Elitist Film Critics Sneer at Religious Freedom Epic: 'Catnip for Crusaders'
Elitist film critics at several big city papers, Friday, mocked the Christian-themed movie For Greater Glory as "catnip for crusaders," a movie that exploits the struggle for religious freedom with "maximum teary-eyed outrage."
The movie, directed by Dean Wright, tells the story of a Catholic uprising against religious persecution in 1920s Mexico. However, Los Angeles Times film critic Robert Abele sneered, "'For Greater Glory' is mostly single-minded, dying-for-the-cause fodder, catnip for crusaders but not so interesting to those looking for a deeper view into how politics and religion can tragically clash."
Abele huffed, "...The film is ultimately a stodgy, overblown and repetitive slog."
New York Times critic Stephen Holdin minimized the story of Jose Luis Sanchez del Rio, a 14-year-old who refused to renounce his faith: "The boy’s arrest and persecution are staged as a kind of passion play exploited for maximum teary-eyed outrage." (Although, in fairness, Holdin did go on to describe the child as a "fearless young warrior.")
Detroit News reviewer Tom Long could barely hide his disinterest in the movie's subject matter:
Apparently in the 1920s, the Mexican government went on some sort of rampage against Catholics. Priests were shot, churches shuttered, that kind of thing.
Not surprisingly, since the entire country pretty much converted to Catholicism, a rebel force arose to fight for the right to be Catholic. In the film, an atheist general (Andy Garcia) agrees to lead the rebels because he believes in religious freedom.
And then lots of people get killed. Priests, children, endless soldiers shooting one another. Director Dean Wright has obviously been charged with creating a Historic Epic here, with all the fuss and overkill that requires.He succeeds in making enough noise, but what the noise is about is left pretty unclear. Why was the Mexican government, personified by Ruben Blades as President Plutarco Elias Calles, intent on secularizing Mexico? And why do we care?"
Once again, some of the nation's most prominent film critics have shown their disdain for movies with strong religious content.
To see MRC President Brent Bozell's review of For Greater Glory, go here.
[Thank you to MRC intern Kelly McGarey for her assistance.]
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Comments
If the Catholics were the bad
Submitted by tcm14 on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 5:25pm.
If the Catholics were the bad guys in the movie, these hacks would be putting the film up for Best Picture.
How many readers did they just alienate?
Submitted by JeffC... on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 5:26pm.
How many readers can the newspapers afford to alienate?
Just wait for the next anti-American movie to get released. It'll be another commercial flop, but those critics will be so slobberingly in love with the film that the pages with the reviews will be moist.
He's a film critic because he couldn't make it as anything else.
Submitted by drsamherman on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 5:40pm.
I know two movie critics from Texas. One went to Hollywood and spent the small inheritance his mom left him and he failed miserably. So naturally, he came back to Texas and started writing scornful movie reviews out of spite. The other movie critic I know is also from Texas and she tried her hand at writing movie scripts but never sold one. I don't know why I agreed to do so, but she had me read three of her scripts for my opinion. The stories were trite, the characters were banal and the dialogue didn't follow what she said was the plot. Never cared for what movie critics had to say after that, particularly when they all loved the antiwar flicks that bombed badly at the box office.
I'll tell you why we care, Ignorant Movie Reviewer
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 6:20pm.
Why was the Mexican government, personified by Ruben Blades as President Plutarco Elias Calles, intent on secularizing Mexico? And why do we care?"
Because the President of Mexico was an atheist, who imposed his (lack of) beliefs on his country by persecuting the Church, that's why.
Rings a little close to home with Obama's high handed "contraception mandate".....as well as the rest of the secularists demanding the mere mention or symbolism of a Christian God be removed from all public places.
To this day, there are ramifications of the Mexican Government's official war on Catholicism....services may not be held outside without permission of the State, for example.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
If only Garcia's character had been gay.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 6:23pm.
Oh well.
Huh?
Submitted by CobraMan on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 7:43pm.
"Catnip for Crusaders."
Talk about a mixed metaphor!
"Why should we care?"
Well, to put it in your own words: "Priests were shot, churches shuttered, that kind of thing." That's called OPPRESSION! This wasn't a case of a separation of Church and State, it was a case of the attempted ELIMINATION of the Church BY the State! That's not secularism. That's armed oppression of religious expression, sometimes referred to "religious persecution," you liberal idiot!
The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. The US Constitution
Unless you're a fetus. The US Supreme Court
Or Anwar al-Awlaki.
Why don't these critics just
Submitted by Newsbusterbrown on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 7:57pm.
Why don't these critics just confess that they're liberals and that they believe anything promoting Catholicism/Christianity should be shunned by the "masses?"
“There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
Catnip for Crusaders sure
Submitted by trickle_down on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 8:42pm.
Catnip for Crusaders sure beats the crap out of the usual Hollywood Comics for Commies.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Submitted by lrgon on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 10:24pm.
The red mercenaries during the so-called Spainish Civil War in the nineteen thirties have been glorified by leftwing film makers. They portray the reds as the good guys and the forces under Franco as the bad guys. So whenever a pro-christian movie comes out the left goes beserk and attacks it.
Hollywood wasn't always left-leaning weird. Some movie companies produced a handful of movies that exposed the reds for the masters of deceit that they are. One of those anti-communist movies starred John Wayne as Big Jim McClain (title of the movie) and TV icon James Arness as Mal Baxter.
In Spain during the Spanish Civil War, the reds would board up Catholic churches (what other kind were there back then?) and set fire to them with the parishioners inside. Gunmun would position themselves at the exists and enjoy themselves by shooting anyone running out. You won't be seeing those scenes in any leftwing movie!
The apologists for the reds are still making movies about the so-called "red scare"' era. Even the family friendly network, Hallmark Channel, has produced two movies that treat the reds during that era as the victims instead of the subverters of our culture!
Left wingers were slipping in communist propaganda into the scripts of major movies like the movie starring Bergman and Cooper. Gary Cooper to his credit hated the reds.
For Whom the Bell Tolls depicts the communists as "republicans." The red mercenaries fought under the various "brigades" titles. American communists called their brigade the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. These red brigades were not in any shape or form practicing adherents of the republican model of government. Certainly not what our Founders were!
The American republic the founders left to us to protect has a system of "checking" and separating the central government and "balancing" the various branches to secure individual liberties. The tendency of reds who acquire power in government is to expand power and centralize it. Therefore the movie based on the Hemingway novel was a big joke and a big lie designed to give the reds good PR.
Big News like Big Hollywood are friends of plagiarists, liars and communist murderers. Therefore it's par for the course for the left wing media to pan For Greater Glory since the reds and their non card carrying red government officials are the bad guys in this movie.
It's good to see that some film makers and writers are giving the Hollywood left a run for their money!
Movie buffs should also check-out this:
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Fri, 06/01/2012 - 11:33pm.
Director (RADM - USNR) John Ford’s 1947 movie “The Fugitive,” starring Henry Fonda.
It is a story about the last priest in a Mexican province that is hunted down by the Federales. (note: There is a ‘disclaimer’ in the film that says that Mexico is not the country portrayed and that the ‘cooperation of Mexican authorities is most appreciated…blah, blah, blah … but I guess that needed to be done to film the movie on location.)
While the story does not mention the 1920's Catholic revolt, there is no doubt (in my opinion) the genesis for the story is directly related.
- Grump :o)
Grumpy, yes! Great film. No
Submitted by JasonC on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 3:01pm.
Grumpy, yes! Great film. No one ever portrayed the adventure and heroics of the American west as complexly and perfectly as Ford. Thanks for the reminder of that excellent movie (though unfortunately, it is mysteriously absent from Netflix).
Graham Greene
Submitted by Dr. Ron on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 12:18am.
I believe Greene was in Mexico in that time frame...The Power and The Glory may have been a product of his living there...as well as These Lawless Roads.
Oh, by the way, it is estimated that 90,000 Catholics, men/women/children were killed in an attempt to suppress Catholicism in that time-frame...Jesuit motto: ad majoren dei gloriam magis...for the greater glory (of God) and Mexico's "leaders" also suppressed the Jesuit order...read/see execution pics of Father Miguel Po, SJ. BE AWARE THAT SEVERAL WEBSITES HAVE TRIED TO PORTRAY THIS WAR ON CATHOLICS/CATHOLICISM AS A CATHOLIC UPRISING AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT FOR NO REAL REASON. Viva Christo Rey!
Thanks Dr. Ron,
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 10:35am.
(see my post above)
Graham Green wrote the novel ("The Labyrinthine Ways" (also published as "The Power and The Glory")) upon which the movie “The Fugitive” was based.
- Grump :o)
"... not so interesting to
Submitted by CO2Maker on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 10:30am.
"... not so interesting to those looking for a deeper view into how politics and religion can tragically clash."
And how do those looking for a deeper view—you know, the media—characterize the Obamacare contraception mandate? As a war on women.
Okay, emotional sucker punch landed, let's go home. What, you want to talk about church and state? Oh, puhleeze . . . Well, shit. Okay. We'll make it so the insurance companies can't charge for contraception. Satisfied? No? God, can't anybody please you? (And you insurance guys, shaddup, will ya? Hell, you can recoup your costs by padding the other charges. Duh.) Come on, it's not that complicated. You want a deeper view or something?
Hmmmmm?
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 11:24am.
Over at Rotten Tomatoes the critics (paid shills) give it a 21% positive, the moviegoers (the people) give it a 70% positive.
Kinda like the polls for Obama2012.
"Elitist reviewers"
Submitted by almostacowboy on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 11:25am.
Redundant? I ain't sayin'. I'm just sayin'.
"Elitist film critics"
Submitted by almostacowboy on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 11:26am.
Redundant? I ain't sayin'. I'm just sayin'.
Where's the beef? (where's the liberal message?)
Submitted by James Youngblood on Sat, 06/02/2012 - 2:56pm.
"catnip for crusaders but not so interesting to those looking for a deeper view into how politics and religion can tragically clash."
Looking for a deeper view is progessive speak for "looking for a liberal view"
J. Youngblood
For the Greater Glory
Submitted by irishsmile on Mon, 06/04/2012 - 12:24pm.
I wanted to see the movie and it wasn't listed as a new film with our local Fandango theater in Southern Oregon. I E Mailed the manager asking if it was coming. He responded by writing that his film order person advised him that the movie was only playing on 14 screens in Texas and was in such limited release that it was very doubtful if the film would be ordered for us. I Googled and discovered that it is in nationwide release and showing at 6-7 theatres in Oregon but all are 3-4 hours away driving time. Why did the theater lie? I believe that the Hollywood money crowd is discouraging theater chains from showing the movie.
They tried the same thing with "The Passion of the Christ"
Submitted by Radical1979 on Mon, 06/04/2012 - 12:43pm.
Only they don't have any mentally ill people to bash with this movie (I'm referring to Mel Gibson, who surely has some severe mental health issues). So Hollywood will do all it can behind the scenes to keep this movie from being seen.