Movies as a modern talking point.

So Scorsese and a couple of other filmmakers talk a little shit about Marvel movies – their opinion – and the world is losing its shit. Like everything else divides are occurring. People are forming their sides as to who is wrong and right instead of that’s their opinion, here is mine. But this is the world we live in today. No one really has an opinion. It’s your fact and everyone else is wrong. #Trump #Climatechange #Transrights #Metoo. Everything is definitive, black and white now and there is no shade except what’s being thrown at those who are “wrong.”

I saw one guy say “whoa, I used to love Ken Loach’s movies. But now that I know he doesn’t like Comic book movies, I can’t watch his stuff anymore.” This is insane to me. We’ve lost the faculties for agreeing to disagree. As a society we’ve developed an us and them mentality about everything. I bet friendships have been lost over which is better Pepsi or Coke by now and many other asinine reasons. Political pressure is applied to everything now. Speaking of Scorsese, I saw a review of the Irishman; “It is probably a masterpiece – but I have seen so many movies about white gangsters, the lack of diversity and powerful women is painful to see from such a legendary filmmaker.”… I thought he made movies, not quilts.

Movies can’t be movies anymore though. Around the same time parents stopped being parents and individuals stopped taking responsibility for their own thoughts, actions and opinions – movies, games, tv shows, etc. all became the gatekeepers of progressive thoughts. Rambo Last Blood – universally slated by critics because of its uncompromising violence against Mexicans. “Reinforces stereotypes about Mexicans.”… It reinforces stereotypes about BAD PEOPLE who do BAD THINGS regardless of their race or where they come from. There is good guys and bad guys in movies. Nope, that’s racist.

Some people wanted to ban Joker because it might make people want to be violent because there is violence in the movie. There was an open letter to Warner Brothers from the survivors of the 2012 Aurora theater shooting (Where a gunman shot up a screening of the Dark Knight rises – which does not feature the Joker – and he was not dressed as the Joker – but the Joker exists within the same DC universe I guess?) which said: “We are calling on you to be a part of the growing chorus of corporate leaders who understand that they have a social responsibility to keep us all safe,” And there is the heart of my issue with people today. Filmmakers and the companies that fund movies are now expected to have a social responsibility to people. I’d argue the only responsibility they have is to make what they consider are good movies which will make as much money as possible to make more movies.

I was thinking about this the other day and a lot of people blame snowflake culture and PC warriors and blah blah blah. But what drives the great divide about why we’re so dismissive of each other now based on stupid opinions? And I think I figured it out. And it goes right in line with why Scorsese hates Marvel movies. Us older idiots – we can’t let go of the past. And those young idiots – they can’t let go of the future. The future they “deserve”.

Us older idiots feel like movies are form of entertainment meant to be taken and viewed and then we form opinions upon if it was good or bad. If we liked it and would recommend it or we didn’t like it and wouldn’t recommend it.

Those younger idiots feel like movies have to speak to the more enlightened future they want to believe the present is becoming. Completely inclusive, cosmopolitan, a cornucopia of genders, everyone has rights. Corporations are the bad guys because they hurt the little man. Minimum wage should be much higher. No one needs to make as much money as Jeff Bezos, all workers should get a cut of his wage, its only fair. We all get medals for participating.

There is also a contingent of people who are actually racist, sexist, bigots who decry every black, female or gay casting news because its those “fags and PC liberals” forcing diversity – and any normal person who just disagrees with how politicized movies have become is grouped in with them – because if you’re not with us, you’re against us. If you aren’t part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

Man it’s like South Park when all the Hybrid users start sniffing their own farts. I watched the Departed again last night. Great movie. Classic. Now people can like it or dislike it on the merits of its acting, story, direction, etc. But because insults are levied at the almost entirely white male characters for being pussies or faggots or niggers – I wouldn’t be surprised if its reviewed again in another 10 or so years and deemed culturally insensitive.

It used to be enough that you could watch a movie, be offended by its content and stop watching. Now people want to make everyone else stop. Because I suppose they believe it will help create this imaginary future they see where human nature has been subdued and every living man woman and child is cool with LGBTQ, LATINX, AFRO, etc. People down to their core with no prejudice of any kind. Presumably by this point the Palestinians and Israelis are cool now and jamming to Van Halen together. ISIS mellowed out and started drinking kool aid. No woman (or man) has ever faced harassment of any kind (included unwanted jokes of any kind – as all offensive comedy has been retired and replaced with nice clean jokes about similes to how beautiful the weather is), Class struggles are a thing of the past as now all CEO’s make the same as their delivery drivers and burger flippers, climate change is curbed forever because everyone is a vegan 5 days of the week, Russia has a trans president, Africa is now 3rd richest continent in the world because all the poor farmers got CEO cash for their stakes in their farms. Murder is a thing of the past. All sneakers are nikes. The number one movie in America this week is “Goin’ nuts!” a raunchy comedy about a vegan who goes to the wrong whole foods and nearly spits out his fairtrade soy latte because next to his favorite brand of pine nuts is ANOTHER brand which has a green label instead of a red one. And the epic struggle of his making a decision on whether he should risk trying the new pine nuts or stick to what he knows and loves begins. He seeks advice from a wise Asian he knows who is an excellent driver and has limited math skills who asks their friend the happily married black woman with one child who has a good job and isn’t fond of chicken wings, who remembers hearing from her straight male hair dresser that his best friend’s gender fluid asexual friend who is well liked by its whole community and has never experienced the pain of misunderstanding – that it once had pine nuts from a BLUE wrapper. Further compounding the conundrum. This will be the longest 3 hour lunch of his life… But it’s OK if it is, his boss is very understanding and doesn’t mind him taking longer to come back from work if need be because he understands that people have other priorities and everything will be OK he’ll be paid on time and without penalty and will be given free therapy for his struggle at the whole foods – who is clearly responsible for this over excitement, but people should be allowed to live their lives how they choose, so he holds no grudge and forgives and forgets and moves on – having bought BOTH pine nuts! What a twist!

… Art is subjective. It’s different to everyone who views it. And that is OK. We’re allowed to feel differently. Some people don’t appreciate that you deserve equal rights for being gay. Or that you need to lose some weight. Or that you’re black. Or that you like DC movies over Marvel ones. Or that you don’t like comic book movies at all. Or that someone didn’t cast a rainbow of color in their film. You can feel bad about it or just move on and accept it, but you can’t pretend it all away. Sometimes we face harsh realities. Sometimes those harsh realities are represented on film. Even the shocking revelation that sometimes – yes – 4 white dudes hang out together and don’t have a gay or black or Asian best friend. Or that whoa, one filmmaker doesn’t see comic book movies as “real”. As politically incorrect as that has become – not every movie is for every single audience member. Most filmmakers are trying to hedge their bets (chase that box office revenue) and are including more gay, black, trans, Asian, etc. Everywhere they can. But when someone doesn’t, don’t have a cow. Just accept it. Like I did in 2002 when I saw Barbershop, you racist bastards.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept that my given data and my IP address is sent to a server in the USA only for the purpose of spam prevention through the Akismet program.More information on Akismet and GDPR.