It seems that as the astounding box office for "American Sniper" continues to grow, so does the partisan bickering over a movie that is so slipshod that its politics (or lack thereof) are the least of its issues. For those on either side of the political aisle, it has become a movie to rally around, leading to a variety of preposterous developments. Jesse Ventura has grabbed some easy headlines on the talk show rounds declaring that he refuses to see Clint Eastwood‘s film, and has branded the film’s deceased subject Chris Kyle "a liar." Meanwhile, Brann’s Sizzling Steaks & Sports Grille has officially banned Seth Rogen (who tweeted and later apologized that ‘Sniper’ "reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of ‘Inglorious Basterds‘ ") as well as Michael Moore. As you might already know, Moore tweeted that "snipers were cowards" and later posted a long explanation on Facebook elaborating his thoughts on Eastwood’s movie. Just a thought: maybe celebrities need to stay off Twitter?
Moore has returned to Facebook, this time addressing a story making the rounds again about the time Eastwood (semi-)jokingly threatened to kill him. This was in 2005, when both directors had movies in the awards hunt: Moore with "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Eastwood with "Million Dollar Baby." During an awards dinner at the National Board of Review, in which both were present, Eastwood accepted his trophy, and in his speech stated "Michael Moore and I actually have a lot in common —we both appreciate living in a country where there’s free expression. But, Michael, if you ever show up at my front door with a camera— I’ll kill you. I mean it." What did Moore think about all this then and now? Read on…
It’s not so much that Eastwood threatened him that bothers Moore, but that it’s part of what he perceives to be a strain of ugly rhetoric in segments of the current media which he dubs "our American ISIS."
Moore’s words are exactly what’s wrong with much of the discussion around "American Sniper" —it’s simply not a conversation. Moore only adds fuel to the fire by throwing around phrases like "our American ISIS," thus diminishing would could be valid criticisms of "American Sniper" (which he calls "a mess of a film that rewrites history"). He further states that Eastwood has gone "haywire" in the last decade, revealing a "loopiness" that wasn’t there before. These are not words you want to use to describe an eighty-four year old man.
Moore is promising more posts in the coming days, including a full review of "American Sniper." Meanwhile, Eastwood’s film is expected to top the box office again this weekend…
