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ReelPolitik
A blog about film and politics, and the politics of filmmaking.
Anthony Kaufman is a film journalist and critic, who has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Village Voice and Slate, and contributes regularly to Variety, indieWIRE, the Wall Street Journal Online and the Utne Reader.
[Email Me]
Articles
- "Piracy May Be an Indie Filmmaker's Best Friend" (Indiewire, October 2011
- "The Decline of Indies on Netflix" (indieWIRE, Sept, 2011)
- "Secretariat" Isn't Hollywood's Only Secretly Conservative Blockbuster" (IFC News, October 2010)
- "Absurdistan: The New Iraq War Cinema" (Village Voice, April 2008)
- "Is Foreign Film The New Endangered Species?" (New York Times, January 2006)
ReelPolitik
For Late-term Abortion Doc "After Tiller," Sundance Increases Security
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 18, 2013 4:33 PM
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- 3 Comments
What's More Inane than "2016: Obama's America" Filmmakers Whining About Oscar?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- December 6, 2012 12:58 PM
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- 2 Comments
What's more inane? That Gerald Molen, the Oscar-winning producer of "Schindler’s List "and "2016: Obama's America" and the doc's director Dinesh D’Souza believe they should have been on the Oscar shortlist for best documentary? Or that The Hollywood Reporter published a story about their ridiculously unfounded complaints? According to the trade/gossip rag, the filmmakers state that their film's lack of recognition by the Academy proves that the industry is biased against conservatives. What they don't account for, of course, is that the film's lack of recognition by the Academy may be, in fact, because the movie is bad.
The Politics of "The Avengers"; Or, Can Clean Energy and Old-Fashioned Jingoism Mix?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- May 7, 2012 10:10 AM
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- 2 Comments
I couldn't help myself. Not because I'm a fan of comic books, blockbusters or Josh Whedon, but because I'm always curious about a cultural phenonemon, and often feel the need to interrogate what is at play in our most popular movies, and especially since this may be the most popular one of all time. "The Avengers" embodies what I've always felt about Hollywood juggernauts: they're a hodgepodge of political views and ideological undercurrents, colliding with each other to create a mainstream entertainment that, if you look close enough, manages to uphold old-fashioned reactionary American values. Here, it's such myths as militaristic might, individual sacrifice and the renegade American hero--allthough, it also seems to throw a bone to contemporary liberal views on energy policy at the same time.
Anti-Abortion Propaganda Film Ranks #8 At Weekend Box-Office
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- March 25, 2012 9:23 PM
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- 1 Comment
Not far behind Warner Bros's "Project X" and Paramount's "A Thousand Words" at the weekend box-office, a little indie film called "October Baby" has broken out, in limited release, making over $1.7 million in ticket sales. But this is one non-Hollywood film I won't be championing. As the right-wing propaganda machine continues its war on women, "October Baby" is being used as a rallying tool for social conservatives, trying to generate further animosity for the dangerous evils of female healthcare--and oh, yeah, that operation known as an abortion.
Prop-docs: The Rightwing Media and "When Mitt Romney Came to Town"
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 10, 2012 9:36 AM
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- 1 Comment
Ever since Fox News arrived on our cultural scene, the rightwing media has cultivated an aesthetics of clumsy propaganda and broad cliched imagery that has spread like a virus among conservative content creators. You can see it in Stephen Bannon's Sarah Palin hagiography "The Undefeated," you can see it in the dozens of docs that Newt Gingrich has produced, directed by DGA member Kevin Knoblock ("Rediscovering God in America," "America at Risk"), and, of course, you can see it in the latest new G.O.P. doc "When Mitt Romney Came to Town," currently making headlines (see the trailer below).
Rightwing Attacks "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" as Anti-Western, Too Complex?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- December 12, 2011 12:35 PM
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- 0 Comments
Conservative critics and pundits are taking aim at Tomas Alfredson's brilliant new adaptation of John Le Carre's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," calling the film anti-western and criticizing its moral equivalence and suggesting the very thing that makes its worldview engaging and real -- its complexity -- is somehow incorrect.
Newt Gingrich: Indie Movie Mogul?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- November 28, 2011 12:08 PM
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- 1 Comment
I don't think Newt Gingrich will become the next president of the United States, but could he be the first great right-wing film mogul and G.O.P. propagandist? Gingrich's brushes with indie documentary filmmaking have always interested me, as have most conservative's ill-fated attempts to make quality movies. So with today's publication of an article in the National Review titled "Hollywood Gingrich," it seemed high time to examine the Gingrich movie machine.
Chastity and Motherhood: How Conservative is "Twilight: Breaking Dawn"?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- November 21, 2011 10:11 AM
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- 2 Comments
Is there any better example of the need for Planned Parenthood than "Twilight: Breaking Dawn"? That's a joke, of course. For those looking for examples of the conservative and reactionary nature of Hollywood, there's no stronger proof than Stephanie Meyer's no-sex-before-marriage "Twilight" franchise.
"The Iron Lady" review: Will Republicans Drool Over Margaret Thatcher Pic?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- November 15, 2011 9:31 AM
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- 0 Comments
Will Republicans drool over the new Margaret Thatcher film "The Iron Lady," which stars Meryl Streep as the famous British ring-winger, or will they cringe at the film's depiction of her dementia? An early review in the Daily Telegraph suggests the Weinstein Company release isn't the hatchet job that conservatives had first claimed.
Palin Filmmaker Bannon Planning Doc on "Crony Capitalism"
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- November 14, 2011 9:21 PM
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- 2 Comments
Right-wing doc-maker Steven Bannon is apparently at it again. After his Sarah Palin doc "The Undefeated" stirred up talk everywhere about the former Alaska governor's popularity (or not) as a viable political contender, Real Clear Politics reports that Bannon is planning on making a new film based on Palin adviser Peter Schweizer's forthcoming book, "Throw Them All Out," which details allegations of ethically dubious insider trading and conflicts of interest among members of Congress.
Recent Comments
Of course, because don't we want all our movies to be politically correct and focus-group
That's a fascinating take on the subject, Harry Harrison. And thank you for pointing out that
Ah, Harry, it's funny how certain internet types reduce everything to "moron",
FACTOID: "Similarly, what qualifies Gibney to tackle wikileaks?" Um, mr. factoid, using
Documentary filmmaking, particularly of the type likely to turn up at major festivals and be
The music industry renders your argument moot: the other 86% of the population is overwhelmingly
A close friend of mine works at ITVS. I can tell you that it is a secretive place where the managers
I knew this would be more political oriented. And that's why Pitt signed onto the project. So
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I did see Moulin Rouge. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but not
African-Americans make up about 14% of the population, and movies reflecting the concerns of