BmoreNews.com
  • Latest News
  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Videos
  • Login
  • Register
  BREAKING
The Glover Report: Dr. A. C. D. Vaughn, Sr. Pastor of Sharon Baptist Church, Passes March 20, 2023
Put Down the Guns and Stop the Violence, March 27th, Harlem Park Rec March 19, 2023
Mayor Scott Mourns Lives Lost in Saturday Morning Fire March 19, 2023
Gov. DeSantis just blocked the FIRST AP African American Studies course! March 18, 2023
Martha Lynn Bowens to be Recognized at Black Wall Street BALTIMORE COLLEGIATE, 3.21.23 March 18, 2023
Honorees Announced for Black Wall Street BALTIMORE COLLEGIATE, 3.21.23 March 18, 2023
WOC STEM Conference releases a new theme song on International Women’s Day March 17, 2023
MEET Attorney Robert Dashiell March 17, 2023
Mayor Brandon Scott Receives Joe Manns Black Wall Street Award at HOODFELLAS March 17, 2023
Congratulations to Joe Manns Black Wall St. Honorees at HoodFellas March 17, 2023
Next
Prev
No Result
View All Result
en English
en Englishfr Françaisde Deutschit Italianoru Русскийes Español
Subscribe
Live
  • Home
  • News
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Editorial/Op-Ed
  • The Glover Report
  • Black Wall Street
  • Video
  • Polls
  • Questions
  • Forum
Live
No Result
View All Result
BmoreNews.com
Live
Home Politics

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Enters the Pantheon of Conservative Fan Fiction

Doni Glover by Doni Glover
July 18, 2022
in Politics
0 0
A A
0
ADVERTISEMENT

Today’s newsletter is a guest dispatch from the Culture desk of The New York Times. Marc Tracy, who regularly covers the intersection of culture and politics, writes about Tom Cruise’s latest blockbuster — and the conservatives who are singing its praises.

“Top Gun: Maverick,” the inescapable Tom Cruise blockbuster sequel, has been hailed as a cinematic throwback.

Many critics have interpreted its story of an increasingly obsolete pilot being called back to teach today’s young people a thing or two for one last mission as a not-so-subtle allegory for the film itself. The movie uses relatively few computer-generated effects, stars the now-60-year-old Cruise and still managed to rake in more than $1 billion globally.

But amid praise from filmgoers who enjoyed the realistic dogfights, filmed with real planes that the real actors rode in, another community has embraced the movie for representing its values and vindicating its outlook: conservatives.

A sampling:

  • Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida: “Any movie that’s not, like, overwhelmingly woke can actually appeal to normal people.” (DeSantis had not seen the movie at the time; he later saw it with his wife for her birthday, he said.)

  • The Fox News host Jesse Watters: “We’ve been longing to see a movie that’s unapologetically American, and we finally got it.”

  • Tomi Lahren, of the conservative sports outlet OutKick and Fox: “The undeniable success of Top Gun is proof Americans are sick of WOKE and just want to watch good movies without a grandstanding social justice message!!”

The right vs. Hollywood

What’s going on here?

There is a long tradition in which conservatives seize upon a cultural artifact produced by the entertainment industry, which is generally seen as left-leaning, and claim it for themselves.

“This goes back years,” said Doug Heye, a Republican consultant, “and included when we had a Hollywood actor or a reality TV star for president. They feel besieged by the culture. That feeling has only increased, and it’s increased because there’s even more substance behind it today.”

In a recent essay that discussed movies including “Top Gun: Maverick,” A.O. Scott, The Times’s co-chief film critic, argued that one notable aspect of the conservative movement is its antagonism toward the entertainment industry.

“The modern right,” Scott wrote, “defines itself against the cultural elites who supposedly cluster on the coasts and conspire to impose their values on an unsuspecting public. In this account, Hollywood acts in functional cahoots with academia and the news media.”

And conservative activists’ enmity toward Hollywood and other cultural tastemakers has perhaps never been more conspicuous.

DeSantis, whose ability to channel the movement might outstrip any other politician’s (including, arguably, Donald Trump’s), made waves this spring by revoking special tax and self-governing privileges that Disney had enjoyed for its enormous theme park in his state. The governor and the company had clashed over a newly passed state law that bars instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in some grades.

‘Top Gun’: The Return of Maverick

Tom Cruise takes to the air once more in “Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel to a much-loved ’80s action blockbuster.

  • A Triumphant Return: At a time when superheroes dominate the box office, the film industry betis betting on the daredevil actor to bring grown-ups back to theaters. It paid off.
  • The Secret Ingredient: Cruise’s potent mix of athleticism and charisma goes a long way to explain why “Top Gun: Maverick” is a hit.
  • Review: The central question posed by the movie has less to do with the need for combat pilots in the age of drones than with the relevance of movie stars, our critic writes.
  • Your Burning Questions: How similar is it to the original? Who’s back? Who’s absent? We have answers.

So when “Top Gun: Maverick” entered this culture war with its uncomplicated, feel-good patriotism — it is, among other things, a movie about how awesome U.S. Navy pilots can be, particularly when fighting America’s enemies — conservatives’ sense of alignment arrived naturally.

“When something comes out,” Heye said, “and it’s another version of ‘Rocky IV’” — the 1985 movie in which Sylvester Stallone’s working-class boxer enters the ring with a Soviet fighter named Ivan Drago — “that becomes something that, for the activist part of the base that is looking for something that isn’t critical of their values, they’re going to grab onto.”

This is not to say that Maverick, Hangman and the other pilots in the new “Top Gun” film face off against today’s equivalent of the Soviet Union, whatever country that might be. As in the first “Top Gun,” which came out in 1986, the enemy is not explicitly identified.

Nor are conservative politicians and media personalities claiming that the movie makes a compelling case for policies like tax cuts or gun rights. Their argument has less to do with what the film is than what it is not; less to do with its specific plot or characters than with its vibe.

“It’s political in being apolitical,” said Christian Toto, a conservative film critic and the proprietor of the website Hollywood in Toto.

He contrasted “Top Gun: Maverick” with some films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the gender-swapped “Ghostbusters” reboot. Their efforts at inclusivity — diverse casting, same-sex relationships — could come across, he said, as ham-handed, particularly to conservative audiences whose antennae are already on alert for filmmakers they see as trying to sneak some spinach in with the cinematic candy.

The conservative allergy to such moviemaking decisions flares up, Toto said, “when the audience gets a sense it’s being put in there awkwardly or there’s a message being sent as opposed to organically woven into the story.”

That the pilots training for the daring raid in “Top Gun: Maverick” appear to come from a variety of backgrounds seems not like liberal messaging but realistic detail, Toto said.

“The cast is moderately diverse; there are women as pilots,” he said. “But they don’t comment on it; they don’t base the script around it. It’s assumed these are just very talented people willing to risk their lives for the mission.”

An All-American hit

Box-office information does not contradict conservatives’ case. About 55 percent of the opening weekend sales, an unusually high proportion, came from ticket-buyers over 35, according to Paramount.

And — atypically for big box-office hits in this era — “Top Gun: Maverick” has made more money in the United States and Canada than in the rest of the world, according to Box Office Mojo.

Ben Shapiro, a popular conservative pundit who co-founded the website The Daily Wire, had predicted in his rave review that the movie would do better domestically than abroad. “The film itself is pretty red, white and blue,” he said. “That’s just assumed as the backdrop. Which is the way movies used to be.”

Stanley Rosen, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California who studies China’s film industry, said in an interview that “Top Gun: Maverick” represented an emerging idea that “Hollywood doesn’t need China the way it used to.”

The film’s success could signal that the days of Hollywood studios altering story lines to make their releases more palatable to Chinese censors and audiences — a trend documented in a recent book, “Red Carpet” by Erich Schwartzel — might slowly be on their way out.

And, Rosen added, whatever the film’s actual political message, the argument that it has one at all might have its own uses.

“The controversy over wokeness or whether this is Reagan-era nostalgia,” he said, is “very good for the box office.”

Table for two

Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, is sitting down for lunch on Friday in Washington with Vice President Kamala Harris, two of his aides have confirmed.

For Newsom, the trip, officially made so he could accept an award and discuss policy issues with lawmakers and Biden administration officials, has doubled as something of a cleanup tour.

On Thursday, Newsom said clearly that he supported President Biden to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in 2024, amid a swirl of reporting by my Times colleagues and others suggesting that liberal voters are not especially enthused about another term for the 79-year-old commander in chief.

News reports, including in this humble newsletter, have noted that Newsom’s rise as a leader in the Democratic Party could put him in competition with Harris, a longtime ally and possible future in-state opponent, in a hypothetical Biden-free presidential primary.

Those stories have gotten the attention of the vice president’s office, while amusing the governor’s staff back home in California. Both camps insist there’s no rivalry between the two leaders.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Newsom volunteered that Harris had been “wonderful” as vice president and said they were just going to “check in, as we do constantly.” He alluded, however, to unspecified “constraints” Harris had faced in office and said it was “a difficult time for all of us in public life.”

Asked what was on the lunch menu, a Newsom aide joked in a text: “Arsenic and arm wrestling. The usual.”

Thanks for reading.

— Blake

Is there anything you think we’re missing? Anything you want to see more of? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at onpolitics@nytimes.com.



Source: NY Times

Buy JNews
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

RELATED TOPICS

Mayor Scott Unveils Public Safety Accountability Dashboard

Mayor Scott Announces $11.7 Million in American Rescue Plan Act Funding Towards Expanding Library Services and Renovations

BALTIMORE: 5th District Town Hall, Feb. 20th, Concord Baptist Church

ShareTweetShareShareSend
Doni Glover

Doni Glover

A journalist since 1994, he also founded DMGlobal Marketing & Public Relations. Glover has an extensive list of clients including corporations, non-profits, government agencies, politics, business owners, PR firms, and attorneys.

Related Articles

Moore for Baltimore
Politics

Michael Moore is Running for Mayor of Baltimore

by Staff Reporter
February 13, 2023
0
83

(BALTIMORE - February 13, 2023) - I am Moore for...

Read more
"Loved joining Aruna Miller for lunch at Chick and Ruth's Delly and meeting some of my new neighbors in Annapolis! Couldn’t leave without getting some milkshakes, too. 
Thank you for welcoming us! Can’t wait to be back." - Gov. Wes Moore
Politics

Governor Moore Announces Additional Members of Executive Staff

by Staff Reporter
January 24, 2023
0
27

(ANNAPOLIS - January 23, 2024) —  Today, Governor Wes Moore announced the latest appointments...

Read more
Gov. Wes Moore
Politics

Governor Moore Signs 1st Executive Orders on Ethics and Creation of the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation

by Staff Reporter
January 21, 2023
0
42

(ANNAPOLIS - January 21, 2023)—Governor Wes Moore signed the first...

Read more
Gov. Wes Moore
Politics

Governor Moore Releases $69 Million in Previously-Withheld Funding

by Staff Reporter
January 21, 2023
0
19

(ANNAPOLIS - January 21, 2023) — Governor Wes Moore announced the release...

Read more
Gov. Moore speaks as Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller looks on
Politics

Gov. Moore announces historic spending in “education, public safety reform, transportation improvements, and healthcare expansion, and the environment”

by Staff Reporter
January 21, 2023
0
21

(ANNAPOLIS - January 21, 2023) - Wes Moore certainly hit...

Read more
With the historic investments made in our budget, we plan to be bold without being reckless.

This budget will impact every community in Maryland, and will put us on track to create a Maryland where no one is left behind.

More on the preliminary FY24 budget: https://bit.ly/3XILXQO
Politics

Governor Moore Releases Preliminary FY 2024 Budget Plan 

by Staff Reporter
January 21, 2023
0
11

(ANNAPOLIS - January 21, 2023)—Yesterday, Governor Wes Moore announced his preliminary FY 2024 budget...

Read more
Load More

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended Stories

Addicts Sleeping Outside of Homeless Shelter in Sandtown

July 21, 2022
0

BlackUSA #Crypto News : Sneak Previews!

July 19, 2022
0

TGR: Our elected officials are only as good as we make them :: MD VOTER’S GUIDE

December 13, 2022
1
ADVERTISEMENT

Popular Stories

  • Damon Hughes, Black Business Champion

    Guest Editorial: Damon Hughes Tribute

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Power Couple Marc Clarke & Allison Seymour to be Recognized at Black Wall Street DMV, Feb. 3rd

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • HBO’s “The Wire” Actor Richard Burton to receive BMORENews Lifetime Achievement Award

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • A Real Westside Story: The Men of Matthew Henson #29 Still Connected After Half a Century

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Glover Report: Public Apology to Baltimore City School Board Candidates/Finalists Ashley Esposito and Salimah Jasani

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
BmoreNews.com

BmoreNews.com is an online news outlet based in Baltimore, MD established in 2002. Yes, this is our 20th Anniversary year. We primarily cover news and developments from an African American/Black perspective.

LEARN MORE »

Recent Posts

  • The Glover Report: Dr. A. C. D. Vaughn, Sr. Pastor of Sharon Baptist Church, Passes
  • Put Down the Guns and Stop the Violence, March 27th, Harlem Park Rec
  • Mayor Scott Mourns Lives Lost in Saturday Morning Fire

Sections

  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Editorial/Op-Ed
  • News
  • Politics
  • The Glover Report
  • Uncategorized
  • Video

Newsletter

The most important world news and events of the day

Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise
  • Press Release
  • Contact

© 2022 BmoreNews.com - Created by Sawah Dev.

No Result
View All Result
  • Latest News
  • Black Wall Street
  • Business
  • Stocks
  • Politics
  • Videos

© 2022 BmoreNews.com - Created by Sawah Dev.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In