Disney opts for patriotic movie after nixing polemical 'Fahrenheit 9/11'44 minutes agoLOS ANGELES (AFP) - Entertainment movie giant Walt Disney Corp, which last month refused to release the politically explosive "Fahrenheit 9/11," is unveiling a "patriotic" film this week that supporters say could act as a counter-balance Michael Moore's hit film. While Disney insists that the release of the rousing film "America's Heart and Soul" on Friday is unconnected with Moore's documentary, branded by his critics as "anti-American," conservative groups that oppose Moore film say Disney's new release makes them proud to be American. "This unusual film was inspirational," said Howard Kaloogian, chairman of Move America Forward, which has spearheaded a boycott campaign of "Fahrenheit 9/11," after attending a special screening of the film Monday. "It was an amazing set of vignettes of stories of different Americans and their pursuit of passion. Each individual was able to explore their passion because of the freedom this country has given us," said Kaloogian While "America's Heart and Soul" left audiences feeling "warm and proud," Moore's was a fallacious political attack on US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) aimed at destroying American confidence in the war against terror and defeating Bush at November's polls, Kaloogian said. "I don't think you can position the two films against each other because 'Heart and Soul' is apolitical, but you come out of it with a very different feeling about America than when you leave Moore's film." With its patriotic undertones and emphasis on the goodness of Americans, the film contrasts with Michael Moore's documentary that accused Bush's administration of waging an unjustified war in Iraq (news - web sites) and revealing alleged links between the Bush family and that of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites). But Disney executives said that the release of the new film on Friday -- a week after the release of "Fahrenheit" -- was simply co-incidental. "This movie has been in the making for years and we picked it up way over a year ago," a Disney executive told AFP. Releasing the film now "had nothing to do with 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and there is no link at all between the two movies," she added. Disney in May declined to release Moore's film -- produced by its Miramax unit -- because of its divisive political nature, and sold the rights to the film back to a production company owned by Miramax bosses Harvey and Bob Weinstein. After battling to find a distribution company, the movie was finally picked up by Lion's Gate Entertainment which released it to record box office returns on Friday. The film took 23.9 million dollars in North America, more than any other documentary in history, and eclipsed the revenues of two major new Hollywood movie released last weekend.― Kingfish of Burma (Kingfish), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)
LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Entertainment movie giant Walt Disney Corp, which last month refused to release the politically explosive "Fahrenheit 9/11," is unveiling a "patriotic" film this week that supporters say could act as a counter-balance Michael Moore's hit film.
While Disney insists that the release of the rousing film "America's Heart and Soul" on Friday is unconnected with Moore's documentary, branded by his critics as "anti-American," conservative groups that oppose Moore film say Disney's new release makes them proud to be American.
"This unusual film was inspirational," said Howard Kaloogian, chairman of Move America Forward, which has spearheaded a boycott campaign of "Fahrenheit 9/11," after attending a special screening of the film Monday.
"It was an amazing set of vignettes of stories of different Americans and their pursuit of passion. Each individual was able to explore their passion because of the freedom this country has given us," said Kaloogian
While "America's Heart and Soul" left audiences feeling "warm and proud," Moore's was a fallacious political attack on US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) aimed at destroying American confidence in the war against terror and defeating Bush at November's polls, Kaloogian said.
"I don't think you can position the two films against each other because 'Heart and Soul' is apolitical, but you come out of it with a very different feeling about America than when you leave Moore's film."
With its patriotic undertones and emphasis on the goodness of Americans, the film contrasts with Michael Moore's documentary that accused Bush's administration of waging an unjustified war in Iraq (news - web sites) and revealing alleged links between the Bush family and that of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites).
But Disney executives said that the release of the new film on Friday -- a week after the release of "Fahrenheit" -- was simply co-incidental.
"This movie has been in the making for years and we picked it up way over a year ago," a Disney executive told AFP.
Releasing the film now "had nothing to do with 'Fahrenheit 9/11' and there is no link at all between the two movies," she added.
Disney in May declined to release Moore's film -- produced by its Miramax unit -- because of its divisive political nature, and sold the rights to the film back to a production company owned by Miramax bosses Harvey and Bob Weinstein.
After battling to find a distribution company, the movie was finally picked up by Lion's Gate Entertainment which released it to record box office returns on Friday.
The film took 23.9 million dollars in North America, more than any other documentary in history, and eclipsed the revenues of two major new Hollywood movie released last weekend.
― Kingfish of Burma (Kingfish), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)
Editorial voice -- or Kaloogian's? What did he say abt Moore?
― Enrique (Enrique), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)
― TheRealJMod (TheRealJMod), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:34 (twenty-one years ago)
forgot to close the tag. oops.
― Kingfish of Burma (Kingfish), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:43 (twenty-one years ago)
― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)
― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)
― Kingfish of Burma (Kingfish), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)
― Huk-El (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)
― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 14:12 (twenty-one years ago)
― hexxy, Tuesday, 29 June 2004 14:15 (twenty-one years ago)
― theodore fogelsanger, Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:34 (twenty-one years ago)
― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)
― morris pavilion (samjeff), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)
― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)
― ¥¤±²£¢Ð¼æ®ª«¶Þ÷³¹ß½Øש§¾¿¥¤±²£¢Ð¼æ®ª«¶Þ÷³¹ß½Øש§¾¿¥¤±²£¢Ð¼æ®ª«¶Þ÷³¹ß½Øש§¾¿ (ex , Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:40 (twenty-one years ago)
*sniff, wipes tears from eyes*
― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:41 (twenty-one years ago)
― ¥¤±²£¢Ð¼æ®ª«¶Þ÷³¹ß½Øש§¾¿¥¤±²£¢Ð¼æ®ª«¶Þ÷³¹ß½Øש§¾¿¥¤±²£¢Ð¼æ®ª«¶Þ÷³¹ß½Øש§¾¿ (ex , Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)
― hexxxy, Tuesday, 29 June 2004 18:58 (twenty-one years ago)
...Peppered with John Mellencamp songs and the umpteenth montage set to Smash Mouth's "All Star," America's Heart And Soul celebrates each of its red, white, and blue clichés with aerial views, time-lapse photography, or generous swells of music. Technically, the film is a documentary, but it's closer to an advertisement or a state-funded propaganda film, calibrated to appeal to emotional, unreflective instincts through shimmering hogwash. If this is a real cross-section of America, then where are the needy, the disenfranchised, and the assholes?
― Kingfish of Burma (Kingfish), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:07 (twenty-one years ago)
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:11 (twenty-one years ago)
― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:12 (twenty-one years ago)
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:41 (twenty-one years ago)
― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:42 (twenty-one years ago)
In retrospect, they wouldn't be the only ones.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 29 June 2004 22:44 (twenty-one years ago)
― aimurchie, Tuesday, 29 June 2004 23:13 (twenty-one years ago)
― aimurchie, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 03:17 (twenty-one years ago)
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/27/movies/27WILG.html
Working outside the campaign but in sync with its image makers, Mr. Butler is instead making a $1.3 million, 90-minute documentary about Mr. Kerry's life, which he is racing to finish for theatrical release in September.
His is among a bumper crop of political movies this year, from "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore's anti-Bush polemic, to "The `R' Word," about conservatives in Hollywood.
"Never in my career have there been any films that have come out about that year's presidential campaign that have the potential to impact the presidential race," Mark Halperin, the political director of ABC News, said the other night at Silverdocs, a documentary film festival in Silver Spring, Md., where Mr. Butler screened a short clip of his movie, as yet untitled. "This year there are at least two."
Like Mr. Moore, Mr. Butler has come under fire for blurring the line between documentary filmmaking and propaganda. Republicans and other critics accuse him of skirting campaign-finance laws to make what amounts to a long-form campaign advertisement. Some have suggested that by buying up the rights to reams of stock footage about his subject, he is effectively preventing less-loving portraits. Even Democrats, while desperate for anything that helps humanize their candidate, are worried that the biopic could backfire by further focusing on Mr. Kerry's controversial comments about Vietnam atrocities — or by a limp box-office performance just when the candidate most needs to look popular.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 03:39 (twenty-one years ago)
― aimurchie, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 03:48 (twenty-one years ago)
― aimurchie, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 03:55 (twenty-one years ago)
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 30 June 2004 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)
― aimurchie, Wednesday, 30 June 2004 04:02 (twenty-one years ago)