Aug 28 2006
Tasteless Hollywood
The Drudge Report and Hot Air are all trumpetting the the parody of an air crash on the Emmy’s yesterday, only hours after the tragic deaths of 49 people in Lexington Kentucky. I don’t watch Hollywood pat itself on the back so I missed Conan O’brien’s spoof Lost (which is one of the two shows we watch on the antique media – 24 being the other one). But I am not surprised. The best movie’s out there are movies like Rudy and Radio and Something the Lord Made which relate real life successes against the odds. They are more humble, but real-life versions of Star Wars and The Lord of The Rings where people face huge challenges and loss, yet succeed somehow.
But most of what Hollywood does is diss average people. Look at any movie and the average person is a bumbling fool, or a cruel totalitarian or whatever. Books and stories and movies use to tell a story. They used to use caricatures to identify a human trait that people could relate to. But somehow, somewhere Hollywood got so insulated from reality the characters have become shallow, vague representations which always have some negative bias. I see it in some of my favorite movies like My Cousin Vinnie, where many of the classic southern hick caricatures ares used extensively. If not for the judge and the prosecutor, southerners would be portrayed as mouth-open idiots.
So am I surprised Hollywood did not take into account the feelings of 49 families when they went ahead with their little self congratulatory party (for what I have no idea)? No. As Katherine Ham points out” there was plenty of time to change the intro and to even extend some well wishes and sympathy. But Hollywood doesn’t relate to fly-over country as kindred spirits as much as a revenue source. Hollywood’s lack of vision outside of LA’s and NY City’s elitist circles is turning the place into a bunch of crass, rich spoiled people who look down on those poor masses who have to live a “normal life”. A life each and everyone left to get rich and famous, and only a few realized was something they needed to get back.
The DummiesU Crowd Tackles The Kentucky Plane Crash…
What a group huh? A tragic plane crash and they will blame Bush, Rove, Republicans in general and of course compare it to Iraq and 9/11.
……
The news whiners need to get over it. What in the hell does a spoof of Lost on Conan O’brien have to do with anything? I’m sure it was a scheduled event. Who would have even put 2 and 2 together to say. oooh what is the opening scene on Conan tonight, let’s make sure it isn’t something that will make those families feel bad, oh it’s a spoof of a plane crash, gosh that’s in bad taste, let’s not do that. The news people themselves aren’t very considerate of the families or they wouldn’t show every detail thousands of times a day, over and over.
As a big fan of pop culture, I think this is misplaced and misunderstood.
As for Hollywood or whomever never putting out anything “realistic”, I would disagree. Hollywood’s quality has greatly dropped over the years. This is a result of their own idiocy. Many of them swallow the false virtue of the Left. They have been doing this since Sean Penn’s dad was a failed Commie screenwriter who hung himself (or whatever happened there, he deserved it).
But, good stuff still gets put out here and there. Star Wars and Lord of the Rings? Sure, they may be not showing “ordinary” people. But, they are showing ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. I believe they do grasp the truth of morality… of the struggle of the “hero” against adversity. That there is truth in these parables.
I would note, Western media success should largely be attributed to Christian values. The whole concept of suffering against adversity and dying or almost dying to “save the world” is a very Christian concept. Amonst many other core Christian unique sentiments. This underlying understanding of morality which is suffused through our society is why Bollywood won’t catch up with us anytime soon.
Very good points, Full On. I seldom — make that almost never — watch movies, but I do read a lot of books, and there are a lot of excellent ones still being published.
Take almost any book made into a movie, and read the book then watch the movie. You’ll want to go throw sticks at the actors and screen-writers.