Perhaps we should have expected this but apparently The Bourne Ultimatum which opened this weekend is chock full of liberal proganda. So who is making this charge? Some vicious rightwinger with an axe to grind against liberal Hollywood producers? Nope. This is the claim of a liberal movie reviewer, Anthony Kaufman, who wrote the following in his Huffington Post blog, Jason Bourne: An Anti-Cheney American Hero?
A stinging rebuke against Cheney-esque black ops and torture tactics, Universal Pictures' The Bourne Ultimatum is more than just a heart-stopping international espionage thriller: It is Hollywood's most direct attack against the Bush Regime since George Clooney's one-two punch of Good Night and Good Luck and Syriana. If those more "sophisticated" dramas preached to the choir about our deteriorating civil liberties and oil-fueled overseas obsessions, the third film in the mega-successful Bourne action franchise offers up a picture of corrupt clandestine leadership for all to see -- where every Matt Damon fan can also enjoy high-powered American government officials as arch-villains committing treasonous and reckless activities without oversight.
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In case we have any doubts that The Bourne Ultimatum is a liberal fantasy, Kaufman "reassures" us that it is:
But is the film really a liberal fantasy, where the bad CIA leaders get punished for their penchant for waterboarding, "experimental interrogations," "rendition" and the manipulation of American soldiers' minds with intimidation and humiliation? It sure seems so, as bullish Rumsfeld-like strategies are depicted as inept, while the sensitive, sympathetic touch of Joan Allen's CIA head Pamela Landy is shown as the most effective way to combat renegade forces. If conservatives like to label Tinseltown as leftwing, The Bourne Ultimatum should do little to assuage their concerns.
Thank you for that admission of Hollywood being leftwing, Anthony. At least that is something that most in the media won't admit. Kaufman finishes his review with an admiring look at a scene involving "moral complexity" chock full of nuances that a John Kerry would love:
Then again, perhaps the film allows us to have our blood-soaked cake and eat it, too. Matt Damon's Jason Bourne is a guilt-ridden CIA assassin, who glowers and suffers every time he swiftly strikes a rival down. But as audiences, we still bask in his every murder. Even though Bourne hates being a killing machine, I suspect audiences like it very much. After all, that's the chief source of the movie's thrills. I'd bet director Paul Greengrass (who showed some sensitivity towards depicting the 9/11 terrorists as human beings in United 93) intentionally tried to offer some moral complexity to a scene where Bourne strangles to death an obviously Arab enemy assassin. But how many people will pick up on that? Or will they just whoop and holler with the rising body count?
Most likely, no matter how hard Hollywood tries, most of the audience will overlook the obvious liberal propaganda of The Bourne Ultimatum and "whoop and holler" over the "rising body count" action. Something similar happened with another recent movie, Shooter, starring Mark Wahlberg. It also featured the standard leftwing proganda including a portrayal by Ned Beatty as an absurdly caricatured EVIL rightwing senator who practically drooled bile all over himself. So ridiculous in the propaganda department was Shooter that one of the few good guys in the FBI wore a Che Guevara T-shirt when he was off duty. Therefore be prepared for another leftwing proganda onslaught if you see The Bourne Ultimatum. The physical action, as in Shooter, is good but you will have to put on your political proganda filters in order to keep from groaning out loud.
—P.J. Gladnick is a freelance writer and creator of the DUmmie FUnnies blog.




















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The new "Where's Waldo"? or "I Spy"
August 5, 2007 - 18:56 ET by drillanwrSo ridiculous in the propaganda department was Shooter that one of the few good guys in the FBI wore a Che Guevara T-shirt when he was off duty.
Che Guevara
August 5, 2007 - 19:02 ET by P.J. GladnickYeah. In real life, how many FBI agents would wear a Che Guevara T-shirt when off-duty? A good guess would be NONE but in Shooter one of the very few good guy FBI agents does wear the T-shirt of that thug.
PJ - Sooo, in my twisted
August 5, 2007 - 19:11 ET by drillanwrPJ -
Sooo, in my twisted sense of very dry humor, I'd see the FBI guy as secretly wanting to be KGB???
Anyone know how faithful to
August 5, 2007 - 19:00 ET by balboaAnyone know how faithful to Ludlum's book this movie is?
bal -
August 5, 2007 - 19:08 ET by drillanwrI read the original (first) a long time ago and don't recall much about it (one of those `down the memory-hole things for me). Haven't seen any of the movies either.
On that note, I do know author Tom Clancy was pretty upset the "villians" in his story "The Sum Of All Fears" were changed from Arabic terrorists to neoNazis when Hollywood got ahold of it and put it to film.
I understand a lot of Stephen King's books haven't been true to written when converted to Hollywood ribbon either.
I can see screen writers editing a novel for practicle time and/or production purposes ... BUT changing the characters??? Hence, changing the point of the plot ...
It is old--they even took a
August 5, 2007 - 19:47 ET by Andrew H.It is old--they even took a couple of cheap shots in the movie "Shooter," which was good--but could have been better without alienating half of America who invest a little time in politics--you know, for the sake of our future.
I write too and have three novels being published by SAGA of Canada some day--but I have three (longer ones) more in the cooker that are very conservative and was a joy to write if for no other reason.
Hollywood the silly with their goofy liberal mantels has come to bore the hell out of me.
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
A writer too, here ... But
August 5, 2007 - 20:06 ET by drillanwrA writer too, here ... But unpublished ... Other than a couple short stories in publications.
Good luck. And don't let Hollywood touch what's yours.
Fantastic--I've added you
August 5, 2007 - 20:12 ET by Andrew H.Fantastic--I've added you to my buddy list. All our best for your success! Andy and Dee
Liberalism is a convenient lie.
I saw it this weekend and I
August 5, 2007 - 19:04 ET by bcdennisI saw it this weekend and I didn't see that much overt propaganda. I was too busy counting bodies.
Shooter
August 5, 2007 - 19:09 ET by P.J. GladnickInteresting. I think that will be the reaction of many. Same thing happened with Shooter. I asked a lot of folks who saw that movie what they thought about the leftwing propaganda. None paid any attention to it since they focused in on the action. Good sniper action but the obvious propaganda made me cringe. Same will probably happen with The Bourne Ultimatum.
You're actually correct. I
August 5, 2007 - 19:12 ET by drillanwrYou're actually correct. I CAN NOT watch a movie these days and not pick out the subtle political stabs. Even the animated kids' movies are getting bad.
MI III did the same thing.
August 6, 2007 - 09:29 ET by ahusserMI III did the same thing. The "traitor" was a right wing nut job (Musgrave) supposedly a friend and IMF boss of Ethan Hunt pushing his neocon agenda through Mutually Assured Destruction principles.
"A mind is a terrible thing." - A comic I forgot the name of.
I'm with you on that. It's
August 6, 2007 - 15:05 ET by steviep831I'm with you on that. It's so hard not to pick out every little politcal bash in a movie. There were quite a few in Bourne Ultimatum. The only interesting thing I did see that I did not expect were his dog tags at the end of the movie that stated he was a Catholic. I would have guessed they'd like to make him atheist or something....
I think most people let
August 5, 2007 - 19:30 ET by MidAmericaI think most people let most of the political stuff go right over their heads. My wife, who cringes at the thought of a Prez hillary, watches TV network shows that have done sometimes viscious stabs at President Bush. When I point out the politics she just says I think too much and it's only a TV show.
Heil Hillary!
August 5, 2007 - 21:46 ET by j17ghsClassic, just a classic comment from a woman. I have one just like her, no kidding!
Every time you see Hillarious on TV, give a hale and hearty "Heil Hillary." When Hillarious rants, imagine a small black mustache under her nose and tell me she isn't the love child of Eva and Adolph's mad bunker passion!
Also tell your wife that neosocialists are coming once again for the Jews, the Catholics and this time (the Marxist-Muslim coalition) will come for the women, there will be no one left to speak up. Imagine the shrieks of horror from our current generation of badly spoiled and badly acting little princesses!
WOW...that's, uh,
August 5, 2007 - 21:56 ET by balboaWOW...that's, uh, "interesting."
Don't be offended Balboa
August 5, 2007 - 22:18 ET by SportPoliticsDon't be offended Balboa, you make a good little princess too.
Last week I saw Balboa and
August 6, 2007 - 09:33 ET by ahusserLast week I saw Balboa and Leon in back to back threads. Sort of like the alignment of planets Troll fashion.
Pardon? And you are...?
August 6, 2007 - 10:48 ET by balboaPardon? And you are...?
When I point this leftie
August 6, 2007 - 09:48 ET by ahusserWhen I point this leftie stuff out in many TV shows and Movies my wife thinks I am delusional, misintrepreting the subject matter, or being overly sensitive. This must be a wifely universal trait.
I must be lukcy... I've
August 6, 2007 - 15:10 ET by steviep831I must be lukcy... I've talked so much about this stuff with my wife, that her new favorite line is: "What a bunch of liberals!"
As we all have suspected
August 5, 2007 - 20:52 ET by kevcadAs we all have suspected and has been written about, this trend will indeed ramp up before Nov. '08. And if what happens as much as we suspect, it aint gonna stop. :-(
Start each day with a smile, then get it over with. - W.C. Fields
Ultimate this Tinseltown
August 5, 2007 - 21:31 ET by acumenThe acumen ultimatum - Take your leftist politics out of the media or I don't watch. Good night and good luck Tinseltown.
Movie wasn't that bad
August 5, 2007 - 22:10 ET by tnculpI caught some things. One shot in particular ticked me off, and that was a long shot of the american flag, displayed amongst some bs rhetoric going on in the background, basically making the statement that the US government is just a bunch of evil people, mindlessly killing others for their own gang.
I shared some of this with my wife, and she didn't think it was that bad, didn't catch the subtle bashing.
Other than that, it was a pretty good finish to the series. It is what it is. Fortunately I've learned to shrug the subtle anti-americanism/bush bashing out for now.
I told my wife, that for me, it makes me sleep better knowing terrorists are being waterboarded for information in secret prisons. She agreed!
tnculp
August 5, 2007 - 22:26 ET by SportPoliticsYeah, well rest ye merry gentleman, because they aren't anymore. The leftodimmodemdummdumms outlawed it.
"It's torture" to a leftist. It's not humanitarian psychology doing the dirty work and leaving no scars. Libs have tortured minds and tortured memories, and tortured littel inner children, so even soemthing that causes no physical damage is torture to the idiot psycho commielib.
Finally an excellent use for a psychological hammerjob coupled with the "deep inner reflex" "reptile brain" the freakin' quacko libs spew about all the time, and they reject it. A perfect interrogation weapon, and the crybaby libs whine.
Ya know, the libs make wanting to torture THEM very easy.
Yes there are stupid questions, and stupid answers, and stupid statements liberals, and you've got them all, fulltime.
The Bourne Propaganda
August 6, 2007 - 10:36 ET by misterbee241I'm a fan of the movies from the 30's and 40's, now pretty much exclusively shown on Turner Classic Movie channel. I seldom if ever watch any movie out of Hollywood today for numerous reasons and I never go to the movies. It's much cheaper to wait for them to hit HBO.
In today's movies the writing sucks, if not for the "F" word, there would be no dialog. An explosion every 3 seconds is not good story-telling. The acting (what there is of it) is putrid. The writers and directors of the 30's and 40's didnt have nor did they need fantastic special effects to tell a good story. Ever seen Above Suspicion (http://www.imdb.com/...)? Just good acting, writing and direction, and a good (if a little far out) story.
And most of the movies that come out of Hollywood today is just so much anti-American, anti-Bush and anti-Cheney propaganda, the whole thing is tiresome.
While watching some of the good ol' pro-American movies from WWII on TCM, I have to wonder: If the liberal Democrat Roosevelt was not running the war, would the Hollywood of the '40's be inclined to make pro-American propaganda? I would really hope so, but I dont really know. Based on what I see today, I doubt they would.
Bourne Ultimatum
August 6, 2007 - 11:44 ET by LionKingI just saw this last night. It was good, but IMHO, not as good as the first 2; I did like Julia Stiles increased role. I did not really notice bias nor did I naturally assoicate black-ops with Cheney. I did just enjoy the movie for what is was -- an action flick.
As for Shooter, they were indeed less subtle especially with Ned Beatty's character. My only consolation was that the arrogant character played by lefty Danny Glover was eliminated...kind of balanced it out. In the end, I just enjoyed the movie for what is was -- an action flick.
[***Disclaimer *** : My comments in no way should be construed to indicated that i want any harm to come upon Danny Glover or any other liberals.]
Hollywood is the only place
August 6, 2007 - 12:35 ET by bassndudeHollywood is the only place I know where they can take a good book, or a part of history and completely screw it up. The Bourne series is a good example. They take the story and just have to try to make a political statement out of it. I sat down and watched 300 last night and it really screwed up with sex, wierd monsters and was really unbelievable. I was really disappointed.
Save a SeAL, club a liberal!!
bass...You missed it on 300
August 6, 2007 - 13:53 ET by LionKingI disagree with you on 300. The movie was basically one soldier's story of what happened. The movie depicts the imagination of the men, skewed by the hyperbole of the teller.
While the over-sensationalized enemy adds to the entertainment, the under-lying message is what is captivating. Never surrender. Meet the enemy head-on. And...
Freedom isn't Free!!!
LK, I totally agree. The
August 6, 2007 - 15:15 ET by steviep831LK,
I totally agree. The underlying story is that sometimes people have to take problems and things into their own hands to do the right thing, because there are people out there who would much rather waste time debating an issue than actually solving it. These men took the matter of an invasion into their own hands to save their country and their way of life. I thought it was an amazing movie.
Bourne's dilemma
August 6, 2007 - 13:24 ET by dagdaI saw the film yesterday and gave the film 8 out of 10. Right now it is running at 9 out of 10 on IMDb.
Jason has a serious problem that we learned at the end of the film. He VOLUNTEERED. He brought about his own downfall. He committed when he killed someone he did not know or know the reason for their assassination.
This raised some unanswered questions at the end of the film and made it even grayer. I found the politilization of the film to be minimal. I have seen/heard worse in children's films. It actually gave you both sides of the problem, even though it might have been a little more on the side of pc then James Bond.
Our real problem, then, is not our strength today; it is rather the vital necessity of action today to ensure our strength tomorrow. Dwight Eisenhower
I can't bear to watch
August 6, 2007 - 13:40 ET by JacksonCalhounI can't bear to watch anything with Matt Damon in it. Just a dull punk with wretched political views. I was listening to ESPN Radio last week, and the guy on there was heralding him as "the" actor in Hollywood. Which speaks volumes about both ESPN and Hollywood these days.
I saw it with my wife
August 6, 2007 - 16:36 ET by xfastI saw it with my wife yesterday and it was really good. Not sure what the complaints are, unless you are specifically looking for something to be a political agenda. Movies have had similar storylines with corrupt politics for decades now, regardless of which side was in office. Anyone remember Wag the Dog? Or Enemy of the State? Enemy of the State was in 1997 and had a very similar story line focused around a corrupt NSA that had the technology to pry however they pleased and a corrupt top official who abused it like a toy. Same stuff, different storylines.
Unless a movie is specifically trying to push an agenda (like Albert Goredom) I don't take it as anything more than entertainment. Bourne Ultimatum was a good flick and I'll be seeing it again when it comes out on DVD.