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Paul Scofield's avatar

I am of the opinion that you can tell a lot about someone by whether or not they were "Disney" or "Warner Brothers" cartoon kids growing up. Being one of the latter ("suffferin' succotash" and "beep, beep") I am not surpised that Warner Bros has more-or-less avoided sailing over the Disney woketopia/grooming kids cliff. Bummer about the current movie, though. Sounds like the Rotten Tomatoes "If you are still wearing a mask..." guy was right on the money.

Hopefully WB did not compound their stupidity by adding an land acknowledgement somewhere in the film or the credits.

Too bad for Paul Thomas Anderson. A long way from Boogie Nights. Where are Jack Horner, Dirk Diggler, Amber Waves and Roller Girl when we need them most?

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Bert Parlee's avatar

The wild darkness of Boogie Nights didn't end as well as the tone that PTA struck with Aimee Mann's "Wise Up" backdropping the array of major mistakes by the core characters ending "Magnolia". Even the main action hero of our time, Tom Cruise in over the top full narcissistic personality disorder mode ,ends up resonating with his father (Jason Robards) who echoes the film's core sentiment: regret. This is what we hope for regarding those lost in woke progressivisms' immunity to learning. New research has shown that they suffer from a variant of narcissism that has only recently been identified. This form doesn't claim "I'm the best, the greatest, the smartest" etc. Rather it is cloaked in faux compassion, signaling virtue while seeking similar praise and recognition, but now for "I care more than others, I'm more sensitive to the suffering of previously marginalized groups" etc. "Communal Narcissism" offers diagnostic clarity for what mystifies the rest of us: https://www.aporiamagazine.com/p/communal-narcissism?utm_source=publication-search

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Paul Scofield's avatar

"Communal Narcissim" is an interesting term and concept. Is it in DSM-5? That would be worth reading about.

Thanks for the link, too. A good jumping off point, sir.

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Jim Trageser's avatar

Glorifying political violence is not going to be an easy sell at this point. There aren't enough 50-something self-important white people, nor their entitled offspring, to make back their nut on this movie. Just its marketing so misreads the moment that it's closer to the George Wallace presidential campaign of 1972 than it is "Billy Jack": Fearful angry whites trying desperately to put the lid on change they don't like (in this case the political realignment pulling blacks and Hispanics away from a long alliance with wealthy white professionals).

Also, there is nothing remotely just about "social justice" - it's just Kipling's old white saviour complex dressed up in modern duds.

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Ayn's avatar

So true, it's fearful H-wood putting the lid on a realignment they don't like.

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Doug Young's avatar

Actually went to see it on Friday (opening) night, with the intent to "hate watch", & I was unpleasantly unsurprised. The ending is so ridiculous in its upbeat support of the Antifa idea, I thought, who will really be inspired by this, outside of these critics and the deranged far left? Good score, though. Hopefully it bombs & Warner Brothers ends up wishing that they would have delayed its release like Apple TV did w/that ultra woke Jessica Chastain series "The Savant" where she plays a crack detective sleuthing into far-right online domestic terrorism groups.

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BBS's avatar

Hard pass.

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Kathryn Hill's avatar

Perfect Review. Bored out of my mind. Love DiCaprio, looks like my son. Del Toro played lip service in this role and Penn was perfect as a cartoon. But so damn ugly, I just couldn’t get past it. Especially the daughter, ending up as twisted and depraved as her mother. Wanting to emulate her when there was absolutely nothing thing worth emulating.

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Ayn's avatar

When there are so many dopamine hits on this same topic everywhere else in surround sound right now, I can't imagine that even the people who just love love love a riot will want to pay money to see this. But, alas, it's Prestige Pic season! https://aynsrants.substack.com/p/hurray-for-hollywood

And I can indeed imagine all those Academy members who don't really watch the movies they're supposed to be judging will put their virtue votes on it, anyway.....

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Lukas Bird's avatar

Yes, of course it’s a Fourth Turning wartime propaganda asset. PTA is another like Leni Reifensthal and Triumph of the Will. As Goebbels understood, cinema is an essential media to winning hearts and minds to the war underway. Inglorious Bastards was all about this too!

We are at war. These are soft power war weapons. We are not at peace. This is not a regrettable departure from our prior peaceful film industry.

Once we understand we have crossed this chasm already and we are merely trading propaganda blows in the run up to what’s coming next - it will make so much more sense.

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Eddie Patterson's avatar

From the previews it’s hard to tell what it’s about really expect to save his baby. I dunno. Good movies are having a hard time of it but this doesn’t preview like a great movie that’s for sure.

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Ed Y.'s avatar

Thank you for saving me time and money to avoid being lectured for another two hours. Maybe Taylor Sheridan can start producing movies. His shows at least minimize wokeness, even though some leak through (eg final season of Yellowstone).

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Dr Amelia's avatar

Too bad it’s a bust. I was gonna go to a movie last night. I was watching all the trailers of the movies at the theater and this was the only trailer that looked half decent. I’m glad I didn’t go.

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Author John G. Dyer's avatar

One of the keywords I use in promotion is 'unwoke'. I'm still waiting for the sinker to bob, but I haven't lost hope.

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