Klavan On The Culture

July 1st, 2009 5:09 pm

Their War, Our Fight

One of the most difficult things to write about is the way leftist critics attempt to enforce their cultural viewpoint by either ignoring or brutally lambasting any work of art that presents the world as it is rather than as they see it. What makes it difficult, of course, is that artistic taste is subjective (although artistic quality, I would argue, isn’t) and so to the charge that he is sandbagging any art he disagrees with, the perfidious liberal critic can simply say, “Well, that’s my opinion, so there.”

The indispensable Christian Toto on his likewise indispensable blog What Would Toto Watch has a round-up of liberal critics doing their little all to sink the genuinely fine film The Stoning of Soraya M (which I wrote about in the Wall Street Journal here). Now having seen the picture I can say without a doubt that these reviews are dishonest. There are things to criticize in the film and ways to criticize them but the charges of exploitation, bigotry and caricature are simply untrue and I feel sure these critics know it. None of these people ever complained when truly shabby pictures like In The Valley of Elah or Redaction used a single anomalous incident to tar our military. Why should they get on their high horse when Stoning uses a perfectly representative true story to make an inarguably valid point about Shariah law? Well, because it displays their multi-cultural virtue, that’s why, and puts the film community on notice that any political incorrectness that undermines the false basis for that virtue will simply not be tolerated.

Shame on them. And shame on us too for not flocking to films like Stoning in numbers. This is the liberal’s culture war but it’s our fight, our job to stop them, our job to break the strait-jacket they’ve imposed on elite opinion. We should stop complaining so much about Hollywood and start patronizing those arts that tell the simple truth.

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19 Comments

1. Individualist:

I would like to see it but moviephone says the closest theatre is in Arlington VA.

I am in North Florida

Is it coming near me.

Jul 1, 2009 - 7:48 pm 2. newton:

I’d go see it – that is, if it’s showing in Houston.

Jul 1, 2009 - 8:13 pm 3. Ceroth:

I am planning on seeing it but according to the websites I’ve checked out, it isn’t due here in Portland, OR until the middle of July.

Jul 1, 2009 - 9:10 pm 4. Michael Asher:

Today 6 Iranian protesters were reported to have been hung by Ahmadinejad’s thugs. http://bit.ly/17abHA
The picture couldn’t have been more timely and truthful.

Jul 1, 2009 - 10:49 pm 5. Des:

Not to sound like a wuss here, but I can’t take movies that show violence against women. I’m sure it’s a great film and I agree with your opinion that Liberal critics are liars (at least a number of them are), but some of us will have to praise the film makers from afar.

Jul 1, 2009 - 11:47 pm 6. RonaldWR:

Similar reviews are being posted about Transformers “Revenge of the Fallen”. I was disapointed to see that even the most devout geek reviewers falling prey to their own liberal ideology. I haven’t seen Soraya M. and I am not comparing the two films. I am speaking more to the hypocrisy of so-called movie critics. Their are some things in Transformers that you can complain about but it is by no means a horrible movie. I don’t know, I think most of the reviewer’s who watched transformers are liberal and voted for Obama. Transformer’s is a no holds barred, all out action movie that is filled with so much machismo, you would think that you time traveled in a delorian back to the 80’s. Add the military shown in all their patriotic, self-sacrificing glory being the good guys fighting true evil and you can understand why liberal critics can’t stand this film. Let’s not forget the swipe at the current TOTUS as well as the mainstream media, the proverbial cherry on the top of an awesome sundae.

Looking forward to seeing Soraya M. hopefully it hits the theatres here but I wouldn’t hold my breath( I live in Hawaii). As for transformers, leave the kids with their grandparent’s and check it out for yourself, its a great summer popcorn flick.

Jul 2, 2009 - 12:31 am 7. Fred2:

@Andrew Klavan

I’m going to see if I can see the movie, this weekend is packed.

I have been emailing the trailer to co-workers and friends to get the word out about “The Stoning.” If I can’t make it this weekend, at least someone else can support the movie.

Jul 2, 2009 - 5:15 am 8. Mo:

I saw the movie yesterday and it was excellent. Was it difficult to watch at times? Of course. That’s the point. But it was well presented and beautifully acted, and aside from the sadness of the story itself it did not feel despairing in that “get me out of here” sort of way. You were completely involved with the characters and story, to the very end. I highly recommend it.

Jul 2, 2009 - 5:32 am 9. Vincent Bordini:

I parts of this film early on, including a stoning/lashing scene. It was easy to see the left was going to hate it. Anything they come out against is almost always worth seeing, just to see what frightens them.

Jul 2, 2009 - 6:51 am 10. John W.:

Personally, I find those reviews extremely helpful. If the Left hates it, I’ll probably enjoy it. If the Left loves it, odds are it’s a piece of crap.

Jul 2, 2009 - 8:18 am 11. EdSki:

As a rule of thumb, if critics hate a movie, that probably means its pretty good, and if they love it, it’s almost guaranteed to be good.

Those of us “customers,” far away from the entertainment business know exactly what’s going on. Critics are simply tools. Dumber than a bag of hammers for the most part.

I remember reading part of Roger Ebert’s review of Al Gore’s propaganda pitch. In it, he actually points out errors that he found on google, but he was still convinced. Right then and there I knew I’d never waste my time on it.

Jul 2, 2009 - 9:54 am 12. debbie:

I will not go see it, because a long time ago I made a commitment to myself to not see ‘R’ rated movies. When Defiance came out I was disappointed, but I bought the book and have sense had my sister and two of my daughters read and love it. This is what I will have to do, take a pass on the movie and read book. If it is as good as I anticipate, I will pass it on.

Jul 2, 2009 - 12:25 pm 13. The Movie Some Leftie Critics Want You to Ignore « The Rhetorican:

[...] (Via Andrew Klavan) [...]

Jul 2, 2009 - 2:26 pm 14. wnaegele:

Being liberal [actually, progressive] means you need not be dumb and ignorant to be blind and stupid…

Jul 2, 2009 - 2:29 pm 15. AtheistConservative:

I’m trying to convince myself to go see it, because I want to support the truthful exposure of such tragedies.

But in reality, I’m not excited about it. Because as a Conservative I know it’s true. And I don’t really want to go watch a depressing movie about something I already know to be true.

I imagine if I were religious, that’s how I would have felt about “The Passion of the Christ”, because seriously, who wants to see someone get beaten up for two hours?

Jul 2, 2009 - 6:16 pm 16. simone:

This was the most honest and emotional movie I have seen in a long time.
The acting was incredible.The story real this is still happening in muslim countries.
What suprises me no outcry for Iran from any womensmovement like NOW.
Everybody should see this movie.It is a must.
Time we wake up !!!
Hope it will get an Oscar but I doubt that they will have the guts to give this movie one.BY the way I saw it in Houston today

Jul 2, 2009 - 6:35 pm 17. mileshigh:

Saw Soraya last night in Denver. It wasn’t very good. It hits you over the head with messages from “religious fundamentalism is bad” to the women’s rights injustice. Ok, I get it. The whole portrayal of the story was cartoonish and one-dimensional. Somehow, I doubt we got the whole story. I don’t understand the conservative or Christian message in the movie unless its not to take your religion too far.

Jul 3, 2009 - 7:22 am 18. harkin:

It’s like a few years ago when the film Osama (where a stoning and child rape take place) was all but ignored. An excellent film with a great message that was too painful for the haters of the west.

Jul 5, 2009 - 3:59 pm 19. darelf:

I think Islamism should be exposed for the barbaric and oppressive thing that it is. In every medium possible.

My problem is the premises of these stories. Why must it be a lie? (I understand this is based on a true story, but they could have picked a different true story) The story becomes more powerful when she really is an adulteress. When the characters are more multi-dimensional, and the film doesn’t beat you over the head but rather displays the full story and lets you make of it what you will.

Jul 7, 2009 - 6:46 am