Last Friday evening, to break the monotony of our dinners, The Ravishing Mrs. TB suggested that we watch a movie. We grabbed one - one of the many Marvel hero movies - and started watching. It had been a while since I seen it and thought that it would be an enjoyable break.
Instead, as I watched it I found that I could not enjoy this story as I had once done. This person would come on the screen and suddenly I would remember the opinion they had expressed; that person would come on screen and the same thing happened. Suddenly, I found myself far less lost in the story and far more seeing the actors and actresses for who they portrayed themselves to be outside of the narrow parts that they were playing.
It effectively destroyed the movie for me.
This is the danger that those that entertain - that the real life world personalities eclipse their on-screen personalities and people no longer desire to support them based on who they are, not on their skill.
There is one more movie for Marvel heroes, which I will go see because The Ravishing Mrs. TB likes the movie series and wants to do it as a date. But quite likely after that - and after that for almost any movies - I am effectively done.
I desired escape. You have given me the real world instead - if I must be in the real world all the time, it will be the reality of my choice, not yours.
Yup. That's why I haven't been able to watch any more of the Captain America movies. Didn't watch the last one because the producer didn't like anyone who was a conservative and supported President Trump.
ReplyDeleteDon't watch any awards shows. Period.
Don't really care what anyone in Hollywood has to say when it is obvious they could care less about me.
Sad.
Most of what we watch now are "reality" shows like Deadliest Catch (Crab fishermen and the occasional woman), Call the Midwife (British show about delivering babies and the British medical system in the 50s and 60s). Air Disasters (Why did these flights crash); most anything about Alaska, etc.
I do hope you can enjoy the movie when you go. God bless.
Art and literature are downstream from culture. It’s even worse for musicians. Are there any great sculptors or painters left in the world?
ReplyDeleteI watched Mortal Engines on Netflix awhile back. Without giving too much of the plot away, I laughed when one of the grrrrl power heroines got killed by the bad guys, and felt kinship with one of the villains - the Resurrected Man character. I’ve pretty much forgotten most of the movie already... but I remember that one character with crystal clarity. Perhaps we are much the same to the pozzed, the woke and the enlightenment... we are dangerous artifacts being pushed to act in dangerous ways by matters of conscience?
It's hard to "escape" by watching a movie these days, as just about every movie out there is either filled with SJW talking points, or is a reheat of an older movie, with the male main characters re-cast as women, or the main cahracters of either sex being "redefined" as homosexuals.
ReplyDeleteSuperman has given up his U.S. citizenship.
The Green Lantern is a homosexual now.
The red, white, and blue are noticeably absent from Wonder Woman's costume, and she now has a foreign accent.
Christianity is more often than not portrayed as the villain; sometimes overtly, as in "V," or subtly, as in "Battle For The Planet Of The Apes."
I could go on and on...
The folks in Hollyweird need to understand something; they sell something no one really needs. It's been quite easy for me to do without their "wares..."
I so agree with you! Between all that you mentioned about their personalities, the overt political messages, degrading religious views, attacks on the traditional family, and soft porn that many movies and TV shows have accepted as normal, it's rather difficult to find an enjoyable show to watch.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I have not watched a Captain America movie since the first one - to be fair, I suspect that my interest in movies was waning at that point anyway. I have not watched any awards show in 10 years or more.
ReplyDeleteAgreed that on the whole, they do not really care about what I think.
I did see one episode of Call the Midwife and rather enjoyed it.
Glen, musicians now are almost literally one hit wonders. I think for many we never know their opinions because they are literally gone so fast. As for visual or other artists - got me on who is in or current now. The medium has complete divorced itself from the public, except from public works.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen the Mortal Engines (nor read them), but maybe there is value in it. Perhaps we underestimate to another generation we are in fact artifacts, and seemingly dangerous ones, to a generation that no longer understands us: Republicans in Augustus' Rome, Highlanders after 1745, Samurai after 1877, men and women of another age that are not moved by the current mores of the world.
Pete - In ways subtle and obvious, old heroes have been "recast" into the current mold of today's perceptions. Sad really, because I find the new characters to be far less engaging (and thus, I am far less interested).
ReplyDeleteI suspect there will come a day - many years hence, perhaps - when entertainment will wake up to find that it truly is no more than a reflection of the society it is in, rather than a novel and unique medium - in a sense, propaganda warriors of the social narrative. They will have - literally - sold their souls for potage.
Anonymous - I find in general that children's shows and pre-1990 items involve none of the things that you are referencing. Or simply finding something else to hold my interest.
ReplyDeleteRe: Music. Dixie Chicks in England dissed then President Bush, if I remember correctly. Fans burned their music and memorabilia and they had to switch to rock to peddle their trash.
ReplyDeleteSame sort of thing happened to... Taylor Swift, if I remember right. Most people who enjoy country music are conservatives. When the musicians get political (like actors (and actresses)), they quickly find out the people will speak.
And then they whine.
If musicians are smart, they keep their politics to themselves.
I think football maybe learned that a little bit, too; but I don't know because I haven't watched any sports like that since I left home at around 22. A LONG time ago. :)
Linda, I do remember the Dixie Chicks. I will say that I think Country and Western fans are more likely than any to express their opinion - something their stars would do well to keep in mind.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if anyone is an any sort of public position that is not politics, they are wiser to keep their politics to themselves. Say nothing. Say that you say nothing on politics. Do your job instead - that is what you are being paid for.
TB, exactly.
ReplyDelete