Daniel Okrent's column is still warm in its grave and already the New York Times' arts critics are taking advantage of being able to once again flaunt their Bush hatred without being called on it.
Under the Red Rock's JB Hudson points out the following from Times movie critic Manola Darghis, ostensibly writing about "The Cinderella Man":
Like Gary Ross's "Seabiscuit," the legend of the little Depression-era horse that could, "Cinderella Man" is a shamefully ingratiating old-fashioned weepie. To his credit, Mr. Howard does not wave the flag as vigorously as Mr. Ross, though the new film's tagline ("When America was on its knees, he brought us to our feet") prepares you for the worst. In any event, given that Mr. Howard and his writers would be hard-pressed to bend this underdog narrative to our current political nightmare, it's a good thing they don't venture down that path.Observes Hudson:
"Current political nightmare," where did that come from? Mr. Dargis seems to get a little carried away himself there for a bit, though certainly not with waving the flag.Agreed (though Dargis is actually a Ms.). Dargis gives the distinct impression that she views patriotic feel-good movies with trepidation because they get people feeling, well, good about values held by the architects of our "current political nightmare."
I love President Bush if for no other reason than that he is so incredibly good at irking liberals. They even think of him when they are watching a seemingly innocuous "old fashioned weepie."
Dargis is the same reviewer who called "Celsius 41.11," a conservative response to Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," "another unconvincing effort on the part of conservatives to mount a viable critique of Mr. Moore." "What [the filmmakers] want to do with their movie," she wrote,
"is make you afraid—very, very afraid."
Apparently the only thing that scares Ms. Dargis is our current political you-know-what. Then again, if I believed everything Michael Moore says, I'd be scared too.
