The significance of the Academy Award nominations
By Tom Quiner
Gratuitous violence is worthy of adulation.
THAT is what the Academy Awards is telling us with the announcement of the nominees for the very finest in this year’s films.
No, let me be more specific. THAT is what Hollywood is telling us, that cloistered conclave of the most liberal of all Americans, that most supportive sub-group of the Democratic Party. These are the folks who dominate the Academy.
In the wake of America’s latest mass murders, these same people are screaming for severe restrictions on gun ownership.
Fair enough.
At the same time, they are proclaiming “Django Unchained” one of the best films of the year.
Quentin Taratino’s latest blood orgy was nominated for best picture.
Yes, yes, they have also nominated some outstanding films for best picture, including “Lincoln” and “Les Miserables.” These two films would be deserving of recognition in any year. I was moved by both. Even more, I was uplifted by both. These are films that fulfill the artistic promise of cinema by uplifting their viewers.
Django, on the other hand, drags us down through a shameless glorification of bloodlust.
I have not seen Django, so feel free to discount my perspective. I will not be offended. I have seen some of Tarantino’s work. Frankly, he is a superb story teller. Frankly, his style is off the charts. I like the way he tells stories. He employs music, editing, graphics and all of the cinematic tools at his disposal masterfully. Few are in his league.
But I didn’t have to see Django to know that it isn’t good for teenage boys, or for anyone. My college aged son, to my chagrin, saw the film and loved it. He sent me a movie review to make the case for Django. Here is the first sentence of this supportive review:
“Django Unchained isn’t just a glorification of gratuitous violence and foul language, EVERYthing about Django is gratuitous.”
How on earth can the same people who say guns are the root cause of violence, glorify relentless murder by guns with an Oscar nomination? Anti gun warrior and liberal icon, Michael Moore, gave it thumbs up. And yet people who saw the film felt “moved” to publicly tweet the violent feelings this film welled up in their loins:
“Seeing Django reignited my desire to kill white people,” said “Flex.”
“After watching Django, all I wanna do is shoot whites,” said another.
“We need a modern dy django to kill some white people (sic),” tweeted another.
“wanna kill all white for 30min after you see Django Unchained (sic),”said “Joey Logan.”
“After watching Django all I want to do is eat baked beans and biscuits and shoot white people for money,” said “Rusty Nail.”
How on earth can liberals be so dimwitted that they can’t connect the dots that entertainment that glorifies “gratuitous violence,” to acknowledge that moniker from the film reviewer above, may be a bad influence on:
√ high testosterone teen-aged boys,
√ sociopaths,
√ anyone mentally unstable?
If these Hollywood liberals were truly serious about doing something about public mass murders that use guns to kill kids, well, they’d mock and revile films like Django. They’d pull the plug on films that glorify gratuitous violence.
But they don’t.
They honor them. The money is too good.
What a bunch of phonies.