Hollywood has lost the war in Iraq

[DixieBelle]

After the well-reviewed Stop-Loss failed to pack ‘em in opening weekend, a studio source told Deadline Hollywood Daily’s Nikki Finke:

No one wants to see Iraq war movies. No matter what we put out there in terms of great cast or trailers, people were completely turned off. It’s a function of the marketplace not being ready to address this conflict in a dramatic way because the war itself is something that’s unresolved yet. It’s a shame because it’s a good movie that’s just ahead of its time.

Stop-Loss was far from “ahead of it’s time,” and thankfully, through emerging new media, the public was clued in by talk radio and Internet blogs to the fact that Stop-Loss was yet another anti-war screed where the filmmakers take their war bitterness out on our troops by portraying them as drunks, crazies, and wife-beaters. The public was also clued in that by any reasonable artistic standard Stop-Loss was a melodramatic mess filled with contrivances only awarded positive reviews because its politics were correct.

In March of 2008, Stop-Loss was about to open, but the Washington Post had already its obituary written:

After five years of conflict in Iraq, Hollywood seems to have learned a sobering lesson: The only things less popular than the war itself are dramatic films and television shows about the conflict.

A spate of Iraq-themed movies and TV shows haven’t just failed at the box office. They’ve usually failed spectacularly, despite big stars, big budgets and serious intentions.

The underwhelming reception from the public raises a question: Are audiences turned off by the war, or are they simply voting against the way filmmakers have depicted it?

The Post, as you can see, followed the studio narrative in lamenting the box office failure of “Iraq-themed” films, as opposed to what they really are: pro-defeat films that in some cases are outright anti-American and too often defame the troops. This focus on the term “Iraq-themed” to explain box office humiliation is still in use by the left-wing media for reasons obvious to anyone interested in what audiences are truly interested in seeing.

More at link http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/hollywood-loses-the-war-in-iraq/

[Airwolf]

No. What it is that is going on is no one except raving, idiotic moonbats are going to anti war movies. Not much of a demographic if you ask me.

[Chris_]

No. What it is that is going on is no one except raving, idiotic moonbats are going to anti war movies. Not much of a demographic if you ask me.

Well, I think that if Mel Gibson remade "We Were Soldiers" on an Iraqi-war stage, it would likely be a blockbuster.......but that's just me.....

doc

[TheSarge]

Well, I think that if Mel Gibson remade "We Were Soldiers" on an Iraqi-war stage, it would likely be a blockbuster.......but that's just me.....

doc

There are plenty of engagements over there that would make their own "We Were Soldiers" style screenplays on their own.

Someone just has to have the courage to make it.

[Chris_]

Well, I think that if Mel Gibson remade "We Were Soldiers" on an Iraqi-war stage, it would likely be a blockbuster.......but that's just me.....

doc

There are plenty of engagements over there that would make their own "We Were Soldiers" style screenplays on their own.

Someone just has to have the courage to make it.

I have no doubt that there are many Sarge, but that is not the story that hollywood wants to tell.  They  stopped "entertaining" us years ago, what they now produce is generally "propaganda".....

doc

[Chris_]

Yes, but would it focus on the suspense (of a Marine Sniper in 1st Fallujah, calling in to get PERMISSION to ventilate an "insurgent" from the battalion public relations officer)

Or maybe the comic elements (of liberal politicians trying to look "Presidential" by making useless trips into the Baghdad Green Zone and creating photo ops for themselves by surrounding themselves with combat troops who could otherwise be more effectively employed (and in 80% of those trooper's cases, WOULD rather be more effectively employed) ventilating insurgents, breaking up Iranian supplied roadside bomb-making "factories", and dropping homocide bombers before they can reach the school yards full of kids they were targeting)

Or how 'bout the human elements (of an exhausted Cavalry NCO getting just long enough at home after 16 months deployed to finally meet his 9 month old child before being deployed to Iraq -AGAIN- because the politicians on Crapitol Hill think they can run a war better than a 2-Star general with boots on the ground, and have so micromanaged and caveated his rules of engagement that the job he could have completed in 6 months had he simply been allowed to do what soldiers, airmen and marines do best - kill bad guys and break their stuff - has become the never ending job from hell.)

[DumbAss Tanker]

Gee, movies whose entire message is "We suck" aren't getting big box office?!?  Go figure!

 

[Wineslob]

The underwhelming reception from the public raises a question: Are audiences turned off by the war, or are they simply voting against the way filmmakers have depicted it?

Bingo! Anytime I see a new "war" movie, my gut tells me it's another "put the troops and the USA down" P O S. I've voted NO everytime.