Lost amid all the hype of Oscar weekend was the debut of HBO’s Taking Chance, in which Kevin Bacon plays an officer escorting home the body of a dead Marine. Chance surprisingly pulled two million viewers, HBO’s biggest draw for an original movie in five years. Naturally, this brings up the old “Is America ready for the Iraq War as entertainment?” discussion. From the Live Feed:
On the theatrical side, there’s been “Jarhead” [that's not about the Iraq War, actually - Ed.], “Stop-Loss,” “Lions for Lambs,” “Redacted” and “In the Valley of Elah,” among others. While networks have launched FX’s “Over There” and HBO’s “Alive Day Memories,” “House of Saddam” and “Generation Kill.”
Not all were failures, but none were considered breakout hits. Media stories frequently concluded that Americans do not want — or are not ready — to watch stories about the conflict.
It’s pretty naive to think that a film or TV series about a war that’s currently going on could be a “breakout” hit. Every good war movie (or TV series, though that’s rarer) for the last 50 years has been based on a war that’s already over. “Generation Kill” kicked ass (see clip below), and even I didn’t stick with it because I don’t like getting entertainment from a current war.
So the question should really be, “Why does Hollywood keep trying to make movies Americans don’t want?” Gosh, it’s almost like studio executives lack vision and judgment.
(Generation Kill’s best exchange begins at 0:25)
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Taking Chance: boring or most boring ever?
I wouldnt mind a movie based on the rise of Blackwater and how they make billions of dollars and how they are eventually going to attack America and try to turn it into a fundamentalist Christian nation.
Yeah Im paranoid.
I prefer my war entertainment focused on Grenada.
Dale Dye approves.
I watched it and I liked it.
That is all.
Or maybe American’s just don’t trust Hollywood to make movies about the war in Iraq. I mean, they are pretty biased when it comes to their views of the war in Iraq.
I mean, they are pretty biased when it comes to their views of the war in Iraq.
Unlike the Bush administration, which did nothing but give it to us straight.
Remember when we found all those WMDs where Rumsfeld said they were? That was awesome. And how we found the real link between Saddam and 9/11? Totally cool. And the war would pay for itself, and gas would be 50 cents? Kick. Ass.
generation kill should be required viewing.
here is the original story from rolling stone for generation kill. [www.rollingstone.com]
More like Americans don’t buy that our troops like to talk about the meaning of life and American Politics in between fire fights.
Also Uff you’re interested in a kick-ass Iraq War film checkout “The Hurt Locker” about an Army EOD team in Iraq. Lots of kick ass, not a lot of gay whining about how hard life is. I believe Vince did a post on it at FD.
Taking Chance was incredibly painful to watch, but it also rang true. I had the sad duty of escorting the body of a fellow police officer home to Hawaii, then conducting the memorial service. That stuff with the public’s spontaneous tributes really happens, and chokes me up every time.
Yeah, it’s not entertainment, but it’s an important story that deserved telling.
“Stop-Loss,” “Lions for Lambs,” “Redacted” and “In the Valley of Elah,” [Rendition, Grace is Gone, Home of the Brave]
“Media stories frequently concluded that Americans do not want — or are not ready — to watch stories about the conflict.”
Yeah, that’s it. America just hasn’t caught up to Hollywood yet. Farenheit 9/11 made $200 million worldwide, but these particular movies failed because the audience just didn’t want to watch stuff about the war.
Obviously, those movies just sucked. But I’d be much more inclined to believe there are a lot of people like me — I’d rather stab my eyes out with Pauly Shore’s dick than give my money to anti-war propaganda while I’ve got friends and family still fighting in the conflict. If you want to go on an anti-war, anti-American, and/or anti-military screed, great, that’s your right. But I won’t be giving you $10 for it.
(Unless Jessica Biel gets naked.)