The Four Color Media Monitor

The Hollywood Reporter, in their own coverage of the soon to debut Capt. America movie, is saying that the film is "Sticking to its simplistic, patriotic origins", as though that were a bad thing.

Big Hollywood says in response:

With the MSM , patriotism is always “simplistic” and/or “jingoistic.” You never read reviews that say, “simplistically angsty” or “simplistically brooding” or “simplistically dark.”

Yesterday in the comments, someone quoted someone who said something the effect of “angst is much easier to write than nobility.” And this is very, very true. The same is true with sincerity over irony and inspirational over nihilism.

This approach to patriotism is all a lie, a ploy from the Left to turn what really is simplistic and lazy (nihilism, angst, irreverence, irony) into “art,” when just the opposite is true. What the Left despises about themes that lift the human spirit is that they’re more often than not, conservative themes — themes of self-sacrifice, selflessness, fidelity, manhood, bravery, and nobility. Whereas darker, simpler themes or a complete lack of theme, appeals to the all-about-me, chaotic narcissism that so defines the Left.

That's exactly the case that needs to be made about how the comic books themselves are being handled today! For too long, both Marvel and DC alike have been going out of their way to turn the angle and direction darker in a lot of their series, increasingly refusing to give brightness and optimism a chance, and it's had the effect of ruining everything. This is exactly the problem with DC's direction, as they seem to think everyone who reads Marvel does so because they're "dark" and "brooding". Except that if they do that much of the time, it only makes the story at hand tiresome to read about, and the audience loses interest. As is likely to be the case with Superman if they go through as they are with broodiness.

That said, it's a shame that director Joe Johnston is still carrying on with his foolish act of downplaying the movie's American tribute side. In this interview on Film School Rejects:

You mentioned that you wanted Steve to be that guy next door that everyone can relate to, and I think that idea makes the film not just a big pat on the back to America.

I’m glad you brought that up, because it would be really easy to stray into a version of Captain America that’s almost propaganda, and that was something the Marvel guys and I were very conscious of. We didn’t want to do that not just because it has less international appeal, but because that’s just not the movie we wanted to make. We didn’t want to wave the flag around; we wanted to make the film about this guy’s spirit of determination. He just wants to do the right thing, and I think that’s a character trait you can take and place into any nationality or any country in the world, and still have it be relatable and make sense.

Oh good grief, I wish he'd just shut his mouth already! It's wonderful to make a movie about a hero who believes in selflessness and altruism, but why drag any issues involving America and flag-waving into this? It's trivial, and bringing it up the way he does only makes him sound silly. The movie so far does look to be a success, but if Johnston keeps this up, it could undermine what people think of him.

Labels: Captain America, marvel comics, msm propaganda, politics