Monday, April 30, 2007

Delta Farce

Has anyone seen the trailer for this new movie, Delta Farce? I saw it last night channel surfing and I found it quite troubling. I'm not comfortable with Larry the Cable Guy in a military uniform, not that I have regard for him anyway, but it seems Hollywood can sink their talons into any story or topic now, no matter how poorly they treat it. This smacks of poor taste and even poorer judgment, just like two other movies I refuse to see, Flight 93 and World Trade Center.

One of the bits they showed in the trailer was a sergeant badgering the soldiers about taking them to paradise. When they arrive in Iraq, he equivocates and says "Oh, I meant Fallujah."

I shudder to think how this film will portray the Iraqis if they do at all, but I am tired of everything being for sale, even the war in Iraq. Maybe I am a bit more sensitive since my brother is in the army. However, I cannot see turning Iraq into a B-grade parody positive.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tony: seems like Hollywood is always capitalizing on other's pain. For that matter I think the world does that. Lawyers rush to every tragedy in hope of scoring the big one. Maybe I'm sensitive too, but I agree. Sometimes this type of stuff would be better off not seen for about 50 years. But what do I know? selahV

Writer said...

Tony,

I won't see Delta Farce for all the reasons you mentioned. I have not seen United 93 because I don't think I can sit through it. However, I did see World Trade Center and it was an excellent film. There was no overtly graphic violence and the story was very tastefully portrayed. I came away with a greater respect for the NYPD. This film also gave me a deeper sense of the loss of that terrible day. Usually I do not like Oliver Stone films, but I can recommend World Trade Center.

Regards,

Les

Jay Allbritton said...

A movie mocking war yet starring the most popular comedian in the red south? This is just stupid. Bad business. Bad movie.

Tony said...

Selah,

I think the time factor helps to ease the sensitivity. Sometimes though, it doesn't help. There is a Pearl Harbor survivor in the church I serve and he was outraged when the Pearl Harbor movie came out (which was horrible, btw).

Les,

Movies trouble me sometimes. I think what gets to me about some of them is they either portray inaccurate history or they romanticize it.

Take Titanic for example. The atrocity of the tragedy was eclipsed because everyone was worried about Jack and Rose. The best part of that movie was when the Jack character sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. There is a place for historical fiction but where is the line?

No one thinks about the Titanic without matching up their ideas about it with James Cameron's film.

I had the same problem with The Passion. The Scripture says only that they crucified him yet Mel gives us about eighteen minutes of blood and rancor.

Before, everyone had their own picture of the gruesomeness of the cross in their minds. Now however, for those who have seen The Passion, they all have the same cohesive, glamorized, Gibsonized picture of the cross.

Films are a wonderful medium but I think they have some clear disadvantages.

Station Agent,

Thanks for stopping in. I appreciate your comment. I had some of the same thoughts I think you may be alluding to. Larry the Cable Guy thumbing his nose at President Bush...

Streak said...

Interesting. BTW, and I don't know if this changes anything, they don't actually go to Iraq, but Mexico--on accident of course.

Tony said...

I don't know if it changes anything. Did you know from the trailer that they go to Mexico? The trailer I saw didn't make that clear.

I guess now it is a political movie about immigration. What has your first impression of this film been?

Streak said...

Yeah, I am not sure this will make it any better either. The trailer appeared, however, to be mocking southern idiots more than even Mexicans, but trailers can be very misleading.

My first impression was a slapped together slapstick film.

I completely understand the concerns about the war. You know I share those. This isn't the first time. After all, we had World War II films made as propaganda to build support for the war, *during* the war. But now we have video games about the Iraq war--which I find completely creepy.