Hollywood's Iraq Blues

The wave of recent films set against the backdrop of war in Iraq and post-9/11 security has failed to win over film-goers keen to escape grim news headlines when they go to the movies, analysts say.

In a break with past convention, when films based on real conflicts were made only years after the last shots were fired, several politically-charged films have gone on release while America remains embroiled in Iraq.

Almost without exception, however, the crop of movies have struggled to turn a profit at the box-office and in many cases have received a mauling from unimpressed critics as well.

It couldn't happen to a nicer group of people. And hopefully this reflects both the reality that we are "winning" in Iraq and that the public at large understands it. Hollywood prides themselves on pushing the envelope and being out in front on social issues. But this war is far more important than a social issue and embracing defeat does not play well in Peoria. The Hollywood elite does not seemed to have grasped either of those facts, as you can see in the blurb above. According to them, the reason these anti-war, anti-counterterrorism movies are failing is because the actual war news is so grim. Perhaps they might try making a true movie about some of the heroes of Iraq and see if that might sell a little better. Read the entire story.