This week brought our first look at “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and Twitter Nation seemed happy with the results.
For starters, the new film is in no way, shape or form connected to the disastrous “Lady Ghostbusters” reboot. The director is Jason Reitman, son of original helmer Ivan Reitman (on board as a producer).
The trailer (below) boasts a serious “Strangers Things” vibe, down to mutual co-star Finn Wolfhard.
It still doesn’t solve the obvious puzzle tied to the “Ghostbusters” brand. Why bother in the first place?
Sacrilege, you say? Not so fast.
Let’s look at the original 1984 film. Oh, “Ghostbusters” is a classic for all the right reasons. The film successfully fused science fiction with comedy, an elixir rarely done right. The comedy captures Bill Murray at his prime while simultaneously telling a fun, cohesive yarn.
Too often breakout stars overwhelm the story in play. Not here. The elder Reitman found the perfect balance, letting Murray steal copious scenes while moving the narrative forward. Co-stars Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson provided able support. Sigourney Weaver? What a sublime straight woman to Murray’s antics.
Most shocking of all? The original film delivers a blast of <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/why-ghostbusters-is-the-most-libertarian-hollywood-blockbuster-of-all-time">libertarian goodness</a>, landing an uppercut against bureaucratic overreach. Could any modern reboot or sequel clone that limited government spirit?
Not a chance.
The problems don’t end there. Does anyone remember “Ghostbusters II?” Do you know why? It’s terrible. Awful. A complete cash grab for all involved. The film sprinted out of the gate with a massive opening weekend in 1989, at least by that era’s standards. It sank quickly, earning less than half of the original film’s tally.
So we’re talking about a two-movie franchise where one installment’s a clunker. The 2016 reboot, which insulted hardcore fans and lost its studio <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ghostbusters-box-office-loss-sequel-unlikely-918515">$70 million</a>, hardly helped matters. Nor did the liberal media’s full court press to make <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ghostbusters-exposed-media-bias/">us love the reboot … or else</a>.
Modern Hollywood is all about IP (Intellectual property) and world building. It’s why we just endured yet another “Charlie’s Angels” movie as well as a sixth “Terminator” actioner. They tried to squeeze new stories from cinematic stones.
The box office results weren’t pretty.
<iframe title="GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE - Official Trailer (HD)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ahZFCF--uRY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
What kind of world does “Ghostbusters” offer in the 21st century? There’s no significant depth to the original story beyond the comic hijinks. That’s hardly criminal. It’s just stating the facts. Original “Ghostbuster” Harold Ramis sadly passed in 2014, dampening the planned reunion of the original troupe.
Yes, the surviving stars will return, but what about Murray? He’s been ducking the “Ghostbusters” franchise for years. It’s clear he’s disinterested, to say the least. Can we expect Prime Murray or the Phoned In version?
He clearly got roped into that “Lady Ghostbusters” cameo, and it showed. It’s the least engaged we’ve ever seen him on screen.
Is it even a “Ghostbusters” movie if Murray is relegated to sidekick status, or worse … another lackluster cameo? Paul Rudd is an underrated star, and his addition to “Afterlife” is promising. He’s still no Murray.
Who is?
Let’s go back to that “Afterlife” trailer. The tone is vastly different than the 1984 original. That may be part of the marketing rollout. Give ‘em a drip, drip drip of nostalgia and Easter eggs now, and hit with the funny stuff later.
Maybe. What if it’s a franchise extension in name only? It happens all the time. We’re about to see a “Fantasy Island” film which jettison the tone of the source material. It’s what we saw with the disastrous “CHiPs” remake from two years ago, too.
The young Reitman can take the franchise in any direction he chooses. Let’s not kid ourselves, though. The new film didn’t spring from a mad dash of inspiration or massive fan demand. The 2020 film exists because the studio needs to revive a dormant franchise.
Maybe Jason Reitman can conjure a little ‘80s magic for a new generation to savor. Fans of the brilliant original sure hope so, but we’re plenty afraid the ghosts of the original will not be pleased.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/racist-misogynist-toxicity-social-justice-warriors-melt-down-over-new-ghostbusters-trailer">‘Racist, Misogynist Toxicity:’ Social Justice Warriors Melt Down Over New ‘Ghostbusters’ Trailer</a>

Ghostbusters

TOTO: Sorry, We (Still) Don’t Need Another ‘Ghostbusters’ Film

Hollywood

Hollywood just can’t quit the Russian collusion hoax.
Oh, the industry adored the notion that Mother Russia, not that accursed Orange Man, defeated Hillary Clinton three years ago. Late Night TV became Russia-palooza. “Saturday Night Live” dedicated entire sketches to The Muller Report, its version of The Bible, thinking it would seal the collusion deal.
Samantha Bee also weighed in with a very special <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/samantha-bee-robert-mueller-investigation-trump-763896/">Mueller Christmas</a>.
“This holiday season, as the Trumps gather around the blood tree, Trump will probably be at least a little afraid that it’ll be his last Christmas in the White House,” says ‘Full Frontal’ host.
Oscar winner Patricia Arquette even bragged about her Mueller votive candle.
And then the roof caved in. The actual Mueller Report felt like Geraldo Rivera <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78842/oral-history-30-years-ago-geraldo-rivera-opened-al-capones-vault">cracking Al Capone’s vault</a> all over again.
That hasn’t stopped Hollywood, Inc. from obsessing over Russia.
Still.
The latest proof comes courtesy of a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/russian-election-interference-movie-works-farewell-producers-1259186">new film project tied to Russian electoral interference</a>. The focus is on Reality Winner, who gained notoriety after leaking government information to the press.
“The Spy Who Dumped Me” filmmaker Susanna Fogel will direct the drama “Winner.” The biopic will tell the real-life story of Reality Leigh Winner, a former American intelligence specialist who was the first to expose Russia&#8217;s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. She was arrested in 2017 and is currently serving a five-and-a-half year prison sentence.
The comments by the new film’s producers more than suggest the tone of the project.
&#8220;We have been longtime fans of Susanna Fogel and can think of no one better to capture this complex character through an empathetic and human lens,” [producer Dani] Melia said Tuesday in a statement….
Added [producer Peter] Fogel: “Reality Winner is a mouthpiece for a generation of young people who are struggling to square their personal ethics with the crumbling ethics of our country’s institutions, which we want to be proud of and have allegiance to.”
The producers have picked <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/reality-winner-sympathized-terrorists-wanted-burn-white-house-down/">a curious person</a> as their cinematic hero, beyond her illegal leaking.
…government officials found Winner’s hand-written notes: “<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4586680/Reality-Winner-wanted-burn-White-House-down.html">I want to burn the White House down</a> . . . find somewhere in Kurdistan to live,” she wrote in one note. In other notes, Winner sympathized with Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.
Then again, showing sympathy for Winner isn’t out of the ordinary. Hollywood starlet Charlize Theron recently admitted playing a former Fox News anchor <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/bombshell-theron-lithgow-fox-news-conservatives/">troubled her more</a> than bringing a serial killer to the big screen.
It’s hardly the only indication Hollywood hasn’t given up on the Russia-Trump connection. As recently as June a gaggle of notable stars, including “Bombshell” star John Lithgow, Annette Bening and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, took part on <a href="https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ny-john-lithgow-annette-benning-mueller-report-20190624-tofhdxe3zvfpxegbix7d6jeu3q-story.html">a live reading</a> of The Mueller Report.
If only we saw our best and brightest actors read the report our collective minds would change. Meanwhile, that very same report isn’t playing a starring role in the current impeachment drive.
Last week, celebrated director Rob Reiner used Twitter to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7748539/Rob-Reiner-says-GOP-pact-Putin-siding-white-supremacists-support-Trump.html">accuse Republicans</a>, not just Trump, of colluding with Russia.
‘Every elected Republican knows that this President is guilty of countless Impeachable offenses … But they, along with many White Evangelicals &amp; White Supremacists have made a pact with Putin.
Stephen Colbert, who famously called Trump President Vladimir Putin’s “c***holster<a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/stephen-colbert-condemns-trump-for-doing-putins-bidding-in-syria">,” refuses to let the Trump/Russia hoax go</a>.
In October Colbert attacked the president’s policies on Syria, making the same ol’ connection – wink, wink.
“It could be argued that getting out of the endless wars in the Middle East is not a bad thing, but the way Trump did this, make no mistake who wins here: his buddy Vladimir Putin, who yesterday met with Erdogan to carve up Syria like a Christmas shawarma.”
Last month, Colbert went back to the well. The far-left activist <a href="https://www.thewrap.com/colbert-reveals-the-winner-of-donald-trumps-rap-contest-and-yeah-its-putin-video/">imitated Putin’s entry</a> into a pro-Trump rap contest.
<blockquote>Call Russia to-day 
You trust me more than your own CIA 
Invite me to the White House 
Which I want badly 
I got ideas for next election make you much happy</blockquote>
You see, not only did Putin win the 2016 election for Trump. He’s got plans for 2020, too.
That speaks volumes about Hollywood’s enduring Russia obsession. It’s not just about 2016. Stars are setting the stage for 2020, in case Candidate Biden/Warren/Buttigieg/Sanders loses to President Trump.
They’re rehearsing their excuse lines for Nov. 4, 2020.

Samantha Bee Christmas

TOTO: Hollywood Just Can’t Quit The Russian Collusion Hoax

Donald Trump

Impeachment

Robert Mueller

Russia

You ready to start fighting back?” Sam Rockwell asks the title character that question deep into “Richard Jewell.”
The Clint Eastwood film recalls how the FBI and media aligned to punish a security guard who saved lives at the 1996 Summer Olympics. Only the film feels like Eastwood is channeling a certain Commander in Chief.
Conservatives have spent the last three years fighting against a culture calling them racist, sexist, homophobic and more. They’ve been maligned for wanting to keep the borders secure and jobs from fleeing overseas. Reporters and celebrities alike led the charge against Red State America, <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/richard-jewell-press-reckless-corrupt-immoral/">forgoing the truth</a> for progressive narratives.
It’s well past time for a Hollywood movie to take their side. Only a rebel like Eastwood could fight back in Oscar-worthy fashion.
“I, Tonya” standout Paul Walter Hauser is Richard Jewell, a portly soul who pines to protect and serve. He’s stuck “serving” as a security guard at a university, a task he takes far too seriously, according to one supervisor.
Richard ends up on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Summer_Olympics">Summer Olympics</a> security force, getting paid to hear Kenny Rogers serenade the crowd. One fateful night he spots a duffel bag left under a bench. His crude Spidey Senses tingle, and he alerts his fellow guards about its potential danger.
We know what happened next. Eastwood knows what we know, and he masterfully conducts the bombing with that in mind.
The press initially dubs Richard a hero, and he’s curious about the trappings of instant fame. That doesn’t last long.
The FBI, personified by a smug Jon Hamm, think Jewell planted the bomb himself to fulfill his hero fantasies. Hamm’s character shares that “tip” with journalist Kathy Scruggs (an occasionally over the top <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Wilde">Olivia Wilde</a>), and suddenly Richard’s insta-fame turns into a 20th century nightmare.
Richard was an overweight white male who owned guns and had no girlfriend or wife. Or, as Kathy puts it, “He’s a fat f*** who lives with his mom. How did we miss that?”
Our culture abhors racial profiling, unless the suspect ticks off those boxes, and then it’s game on. Richard found that out the hard way.
“Richard Jewell” plays out like a conservative’s dream assault on our corrupt media. The film weaponizes press clippings and news bytes from the era to state its case. Under Eastwood’s direction, “Real” news becomes an indictment of 21st century Fake News.
It’s impossible to read it any other way.
“Why did Tom Brokaw say that about you?” a marvelous Kathy Bates, playing Richard’s Ma, asks after the anchor convicts Richard on live TV. Never mind that the FBI had no true evidence against him save that damning “profile.”
Eastwood and screenwriter Billy Ray (“Captain Phillips”) conspire to drag the press two decades before the institution disgraced itself on a weekly basis. The FBI prove equally inept here, rushing to judgment while tearing an innocent man’s life down in the process.
Hamm corrals his character’s ego, to some extent, channeling his outrage over a bombing happening on his “watch.” Wilde isn’t as fortunate.
Eastwood’s populist bent gets the better of him now and again. He fights against that instinct here, but he fails in two small scenes involving Wilde’s reporter.
It’s still telling when Kathy “prays” to be the one to find the bomber and that he turns out to be “f***ing interesting.” Praying for the victims isn’t high on her priority list.
Hauser’s Richard remains terminally clueless about the odds stacked against him, often siding with the forces out to take him down. The actor plays that balancing act without a hint of artifice. He’s a simple man, a decent soul who loves his Mamma and ain’t afraid of hard work.
Bring it, he says.
It’s why he stayed at his post the night of the bombing despite serious intestinal distress. You’re given a job. Do it, and do it well. It’s a quiet message that reverberates through the movie.
Once again, Eastwood knows his audience.
Compare that to Hamm and Wilde’s characters. Both toil in respected positions yet each is eager for something greater. More fame. More power.
Ray’s exceptional screenplay suggests Kathy slept with Hamm’s agent to snare information on Richard. Early media reports say that’s false, and Scruggs is no longer here to defend herself.
If “Richard Jewell” got that fact wrong, it’s both unfair and avoidable. Wilde could have played a composite character representing journalistic malpractice.
Hollywood remains liberal to the core, but flickers of Red State awareness can’t be contained. Ray’s script offers a prime example.
Several, actually.
At one point Richard wonders why being a legal gun owner makes him suspect. The Second Amendment has his back, right? “Is the NRA a fringe group?” Richard asks.
In other sequence, Watson’s assistant Nadya (Nina Arianda), in a thick Russian accent, weighs in on the case against Richard.
“Where I’m from, when government says you’re guilty, you’re innocent.”
The line, like so many here, packs more than one intention.
Jewell is no sanitized hero. He’s a Momma’s boy who doesn’t know when to shut his big yap. He’s got a curious background, from trying too hard as a college security guard to other dubious achievements.
It’s a growing headache for his attorney, played by recent Oscar winner Rockwell. He might just snare a second statuette for his performance. Rockwell’s Watson got to know Richard a decade prior to the bombing. Something about the sheepish giant, who he dubbed “Radar,” stuck with him.
Their bond offers some curious comic relief, the kind that flows from character without demeaning either party.
“Richard Jewell” packs a bevy of grace notes, like Bates’ mother trying to remove permanent marker off of her Tupperware. The FBI took it from her, labeling it as potential evidence.
It won’t rub off, a perfect metaphor for what the FBI did to her boy. He<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/true-story-olympic-park-bombing-richard-jewell-authors"> died in 2007</a> of diabetes-related heart failure. He was 44.
Early on Jewell shares his sweet but naive take about his beloved United States: “I believe in law and order…you can’t have a country without it.”
He’s right.
It took a movie by an 89-year-old auteur to remind us of that simple, elegant truth.
HiT or Miss: “Richard Jewell” is a testament to a wronged man, a cry against government overreach and an upper cut on Fake News’ jaw. It’s also one of the year’s best films.
A version of this article was also published on <a href="http://hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

“Richard Jewell” Premier.

TOTO: ‘Richard Jewell’ Crucifies Fake News, Honors The Heartland

Clint Eastwood

Fake News

Media

Richard Jewell

The Force has some new allies in the run up to the release of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”
The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and Deadline.com tried to downplay box office predictions that show the ninth and “final” film in the Skywalker saga could make well under $200 million in its opening weekend.
For 99 percent of movies, those figures are stunning. This is “Star Wars,” though, a franchise that roared back to life with 2015’s “The Force Awakens” but stumbled with its last two installments – “Solo: A Star Wars Movie” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”
The former made $213 million in toto at the U.S. box office, a sum far, far below a standard “Star Wars” tally.
<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-rise-skywalker-tracking-175m-200m-us-bow-1258240?utm_source=Sailthru&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_2019-11-27%2007:19:00_aweprin&amp;utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie">The THR report</a> says “The Rise of Skywalker,” in theaters Dec. 20, could make between $175 and $200 million during that critical first weekend.
Compare that to “The Force Awaken’s” $248 million haul and “The Last Jedi’s” $220 million tally on their first respective weekends. That’s a potentially sharp fall for a saga Disney hopes to spin off in a number of new ways.
THR’s spin machine quickly revved up to defend the modest numbers. “That&#8217;s on par with early forecasts for &#8216;The Force Awakens&#8217; and &#8216;The Last Jedi,’” the sub-head reads.
Actually, <a href="https://observer.com/2017/10/star-wars-last-jedi-box-office-predictions-force-awakens-lucasfilm/">Box Office Pro forecast a $215 million total</a> for “The Last Jedi,” darn near close to the actual numbers.  Other outlets saw “The Last Jedi” <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/38668-star-wars-last-jedi-box-office-opening-weekend-prediction-problem">hitting over the $200 million</a> as well.
“The Force Awakens” also had some suggesting it would <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/09/17/star-wars-the-force-awakens-the-optimistic-box-office-prediction/#38820e9b1459">eclipse the $200 million mark</a>, too.
Here’s THR spinning even more on the saga’s behalf.
<blockquote>Lucasfilm and Disney are trying to manage expectations for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, considering the volatile state of the box office. And Skywalker also faces competition from Jumanji: The Next Level, which hits theaters a week earlier and is showing sizable strength on tracking.</blockquote>
Volatile box office? This is a “Star Wars” movie, one meant to cap a saga that has dominated pop culture for 40-plus years. “Jumanji” is tracking in the <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/11/jumanji-the-next-level-richard-jewell-black-christmas-box-office-projections-1202791972/">$40 million-plus range,</a> hardly a mortal threat to Lucas’s space opera.
Variety even used <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-box-office-opening-weekend-early-tracking-1203417884/">similar verbiage</a> to describe Disney “managing expectations,” framing the new film’s shrinking predictions as “mighty.”
<blockquote>“<a href="https://variety.com/t/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker/">Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker</a>” is powering toward a mighty opening weekend when it hits theaters Dec. 20.</blockquote>
The far-<a href="https://deadline.com/2019/11/star-wars-the-rise-of-skywalker-box-office-projection-reasons-why-1202796194/comment-page-1/#comments">left Deadline.com reportage</a> gets even sillier.
<blockquote>As of 8AM, one tracking firm says $175M, but that seems low. Working in Skywalker‘s advantage is that Abrams, and stars Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver are already hitting the talk show circuit to generate heat.</blockquote>
Film geeks know all about director J.J. Abrams, but to say his talk show banter can move the box office needle is silly. And how many stars far bigger than Ridley and Driver work the talk show circuit with minimal results?
Will Smith just found that out the hard way. All his considerable charms, and talk show appearances, couldn’t save his recent flop, “Gemini Man.” Smith’s star power is a dozen times stronger than Ridley’s or Driver’s, no offense to either actor’s talents.
Not only did many fans loathe “The Last Jedi” for turning Mark Hamill’s iconic Luke Skywalker into a scowling stick in the mud, conservatives railed against the film’s unnecessary woke turn.
The film featured female commanders dressing down men (including the allegedly heroic Poe Dameron, played by Oscar Isaac). One sequence baldly played up the rich vs. poor rhetoric beloved by the far Left. The addition of Rose (Kelly Marie Tran), a bland character who epitomized the “Mary Sue” critiques in modern pop culture, didn’t help.
“Star Wars” has never been overtly political or partisan. Now, suddenly, it was both – to the saga’s detriment.
For two years media outlets downplayed that element of the fan blowback. It’s just <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2018/10/02/why-the-russian-trolling-against-star-wars-the-last-jedi-was-so-successful/#1d574562147d">Russian trolls</a>, they told us. Now, Deadline.com admits it in no uncertain terms that “The Last Jedi’s” creative decisions deeply damaged the franchise.
<blockquote>When Skywalker reviews break should they report that this threequel is course correcting the left turns that many fans griped about in Rian Johnson’s Last Jedi, word will break out like wildfire and the sky is the limit when it comes to this threequel’s opening. Hands down.</blockquote>
Does the writer refer to the film’s leftward tilt, the ill-conceived twists introduced in the eighth film … or both? Heck, even the <a href="https://deadline.com/2019/09/key-disney-parks-executive-exits-amid-lackluster-star-wars-galaxys-edge-attendance-1202743079/">“Star Wars” theme parks</a> aren’t driving sales as expected.
The spin raises another question. Why would the media, <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/media-war-joker-phillips-backfire/">which declared war</a> on the recent “Joker,” act like media publicists for the “Star Wars” story?
Disney currently rules the box office universe. It’s hardly an underdog story.
The saga is now run by Kathleen Kennedy, a rare female studio player in post #MeToo Hollywood. Plus, the saga’s progressive turn also makes it worth protecting for entertainment scribes.
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” could over-perform the early estimates. Abrams has a firm grasp of pop culture, and he may be ready to steer the saga toward the conclusion it deserves.
Word of mouth, both old school and online driven, could save the day of the film delivers.
For now, suggesting the franchise isn’t in trouble is wishful thinking.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/j-j-abrams-the-rise-of-skywalker-will-have-lgbtq-representation">J.J. Abrams: ‘The Rise Of Skywalker’ Will Have LGBTQ Representation</a>

Daisy Ridley

Box Office Predictions Down For ‘Rise Of Skywalker’ After Star Wars’ ‘Left Turns’

Disney

Star Wars

Cancel culture is alive, well and thriving on far-left film sites.
Yes, comedy specials by <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/bill-burr-dave-chappelle-cancel-culture/">Bill Burr and Dave Chappelle</a> challenged the toxic status quo. The docudrama “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/no-safe-spaces-review/">No Safe Spaces</a>” is doing the same in theaters across the country.
Still, plenty of progressive voices want to dictate the jokes we say and the stars who can, and can’t, host awards shows. Is it any wonder the Oscars ceremony went host-free for the first time in ages earlier this year?
<a class="vglnk" href="http://indiewire.com/" rel="nofollow">Indiewire.com</a> is leading the charge, publishing woke story atop woke story meant to enforce progressive groupthink.
<a class="vglnk" href="http://indiewire.com/" rel="nofollow">Indiewire.com</a> published an op-ed demanding The <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/ricky-gervais-transphobic-golden-globes-1202189531/">Golden Globes fire comic Ricky Gervais</a> from <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ricky-gervais-talks-offending-stars-as-golden-globes-host-1257379">hosting the event Jan. 5.</a> Gervais has hosted the event four previous times, often drawing headlines for his bawdy bits and cutting comments.
He doesn’t let critics dictate his material, including his most recent Netflix special, “Humanity.”
<iframe title="Ricky Gervais: Humanity | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwU3Lyn--U?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Indiewire would like very much to change what Gervais has to say in public. The op-ed’s headline, “Ricky Gervais and Transphobia Have No Place at the Golden Globes,” makes the site’s intentions clear.
<blockquote>During Gervais’ 2016 stint hosting the ceremony he deadnamed Olympic Gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner from the stage, and transphobic commentary has been a throughline of his work since.
The star of Netflix’s “After Life” opened his 2018 stand-up comedy special “Humanity” – also on Netflix – with not one but three different derogatory remarks about Jenner, discussing her former name, referring to her as a man, as well as discussing surgery and her genitals. &#8230;
In an age where comedians are rightfully being held accountable [emphasis added] for bigoted words and actions from years prior … Gervais continues to tweet vitriol toward the LGBTQ+ community only to face no repercussions.</blockquote>
When Indiewire takes a leap off the woke cliff, the site’s readers <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/woke-indiewire-readers/">often trash the sentiments</a> in the articles’ comments section. You’d think a news site would take that into consideration. Perhaps our writers’ views don’t reflect the readers’ perspectives.
Not Indiewire.
The site eliminated the comments section for the Gervais op-ed. Readers can comment on other new stories, just not this one.
The editors must have anticipated the blowback and acted accordingly. It’s right in line with the Left’s new policy – silence voices with which we disagree.
The site still wanted some Facebook-generated traffic, and that platform allows readers to weigh in as they please (for the most part). The feedback proved exactly what the editors feared.
<blockquote>Peter Bennett: I forgot IndieWire is a “progressive” site and feels obligated to publish this sort of…..journalism <img class="emoji" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11/svg/1f644.svg" alt="🙄" />
Alex Messad Casimiri: I think Ricky will be delightfull to see this article. Great stuff fo his next stand up show ahah
Lizanne Tulip: The virtue signalling in this article makes me ill.
Tony McIntyre: Ugh! If IndieWire and Variety keep going with this PC crap, I might have to unlike those pages! <img class="emoji" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11/svg/1f644.svg" alt="🙄" />
Gustavo Vargas: Check out the documentary “No Safe Spaces” and wake me when this bullsh*t cancel culture is over. <img class="emoji" draggable="false" src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/11/svg/1f634.svg" alt="😴" />
Mario Raygoza: this article is completely rubbish and only demonstrates why the Golden Globes do need Gervais
Steven Ivan Karim: The only reason I’m watching the Golden Globes is because of Ricky Gervais!</blockquote>
That’s just a small sample.
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Gervais also saw <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-7714349/Ricky-Gervais-reveals-risqu-Golden-Globes-jokes-monitored-lawyers.html">some of this coming</a>. He recently gave a peek behind the creative, and legal, aspects of his hosting chores.
<blockquote>‘I never do anything that terrible as it’s on network television, but I do have to show my script to a lawyer at the last minute…
‘They don’t change anything because I know the law and what I can get away with. I’ve never libelled anyone, and I’ve never had a complaint upheld!’…
‘Adding, ‘People asked me why I go to so much trouble to offend people and I said, ‘It’s no trouble. It’s easy!’</blockquote>
Gervais gleefully tells offensive jokes. And, up until now, he hasn’t apologized for any of them. Well, not officially, anyway.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I&#39;d like to apologise for the joke I&#39;ve just written. It is sick and unnecessary and shouldn&#39;t be said in public. Please remember I&#39;ve already said sorry when you hear it. Thanks.
&mdash; Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) <a href="https://twitter.com/rickygervais/status/1139476505455730689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 14, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
So far, <a class="vglnk" href="http://indiewire.com/" rel="nofollow">Indiewire.com</a> is alone in demanding Gervais’ ouster. The site published its story Nov. 26 during a busy holiday week, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that other sites were follow suite.
A version of this article is also published on <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/indiewire-transphobic-ricky-gervais-golden-globes/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>

Ricky Gervais

Indiewire Calls For Canceling ‘Transphobic’ Gervais From Globes, Gets Crushed By Readers

Comedy

Hollywood stars don’t drop by Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” couch because they miss the far-left host.
It’s the same reason they chat up “Ellen,” lip sync with Jimmy Fallon and field queries from dozens of journalists.
They’re pushing a product.
Lately, they do something else while promoting their latest film, TV show or book. They directly insult the audience, the people they’re purportedly trying to woo.
Elizabeth Banks is the latest example. The comedy actress turned director took charge of the dormant “Charlie’s Angels” franchise. That meant she did more than direct, write and co-star in the movie. She promoted it across media outlets.
“Come see my movie!” Simple, right. Or so one would think.
Instead, she turned her promotional tour into <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/elizabeth-banks-charlies-angels-captain-marvel-wonder-woman-1202190283/?fbclid=IwAR0dPDB4FpolUb5He1MYx9ucpy0ihw3Kw8ZCg2ssP68_L6JV8aDzXI8J4zo">a woke-a-thon</a>, complete with lectures for those unsure we needed a third “Charlie’s Angels” movie. First, she insulted her audience by saying they only see female-led superhero films because they’re … superhero films.
<blockquote>“They’ll go and see a comic book movie with Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel because that’s a male genre,” Banks told the Sun. “So even though those are movies about women, they put them in the context of feeding the larger comic book world, so it’s all about, yes, you’re watching a Wonder Woman movie but we’re setting up three other characters or we’re setting up ‘Justice League.’”</blockquote>
Later, she slammed imaginary “trolls” with imaginary concerns about a female-centric film.
<blockquote>“Of course, those trolls are horrifying, but you know, I challenge them to get up and make a f***ing action movie. I welcome any of them into my realm.”</blockquote>
“Charlies’s Angels” flopped with a paltry $8.4 million opening weekend.
Banks was far from alone in attacking potential customers.
Director Tim Miller of “Deadpool” fame took over the “Terminator” franchise with “Dark Fate.” Earlier this year the studios behind it released a picture of three stars from the film – all women in a purposely tough posture. That apparently angered some franchise fans, some of whom wondered where the series’ star, Arnold Schwarzenegger was. Here’s how <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/features/director-tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-comic-con-1203262797/">Miller responded</a> to those critical of one part of that trio, new franchise player Mackenzie Davis:
<blockquote>“If you’re at all enlightened, she’ll play like gangbusters. If you’re a closet misogynist, she’ll scare the f–k out of you, because she’s tough and strong but very feminine. We did not trade certain gender traits for others; she’s just very strong, and that frightens some dudes. You can see online the responses to some of the early s–t that’s out there, trolls on the internet. I don’t give a f–k.</blockquote>
Audiences didn’t give a bleep, either. The film unofficially killed the franchise, <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-flop-1203391309/">losing the studios tied to the film roughly $100 million.</a>
Samuel L.  Jackson <a href="https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a26454543/samuel-l-jackson-captain-marvel-interview-2019/?src=socialflowTW&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=socialflowTWESQ&amp;utm_medium=social-media">directly attacked Trump fans</a>, who presumably buy movie tickets like anyone else, during the runup to “Captain Marvel.” He said he doesn’t care if fans boycott his films for his political views, except he said so in Sam Jackson-speak.
<blockquote>“If you never went to another movie I did in my life, I’m not going to lose any money. I already cashed that check. F*** you. Burn up my videotapes. I don’t give a f***.”</blockquote>
The bullet proof MCU had his back. “Captain Marvel” scored an impressive $426 million box office haul.
Jackson’s rant echoed sentiments from <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/celebrities-pick-trump-or-us/">late-night liberals</a> like Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers. Both far-left hosts essentially told Trump fans not to watch their respective shows. Meyers weighed in on Eminem discounting Trump fans as potential customers.
The “SNL” alum is on the same page.
<blockquote>“Get off the fence. Do you support him or do you support this show, that constantly mocks and denigrates everything about him? I know it’s a tough call, but the time has come to make a decision. Now, I’m not much of a rapper, but here it goes. My name is Seth and I’m here to say, if you like Trump, then go away.”</blockquote>
Kimmel, when asked if his far-left views might alienate some audience members he quipped “not good riddance … but riddance.”
The trend started before President Donald Trump shocked the world by beating Hillary Clinton three years ago. Sony Rothman, the head of Sony, literally cursed out moviegoers skeptical of the gender-swap “Ghostbusters” reboot.
Rothman <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/7-ways-sony-sunk-ghostbusters-reboot/">egged on the film’s skeptics</a> rather than attempting to win them over. “Can we please get some more haters to say stupid things?” he said at the time.
The reboot flopped, costing Sony a reported $70 million.
Today’s stars go to great lengths to promote their projects. Think of all that time in airports, the necessary Uber rides and the days away from friends and family.
This reporter once interviewed Dwayne Johnson on his tour to promote 2004’s “Walking Tall.” He submitted to 22 interviews in a single day to drum up support for the film.
It’s not ditch-digging, but it’s still a workout.
Lately, some stars don’t mind pushing some fans far, far away in the process.

Elizabeth Banks

TOTO: Hollywood Stars Trash Their Audience, See Their Films Tank

Do we really need another Mr. Rogers movie?
The 2018 documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” reminded us what’s missing in our culture today, or at least the social media version of it.
Warmth. Kindness. Empathy. Fred Rogers delivered all of the above.
Fred isn’t the star of “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” technically speaking. He’s the conduit for a grouchy journalist who can’t seem to do anything right. Tom Hanks’ version of the kiddie show legend, a risky bit of casting, more than justifies the extended homage.
Matthew Rhys stars as Lloyd, a bitter journalist whose career has seen better days. He’s blessed with a beautiful wife (Susan Kelechi Watson) and child but cursed with a fluff assignment far beneath his chops:
Interview children’s show star Fred Rogers.
Lloyd’s editor reminds him he’s in no shape to turn it down. She means that in more ways than one. Lloyd has never gotten over his calloused childhood, courtesy of his womanizing pa (Chris Cooper).
That relationship damaged his soul, something he takes out on the ones who care for him the most.
So when Hanks’ Fred Rogers gently deflects his questions, over and again, it feels like another cruel joke at Lloyd’s expense. Only he can’t realize the method to Fred’s curious madness.
The best actors can generate empathy from curmudgeonly characters, or worse. Think Gene Hackman playing a scoundrel in “Superman” or his grifter role in the lackluster comedy “Heartbreakers.”
It’s a gift that transcends direction.
Rhys lacks that ability in ‘Beautiful Day.” He’s mopey, self-entitled and distracted. You wonder why his patient bride puts up with him.
Slowly, his connection with Fred brings him back from the brink. Rhys handles Lloyd’s transformation with attention to the smaller, knowing details. An upturned smile here, a crooked head nod there, gestures that show his heart is opening one molecule at a time.
Hanks’ Rogers could have been disastrous. What’s this uber-famous star doing as a kiddie TV show favorite? The performance is more nuanced than any Oscar-bait impression. There’s a mystery to the real Fred Rogers that tantalizes us ’til this day.
Could he be for real? We’re so used to our idols falling from grace. Hanks captures some of that mystery without filling in all the blanks.
There’s a lovely moment mid film where Fred asks Lloyd for a minute of silence to complete a mental task. “A Beautiful Day” essentially stops cold. The camera zooms slowly, oh so slowly, on Hanks’ face.
Goosebumps.
Director Marielle Heller (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) takes some artistic gambles throughout “A Beautiful Day.” They all succeed, some in exceptional ways. Heller manipulates our nostalgia circuits, too, integrating iconic “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” tropes into the story.
There’s a schmaltzy scene where a group of subway riders serenade Fred Rogers with his show’s theme song. It’s cloying but lump in your throat worthy. TV’s Mr. Rogers fed us goodness, and decency, for so very long.
Turns out we really did need more Fred Rogers on the big screen.
HiT or Miss: “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” takes a while to clear its creative throat, but the results are a wondrous look at a TV star’s legacy.

Tom Hanks

REVIEW: ‘Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood’ – Pure Spiritual Balm

“Charlie’s Angels” 3.0 basks in feminist groupthink before finding its true north.
It’s “Fast &amp; Furious” lite. Very, very lite.
The unnecessary reboot for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie%27s_Angels">marginal TV series</a> exists for two reasons. Branded properties remain Hollywood’s higher power. Plus, writer/director Elizabeth Banks wanted to send a message about girl power over and over again.
The studio handed her <a href="https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/Charlies-Angels-(2019)">$48 million</a> to do just that.
Banks should have used some of that cash to hire a better screenwriter. “Charlie’s Angels” offers some modest rewards, but the screenplay is so tin-eared it’s like Al Bundy wrote it in a pique of full-on misogyny.
Only a woman-hater would force <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829576/">Kristen Stewart</a> to say such terrible dialogue.
Right?
You don’t have to wait long to learn just how woke the umpteenth “Charlie’s Angels” reboot is. Stewart goes there with the film’s opening line. Literally.
“I think women can do anything,” she says to her target, a man we’ll assume would rather Stewart’s Sabina stay barefoot and pregnant. “I want all my options available so I can decide for myself.”
Does anyone talk like this, beyond Elizabeth Warren volunteers?
Of course not. And “Charlie’s Angels” is just clearing its empowered throat. Sabina describes how women are “invisible” in society and arrive with “low expectations.”
This passes for small talk, by the way.
One generic action scene later we’re watching young girls doing stuff during the opening credits because, you know, feminism.
Why, it’s almost like we haven’t seen girls and women “do stuff” on screen for decades. Yes, Hollywood has a gender imbalance, and yes the industry should make an effort to right that wrong. Is this really the way to address it? So boldly, so clumsily?
The action moves forward one whole year … giving Sabina a running joke that’s as D.O.A. as 75 percent of her lines.
Sabina and partner Jane (Ella Balinska) are on a new mission, helping a whistleblower who fears her company’s negligence could hurt innocent people.
Naomi Scott of “Aladdin” fame is the “accidental” Angel, rounding out the trio. Her Elena works for a firm with a breakthrough product in the clean energy field. Only she knows a design flaw that could be weaponized in the wrong hands.
She teams up with the Angels to stop her unctuous boss (Nat Faxon, perfectly slimy) from making that happen. We know he’s slimy following a meeting with Elena where he dismisses her views and puts his hand on her leg.
We’ll bet that happens more than it ever should. It still plays out like yet another feminist lecture.
“Remember to smile!”
Yes, a male character actually says that, taking us out of the frothy adventure. Again. Is there any doubt we’ll hear the phrase “mansplaining” when we watch the Blu-ray deleted scenes?
Banks is a gifted comic actress, and she proved she could handle a comedy franchise by directing “Picture Perfect 2.” She’s no scribe, if “Charlie’s Angels” is any indication.
The action takes the trio across the globe, fighting baddies, looking badass and swooning over one massive closet.
Empowerment, shmempowerment. Some stereotypes can’t be shaken.
We’ve never seen Stewart so unbridled on screen before. She’s a live wire, but either the gig doesn’t quite suit her or that awful dialogue would trip up the brightest of stars.
Example: The Angels must jet to Hamburg, wherein Sabina says, “Hamburg …. where hamburgers weren’t invented.”
Really.
How ’bout this?
“Or we go to German prison, where it’s shnitzel all the time.”
Scott fares better as the scientist who slowly embraces her inner strength. Balinska, in her big screen debut, doesn’t leave much of an impression beyond her gorgeous appearance and slick moves.
That leaves us with some acceptable action sequences, boosted by the silent but deadly menace posed by Jonathan Tucker’s character. The “Justified” standout should play a villain in every other movie. He’s that mesmerizing.
Banks boasts a sharp eye for composition via “Charlie’s Angels,” but her action chops are several rungs below the best in the business. That matters with a spy caper, particularly one that gleefully clings to genre tropes like 007-like gadgets.
The screenplay offers a big, dumb twist, one that makes absolutely no sense but gets us, finally, to the third act. That’s hardly fatal for a spy adventure. It’s still a squandered opportunity to tweak the genre.
To be fair, “Charlie’s Angels” leaves the woke lectures behind after the first, torturous 20 minutes (they reappear on steroids during the end credits). The movie’s first act is blindingly bad, awkward, and unsure of its purpose. The film eventually finds a passable rhythm, but it hardly merits a franchise renewal.
Want to empower women? Drop the lectures and craft a better movie.
HiT or Miss: “Charlie’s Angels” is as woke as you fear, distracting from a generic adventure that might leave some action fans satiated.
A version of this article was also published on <a href="http://hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Charlie’s Angels.

TOTO: ‘Charlie’s Angels’ – Kicks, Punches, And Feminist Lectures

Charlie’s Angels

Feminism

Woke

Woke, James Woke.
The news out of the Bond camp this week is depressing for anyone clinging to Hollywood’s classic franchise.
Before Harry Potter, the MCU or Luke Skywalker there was 007. The spy series flourished for five decades. New Bonds. New gadgets. New stunts. New songs.
Similar box office results.
The last Bond adventure, 2015’s “Spectre,” disappointed many but still hauled in <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2379713/?ref_=bo_se_r_1">nearly $900 million</a> worldwide.
If it ain’t broke … but maybe they just attempted to “fix” it.
If so, it’s part of a growing trend in Hollywood &#8212; appealing to Social Justice Warriors while leaving the hardcore fans scratching their heads. In case the industry didn’t notice, consumers have more content than ever to pick and choose. You need to fight for their hard-earned dollars, not tut-tut those who love the existing brand.
Sony had a sure thing on its corporate hands three years ago. The public clamored for more “Ghostbusters” films featuring their favorite slime warriors.
Instead, Sony hopped aboard the ill-advised gender swap trend, ditching the franchise’s original stars for four funny ladies.
That wasn’t all Sony did, though.
The film’s creative team slammed anyone aghast at the gender swap, or even those who disliked the film’s awful first trailer.  <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ghostbusters-exposed-media-bias/">Journalists sided with Team Sony</a>, declaring any objections to be the work of sad Internet trolls.
Guess what happened next?
The expensive film crawled over the $100 million mark at the U.S. box office, costing Sony a <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ghostbusters-box-office-loss-sequel-unlikely-918515">reported $70 million</a> in the process.
Going woke derailed the franchise, which will return next year with a whole new look and the return of its core characters. The untitled sequel will pretend the 2016 reboot doesn’t exist.
Take two, as they say in the business. And, so far, the folks behind the movie aren’t lecturing fans or wagging any fingers at them.
Yet.
Earlier this year, Paramount started peddling the sixth film in the “Terminator” franchise as more female than ever. It didn’t matter that the first two films (the best by a country mile) already showcased Linda Hamilton’s gritty, guns-a-blazing Sarah Connor as the key character alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800.
No, the first teaser photo for “Terminator: Dark Fate” left Ah-nold out entirely. In his place, three bedraggled women, including two unfamiliar faces, in a heavily airbrushed portrait. The usual press suspects hailed the image. “Terminator” fans likely had a different reaction.
Director Tim Miller <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/tim-miller-terminator-dark-fate-scares-internet-trolls-1202156922/">then blasted the project’s critics</a> weeks before the film’s theatrical release.
“If you’re at all enlightened, she’ll play like gangbusters. If you’re a closet misogynist, she’ll scare the f*** out of you, because she’s tough and strong but very feminine,” Miller said. “We did not trade certain gender traits for others; she’s just very strong, and that frightens some dudes. You can see online the responses to some of the early sh** that’s out there, trolls on the internet. I don’t give a f***.”
Those “trolls” stayed home, apparently. The “Dark Fate” flop is expected to cost Paramount <a href="https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/terminator-dark-fate-box-office-flop-1203391309/">north of $100 million.</a>
The actual film focused primarily on entertainment with a sampling of woke nods, and while it recycled too many existing themes delivered sci-fi escapism. Now, you can point to several factors for “Dark Fate’s” box office collapse. The project’s woke marketing scheme hardly helped.
Which brings us to “No Time to Die.”
The 25th Bond film features several sops to the social justice crowd. You know, the same group that probably hasn’t watched more than a single Bond film since 1962’s “Dr. No” introduced us to the super spy.
Daniel Craig’s Bond will tie the knot with a woman who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-james-bonds-wife-will-refuse-to-take-his-name-phrase-bond-girl-banned-from-set">refuses to take his name</a> in the new film. It’s not like its Hitler, James Hitler or a surname you can’t pronounce.
Plus, our hero will be driving an electric car and failing to score with select ladies for comic effect (the horror, the horror). The screenwriter even flirted with a tampon disposal scene. Perhaps they’re saving it for the next Bond outing … “The Spy Who Got His Period?”
Does anyone at Team Bond know what they’re doing to the red meat franchise?
This week’s “Charlie’s Angels” reboot is <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/charlies-angels-review-2019/">as woke as you’d expect</a>. That may not be as much of a problem as the prior cases. The show’s feminist legacy is part of its cultural DNA. Sure, the 1970s version featured plenty of skimpily clad “Angels.” It still let women save the day at a time when that proved far less common on the small screen.
The new film’s feminist bona fides may take you out of the movie, but they don’t clash with the franchise’s prime directive.
That’s not the case for the Bond saga.
Now, compare all of the above to the “Fast &amp; Furious” franchise. That series features plenty of diversity and strong female characters. It’s not woke, though, at least not yet. The stories hinge on physics-defying action, heroism and an expansive take on the term “Family.”
It’s feminism without The Big Speeches or Finger Wagging. The series is so strong it just enjoyed a successful spin-off, “Hobbs &amp; Shaw” ($173 million stateside, $585 million international).
Even if the new Bond disappoints at the box office, expect more woke virtue-signaling across the Hollywood landscape. The industry’s cultural bubble, like a 007 car modified by Q, remains bulletproof.

James Bond &#8220;No Time To Die&#8221; Photocall

TOTO: Woke Broke ‘Ghostbusters,’ ‘Terminator’ … Is Bond Next?

Social Justice

LeBron James got caught cozying up to China in the most embarrassing of ways a few weeks back. Turns out he’s got some competition on the “cozying up” front from two of the biggest companies in Hollywood.
The Los Angeles Lakers superstar scolded Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey for supporting Hong Kong protesters, dubbing Morey “misinformed” and “not educated.” A massive public backlash ensued.
The derisive chant “Shut Up and Dribble” made a sudden comeback.
Much less has been made of two similar comments tied to authoritarian regimes.
Netflix, the world’s biggest streaming company (for now), got in trouble with one of its politically charged originals. The company’s far-left talker “Patriot Act” starring Hasan Minhaj aired a segment critical of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his ties to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi earlier this year.
The streaming giant yanked the episode in question from its Saudi feed at the country’s urging. Recently, CEO Reed <a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/11/netflix-ceo-defends-censoring-anti-government-video-in-saudi-arabia/">Hastings defended the decision</a>.
<blockquote>&#8220;We&#8217;re not in the news business,&#8221; he said during an event sponsored by The New York Times. &#8220;We&#8217;re not trying to do &#8216;truth to power.&#8217; We&#8217;re trying to entertain.&#8221;
&#8220;We can accomplish a lot more by being entertainment and influence the conversation about the way people live, rather than being another news channel,&#8221; he added.</blockquote>
Netflix seemed less interested in “entertaining” when it got into <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/flashback-obamas-netflix-not-political/">bed with the Obamas</a> on a multi-million dollar production deal. Or when Hastings added former Obama official Susan Rice to the company’s Board of Directors.
And what about Netflix threatening to pull productions out of Georgia after the state passed strict new legislation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hypocrites-netflix-films-middle-eastern-countries-paul-bois">targeting abortion procedures</a>?
That doesn’t mention the streamer’s hard-left content catalog, featuring uber-woke talent like Chelsea Handler, the aforementioned Minaj, David Letterman and, briefly, Michelle Wolf.
Standing up to authoritarian regimes isn’t of particular interest to Team Disney, either. The House that Mickey Built gains plenty from showing its product in Chinese movie theaters. That allows gargantuan hits like “Avengers: Endgame” to be gargantuan-er.
So it’s not shocking to hear Disney echo similar talking points.
The Hollywood Reporter recently <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/hollywood-reporter-executive-roundtable-7-major-studio-chiefs-1250718">invited seven major studio chiefs</a> to weigh in on a number of critical issues, from the changing digital landscape to our current superhero fixation.
Alan Horn, chief creative officer and co-chairman of Disney, joined in the conversation which eventually steered toward … China. THR brought up the imbroglio revolving around the studio’s live-action version of “Mulan.” That film’s star, Yifei Liu, shared her support for the Hong Kong protests, causing a LeBron-sized outcry.
How did Horn react?
<blockquote>“My feeling is free speech is an important component of our society, and folks ought to be able to say what they want to say.”</blockquote>
So far, so good.
<blockquote>“We try to be nonpolitical. There is always an issue somewhere in the world, and China happens to be a very, very big market, but it&#8217;s not the only market where there have been issues. The only thing I have said to the folks that work with me is to keep in mind that when you speak, [the media will quote you]. And that carries with it a certain responsibility. Be sensible and think before you speak. Especially on social media.”</blockquote>
The conversation then shifted to the “Fast &amp; Furious” franchise, one of Hollywood’s hottest properties. The roundtable moderator asks if the series could have a Chinese villain at some point. Universal’s Donna Langley offers this answer:
<blockquote>“We run a business. We have to be sensitive to important markets.”</blockquote>
That would be a “no.”
These revelations don’t address the other ways studios appease Chinese censors, from adding positive Asian characters to win over foreign censors to ensuring no plot points interfere with the nation’s “flawless” image.
The international markets certainly complicate business decisions in the 21st century. Movie studios know a stateside flop can turn into a profit leader if select foreign markets rally to their side.
There are few easy answers in our increasingly global age. Still, it’s hard to process the non-stop lectures and finger-wagging from Hollywood Inc. and the aforementioned comments.

Disney Plus Netflix

TOTO: Disney, Netflix Wave White Flag On International Censorship

China

LeBron James

Marvel

Netflix

The new journalism standards are simple: Orange Man Bad. Consider it the new AP Style Book.
It’s why virtually every journalistic mistake made casts President Donald Trump in a poor light. Quick: name a gaffe that attempted the opposite effect.
We’ll wait.
That reporting credo extends to Trump’s immediate family. And, thanks to the far-left Hollywood Reporter, we saw just that in action today.
The outlet covered the chaos on “The View” when Donald Trump, Jr. and his girlfriend, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberly_Guilfoyle">Kimberly Guilfoyle</a>, appeared today to hawk his new book, <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/11/01/donald-trump-jr-kimberly-guilfoyle-to-venture-into-hostile-territory-on-the-view/">“Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us</a>.”
The debate got ugly at record speed, something that should surprise no one given the liberal show’s fury against President Trump. Even “The View’s” token conservative, Meghan McCain, loathes the Commander in Chief.
Trump, Jr. landed some rhetorical body blows during the debate. <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/booing-is-fing-us-up-view-melts-down-donald-trump-jr-visit-1253109">THR pulled a muscle</a> or two hiding the truth behind them, and then some.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sNiq1cFfT-4" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The First Son called out “The View’s” Joy Behar for once dressing in blackface. Behar denied it repeatedly. The THR scribe let her lie go unchallenged.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Don Jr. just blew the panel up by bringing up the time Joy Behar wore blackface. Whoopi and her both immediately said he was lying.
Jezebel called it &#8220;blackface-lite.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/sub4OKedgw">https://t.co/sub4OKedgw</a>
— Brent Scher (@BrentScher) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrentScher/status/1192481525369053184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
Then, Trump Jr. mocked “The View’s” Whoopi Goldberg for once defending director Roman Polanski drugging and anally raping a 13-year-old girl as not “rape-rape.”
Here’s how THR characterized that moment.
During another commercial break, one woman in the audience tried taking Goldberg to task for a comment she made more than 10 years ago about Roman Polanski, which Don Jr. tried to repurpose as an attack on Goldberg.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman said to Goldberg. “Then be quiet and listen to me,” the co-host responded.
If readers are learning about Goldberg’s “rape-rape” comments for the first time, you’d assume Trump Jr. lied.
He didn’t.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Here is <a href="https://twitter.com/TheView?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheView</a>&#8216;s <a href="https://twitter.com/WhoopiGoldberg?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WhoopiGoldberg</a> defending Hollywood pedophile Roman Polanski, claiming what he did wasn&#8217;t &#8220;rape-rape.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/dS0SGJ1ub1">https://t.co/dS0SGJ1ub1</a>
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/DonaldJTrumpJr/status/1192482117990658048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
Perhaps the most egregious bias came with recent news that paints ABC, which syndicates “The View,” as a biased, unreliable outlet.
Project Veritas released a video of ABC News anchor Amy Robach sharing how she had a killer scoop on the late Jeffrey Epstein three years ago. Her bosses, she said, spiked the story.
Here’s Robach, <a href="https://www.poynter.org/newsletters/2019/hot-mic-amy-robachs-jeffrey-epstein-allegation-will-media-reveal-the-whistleblower-nyt-library-controversy/">caught on a hot mic</a>, describing what happened.
“It was unbelievable what we had. Clinton — we had everything. I tried for three years to get it on to no avail and now it’s all coming out and it’s like these new revelations. And I freaking had all of it. I’m so pissed right now. Every day I get more and more pissed. … What we had was unreal.”
Imagine the girls who might have been spared from Epstein’s clutches had ABC covered the story at the time?
Here’s how THR detailed this part of the Trump Jr./”View” exchange.
Trump tried attacking ABC for the network’s handling of a 2015 interview with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has accused the late Jeffrey Epstein of sexual misconduct. “ABC right now is chasing down a whistleblower about all the Epstein stuff,” he said, referring to a network investigation to determine who leaked an internal recording of ABC News anchor Amy Robach.
Trump “tried” attacking?
Sexual misconduct? Epstein was a <a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a28352055/jeffrey-epstein-criminal-case-facts/">convicted pedophile.</a>
Add it all together, and Trump Jr. exposed both ABC and “The View” during a contentious interview. “The View” deserves credit for inviting the First Son on the show. THR deserves even more credit for highlighting how entrenched liberal media bias is in entertainment reporting.
A version of this article was also published on <a href="http://hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

The View.

Media Bias 101: THR Plays Defense For ‘View’ Hosts

Joy Behar

Media Bias

The Hollywood Reporter

The View

Whoopi Goldberg

We didn’t need another “Terminator” movie. “Dark Fate” proves it.
The sixth film in the series essentially rehashes the plot from James Cameron’s 1984 classic.
Been there, terminated that.
Still, “Terminator: Dark Fate” gets just enough elements right, from a key character’s return to a refreshingly streamlined plot, to temporarily revive the saga.
That’s about the best one can say about a franchise that should have called it quits back in 1991.
“Dark Fate” opens in 1998, as a young-ish Sarah Connor watches her son, John, get killed by a T-800 model Terminator. AKA Ah-nold.
The sequence is amazing for purely technical reasons. The de-aged Sarah, John and Schwarzenegger robot look exactly as they did nearly 30 years ago.
Exactly.
We can’t marvel at the technology too long, though. The story quickly shifts to 20 years later in Mexico City. Young Dani (Natalia Reyes) is working on an assembly line along with her brother. Unbeknownst to her, a slick new Terminator,  the Rev-9 edition, wants her dead. Gabriel Luna does the Terminator honors here, but his grim visage is no match for “T:2′” standout Robert Patrick.
Why does the Rev-9 want to erase Dani? Cue the Sarah Connor Story 2.0. Dani plays a pivotal role in humanity’s rage against the A.I. machine.
That means Dani gets her own guardian angel from the future, according to the Terminator blueprint. Only this time he’s a she. Grace (Mackenzie Davis, “Tully”) isn’t quite human like Kyle Reese back in the franchise day. She’s “augmented” and tough enough to stare down any Terminator.
Just keep her hydrated!
Before long ol’ Sarah Connor herself enters the scene. She’s been notified about Dani’s plight from a mysterious source that could be their last, best hope. Maybe Sarah doesn’t need any backup. She spent the last two decades drinking and defeating other Terminators, and she’s confident she can “hasta la vista” Rev-9, too.
Huh? How?
Because we’re in a post #MeToo world, and every female character must be an elite warrior who defies the laws of physics.
So how does Schwarzenegger fit into the story? And are we really fighting against a Skynet clone? Might as well throw in a Death Star while we’re recycling things, eh?
Director Tim Miller (“Deadpool”) keeps the story chugging so fast there’s little time to ask any more questions. It’s all about protecting Dani … and reminding us this is a very 2019 franchise entry.
The girl power elements are front and center, ignoring the fact that the original two films already delivered one of sci-fi’s most empowered heroines.
Kudos to Team Terminator for avoiding overt lectures in between the action. They flirt with 21st century finger wagging on another front, though.
The story finds our heroines fleeing Mexico City for a small Texas town. That means they have to smuggle themselves across the border, giving the film enough time to portray border patrol agents as the bogeymen.
Once again, Miller keeps tight control of the material, letting the adventure beats take charge.
So where’s Arnold? Wait, he’s coming, and he’s the most innovative part of this retread. His Terminator, older, wiser and darn near human, gets a killer back story and plenty of well-earned sparks with Sarah.
Schwarzenegger the actor has come a long way, baby.
Neither Dani nor Grace can match the charisma of the franchise’s key players.
Recent attempts to reboot the franchise, from “Terminator: Salvation” to “Terminator Genisys” failed or failed miserably, depending on who you ask.
Still, “Terminator: Dark Fate” is different. It’s lively, brimming with sharp action sequences. James Cameron is back, too, and his professional touch is obvious throughout the story.
His ham-fisted dialogue is, too, robbing the new characters from making a strong impression. Davis, enchanting in “Tully,” overcomes that hurdle, to a degree. She’s a nimble warrior, even if some action scene editing gets too aggressive.
Reyes, by comparison, lacks dimension. Blame a script with little interest in giving her anything approaching a complex character trait. She’s one speech away from<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue"> Mary Sue territory</a>.
The battle sequences mostly sparkle, even if they tend to go on too long. Miller’s visual gifts are beyond reproach by now. The more he depresses the accelerator, the less we wonder about the story’s gaping plot holes.
The bottom line? “Terminator: Dark Fate” laps the last three “T” features, the very definition of faint praise. There’s even less reason to continue the franchise at this point, but “Dark Fate” at least wraps the saga on a satisfying, if maddeningly familiar note.
HiT or Miss: “Terminator: Dark Fate” is the prototypical unnecessary sequel, but it’s slick enough to merit the ticket price.

“Terminator: Dark Fate”

TOTO: Feminist ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ Refuses To Go Full Woke

Progressivism

Terminator

Indiewire.com, like most entertainment sites, is hopelessly, consistently liberal.
That means progressive movies, themes and celebrities get the rock star treatment. And, as a result, Indiewire is part of the Social Justice Warrior Borg.
That’s true even when their hard-left positions diametrically oppose <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/woke-indiewire-readers/">their own readers’ views</a>. And Indiewire fans are hardly MAGA hat types.
The latest example comes as the site clutched some boulder-sized pearls over the most recent “Saturday Night Live” episode.
No, the site’s scribe didn’t fault “SNL” for <a href="https://townhall.com/columnists/chrisstigall/2019/10/31/basket-of-deplorables-redux-n2555637">punching down at President Donald Trump’s base</a> in the cold open. Instead, the focus fell on a single joke told during the show’s “Weekend Update” segment. Here’s the headline:
<blockquote><a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/snl-michael-che-caitlyn-jenner-trans-joke-hate-speech-1202185707/">‘Saturday Night Live’: Michael Che’s Caitlyn Jenner Joke Wasn’t Funny, It Was Hate Speech</a></blockquote>
The “hate speech” canard is a critical part of the modern left, used as a cudgel against, well, anyone who doesn’t abide by its groupthink.
In this case, here’s the joke in question mocking Kanye West for daring to embrace his Christian faith and President Donald Trump:
<blockquote>“I mean, he used to be one of the coolest black dudes on earth. Now he’s showing up to events in sweatpants and orthopedic sneakers, listening to Kenny G, and trying to get black people to like Trump. It’s like, how long before this guy changes his name to Kathy?”</blockquote>
That part is A-OK with Team Indiewire. After all, it’s attacking a President Trump fan, albeit a very high-profile one. The next line, though, is all kinds of wrong, we’re told.
<blockquote>“Now, you might think that I’m crazy, but about five years ago, there was a fella named Bruce Jenner, and he moved to Calabasas…”</blockquote>
Che’s comments are the same as perpetrating violence, Indiewire says.
<blockquote>He misgenders her, dead-names her, and actively calls her a word that it’s safe to assume she would never use to describe herself. As a refresher, using a trans person’s birth name is referred to as “dead-naming,” and is considered an act of violence.</blockquote>
By whom? Was there a vote?
Only select, Indiewire-approved jokes can be leveled against Jenner now, even if Jenner herself is a good sport about it, as proven by her appearance at the recent Alec Baldwin roast.
It’s the same argument woke protestors use when trying to shut down voices they disagree with. You can’t say that … it’s violence! And you’re a Nazi, by the way. So … let’s start punching!
It’s a pose even mainstream media organizations are actively embracing. Both <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/29/why-america-needs-hate-speech-law/">The Washington Post</a> (where Democracy Dies in Darkness) and the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/opinion/sunday/free-speech-social-media-violence.html">The New York Times</a>, AKA a “former newspaper,” uncorked op-eds against free speech.
Far-left screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/opinion/aaron-sorkin-mark-zuckerberg-facebook.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur">Team Stifle Speech</a>, too.
Now, Indiewire leaps aboard said bandwagon.
It’s where much of the Left is these days, to be fair. Hard-left organs like The AV Club are aghast that a movie like “No Safe Spaces” would argue in favor of free speech. Hollywood, as politically active as any community, can’t spare a word in favor of open debate these days.
The media does its part to keep the suppression on the back cultural burner, leaving it up to documentaries like “No Safe Spaces” and “The Rise of Jordan Peterson” to fill the gaps.
It’s ironic that “SNL,” a show desperately trying to be woke, would share that Jenner joke in the first place. Perhaps a semblance of its old DNA, where it told unpredictable jokes that inched near the cultural boundaries, reared its head.
Indiewire’s own readers rebelled against the article, overwhelmingly siding against the site.
<blockquote>He said there ‘was’ a fella. That’s a fact. Bruce Jenner’s name is literally a part of Olympic history. Also, comedians make jokes, that’s what they do. It was funny. There’s no story here.
I call BS. Stop this attempt to censor people saying things that are true. Trying to erase the past doesn’t help your cause. What Michael Che said wasn’t even remotely hate speech.
I was just re-watching the roast of Alec Baldwin. Caitlyn Jenner herself uses her dead name of Bruce Jenner. So it’s safe to say at least one supposition of this article is incorrect.</blockquote>
Will this stop Indiewire? Unlikely. The progressive march to control speech continues, and the site is one of many cheering it on.

71st Emmy Awards SNL

TOTO: &#8216;Woke&#8217; Entertainment Site Accuses SNL Of &#8216;Hate Speech,&#8217; Gets Slapped By Its Own Readers

First Amendment

Free Speech

Hate Speech

Saturday Night Live (SNL)

Transgender

Jerry Seinfeld unofficially kicked off comedy’s woke counterpunch all the way back in 2015.
The “Seinfeld” alum declared at the time why he no longer performs for college students. They <a href="https://ew.com/article/2015/06/08/jerry-seinfeld-politically-correct-college-campuses/">get offended</a> by jokes told by one of the culture’s cleanest, least incendiary, minds.
Seinfeld struck a nerve. Still, most comedians either silently applauded the sitcom superstar or hoped the subject would just go away. Many didn’t want to get their hands dirty in the fight.
That’s no longer an option. A recent string of high-profile comments brought “Cancel Culture” to the fore. Stand-up routines by Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr and <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/sebastian-maniscalco-vmas-millennials-woke/">Sebastian Maniscalo</a> forced the subject back into the limelight.
“No Safe Spaces,” a documentary about the Left’s serial attacks on free expression, debuts this weekend at the near-perfect time. Comedian Adam Carolla and syndicated radio star Dennis Prager unite to explore how universities are clamping down on healthy debate, and why that woke sentiment is leaking into society at large.
<div id="attachment_58115" style="width: 2317px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-58115" class="wp-image-58115 size-full" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Adam-Carolla.jpg" alt="Adam Carolla roasts Alec Baldwin onstage during the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin at Saban Theatre on September 07, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Comedy Central)" width="2307" height="1300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Adam-Carolla.jpg 2307w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Adam-Carolla-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Adam-Carolla-768x433.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Adam-Carolla-1024x577.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2307px) 100vw, 2307px" />Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images</div>
“Joker” director Todd Phillips, who previously helmed the “Hangover” series, amplified the cause. He told Vanity Fair he created “Joker” because making comedies is <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/10/joaquin-phoenix-cover-story">no longer fun</a>.
“Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture,” he says. “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore—I’ll tell you why, because all the f***ing funny guys are like, ‘F*** this s***, because I don’t want to offend you.’
Given the cresting wave of pro-free speech sentiment, you’d think even more comedians would be lining up to defend their right to free expression.
And you’d be wrong.
For every comic ready to lash out against woke rules, another is happy to abide by them.
Take comic actor Nick Kroll, the former star of FX’s “The League.” Kroll’s Netflix series “Big Mouth” got attacked by woke scolds for “incorrectly” telling jokes tied to bisexuals and the trans community.
Kroll meekly apologized, and then he <a href="https://news.avclub.com/nick-kroll-on-making-comedy-in-a-woke-culture-you-c-1839265725">doubled down</a>.
“I’m of the opinion, personally, we have this ability to listen and communicate with the audience and hear what they have to say. And sometimes, I’m like, ‘I don’t agree with you.’ And other times I’m like ‘Yeah, I hear you. We didn’t get that exactly right. We’ll do better….’”
“I think that you can still talk about anything and be crazy and not feel too censored,” he said. “It’s a trickier time, but also we have a show where a boy sends a d*** pic to his cousin that he made out with. You can still do and say some pretty crazy, wild s***.”
Marc Maron, the overrated comic and host of the “WTF with Marc Maron” podcast, also thinks woke culture is just fine, thank you. Maron played the ludicrous <a href="https://people.com/movies/joker-marc-maron-disagrees-with-todd-phillips-view-comedy/">“punching down</a>&#8221; card to explain why.
“Really, the only thing that’s off the table, culturally, at this juncture — and not even entirely — is shamelessly punching down for the sheer joy of hurting people,” he continued. “For the sheer excitement and laughter that some people get from causing people pain, from making people uncomfortable, from making people feel excluded. Ya know, that excitement.”
YouTube star turned late-late night host Lilly Singh is also on Team Woke.
Singh, who possesses 1/24th of the career of the “Hangover” director, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lilly-singh-tackles-matt-lauer-claims-open-letter-gift-baskets-bit-1249521">blasted Phillips</a> for “whining” about woke culture on her new show “A Little Late.”
Singh pointed to popular comedy projects made during the woke era, like “Fleabag” and “Bridesmaids,” as if that’s a rational argument.
Hey, we didn’t burn ALL the books, amirite?
Singh next played the gender card.
&#8220;And get this. Women play characters that aren&#8217;t strippers or nagging wives or super hot chicks that sleep with Ed Helms even though Bradley Cooper is right there.&#8221;
She then mocked Phillips for writing the 2006 dud “School for Scoundrels,” saying, “turns you couldn’t write comedy in the pre-woke era, either.”
Yes, Singh ignored Phillips’ work on the massively successful “Hangover” trilogy, the beloved “Old School” and “Road Trip.” Oh, Phillips also boasts a story credit on “Borat.”
<div id="attachment_53785" style="width: 2743px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-53785" class="wp-image-53785 size-full" src="https://editorial.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/DE0C25EB-705D-4DAF-8F49-9E7550E8FBD1.jpeg" alt="Actor Joaquin Phoenix and Director Todd Phillips attend the &quot;Joker&quot; Premiere at cinema UGC Normandie son September 23, 2019 in Paris, France." width="2733" height="1537" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/DE0C25EB-705D-4DAF-8F49-9E7550E8FBD1.jpeg 2733w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/DE0C25EB-705D-4DAF-8F49-9E7550E8FBD1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/DE0C25EB-705D-4DAF-8F49-9E7550E8FBD1-768x432.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/DE0C25EB-705D-4DAF-8F49-9E7550E8FBD1-1024x576.jpeg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 2733px) 100vw, 2733px" />Photo by Stephane Cardinale-Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images</div>
Then again, Singh crushes it on YouTube.
You can read these woke defenders’ comments in two ways. That’s how they really feel about the issue … or they’re trying to stay a few steps ahead of the Woke Police. Look at Kroll’s previous white-dude-bro-comedy “The League,” a show that might get hammered by social justice scolds had it debuted in 2019.
Five white friends, and one long-suffering spouse, flex their privilege each Sunday? The mind reels…
Some comedians who previously backed woke culture have had a change of heart – for pragmatic reasons. Sarah Silverman is a prime example. She once <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/sarah-silverman-comedians-college-kids-tiff-2015">threw her arms around our woke age.</a>
“I think it’s a sign of being old if you’re put off by that … you have to listen to the college-aged because they lead the revolution,” she told Vanity Fair in 2015.
Earlier this year, she revealed how she lost a juicy film role because she dressed in blackface a decade earlier. It didn’t matter that she repeatedly apologized or that the show’s message wasn’t racist at all.
Now, she’s not a woke fan, calling Cancel Culture “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jim-gaffigan-woke-film-critics/">righteousness porn</a>.”
Will Kroll, Maron and Singh see the light on those woke handcuffs? Or will it take getting pulled over by the PC Police before that happens?
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/far-left-group-threatens-violence-against-church-screening-the-rise-of-jordan-peterson">Far-Left Group Threatens Violence Against Church Screening ‘The Rise of Jordan Peterson’</a>

Dave Chappelle

Comedians Taking Sides In The Woke Wars

Jerry Seinfeld

Sarah Silverman

This playbook is already getting tired, not to mention dangerous.
Earlier this year an anonymous threat forced a D.C. theater to cancel a production of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fbi-lovebirds-producer-audiences-hunger-for-the-truth">FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers.</a>” The play, produced by Phelim McAleer, featured a reading of texts from disgraced FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok.
The two are enmeshed in the Russia collusion hoax that kept the country hostage for north of two years. An element of the Left, fearful the play’s message would get out to the masses, threatened violence against the theater in question.
<iframe title="FBI Lovebirds | How Two FBI Operatives Tried To Take Down Donald Trump; Dean Cain &amp; Kristy Swanson" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCutKd11kjg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The theater’s management opted to cancel its contract to host the play. Team McAleer was able to find another venue, but it still sent a chill through the theatrical community – even though<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/theaters-fbi-lovebirds-violence-free-speech/"> many venues refused to discuss the matter.</a>
Now, a fair documentary about a member of the Intellectual Dark Web is under a similar attack.
“<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/rise-of-jordan-peterson-review/">The Rise of Jordan Peterson</a>” examines how the lanky professor became an intellectual superstar. Peterson has his enemies, no doubt. He refuses to think it’s the government’s job to force people to use preferred pronouns, drawing the ire of the LGBTQ community.
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“Rise” doesn’t glorify its subject. Sure, it shows empathy for his ascent, revealing tender moments with members of his family. The film also captures him doubting his own wisdom, worrying that his advice will inflame the already hot left/right divide.
In short, it’s neither a hit piece nor propaganda.
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&nbsp;
Movie goers in Brooklyn, Toronto and Portland didn’t get the chance to see that for themselves, though.
Theaters in those major cities all <a href="https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2019/10/14/41683654/jordan-peterson-documentary-faces-cancelation-and-threats">cancelled</a> “Rise” screenings. Lately, that Cancel Culture attitude has taken a violent turn.
A pastor planned to screen “The Rise of Jordan Peterson” at his church, but the following message to him got forwarded to the filmmakers behind the movie, Patricia Marcoccia and Maziar Ghaderi.
“Fair warning,” it read, “several community organizations are planning to shut down your showing of the Jordan Peterson propaganda film. While many of us aren’t Christian and some even flat-out condemn the religion, we do not want any harm to come to your place of worship or those within. However, we cannot allow fascism to continue to rise and will not tolerate its presence in our city, whether it is on the streets or on the waterfront or in a church. Read some history books, read about eugenics, read about sex and gender and then compare it to Peterson. Pray on it if you must. Do the right thing. As much as we joke about it, we really don’t want to have to bring out the guillotine to fix society.”
That’s a threat, plain and simple.
The news comes after a New York-based theater, <a href="https://shapeshifterlab.com/">Shapeshifter Lab,</a> held a sold-out screening of the film but cancelled a subsequent viewing because some staffers felt “<a href="https://www.newsweek.com/jordan-peterson-movie-screening-new-york-called-off-filmmakers-decry-cancel-culture-1464110">uncomfortable</a>” with the film.
The Left’s penchant for violence, seen at many Antifa gatherings, even touched the life of a young girl.
A pre-teen sensation known as Mini AOC shot a series of videos mocking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The girl’s family claims <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/mini-aoc-ends-parody-videos-after-receiving-death-threats-harassment-from-left">threats</a> forced the child to stop making videos.
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<a href="https://t.co/cAvNJSP9mp">https://t.co/cAvNJSP9mp</a>
— awesomeSauce 🤙 (@UnkleMikey713) <a href="https://twitter.com/UnkleMikey713/status/1184597457239457797?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Recently, the youngster shared a new clip, but it’s unclear if she’ll continue to make similar spoofs.
A version of this articles is also published <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/left-violence-jordan-peterson-documentary/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>
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Jordan Peterson

Far-Left Group Threatens Violence Against Church Screening &#8216;The Rise of Jordan Peterson&#8217;

Some of the brightest stars in the pop culture galaxy want to ride Greta Thunberg’s teen coattails.
The Swedish activist generated media cheers this month for her fight against climate change. She’s not a scientist, nor does she have access to data that other people lack. She’s merely a distraught girl telling us the world will end soon if we don’t drastically change our lifestyles.
Greta’s cry coaxed Jane Fonda to get <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jane-fonda-climate-change/">arrested on a regular basis</a> to wake up the world, even if the Oscar winner’s own lifestyle is far from Greta approved.
Now, a gaggle of fellow stars are joining the fray. Only they have a confession to make in the process. Yes, we’re eco-hypocrites, but we have no other choice thanks to our fossil fuel culture.
A new <a href="https://rebellion.earth/2019/10/16/celebrities-backing-extinction-rebellion-say-yes-we-are-all-hypocrites-in-open-letter-to-media/">open letter</a>, signed by such luminaries as Thom Yorke, David Byrne, Jude Law, Mel B of Spice Girls fame, Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”) and Benedict Cumberbatch, insist we shouldn’t judge them on their actions.
Led by the group Extinction Rebellion, the stars want to weaponize their collective clout to counter climate change. And, thanks mostly to new media outlets (like conservative news sites, Twitter, and Facebook), they know they’re viewed by many as pure, unadulterated hypocrites.
Busted.
The mainstream press doesn’t call them that, of course. A few British papers do, now and then, but most stateside reporters are loathe to admit it to their readers. Instead, they regurgitate celebrity talking points without skepticism, even when stars like Fonda suggest we’ll have to coerce any government unwilling to take the climate change pledge.
In short, these stars don’t want their inconvenient lifestyle choices to be held against them.
“We live high carbon lives and the industries that we are part of have huge carbon footprints. Like you – and everyone else – we are stuck in this fossil-fuel economy and without systemic change, our lifestyles will keep on causing climate and ecological harm.”
If the world is truly on fire, as they claim, shouldn’t they skip their next tour or movie project to do their fair share? Couldn’t “Avengers” star Mark Ruffalo commit to a cyber-press tour rather than jetting across the globe? Did anyone fear “Avengers: Endgame” wouldn’t make a gazillion dollars, with or without a killer Ruffalo quote?
Haven’t they all made enough money, to paraphrase a former Commander in Chief?
The signatories won’t let criticism or labels stop them. “The stories that you write calling us climate hypocrites will not silence us,” they warn.
They’re also imploring the media to do more to back their efforts, as if reporters need any more urging to do just that.
But will it force these eco-warriors to change their lifestyles? It’s doubtful if it hasn’t happened yet. How many of those aforementioned celebrities live in the lap of proverbial luxury? How many travel hither and yon on private planes, sometimes just to scratch that <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2981991/I-fly-coast-cheeseburger-Harrison-Ford-s-passion-flying-seen-amass-huge-collection-vintage-modern-aircraft.html">cheeseburger itch</a>? Just how large are their carbon footprints, anyway?
Leonardo DiCaprio, the most vocal star on the climate change issue, knows most reporters won’t scold him for his private planes or yacht adventures. They didn’t after he made a <a href="https://variety.com/2016/film/news/leonardo-dicaprio-oscar-speech-climate-change-1201717970/">climate change plea</a> following his Best Actor win for 2015’s “The Revenant.”
What these stars really want is carte blanche to keep on wagging their fingers at us sans complaint. Things are different now, though. Stories stifled by the American press have a way of wriggling free, no matter how many social media platforms crush dissent. And, in the wake of Lebron James’ catastrophically tone deaf defense of China’s dictatorial ways, we’re even less eager to be lectured by our celebrity betters.
No open letter will change that.

Emma Thomson climate change.

Guilty Celebrities: Ignore Our Massive Carbon Footprints … Please

Climate Change

Global Warming

Greta Thunberg

Phelim McAleer knows liberal media bias describes more than just progressive spin. It also covers the stories reporters either ignore or aggressively downplay.
The text exchanges between former FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok fall squarely in the latter group. It’s why McAleer and his creative team produced “FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers” earlier this year.
The stage production used the agents’ own texts to reveal their romance as well as an “insurance policy” for stopping Donald Trump.
The production took place last June at Washington’s Ronald Reagan Center after the original site backed out following <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/theaters-fbi-lovebirds-violence-free-speech/">threats of violence</a>.
Now, anyone can see the show via YouTube, free of charge. The video generated more than 33,000 views in its first week alone with microscopic media coverage.
“The response of the audience on the night [in question] was amazing, and it has continued online. They really, really appreciate the truth told in an entertaining and accessible way,” McAleer says.
<iframe title="FBI Lovebirds | How Two FBI Operatives Tried To Take Down Donald Trump; Dean Cain &amp; Kristy Swanson" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCutKd11kjg?start=2149&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Strzok and Page weren’t minor FBI players. Strzok oversaw Hillary Clinton’s email scandal probe and found himself tied to the Russia-Trump probe months later. Page served as acting FBI director Andrew McCabe’s top counsel.
Together, they epitomized what many conservatives feared most &#8211; a “Deep State” attempt to remove the unconventional leader.
Consider the following text exchange:
<blockquote>Page: “Trump’s not ever going to become president, right?”
Strzok: “No. No, he won’t. We’ll stop it.”</blockquote>
McAleer credits his stars, Kristy Swanson and Dean Cain, for elevating the already explosive texts.
“I thought the script was important and entertaining, but Dean and Kristy took it to a whole new level and found humor and pathos where I didn&#8217;t realize it was there,” says McAleer, who employed Verbatim Theater to create the play. His team used direct source material, not creative license, to bring the show to life.
In this case, “FBI Lovebirds” shared the infamous Strzok/Page texts as well as congressional testimony.
The press covered the Page/Strzok text exchanges, but with a fraction of the vigor applied to fake Trump scandals like SharpieGate.
They treated “FBI Lovebirds” with equal unease.
“A lot of the media ignored the play because the last thing they wanted to discuss or publicize is the origins of the ‘Russia Collusion’ story,” McAleer says.
The lessons from the Strzok/Page texts don’t apply just to the Russia collusion hoax, he says.
“This has direct relevance to the current Ukraine controversy where we are being asked to accept that the intelligence community is politically neutral when it is clearly not,” he says. “We need to treat ‘whistleblowers’ with skepticism.”
Comedy institutions also avoided the text exchanges despite their obvious appeal. The old “Saturday Night Live” could have feasted on the material for weeks.
“They would never dream of making a joke about this obvious subject, but even if they did think about it they would not do it for fear of being not popular with the ‘in’ crowd,” he says. “They are so busy giving themselves awards for bravery that they don’t see how cowardly their comedy really is.”
Swanson and Cain, by contrast, leaned into that comic potential, drawing guffaws from the D.C. crowd.
McAleer turned to online crowdfunding to make “FBI Lovebirds” a reality, much like he did for past projects (including the indie film “Gosnell”). He shares some tips for conservatives eager to follow a similar path.
“Try and make your art mainstream, and make sure it does not look or smell different,” he says. “Don’t be afraid to use genres to tell a story … but respect the genre. Don’t disappoint people who go for a romantic comedy or a horror story. Follow the rules of the genre and tell your story,” he says. “Do that, and you will get a much more engaged audience.”
&nbsp;

Peter Strzok

‘FBI Lovebirds’ Producer: Audiences Hunger For The Truth

Prophet. Motivator. Scourge of left-wing academia. Truth teller. Target.
<a href="https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/">Jordan Peterson</a> is all of the above, and so much more. The new documentary “The Rise of Jordan Peterson” channels those personas into one sharply etched portrait. It’s obviously sympathetic to its source, but that doesn’t prevent writer/director <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4784648/?ref_=tt_ov_dr">Patricia Marcoccia</a> from giving the professor’s critics their say, and their dignity.
Peterson emerges as a fascinating man, someone coming to grips with his membership in the Intellectual Dark Web. More importantly, he’s learning what it means to be a celebrity in our fractured, furious times.
That learning curve isn’t for the faint of heart.
Who is Jordan Peterson? He’s a sharply tailored academic, a psychologist whose self-help patter reaches a generation of lost male souls. His blunt musings and refusal to accept woke demands has made him an enemy of the Left.
Why, he must be part of the Alt-Right … right?
Not so fast. Peterson is befuddled by those quickie labels. He’s firmly against our tribal times, preferring facts and reason to knee-jerk debates.
Those eager to see a series of intellectual body blows will come away disappointed. Yes, “Rise” showcases Peterson in action, defusing Social Justice Warriors demanding he retreat from polite society. The focus is on Peterson the person, not the YouTube sensation.
His meteoric “Rise” left him with plenty of enemies. Trans activists loathe him for rejecting their personal pronouns. Friends suggest the Peterson addressing crowds the world over isn’t the fellow they’ve known for years.
<iframe title="The Rise Of Jordan Peterson - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yBpOX9GXInY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
And Peterson himself worries his connection with right-of-center groups may diminish his big-picture goals: put simply, heal thyself.
This Jordan Peterson isn’t always ready for his close up. His temper flares as college protesters attempt to drown out his message. The professor steps back from those moments, eager to learn why his emotions got the best of him.
He’s endlessly curious, and sometimes fears he’s sharing the wrong life lessons. His fans may disagree, showering him with praise for the impact his <a href="https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/B0797Y87JC/ref=sr_1_2?crid=HFEEM6I68LNP&amp;keywords=jordan+peterson+12+rules+for+life&amp;qid=1570684421&amp;sprefix=jordan+pet%2Caps%2C361&amp;sr=8-2">“Rules”</a> had on their lives. The film could have trimmed away some of that adulation.
Peterson wrote the book on getting one’s life in order, and it’s a stern but kind message that continues to reverberate in a culture kowtowing to victimhood.
There’s little in Peterson’s life that escapes his rigorous examination. And his plate grows more full as the narrative evolves. It doesn’t help that protesters screech, “transphobic piece of s***” at him on a regular basis.
To some college students, Peterson is a rock star. Others dub him a menace.
We spend an extended segment with Bernard Schiff, a former Peterson ally who now considers him “dangerous.” Once again, a Peterson critic is given a fair hearing, something political documentaries often neglect to do.
“The Rise of Jordan Peterson” spends plenty of time in the professor’s home.
Those snapshots reveal his fascination with humanity’s darkest hours. We see his passion for Soviet Union artifacts, fusing kitsch with a need to process humanity’s worst impulses.
Like the upcoming “No Safe Spaces,” “Rise” shares an unfiltered look at the Far Left. Peterson is a frequent guest on college campuses, but he rarely speaks without someone trying to drown him out. If “The Rise of Jordan Peterson” accomplished nothing else, exposing these smug socialists is worth the bother.
<iframe title="RJP Film Clip: &quot;I Don&#039;t Know What&#039;s Going To Happen&quot;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hXSZxLGqEoc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Those sequences will be devoured by conservatives, but that’s not Peterson’s prime directive. His mission, as he puts it, is to strengthen the individual, not one side of the political aisle.
“When I deviate from that, it’s an error,” he confesses.
Peterson is a gifted but surprisingly naive intellect. He lobs culture war smart bombs in interviews, only to be taken aback when they blow up in his face.
Take his comments about women who wear makeup and high heels in the office. You can sense his contrarian take, a willingness to challenge our preconceptions. Yet he’s shocked when the observations take on a life of their own.
What did he expect, especially since the Left has a virtual APB out on him?
Peterson deserves a documentary willing to capture his family, his flaws and his hunger to help his growing flock. “Rise” delivers on all of the above.
A version of this review also appears on <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/rise-of-jordan-peterson-review/">HollywoodinToto.com</a>.

&#8216;Rise Of Jordan Peterson&#8217; Pushes Past Partisan Bickering

Conservatism

Some Leftists blew a gasket last year after President Donald Trump referred to MS-13 gang members as “animals.”
What, you say men who torture, rape and kill with abandon deserve a sub-human label? Have you no decently, Mr. President?
Even the Speaker of the House <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/05/17/ms-13-donald-trump-gang-violence-animals-immigrants-media-column/621537002/">got into the act</a>.
“Does he not believe in the <a href="https://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2018/05/17/pelosi-responds-to-trumps-animals-remarks-n2481783">spark of divinity</a>, the dignity and worth of every person?” Rep. Nancy Pelosi said at the time.
Could that same thinking be lurking within a powerhouse crowdfunding site?
Mike S. Miller, a right-leaning comic book artist with 27 years experience, designed a crowdfunding campaign for his hero, Lonestar. He describes the character as a “super patriot” who battles evil alongside fellow warriors.
The character isn’t partisan on paper, although he says superheroes who are unabashedly heroic and believe in self-sacrifice are suddenly viewed from an ideological prism. A future “Lonestar” comic will take on an Antifa-style group, says Miller, who contributed to the Injustice Series for DC Comics, among other gigs.
He initially wanted to use IndieGoGo.com for “Lonestar’s” crowdfunding launch, knowing the site has an apolitical reputation. Miller decided to give Kickstarter.com a chance first. The latter site boasts a broad cultural footprint, even though some conservatives fear it tips the scales in favor of the Left.
Miller noticed the site’s “things we love” category routinely highlights campaigns with “left-wing” agendas.
“They push those projects hard and often,” he says.
Miller’s worries had a little history on his side, too.
Phelim McAleer famously sparred with Kickstarter in 2014 when he tried to spark his “Gosnell” film project at the site. The film, which eventually hit theaters last year, focused on the monstrous crimes committed by Philadelphia abortionist Dr. Kermit Gosnell.
Team Kickstarter threw a red flag on the Gosnell campaign at the time, noting <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/filmmaker-accuses-kickstarter-censoring-gosnell-700566">its indelicate language</a>.
<blockquote>Phelim McAleer …switched to IndieGoGo at the last moment because, he says, Kickstarter was insisting on changes to the wording of his campaign and engaging in other delay tactics. In the end, Kickstarter approved the project but stipulated, as it says is customary, that McAleer agree to allow the company to yank the project from its site if anything &#8220;objectionable&#8221; was added to its web presence.</blockquote>
McAleer, who most recently <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/fbi-lovebirds-undercovers--2#/">staged a reading of texts</a> from disgraced FBI agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, later launched a billboard campaign near Kickstarter’s New York offices to denounce its “censorship.”
More importantly, McAleer revealed other, more graphic Kickstarter campaigns at the time that, apparently, sailed past the site’s censors.
Miller says Kickstarter initially approved his “Lonestar” campaign. Later, after he began uploading a few sample pages from the project, the company changed course.
“However, after a careful review, we’ve determined that your project cannot be approved for launch,” Team Kickstarter said.
Miller combed through the site’s rules of conduct, making sure his story didn’t run afoul of any existing guidelines. He even removed comic book pages featuring an MS-13 style group getting beaten up by his hero. Part of the story in question found Lonestar coming to the aid of a black woman caught in the gang’s clutches.
That tweak didn’t help. In fact, Kickstarter later rejected the campaign outright.
<blockquote>As a Public Benefit Corporation dedicated to battling inequality and creating a more equitable world, Kickstarter does not allow discrimination, subjugation, or intolerance towards marginalized groups.</blockquote>
Like … MS-13?
This decision, the note continued, is non-negotiable. Miller shared screen shots of the Kickstarter responses and the comic panels in question with The Daily Wire. This site reached out to Kickstarter.com’s press contact for a response but didn’t receive one before deadline.
Miller, who is half Japanese, thinks the only reason Kickstarter would nix his campaign is if it thought the gang criminals represented a “marginalized group.”
“It’s clear that they put their political ideology above their desire to serve artists, creators, and customers.  This is not how you should do business in America. It’s shameful,” Miller says.
The “Lonestar” project can now be found at <a href="http://lonestarcomic.com/">Indiegogo.com</a>.

MS-13 Gang Members

Comic Book Artist: Kickstarter Rejected Campaign for Showing Hero Beating Up MS-13 Like Thugs

Kickstarter

MS-13 Gang

Violence

When was the last time a movie dominated the conversation for the best of reasons?
Director Todd Phillips’ “Joker” nailed the “conversation” part months ago. His sober spin on Batman’s arch nemesis, we were told, left the comic book blueprint in the circular file.
The movie itself lives up to that hype, that promise, in ways we couldn’t rightfully expect. Star Joaquin Phoenix gives us a Joker that makes the Ledger, Leto, and Nicholson versions obsolete.
That alone will put a smile on your face. And “Joker” is just warming up.
Arthur Fleck (Phoenix) dutifully slathers on grease paint as part of his daily grind. He’s a party clown for hire with dreams of stand-up glory. It’s darkly fitting that he suffers from a Tourette’s-like tic which shackles him with bursts of laughter for no reason at all.
It’s a brilliant twist on the Joker, a curse Phoenix embodies in ways that make a nearly<a href="https://screenrant.com/complete-history-of-the-joker/"> 80-year-old character</a> his own.
That cackle is hardly Arthur’s only burden. He lives with his aging Ma (Frances Conroy) in a dingy apartment, further isolated from a world which has no need for him. He longs to chat with a comely neighbor (Zazie Beetz) but seems ill-fitted for the task. And he’s living in an ’80s version of Gotham that evokes a rotten Big Apple before the Giuliani era saved its soul.
Arthur’s only solace is watching his favorite late night show starring show biz legend Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro). Even that is robbed from him, leading to a confrontation as hypnotic as any movie scene this year.
Phoenix famously shed 50-odd pounds to make Arthur look haunted and grim, but that’s just the shell of a career-defining turn. His Joker generates empathy, and sadness, before giving way to revulsion. We know where the character must go, and we mourn the path that leads him there.
The actor doesn’t overplay his hand, fall back on DC Comics tropes or otherwise mar a pitch-perfect performance. It’s stunning, and in its own weird way fits into Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy.
Putting on a happy face is no match for the grim world around him. And that’s partly “Joker’s” point.
“Joker” packs more than a few liberal messages between Phoenix’s bravura work, from its class warfare rants to suggesting the government do more to protect the mentally ill. The film never comes close to hectoring, though, keeping the dramatic elements foremost in mind.
Can they give the film an honorary Oscar for that reason alone?
The narrative offers so much to consider beyond the inevitable awards season buzz. Are we all complicit for the deeply damaged souls we ignore on the streets every day? How much would it hurt to extend some grace beyond our friends and family circles?
This “Joker” is a compendium of “red flags” that Gotham ignored for too long. Sound familiar?
Arthur’s connection to De Niro’s character suggests the fallout from predatory art. The future Joker may be damaged beyond repair, but he knows when he’s being set up for failure. Think how the Fox TV executives grin during those early, awful “American Idol” auditions.
Dance for us, clowns!
Phoenix’s Joker is onto that scam, and it makes the third act as powerful as any superhero feature. And that’s all without CGI, car chases or perfectly choreographed action sequences.
Yes, “Joker” brings the violence we expect from an R-rated genre film. The moments are brief but unrelenting, constructed atop character and narrative demands. One particular sequence, which lasts all of three seconds, will haunt audiences for days, weeks even.
Much has been made about the film’s potential to spawn real-world violence. The movie itself suggests nothing of the kind. The best art rarely does. Instead, it paints a world where empathy, not violence, is the solution.
Give Phillips all the credit he deserves. The tone here is unrelenting, but the spell being cast never comes close to breaking. Phillips co-wrote the screenplay, too, and his images work wonders with the score. The latter packs a wallop, from rich string arrangements to more traditional notes.
So what happens next? Does <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/warner-bros-joker-free-speech/">Warner Bros.</a> force Phoenix to don the grease paint again for future “Batman” installments? Will his Joker become part of a “franchise,” another cog in a fan-friendly series?
Perhaps. Let’s stop and savor “Joker” while we can. It’s the best movie of 2019 and proof the Hollywood system can still make movies that knock our socks off.
HiT or Miss: “Joker” proves the comic book genre can expand beyond our wildest expectations.

Joker

TOTO: Mesmerizing ‘Joker’ Targets Oscar, Not Real-World Violence

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Christian Toto

Articles by Christian Toto