Daniel Barnz, the director of “Won’t Back Down,” continues to insist in various forums, most recently in an article he wrote for Huffington Post, that the movie is not anti-union. It’s just a good story. It has no political agenda. It has nothing to do with the rightwing sponsored “parent trigger” law that it celebrates. It is not a vehicle for union-bashing and privatization of public education. It is nothing like the anti-union documentary (“Waiting for ‘Superman'”) that his producer sponsored two years ago.
The review of the film in the New York Times, written by a regular movie reviewer, not a union shill or an angry parent, calls the movie for what it is:
…“Won’t Back Down” ultimately has no use for nuance, and its third act is a mighty cataract of speechifying and breathless plot turns that strip the narrative down to its Manichaean core. Once teachers give up job security and guaranteed benefits, learning disabilities will be cured, pencils will stop breaking and the gray skies of Pittsburgh will glow with sunshine.
A.O. Scott, the reviewer, says that this movie is evidence that Hollywood is not a “liberal propaganda factory.” The odd thing about the movie is that everyone in it belongs to a union, even as they portray the teachers’ union as the villain.
Did you read that, Mr. Barnz?
Mr. Barnz is in serious denial. His remarks are alternately Kafkaesque and Orwellian with a bit of mental Brazilian jiu-jitsu thrown in for good measure. Or maybe he’s just a willful phony who knows that he’s lying through his teeth.
Sounds like “Value-Free Cinema” has learned all the lines of “Value-Free Science” by heart.
Bombs Away !!!
Wow, that NYT review is worth reading for its own sake.
“A movie that insists, repeatedly and at high volume, that ‘it’s all about the kids’ might just cause you to wonder what else it is about, and this one is not shy about showing its ideological hand.”
And this:
“But however you take its politics, the film upholds a dreary tradition of simplifying and sentimentalizing matters of serious social concern, and dumbing down issues that call for clarity and creative thinking. Our children deserve better.”
If you don’t like the union and public school teacher bashing done by this movie…tell it to the supporters. First of all, Phillip Anschuz is the producer and financial backer. This movie is being promoted by Ellen Degeneres who we all know is gay. Mr. Anschuz is a major financial contributor to anti-gay organizations. So is Ellen in her new partnership of promoting Mr. Anschuz’s movie now also going to join him in supporting anti-gay organizations. Or is Ellen just so anti-union that she must support this movie?
Either Ellen is clueless or for sale. Neither choice is very appealing. I’ll fact check and do background research for her show -for free. Hit me on Twitter.
I wonder if Ellen’s support has less to do with her take on unions and more to do with her support of empowered women-regardless of how they are portrayed using their “power”.
Here’s my response to Daniel Barnz. As someone who took part in the protest of his film at the NYC premiere, I knew exactly why I was there and what I was protesting. And his film not only confirmed why I was there, it gave me new reasons to protest.
http://mothercrusader.blogspot.com/2012/09/hey-daniel-barnz-i-know-exactly-why-im.html
So glad about this review because the editorials are in favor of reform (even when they know it’s flawed). I hope somewhere Michael Winerip is smiling 🙂
So the Barnz door is open and the horsexxxx got out. He wrote and directed the film, which is far greater than any of his few previous undertakings. The film is done under the auspices of Walden Media (who happens to have a vested interest in online content delivery), and distributed by FOX (who also happens to have an interest in online content delivery), and; IMDb does not list any financial information despite one of the largest media blitzes to promote a film released this year (hmmm, just like an EMO would behave under open records law). Save the price of admission. You will be able to buy it at Wal-Mart for 99 cents, soon. I wonder who really put up all the money???
Spot on Mr. Scott!
A.O. Scott, the reviewer, says …”The odd thing about the movie is that everyone in it belongs to a union, even as they portray the teachers’ union as the villain.”
The praise in the NY Post is even more telling!!!!
Did the praise appear to topless pictures of The Queen?
Reblogged this on Transparent Christina.
Newsweek also has a glowing article this week about Mr. B. and his asinine movie.