Yet Another Reason to Be Glad I Don't Have Cable

[selenite0]

Somebody in this is missing brains, and I don't think it's the zombies . . .

There's a review in Slate of a horror show tonight on Showtime. Dead troops from Iraq rise as zombies and start eating Republicans. The reviewer thinks "my guess is that most members of the military would get a kick out of this flick that praises the troops in Iraq". I don't know what he's basing that on--earlier in the review he says "zombies are the perfect metaphor for our soldiers in Iraq: They're shell-shocked, anonymous, and aren't asked to make very many decisions." That ain't praise in my book. He also says of the troops "we don't really have a clue as to what's on their minds." Apparently something as bold as asking them hadn't occurred to that reporter.

Comments

**growls***

[carbonelle.livejournal.com]

But never say we don't support the unthinking zombies troops! Cuz we do!

[noumignon.livejournal.com]

Dead troops from Iraq rise as zombies and start eating Republicans.

I gotta say, the concept pitches itself. In Hollywood especially, but even so, in that one sentence you know what the movie's about, yet you know it's not just a generic horror movie. Why are they eating Republicans and not brains? What kind of a twist does Iraq put on it? How are they going to make a zombie movie topical? I wouldn't watch it, but I might greenlight it.

The Slate writer is going for irreverence but lacking a necessary initial supply of actual respect.

And finally, zombies don't vote.

[selenite.livejournal.com]

American heroes kick butts of Muslim terrorists" pitches itself, but Hollywood's only interested if it's a SATIRE! with PUPPETS!. Which is stupid of them, a bunch of Rambo-style action flicks would probably fill the theatres and they can sure use the money. But no, if they've got a property with Muslim terrorists already in it they have to edit them out and replace them with neonazis (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164184/).

You'd almost think they were siding with the Muslims.

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

The only movie I can think of with honest-to-goodness muslim terrorists in it recently was Team America: World Police. I absolutely think that many parts of American culture have a reflexive anti-Americanism at their core. I don't really know why they do, but I'm pretty sure it's there...

[selenite.livejournal.com]

That's the puppet satire I was thinking of, yes.

I don't know why anti-Americanism is so popular in those subcultures, but it's definitely our biggest obstacle to winning the war.

[thegameiam.livejournal.com]

Even more important than this war is the corrosive effect it has on society at large: if I recall correctly, we're within a generation of being the longest-lasting republic in the history of the world - we've amassed a power and hegemony unseen since ancient Rome, and it's clear that we can't be defeated by an outside force. We can, however, take ourselves apart, and give up our freedoms, and that prospect scares me. :/

[noumignon.livejournal.com]

edit them out and replace them with neonazis.

Aw, they did that? That's as bad as changing the guns in E.T. to walkie-talkies.

"American heroes kick terrorist butt" sounds like the plot of any action movie. To pitch well you need to add at least "American hero kicks terrorist butt on airplane/runwaway train/skyscraper roof" and to pitch itself like the other one you'd need "American Idol hero battles Muslim terrorists, disguised as the ghost of Osama bin Laden. Or maybe I just want movie pitches with quirks and your original is the best seller.

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

Don't get me started on that movie.

I really love the book, but think they should have just skipped the movie.

Besides the above mentioned plot butchery (turning plot sideshow into Big Bad Villain),

1: Ben Affleck does not equal Harrison Ford or Jack Ryan.
2: Making him single totally screws with continuity.
3: Taking out Cathy Ryan's character kills my fave line of the book.

DV

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Agreed.

3: Taking out Cathy Ryan's character kills my fave line of the book.

Which one?