Diversity only goes so far in today’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/woke-joke-harvey-weinstein/">woke landscape</a>.
Yes, Hollywood and major media platforms like Netflix routinely attempt to bring more people of color into the entertainment industry. The moves come after decades of inadequate representation. In many ways the cultural wave is a worthy one.
There’s a sizable catch, though.
Diversity efforts typically shun right-of-center voices that happen to be black or brown. It’s why the media and film critics mostly ignored Larry Elder’s recent documentary “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/uncle-tom-imdb-rotten-tomatoes/">Uncle Tom</a>” focusing on the black conservative experience.
There’s no better example of this diversity blind spot, though, than Amazon’s brief, but telling war against “<a href="https://whatkilledmichaelbrown.com/">What Killed Michael Brown?</a>”
The haunting documentary finds author Shelby Steele examining the 2014 death of the Ferguson resident and the racial firestorm that followed. Those embers blazed anew earlier this year after George Floyd’s death following a fatal police altercation.
Why? What do these events say about American culture, police brutality, and efforts to help the black community?
While most documentaries lean Left, “What Killed Michael Brown?” offers a different perspective. Steele questions the media narratives surrounding high-profile police shootings, suggesting that victimization and white guilt end up hurting, not helping, the black community.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HP3GVS8yJEY" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿</iframe>
The team behind the documentary approached Amazon to stream the film as part of its Prime Video Direct service. The movie is already available on Vimeo, but millions of potential consumers tap Amazon to watch new releases.
Amazon declined, saying the film didn’t meet the company’s quality standards. A quick peek at the documentary shreds that argument. A variety of conservative news outlets, including Fox News, National Review, and The Wall Street Journal, covered Amazon’s dubious decision.
“What Killed Michael Brown?” director Eli Steele credits that pressure for changing Amazon’s stance. The film is now available for <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Killed-Michael-Brown-Shelby-Steele/dp/B08L9Q4J9M/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=what+killed+michael+brown&amp;qid=1603297258&amp;sr=8-1">streaming on Amazon</a>.
“We were very fortunate to have the ability to raise the level of publicity that we did because if we had not had that power our film would have been pushed to the margins,” says Eli Steele, the son of the film’s star.
The production got little help, though, from organizations formed to promote people of color in the arts, as well as major news outlets. The former have ignored both the documentary and its battle against Amazon.
Hollywood in Toto reached out to six organizations dedicated to empowering black filmmakers:
<ul>
<li>Project Involve (Film Independent)</li>
<li>Array Now</li>
<li>Hue You Know</li>
<li>Blackhouse</li>
<li>The Black Association of Documentary Filmmakers West</li>
<li>The Black TV &amp; Film Collective</li>
</ul>
We asked if the groups in question had any comment, or reaction, to Amazon’s initial stance against a film featuring black storytellers.
None responded.
Eli Steele says he hopes his film’s victory will help fellow artists as they fight against potential censorship.
“I am hopeful that this experience created an important data-point going forward in the fight to make big tech media giants more balanced and accountable,” Steele says. “We do know that when Amazon makes policies from here on they will do so with this experience on their minds, and we know that if other filmmakers are similarly rejected like we were, they will have a precedent to refer to.”
“That is the moral victory that we sought,” he adds.
A version of this article can be found at HollywoodInToto.com.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Michael Brown memorial

Amazon Buckles, Agrees to Stream ‘What Killed Michael Brown?’

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Ferguson

Michael Brown

Police

Diversity only goes so far in today’s woke landscape. Yes, Hollywood and major media platforms like Netflix routinely attempt to bring more people of

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Kristy Swanson’s decades-long film and TV career began by reading lines from a “Bad News Bears” script.
The pre-teen Swanson knew some of her school mates had tried out for commercial appearances and figured she could, too.
And then some, as it turned out.
She ended up starring in genre-defining comedies like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” crushing cameos in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and, later, becoming one of Hollywood’s few, proud conservatives.
The latter paved the way for “ObamaGate: The Movie,” a film excoriating the FBI’s malfeasance in the Russian collusion hoax.
Swanson says she first got the acting “bug” by singing in church and appearing in local productions in Downey, California. Her parents, unabashed Christian conservatives, eagerly supporter her passions.
To a point.
They weren’t clamoring for their daughter to go Hollywood, given the negative influences that could await her.
She persisted. They relented.
Her family met with a children’s agent and Swanson landed the first two commercial gigs that came her way, thanks partly to her impressive reading of a “Bad News Bears” scene.
“I was on a roll at the very beginning,” she says, but her parents were watching every step of the way.
“They weren’t helicopter parents, but they were cautious and careful,” she recalls.
Young Swanson could sing and dance, but she eventually focused her energy on acting.
Smart move.
Commercial work eventually gave way to film and TV roles in her teens, made possible, in part, by being emancipated at the age of 14. Her parents homeschooled her while she kept piling up the acting credits.
“I had more freedom to work longer hours on set,” she explains of her legal status, adding that producers benefited by casting someone like her rather than 18 year olds playing down their ages.
Two small but consequential roles in John Hughes films — “Pretty in Pink” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” — pushed her profile higher, leading to sizable acting gigs in movies like “Flowers in the Attic” and “Mannequin: On the Move.”
Some of her peer group fell victim to 80s excess, but Swanson avoided those detours.
“I never brought my work home with me … I tried to have a normal life and not be attached to the Hollywood scene,” she says. “I just loved working.”
She still saw those unsavory influences around the edges of her Hollywood life.
“I was fortunate enough to never fall into any trouble, like casting couches or inappropriateness,” she says. “I certainly have stories, but they were always nipped in the bud in the get-go.”
She credits “instincts” with helping her avoid career pitfalls, adding many of the dubious characters in the industry left her alone.
“They knew I wasn’t easy to persuade,” she says.
All the while Swanson hid a secret so overwhelming she feared it might derail her career. She suffered from learning disabilities that made script reading a challenge.
“If everybody ever knew I was dyslexic I wouldn’t get hired,” the original “Vampire Slayer” says. “I hid it my entire career.”
Home schooling helped, but the accompanying shame wasn’t so easily conquered.
Swanson didn’t give much attention to politics early in her career. Some projects, like her work on TV’s “Call to Glory,” exposed her to glimpses of Beltway politics. She “loved” President Ronald Reagan and, later, felt uneasy about President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office.
Still, she kept her focus on her art and hid any right-of-center sentiments.
“I’d get the evil eye,” she says after sharing a smattering of non-liberal views. “I learned to keep my mouth shut.”
Then she met a prominent member of Friends of Abe, a secret society of Hollywood conservatives.
“Everything changed,” she says. “I got to know those guys and I found a family. I was shocked to find some of the people I didn’t know were conservative.”
She didn’t go “public-public” with her conservative thoughts, though, until a certain real estate mogul ran for the presidency.
“Chelsea Handler said something horrible about Melania [Trump], ‘She can’t even speak English,’” Swanson recalls. “I was like, ‘Way to make Hollywood look tolerant.’”
Suddenly, Tucker Carlson was calling to have her on the air.
“I’m never nasty to someone unless they’re nasty first,” she says of her social media demeanor.
Swanson brings some of that swagger to the role of Lisa Page, the disgraced FBI agent, in “ObamaGate: The Movie.” The role found Swanson recreating Page’s “performance” during congressional testimony as well as her now-infamous flirtations with fellow agent Peter Strzok, played by Dean Cain.
“She was doing bad things and was very arrogant about it. She wanted to make herself look human,” she says.
Swanson had to improvise while creating the character since there’s little video footage of Page from which to work. So she spent 45 minutes on the phone with someone who worked with Page. One word echoed through the conversation:
Arrogant.
Swanson reprises the Page role from last year’s play, “FBI Lovebirds: Undercovers,” which focused on Page’s relationship to fellow agent Peter Stzrok and their attempts to pin Russian collusion on President Trump. Only Swanson had never performed on the stage prior to the production.
“I can’t do that. I have stage fright. I’m not used to being in front of a live audience,” she told her potential co-star.
“You can do it!” Cain told her. “He’s such a cheerleader.”
The effort behind both productions mattered more than just conquering a personal fear.
“It’s important for people to hear that story … I’m not forcing it on anybody. It’s there, it’s real, and I know because I read it,” she says of a film that could have been three hours long given all the verbatim testimony, texts, and tweets compiled for the production.
As is, “ObamaGate: The Movie” does what film so often does — process reams of information into digestible bits.
“It’s an easier way to understand it and learn about it. Who’s going to sit down and read all of that?” she asks. “It takes an hour to watch it … it may inspire someone to dig deeper [into the matters].”
Swanson can next be seen in “Courting Mom and Dad,” a Pure Flix original co-starring fellow conservative actor Scott Baio. The current pandemic hasn’t helped snag her many new roles, but she appreciates being part of a MAGA movement filled with positive vibes.
“Everyone wants to make America great again and focus on our country,” she says. “I really enjoyed meeting all those people.”
The life of a working actress involves ebbs and flows, but she’s grateful for even the slower than usual moments in her career.
“Being able to work, to make a living, get married and have a baby, it’s been comfortable. I get to raise my child. I’m not away from him. That’s been great,” she says. “I consider myself blessed.”
And, as the now 50-year-old star ages into different roles, she’s ready for the challenge.
“I look forward to playing the grandma one day,” she says.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Kristy Swanson

How Kristy Swanson Embraced Being A Conservative, Brought ‘ObamaGate’ to Life

Hollywood

Lisa Page

Kristy Swanson’s decades-long film and TV career began by reading lines from a “Bad News Bears” script. The pre-teen Swanson knew some of her school mates

How Kristy Swanson Embraced Being A Conservative, Brought ‘ObamaGate’ to Life | The Daily Wire

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“Obamagate: The Movie” isn’t for the casual viewer. No, audiences should have a general sense of both the Russian collusion hoax that roiled the nation for more than two years as well as how the media framed every fraudulent second of it. That context makes “Obamagate” a delicious riposte to the spin we’ve endured. The production (which you can watch in full below) is muscular update on “FBI Lovebirds: UnderCovers,” the 2019 play featuring Kristy Swanson and Dean Cain as disgraced agents Lisa Page and Peter Strzok, respectively.
<a href="https://obamagatethemovie.com/">The film version</a>, bolstered by new revelations gleaned since that play hit a D.C. theater, makes little attempt to disguise its theatrical roots, down to the audience chuckles. The narrative begs for a full-bodied Hollywood production, with all the appropriate bells and whistles that entails. Since no studio would go near this accurate narrative, it took provocateur Phelim McAleer and co., aided by a successful crowdfunding campaign, to make it happen.
The heart of the story proves his instincts anew.
Swanson and Cain’s characters flirt and flaunt their willingness to target then-candidate Donald Trump throughout the production. The dialogue, pure Verbatim Theatre, draws their conversations from the text messages they fired back and forth over several months.
That leaves us with credible chats that feel real and raw. It’s a nasty peek at Beltway life from two consummate “Swamp” creatures.
The texts allow for a sweet running gag where the stars spit out the emoticons capping their missives. That grown men and women use them to this degree offers a sly social commentary all on its own, but the bigger points remain.
These two self-absorbed agents let their political biases get the better of them, letting down the country in the process.
Swanson’s Page can be “Mean Girls” cruel at times, but she’s a piker compared to Strzok. Cain spits out his insults, which start with attacks on former Rep. Paul Ryan but mostly target Trump.
Still, Dr. Ben Carson, Sen. Mitch McConnell and even Glenn Beck get derisively name checked by the duo, more proof that their actions were far from neutral.
Of course, an FBI agent can believe whatever he or she wants without scrutiny, but when we witness a deeply flawed investigation smacking of a coup, it’s time to sniff out the clues.
“Obamagate” nearly capsizes with them.
Kudos to Cain and Swanson for making their characters as three dimensional as possible. Sure, the audience hisses at the right moments as they lean into their political biases.
The veteran players round out their villainy with softer tones. Swanson, in particular, radiates vulnerability when she longs to leave political life to spend more time with her family.
The line could have rung hollow, but Swanson gives it the proper pathos.
Cain’s Strzok, by comparison, is endlessly competent and cagey. Watch him maneuver around damning texts offers a wonderful character study. He’s smart, slick and unwilling to admit to a mistake, any mistake.
That’s true even when asked to defend texts mocking Walmart shoppers as, well, odious. It’s a nasty comment, but Strzok won’t cop to its obvious truth.
On a gut level it’s hard not to savor his stubborn streak.
Progressive productions too often demonize their conservative villains, stripping of both their humanity and nuance in the process. “Obamagate” offers a more full-bodied take on Strzok and Page without leaving out their “greatest hits.”
Yes, their “insurance policy” exchange gets an extreme closup.
A sharp screenwriter could leave us with similar impressions. Instead, the actual texts and testimonies (credit to screenwriters McAleer and Brian Godawa for putting them all together) do it as well as any original screenplay might.
The film’s stage origins are forgivable, but the stars’ leaning on lines just off camera are much less so. It’s likely Team “Obamagate” worked overtime to release the film in time for the 2020 elections, much like much of Hollywood dumped anti-Trump content on the October schedule for the same reason.
Still, it’s distracting and doesn’t allow the stars to consistently engage with their characters.
“Obamagate” would be dull if it focused solely on the Strzok/Page connection. It breaks up their banter with two sizable subplots. We see both former CIA Director John Brennan (Paul Michael Nieman) clutching a teddy bear, share ominous Tweets about Trump’s Russian connections.
Even better is former “Dynasty” star John James, clad in a Boy Scout uniform, reading FBI Director James Comey’s texts. He sells them as they should be peddled, grandiose snippets that tease his arrogant mien.
Arrogance courses through “Obamagate,” especially when Strzok is center stage. He’s too smart for government, too aware of its many flaws.
We’re also privy to Congressional transcripts where Page and Strzok get grilled for their text relationship, and its greater implications.
Strzok and Page spoke so fluidly about their Trump rage, never worrying their texts could come back to haunt them. Those less familiar with the FBI’s negligent behavior regarding collusion, and that’s being kind, may be aghast at what they see.
That’s on purpose.
Verbatim Theater has its limitations, but “Obamagate” sneaks around most of them. The modest directorial cues make the most of the clever edits and asides. Plus, the production wraps with a narrative “kill shot” that puts a dagger in the Russian collusion heart.
And that’s before we’ve learned even more about the fatally flawed investigation in recent weeks, its ties to Hillary Clinton and how some FBI agents lunged for <a href="https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/flynn-case-bombshell-fbi-analysts-bought-insurance">insurance policies</a> for fear their actions would be called into question.
Those agents may never face the full consequences for their actions. For now, “Obamagate’s” blistering truths will have to suffice.
Watch the full film below:
<iframe title="ObamaGate The Movie | With Dean Cain &amp; Kristy Swanson | Co-Produced By The Unreported Story Society" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qqi5Cv4OFJg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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WATCH: ‘Obamagate: The Movie’ Exposes Anti-Trump FBI Bias, Media Spin

Donald Trump

Peter Strzok

“Obamagate: The Movie” isn’t for the casual viewer. No, audiences should have a general sense of both the Russian collusion hoax that roiled the nation

WATCH: ‘Obamagate: The Movie’ Exposes Anti-Trump FBI Bias, Media Spin | The Daily Wire

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It’s no accident many films and TV shows promote gun control.
Yes, most Hollywood activists want more restrictions on the Second Amendment, not less. They’re happy to share those sentiments on awards show stages, social media, and press interviews.
It still took a group dedicated to tweaking Hollywood storylines to officially make it happen. Everytown for Gun Safety created a <a href="https://variety.com/2016/biz/features/hollywood-more-vocal-against-gun-violence-1201760166/">special commission to shape scripts</a>, with Hollywood’s blessing.
Shows like “House of Cards” and “The Good Wife” suddenly produced stories with <a href="https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/media/308464-gun-control-film-miss-sloane-another-reminder-of-hollywoods-smugness">overt gun control themes</a>, courtesy of the group’s open manipulation. Oscar nominee Julianne Moore officially aligned with Everytown to stoke its efforts.
The same is happening on the illegal immigration front.
Show after show, from failed reboots like “Party of Five” to Selena Gomez’s “Living Undocumented” docuseries, push <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/hbo-torn-apart-liberty-open-borderstorn-apart/">open borders propaganda</a>.
It’s undeniable. And now we’re meeting the group making it happen.
CNN spoke to members of <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/entertainment/immigration-tv-shows/index.html">Define American</a>, an organization actively tinkering with scripts to promote unfettered immigration. Only, the group’s members don’t frame it that way. Instead, they claim their work is meant to humanize immigrants and, of course, tweak some hearts and minds.
Their hope: That changing the conversations in Hollywood’s writers’ rooms will pave the way for immigration policy changes in Washington, too.
“This is long-term work,” says Jose Antonio Vargas, Define American’s founder. “This is not like, ‘How do we pass a bill next month?’ This is, ‘How do we create a culture in which we see immigrants as people deserving of dignity?’ These policies don’t make sense if we don’t see immigrants as people.”
It’s a condescending point of view. Most Americans absolutely see immigrants as people. They also understand there’s a different between “legal” and “illegal” immigrants, something Hollywood product conveniently ignores. They worry a flood of immigrants could adversely impact life in the United States, risk increase of infection during pandemics, and allow unvetted criminals into the country.
These are legitimate concerns worth exploring.
Plus, the vast majority of Hollywood scribes lean Left already. They’d be loathe to stereotype illegal immigrants in a negative fashion.
So how much can Define American impact Hollywood … and the culture at large? The group is off to an impressive start.
So far, Vargas says, Define American has consulted on 75 film and TV projects across 22 networks.
This isn’t a good faith discussion of ways to improve immigration law. It’s open borders storytelling. Will any of those programs allow border enforcement voices a proper voice? Will we see stories about innocent men and women killed by illegal immigrants who were arrested and released on prior charges?
Hollywood storytellers flock to tales about the underdog, and would-be immigrants often fall into that category. The same is true of the victims of illegal immigration.
Don’t those stories deserve to be told, to be shared? It’s something “America’s Forgotten” does, even if most media outlets are ignoring the film.
Former Vice President Joe Biden famously credited shows like “Will &amp; Grace” for <a href="https://ew.com/article/2012/05/06/joe-biden-will-and-grace-gay-marriage/">convincing Americans to approve of gay marriage.</a>
He’s right.
Define American and Everytown for Gun Safety hope a similar pop culture wave will impact immigration policy and gun restrictions, respectively.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Border wall

TOTO: Revealed: The Secret Behind TV Shows, Movies Promoting Open Border Policies

Illegal Immigration

open borders

It’s no accident many films and TV shows promote gun control. Yes, most Hollywood activists want more restrictions on the Second Amendment, not less.

TOTO: Revealed: The Secret Behind TV Shows, Movies Promoting Open Border Policies | The Daily Wire

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Every film studio wants to create the next “Halloween,” “Jaws,” or “Get Out.”
Horror movies endure in a way few genres can match. They get resuscitated every October for the obvious reasons. Budding teenagers learn about them from their older cousins, counting the days until they’re “old enough” to watch the classics.
Other horror films stumble while trying to scare us. Their attempts at shock come off as shockingly funny, or just plain inept.
They’re awful, but we can’t stop watching them.
The following movies fall squarely into that camp. Some had the very best of intentions before things went awry. Others probably knew the production was doomed from the start, but wouldn’t let that stop them.
One film landed with a thud in theaters but looks better in retrospect … for all the wrong reasons.
A quick note: Purposefully bad horror movies are a new and transparent trend. Films like the “Sharknado” series, “Birdemic” and every other Syfy original gather B-list actors, tiny budgets, and ridiculous concepts (“Mansquito,” “Sharktopus”) to entertain us.
Some do, of course, but it’s obvious they’re gunning for “so bad it’s good” territory. The following films hit those marks organically.
1. Troll 2 (1990)
It’s the grand daddy of all bad horror movies, and a beloved cult classic to boot. A family’s vacation turns into a nightmare thanks to a gang of plant gulfing goblins, part of the film’s not so subtle assault on vegetarians.
That description hardly does the film justice, though. “Troll 2,” dubbed a sequel to a 1986 film for marketing purposes alone, boasts pathetic performances, grade Z F/X, and plot twists as silly as a “Who’s Line Is It Anyway?” marathon.
It’s a debacle from start to finish featuring neophyte actors under the direction of a man who barely spoke English. Take a bow, Claudio Fragasso.
<iframe title="Troll (1986) Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-JrmQl3E9zk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Co-star Michael Paul Stephenson, who plays the son in the film, screened the film for his father shortly after it came out on VHS. His dad reportedly knew after all of seven seconds that “Troll 2” was a turkey.
Audiences love it for that very reason, eventually embracing the film as pure camp. Sold-out screenings secured the film’s legendary status, one similar in spirit to “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
Even better?
Stephenson grew up to become a film director (“Girlfriend’s Day,” “The American Scream”). He got his start behind the camera, directing “Best Worst Movie.” That 2009 film examines the cult behind the film in a loving, but clear-eyed manner.
The former child actor <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/cult-fan-base-forms-troll-worst-movie/story?id=10565306">captured the film’s unlikely appeal best</a>.
&#8220;With &#8216;Troll 2,&#8217; we thought we were making a great horror film, and that&#8217;s what causes people to smile and to laugh.&#8221;
2. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
The title alone tells you everything.
The Chiodo Brothers, wizards at creating wonderful miniatures for films like “Elf,” “Dinner with Schmucks” and “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” got a crack at commandeering their own film with this horror-comedy.
Their lack of experience shows with every forced exchange and painful performance. And it’s glorious, every bizarre ounce of it.
<iframe title="Killer Klowns from Outer Space" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mq6h0hr82Zw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Yes, the clown costumes are genuinely creepy, as is veteran actor John Vernon as the cranky cop who doesn’t believe the clown invasion is real … until it’s too late. Dean Wormer would be proud.
The film feels like walking through a theme park maze lined with funhouse mirrors. It’s silly then surreal, comical yet darkly frightening.
It’s pure kitsch, of course, but its crudeness proves intoxicating and ripe for repeat viewings.
3. Jack Frost (1997)
No, this isn’t the 1998 drama featuring Michael Keaton as a father who comes back to life as an advice-peddling snowman.
It’s even worse than that.
Set in the town of “Snowmonton,” “Jack Frost” follows a serial killer who dies, but is reborn as a moving mound of snow.
This is direct-to-video Velveeta of the first order, with the appropriate low budget to show for it. The F/X must be seen to be believed.
<iframe title="Jack Frost (1997) - Trailer [HD]" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ev0NkYfkgYE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Naturally it generated a small cult following along with a sequel set in a sunnier climate, dubbed “Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman.” Yes, it’s that kind of franchise.
“American Pie” starlet Shannon Elizabeth scored her screen debut in this hilarious horror misfire.
Director Michael Cooney went on to pen the respectable thriller “Identity,” but this remains entrenched on his IMDB.com to his great shame, and possibly delight.
4. Ice Cream Man (1995)
This low-grade lark features a solid cast who all should have known better. David Warner, Olivia Hussey, Jan-Michael Vincent, “An American Werewolf In London’s” David Naughton, Clint Howard, and Sandahl Bergman all got roped into this horror-comic meltdown.
Howard stars as the titular character, a tortured soul who puts human flesh into his product. That absurd premise sets the stage for a series of crude kills and incomprehensible sequences.
Warner, a horror icon thanks to “The Omen,” is barely on screen, thank goodness. Then again, the film squeezes in curious cameos by baseball great Steve Garvey and “The People’s Court” host Doug Llewelyn.
<iframe title="Ice Cream Man (1995) - VHS Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lEopHQHTLCs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Little makes sense here, but the biggest head-scratcher comes from one of the younger cast members, a slim lad forced to wear a fat suit to appear heavier.
Why? It barely factors into the story. How hard would it be to hire a husky child actor in the first place?
It’s those details that make this monstrosity a cheery experience.
5. They Live (1988)
Critic confession: I saw this John Carpenter romp in theaters 30-plus years ago and hated it.
The capper? When star Rowdy Roddy Piper (hired in part for his weathered face) strolls into a bank, gun in hand, and announced, “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick a**. And I’m all out of bubble gum.”
Ugh.
<iframe title="They Live (1988) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p]" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zLQ2d89vCiw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Once again, though, time has been kind to a sci-fi/horror hybrid. Now, that line is a pop culture staple as is the movie’s bonkers allure.
Yes, Carpenter’s film attempted to smite the Reagan administration, a greed isn’t good meme that likely fell on the deafest of ears given the film’s cartoonish appeal—and that epic alley fight.
The Left happily glommed onto its anti-consumerism message during its initial release. Now, liberals use it as a warning against income inequality, missing how Big Tech censorship has far more in common with Carpenter’s ‘80s era vision.
6. The Happening (2008)
Director M. Night Shyamalan’s eco-dud took its sweet time to join this list. The film got hammered by critics and audiences when it first hit theaters, and rightly so. Time does funny things to films, though. Bombs like “Flash Gordon” emerge as beloved cult films as time marches on.
The years wash away a film’s potential, leaving it ripe for re-interpretation.
Wannabe blockbusters such as “The Happening” transform into mockable movies we savor in a different context.
It helps that Shyamalan is a legitimately talented filmmaker, rendering even the silliest scenes here watchable. That’s not always the case in the “so bad it’s good” genre.
<iframe title="The Happening Trailer [HD]" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bCyLcrYDAgQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Mark Wahlberg helps bridge the gap between awful and awfully funny. He’s a good actor hampered by limited range and occasional lousy choices. Here, he’s constrained by the silly eco-nightmare threat, which makes his performance giggle worthy. Duck! Here comes the wind!
Then again, what actor could go through these motions with their dignity intact?
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Woman laughing

6 Horror Movies So Awful They’re Great

Halloween

Horror

Every film studio wants to create the next “Halloween,” “Jaws,” or “Get Out.” Horror movies endure in a way few genres can match. They get resuscitated

6 Horror Movies So Awful They’re Great | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/toto-6-horror-movies-so-awful-theyre-great/

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Jamie Lee Curtis

9 Horror Movies That Changed The Genre Forever

movies

Even the worst horror films have a defining moment which reminds us why we choose to hunker down in the dark to scare ourselves silly. Other horror movies

9 Horror Movies That Changed The Genre Forever | The Daily Wire

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Nick Searcy jokingly apologizes for his bare-knuckled Twitter account in his documentary, “America, America, God Shed His Grace on Thee.”
He needn’t have bothered.
The film’s tone bears more than a passing resemblance to Searcy’s social media presence. It’s direct, satirical and impossible to ignore. It’s also smart as heck, weaving the country’s spiritual origins to the current battle faith-based Americans are fighting today due to the pandemic and progressive overreach.
Searcy, serving as both star and producer, does a sharp variation on the Michael Moore Everyman shtick in the documentary. Only Searcy has facts and research at his back, not bluster and baloney.
The “Justified” alum walks us through the country’s founding with a heaping helping of humor and insight.
The film’s first third reconstructs the American experiment, recalling the critical role faith played in the nation’s creation. It’s a history lesson without the snores, a feisty reminder we should have been taught in elementary school.
Later, Searcy details how local and state governments are using the current pandemic to restrict faithful gatherings, often ignoring science in the process. It’s impossible to watch “America, America” and not recall a certain New York governor declaring war on Manhattan’s Jewish population while looking the other way as Black Lives Matter conducts its “mostly peaceful” protests.
And, of course, those nationwide riots get a closeup, too, along with images of burning Bibles and churches. The latter wasn’t taken seriously by the mainstream press.
Searcy and co. correct the record.
A series of sober talking heads including The Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro and Michael Knowles explore the U.S.-faith connection throughout the film, noting how liberty and free expression flow from Christian tenets without demanding its people pray to a particular god.
It isn’t a call to church or prayer, at least not until the end, but an acknowledgement of how Judeo-Christian values shaped the country, its government and its philosophy.
It still does, or at least it does on paper.
<iframe title="America, America, God Shed His Grace on Thee - First Look" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v-JVMd3pZmc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Modern progressives, the film argues, are chipping away at faith, to put it kindly. The State is the god we should worship, and they diminish spiritual matters whenever possible.
We’ve seen parts of this story play out before, as the film reminds us with Soviet-era snippets.
Searcy’s acting credentials are well established, with sturdy work in films and TV over the last two-plus decades. His behind-the scenes efforts deserve growing consideration.
He steered the indie “Gosnell” feature from a crowd-funding triumph to a smackdown of reporters who ignored a certifiable monster in our midst. That directorial effort showed how a movie could send a message without using the ALL CAPS function preferred by modern Hollywood.
Now, he’s corralled a crush of information into a tightly packaged format, coordinating with director Chris Burgard.
Searcy blends humor with serious lessons throughout the documentary. A few micro moments feel unnecessary, like a celebratory cake cutting sequence with beleaguered baker Jack Phillips.
Otherwise, the documentary balances the material, and approach, with a firm but knowing touch.
In lesser hands, “America, America” would be overreaching by connecting faith to everything from Big Tech censorship to the silencing of lockdown critics.
Not here.
The issues are woven delicately, but firmly, into the bigger picture. It makes the documentary even more urgent given how the media and select Democrats demonize right-leaning Christians.
Just consider Judge Amy Coney Barrett as Exhibits A, C and B.
The film mostly features conservative voices, from Dennis Prager to Charlie Kirk. One notable exception is Andrew Young, who breaks down both faith and human decency in show-stopping ways. The activist’s tale of his personal ties to a racist prison guard is simple and mesmerizing.
It’s exactly the kind of confession modern progressives loathe, witness their reaction to racial harmony movies like “Green Book” and “The Best of Enemies,” the latter co-starring a certain documentary star.
Searcy is a character actor by trade, but he’s finding a new direction as a Hollywood “insider&#8221; <a href="https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/actor-director-nick-searcy-to-make-movies-that-dont-insult-people-of-faith.html">creating stories the industry is loathe to explore.</a>
“America, America, God Shed His Grace on Thee” bodes well for his future projects while showing he’s the right man for the job.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

American Flag

REVIEW: New Film On Left’s War On Religion Is A Must-See

Constitution

Nick Searcy

Religion

Nick Searcy jokingly apologizes for his bare-knuckled Twitter account in his documentary, “America, America, God Shed His Grace on Thee.” He needn’t have

REVIEW: New Film On Left’s War On Religion Is A Must-See | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/review-new-film-on-lefts-war-on-religion-is-a-must-see/

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Conservatives should cut Daniel Tosh some slack for two critical reasons.
Yes, his Comedy Central showcase “Tosh.0” leans left, but it often mocks liberal hypocrisy along with shots aimed at Christians, conservatives, and GOP figures. Plus, it’s one of the most consistently inventive comedy shows around.
The current 12th season, the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tosh-0-canceled-as-comedy-central-reverses-4-season-renewal">last to be shown on Comedy Central</a>, may be leaning harder left than ever before. The show that once gleefully poked societal taboos with segments like “Is It Racist” supported the Black Lives Matter narrative.
Twice.
The Sept. 29 episode referenced Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/prosecutor-charges-st-louis-couple-for-waving-guns-at-protesters/">St. Louis couple who brandished guns</a> when a BLM march approached their mansion. The couple were charged with felony unlawful use of a weapon and fourth-degree assault for defending their property and, potentially, their lives.
Tosh alluded to the McCloskeys while mocking a video of a husband and wife chiropractic duo. The husband brandished a gun-like device he used on his wife as part of his therapy.
“Those two look like they should be standing in front of a gaudy mansion pointing that thing at peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters,” Tosh said.
Here’s what Team Tosh ignored: <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/prosecutor-falsely-claimed-patricia-mccloskeys-gun-was-capable-of-firing-when-she-brandished-it-outside-her-home/">Reality and damning facts.</a>
The McCloskeys responded to a June 28 incident during which George Floyd protesters broke into their gated community while attempting to reach the house of St. Louis mayor Lyda Krewson.
“The group began yelling obscenities and threats of harm to both victims,” a police report stated. “When the victims observed multiple subjects who were armed, they then armed themselves and contacted police.”
Political jokes land when there’s a kernel of truth to them. Here, not only do the facts support the couple defending themselves and their property, the necessary context further backs them up.
BLM protests are routinely violent, even if mainstream media outlets cartoonishly depict them as “<a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/only-some-kinds-of-protest-are-always-mostly-peaceful/">mostly peaceful</a>.” We’ve seen George Floyd-inspired protests do millions of dollars in damage nationwide. Some directly attacked buildings where political figures live, like <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/portland/2020/09/protesters-march-to-portland-mayor-ted-wheelers-residence-monday-throw-birthday-party-demand-resignation-live-updates.html">besieged Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler</a>.
Others threatened ordinary citizens at outdoor restaurants in several cities, including Rochester, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C.
Tosh and co. didn’t care about the specifics of the McCloskeys’ case or the bigger picture. They weaponized the moment to support BLM, not reality.
It’s sad to see because the joke promotes a false narrative. Equally sad? Tosh’s comedy often does what satire should do—strip away artifice and get to the truth.
Maybe that’s not as important during the show’s 12th and potentially final season.
Earlier in the Sept. 29th episode, Tosh mocked a family with an incorrectly spelled “White Lives Matter” slogan on their property. He called it a “white bigot fence.” He also played a clip of a dog defecating on a boat, saying, “this pretty much sums up the Trump boat parades.”
Later, he featured a curious voice mail.
“Rarely in Hollywood do you get to hear from the other side. So here’s another insane voice mail from my only conservative friend, comedian Greg Hahn.” The clip finds Hahn spouting a few non-sequiturs before hanging up.
Finally, the season debut wrapped with hashtags dedicated to Breonna Taylor, the black woman killed by police during a tragic incident, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kentucky-ag-breonna-taylor-warrant-was-not-no-knock-officers-justified-in-use-of-force">incorrectly dubbed a “no-knock” raid by the media</a>, during which someone fired at the officers before they responded.
The hashtags #KeepSayingHerName and #SeasonOfMourning, the final “Tosh.0” run at Comedy Central, flashed across the screen below a “Rest in Power” sign.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Daniel Tosh

TOTO: ‘Tosh.0’ Mocks McCloskeys, Promotes BLM Talking Points

Black Lives Matter

Mark McCloskey

Patricia McCloskey

Conservatives should cut Daniel Tosh some slack for two critical reasons. Yes, his Comedy Central showcase “Tosh.0” leans left, but it often mocks liberal

TOTO: ‘Tosh.0’ Mocks McCloskeys, Promotes BLM Talking Points | The Daily Wire

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We had plenty of suspicions about social media platforms long before “The Social Dilemma” dropped on Netflix. The streamer’s new documentary breaks down even more reasons to distrust social media behemoths. Be afraid. Be very afraid. But, of course, be suspicious of any Hollywood product purporting to tell the unvarnished truth. “The Social Dilemma” is no exception.
The docudrama, and we’ll get to that descriptor in a moment, begins with a chilling quote from Sophocles: “Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse.”
The film introduces us to former big tech employees who fled their respective companies after their Spider Senses started to tingle. Or, to be more accurate, began ringing like a fire alarm in “The Towering Inferno.”
Something is deeply wrong behind the scenes, and they could no longer be part of the problem.
These young, articulate ex-tech employees share how Silicon Valley’s noble intentions turned toxic before their eyes.
And ours.
“We were naïve about the flip side of the coin,” one ex-worker explains about social media’s promise to make a better future for its users.
From there, it’s a compendium of shocking reveals about how social media works and why we can’t stop consuming it. It’s socially addictive, for starters, and the algorithms tracking our every click ensure it stays that way.
It’s fascinating to see how social media works from the inside, how it preys upon human weakness and works overtime to inflame partisan divides.
Any casual Twitter user could tell you the same, but to see it broken down by the experts is eye-opening.
It’s a massive topic given social media’s tentacles in modern society, and the film only has 90 or so minutes to share its dire warnings. Yet a large chunk of that screen time is dedicated to a fictional family’s digital lifestyle. Professional actors like Skyler Gisondo (“Booksmart,” the “Vacation” remake) act out social media’s negative effects in clunky, oh, so obvious ways. Far better is seeing how Big Tech insiders struggle to keep their own families from staring at their smart phones for hours a day.
The fictional asides prove an atrocious creative decision, especially when we hunger for more hard data, more tools, to fight against social media overreach.
And it is a fight, one to protect our children, our families and, the movie alleges, our democracy, we&#8217;re told.
“The Social Dilemma” strains to be apolitical and mostly succeeds. Liberals should fear our digital overlords as much as rock-ribbed conservatives. Yet the film can’t help but tease themes from a progressive point of view.
Climate Change comes up frequently, and the documentary resurfaces the “Pizzagate” conspiracy, a favorite topic among liberals.
The film’s quiet biases are the most glaring during a foray into social media’s governmental powers. We’re told Facebook swayed an entire election and sent thousands of persecuted Muslims to flee their native Myanmar. Social media, we’re told, could do the same in other nations, even developed western cultures.
You know what’s coming next.
An ominous close up of Russian President Vladimir Putin, brought up in connection to America’s 2016 elections. “The Social Dilemma” slams on the brakes before it dons Hillary Clinton’s Tinfoil Hat, but the suggestions are both obvious and poorly defended.
The spectre of Fake News gets serious consideration here, with experts showing how it thrives on various platforms. It’s too much for any one documentary to connect those concerns with the Fake News churned out from The New York Times and other august news outlets, but their absence here is telling.
When the documentary shreds the “disinformation for profit” business model, it&#8217;s criminal not to name check CNN. It’s still notable how users of social media giants glom onto conspiracy theories and the people who adore them.
The solutions to our digital concerns, of course, aren’t easily found. The toothpaste is out of the proverbial tube, and it’s impossible to erase Twitter, Snapchat, and other platforms with the snap of our fingers.
Big government regulation is essential, we’re told, much like the old Ma Bell phone company eventually felt the government’s boot for our collective good. Again, this part of the film needs more structure, more detail.
“The Social Dilemma” is an important watch despite its glaring flaws. We all need to know what we’re up against when we carelessly scroll through the platforms.
“The Social Dilemma” ends with experts sharing small, but valuable, tips to take back control of your life. It suggests a cultural component missing from our lives, but one that’s sorely needed in our educational system.
Social Media 101: What to Do and What to Avoid in Your Online World.
Without it, parents and family members alike are on their own with only intriguing but also flawed documentaries like “The Social Dilemma” as their guide.
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-dem-director-shreds-immigration-narrative-targets-biden-in-new-doc">Dem Director Shreds Immigration Narrative, Targets Biden In New Doc</a>
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Social media

REVIEW: ‘The Social Dilemma’ Paints Scary Picture Of Platforms, Flirts With Left-Wing Conspiracies

Facebook

Instagram

Netflix

Twitter

We had plenty of suspicions about social media platforms long before “The Social Dilemma” dropped on Netflix. The streamer’s new documentary breaks down

REVIEW: ‘The Social Dilemma’ Paints Scary Picture Of Platforms, Flirts With Left-Wing Conspiracies | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/review-the-social-dilemma-paints-scary-picture-of-platforms-flirts-with-left-wing-conspiracies/

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Namrata Singh Gujral understood the media narrative regarding illegal immigration. Now, she knows the rest of the story. The actress turned director created “America’s Forgotten” after stumbling across the story of young Gurupreet Kaur, a 6-year-old Indian girl who died of heat stroke while attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.
The girl’s parents claimed they were &#8220;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-death-idUSKCN1TP2VN">desperate</a>&#8221; and had little choice but to bring her with them to America for a better life. Gujral wanted to find out for herself. She started digging into the girl’s story, eager for fresh details about the family and its desperate state.
That led her to investigate illegal immigration, the political rhetoric surrounding the subject and the motivations behind asylum seekers flooding America’s southern borders.
“America’s Forgotten” chronicles her educational journey, letting the victims of illegal immigration crime tell their heartbreaking stories. That alone is something few documentaries eagerly share.
We also learn how immigration “coyotes” leverage every tool at their disposal, including sound bites from Democrats, to coax immigrants to risk everything for American riches.
What better coyote sales pitch than seeing every Democratic presidential candidate vow free health care for illegals?
Gujral’s film examines Gurupreet’s family, a clan living in conditions that shocked the indie filmmaker. Instead of the impoverished hovel she expected to find she discovered a comfortable home in a modest neighborhood. It’s a far cry from the starving masses seen in India’s poorest neighborhoods.
“When you see how the majority of Indians live, these people are better than middle class,” she says of the girl’s family, adding the home in question featured marble floors.
Yet reporters covering the girl’s tragic death didn’t share the complete story behind the family’s economic status.
“That was my big moment,” she continues, adding one of the family members is a physician. “This is all a hoax.”
She turned her anger to the reporters who covered the case with a discernible lack of curiosity.
“How can you be a journalist and not even question any of it?” she asks, which led her to another thought.
“I have a daughter. I would not dream of [risking her life at the U.S. border], especially paying someone to cross a desert,” the director says.
“America’s Forgotten,” set for an Oct. 16 release at <a href="https://www.uniglobeentertainment.com/americas-forgotten">AmericasForgottenMovie.com</a> and potentially other outlets, required Gujral to pony up the production costs. She previously helmed several films and TV shows including “1 a Minute,” a documentary about breast cancer.
Gujral survived both breast and blood cancer.
Her usual film funders wouldn’t cut checks for “America’s Forgotten” due to the film’s content, she told Newsweek. One producer offered to help if she removed a scene depicting Biden in a negative light.
She refused.
Making “America’s Forgotten” gave Gujral a crash course in illegal immigration, like how it impacts federal funding for schools, health care and congressional representation.
Part of that discovery revealed that some illegal immigrants and asylum seekers weren’t as impoverished as we’re routinely led to believe. She also found liberal politicians benefiting from illegal immigration “as a tool to get votes.”
“There’s no way they didn’t know all of this &#8230; they’re either disregarding it or intentionally sweeping it under the carpet,” she says. Even their concern for poor immigrants separated at the border irked her.
“They don’t need to be there,” she says of many who find themselves in that harrowing plight.
Yes, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gets a close-up in the film.
Gujral has deep ties to the creative community, and she leaned on them to shoot “America’s Forgotten.” That process came with considerable caveats.
Nearly the entire crew asked her to leave their names out of the film’s credits for fear of career repercussions. Only one person didn’t make that request but decided to join the others after learning so many sought anonymity.
Gujral realized her film’s critical take on Democratic positions put a professional target on her back.
“I don’t think I have any friends in the industry that are voting for Trump,” she says, adding she harbors no ill will toward Biden.
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy. What irks me is my party is in bed with the lunacy of the far left,” she says.
That stance wasn’t enough to spare one long-term friendship.
Gujral says she reached out to a friendly neighbor, a well-known professional film editor, about working on the project. When the editor learned the film’s revelations it led to the end of their 20-year friendship.
Other professional connections similarly balked at the film’s findings.
“I can’t work on this movie … it’s too right-wing,” she recalls one artist telling her. “It’s the truth. That’s not right-wing. It’s the facts.”
Another person, an assistant she previously worked alongside, similarly balked at being part of “America’s Forgotten.” They ended up discussing the recent violent protests around Santa Monica. The assistant took part in those protests, he admitted, adding that looting and violence is “what you need to make your voice heard,” she recalls him saying.
“What were you protesting?” she asked.
“I’m protesting everything that’s wrong with America today,” he told her.
“You went to a private school &#8230; what have you done to correct everything you think that is wrong,” she asks. “Did you give any money to charities? Do you do anything with Veteran’s Affairs?&#8221;
Gujral says part of her mission with “America’s Forgotten” is to send a tough love message to her fellow Democrats.
“The Democrat Party has gone way left. Until people like me in the Democrat Party that are more American than Democrat stand up and speak out against it, America’s gonna be in a free fall, highjacked by extremism.”
That sentiment, delivered via her “America’s Forgotten” interview with Newsweek, didn’t go over well.
“You can’t imagine the hate mail I got,” she says. Others assailed the movie weeks before it becomes available based on that article.
“How can you call it the worst movie in the world? You haven’t even watched the movie,” she asks.
Gujral saw the recent debate between President Trump and Biden. The skirmish helped her decide which way to vote next month.
“I wasn’t gonna vote for Biden,” she admits. The more she thought about the debate, the more she realized she would pull the lever for President Trump Nov. 3.
Making “America’s Forgotten” didn’t erase the empathy she feels for immigrants seeking their own version of American dream. It did have another effect, though.
“I have lost empathy for the lies that create this situation,” Gujral says.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author&#8217;s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe"> member</a>.

MIgrant Caravan U.S. Border

EXCLUSIVE: Dem Director Shreds Immigration Narrative, Targets Biden In New Doc

2020 Election

Namrata Singh Gujral understood the media narrative regarding illegal immigration. Now, she knows the rest of the story. The actress turned director

EXCLUSIVE: Dem Director Shreds Immigration Narrative, Targets Biden In New Doc | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-dem-director-shreds-immigration-narrative-targets-biden-in-new-doc/

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The creator of Society-Reviews.com knows his commentary ruffles some feathers.
<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/society-reviews-letterboxd-bans-libertarian/">Jacob Smith is a libertarian</a>, and he views Hollywood product from a right-of-center prism. He’s also keen for as many people to read his reviews as possible, so he often double posts them on his website and the popular film destination <a href="https://letterboxd.com/">Letterboxd</a>.
That caused problems for him earlier this year when Letterboxd found his review of “Queen and Slim” problematic. The response was swift and punishing. The site’s moderators wiped his reviews from the platform.
All of them.
Smith, who is black, returned to the website, posting more reviews since the incident. This month, the site took issue with another of his critiques.
The newest incident involves “Unpregnant,” a pro-abortion road comedy starring Haley Lu Richardson. The HBO Max original follows her character as she unites with an unlikely ally (Barbie Ferreira) to get an abortion.
<a href="https://society-reviews.com/2020/09/10/unpregnant-review-a-celebration-of-late-stage-feminist-narcissism/">Smith smashed the film</a> in his official Society-Reviews.com article.
<blockquote>A film that solely exists as a response to the recent wave of ‘Heartbeat bills’ in Midwest and Southern states that ban abortion after the heartbeat of a child is detected.</blockquote>
The review technically recommends the movie, mostly because he says it reveals the truth about the pro-choice movement. Smith tried sharing it over at Letterboxd, but it didn’t live long on the site. Letterboxd “moderators” removed the review.
So Smith posted it again. The same thing happened.
Smith’s review is aggressive, no doubt. Many modern reviews take a similar approach, but from a liberal perspective.
HiT reached out to Smith for comment on the matter.
<blockquote>[The original review] got a lot of feedback and likes and then without warning, it was deleted by a mod. I reposted the exact same review two weeks later and that was taken down in a matter of days and no one had even commented on it. At first, I thought the lefty users reported my review into oblivion, but when it was deleted the second time with little interaction, it’s clear the mods are censoring any negative reviews of the movie to protect the agenda of abortion.
I then left a third and much more fiery review calling out the fact that they keep censoring my stuff.</blockquote>
For context, here is the official Letterboxd “<a href="https://letterboxd.com/about/frequent-questions/">About Us</a>” description.
<blockquote>Letterboxd is a global social network for grass-roots film discussion and discovery. Use it as a diary to record and share your opinion about films as you watch them, or just to keep track of films you’ve seen in the past. Showcase your favorites on your profile page. Rate, review and tag films as you add them. Find and follow your friends to see what they’re enjoying. Keep a watchlist of films you’d like to see, and create lists/collections on any given topic. We’ve been described as “like GoodReads for movies.”</blockquote>
The site reserves the right to remove content <a href="https://letterboxd.com/legal/community-policy/">it finds inappropriate</a>. The list reads like the standard woke agenda, although it doesn’t appear Smith was told why his review got deleted twice.
Letterboxd’s actions shouldn’t be considered surprising.
Conservative views are attacked, removed, and degraded across major social media platforms. Prager U, a conservative YouTube channel, routinely finds its squeaky clean content <a href="https://www.prageru.com/playlist/restricted-by-youtube/">labeled as “restricted” material</a>. Conservative stars like James Woods face serial Twitter scrutiny while <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/ellen-barkin-louis-c-k-raped-shot/">unhinged liberal actors like Ellen Barkin</a> face no punishment.
The pro-life movie “Unplanned” got <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/culture-war-google-labels-unplanned-as-propaganda/">temporarily suspended by Twitter</a> during the film’s opening weekend. Google dubbed the same film “propaganda” briefly before getting caught.
A new report by Real Clear Politics showed <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/09/20/google_pushes_conservative_news_sites_far_down_search_lists_144246.html">Google suppresses conservative news sites</a> like Breitbart News in its search results.
The digital realm isn’t kind to conservatives. Smith found that out the hard way once more.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

HBO Max

TOTO: Letterboxd Censors Review Panning Pro-Abortion Dramedy ‘Unpregnant’

Abortion

The newest incident involves “Unpregnant,” a pro-abortion road comedy starring Haley Lu Richardson.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-letterboxd-censors-review-panning-pro-abortion-dramedy-unpregnant/

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“The Comey Rule” likely wrapped production before COVID-19 shut down Hollywood along with the rest of the country. So it’s understandable that recent headlines surround the Russia collusion narrative, details that obliterate its remaining credibility, couldn’t make the final cut. Consider:
<ul>
<li>FBI agent: Never was evidence of Russia collusion but Mueller team had &#8220;<a href="https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/fbi-agent-never-was-evidence-russia-collusion-mueller">get Trump</a>&#8221; goal.</li>
<li>Flynn case bombshell: FBI analysts <a href="https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/flynn-case-bombshell-fbi-analysts-bought-insurance">bought insurance</a> fearing they’d be sued for misconduct.</li>
</ul>
What about The Mueller Report?
Remember the 2019 document that found no proof that President Donald Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election?
Not only is there zero mention of that historic investigation in the film or its final text, “The Comey Rule” suggests the 2020 election is already bought and paid for by Mother Russia on Trump’s behalf.
Like in 2016.
This isn’t Resistance Fan Fiction. It’s one of the most deeply dishonest productions in recent memory. It shouldn’t be banned or canceled, just mocked into oblivion.
The two-part event, airing Sept. 27 and 28 on Showtime, begins with the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s home-brewed email server. It’s a rote dramatization of recent history, something liberals blame for the former First Lady’s shocking electoral defeat … along with <a href="https://www.axios.com/16-things-hillary-clinton-blames-for-her-election-loss-1513305545-cf6505a6-76a8-49a0-989a-1be67190d4ed.html">Russia, Facebook ads, Fake News, sexism, and low information voters</a>.
That’s just a partial list from Hillary Clinton herself.
The meat of the miniseries, and the reason it exists in the first place, is to cover the dawn of the Russia collusion scandal. Or non-scandal, as we eventually found out.
Tell that to writer/director Billy Ray (“Shattered Glass”), who designed “The Comey Rule” as a cautionary tale voters must see before Election Day. There’s so much fiction, and obfuscation, here it’s hard to know where to begin.
Let’s start with Part 1, which focuses on then-FBI director James Comey’s unenviable task — investigating if Clinton broke the law by bypassing traditional email methods.
The miniseries opens with Stephen Colbert, of all people, asking his “Late Show” crowd if Comey (Jeff Daniels) was a good guy or a bad guy via a CBS clip.
The answer is obvious. The Left saw Comey as a monster for investigating Clinton in the first place, and his fangs grew longer after he re-opened said investigation mere weeks before the 2016 election.
Once Comey took on Trump, though, he became a Resistance hero. All was forgiven, and then some. Now, he has the miniseries to prove it. “The Comey Rule” is first and foremost a love letter to Comey, a public figure who avoided partisanship at all costs, we’re told, because he loves his country so very, very much.
This is the same Comey who <a href="https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/05/10/hollywoods-heroic-comey-story-collapses/">happily told MSNBC</a> — in 2018 — how he ignored standard protocols while interviewing Gen. Michael Flynn. The same Comey-led FBI which tried to “get [Flynn] to lie” in order to “prosecute him or get him fired.”
As a protagonist he’s a dud, especially with Daniels playing him as a cocktail of arrogance and pained acceptance. D.C. just wouldn’t adhere to his all-American excellence, letting him down time and again.
And that’s before a brash real estate mogul enters the frame.
Part 1 sets up the key players, including Sally Yates (Holly Hunter in full superheroine mode), <a href="https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/commentary/andrew-mccabe-lied-so-will-the-fbi-apply-the-same-rules-against-him-it">under oath liar</a> Andy McCabe (Michael Kelly), <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/theaters-fbi-lovebirds-violence-free-speech/">Lisa Page (Oona Chaplin), and Peter Strzok (Steven Pasquale).</a> They must figure out if Clinton knowingly broke the law or directed her team to mass delete her (yoga) emails.
In between, we see glimpses of the upcoming Part 2, including shots of two wily Russian agents discussing how to sabotage Clinton’s presidential dreams.
“Ever spend much time on Facebook?” one asks the other, even though the <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/06/facebook-ads-russia-linked-accounts-242401">Russian spend</a> on that platform was microscopic at best.
The first installment also introduces us to the Comey couple, their moments accompanied by tinkly, treacly music. Mrs. Comey (Jennifer Ehle) is on Team Clinton or Bust, and she’s aghast that her husband could hurt Clinton’s presidential hopes.
The Comey kids are equally appalled at Daddy’s work. He feels their pain, but he must do his job, his set jaw all but screams.
Not all heroes wear capes.
We already know Team Comey didn’t indict Clinton regarding the email imbroglio, so there’s little dramatic tension to be found during the first part of the miniseries. So we’re left watching Comey and his team meticulously craft their public statement on the matter, about as interesting as watching CSPAN with the sound turned off.
All along, the miniseries message is clear. Comey is Above Reproach and every FBI agent, even if they have personal views, is Apolitical to the Core.
And, of course, that Comey abhors leaks … unless <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/29/politics/james-comey-ig-report/index.html">he’s the one doing the leaking</a>.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dc8XsWQMcs8" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen">﻿</iframe>
It’s more about setting the stage for part 2 and Brendan Gleeson’s entrance as the country’s 45th president. That means framing the Steele Dossier, as discredited as any document in recent memory, as coming from a “highly credible source.”
Well, that <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/518138-steele-dossier-sub-source-was-subject-of-fbi-counterintelligence-probe">statement got incinerated this week</a>. Again.
In “The Comey Rule,” the dossier offered a “plausible working theory,” the miniseries alleges. The Mueller Report <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/mueller-report-dismisses-many-steele-dossier-claims-11555710147">shredded much of it last year</a>, well before “The Comey Rule” went into production.
Ray marches on, oblivious to those facts. He also finds screen time to protect Strzok and Page, notorious for referring to an “insurance policy” against a Trump presidency. The miniseries downplays that statement, making it sound innocent.
“We’ll stop him,” he tells Page.
“‘We’ as in the bureau?” she asks him.
“‘We’ as in the public,’” he answers.
Oh.
Part 2 features Gleeson’s Trump, and it’s exactly the performance you expect, well detailed but conventional. Ray gives us the version of Trump we see on the news, minus the humor and street smarts. In short, it’s a caricature.
Then again, so are the other members of Trump’s team. The FBI agents and various government types are depicted in “The Comey Rule” as smart, considerate, and well mannered.
Not Gen. Michael Flynn (Williams Sadler). He’s a buffoon, at one point shown eating food with his hands. That’s a classic trope to demean a character. Later, Trump wolfs down ice cream like it’s his last meal. Again, no accident.
Everyone on Team Trump looks like they’re starring in another movie, a dark comedy perhaps, instead of a serious dramatization.
President Trump’s election day victory, the FBI warns, means an uptick in hate crimes. <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/columnists/nolan-finley/2019/04/07/finley-americas-hate-crime-surge-hoax/3374192002/">AKA a hoax.</a> So why include it?
We’re told President-Elect Trump is unwilling to criticize Putin, as if “coercive pressure is being applied.” James Clapper (“Breaking Bad” alum Jonathan Banks) goes one step further, saying Russia elected Trump and they’re happy to do it again in 2020.
“They have no real incentive to stop,” he notes.
The miniseries also says the Russians hacked both the DNC and RNC but only released info from the former. Yet that’s not true,<a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2017/jan/11/donald-trump/trump-says-russians-were-unable-hack-republican-na/"> even the liberal Politifact declared</a>. Then again, the lies of omission found in “The Comey Rule” comprise a far greater stack, one visible from space.
See Report, Mueller, for starters.
By now Gleeson’s Trump is like Michael Meyers and Hannibal Lecter combined, so we get ominous music accompanying him. Even more fear-driven? When Comey walks toward Trump we get the dreaded “slo-mo” camera work, as if he’s walking up to a lion, or other feral predator.
This is beneath Ray, who last year penned the brilliant “<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/richard-jewell-review/">Richard Jewell</a>.” That movie excoriated Fake News and dishonest media narratives.
His “Comey Rule” marinates in both.
Is President Trump a bull in a Beltway China shop? Of course. Is his manner often rude and unpresidential? Absolutely. Did The Mueller Report reveal behavior beneath the dignity of the office? At times, yes.
It still didn’t give Democrats a shred of material with which they could impeach President Trump. That seems important.
“The Comey Rule” emits that suffocating air of Re-Enactment Theatre, where new characters have their names flashed on the screen and there’s little time for creative interpretation or, dare we say, art.
It’s all exposition, stripping Ray of his better tools. He escapes the trap a time or two, adding personal elements when he can squeeze them in. Perhaps a better format for this would be a longer miniseries where the “factual” data points could give way to richer character development and unrelated sub-plots.
As is, “The Comey Rule” features cutesy call backs and so much chest puffing it’s like a WWE match on steroids.
Even the far-left Rolling Stone <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/horowitz-report-steele-dossier-collusion-news-media-924944/">shattered the Russian collusion story</a> in Dec. 2019, weeks after production started on “The Comey Rule.” That meant Team Showtime had months, and months, to update its narrative and chose not to do so.
Of course, the miniseries wraps with both somber images of the nation’s capital and Ray Charles’ version of “America the Beautiful.”
Only in America can an absurd, factually deficient project like “The Comey Rule” make it to an august channel without fear of government reprisal.
What a country.
What a crock “The Comey Rule” is.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

James Comey

TOTO: Showtime’s ‘Comey Rule’ Gaslights On Trump-Russia, Ignores Crucial Facts

Christopher Steele

Media Bias

Russia

“The Comey Rule” likely wrapped production before COVID-19 shut down Hollywood along with the rest of the country. So it’s understandable that recent

TOTO: Showtime’s ‘Comey Rule’ Gaslights On Trump-Russia, Ignores Crucial Facts | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/toto-showtimes-comey-rule-brings-gaslighting-to-a-new-frightening-level/

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Joe Rogan got more than a reported $100 million payday in his epic Spotify deal earlier this year. The comic turned podcaster inherited the Cancel Culture crusade, and it’s flaring up on him months before he officially segues to Spotify full time.
The “NewsRadio” alum burnished his podcasting bona fides by talking to everyone about, well, everything. He cracked wise with conspiracy hurler Alex Jones, talked policy with former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and chatted up any number of MMA stars.
Along the way Rogan’s audience learned to trust him in a way that isn’t easy to accomplish. Conservatives, in particular, cheered his pro-free speech approach even if he wouldn’t go near a MAGA hat. Rogan appears left-of-center in several ways, going so far as to endorse Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders earlier this year. Rogan’s common-sense attitude, and his lust for hunting and MMA, made him both refreshing and fearless.
He’s the furthest thing from a “snowflake,” and that’s catnip to Red State USA.
Those qualities, along with an unwillingness to support trans female athletes competing against other women, also put a target on his back for the social justice mob. That group grumbled when Rogan endorsed Sanders, but that was but a warm-up act.
Now, they’re demanding Rogan change his ways … or else.
The trouble began with news reports of tensions within Team Spotify after parts of Rogan’s back catalogue joined the company’s lineup. Spotify workers held 10 separates meetings with CEO Daniel Ek <a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xg8jq4/spotify-joe-rogan-transphobic">expressing concerns about their new hire.</a>
Some staff inside the company feel alienated by Spotify&#8217;s hosting of certain The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) episodes, according to copies of some of the questions presented to the meeting obtained by Motherboard….
One of the submitted questions was &#8220;Many LGBTQAI+/ally Spotifiers feel unwelcome and alienated because of leadership&#8217;s response in JRE conversations. What is your message to those employees?&#8221; Another was “Why has Spotify chosen to ignore Spectrum ERG&#8217;s guidance about transphobic content in the JRE catalog?”, referring to a group of Spotify workers who focus on related issues.
Far left activists also loathe Rogan for “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-09-16/caitlyn-jenner-joe-rogan-kardashians">deadnaming</a>” Caitlyn Jenner and poking fun at the former Olympian&#8217;s family’s public squabbles, joking it factored into the gender transition.
So far, Ek has Rogan’s back. The pressure increased this week, though, with Spotify employees threatening <a href="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/09/22/joe-rogan-spotify-strike/">a walk out or even a strike</a> unless they have control over the podcast’s content.
That would include the ability to directly edit or remove sections of upcoming interviews, or block the uploading of episodes deemed problematic. The employees also demanded the ability to add trigger warnings, corrections, and references to fact-checked articles on topics discussed by Rogan in the course of his multi-hour discussions.
The potential strike, according to Digital Music News, would feature N.Y.-based Spotify employees, at first, and include protests in front of the company’s Manhattan headquarters. The complaints would spread from there to include media outreach and alliances with like-minded activists.
The media isn’t doing Rogan many favors in the current fight.
Vice called Rogan “<a href="https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xg8jq4/spotify-joe-rogan-transphobic">transphobic</a>” in a headline about the podcaster’s Spotify battle. The same reporters who rallied to protect Netflix’s “Cuties” from its legion of legitimate critics haven’t rushed to defend Rogan’s free speech.
And they likely won’t.
Rogan appears to be staying quiet on the matter, letting the in-fighting take place behind the scenes. It may be the best approach, allowing Ek defend his high-profile hire.
As he should. Little of Rogan’s brand was a secret prior to Spotify forking over millions to host his podcast.
Should Spotify bow to the mob it will be a blow to more than Rogan’s considerable empire. If woke Millennials can make a massive company like Spotify bend to their will, few cultural voices are safe.
That ending would also reinforce a lesson Jason Whitlock of Outkick fame shares regarding the current media climate.
Truly independent thinkers in the Rogan mold are better off creating their own platforms instead of assuming corporate behemoths will let them speak their minds, Whitlock says.
It’s why Adam Carolla remains the captain of his self-described “pirate ship” even while his former creative partner, Jimmy Kimmel, rose higher up the corporate ladder via ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmy Live.”
Then again, Kimmel was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pathetic-jimmy-kimmel-repeatedly-yells-black-lives-matter-as-actor-demands-during-bizarre-emmys-segment">forced to shout “Black Lives Matter!”</a> over and again while hosting this year’s Emmy’s telecast.
Did Kimmel really have any choice in the matter?
More from Christian Toto: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-9-new-hard-hitting-conservative-documentaries-you-must-watch">9 New Hard-Hitting Conservative Documentaries You Must Watch</a>
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Joe Rogan

TOTO: Joe Rogan vs. Spotify: Cancel Culture’s Last Stand?

Cancel culture

Joe Rogan got more than a reported $100 million payday in his epic Spotify deal earlier this year. The comic turned podcaster inherited the Cancel Culture

TOTO: Joe Rogan vs. Spotify: Cancel Culture’s Last Stand? | The Daily Wire

https://editorial.dailywire.com/news/toto-joe-rogan-and-spotify-cancel-cultures-last-stand/

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It’s no secret that conservatives are losing to progressives in the pop culture footrace. Think the classic “Tortoise and the Hare” story just after the starter’s pistol fires. Conservatives are the tortoise in this example, of course.
The future looks grim, despite efforts by Nick Searcy and Antonio Sabato, Jr. to jump-start right-leaning film studios. The documentary genre, however, offers a glimmer of hope.
For years, right-leaning filmmakers cranked out documentaries, often struggling to compete with their deeper-pocketed peers. Eight years ago, the shocking success of “2016: Obama’s America” changed that, offering robust box office results and solid production values. Others then followed, often courtesy of “2016’s” unlikely star, Dinesh D’Souza.
Thanks to new digital platforms, inexpensive technology, and conservatives finally realizing the power of visual media, the landscape is now different. Last year’s “No Safe Spaces,” paying close attention to the finer details, delivered a cautionary tale that came true all too quickly. 
Production values. Visual appeal. Storytelling snap. And it’s only the beginning. Here’s a list of recent or soon-to-be-released documentaries that speak to a right-of-center perspective.
1. “What Killed Michael Brown?” (Oct. 16)
The film’s title alone is provocative, and the vantage point similarly throws sharp elbows. Author Shelby Steele narrates this withering look at how American culture turned the death of a Missouri black man into a nationwide scandal, bending the truth beyond recognition in the process.
The author’s son, filmmaker Eli Steele of “How Jack Became Black” fame, directs this timely look at how race relations, power, and media malfeasance can create a tragic narrative.
That trend repeated itself six years later with the death of George Floyd, which the film ties into the larger narrative about black victimhood and identity politics.
<iframe title="What Killed Michael Brown? (Official trailer)" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZIbAI1vEl-E?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
2. “The Plot Against the President” (Oct. 1)
If the name Amanda Milius sounds familiar, it should. She’s the daughter of maverick filmmaker John Milius, the right-leaning auteur who wrote “Apocalypse Now” and brought “Red Dawn” to the big screen.
“The Plot Against The President,” based on the book of the same name by Lee Smith, captures the “Deep State’s” effort to upend Donald Trump’s presidency. It’s an ambitious first feature for any director, but Milius grew up on movie sets and studied filmmaking at the University of Southern California before segueing to a career inside the Beltway. Now, she’s back behind a camera for a film sure to ruffle feathers.
The film arrives mere days after “The Comey Rule,” the Showtime miniseries based on the now-discredited Russian Collusion narrative.
<iframe title="The Plot Against The President - Official Trailer #1 - Coming Oct 2020" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mqTu_Btkr08?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
3. “America’s Forgotten” (Oct. 16)
This sudden entry, call it the right’s October Surprise, may be the most subversive of them all.
Left-leaning filmmaker Namrata Singh Gujral delivers a movie so explosive the film’s cast worked without recognition for fear of reprisal. Is that the truth, or simply a killer marketing gimmick? Given our age of cancel culture, anything is possible.
The documentary, on paper, could be revolutionary. At a time when the majority of Hollywood stories <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/open-borders-hollywood-immigration/">favor open border policies</a>, “<a href="https://www.uniglobeentertainment.com/americas-forgotten">America’s Forgotten</a>” suggests the folly of the immigration status quo.
The film’s tag line hints at the film’s content: “A broken immigration system leaves a slew of victims in its rudderless wake.”
Here’s one example: The film shows all of the Democratic presidential hopefuls vowing to let illegal immigration flourish, followed by a clip of a coyote showing that very clip to coax Mexicans to illegally cross the border.
Need another? How about heartbreaking stories of people killed by illegal immigrants, a narrative the mainstream media won’t touch?
<div id="attachment_95161" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-95161" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-95161" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/mex-2.jpg" alt="CAMPO, CA - OCTOBER 08: A U.S. flag put up by activists who oppose illegal immigration flies near the US-Mexico border fence in an area where they search for border crossers October 8, 2006 near Campo, California. The activists want the fence expanded into a fully-lit double-fenced barrier between the US (R) and Mexico. US Fish and Wildlife Service wardens and environmentalists warn that a proposed plan by US lawmakers to construct 700 miles of double fencing along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border, in an attempt to wall-out illegal immigrants, would also harm rare wildlife. Wildlife experts say cactus-pollinating insects would fly around fence lights, birds that migrate by starlight in the desert wilderness would be confused, and large mammals such as jaguars, Mexican wolves, Sonoran pronghorn antelope, and desert bighorn sheep would be blocked from migrating across the international border, from California to Texas. (Photo by" width="850" height="414" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/03/mex-2.jpg 1012w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/03/mex-2-300x146.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/03/mex-2-768x374.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />David McNew/Getty Images</div>
4. “Trump Card” (Oct. 9)
It wouldn’t be a political season without a button-pushing film from D’Souza. His latest, “Trump Card,” exposes the modern Democratic party&#8217;s socialist agenda.
D’Souza follows a similar formula to past hits like “Hillary’s America” and “Death of a Nation.” His docudrama approach, with a dash of Michael Moore, finds the author/filmmaker using his personal biography to shed light on the modern political scene.
His socialist critiques couldn’t come at a more critical time.
<iframe title="Trump Card (2020) Trailer | Documentary | Dinesh D&#039;Souza, Bruce Schooley" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h_jhLBnKCkE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
5. “Man in the Arena”
Hollywood took not one, not two, but three whacks at Fox News via its founder, Roger Ailes: “Bombshell,” “The Loudest Voice” and “Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes.”
“Arena” offers a more positive perspective, and one which adds context often missing from Ailes’ cinematic story. The documentary examines Ailes’ formative years, his alliances with key Republican figures, and the dawn of his greatest achievement, Fox News.
The filmmaking here is first rate, another sign that liberal documentarians don’t have a monopoly on the genre. The documentary soft pedals the severity of the sexual abuse allegations against the late Ailes, but otherwise it’s a vital, necessary documentary buoyed by narration from Jon Voight.
<iframe title="Man in the Arena Film Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2r0l33k2HG0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
6. “Uncle Tom”
Larry Elder may be the last person you want to square off against in a debate. Now, the syndicated talker is turning his agile mind to the documentary format, with startling results.
“Uncle Tom” lets black conservatives share the ugly names they’re called for loving smaller government and greater freedoms. That’s just the introductory material. The meat of the story is getting to know this group of brave, savvy conservatives who just happen to be black.
The film also admonishes the Republican party for not trying harder to reach out to black America &#8212; a hard position to deny.
<iframe title="Uncle Tom - Official Trailer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QVLj-zARCv8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
7. “Bad Decision: The Joe Biden Story” 
Veteran film producer Jason Killian Meath examines Biden’s litany of lousy decisions. He’s been famously called “wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades” by <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/05/13/gates_stands_by_statement_that_biden_has_been_wrong_on_nearly_every_major_foreign_policy_question.html">President Obama’s defense secretary Robert Gates.</a>
“Bad Decisions” digs deeper, looking into Biden’s shady Ukraine and China dealings, as well as the wealth he accumulated along the way.
The documentary, available on Newsmax, also explores how the former moderate aligned himself with his party’s more radical elements.
Meath’s resume, which includes “Citizen Carly,” “The Surge: The Untold Story,” and “Rocky Mountain Heist” make him an elder statesman, of sorts, within the conservative documentary field.
<div id="attachment_144426" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-144426" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-144426" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GettyImages-1228287445-856x576.jpg" alt="Democratic presidential nominee former US Vice President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Mill 19 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 31, 2020." width="850" height="572" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/GettyImages-1228287445-856x576.jpg 856w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/GettyImages-1228287445-300x202.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/GettyImages-1228287445-768x517.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/GettyImages-1228287445.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images</div>
8. “Chaos by the Bay: The Truth About Homelessness in San Francisco”
Writer-turned-filmmaker Christopher F. Rufo shared his withering, 10-minute short on San Francisco’s public decline via YouTube. The mini-doc, which generated more than 200,000 views in less than two months, indicts city officials for letting the homelessness in San Francisco spiral out of control.
Astute news readers know all about the San Francisco “poop” maps and other acute signs of societal unrest. “Chaos” looks beyond those frightening headlines, letting the facts paint a disturbing picture media outlets tip toe around.
<iframe title="Chaos by the Bay: The Truth About Homelessness in San Francisco" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uw8MACDZ3RI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
9. “Denver in Decay”
Colorado talk show host and filmmaker Steffan Tubbs leaned on crowdfunding to bring this feisty film to life, drawing more than 67,000 YouTube views in roughly a week. The documentary’s bigger success is rooted in capturing both the intractable homeless problem in the Mile High City along with the violent protests following George Floyd’s death.
Those two toxic trends joined forces to leave the beautiful city a shadow of its former self. Tubbs has the political receipts to show why.
<iframe title="DENVER IN DECAY / DOCUMENTARY FILM 4K" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nAbF2bKo2Fs?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Adam Carolla

TOTO: 9 New Hard-Hitting Conservative Documentaries You Must Watch

Dennis Prager

Dinesh D’Souza

documentary

Larry Elder

It’s no secret that conservatives are losing to progressives in the pop culture footrace. Think the classic “Tortoise and the Hare” story just after the

TOTO: 9 New Hard-Hitting Conservative Documentaries You Must Watch | The Daily Wire

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Most movie directors toil in relative obscurity. Quick, who directed the last “Fast &amp; Furious” film? What about “Bad Boys for Life,” “The Invisible Man” or “Sonic the Hedgehog&#8221;?
An elite group of directors, by comparison, became household names for their big screen accomplishments. Spielberg. Tarantino. Scorsese. Nolan.
There’s another group of auteurs, though, who routinely draw critical praise for their handiwork. Some of said praise is both over the top and unjustified.
The following five directors meet that criteria. Yes, they’ve delivered some outstanding films, but they remain overrated for the reasons shared below.
Spike Lee
The New York Knicks fanatic made one great film – 1989’s “Do the Right Thing.” It’s been downhill ever since, and at times the drop is so steep even X-Games athletes fear it.
Making “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus” alone should be enough to merit inclusion on this list, but Lee’s cinematic overreach extends beyond that epic clunker.
Lee is far better at stirring the cultural pot than making memorable films. The buzz around “Jungle Fever” lapped the actual story. The same proved true with “Bamboozled”
Lee rebounded with “Inside Man,” a crackerjack thriller with zero political connections. He could have stayed in that lane, but the lure of “sending a message” proved impossible to resist. That’s given us dreck like “Chi-Raq,” an op-ed gussied up as a feature film.
<iframe title="Inside Man Official Trailer #1 - Christopher Plummer Movie (2006) HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FSH-dbbiroI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Many of Lee’s films came and went without movie goers noticing. Think “Oldboy,” “Red Hook Summer” and “The Miracle of St. Anna” to name a few.
Still, Lee exhumes his fallen career every decade or so to keep his brand alive. He did just that with 2018’s “BlacKkKlansman,” a great title for a solid film with a morally reprehensible finale. See, “<a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/08/10/prager_u_steve_cortes_the_charlottesville_lie.html">Lie, Charlottesville</a>v” for the answer why.
It’s understandable why Lee still generates excitement. Every time we want to count him out he rewards our patience. And his unusual rhythms and willingness to take chances – consider his atypical but often bracing soundtracks – suggest we wait out his next rebound.
Fine. Just know he’s not a great director. He’s an artist who will never reach the potential he teased with his 1989 classic.
<div id="attachment_149546" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149546" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-149546" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Spike-Lee.jpg" alt="Spike Lee walks the red carpet ahead of the &quot;American Skin&quot; screening during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Sala Giardino on September 01, 2019 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)" width="850" height="470" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Spike-Lee.jpg 947w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Spike-Lee-300x166.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Spike-Lee-768x425.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />Tristan Fewings/Getty Images</div>
Tim Burton
The wild-haired auteur struck pop culture gold via “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.” The comic romp proved the perfect marriage between a man-child performer and Burton’s child-like vision.
A directorial star was born.
Burton hit the zeitgeist early and often at the time, even when his films didn’t live up to the hype. Case in point: “Beetlejuice,” powered by Michael Keaton’s uncorked energy more than anything else.
<div id="attachment_149731" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149731" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-149731" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Tim-Burton.jpg" alt="Filmmaker, artist, writer, animator Tim Burton during a press conference about his exhibition “Lost Vegas: Tim Burton @ The Neon Museum on October 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/WireImage)" width="850" height="482" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Tim-Burton.jpg 926w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Tim-Burton-300x170.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Tim-Burton-768x435.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />Denise Truscello/WireImage via Getty Images</div>
Burton’s “Batman” proved a game changer, and he certainly deserves kudos for bringing a respectable Bat to the big screen. “Edward Scissorhands” served up a slab of surreal whimsy and solid storytelling. It’s the latter that repeatedly proves his undoing.
Fumbles like “Planet of the Apes,” “Dark Shadows” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” proved he couldn’t be trusted to revive other existing properties.
“Big Fish” and “Big Eyes” showed Burton maturing, ever so slightly, but the emphasis remained on the word, “slight.”
His “Alice in Wonderland” raked in the cash, but does anyone dare to watch it again?
Burton’s films offer visual banquets where the story and characters often race to catch up, with little success.
Ridley Scott
The prolific director deserves our eternal respect for delivering the greatest science fiction film of the modern era – 1979’s “Alien.” Scott also directed both “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator,” films entrenched in pop culture lore for good reason.
And then there’s the rest of his scattershot resume. “The Counselor,” “1492: Conquest of Paradise,” “Alien: Covenant,” “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “White Squall,” “G.I. Jane,” “Body of Lies,” “Robin Hood” and “A Good Year.”
None of those films are unwatchable. Most, if not all, proved forgettable.
<iframe title="The Martian Official Trailer #2 (2015) - Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain Movie HD" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ErkgC-8BfnE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Like Lee, Scott occasionally uncorks a success story, be it the overrated “Thelma &amp; Louise” or the justly lauded “Black Hawk Down.” Still, the mediocrities are plentiful, and Scott often leaves us without a true visual calling card.
Burton’s films, for all their flaws, look like they sprang from his unique imagination. Scott’s body of work is more generic, less distinct in its presentation.
Scott’s 2015 smash “The Martian” reminded us how surefooted he could be delivering a space-based yarn. Yet his recent “Alien” projects couldn’t recapture the glory of his initial vision.
John Carpenter
“Halloween” changed horror (mostly) for the better, and genre fans have Carpenter to thank for it. His 1978 classic offered up a timeless monster, a perfect horror movie score and scares that haven’t aged a day.
It’s not his fault that so many predecessors delivered weak imitations of the Michael Meyers formula.
“Halloween” cemented his reputation, and he’s been basking in its glow ever since.
Carpenter peaked in 1982 with “The Thing,” coasted through the Reagan era thanks to “Starman,” “Christine” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” Then spent the next 30 years diminishing his screen legacy.
“They Live” is junk, even if it’s been revived as a “so bad it’s good’ cult classic. It’s still superior to subsequent Carpenter dreck, including “Prince of Darkness,” “Village of the Damned,” “Escape from L.A.” and “Ghosts of Mars.”
<iframe title="Ghosts of Mars (2001) Official Trailer 1 - Ice Cube Movie" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XbmFwk8n0f0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Zack Snyder
The comic book favorite wouldn’t merit inclusion here save for three simple words: “The Snyder Cut.”
Comic-Con types have been salivating for the “Justice League” Snyder Cut ever since the film hit theaters to modest fan reactions.
Just wait! There’s a Snyder cut and it’s gonna be awesome, the online SnyderNation cried. Why would anyone think that based on his iffy resume?
Snyder jumped from music videos to feature films courtesy of 2004’s “Dawn of the Dead” remake, which proved both unnecessary and surprisingly solid. He followed it up with “300,” a film which appealed to conservative audiences but served up little more than an unusually bruising canvas.
<div id="attachment_146684" style="width: 860px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-146684" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-146684" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Batman-vs-Superman.jpg" alt="A poster from the upcoming movie &quot;Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice&quot; are displayed during the Licensing Expo 2015 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on June 9, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)" width="850" height="428" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Batman-vs-Superman.jpg 940w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Batman-vs-Superman-300x151.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Batman-vs-Superman-768x386.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px" />Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images</div>
His take on “Watchmen” didn’t dazzle, nor did it co-opt the culture’s growing superhero hunger. His take on Superman, “Man of Steel,” similarly underwhelmed mostly due to a CGI-heavy third act.
When Pa Kent (Kevin Costner) is the best part of your comic book movie there’s a problem.
Snyder steered the DC Extended Universe into a pop culture ditch thanks to “Steel” and the generic “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” while competing Marvel movies raked in cash and critical huzzahs.
We’ll offer up a mea culpa should HBO Max’s Snyder Cut version of “Justice League” merit a fraction of the hype. Here’s betting that’s a fool’s errand given the director’s previous works.
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Oscar

Sorry, Film Nation: Meet 5 Overrated Film Directors

Most movie directors toil in relative obscurity. Quick, who directed the last “Fast &amp; Furious” film? What about “Bad Boys for Life,” “The Invisible

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Critics love “Cuties,” the Netflix movie showcasing 11-year-old girls gyrating in skimpy outfits while striking provocative poses for the crowd and, by extension, the viewer. The same critical community loathes “Run Hide Fight,” the upcoming thriller about a smart, empowered female student who rescues her peers from a school shooter while plotting the best way to take out the threat.
Confused? You’re probably not alone.
Movie critics began fawning over “Cuties,” a French film recently added to Netflix’s streaming lineup, at January’s Sundance Film Festival. Those raves likely convinced Team Netflix to buy the film’s rights and share it with subscribers.
The film even nabbed an award during that festival appearance.
So no one, including Team Netflix, were prepared when average citizens recoiled at the film’s absurdly inappropriate ad campaign featuring scantily clad children striking erotic poses.
Netflix, to its credit, recalled it immediately … without sharing how an absurdly inappropriate ad campaign featuring sexualized 11-year-olds got the green light in the first place. Reporters similarly lacked an ounce of curiosity on the subject.
Film scribes quickly ran defense for “Cuties,” admitting through clenched teeth that the Netflix poster was absurdly inappropriate but hardly reflective of the movie itself.
Good point. Let the movie speak for itself.
When viewers got a gander at “Cuties” the outrage meter hit 11, in grand “This Is Spinal Tap” fashion.
The critical community held its ground, again. Journalists sided with them, mocking and or attacking anyone offended by the film’s visuals. The same visuals, for what it’s worth, which alarmed CAIR (along with the film’s critical depiction of Islam).
“Cuties” is Netflix’s must-see coming of age drama that, as one outlet put it, spotlights “<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/cuties-netflix-reviewa-provocative-powder-keg-age-terrified/">child sexuality</a>.”
It’s about time, amirite…? (snort)
The same critical community suggests “Run Hide Fight” should never have been made in the first place.
The upcoming film sports a tough premise, no doubt. We’ve already seen serious, sober films explore fictional school shootings. The 2003 movie “Elephant” rushes to mind. So does 2018’s “Vox Lux.”
“Run Hide Fight” is different.
It’s an action film that gives one student, capably played by Isabel May, a chance to fight back.
That’s different. Fresh. Provocative. It also plays into the narrative some on the right embrace regarding armed teachers. Even worse for left-leaning critics? Our protagonist, and her father, are avid hunters.
It’s no secret that school shootings are an incredibly challenging subject, but we routinely watch films tackling themes that are similarly nightmarish — and reality based. Kidnapping movies. Hit man films. Gangster tales. Suicide stories.
Name a tragedy, even 9/11, and Hollywood has turned it into a motion picture, often with formulaic action and dramatic beats attached.
“Run Hide Fight,” to this critic’s eyes, is mostly a success. May is a plucky, believable heroine. The film’s teen angst feels raw and real. There’s violence and blood, but the film doesn’t give way to grindhouse theatrics.
It moves swiftly, suggests larger themes without lectures.
Most of all, a film critic can think a particular subject isn’t his or her preferred narrative while evaluating the film on a dramatic level.
School shootings leave us feeling shaken, vulnerable. Some film genres, like vigilante movies, actively address that. Catharsis is a palpable part of the film-going experience.
The early critical reaction to “Run Hide Fight,” gleaned from its Venice Film Festival appearance, proved the opposite of “Cuties.”
The film had a zero percent “rotten” rating before this critic added his two cinematic cents.
The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/run-hide-fight-film-review-venice-2020">admits the film is well constructed</a> … but pans it anyway.
<blockquote>What&#8217;s most notable about Kyle Rankin&#8217;s slick and compulsively watchable genre entry Run Hide Fight is the utter shallowness of its psychological perspective.</blockquote>
It’s an action movie, for what it’s worth.
<blockquote>You have to wonder if anyone spoke up during the pitch meeting to suggest this might be in questionable taste.</blockquote>
How many film critics said the same about the dance sequence from “Cuties?”
The critic says the quiet part out loud next.
<blockquote>But given the sensitivity around mass shootings in this country, and the obstinate refusal of the NRA or its political apologists to accept even a degree of responsibility, it seems naïve to think this wouldn’t play as trivializing exploitation.</blockquote>
So, if the film included a few anti-NRA rants would the reviewer’s thumb go from south to north, a la Roger Ebert?
What about all the woke critics itching for strong, fully realized female characters in feature films? “Run Hide Fight” checks all those boxes. Too bad May’s character doesn’t twerk during the melee.
<a href="https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/run-hide-fight-venice-review/5153050.article">ScreenDaily.com suggests</a> the movie never should have been made. Yes, we need bowling-style bumpers for artistic endeavors.
<blockquote>Just because we have all become used to school shootings as an established feature of North American life, that doesn’t mean that the world is yet ready to see the theme used as the basis of genre entertainment – and perhaps it never should be.</blockquote>
Oh.
The critic also admits the film is good, darn it, before shaming anyone who might actually line up to see it.
<blockquote>It’s undeniably polished and energetic, and features a couple of strong performances from young stars Isabel May and Eli Brown – but it feels fundamentally tasteless, indeed just plain wrong. Unfortunately, it will probably do extremely well at the box office.</blockquote>
Those same judgments went AWOL during the “Cuties” review circuit, though.
The ScreenDaily critic similarly says the quiet part out loud. The movie sends the “wrong” message.
<blockquote>It also suggests that a weapon in the hands of an upstanding concerned citizen – for which read ‘vigilante’ – can be altogether laudable. And in this tinderbox year in American history, that is a very worrying suggestion indeed.</blockquote>
Yes, heaven forbid an armed hero squared off against a school shooter and end the madness before more people get hurt.
A critic has every right to cling to that belief, of course. It’s another matter when he or she slams a movie for sharing it, as if only one opinion is fundamentally correct. Does it matter that roughly half the readership agrees with the film’s argument?
Indeed it does.
Many consumers recoiled after seeing “Cuties,” ignoring the film’s creative worth. Movie critics looked past those flaws to rave about the film, all the while savaging “Run Hide Fight” for being a tasteless genre exercise while praising it as a feature film.
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TOTO: ‘Exploitation’ Bias: Critics’ Double Standard Exposed In Response To New Controversial Films

Critics love “Cuties,” the Netflix movie showcasing 11-year-old girls gyrating in skimpy outfits while striking provocative poses for the crowd and, by

TOTO: ‘Exploitation’ Bias: Critics’ Double Standard Exposed In Response To New Controversial Films | The Daily Wire

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Jimmy Fallon had little choice but to grovel for forgiveness after his comedy sin got exposed earlier this year. Twenty years ago, the “Tonight Show” star darkened his skin to enhance his impression of black comedian Chris Rock.
The act was innocent at the time, part of a larger comic meme where white performers used makeup to appear black. Few, if any, people howled in protest at the time, and the practice was commonplace. The culture didn’t draw a direct line between the makeup and the inexcusable blackface incidents of the early 20th century, which were cruel, calculating, and intended to hurt black Americans.
Consider the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/07/us/celebrities-in-blackface-list-trnd/index.html">following stars who darkened their skin</a> during the late 20th century/early 21st century sans significant repercussions (at the time):
<ul>
<li>Fred Armisen</li>
<li>Sarah Silverman</li>
<li>Jimmy Kimmel</li>
<li>Tina Fey</li>
<li>Paula Deen</li>
<li>Gene Wilder</li>
<li>Robert Downey, Jr.</li>
<li>Billy Crystal</li>
</ul>
Today’s culture is more sensitive, more willing to protect black Americans from any connection to the country’s ugly, racist past. So when Fallon’s Chris Rock impression “re-surfaced” (as if by magic!), the comedian had little choice but to respond.
He apologized profusely from his “Tonight Show” perch, starting a long “conversation” about race.
The result? The press still viewed Fallon with suspicion for being insufficiently anti-Trump, but they hoped he would use the incident to push for social justice (and progressive causes) via his popular talk show. <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jimmy-fallons-re-education-trump/">And he’s done exactly that</a>.
Yet it didn’t have to happen. Rock could have stepped up at the time of the “re-surfacing” and defended Fallon.
“We all hate blackface now, but my buddy didn’t realize it at the time. He didn’t mean to hurt or insult me, he was just doing an impression. He’s a friend!”
That kind of support from Rock would have changed, well, everything for Fallon.
Instead, Rock went radio silent, leaving Fallon to fend for himself. Now, with Rock out promoting his work in “Fargo’s” fourth season, the comedian is <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/chris-rock-jimmy-fallon-blackface">speaking out about Fallon and the blackface imbroglio</a>.
“Hey, man, I’m friends with Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great guy,” Rock told The New York Times. “And he didn’t mean anything. A lot of people want to say intention doesn’t matter, but it does. And I don’t think Jimmy Fallon intended to hurt me. And he didn’t.”
Rock did intend to hurt Fallon, though, by staying silent when it mattered most. Fallon ended up begging for our forgiveness, but it could have been worse. He might have lost endorsement deals, or even his job.
When Cancel Culture knocks on your door, anything can happen. Just ask Kevin Hart, Roseanne Barr, or J.K. Rowling.
And the woke mob loathes Fallon already for his affable interview with then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump at the end of the 2016 election cycle.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Rock said that while the sketch itself—where Fallon, wearing dark makeup and a leather jacket, impersonated Rock—was “bad comedy,” he didn’t hold any hard feelings toward Fallon himself. He “doesn’t have a racist bone in his body,” Rock said of Fallon, adding that the host called Rock after issuing a public apology for the offensive sketch.
So Fallon isn’t a racist in any way, shape, or form, but Rock let him twist in the wind by staying silent at the time.
Sad.
Later, Rock admits the powerful forces lined up against anyone who appears in blackface, past or present, or dares to defend any aspect of it now. The journalist asked if the push to erase blackface moments from comedy had gone too far.
“If I say they are, then I’m the worst guy in the world. There’s literally one answer that ends my whole career,” he said. “Blackface ain’t cool, OK? That’s my quote. Blackface is bad. Who needs it? It’s so sad, we live in a world now where you have to say, I am so against cancer. ‘I just assumed you liked cancer.’ No, no, no, I am so against it. You have to state so many obvious things you’re against.”
It wasn’t always this way, and Rock knows it. He also knows, on some level, that when Fallon needed a friend in show business the most, a fellow “Saturday Night Live” alum stood down rather than lend a hand.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com.
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Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock

TOTO: It’s Official: Chris Rock Threw Jimmy Fallon Under Cancel Culture Bus

Chris Rock

Jimmy Fallon

Race

Jimmy Fallon had little choice but to grovel for forgiveness after his comedy sin got exposed earlier this year. Twenty years ago, the “Tonight Show” star

TOTO: It’s Official: Chris Rock Threw Jimmy Fallon Under Cancel Culture Bus | The Daily Wire

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There’s life left in the rom-com template, even if Hollywood pushed most of these romances off to streaming services.
Case in point: “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” a rom-com checking all the genre boxes sans apology.
<ul>
<li>The wacky/supportive best friends</li>
<li>The singular gimmick which brings the couple together</li>
<li>The meet cute moment</li>
<li>It’s set in, where else, New York City</li>
<li>That third act wrinkle that forces the lovers apart</li>
</ul>
And, of course, the usual array of woke nods to let you know it’s a 2020 feature film. Sigh.
Geraldine Viswanathan is Lucy, a 20-something who just got dumped—and lost her job—in one cruel stroke. She shares her fate with what she thinks is a very patient Uber driver. Turns out it’s just a random stranger with a sympathetic ear.
Meet cute alert—with a dash of creepy!
That’s Nick (“Stranger Things” mullet head Dacre Montgomery), a budding entrepreneur trying to recreate the New York facade he fell for years earlier. They clumsily team up to work on Nick’s project, with Lucy contributing what could be its social media salvation—a gallery dedicated to the junk that lovers save when their relationships collapse.
It’s enough of a gimmick to hang a movie romance on, especially given previous, excruciating examples (“<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Lose_a_Guy_in_10_Days#:~:text=How%20to%20Lose%20a%20Guy%20in%2010%20Days%20is%20a,Michele%20Alexander%20and%20Jeannie%20Long.">How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,”</a> anyone?) Still, it’s weak tea dramatically speaking, and the concept only comes alive with subsequent video testimonials.
The “gallery” coaxes Lucy and Nick to spend every waking moment together. So when are they gonna kiss already?
Writer/director Natalie Krinsky (“Gossip Girls”) writes banter that’s almost up to the task at hand. That means the jokes are cute but not terribly funny. Much worse? Lucy is a brat in the first act, a prototypical Millennial with all the self-entitlement that demographic conjures. It’s a testament to Viswanathan that we eventually rally to her side, even as her larger than life shtick grates on us.
Montgomery has an easier task, letting his quiet charisma and signature brooding carry his character.
Of course Lucy and Nick have best friends to cheer them on. For Lucy, it’s a pair of roommates who ladle on empowerment like an Italian grandma pushing seconds on her famous lasagna. Nick’s best bud (<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/comedy-central-ice-steals-imprisons-children/">Arturo Castro</a>) deserves more screen time, if only because Nick’s back story is hopelessly blurred.
There’s a forced detour to meet Lucy’s mother, and a dramatic hurdle that could be explained away in a heartbeat, a la “Three’s Company.” Still, we’re adhering to the strict Rom-Com FormulaTM. Complaining about such moments is like whining that a horror movie character makes a bone-headed decision.
This being a Hollywood product circa 2020, the movie serves up some eye-roll moments for the unwoke crowd. One character delivers a love poem to … President Barack Obama. A street poll taker champions “reproductive rights.”
The micro-moments take you right out of the story. They can’t derail the romance under way.
Love conquers all, even on the big screen.
HiT or Miss: “The Broken Hearts Gallery” starts with a whimper, but the endearing leads and adherence to rom-com norms will win you over.
A version of this article appears on HollywoodInToto.com.
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Broken heart

TOTO: ‘Broken Hearts Gallery’ Proves Rom-Coms Aren’t Dead Yet

There’s life left in the rom-com template, even if Hollywood pushed most of these romances off to streaming services. Case in point: “The Broken Hearts

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The chasm between professional critics and consumers over Netflix’s “Cuties” only tells part of the story.
The French film, added to the streaming giant’s lineup this week, follows an 11-year-old Muslim girl enduring a series of personal struggles. She ends up joining an all-girl dance team where she twerks, grinds, and more.
Yes, viewers must endure young actress Fathia Youssouf performing as if she were separating grown men from their stripper budgets. And she’s joined by a small group of fellow pre-teen girls doing the same.
The film’s writer/director <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/maimouna_doucoure">Maïmouna Doucouré</a> told reporters recently that “Cuties” criticizes how modern culture hyper-sexualizes young girls. That’s a noble, and timely, theme, but one she explores by shooting young girls in an extremely sexual manner.
Think extended close ups of pre-pubescent crotches and more.
One clip from the film, currently making the rounds on social media, lasts for more than a minute and shows dance moves you might see on a Madonna tour.
None of this shocking material should come as a surprise, though. “Cuties” made its U.S. debut months ago at the Sundance Film Festival (where it one the Directing Award). So dozens, if not hundreds, of film critics already screened the movie and filed their reviews.
Team Sundance liked it enough to include it in the fiercely competitive festival lineup.
Yet not one critic warned consumers about the sexually-charged visuals involving young girls, which could have been avoided through any number of aesthetic choices while keeping the film’s theme intact. If they did, their comments were drowned out by their peers who couldn’t stop raving over the film.
The movie currently holds an 88 percent “fresh” rating at RottenTomatoes.com, an influential film review aggregator. (Note: This critic posts his reviews at the site as well, but hasn’t officially reviewed “Cuties” yet.)
Consumers have a different take on the film. They’ve shredded “Cuties,” slapping it with a 3 percent “rotten” rating (yes, 3 percent).
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-146709" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rotten-Tomatoes-Screenshot-681x576.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="592" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Rotten-Tomatoes-Screenshot-681x576.jpg 681w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Rotten-Tomatoes-Screenshot-300x254.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Rotten-Tomatoes-Screenshot-768x650.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Rotten-Tomatoes-Screenshot-1536x1299.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/09/Rotten-Tomatoes-Screenshot.jpg 1544w" sizes="(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></div>
Here are some sample comments:
<ul>
<li>If this is progress in movie format story telling I think I am done with today&#8217;s movies &#8230;</li>
<li>Come on Netflix&#8230;you&#8217;re better than this&#8230;or maybe you&#8217;re not?</li>
<li>This is a film that exploits children. Even if the intent was to condemn the exploitation of children, you cannot do that by exploiting children. Overall, I was extremely uncomfortable watching this.</li>
</ul>
What explains the massive gap between critic and consumer?
It’s simple. The vast, vast majority of film critics lean to the Left. This film critic has been reviewing movies for nearly 20 years, and nothing has changed that perception over time. In fact, today’s film critics are more likely to inject their progressive views into reviews than ever before.
This doesn’t cover critics who toil for progressive news outlets like Salon or Mother Jones. These are critics reviewing films for mainstream outlets like The Washington Post and CNN, as well as their own media platforms.
Liberal reporters and film scribes have spent days defending “Cuties”—and savaging its conservative/Christian critics—ever since the inappropriate poster hit the web.
They’re more offended by conservatives calling the film out than the actual film itself.
One movie magazine admitted part of the reason for attacking the film’s critics, not “Cuties” or its director, is <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/media-netflix-cuties-conservatives/">due to ideology</a>.
Hollywood and the media are obsessed with diversity. That was true before the death of George Floyd, and it’s even more accurate now. Yet these cultural forces never argue for ideological diversity within the film critic community. Many think pieces have been written about the need for more female critics, more people of color reviewing films. It’s certainly worthy of discussion.
More conservatives? Silence.
The current ideological imbalance is undeniable—just consider how critics treat Michael Moore as opposed to Dinesh D’Souza. No one cares enough to address the issue, let alone even mention it.
The most vocal “Cuties” critics, at the moment, hail from the Right. Conservatives have been raging against the film’s inappropriate visuals after the movie’s equally gross movie poster went viral late last month. They’ve doubled down on their criticisms following the film’s Sept. 9 release. <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/09/10/cuties-review-dull-and-indefensible/">John Nolte’s scathing review</a> captures the tenor of those comments.
“Cuties is soft-core child pornography disguised as art. Nothing less. Nothing more.”
Nolte’s critique is the exception, though, in critical circles.
The country is roughly split in half, ideologically speaking. Recent presidential elections confirm that. Why shouldn’t the red half of the country have their views reflected by film critics?
Quotas aren’t the answer, of course. Still, media institutions should at the very least be more open to critics of all ideological takes. It might mean the culture at large isn’t caught flat footed by the next “Cuties” moment.
The Daily Wire is one of America’s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Netflix ‘Cuties’ Debacle Exposes Film Industry’s Conservative Crisis

Conservatism

The chasm between professional critics and consumers over Netflix’s “Cuties” only tells part of the story. The French film, added to the streaming giant’s

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You could argue Tinsel Town’s Trump Derangement Syndrome began long before the real estate mogul crushed Hillary Clinton’s presidential dreams. Stars like Sarah Silverman and Louis C.K. played the Hitler card against Donald Trump during the primaries, a sad preview of what was to come. There’s nothing wrong with opposing President Trump’s policies or criticizing his personal demeanor. Plenty of conservatives, not the absurd NeverTrump types, do just that. It’s healthy. It’s American. The following stars took their Trump hatred a bit further, though. They epitomize Trump Derangement Syndrome, a fictional name for a very real type of political disorder. You don’t have to be a medical specialist to spot it. Nor do you need a degree in political science to realize the following stars shouldn’t be taken seriously given the tenor of their comments.
1. Robert De Niro
The two-time Oscar winner may suffer the worst case of TDS. De Niro can’t complete a media interview, a practice he studiously avoided for years, without mentioning Trump in the ugliest way possible.
He famously <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zNr8Pf1QkY">cursed out the president</a> during 2018’s Tony Awards broadcast, drawing a standing ovation from the potential TDS sufferers.
Prior to that, the “Raging Bull” star openly wished to punch Trump in the nose, called him a gangster and said far worse whenever he stood before a mic or journalist’s pad.
<div id="attachment_80400" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-80400" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-80400" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/deniro-2-1024x566.jpg" alt="Robert De Niro attends the 26th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at The Shrine Auditorium on January 19, 2020 in Los Angeles, California." width="800" height="442" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/deniro-2.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/deniro-2-300x166.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/deniro-2-768x425.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic via Getty Images</div>
2. John Cusack
The “Say Anything” star’s celebrity profile isn’t what it was when he was cranking out teen comedies in the ‘80s. Cusack still works, but his movies primarily debut on VOD and offer genre thrills over serious fare.
Has anyone actually seen recent Cusack movies like “River Runs Red,” “Never Grow Old” or “Distorted&#8221;?
Cusack grabs more attention now for his Twitter Trump rage. Consider the time he claimed the U.S. Military “abandoned” Trump. Or how he routinely lashes out at Trump voters as “<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/john-cusack-claims-military-abandoned-trump-remaining-supporters-racists">racists</a>,” echoing the worst comments of Trump critics. He also called Trump a “<a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/aug/14/john-cusack-turns-doomsday-prophet-says-trump-a-te/">test run for true evil</a>.”
How bad can Cusack be? He even retweeted an <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/06/18/john-cusack-retweeted-anti-semitic-image-apologizes-and-blames-bot/1485431001/">anti-Semitic message</a> during one Twitter rage fest. He later deleted the comment, but not before briefly blaming a bot for the share. TDS can be accompanied by derious side effects.
<div id="attachment_80359" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-80359" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-80359" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/John-Cusack-895x576.jpg" alt="John Cusack" width="800" height="515" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/John-Cusack-895x576.jpg 895w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/John-Cusack-300x193.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/John-Cusack-768x494.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/01/John-Cusack.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images</div>
3. Bette Midler
The truest sign of TDS is how sufferers rage against more than just the President. Their fury bubbles over to their kin, too. The formerly Divine Miss M falls squarely into this sad sub-category.
Sure, she’s shared a fake quote about Trump to her millions of online followers. Yes, she’s dubbed Trump a “<a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/1423050/bette-midler-slams-trump-cancer-on-country/">cancer on our country</a>.” But she steered into TDS, hard, by using racially charged insults against his fans, describing a group of black supporters behind the president as being his “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/26/entertainment/bette-midler-blackground-tweet-trnd/index.html">blackground</a>.”
More recently, she dubbed First Lady Melania Trump an “illegal immigrant” and mocked her accent. She eventually <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/08/26/bette-midler-apologizes-mocking-melania-trumps-accent/5638265002/">apologized for the accent slam</a>.
Now, art is imitating life. Midler stars in the HBO comedy “Coastal Elites,” playing a <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/09/coastal-elites-hbo-exclusive-clips">character who rants about</a>, guess who, President Trump.
<div id="attachment_86130" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-86130" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-86130" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/80808591-C7DD-44AC-8C55-9C79E29053B9-1024x576.jpeg" alt="Bette Midler attends the 13th annual New York Restoration Project Annual Spring Picnic at General Grant National Memorial on May 29, 2014 in New York City." width="800" height="450" />Theo Wargo/Getty Images</div>
4. Rob Reiner
The “Sure Thing” director hasn’t made a good movie in, well, ages. He keeps trying, though, delivering mediocre fare (and that’s being kind) with duds like “Shock and Awe” and “Being Charlie.”
It’s a far, far cry from his days delivering “Stand By Me,” “The Princess Bride” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” all certifiable classics.
Reiner draws far more attention of late for his anti-Trump screeds, which make it sound like the Trump/Hitler comparisons are just too … kind. Sound excessive? Consider the Tweets.
Reiner said Trump’s racism inspired white supremacists <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/08/26/rob-reiner-trumps-racism-encouraging-white-supremacists-to-kill-black-people/'">to kill black people</a>. He predicted Trump’s recent Gettysburg speech would be an <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/08/10/rob-reiner-trump-gettysburg-speech-would-be-tribute-to-white-supremacy/">ode to White Supremacy.</a> The director also declared that Trump was actively <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/07/16/rob-reiner-trump-is-actively-trying-to-kill-our-children/">trying to kill our children.</a>
Even worse? Reiner leveraged his legendary father’s death to attack Trump. Carl Reiner passed at the age of 98 earlier this year, and his famous son said his pappy hoped to live long enough to see <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2020/07/05/carl-reiner-wanted-see-trump-ousted-white-house-daughter-says/5380073002/">Trump’s White House “eviction</a>.”
<div id="attachment_47040" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-47040" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-47040" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gettyimages-1142288693-1024x696.jpg" alt="HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 12: Rob Reiner speaks during Billy Crystal's Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on April 12, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rachel Luna/Getty Images)" width="800" height="544" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-1142288693.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-1142288693-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-1142288693-768x522.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Rachel Luna/Getty Images</div>
5. Jim Carrey
“Ace Ventura” doesn’t make us laugh anymore. The rubber-faced superstar either gave up on broad comedies or can’t get his shtick greenlit anymore. Getting old can be brutal in Hollywood, and you can’t talk out of your posterior forever.
That’s left Carrey making dark, twisted fare like the Showtime series “Kidding,” which limped along for two seasons before getting canceled.
He spends a large amount of time painting these days, but his art work isn’t focused on still lifes or Bob Ross-esque landscapes.
He vents his Trump rage onto canvases, attacking not just the president but nearly everyone associated with his administration in the most garish ways possible. That means Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and other Trump officials get ghoulish portraits that make Edvard Munch’s “Scream” look like Glamour Shots.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is the portrait of a so-called Christian whose only purpose in life is to lie for the wicked. Monstrous! <a href="https://t.co/MeYLTy1pqb">pic.twitter.com/MeYLTy1pqb</a>
&mdash; Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/975123558803259392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
He also singles out Trump supporters with his illustrations, another sign that his TDS is raging.
Carrey promised to <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/01/24/coincidence-jim-carrey-vows-no-more-trump-bashing-paintings-ahead-of-sonic-the-hedgehog-release/">halt his anti-Trump art</a> around the time his film “Sonic the Hedgehog“ hit theaters. He couldn’t stick to his pledge. Recently, he painted a picture of a MAGA hat wearing COVID-19 patient on a ventilator.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
191,000 deaths &#8211; conservatively. Neutered CDC now suppressing numbers for Trump. Woodward recording proves he knew it was deadly back in February! <a href="https://t.co/gW4rtnXSpN">pic.twitter.com/gW4rtnXSpN</a>
&mdash; Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimCarrey/status/1303945053203656704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
6. Stephen Colbert
Yes, every late night host is now officially part of The Resistance. Jimmy Fallon had to be bullied into the role, but <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jimmy-fallons-re-education-trump/">he’s taken to it with aplomb of late</a>. Colbert remains the gold standard, the “clapter” machine who will stop a monologue cold to mimic a Daily Kos diarist.
All you need remember is Colbert calling Trump Vladimir Putin’s you-know-what holster to realize how far he’ll sink to insult the president.
Humor remains in short supply with your average Colbert rant. It’s more about spinning for Democrats or taking Team Trump out of context.
David Letterman, Colbert’s iconic predecessor, took a hard left turn at the end of his epic late night run. Still, he’ll be most remembered for his eccentric bits, his cagey humor and his willingness to shake up what late night TV represents.
Colbert’s legacy? He helped turn the affable format into a hard-left institution that actively chases away half the country on any given night.
<div id="attachment_52870" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-52870" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-52870" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Hillary-Clinton-Stephen-Colbert-1024x556.jpg" alt="The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and guest Hillary Clinton during Tuesday's September 19, 2017 show. (Photo by Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images)" width="800" height="434" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Hillary-Clinton-Stephen-Colbert.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Hillary-Clinton-Stephen-Colbert-300x163.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/10/Hillary-Clinton-Stephen-Colbert-768x417.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty Images</div>
7. Cher
The superstar wants nothing less than to turn back time to an America where Trump was merely a reality show star and real estate tycoon.
Alas, Doc Brown’s time machine isn’t actually a thing, so Cher spends far too many hours savaging Trump on Twitter. She does so with spittle-flecked fury … and plenty of ALL CAP pronouncements.
She’s hoped for Trump to be thrown in jail and then <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/cher-refuses-apologize-trump-sexually-assaulted-1439361">sodomized by an inmate</a>, said he “<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/07/12/cher-trump-kills-americans-without-a-thought/">kills Americans without a thought</a>” and called a second Trump term “<a href="https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2020/08/30/cher-loses-it-if-trump-wins-in-november-its-end-of-democracy/">the end of Democracy.”</a>
<div id="attachment_88594" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-88594" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-88594" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/cher-2.jpg" alt="American singer Cher in concert with her Here We Go Again Tour at the SSE Hydro Arena in Glasgow. Glasgow (United Kingdom), October 28th, 2019 (photo by" width="800" height="420" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/02/cher-2.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/02/cher-2-300x157.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2020/02/cher-2-768x403.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Archivio Marco Piraccini/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images</div>
8. Kathy Griffin
The D-list comic hasn’t been as vocally anti-Trump as she was at the start of Trump’s presidency. Then again, how could she top the stunt that set her career ablaze three years ago. For those living off the grid, or the planet, Griffin famously posed, ISIS-style, with the president’s severed head.
The D-lister cried, apologized and then took it all back, rebranding herself as a Colonel in the Hollywood Resistance’s Army.
Since then she’s made some extra cash hawking anti-Trump merch (complete with profanities) and dared to say she’s a free speech martyr. She occasionally gives Reiner and co. a run for their money, like the time earlier this year when she begged someone to <a href="https://variety.com/2020/biz/news/kathy-griffin-trump-tweet-syringe-controversy-backlash-1234617006/">inject the president with a syringe filled with air,</a> assuming that would be a fatal act.
<div id="attachment_13409" style="width: 810px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-13409" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-13409" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938-1024x683.jpg" alt="Kathy Griffin speaks during a press conference at The Bloom Firm on June 2, 2017 in Woodland Hills, California. Griffin is holding the press conference after a controversial photoshoot where she was holding a bloodied mask depicting President Donald Trump and to address alleged bullying by the Trump family. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)" width="800" height="534" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2019/09/gettyimages-691580938-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" />Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images</div>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/toto-13-must-follow-conservative-hollywood-twitter-accounts">13 Must-Follow Conservative Hollywood Twitter Accounts</a>
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Jim Carrey

TOTO: 8 Celebrities Hardest Hit By Trump Derangement Syndrome

Bette Midler

Cher

John Cusack

Kathy Griffin

Rob Reiner

Robert de Niro

Stephen Colbert

You could argue Tinsel Town’s Trump Derangement Syndrome began long before the real estate mogul crushed Hillary Clinton’s presidential dreams. Stars like

TOTO: 8 Celebrities Hardest Hit By Trump Derangement Syndrome | The Daily Wire

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