Conservative Christian billionaire gets into movie biz big time.(my title)

(Denver) Westword ^ | April 18, 02 | Bill Gallo

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

I could live on a diet of movies which include "Gladiator", "The Patriot", "Patton", and just about any WWII or sports movie, but sadly, to that homeschooling mommy crowd that has tried to take over conservative morality, those are too rough. He is going to have to find a medium.

Sure, and it won't be that hard to do. Example: recently we rented "Rat Race"... what a hilarious movie. (Highly recommended, by the way.) Of course, some parts of it are a bit coarse. Still, my wife and kids enjoyed it so much that I went and rented "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (on which "Rat Race" was based).

Verdict: my kids liked Mad World better. "It's not as gross," they said. Sure was funny, though. And a better ending, too.

All Hollywood has to do is listen to my kids, and resist the temptation to do things like add unnecessary dog-butt jokes to "The Grinch" and fart jokes to "Shrek". A G rating isn't a curse.

[Stone Mountain]

Movieguide, a conservative reviewing magazine, recently reported to movie-industry executives that films "with a very strong Christian worldview" earned nearly twice as much in 2001 as movies it categorized as "humanist, pagan, Romantic, Communist, feminist, occult, homosexual or anti-patriotic."

The next time someone liberal wag tells you that Hollywood doesn't have an agenda and that it's all about big money, cite this stat

Of course, the key here, is the way that Movieguide chooses to categorize movies... Frankly, I doubt that this stat would hold up under scrutiny - otherwise there would be a ton of Christian movies out there making a bunch of money.

[PoisedWoman]

I doubt that this stat would hold up under scrutiny - otherwise there would be a ton of Christian movies out there making a bunch of money.

Michael Medved, movie reviewer and conservative talk show host, wonders all the time when HoWood is going to get it that nice clean movies enjoy high ratings. He frequently announces boxoffice numbers and clean movies consistently do as well as if not better than violent sex.

Someone I know in HoWood explains that much financing for films comes from foreigners who are unable to understand the concepts of nice films based on positive American culture. All they understand is that their last violence/sex film did well, so they want to do another.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

Wasn't it a hoot? I was paralyzed. The cows... the pierced tongue... the heart... the squirrel-lady... the Barbie Museum (which sent me helpless to the floor)... even Whoopi was a riot, and I dislike Whoopi! Cuba Gooding Jr. was wonderful, as were Rowan Atkinson, Jon Lovitz, John Cleese, Kathy Bates and the rest of the cast. No one stole the show except maybe the director and editor, whose sense of timing and relentless comedic build-up was absolutely merciless.

Rat Race is truly one of the funniest movies and best comedic ensembles of all time. And it's not too coarse by modern standards really. There's some language and some piercing-related innuendo, but that's about it. It was fun seeing Mad World later and, between hilarities, noting the common elements of the movies, such as the gas-station demolitions. And what casts both movies had!

[Lord_Baltar]

"What fantastic news! If I were Mr. Anschutz, I'd get myself a troupe of highly-skilled body guards. This is exactly the kind of enterprise the commie-libs can't tolerate. May Almighty God watch over and protect him."

Please! Get a Grip! Somehow I don't think the Producers of "Touched By An Angel" are being pursued by hit men from other Networks, and frankly I think the animous you portray here misses the mark by light years. I've heard many people you would paint as "commie libs" praising PAX TV, and echoing what I said earlier about people stepping up to the plate and doing it rather than sitting back and whining about it.

Quite frankly, there are countless storylines out there waiting to be brought to the screen which would accomplish what you'd like to see. Stories of Heroism, Adventure, Life Changing events, Miracles, and a myriad of other topics which could not only present a Conservative viewpoint, but draw an audience as well.

However, care should be given not to make the Dogma/Ideology the driving force behind making the movie in the first place. They need to start by making the Movie they want to see. Basically, the kind of movie where the viewer can check their own Ideology at the door, and be entertained, not preached at.

Face it, you don't like it when the "commie libs" do it, what makes it any better when Conservatives do it?

[Lord_Baltar]

BTW, Has anyone seen the ads for Joshua? Now that looks like an Uber-Cool movie. G Rating, good for the whole family, and it also looks like it would make a good "Date Flick".

[afraidfortherepublic]

"inspirational, historical, sports and adventure films that offer compelling, positive messages to our audiences.... We will make only films that are G-rated, or, in some instances, PG or PG-13."

What a breath of fresh air. I haven't been to a movie in a theater in over a year, but I will definitely make it a point to see this film -- as well as all the others listed. It's unbelievable to me that the movie moguls haven't picked up on this trend sooner -- especially when the bottom line $$$ favor this type of movie.

It just goes to show that most of the 'movie moguls' are not very smart businessmen, as well as being decadent human beings! I think that drugs, alchohol, and far left politics have taken their toll on the brain cells.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I've seen a number of movies over the past decade that were pretty good but were dragged down by Hollywood's need to put an R-rated scene in them whether it fits or not.

"Hear my Song" of 10, or so, years ago comes to mind. A fantastic movie, hilariously funny, but ruined for family fare by one brief scene incorporating a flash of full frontal nudity. It wasn't necessary for the story and spoiled a movie that, otherwise, been great for the kids.

[Stone Mountain]

Michael Medved, movie reviewer and conservative talk show host, wonders all the time when HoWood is going to get it that nice clean movies enjoy high ratings. He frequently announces boxoffice numbers and clean movies consistently do as well as if not better than violent sex.

Well, let's look at the top grossing movies of 2000.

Harry Potter - $313.7M - has been called evil and Satanic by many Freepers...

Lord of the Rings - $217.4M - has also been called evil, although it was based on a book written by a devout Catholic, you can't really call this a nice clean movie...

Shrek - $267.6M, and Monsters Inc - $251.6M - both of these are suitable for children as well as adults. I don't know if either of these movies could be described as having a "strong Christian worldview" though, and that is the criterion that Movieguide was using

Rush Hour 2 - $226.1M and The Mummy Returns - $202M certainly can't be described as good Christian movies - both full of violence, and in the Mummy, occult as well.

Pearl Harbor - $ 198.5M - historical violence, romance, don't recall anything with a strong Christian worldview.

Jurrasic Park III - $181.2M, Ocean's 11 - $180.5M, Planet of the Apes - $180M - These are all violent movies.

So, out of the top ten grossing movies of 2001, how many of these would qualify as "with a very strong Christian worldview" and how many qualify as "humanist, pagan, Romantic, Communist, feminist, occult, homosexual or anti-patriotic?" Do you still really believe that films "with a very strong Christian worldview" earned nearly twice as much in 2001 as moviesthat are "humanist, pagan, Romantic, Communist, feminist, occult, homosexual or anti-patriotic?" I don't. I would be willing to be convinced, but so far, I don't think the data supports it at all.

[Diverdogz]

I think that should really be Dirk Pitt^TM.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Do you still really believe that films "with a very strong Christian worldview" earned nearly twice as much in 2001 as moviesthat are "humanist, pagan, Romantic, Communist, feminist, occult, homosexual or anti-patriotic?"

I have no stats to argue one way or the other, but you are providing "grosses" and Movieguide said "earned". Do you suppose the difference lies between the meaning of those two words? And then there is the video rental and sales market. Have those figures been added? A lot of movie companies release a film to the theaters for only a week or so, expecting to make their profits at the video store.

[Lord_Baltar]

Actually Afraid, the "earned" stats are an even harder animal to figure. A Movie starts earning once they have hit that magical "3 times the budget" number. That being, if I spend 25 Million to make a movie, I have to earn 75 Million before there is any "earned" profit.

However, you are correct that Box Office, Home Video Rental and Sales, Pay per View, and TV Broadcast numbers all go into the final total. It is safe to assume that if a Theatrical Feature only has a one week run, it isn't going to be a hit in the Video/TV market.

Bottom line in the Film/TV Industry, like it or not, is financial. Most High Level Movie Execs really could care less about Conservative vs. Liberal arguments or agendas, their concern is "If I spend 50 Million to make a Movie, what is going to generate the quickest route to that elusive profit".

I mean, let's face facts. Rupert Murdoch is a well known Staunch Conservative, ask yourself this, does every movie or TV program produced under the Fox banner, contain a Conservative Agenda? Or, do they mostly contain an agenda which in reality is a Financial agenda?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Rupert Murdoch is a well known Staunch Conservative, ask yourself this, does every movie or TV program produced under the Fox banner, contain a Conservative Agenda?

As it happens, I worked for Rupert briefly when he bought a newspaper that employed me as a political reporter. Rupert wanted eye-catching pictures and controversial headlines. Nothing mundane or ordinary. I expect that he didn't care which side of the political spectrum we wrote on, just as long as we stirred the $hit! LOL.

[Lord_Baltar]

hehehehe... See!

[Michael2001]

Don't know enough about this guy, but can't be worse than the crap they're putting out now. Plus this Baldwin guy has got to be better than those other Baldwins

[conservative cat]

My sides were aching from laughing so hard. The whole Barbie/E. Braun lipstick/ Hitler speech scenario....