...I had been looking forward to Steven Spielberg's War Of The Worlds, even though it really looked like nothing more than a very big budget remake of Independence Day, which was itself a remake of WOTW. However, in recent days it seems that the film's writer, David Koepp, has made some pretty direct statements that the film is - surprise - an allegory of the US invasion of Iraq...and guess who the Martians are supposed to be. As appears to be the standard MO in these cases, Mr. Koepp made the comments in a foreign magazine, Canada's Rue Morgue, apparently forgetting that in the age of the blog, it's damned tough to keep things quiet and hidden the way it used to. The site linked to below (apparently it's down temporarily, this is a Google cache) has all the details, plus links, and a quote from Mr. Koepp:
And now, as we see American adventure abroad,â he [David Koepp] continues âin my mind itâs certainly back to itâs original meaning, which is that the Martians in our movie represent American military forces invading the Iraqis, and the futility of the occupation of a faraway land is again the subtext.â
You guys think Tom Cruise was acting weird before? Wait till he finds out he's playing Zarqawi...
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/28/2005 00:00 ||
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#1
Yeah, and Hollyweird is wondering why the box office receipts keep dropping.
#3
Spielberg has refused to allow the movie to be screened for reviewers before it's release date. I smell a big giant load about to be dumped on us. Oh, well, I just see these pics for the special effects anyway.
Posted by: Steve ||
06/28/2005 11:00 Comments ||
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#4
The original story was an allegory of imperialism with England on the receaving end. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that the latest version would be much of the same.
My guess is David Koepp has a pretty distorted view of what went on in Iraq before the invasion if he thinks there are any kind of parallels.
#5
I am sick and tired of Hollywood making movie after movie that are anti-Bush, anti-American, anti-military polemics rather than entertainment.
I watched a film from the late '40's on Turner Classic the other night about the war hero Gen. Paul Tibbets, who piloted the Enola Gay which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima.
Tibbets was played by box office star Robert Taylor, too.
It was great..and it even showed the men praying (in Jesus's name, no less) before they set out on the mission!
The idea of Hollywood allowing such a film to be made today is laughable and that is just plain wrong!
If they can't make a movie in favor of our war effort, can't they at least give the Bush-bashing and peacenik crap a rest?
#9
...You know, I wonder what the future holds for what is expected to be THE Christmas movie for this year - Disney's 'The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.' There is absolutely no way that one can take out the Christian sentiments that are the center of the book without turning it into a complete hash - yet, Hollyweird seems to be incapable of depicting Christian thought or morals in anything resembling a reasonable respectful way. Anyone want to bet that all we get is a two-hour ripoff of Lord Of The Rings ?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
06/28/2005 17:20 Comments ||
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#10
I heard there was going to be a "War of the Worlds" remake. I was a little excited.
I heard it was a Spielberg film. My excitement faded a bit.
I heard it "starred" Tom ClamCruise. My excitement changed to contempt.
I saw an ad with Tim Robbins prominently featured. My contempt turned to disgust.
I read this, and my disgust turns to loathing.
Thankfully, I have the George Pal version on DVD.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
06/28/2005 17:57 Comments ||
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#11
I still say that if we started deporting these jerk offs it would all change real quick. The Hollywood crowd is about whatever is cool or fady look at some of those 10k jeans with holes im them Britnany buys her boyfriend. I have a couple of pairs of those I think I paid 40 dollars for them at Burlington 2yrs ago before a ago I retired them to work clothes. The point after we booted a couple of them they would all step in line and if they didnt Paris used to be the fad cool spot let it once again be that and send all of hollywood thier who cares. At least we wouldnt have to listen to any more how dare you question my patriotism right after declaring a active war a illegal war on false pretence our current pres a liar who by the way was at the time trying to get a bunch of foriegners believe we would stand by them if they would just stand up and fight for themselves. I am sorry but if you are a american you dont go undermine a active war effort you eihter shut the fuck up or you talk at the water cooler not the International TV that is called treason at worst Sedition at best.
#12
c'mon - Hollywood produces good and bad, just like any other industry. I'm looking at my DVD's just on my desk, and I see The Patriot, Master and Commander, Gladiator, Open Range, Unforgiven, Wild Bunch, Jeremiah Johnson,...all great flicks, some darker than others. If you can't find a movie to watch you're not really looking
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/28/2005 20:35 Comments ||
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#13
My Name is David - it's on payperview. It was great - that's why it got ignored. It's not an action flick - but whole family, including grandma and annoying liberal relatives will enjoy too.
Major Arab Terrorist Attacks against Israelis Prior to the 1967 Six-Day War
Palestinian and Arab spokesmen commonly claim that the recent Palestinian terrorism is the result of the Israeli 'occupation' of the West Bank and Gaza, adding that the violence will cease only when the 'occupation' is ended.
Despite this claim, it should be recalled that the many Palestinian and Arab rejectionist factions (such as the Hamas and the Hizbullah) repeatedly declare that even if Israel would fully withdraw from the territories they will continue their attacks, since they refute Israel's basic right to exist.
---------------------------------
The basic premise of the Palestinian claim - that the 'occupation' causes terrorism - is historically flawed. Arab and Palestinian terrorism against Israel existed prior to the beginning of Israeli control over the West Bank and Gaza as a result of the Six Day War of June 1967, and even prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948.
For example, Arab terrorism was rampant during wave of anti-Jewish riots in 1920-21 (which was characterized by the brutal murder in Jaffa of the prominent Jewish author Y. Brenner), during the 'Disturbances' of 1929 (which included the massacre of the Jewish community in Hebron), during the Arab Revolt of 1936-39, and in many other recorded incidents of wholesale anti-Jewish Arab violence throughout the pre-state period.
The Palestinian terrorism campaign was stepped-up on the eve of the UN Partition Resolution of November 1947, and led to the joint Arab invasion of 1948-49 which delineated the boundaries of the newly established State of Israel.
Indeed, this deplorable violence can be traced back to the beginning of the renewed Jewish settlement of the Land of Israel over a century ago.
After the War of Independence, Arab terrorism expanded in scope. In 1952, when 'fedayeen' terrorist border incursions reached their height, there were about 3,000 incidents of cross-border violence, extending from the malicious destruction of property to the brutal murder of civilians. In the years 1951-1955, 503 Israelis were killed by Arab terrorists infiltrating from Jordan, 358 were killed in attacks from Egypt, and 61 were killed in attacks originating from Syria and Lebanon. This anti-Israeli violence encompassed both frontier settlements and population centers, and was perpetrated, for the most part, against innocent civilians, most of them new immigrants.
In conclusion, the oft-repeated Arab claim that the Israeli 'occupation' is somehow to blame for the Palestinian terrorism is nothing more than an empty retort, repudiated by the facts, and disproved by a century of historical reality.
The following is a partial list of documented acts of Arab terrorism, all occurring prior to the beginning of the Israeli administration of the West Bank and Gaza in 1967:
Major Arab Terrorist Attacks against Israelis Prior to the 1967 Six-Day War
Jan 1, 1952 - Seven armed terrorists attacked and killed a nineteen year-old girl in her home, in the neighborhood of Beit Yisrael, in Jerusalem.
Apr 14, 1953 - Terrorists tried for the first time to infiltrate Israel by sea, but were unsuccessful. One of the boats was intercepted and the other boat escaped.
June 7, 1953 - A youngster was killed and three others were wounded, in shooting attacks on residential areas in southern Jerusalem.
June 9, 1953 - Terrorists attacked a farming community near Lod, and killed one of the residents. The terrorists threw hand grenades and sprayed gunfire in all directions. On the same night, another group of terrorists attacked a house in the town of Hadera. This occurred a day after Israel and Jordan signed an agreement, with UN mediation, in which Jordan undertook to prevent terrorists from crossing into Israel from Jordanian territory.
June 10, 1953 - Terrorists infiltrating from Jordan destroyed a house in the farming village of Mishmar Ayalon.
June 11, 1953 - Terrorists attacked a young couple in their home in Kfar Hess, and shot them to death.
Sept 2, 1953 - Terrorists infiltrated from Jordan, and reached the neighborhood of Katamon, in the heart of Jerusalem. They threw hand grenades in all directions. Miraculously, no one was hurt.
Mar 17, 1954- Terrorists ambushed a bus traveling from Eilat to Tel Aviv, and opened fire at short range when the bus reached the area of Maale Akrabim in the northern Negev. In the initial ambush, the terrorists killed the driver and wounded most of the passengers. The terrorists then boarded the bus, and shot each passenger, one by one. Eleven passengers were murdered. Survivors recounted how the murderers spat on the bodies and abused them. The terrorists could clearly be traced back to the Jordanian border, some 20 km from the site of the terrorist attack.
Jan 2, 1955 - Terrorists killed two hikers in the Judean Desert.
Mar 24, 1955 - Terrorists threw hand grenades and opened fire on a crowd at a wedding in the farming community of Patish, in the Negev. A young woman was killed, and eighteen people were wounded in the attack.
Apr 7, 1956 - A resident of Ashkelon was killed in her home, when terrorists threw three hand grenades into her house.
Two members of Kibbutz Givat Chaim were killed, when terrorists opened fire on their car, on the road from Plugot Junction to Mishmar Hanegev.
There were further hand grenade and shooting attacks on homes and cars, in areas such as Nitzanim and Ketziot. One person was killed and three others wounded.
Apr 11, 1956 - Terrorists opened fire on a synagogue full of children and teenagers, in the farming community of Shafrir. Three children and a youth worker were killed on the spot, and five were wounded, including three seriously.
Apr 29, 1956 - Egyptians killed Roi Rotenberg, 21 years of age, from Nahal Oz.
Sept 12, 1956 - Terrorists killed three Druze guards at Ein Ofarim, in the Arava region.
Sept 23, 1956 - Terrorists opened fire from a Jordanian position, and killed four archaeologists, and wounded sixteen others, near Kibbutz Ramat Rachel.
Sept 24, 1956 - Terrorists killed a girl in the fields of the farming community of Aminadav, near Jerusalem.
Oct 4, 1956 - Five Israeli workers were killed in Sdom.
Oct 9, 1956 - Two workers were killed in an orchard of the youth village, Neve Hadassah, in the Sharon region.
Nov 8, 1956 - Terrorists opened fire on a train, attacked cars and blew up wells, in the North and Center of Israel. Six Israelis were wounded.
Feb 18, 1957 - Two civilians were killed by terrorist landmines, next to Nir Yitzhak, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip.
Mar 8, 1957 - A shepherd from Kibbutz Beit Govrin was killed by terrorists in a field near the Kibbutz.
Apr 16, 1957 - Terrorists infiltrated from Jordan, and killed two guards at Kibbutz Mesilot.
May 20, 1957 - A terrorist opened fire on a truck in the Arava region, killing a worker.
May 29, 1957 - A tractor driver was killed and two others wounded, when the vehicle struck a landmine, next to Kibbutz Kisufim.
June 23, 1957 - Israelis were wounded by landmines, close to the Gaza Strip.
Aug 23, 1957 - Two guards of the Israeli Mekorot water company were killed near Kibbutz Beit Govrin.
Dec 21, 1957 - A member of Kibbutz Gadot was killed in the Kibbutz fields.
Feb 11, 1958 - Terrorists killed a resident of Moshav Yanov who was on his way to Kfar Yona, in the Sharon area.
Apr 5, 1958 - Terrorists lying in ambush shot and killed two people near Tel Lachish.
Apr 22, 1958 - Jordanian soldiers shot and killed two fishermen near Aqaba.
May 26, 1958 - Four Israeli police officers were killed in a Jordanian attack on Mt. Scopus, in Jerusalem.
Nov 17, 1958 - Syrian terrorists killed the wife of the British air attache in Israel, who was staying at the guesthouse of the Italian Convent on the Mt. of the Beatitudes.
Dec 3, 1958- A shepherd was killed at Kibbutz Gonen. In the artillery attack that followed, 31 civilians were wounded.
Jan 23, 1959 - A shepherd from Kibbutz Lehavot Habashan was killed.
Feb 1, 1959 - Three civilians were killed by a terrorist landmine near Moshav Zavdiel.
Apr 15, 1959 - A guard was killed at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel.
Apr 27, 1959 - Two hikers were shot at close range and killed near Massada.
Sept 6, 1959 - Bedouin terrorists killed a paratroop reconnaissance officer near Nitzana.
Sept 8, 1959 - Bedouins opened fire on an army bivouac in the Negev, killing an IDF officer, Captain Yair Peled.
Oct 3, 1959 - A shepherd from Kibbutz Heftziba was killed near Kibbutz Yad Hana.
Apr 26, 1960 - Terrorists killed a resident of Ashkelon south of the city.
Apr 12, 1962 - Terrorists fired on an Egged bus on the way to Eilat; one passenger was wounded.
Sept 30, 1962 - Two terrorists attacked an Egged bus on the way to Eilat. No one was wounded.
Jan 1, 1965 - Palestinian terrorists attempted to bomb the National Water Carrier. This was the first attack carried out by the PLO's Fatah faction.
May 31, 1965 - Jordanian Legionnaires fired on the neighborhood of Musrara in Jerusalem, killing two civilians and wounding four.
June 1, 1965 - Terrorists attack a house in Kibbutz Yiftach.
July 5, 1965 - A Fatah cell planted explosives at Mitzpe Massua, near Beit Guvrin; and on the railroad tracks to Jerusalem near Kafr Battir.
Aug 26, 1965 - A waterline was sabotaged at Kibbutz Manara, in the Upper Galilee.
Sept 29, 1965 - A terrorist was killed as he attempted to attack Moshav Amatzia.
Nov 7, 1965 - A Fatah cell that infiltrated from Jordan blew up a house in Moshav Givat Yeshayahu, south of Beit Shemesh. The house was destroyed, but the inhabitants were miraculously unhurt.
Apr 25, 1966 - Explosions placed by terrorists wounded two civilians and damaged three houses in Moshav Beit Yosef, in the Beit Shean Valley.
May 16, 1966 - Two Israelis were killed when their jeep hit a terrorist landmine, north of the Sea of Galilee and south of Almagor. Tracks led into Syria.
July 13, 1966 - Two soldiers and a civilian were killed near Almagor, when their truck struck a terrorist landmine.
July 14, 1966 - Terrorists attacked a house in Kfar Yuval, in the North.
July 19, 1966 - Terrorists infiltrated into Moshav Margaliot on the northern border and planted nine explosive charges.
Oct 27, 1966 - A civilian was wounded by an explosive charge on the railroad tracks to Jerusalem.
#1
Jeeze! Wotta quagmire! Them Israelites should go back home to ... oh, waitaminute...
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/28/2005 9:12 Comments ||
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#2
To anyone who believes we should negotiate a "peacefull" ending to the war on terror:
The first thing on every terrorist list is that the state of Israel does not have the right to exist i.e. they must die.
The second thing on every terrorist list is that any western interest in the middle east must be removed.
The third thing is that only a strict islamic govt can "protect" the people from the horrible western influences (like showers and condoms).
#3
Israel should have pushed the Palestinians out of the West Bank and Gaza following the 1967 war. The world was stunned and there was no question who had genocidal intent. Now time has passed and history has been rewritten for the ignorant.
Until the Arabs are in a position to make such a genocidal attack again the problem will probably not be resolved.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
