On 2010-03-11, at 1:19 PM, Eric Beck wrote:
> On 3/11/10, Marv Gandall <marvgandall at videotron.ca> wrote:
>> My wife and I saw the Hurt Locker on cable last night. I must have missed
>> Louis P's review on it, but amidst all the glowing tributes, dug up this
>> obscure short review on Rotten Tomatoes which exactly mirrors our own
>> responses. Anyone see any redeeming qualities in the film?
>
> I haven't seen the movie, but whiny, politically correct reviews like
> this make me want to see it.
==============================
I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Here, in the interest of balanced reporting, is a more muscular review of the film. (I found Avatar equally banal, BTW).
* * *
Hurt Locker vanquishes Avatar: patriotism triumphs over anti-Americanism at the Oscars By Nile Gardiner Telegraph March 8th, 2010
I’m glad The Hurt Locker triumphed over Avatar at tonight’s Oscars. Not only is Hurt Locker a far superior film – with standout performances, an intelligent and brilliantly executed script, as well as three dimensional lead characters – it is also a tremendously patriotic film which pays tribute to the courage of American troops serving in Iraq. For all these reasons I named it as one of the top 10 conservative movies of the last decade. The film won six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), and Best Original Screenplay.
I acknowledge that Hurt Locker has attracted a good deal of controversy and has divided opinion in the States over aspects of historical accuracy, and the debate will continue to rage. But I believe it thoroughly deserved its Oscar wins, and that the powerful message it projects about the US mission in Iraq and those who serve in the American armed forces, is an overwhelmingly positive one.
[...]
...what I found most jarring about Avatar was its overtly anti-American and anti-military bias. As I wrote at the time of the film’s release in December: Avatar 'is an intensely political vehicle with a distinct agenda. In fact I would describe it as one of the most left-wing films in the history of modern American cinema, and perhaps the most commercially successful political movie of our time. While the vast majority of cinemagoers will simply see it as popcorn entertainment, Avatar is at its heart a cynical and deeply unpatriotic propaganda piece, aimed squarely against American global power and the projection of US economic and military might across the world.'
[...]
Avatar cost up to $400 million to produce and market. In contrast, The Hurt Locker had a budget of just $11 million. Avatar is in essence a hugely expensive political statement against America’s leadership of the world, and the US-led war in Iraq. The Hurt Locker is not an overtly political movie, but it pays tribute to the tremendous bravery and sacrifice of American troops fighting in Iraq, at a time when Hollywood has produced a slew of anti-war movies.
The Hurt Locker is a brave film that goes against the conventional wisdom in an overwhelmingly left-wing film-making community, and which struck a powerful chord with both critics and the American public. The Hurt Locker was the clear underdog in this year’s Oscar contest, and its stunning win over a far larger adversary was a triumph for an independent movie that celebrates the heroism and dedication of American troops on the battlefield in the face of a brutal enemy.