Consevative movie critic John Nolte at Big Hollywood:
The crowing we’re seeing from leftists over the belief that the roaring success of the anti-American, military-bashing, feast of political correctness that is Avatar represents some sort of validation of their worldview or a comeback for liberal film-making only begs one question: What took them so long?
You can’t blame them, though. After years of watching helplessly as liberal films flopped at a heartwarming 100% rate while conservative-themed films such as “Rambo,” “Gran Torino,” “Taken,” ”Knowing,” “and “Dark Knight” made money, it only makes sense that to lost-in-the-desert Lefties, Cameron’s garishly colored 3D cartoon makes hamburger look like a steak dinner [...]
There’s little doubt Avatar will end up as the number one or two top moneymaker worldwide of all time, out-performing the conservative Dark Knight (#5) and another epic that frequently finds its way on to a number of conservative movie lists as a favorite: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (#2) [...]
If Hollywood learns anything from Avatar it could be that James Cameron might have finally figured out a way to further leftist causes on film and make a profit while doing so. Rather than become another victim of the 100% failure rate enjoyed by pretentious, melodramatic, preachy, adult dramas designed to trash our military and undermine America — they now know they have to make pretentious, melodramatic, preachy $500 million, 3D, sci-fi event films that trash our military and undermine America.
Wait, what??? The Dark Knight is conservative? How is a movie about a caped vigilante "conservative"? Because Bruce Wayne is rich? And Lord of the Rings? Really? Do wingnuts think that balrogs are just like Nancy Pelosi? If you wanted to cram books written in the 30s and 40s into a modern political landscape (something only conservatives seem to want to do), it was the elves and humans fighting a guerilla war against an invading, technologically superior invading army, with the eye of Sauron scouring the battlefield like a surveillance satellite. Who does that remind you of? Still, that's just as tortured as somehow trying to claim Lord of the Rings as "conservative".
But wow, liberal films have failed at 100% clip, huh? Here's the top grossing movies of all time. Titanic, at #1 (for just a short while longer), aside from the disaster part, was a movie about class disparities. Seems pretty liberal. Harry Potter (at #'s 6, 8, 9, and 11) is all about the black magic and shit. The American Taliban hates those movies, so liberal! Star Wars (at #'s 10, 20, 24, and so on) had obvious anti-Bush overtones. And the emperor looks like Joe Lieberman. Liberal! The Lion King, at #28, is about responsible stewardship of the environment. And it has Whoopy Goldberg. Liberal!
I mean, this is a ridiculous exercise. Go down the list of box office blockbusters, and there are plenty of movies with a "liberal" message. Huffily whining about Avatar is grapes of the sourest kind.
Here's the dirty little secret -- no one who watches Avatar is doing so because of whatever "hate America" politics wingers project onto it (that crowd sure do love their corporate mercenaries), but because it's a stunningly gorgeous movie and a giant leap forward in the cinematic experience.
Conservatives have a hard time viewing culture outside of their narrow ideological constructs. Must be exhausting. The rest of us? We just like a great movie and popcorn.
Now if they'd only make up their minds -- if 100 percent of liberal movies fail, why are they so obsessed with "liberal Hollywood"?