Posted on 02/01/2013 7:19:35 PM PST by SoFloFreeper
The list of the twenty-five top-grossing films (worldwide) of 2012 has been released, and I believe there are a few important lessons that proponents of free enterprise, limited government, and traditional Judeo-Christian values can learn from its inventory.
First, let’s take a look at what types of stories drew the most attention in 2012. The top three – Avengers, Dark Knight Rises and Skyfall – are all superhero/action flicks. At their core, they are “good vs. evil” morality plays. They are about the pursuit of justice and defense of the defenseless. They are about sacrifice and loyalty and love.
Of course much has already been written and said about Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise...In Dark Knight Rises, we see yet again that when evil people do terrible things, when good people remain silent and allow society to decay from within, the result is not pretty. Nolan even addresses, to some extent, the dangerous, mob-like mentality that manifests itself when class-warfare is used by those wishing to “bring down the system.”
Mankind’s fallen nature is an ever-present reality in these three films...Also in the top 10 – and after only a few weeks in theaters – is the film adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit, brought to us by the same team that masterfully crafted the Lord of the Rings trilogy a decade ago. The honorable, traditional, and even Biblical values infused in Tolkien’s epic tales should be well-known to all. Throughout this Top 25 list there are movies that project similar values. It isn’t dark and pessimistic Indie films, or the next Martin Scorsese downer, that sells tickets like these flicks do.
(Excerpt) Read more at acton.org ...
2. The Dark Knight Rises — $1.081 billion
3. Skyfall — $1 billion
4. Ice Age: Continental Drift — $875 million
5. Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II — $799 million
6. The Amazing Spider-Man — $752 million
7. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted — $742 million
8. The Hobbit: Unexpected Journey — $692 million [so far]
9. The Hunger Games — $686 million
10. MIB 3 — $624 million
11. Brave — $535 million
12. Ted — $501 million
13. The Intouchables — $420 million
14. Prometheus — $402 million
15. Snow White and the Huntsmen — $396 million
16. Taken 2 — $365 million
17. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax — $348 million
18. Titanic 3D — $343 million
19. Journey 2: The Mysterious Island — $325 million
20. Hotel Transylvania — $311 million
21. Life of Pi — $304 milllion
22. Battleship — $302 million
23. Wrath of Titans — $302 million
24. Expendables 2 — $300 million
25. John Carter — $282 million
Too bad they didn’t release GI Joe. Could’t let that little ‘message’ get out.
The media reviews kept knocking Battleship and called The Hobbit boring. I thought both films were super entertainment. Ditto for Taken 2.
I’d love to see a GI Joe movie based on the comic books or even the RAH series to a point. That would be patriotic and America first so fat chance.
These attempts to define popcorn action movies as being somehow a precursor of the rise of dormant conservative values in society are vapid and exercises in near delirious wishful thinking.
Most of the audience for Hollywood dreck are low information voters (as Rush calls them) and are only able to link Batman or Spiderman or some other hero to Obama and then on to the basic things they themselves value.
These heroes fighting “evil” have hot girlfriends, built-in wealth or no real obligation to get up and go to work, they live their lives inside what looks like a “really cool” video game etc. etc. To the average audience member, “evil” is a manifestation of immorally rich capitalists or a by-product of such. Indeed, the easy thing to do would be for the screenwriters to simply name all the “bad guys” in every movie “Bush.”
Hollywood knows what it is doing and it is NOT pumping out stuff that will lead people to the political Right. In fact, since 1924 when it started taking marching orders from the Soviet Film Commission, Hollywood has perfected the production of agitprop meant to drive people leftward. And they are good at it. Very good.
Sometimes I think conservatives need to create justifications for going to the movies and thus begin imagining that the product is somehow secretly intended FOR US. It ain’t and never has been
‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ coming in May
You should see KickAss. It’s actually pretty good, and accidently winds up being conservative.
Hollywood doesn’t produce things necessarily directed at us. That isn’t necessaroly bad as we tend to buy tickets to movies that clearly incorporate some of those values. Obama is never going to be mistaken for Batman, he lacks the muscles an the mental acuity. He won’t be mistaken for Spider-Man. Spider-Man is far too selfelss for him.
They are engaged in a massive effort against the other moviemaking districts of the world in an effort to keep their market share alive. The UK and India, for two, would love to get some more of the global market.
Now they are given the class A treatment. No wonder I rarely go to movies anymore. Can't find good movies any more like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA or ZULU that have a REAL PLOT! Thank heavens for TCM.
I want my TCM.
We went to see “Argo” 2 wks ago, in an obscure theater, after learning that “0 Dark Thirty” was a disappointment to a well respected critic and for good reason. We’ll see it from redbox eventually and judge for ourselves. . .
If you have not seen “Argo”, phooey.
This from one who promotes “On the Waterfront” and “After the Thin Man” as well as “His Girl Friday”.
Hollywood does direct things at adolescent males who tend (alays did) to go back again numerous times to a film they like.
HWood cannot control what these guys like. they like true and logical tales. And tey like fights and blood and gore.
THey like feminine women (not necessarily immodest- often not so- helpers).
They tend to run conservative.
these are the movies we go for. They are sometimes rated R but for violence and a little language.
A chick flick R rated is always sexually perverted.
Just some observations.
“Shooter” and “Band of Brothers” are the very best.
Hollywood does direct things at adolescent males who tend (alays did) to go back again numerous times to a film they like.
HWood cannot control what these guys like. they like true and logical tales. And tey like fights and blood and gore.
THey like feminine women (not necessarily immodest- often not so- helpers).
They tend to run conservative.
these are the movies we go for. They are sometimes rated R but for violence and a little language.
A chick flick R rated is always sexually perverted.
Just some observations.
“Shooter” and “Band of Brothers” are the very best.
I don’t ever go to movies but I did finally catch the 4th Mission Impossible flick “Ghost Protocol” on Netflix last night. Although I’m not a big Tom Cruise fan it was really good. It starts with a bang and never lets up, a great action flick and the best of the MI franchise.
I liked Zero Dark Thirty and Argo. Sometimes a movie is just a movie. The problem I see with some Conservatives is that they expect to get their morals from movies. I go to the movies to be entertained and not to hear conservative values. I am strong enough to separate them. Some weak minded may have problems understanding that what they are seeing on the movie my be make believe. My favorite movie from 2012 was actually Courageous. I even bought it and watched it about 3 times over the year.
As a lit teacher and one who had a classical education, I have been around this subject a few times.
I appreciate your view and it is one shared my most and probably all OB voters.
Mark Steyn says it in this or last week’s column. Politics is the battle, culture is the war.
After formation, adults, that is, can take anything that comes their way. Prents are not paying any attention to what is going on in the formative years, literarily, and that is where the brainwashing occurs. Mine have spent time in all venues, home, publica and private - good private, that is logical and not currpt, and bad private favoritism, mismanaged funding, all due to options available at the time - choices involving less of various evils.
There is no question that once the are in with classic literature, theology, basic advanced math, language (latin, for the logic preferably), that one will do whatever it takes to keep them there.
THey are too busy to get into trouble, so they support each other in their endeavors. And they party hard - frequent dances where they dance - to the ciky pop music that’s out there, they can take it. It’s just fun. But they know good musica and they are attracted to classic rock.
The difference is apparent. THese kids think and they watch ad discuss “the Five”, and when they hear Rush or Mike Saveage they ask questions.
As an adult, I avoid dusturbing stories and miages. I am always learning and passing on bits of what I hope is wisdom. I find it simple then to avoid taking in stuff that is unhealthy just like food or anything else.
The power of film and literature is way underrated. Hollywood and their minions don’t underrate it. OB voters are on a steady diet of this stuff.
Here’s where the daomage comes in: during the course of story telling, the film allows a character to say something that seeps into the collective unconscious. It is something HWood is very aware of. Those who wanted to take over our countryback in the ‘50s went right to screenwriters. Their great victory is that we laugh at that notion.
Our favorites tend toward things that tend to be PG 13 and R for violence and lang. as they tend to be truthful, humorous and . . .
“Shooter”, “Legally Blonde”, old stuff like “On the Waterfront “, My Cousin Vinny”, “My Blue Heaven”.
‘Argo” was great. Affleck could say Shiite about Reagan and started the film by blaming the US. Did you catch that? I did so I tune it out. Most did not, so they hate us and vote OB et al.
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