This just in: "When it comes to movies, what succeeds is capitalism, patriotism, faith and values."
That's the assessment of Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder in a recent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal. Baehr is president of the Christian Film & Television Commission, the folks who hand out the "Christian Oscars" and run the Web site movieguide.org. Snyder is Movieguide's editor.
Bolstered by a new study they conducted, the duo put a finer point on their claim on their Web site: "Moviegoers prefer movies with traditional Christian values and biblical principles."
What sucks at the box office, the CFTC claims, are "liberal movies" with "libertine," "licentious," "politically correct," "anti-American" and "very strong atheist or nihilistic content."
Yet, in its "objective" analysis of "what kinds of movies made money last year, and why," the Christian Oscar folks also give a big thumbs up to films with "strong pro-capitalist content ... those with a positive view of democracy and property rights."
That's the assessment of Ted Baehr and Tom Snyder in a recent op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal. Baehr is president of the Christian Film & Television Commission, the folks who hand out the "Christian Oscars" and run the Web site movieguide.org. Snyder is Movieguide's editor.
Bolstered by a new study they conducted, the duo put a finer point on their claim on their Web site: "Moviegoers prefer movies with traditional Christian values and biblical principles."
What sucks at the box office, the CFTC claims, are "liberal movies" with "libertine," "licentious," "politically correct," "anti-American" and "very strong atheist or nihilistic content."
Yet, in its "objective" analysis of "what kinds of movies made money last year, and why," the Christian Oscar folks also give a big thumbs up to films with "strong pro-capitalist content ... those with a positive view of democracy and property rights."
And so the Christian Oscar folks laud "The Dark Knight" because its
hero is "a billionaire capitalist who, disguised as Batman, defends
Gotham City and its residents from a crazed, anarchistic terrorist
criminal."
Hmmmmm, let's see. Batman is, undeniably, a vigilante. He's a guy who takes the law into his own hands. So how does that reflect "a positive view of democracy" and "traditional Christian values and biblical principles"?
I guess the Christian Oscar folks forgot that Jesus was a turn-the-other-cheek sort of guy, and he was big on property rights only in the next life, not this one.
And they conveniently forgot this sound bite from Mr. J.: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
It's certainly easy for a camel to go through the holes Baehr and Snyder poked in their own theology, as they tried to fortify their conservative ideology with a trip to the movies.
If these Christian Oscar folks are correct, look for Willie Ames' "Bibleman" videos to rack up at the real Oscars next year.
In other news ...
We U2 fans noticed something strange and curious when we looked closely at the CD booklet in the band's 1991 album, "Achtung Baby" -- photos depicted the Irish lads in drag!
After 11 years in the rock biz at that time, Bono and the boys had found a bold, new maneuver to express their rebel souls, a maneuver that no one had ever ... er, wait a minute. Rock stars in drag was as old and musty as David Johansen's panties.
Yet, despite U2's behind-the-times posing, "Achtung Baby" was the second greatest rock album of the past 2,000 years (behind only the Beatles' "Revolver").
So it may be a good sign that Bono once again is hopelessly behind the fashion times. The 48-year-old rocker has taken to sporting eyeliner ... er, "guyliner," thus following in the footsteps of Gen-Y rockers Pete Wentz, Jared Leto and others, who in turn learned that trick from guyliner emeritus Keith Richards.
The last time U2 was this unhip, the band's music exploded. The verdict arrives Tuesday March 3 when U2's new album, "No Line on the Horizon," is released.
Hmmmmm, let's see. Batman is, undeniably, a vigilante. He's a guy who takes the law into his own hands. So how does that reflect "a positive view of democracy" and "traditional Christian values and biblical principles"?
I guess the Christian Oscar folks forgot that Jesus was a turn-the-other-cheek sort of guy, and he was big on property rights only in the next life, not this one.
And they conveniently forgot this sound bite from Mr. J.: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
It's certainly easy for a camel to go through the holes Baehr and Snyder poked in their own theology, as they tried to fortify their conservative ideology with a trip to the movies.
If these Christian Oscar folks are correct, look for Willie Ames' "Bibleman" videos to rack up at the real Oscars next year.
In other news ...
We U2 fans noticed something strange and curious when we looked closely at the CD booklet in the band's 1991 album, "Achtung Baby" -- photos depicted the Irish lads in drag!
After 11 years in the rock biz at that time, Bono and the boys had found a bold, new maneuver to express their rebel souls, a maneuver that no one had ever ... er, wait a minute. Rock stars in drag was as old and musty as David Johansen's panties.
Yet, despite U2's behind-the-times posing, "Achtung Baby" was the second greatest rock album of the past 2,000 years (behind only the Beatles' "Revolver").
So it may be a good sign that Bono once again is hopelessly behind the fashion times. The 48-year-old rocker has taken to sporting eyeliner ... er, "guyliner," thus following in the footsteps of Gen-Y rockers Pete Wentz, Jared Leto and others, who in turn learned that trick from guyliner emeritus Keith Richards.
The last time U2 was this unhip, the band's music exploded. The verdict arrives Tuesday March 3 when U2's new album, "No Line on the Horizon," is released.
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