Posted on 05/29/2014 6:05:57 PM PDT by yongin
I argued last week that Rick Santorum ought to drop any pretense of a long-shot 2016 presidential bid to focus on turning EchoLight Studios, the filmmaking outfit he runs, into the next blockbuster factory. That generated a bit of a discussion with Quin Hillyer, one of Santorum’s more well-known supporters (a summation of which can be found here)—but it’s worth exploring further how Santorum could make an impact upstream from politics.
The primary reason conservatives are struggling at the ballot box, particularly in presidential elections that attract many low-information and less-engaged voters, is that liberals dominate the cultural media. Hollywood’s impact on how Americans see themselves and the world is almost incalculable, and for two generations that vision has been exceedingly leftist—and even anti-American.
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
While I agree with the idea that in order to reach the LIV you need to use the media tools of movies etc. I will say without any doubts that any OVERT message of either Christianity or Conservationism will be rejected out of the gates.
If Santorum is feeling brave Robert Ferrigno’s novel “Prayers for the Assassin” would make an amazing movie. This is speculative fiction set in the year 2040, in an America split by terrorism and civil war into two halves, a Christian “Bible Belt” in the South and an Islamic Republic in the North.
A libertarian version of the movie Armageddon where small government individualists cut enough taxes and regulations so that the businesses have incentive to launch the space mission to blow up the incoming asteroid?
Movies are escape from reality, just like liberalism is.
I’d rather sort out the oft unintended natural thematic messages of a basically good story. These Christian films are like watching Obama lecture West Point Grads.
‘Killers’ -an allegory about attacks on the family; ‘Legally Blonde; ‘Band of Brothers’; On the Waterfront’; ‘Jaws’; ‘Shooter’; any Shakespeare; ‘Lone Survivor; ‘the Blind Side’...
nice put together!
This of course is a huge challenge. They are LIV for a reason after all. They don’t pay attention.
Take a movie like “Amazing Grace”, high production value, great true story, distribution, music etc, and there is virtually no follow on traction that could be measured in a way that would suggest the meaning or message was ever heard. The folks that went to the theater knew what they were getting. Kinda like preaching to the choir.
The subtlety required to even begin to get these, LIV’s, to think for themselves must hit a “Fundamental” truth that will/may shift their perspective on everything else.
I think Rick is a great guy, but I prefer he remain a contributor instead of a candidate.
I’m all for people shifting gears and going into a different business in middle age.
But to assume the CEO job of a company — any company — when you’ve never actually worked in that company’s business is fantastically arrogant and colossally stupid.
Santorum’s first release as CEO — “The Christmas Candle” — tanked. Because he’s an amateur. I’m guessing it’s someone else’s and not his money he’s losing.
Oh, and now you’re going to bypass theaters and use churches as theaters? THAT’S your strategy after your first effort failed? Go where the movie audience ain’t? Brilliant.
Hint: “Heaven is for Real” is not making tons of money playing in churches. It’s duking it out with mainstream Hollywood films at regular theaters — and cleaning up at the box office. Because it’s good and people want to pay to see it.
If you continue to make what no one wants to pay to see, you won’t succeed in churches, either. You want a captive audience? How about prison rec rooms?
There are plenty of qualified conservatives with experience and knowledge in the movie business who should have this job — CEO Santorum should be interning for someone who actually knows the movie business.
1. The Sweater Vest That Ate PA.
2. Never Met a Tax I Didn’t Like
3. My Big Fat Italian Mouth
4. The Government Elite
5. Bamboozled
Movies? How about “Reagan at the Wall”—the speach that brought down an evil Empire and how it came to be?
How about “Jefferson vs Hamilton”—the birth of the two party system—the rivalry that ended with Alex. Hamiltons death?
“Cherokee Rebels”—Native Americans who fought for and were honored by the CSA. gen. Standing Waite was a great leader.
“The voyage of the CSS Alabama,” the story of the Confederate raider in the Civil War.
Nazi plans for a space shot “Operation Silver Bird” It just might have worked and some say they did get a man in a sub-orbital flight across America from Germany to Japan in 1944.
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