You want nuts with that?

Doing some reading about the Oscars, I checked Roger Eberts site for some information. I respect his approach to movie reviews, and while I sometimes disagree with him, I think he's a fine writer and very ethical.

I'm posting this because it is more evidence of the Christian right wing of this country coming completely unglued over the most rediculous things. They have tremendous organizational skills, which makes them very dangerous. For the longest time, they were laughed off as nut jobs, but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. How they pulled that off is beyond me. Actually, I have an inkling. George Bush. He and Karl Rove have made it acceptable to be completely out of touch with reality. That's sad.

Read this.. from his Q&A section of the web site. Link:


Q. Unfortunately, I heard Michael Medved review "Million Dollar Baby" on the right-wing Christian show "The 700 Club" the very day I was going to see it. Ouch. Medved did not really review the film. What he did was deliberately give away vital secrets and surprises, and then label the movie as an "issue" piece. I imagine that his intention was to drum up a Red State "moral issue" boycott of the film. I believe most "700 Club" viewers would be moved, entertained and inspired by this movie and would engage in provocative, think-for-themselves discussions about its story after seeing it.

While I'm aware of the subjectivity that is required for film reviews, I found Mr. Medved's technique really disgusting -- especially after seeing the movie, which is a masterful piece of work, a sobering, powerful and moving examination of the human condition. I won't ever forget the characters in "Million Dollar Baby," and I doubt that I'll ever forgive Michael Medved.

Peter Crooks, Walnut Creek, Calif.

A. Revealing key plot points of a movie very early in its release amounts to a desire to damage the movie. Medved knows better, so what he did was deliberate and unforgivable. Some film critics on the Christian right use their reviews to advance their political agenda (which is their privilege, so I am only observing this).

For example, because "Polar Express" was seen in those circles as being offensive, for reasons I cannot imagine, they obliquely attacked it by pushing "Christmas with the Kranks," urging their followers to "support" it. The Kranks movie is totally secular -- no Jesus in the manger, no hymns, the priest skips midnight mass to be at the party -- but it does contain the message that people who do not celebrate Christmas are somehow anti-social, anti-American or haters of the holiday.