Well, beyond what today’s title suggests, these posts are also to give the paying subscribers something extra for their support. If you feel you can’t swing the $5/month subscription but don’t want to miss such thoughts (not to mention access the 250 posts in the archive), just shoot me a note and I will comp you until things get better. We are all in this together. And we can’t leave anyone behind.
Today’s link post is a long one — too long even to fit in your inbox. It just kept growing. When you reach the end, click the link and the rest will be waiting for you online. Enjoy!
Beware! The MOST Political Films Are The Ones That Claim They Are NOT— And The Same Goes For The Filmmakers.
Humans can be forgiven for not knowing what they are doing or saying, but not corporations; they have a responsibility to the public. The same goes for artists when we make mass entertainment, particularly the corporate sort.
The oil companies have destroyed our world. They are to blame for the climate disaster that is afoot. And there is no avoiding that fact. That is, unless you desire to cover it up. As a human on this planet you have an obligation to do what you can to save us from disaster; if you have a simple opportunity to do so, don’t neglect it. This extends to many other crisis that we face too.
Okay, I haven’t seen it, but I don’t understand how you make a film like TWISTERS and there is no mention of climate change anywhere in the script. By not calling out “climate change”, you make the movie MORE political.
Everything is political. ALL movies are political. And frankly the less you are willing to talk about something, the MORE political they are. You’ve chosen their side. You are not choosing humans. You have entered the fray. And although the box office may suggest something else, I think everyone knows (or soon will) the reason why life is now like this, and soon won’t want to forget the why.
“But for all its swirling chaos, “Twisters” doesn’t even pay lip service to climate change — and that’s no surprise. Outside of occasional exceptions like “Wall-E” or the TV series “Extrapolations,” climate change isn’t sexy or exciting enough for Hollywood entertainment.
The depiction of disaster in “Twisters” belies the true nature of modern catastrophes, which linger for days, weeks and months as the victims deal with the on-the-ground realities of our refusal to adjust to, let alone forestall, this unfolding crisis.”
As Adam McKay points out in the Guardian article, to NOT mention climate change in a film like that, you also make the film irrelevant in about five years. So if you think you are protecting your business by selecting to not use this opportunity to save lives, you aren’t; you are doing the opposite.
https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jul/20/hollywood-climate-crisis
And FWIW, I dug MINARI. I will watch it again a second time instead.
Last Chance To Join Us On The INVISIBLE NATION Bay Area Tour!
Buy tickets for all your family and friends please. Democracy is in crisis across the globe. Taiwan has stood strong despite being in one the worst situations imaginable. All of our fates are now woven into theirs. Even with the hopes that the US will now follow Taiwan on the path to our first female leader, it is wonderful to see both how Taiwan did it and all the positive results that came from it! If you are any where near SF next weekend, or know someone who will be, please encourage them to come join us. Times and locations below:
My Latest “Freed From The Paywall” Experiment
My NEW RULES FOR PRODUCING has been one of the most popular HFF posts this summer. In celebration, I've freed it from the confines of the paywall for the weekend. If it gets 20 or more additional hearts on the site, it will stay free for at least the next week. Let me know if you find this one useful, and would like more like this. And in the meantime, get it while you can! Share it with someone who can use it.
Festival Fever — Or Whatever We Should Rename It — Heats Up Our World (Literally & Figuratively)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Hope For Film to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.