On BOX OFFICE MOJO, I ran across this self-righteous little piece  tying Hollywood Movies to real-life violence. Scott Holleran, a Drudge Report Flunkie, while discussing the Virginia Tech Murders states “Hot Fuzz adds a trigger-pumping leading man (dynamic Simon Pegg) who plays it straight. But it ultimately cracks the same, shopworn joke that limbs being blown off is a hoot.” 

HOT FUZZ? REALLY? You want to single out the comedy that imitates dozens of other movies? My feeling is that he just wants to tie himself to a popular Google search this weekend. 

Last week, I was involved in a round table with director Wes Craven to discuss his short in the collective film PARIS, JE T’AIME, a romance. The following statement came up (excerpt, full interview to appear soon)

After what happened this week at Virginia Tech, we are hearing that the violence in Hollywood Movies could be a contributing factor… 

Craven: Are we being blamed for that too?  If somebody has violent thoughts, they could be attracted to things that have violence. You have to go all the way back to the beginning of this person’s life and what their brain waves are telling them to do. In general, horror films are about the violence. We live in a country where the President is okay with torturing people and removing habeas corpus from the table. There is a lot going on out there. I don’t know if you are aware of it, but there were 150 people killed yesterday in car bombs. Those are real bodies. This is a very violent world right now.

Craven was right, I hadn’t even heard about the car bombings yet.

We are bombarded daily with tales from our violent society.. I’ll admit it, after 9-11, like many Americans, my anger was permeated with violent revenge fantasies. Only the insane act out on a revenge fantasy.

Our president and vice-president acted out and continue to act out a revenge fantasy. Only this is real. This revenge fantasy has been in every news cycle for over 4 years. At every opportunity, these men remind us of the attacks of 9-11 . This is reason we continue to fight in Iraq, for revenge. 

Yet, there are many out there who continue to blame “fiction,” while “fact” is ignored. It’s easier to do, there are fewer hard questions to be asked.  We don’t want to acknowledge the world we live in as  violent and dangerous.  We don’t want to view ourselves as vengeful, violent people.

The question needs to be asked “What kind of psychological damage are real life events having on the average American?” I don’t see how years of daily violent news could have a positive impact on the human psyche. For some, it may be taking its toll. 

Yet whenever a tragic act of violence comes out, some continue to blame a bunch of former film students. These people hold no power on real life events. They cannot order folks to kill, torture and maim. 

 HOT FUZZ is comedy. I laugh when someone trips and falls down in a movie. In real life, I help them pick themselves up.

To be fair, I looked through Holleran’s previous pieces and saw this clip about the new DVD Release of BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. “:Packed with thrills, gunfights and a great supporting cast the shoot-'em-up crackles with witty lines and curt comebacks. “ 

Good luck on those Google results, Scott!

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