Posted on 01/05/2005 7:26:45 PM PST by F14 Pilot
LONDON (AFP) - Oscar-winning writer-director Oliver Stone blamed "raging fundamentalism in morality" for the frosty reception that his new film "Alexander" is getting in his native United States.
In London for its British premiere, Stone, 58, said that after a career full of cage-rattling work, he thought a biopic of Alexander the Great, the 4th century Macedonian-born conquerer, would be "a safe subject".
But he said he was "quite taken aback by the controversy and fierceness of the reviews" which greeted its US release, including outrage at the film's suggestion that Alexander was bisexual.
"Sexuality is a large issue in America right now, but it isn't so much in other countries," he said.
"There's a raging fundamentalism in morality in the United States. From day one audiences didn't show up. They didn't even read the reviews in the south because the media was using the words: 'Alex is Gay'."
"Alexander" stars Colin Farrell and Angelina Jolie, both seen at the London premiere, but its US box office take so far has been less than a quarter of the 150 million dollars that it cost to make.
Stone is right. Fundamentalism is responsible for his flop. His film is fundamentally boring, shows poor fundamentals in filmaking and is fundamentally flawed in it's interpretation of history. You can't get much more fundamentally bad than that.
In addition, Stone's opinion of himself as a film maker is fundamentally over-inflated.
Memo to Oliver Stone:
It's not "fundamentalism" that made your movie flop. Your movie did badly because you're a lousy director with a history of trashing the American troops who protect YOUR freedom of speech.
How will he blame "fundamentalism" when the film flops in europe and Asia as well?
Many people in the United States and especially Conservatives are sick of bad movies.
not....there are different ways to approach the subject. The greek world had a different view then we do today... like the arab world today... a boy can sleep with a man or boy till he is married... but they didn't have the idea of gay... in fact to be gay as we know it would have been not good. Men marrried and had children and slept with woman... according to plutarch...i think... they would have the boys go to girls at night when they were young and the girls would be dressed as a boy to make the transistion easier...
But do we need to see it... i don't care to see it and most people did not...
Stone knew what he was doing so he can blame anyone he wants... he made the movie the way he wanted to.... souldn't have spent 150 million.
I guess all the fundamentalist went to Michael Moore's movie too... which grossed a few hundred million....
Lets see top grossing movies of all time - all of them fundamentalist movies i see... especially harry potter... ET... star wars... were all based on the bible
Last Updated: January 5th, 2005
#1 Titanic (1997)
Lifetime Gross: $600.788
Release Date: December 19th, 1997
#2 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Lifetime Gross: $460.998
Release Date: May 25th, 1977
#3 Shrek 2 (2004)
Lifetime Gross: $436.721
Release Date: May 19th, 2004
#4 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Lifetime Gross: $433.005
Release Date: June 11th, 1982
#5 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Lifetime Gross: $431.088
Release Date: May 19th, 1999
#6 Spider-Man (2002)
Lifetime Gross: $407.681
Release Date: May 3rd, 2002
#7 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return of The King (2003)
Lifetime Gross: $377.027
Release Date: December 17th, 2003
#8 Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Lifetime Gross: $373.378
Release Date: June 30th, 2004
#9 The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Lifetime Gross: $370.274
Release Date: February 25th, 2004
#10 Jurassic Park (1993)
Lifetime Gross: $357.067
Release Date: June 11th, 1993
#11 The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Lifetime Gross: $340.655
Release Date: December 18th, 2002
#12 Finding Nemo (2003)
Lifetime Gross: $339.714
Release Date: May 30th, 2003
#13 Forrest Gump (1994)
Lifetime Gross: $329.693
Release Date: July 4th, 1994
#14 The Lion King (1994)
Lifetime Gross: $328.538
Release Date: June 15th, 1994
#15 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Lifetime Gross: $317.575
Release Date: November 16th, 2001
#16 The Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of The Ring (2001)
Lifetime Gross: $314.163
Release Date: December 19th, 2001
#17 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002)
Lifetime Gross: $310.675
Release Date: May 16th, 2002
#18 Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi (1983)
Lifetime Gross: $309.206
Release Date: May 25th, 1983
#19 Independence Day (1996)
Lifetime Gross: $306.169
Release Date: July 3rd, 1996
#20 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Lifetime Gross: $305.413
Release Date: July 9th, 2003
Maybe because Fundamentalist Christian avoided the movie...he blames us for not paying him money to display homosexuality.
Typical Liberal. He wants his freedom to make perverted movies, but he doesn't want us to have freedom to ignore his perversions.
The thing is, it wasn't just "Fundamentalist Christians" that was avoiding this film (and she's a fan of Collin Ferrell). My liberal sister is avoiding this film. Her friend (who I assumed is liberal) hated this film. Oliver Stone needs to get it through his thick skull that no matter how gay he made Alexander, he can't hide the fact that the movie was just bad!
Stone is such an arrogant jack ass. He cant get over the fact that we arent buying his crap anymore...
I did not see the film but Victor Davis Hanson gave it a
poor review in National Review Online. I mention this
because Dr. Hanson is a professor of classical studies and
has forgotten more about Alexander than Stone ever knew.
Stone doesn't explain why all the cinematic filth and
pornography has succeeded in our "moralistic" culture if
such is an impediment. It's no doubt difficult for him to
face the fact that his film may simply be mediocre or
worse. At least he blamed us prudes and not George Bush.
..are both gay. Stupid is as stupid does.
I rarely recommend anything from PBS but the documentary they presented on Alexander is excellent IMO.
So for anyone who is interested in a highly researched and fascinating look at Alexander based on the historical record such as it is:
http://www.mpt.org/programsinterests/mpt/alexander/products/index.html
and he explains the reception overseas how?????
"There's a raging fundamentalism in morality in the United States..."
Sounds like the Devil, himself, gnashing his teeth - and would make a good t-shirt logo.
(Stone, adba Lucifer, could wear it on his next trip to visit his adored Fidel.)
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