Rightwing Extremism

For Late-term Abortion Doc "After Tiller," Sundance Increases Security

What's More Inane than "2016: Obama's America" Filmmakers Whining About Oscar?

What's more inane? That Gerald Molen, the Oscar-winning producer of "Schindler’s List "and "2016: Obama's America" and the doc's director Dinesh D’Souza believe they should have been on the Oscar shortlist for best documentary? Or that The Hollyw...

The Politics of "The Avengers"; Or, Can Clean Energy and Old-Fashioned Jingoism Mix?

I couldn't help myself. Not because I'm a fan of comic books, blockbusters or Josh Whedon, but because I'm always curious about a cultural phenonemon, and often feel the need to interrogate what is at play in our most popular movies, and especially since this may be the most popular o...

Anti-Abortion Propaganda Film Ranks #8 At Weekend Box-Office

Not far behind Warner Bros's "Project X" and Paramount's "A Thousand Words" at the weekend box-office, a little indie film called "October Baby" has broken out, in limited release, making over $1.7 million in ticket sales. But this is one non-Hollywood film I...

Prop-docs: The Rightwing Media and "When Mitt Romney Came to Town"

Ever since Fox News arrived on our cultural scene, the rightwing media has cultivated an aesthetics of clumsy propaganda and broad cliched imagery that has spread like a virus among conservative content creators. You can see it in Stephen Bannon's Sarah Palin hagiography "The Undefeated,...

Rightwing Attacks "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" as Anti-Western, Too Complex?

Conservative critics and pundits are taking aim at Tomas Alfredson's brilliant new adaptation of John Le Carre's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," calling the film anti-western and criticizing its moral equivalence and suggesting the very thing that makes its worldview engaging and r...

Newt Gingrich: Indie Movie Mogul?

I don't think Newt Gingrich will become the next president of the United States, but could he be the first great right-wing film mogul and G.O.P. propagandist? Gingrich's brushes with indie documentary filmmaking have always interested me, as have most conservative's ill-fated attempt...

Chastity and Motherhood: How Conservative is "Twilight: Breaking Dawn"?

Is there any better example of the need for Planned Parenthood than "Twilight: Breaking Dawn"? That's a joke, of course. For those looking for examples of the conservative and reactionary nature of Hollywood, there's no stronger proof than Stephanie Meyer's no-sex-before-mar...

"The Iron Lady" review: Will Republicans Drool Over Margaret Thatcher Pic?

Will Republicans drool over the new Margaret Thatcher film "The Iron Lady," which stars Meryl Streep as the famous British ring-winger, or will they cringe at the film's depiction of her dementia? An early review in the Daily Telegraph suggests the Weinstein Company release isn'...