Michael Medved
Top-money makers explode myths
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | The list of top movie money-makers for 2005 exposes enduring misunderstandings about American entertainment.
Among the fifteen most popular films, only one — number five, "Weddings Crashers" — was rated "R," and none of them was even vaguely controversial.
The biggest blockbusters — "Star Wars," "Harry Potter," "Narnia," —hardly explored edgy approaches to sex or politics.
Meanwhile, the radically different list of top Oscar contenders is dominated by adults-only, controversial fare, with "Brokeback Mountain," "Munich," "Syriana," "Good Night and Good Luck," "Capote," and "Transamerica" leading the way.
The movie establishment honors precisely those releases that fail to connect with mainstream audiences: edgy message movies from a liberal perspective.
Year after year, show business bases its most significant accolades on politically correct posturing rather than popularity, so it's high time to drop the stupid myth that says "Hollywood cares only about the financial bottom line."
Ideology is important in Tinseltown — and invariably that means leftist ideology.
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MEDVED'S LATESTRight Turns: Unconventional Lessons from a Controversial Life Michael Medved has taken an extraordinary journey from liberal activist to outspoken conservative. Along the way he has earned millions of admirers — and more than his share of enemies — by advancing controversial, often counterintuitive arguments. Sales help fund JWR. |
JWR contributor, author and film critic
Michael Medved hosts a daily three-hour radio talk show broadcast in more than 120 cities throughout the United States. Comment by clicking here.