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Home Front: Culture Wars
Hollywood gets shown up by pro-war YouTube videos
2007-12-07
Brendan Miniter, Wall Street Journal

The guns of war have fallen silent for Hollywood. Studio executives, who could once count on Americans filling theaters for just about any war movie they produced, are finding this year's war flicks to be a bunch of duds. "Lions for Lambs," Robert Redford's case against the war in Afghanistan, is a flop. It stars Mr. Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise and may not make back its $35 million price tag. Brian De Palma's "Redacted" played to empty seats. Even "The War," Ken Burns's much-anticipated World War II documentary that aired on PBS in September, met a less-than-explosive reception.

But Americans haven't lost their taste for war footage. They've just found a better place to see the type of war film they actually enjoy watching. Some of the hottest videos on YouTube are of actual battles that have taken place in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is footage that often hasn't made its way onto the nightly news or CNN--although some of it has--but it's largely unadulterated film that shows American soldiers in action, bringing the full weight of American military might to bear against the enemy. And in most of these films, it's clear who the enemy is. . . .

Much linkage in the body of the article. Time for another Rantburg Digital Film Festival?
Posted by:Mike

#16  Didn't learn until today that one of YOUTUBE's founders lived on GUAM for a time - TIME TO DO A "BOWZER" ARM-FLEXING ROUTINE ala SHA NA NA, in honor of my island.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2007-12-07 22:07  

#15  my son and all his friends are in that 3 million copies - they love it. I've tried, not very good yet (and hard to get time on the XBOX 360...) but the graphics and story/setting/tools are great. Well worth the $. Now, if my kids will just get me Unreal Tournament 3 for Xmas....
Posted by: Frank G   2007-12-07 22:06  

#14  BTW, it appears COD4 will probably sell around 3 million copies. For XBox, PS3, and the PC, its running around $50 a copy. That would be a 'box office' take of 150M. Not shabby. If I were a stock holder in any of those 'movie' studios I'd be in court suing the board for failure to perform it legal fiduciary responsibilities, using a public corporation for personal ends.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2007-12-07 21:12  

#13  File this under a flat "no sh*t." At the core of most Americans is a belief that we are the good guys. Why? Because we are. The avg citizen gets it & is prolly sick of hollyweird trying to insult their intellect. Jimmy Stewart, the Duke, & those of that era would be sickened by the crap going on today from the left coast. I'd love to see a low budget pro-war movie of avg grunts on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan. It would blow hollywood's little mind to see that the avg ground pounder is an astute professional of complexity who can operate under great deals of stress w/out drugs or comitting war crimes. It would also prolly bother that c*nt chucky rangel that 70% of the infantry are not minorities but the opposite. The American public wants to see the good stuff going on because they know it's out there.
Posted by: Broadhead6   2007-12-07 21:04  

#12  Yet again, I am ahead of the zeitgeist and no, my first name is not Cassandra.
From 2004, my post about Hollywierd and their lack of spine, and several other essential bits.

You're welcome, I live to serve. My follow-up post, written after the current round of anti-war movies is here.

Oh, and buy my book about some of the pioneers who made this country. (Shameless personal plug - sorry, Fred! Still havent sold enough to buy a castle, but I have hopes!)
Posted by: Sgt. Mom   2007-12-07 19:54  

#11  AMoose- I think you are absolutely right. If someone puts out a well-made film that portrays the military in a positive light, it will be a huge box office success. It can't be cheesy, it must be authentic. Which means it must be based on a true story. Fortunately, there are countless stories of courage, fortitude, compassion, victory, resolve, and honor from over there. I'm sure if someone actually bothered to look, the positive stories would outnumber the negative stories. The stories are there, just waiting to be told, as many already have been.

Nobody, especially the American people, likes to lose. We are the good guys and it's high time we started showing it. Enough of this anti-American bull-hickey. I'm sick and tired of it.

If and when that movie does come out, you can rest assured that I will be there, ticket in hand, on opening night.
Posted by: eltoroverde   2007-12-07 17:07  

#10  Hollywood - of the 20th Century. This is the 21st.
Posted by: Whomong Guelph4611   2007-12-07 16:50  

#9  Hollywood still refuses to make a Vince Flynn movie. Any fan of 24 would beat the theater doors down to see Mitch Rapp killing off Muslim terrorist.

Putting ideals before the dollar, now that's entertainment or so the Redfordians would have you think. In their opinion. The rest of us rational Amerians still remember 9-11.
Posted by: Icerigger   2007-12-07 13:19  

#8  Yep, just checked Amazon top selling video games. #3 [with a bullet] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare "Armed with an arsenal of advanced and powerful modern-day firepower, players are transported to treacherous hotspots around the globe to take on a rogue enemy group threatening the world. As both a U.S. Marine and British S.A.S. soldier fighting through an unfolding story full of twists and turns, players use sophisticated technology, superior firepower, and coordinated land and air strikes on a battlefield where speed, accuracy, and communication are essential to victory."

Obviously, the American public isn't ready for contemporary war stories [written by Hollyweird hacks that are nothing but anti-American screed]. At this rate its only a matter of time before the profitable video game companies will buy the rights to the studios' IP and name.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2007-12-07 11:46  

#7  I think there are some video games out there that were originally designed as recruitment and/or training tools, then grew.

Separately, the fact that these videos are troop-made, rather than coming from the Armed Forces advertising department, gives what is shown a lot of its power. Were it otherwise, the skeptics, especially those skeptics who are relatives and friends of the trooper who sent them the link, would cry "Propaganda!" and claim it was as imaginary as what comes out of Hollywood's back lots. That these videos contradict what is shown by the mainstream media has played a large part in the continuing shrinkage of their customer base.
Posted by: trailing wife   2007-12-07 10:57  

#6  I don't play video games, but I know there are a lot of games that show combat in a way that could be viewed as "pro-military".

I wonder if this is why we're hearing the Hildebeast talk about regulating them?

Nah, that couldn't be it...
Posted by: charger   2007-12-07 10:11  

#5  Some entrepreneur is going to make a fortune with a low budget pro-military movie. Probably direct to DVD. The funniest part is that the US military would probably subsidize a lot of it.

Can you imagine how the left would lose its marbles if the movie threw in some good old fashioned patriotism? They would have a nervous breakdown.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-12-07 09:52  

#4  Time for another Rantburg Digital Film Festival?

Speaking of videos, the Coon Lake Beach Support Minnesota-American & Allied Troops video site has exactly what Miniter talks about.

I apologize as we haven't had any new ones posted lately. The move out east has put new uploads on hold. Hope to remedy that after the New Years. That being said there are about 450 videos and vid links on the site. Subject matter is gritty, flag waving, warm, honest and anti-bad guy material. The kind of themes that make people like Redford and company get their panties in a knot.

Raw footage from actual troops is always welcome.

We have to give a great deal of thanks to Fred for Rantburg. His site has had a major influence behind the drive to show Minnesotans and the world what our MSM will not. In particular the Twin Cities media. Thanks again Fred!
Posted by: Icerigger   2007-12-07 08:46  

#3  The same shift in operational thinking on the ground in Iraq should be matched by a shift in the operational thinking in the PAO [Public Affairs Office - those responsible for coordinating with MSM]. It should have been the suits who should have been exploiting the footage and technology to deliver the message and story directly to the American people, by passing the gatekeepers of an every decreasing viewership/readership. The footage is out there made by the troops themselves [because the General Officer Corps in manpower cost cutting did away with the combat photographer - and we see the price of that]. There are kids who have the tech skills to put this all together already in the ranks. It just takes the awareness and will to make it happen. That demonstrates the 'business as usual' approach that has hampered our 'leadership' in this conflict for years.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2007-12-07 08:39  

#2  Google will pull the stuff down if it can it's liberal anti war bias is huge.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2007-12-07 07:17  

#1  Maybe we need a youtube clip vault
Posted by: gorb   2007-12-07 07:05  

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