Oliver Stone fumes at new fundamentalist morality in US

new Kerala, India ^ | 8 January 2005 | Not Named

[onyx]

Yeah, maybe that's it.
I really like looking at it.

[microgood]

Oliver may be mad, but the people who bucked up for the movie are madder. That is why he is doing this for the DVD: he has no choice.

People do not go to movies to be influenced by political activism. They get that all day long. They go to movies to get away from all that stuff.

[onyx]

It reminds me of a few dozen stretches of the
back roads between El Centro, CA and Laughlin, NV.
I think that's why I like it so much. I used to
drive those roads about twice a month.

[freebilly]

Queers in SF didn't even watch the movie....

[Petronski]

Although it is in color, I was struck by the Ansel-Adamsy-quality of the shot...with maybe a dash of Georgia O'Keefe tossed in.

[Ciexyz]

There's been a slew of Alexander books that came out this year, timed for the movie's release. Check your local library for a quality book on the life of one of the greatest military geniuses who ever lived.

I'm reading "Alexander the Great, Killer of Men - History's Greatest Conqueror and the Macedonian Art of War" by David J. Lonsdale, a British lecturer in Strategic Studies at various UK war colleges.

[Nataku X]

Ah, the new mantra... when you screw up, blame the fundamentalists.

[catonsville]

pastors were up in the pulpit saying that to watch this film was to be tempted by Satan," he added

Where? Show me the pastors who were warning their congregations that to see this lousy movie was to be tempted by the Devil.

Just nonsense.

[Giliad]

I could be wrong, but my impression is that many fundamentalists dont't go to movies much anyway. Oh good grief. Live in the now and don't speak on matters you have no flipping clue about.

[Nataku X]

exactly... look at how popular F911 was... last I checked, the country didn't undergo mass conversions any time recently, and Christianity has been in freefall. It's merely that Southern Democrats had their double-lives exposed... they could no longer be both a conservative good ol' boy at home and a Ted Kennedy clone in DC... and that is thanks to the power of the Internet and Fox News.

[Glenmerle]

As if Oliver has ever set foot in a church in his life. He wouldn't know what pastors say to anyone.

Exactly. His statement is ridiculous, but of course no one in the press will ever challenge him on it.

[longtermmemmory]

Stone is going around the world saying the other audiences should be suckered into seeing Alexander the "gay" because American audiences were not willing to pay to see?

With all this whine, Oliver Stoned must be french.

Perhaps these other countries are woried their histories are going to be homosexualized. (If Katie Couric can give serious play to Lincoln was a homosexual...) Which history of India will Stone pervert?

[Giliad]

Oh, yeah, American film crickets are all fundies. You should see Roger Ebert at the snake-handling services. People who refer to Christians as "fundies" sound like DUmmies. That's their favorite term for Christians over there. If you're using it here, you might be an asshat.

[Fiddlstix]

[redheadtoo]

I saw a picture of Colin Farrel with his hair bleached blond for the role of Alexander. It looked so ghastly that I decided, right then and there, not to see the movie. When your first reaction to the leading man is to turn away and say "yuck!" then how good can the rest of the movie be?

Stone can blame Christian fundamentalists all he wants but the movie's hair dressers deserve part of the blame for its failure.

I am not alone in my opinion. I read a review which stated that Alexander's hair was shockingly bad.

[Republican Wildcat]

Speak for yourself, sonny.

The term fundamentalist used to refer to only Pat Robertson types, but now has been pasted on anyone who is center-right on theology and morality. Fine by me if the left wants to alienate larger and larger portions of Americans.

[Republican Wildcat]

;-)

[Ciexyz]

Where? Show me the pastors who were warning their congregations....

You're right, pastors didn't want to give the film any extra publicity. Pastors have other things to focus on, like salvation and welcoming Jesus into your heart.

[gidget7]

NEW?? New fundamentalist morality??? there is nothing NEW about it!

[longtermmemmory]

Stone was just ignored. That is what is eating him.

Even the much vaunted and offended Greek lawyers ruled out suing over the movie after they saw it. It was so bad and so inacurate that they felt any suit would help stone so they just chose to let his movie die from being ignored.

It is really simple gay subject = no audience money.