Posted on 03/23/2011 8:23:41 PM PDT by stolinsky
First of all, let me state that neither of these films is destined to become a classic. Still, they have something to teach us − not about film making, regrettably, because both are filled with clichés, but about how differently liberals and conservatives view the world.
“Paul” attempts to be a comedy. If you have a high tolerance for childish sitcoms and middle-school potty mouth, you might say it succeeds. “Battle: Los Angeles” attempts to be a sci-fi thriller. If you have a high tolerance for scenes borrowed from “War of the Worlds” and “Independence Day,” you might say it succeeds.
Both films deal with contact between humans and aliens from another planet. But from the outset, the contrast between liberal and conservative outlooks is as stark as possible. In “Paul,” the alien in the title role is a small, benign, ET-like character who befriends humans as he tries to return to his home planet. In “Battle: Los Angeles,” the aliens are big, horrible insects who want to eliminate humans and steal their resources.
Equally contrasting are the films’ depictions of the U.S. government. In “Paul,” our government has been hiding the alien since his spaceship crashed in Area 51 decades ago. Now the government has gotten all it can from questioning him, and plans to dissect his brain. When the alien escapes, government agents embark on a chase that endangers civilians. The agents are shown as both cruel and incompetent. Their bumbling arrogance is supposed to be funny, but soon grows annoying.
For many liberals, we’re bad and they’re good − even if “they” are creatures from space. But “blame America first” can get really tiresome. This mindset includes not only colossal ingratitude for all that America offers, but also childlike naiveté that trusts in the kindness of strangers.
(Excerpt) Read more at stolinsky.com ...
Have I missed them ‘cause DTR, NPR, RXD, and PBS have been defunded?
Two pretty bad movies. I actually expected ‘Paul’ to be great since I loved ‘Shawn of the Dead’ and ‘Hot Fuzz.’ It was not to be.
The movie “Paul” shows its contempt for Christians. I kept my wallet closed on that one. And I encourage others to do the same...
I disagree. I saw “Battle” and was thrilled. To me it shows why the US used to be unbeatable in war; individual initiative by the soldier on the ground. A very uplifting and exciting big screen film, and more a war movie than sci-fi.
I was just talking to a colleague who compares Skyline to BLA. They both show the US military in a good light because they are the last line of defense. The shot of the B2 bomber avoiding lasers and nuking the alien ship was really good but the ending was vomit-worthy and depressing compared to Battle L.A., that’s why it bombed and Battle L.A. already opened number 1 again worldwide.
I actually enjoyed Battle LA.
I’ve been meaning to catch Battle LA. I enjoyed District 9 but I didn’t like how bloody or graphic it was.
I really liked BLA. People who won’t enjoy are those that will over analyze it way too much or obsess about the cliches its filled with. But the funny thing is, the cliches actually get over-riden by a still good, entertaining movie that paints the US military as competent and our last line of defense. I was also very relieved they didn’t included the flogged to death cliche of the one solider who constantly tries to question the new officer commanding him and attempts to break orders/mutiny, only to get bitch slapped and learn his lesson.
I’m glad they didn’t include that dead horse cliche in this movie.
All in all, I enjoyed it. It wasn’t super preachy. It also gave a good lesson to the audience in how difficult urban warfare is. A good reminder of what the forces in Iraq had to deal with in cities like Fallujah fighting house to house.
One gripe I have is that soo many of these movies all do the same thing with hiding what the aliens look like way to much to try to build suspense. By the time you see them, your always underwhelmed.
Who would fight that hard for L.A.? After a few weeks of dealing with the drug gangs and crime the space aliens would go home.
Why not just post it here?
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