Movies, Elections and the Studios
As in any election year, we are bombarded with messages about candidates, platforms, scandals, outrageous quotes, and the poll results of the last hour. It can be overwhelming to dig through the morass of information that assaults us via every channel possible: Radio, Television, the Internet, our cell phones, billboards, songs, and movies.
“Stealing America Vote by Vote,” a documentary that attempts to address concerns about vote counts, is currently being screened in cities around the nation. The filmmakers interview officials from both parties, as well as election officials and pollworkers from Ohio and Florida, two of the most highly-disputed areas in the last few elections. Their theory is that, whether through negligence or deliberate effort, votes are being stolen from the American people. They do show that this is not a partisan issue, nor a new one, as discrepancies in voting results go back all the way to the early days of the United States.
“W,” a satirical take on the life and Presidency of President George W. Bush, is Oliver Stone’s latest politically-themed film. From what I’ve seen of the trailers posted on the Internet, he shows President Bush as a womanizing boozer who was frequently the object of vitriolic outbursts from his father, the former President George H.W. Bush.
In a statement in USA Today, Stone said that he believes his movie to be a “fair and true portrait” of the President, a biographical comedy if you will. U.S. studios thought it was too hot a topic for them to release it, so it was made with Canadian-based Lionsgate. (Considering the large number of Hollywood’s elite that regularly issue strong political statements, that’s an interesting sidestep for the studios.)
Lionsgate recently entered the Christian market by negotiating a partnership with Christian distributor Thomas Nelson for The Case for a Creator, The Case for Christ, and The Case for Faith (based on books by journalist Lee Strobel). Proving that it’s just business, Lionsgate either didn’t connect the fact that the conservative Christians who appreciate and purchase “The Case for…” videos are many of the same who support and appreciate the presidency of George W. Bush, or they just don’t care.
Don’t let the studios, filmmakers, or other pundits make up your mind for you. Do your homework, study the candidates, cast your vote, and remember that ultimately, God is in control.
