It's Just a Ride: Enjoying a Movie for Enjoyment's Sake

There is a website/message board that I have just recently admitted to being addicted to viewing regularly. Honestly, I've been an outside viewer for a longer time than I've admitted. Like any message board, it is filled with the usual: polarizing opinions, emoticons, typing in all caps, misspellings and more. It has become one more of countless places on the web for not only argument and vitriol, but also a sense of community for regular visitors. Me? I just visit and observe. Clearly, it is a place I would likely not be welcomed so openly, at least not without pointed derision.

The message board is a solid right-wing message board where topics range from political and social issues to pop culture. As an admitted liberal-libertarian of the Bill Hicks/Jesse Ventura mold, I have little to offer in the discussions that will be met with anything other than disagreement or scorn. However, it is like a scab to me - I cannot stop touching it. In other words, the discussions are fascinating to me. I feel like an armchair anthropologist when I visit, studying a culture of fellow citizens that I (more often than not) disagree with and do not quite understand.

The main reason I continue to visit this message board? Hollywood. I am a wholehearted movie fanatic and consider myself a "buff" of sorts. I love films that transcend the medium as well as movies that are so ridiculous that uproarious laughter is unavoidable. While I would agree that there are much better sites online to get movie and pop culture information, this particular message board is among the more peculiar to me.

As I understand it, most right-wing types experience a bit of quandary as it pertains to the movie industry. The whole of the country's populace are movie watchers of some sort and Hollywood fare finds its place in every corner of America. The quandaries for right-wing types lies in their insistence that Hollywood leans very far to the left of center philosophically, a point that is admittedly difficult to refute.

What baffles me is that despite their open disgust at Hollywood's lack of a moral compass, the topic continues to be amongst the most discussed. It seems that in the right's crusade against Hollywood-obsession and celebrity worship, they themselves have managed to become Hollywood-obsessed. Granted, their obsession lies in their disapproval, but it is obsession nonetheless.

The topic caught my attention again this morning reading a recent post involving the use of actual military personnel in the upcoming Transformers sequel. Director Michael Bay employed a large number of military servicemen and servicewomen to provide a better sense of realism. The actors on the set, namely Megan Fox, heaped lavish praise on the troops for their professionalism and service. From the news article, it seems that support for the troops amongst those involved in the Transformers franchise is high.

Moving towards the user comments, the discussion began immediately as to whether the upcoming film was worth supporting due to Michael Bay's political leanings. Once again, I shook my head in bewilderment. Since the dawn of the Bush era, Hollywood has been taken to task for everything from hating America to not supporting the troops. Most often, the troops have seemed to become a metaphorical football to be tossed back and forth.

From what I've seen and heard, it seems as if the big sticking point is the support of the troops. In the outset, most would argue that political leanings aside, supporting the troops trumped all. In this instance, it seems that this is now not good enough for those leaning right to just enjoy a mindless action film.

Maybe I missed it before, but it seems like even mindless entertainment cannot be enjoyed without going over all the details with a fine toothcomb. Is the director a liberal? Is the star a closet socialist? It makes me ask: why be so obsessed and subsequently upset over an industry that is diametrically opposed to every fabric of one's being.

Movies, at the end of the day, are entertainment. They can only serve to indoctrinate a person if said person is easily lead and weak of character. If that is the concern, then it seems locking oneself up in a box is the best way to keep one's morals and values intact. If not, it is a mindless movie about killer robots from outer space. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.