V for vapid and vile (Michael Medved

Jewish World Review ^ | March 22, 2006 | Michael Medved

[Borges]

My biggest complaint about the movie as entertainment is how impossible it is to identify with a person in a mask for the whole picture. It's creepy and cold and alien--sort of like watching a robot.

in a comic book it was a great device...in a movie less so.

[LexBaird]

He gives away the ending!

The protagonist is dressed as Guy Fawkes. Of course he's going to blow up Parliament.

[Borges]

I wonder how that plays here in terms of name recognition. Overheard at one screening was the following exchange: "Dude, what does Vendetta man?" "I dunno"

[Zeroisanumber]

The Wachowski brothers, who previously made the "Matrix" films, feel such hatred for the film's fictional government — described as both conservative and Christian, persecuting Muslims and gays — that they treat V's anti-government mayhem as heroic.

Persecuting? Is that what they call it when you round them up, put them in camps, and kill all of them? The government isn't conservative, it's a fascist state that rules through fear. I don't know why Medved's defending it, but I think that he's probably bashing a movie that he hasn't really seen.

[Potowmack]

The protagonist is dressed as Guy Fawkes. Of course he's going to blow up Parliament.

I'm kind of surprised that Guy Fawkes Day never became part of American tradition. Fireworks and burning a Catholic in effigy sounds like something the Puritans would have enjoyed.

[Borges]

At the time, they probably disliked the Anglican Church almost as much as Fawkes did.

[LexBaird]

I wonder how that plays here in terms of name recognition

Given the state of general historical ignorance, probably not well. People take crap like Stone's "JFK" to be factual, and that stuff happened within living memory. I doubt even most British know what Guy Fawkes did in any deeper sense than the average US citizen knows what Benedict Arnold actually did.

[Borges]

I don't think any quasi intelligent person takes a piece of historical fiction like JFK to be factual. But a lot of people don't know who the VP is much less Benedict Arnold or Guy Fawkes.

[Cyclopean Squid]

LOL. He should just get Domino Rally. It was way easier to set up.

But he is part Edmond Dantes. The Count of Monte Cristo spent a lot of time doing unnecessary things as well. I just finished CMC and was disappointed. It was okay, but not the masterwork I had been led to believe.

[beaversmom]

I don't know why Medved's defending it, but I think that he's probably bashing a movie that he hasn't really seen.

What is he defending?

hasn't really seen

Hasn't really seen as in "he was sleeping when the movie was playing" or as in "he wasn't even in the movie theater".

[MikeD]

Was Star Wars a "pro-terrorist" movie? No. (Although a lot of innocent independent contractors on the 2nd Death Star were blown up by rebels)

You know, any contractor willing to work on that Death Star knew the risks. If they were killed, it was their own fault!

[Shooter 2.5]

http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0238380/

[silentstriker]

Yes, he is a terrorist. But he is a terrorist against a guy who is basically Hitler......


I liked the movie.