Serenity strikes a blow for conservatism!

POSTED BY: Blinker
UPDATED: Friday, June 9, 2006 07:31
VIEWED: 19576
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BLINKER

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:18 PM

(Apparently!)

http://www.brigittepellerin.com/2005/crazyhollywood.htm

Quote:
While left-leaning Hollywood studio executives struggle through yet another prolonged slump, movies that showcase clear moral and conservative principles make a bundle at the box office. The success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, and of films like Lord of the Rings, Serenity and even Team America: World Police (excessive obscenities aside, a funny display of the Left’s inanities), as well as the excitement surrounding the upcoming The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have a way of stirring the blood and stiffening the sinews of conservative film buffs everywhere.

...

The folks who make the festival possible understand the mainstream media isn’t quite ready for truly and unabashedly conservative films. They wish it were different, but they’re not getting mad. They’re getting even; what conservative filmmakers lack in Entertainment Tonight coverage they make up in elaborate grassroots campaigns and online distribution. Word-of-mouth contributed greatly to the success of Serenity, which is still playing in theatres, and there’s no reason it won’t do the same for other features including the unsettling Obsession: Radical Islam’s War Against the West, which won the award for Best Feature at the Liberty Film Festival.

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HERO

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 2:57 PM

I have found from discussion here over the past couple years that Firefly and Serenity's message is heard by conservatives like myself as conservative. Liberals have experianced the same notion, that is that it supports their (misguided)political leaning.

I see this as the magic of what Joss has created. It speaks to the human condition and thus our political predispositions are not a hamper to our enjoyment of the work. The work speaks for itself.

That said, Firefly is all conservative and if you liked it then deep down you must be a right-winger too.

H

SIKKUKUT

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:02 PM

All that lesbianism, whoring, and atheism, those are some conservative values.

Of course, all the gun rights, distrust of big government, and desire to be out on the frontier really ARE conservative values (and I could probably think of better examples were I conservative), so I'm not sure where that leaves us.

Given the mixed message, I think it's a mistake to hold Firefly or Serenity up as a champion of liberalism or conservatism.

I've heard that one group that generally loved Serenity are the libertarians. I mean, think about it... Mal & Co. just want to be left alone, free to pursue their own messy, human immorality in peace. If that's not libertarian, I don't know what it is.

__________________
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ROCKETJOCK

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:16 PM

All I know is that anyone who thinks Team America: World Police is a paean to conservatism either hasn't seen it, or lives in an irony-free zone.

"She's tore up plenty. But she'll fly true." -- Zoë Washburn

SIMONWHO

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:24 PM

Let's settle this: just before I watched the preview screening of Serenity, a letter from Joss was read out in which he apologised to us for the US President and that he still couldn't work out how that happened. (Needless to say, this got thunderous applause).

BISHOP76

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Blinker:
Quote:
While left-leaning Hollywood studio executives struggle through yet another prolonged slump, movies that showcase clear moral and conservative principles make a bundle at the box office. The success of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, and of films like Lord of the Rings, Serenity and even Team America: World Police (excessive obscenities aside, a funny display of the Left’s inanities), as well as the excitement surrounding the upcoming The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have a way of stirring the blood and stiffening the sinews of conservative film buffs everywhere.

Okay, I don't even know where to begin with pointing out innacuracies in this paragraph.

To assign any political ideology to Lord of the Rings is ridiculous. It was written so long ago that it doesn't even apply to our modern values/political parties.

Serenity (as a previous poster said) is without a doubt more a champion of libertarianism than conservatism and to describe Serenity as "making a bundle at the box office" is just a plain lie and we all know it. Try as we may have, it pretty much only broke even WORLDWIDE.

On that same note, Team America didn't rake in the dough at the box office either - it's as much a "cult favorite" as Serenity is. Team America also only broke even domestically - any money it made was brought in by foreign moviegoers. Money made by Team America aside, HOW CAN YOU MISS THE FACT THAT THE MOVIE ITSELF IS A HUGE RIP ON THE ULTRA PATRIOTISM THAT'S A TRAIT OF THE RIGHT!?!?! I'm not saying that this is a leftist propoganda film, but I will say that it gets a TON of shots in at both sides. Like all of Trey and Matt's work, they point out the stupidity in EVERYONE'S point of view or personal beliefs or whatever you want to call it.

Anyway, point is, don't make it more than it is - it's a movie, and a damn good one at that - let's not have it championing any causes...

GELASSENHEIT

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:37 PM

gosh, I thought these were just, like movies?

Gelassenheit means Serenity

GELASSENHEIT

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:37 PM

edited cuz somehow this got sent in twice.

BROWNCOATRECRUITER

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:52 PM

Delusional arrogance? Conservatism? What?

"...there's a whole universe of folk who are gonna know it too. They're gonna see it. Somebody has to speak for these people." -Mal

STARSONG

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 3:53 PM

As to the whole "whoring and lesbianism and everything" not representing "conservative values" -- remember Inara's from the Core. And an Alliance sympathizer. ;)

Honestly, one of the things that impresses me MOST about Joss is that he can write a story featuring characters and an ethos that goes directly contrary to his own beliefs. I do believe I've read something in one of his interviews to the effect of he prolly wouldn't get along with Mal at all "in real life."

I'd say the overall message of the 'verse (when seen from Mal's POV, which has an understandable but considerable bias) is closest to liberatarianism, laced with old-school conservative values. IE -- individual liberty, devolution of power to the local level, minimal gov't interference.. but a man's still got to do the Right Thing, whether or not some fed is staring over his shoulder.

Essentially, "ain't got no call to stop you, just want to go about my way."

Then again, they are criminals. ;)

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