn't have their talking points ready for this one. As could easily be predicted, the standard response is: "Oh, OF COURSE he won. It's in FRANCE! And HOLLYWOOD is there!" The "Liberal Media conspiracy theory" once again. For the record: Really, is THAT the best they've got? The film was voted on by a Jury of Americans, Europeans, Chinese, etc. Moore is biased, the film will be biased, certainly. But the movie winning is HARDLY evidence of a vast, worldwide conspiracy against... um.. whoever the "great silent majority" still claims to be. Meh.

Oh, SPEAKING of film controversy...
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/12/movies/12AFTE.html?ex=1115956800&en=90aeac959e1520be&ei=5083&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes

This is almost too delicious for words. Turns out Roland Emmerich's latest disaster epic, "The Day After Tomorrow" is turning into a matter of political controversy. Why? In the film, a series of major natural disasters result all at once from.. global warming. PROBLEM: The current administration, connected as they are to the energy industry, has stocked it's science advisory teams with experts who don't believe global warming actually EXISTS!

It seems a solid share of the Political Right buys into a far-reaching conspiracy theory that goes something like this: The eeeeevil forces of, er.. is it Communism this week? The boogeyman changes so often it's hard to keep track.. have "made up" Global Warming as part of an eeevil scheme to "cripple" American industry by imposing pollution limits. Seriously. This is a real theory, believed in by real people.

By some miracle, or at least by way of the Right recalling the disaster that ensued the LAST time one of it's spokesmen attacked a fictional story (remember Dan Quayle's assault on Murphy Brown?,) the Bushies DIDN'T go directly after the movie (even though punching holes in the science of a Memorial Day disaster-pic wouldn't be hard at all.)

Instead, the environmental lobby has taken the fight TO THEM using the movie, and Emmerich has been happy to oblige. Eco-friendly ex-Veep Al Gore has been singing it's praises for two weeks, and now liberal activist group MoveOn.org has been hosting events in it's honor. The theory: They know the science is bunk and the film is basically just a ride-flick, but their hoping it scares enough people to make Global Warming a talking-point again.

My take: A surprising but potentiall ingenius move by MoveOn and the eco-movement as a whole. This film is going to be a HUGE hit by any rational prediction, and hitching their cart to it's success could pay off big. If they can make it an "assumed truth" that a film that nearly-everyone will see is something "The Bush Administration Didn't Want You To See," it'll be a public relations coup for the ages.

And hey, since this update has been mostly about political pundits getting involved in the movie-buzz game, howzabout we end on this?
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/5/13/161558.shtml

There's Jerry Falwell, complaining that the upcoming dark comedy set in the world of "Born Again" Christian teens, "Saved!," is casting his crew in a less-than-flattering light.

The film, (ALSO opening on Memorial Day weekend just like "Day After Tommorow," what a lousy weekend for the Religious Right thats turning out to be,) follows a teenager who questions her born-again christian beliefs after an attempt to lead her gay boyfriend "back to the flock" leads to her getting pregnant, eventually bringing her into conflict with the less-than-well-adjusted "spiritual leaders" among her peers. You'd better BELIEVE I'm seeing this as soon as possible.

As for Jerry, well.. not to sound like a broken record but... THIS GUY SAID ON TV THAT GOD ALLOWED 9/11 TO HAPPEN BECAUSE AMERICA WAS TOO NICE TO GAYS AND FEMINISTS. And now HE feels slighted by a teen comedy? Jerry... that's life, pal.