My Far-Right cousin informed me that his wife wanted to see the movie, so they went to the theater. I was curious, knowing them, especially her, and they never go to a theater for a current movie release.

He said it was about child trafficking and pedophiles, etc., and was based on real events. So I thought that was it. But something about it struck me as strange.

Now I know:

https://www.washingtonpost.com...eories-jim-caviezel/

‘Sound of Freedom’ is a box office hit whose star embraces QAnon
The low-budget film about child sex trafficking almost topped the box office on July 4. But its star Jim Caviezel has linked it to the QAnon movement.
By Herb Scribner and Will Sommer
July 7, 2023 at 3:33 p.m. EDT

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19...of-freedom-heres-why

July 19, 20235:00 AM ET

QAnon supporters are promoting 'Sound of Freedom.' Here's why

https://www.forbes.com/sites/c...dom/?sh=222bc5006dcb

Here Are The Right-Wing Figures—From Donald Trump To Steve Bannon—Championing Surprise Hit ‘Sound Of Freedom’

https://www.theguardian.com/us...ng-golf-course-qanon

Trump hosts screening of Sound of Freedom, a hit with QAnon devotees
Ex-president holds golf club screening of child sex trafficking film, with Steve Bannon, Kari Lake and Jack Posobiec in attendance

================================================

What led me back to that movie and remembering my discussion with my cousin was I bumped into this video, which at first, I thought was nutz. On further research I find that it's not nutz. The movie itself exposes or enters a new facet of the Twight Zone of conservativism.

https://youtu.be/VODvMhhdNCQ

Military Veteran EXPOSES DANGEROUS NETWORK of Right-Wing Film Makers

Also:

https://youtu.be/6l6Qe0EzvZA

DERANGED Hate Network EMERGES from Shadows of Republican Party | Burn The Boats

(I can't post a link that starts at the beginning. So, move the time bar back to the beginning. It includes a clip of Paula White which is important for context. Then, since the video is so long, skip to 41:00 to hear more about Paula White. then to about 52:10 for "where do they stop")

https://youtu.be/QiFUrBhIKmg

Also, (More Blood) Mel Gibson is in the middle of all this. Actor Jim Caviezel who played Jesus in Passion of the Crist is also the lead actor in this movie.

Also:

I did a search on "pastors who call for violence for Trump" and here's the results:

https://www.google.com/search?...sclient=gws-wiz#ip=1

From the links you provided it sounds like the biggest criticism of the movie itself is that it plays up the hero angle and generally gives a simplified and glitzed up(Hollywoodized?) view of the very real issue human trafficking.

But the deeper truth is that the film was made by nutty conspiracy theorists who believe that the Qanon conspiracy theories are real, and that the film is being used as a Qanon recruitment tool?

And that Trump and his ilk are pushing the film because they believe that building the Qanon base will allow them to subvert the democratic process and seize control of our country?

And we are left to wonder “where will they stop”, and the answer is obvious: they won’t stop until they have stripped rights from all minorities, including the LGBTQ+ community, destroyed our democracy and created their own conservative hellscape?


Yep, those damned conspiracy theorists…

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:
From the links you provided it sounds like the biggest criticism of the movie itself is that it plays up the hero angle and generally gives a simplified and glitzed up(Hollywoodized?) view of the very real issue human trafficking.

But the deeper truth is that the film was made by nutty conspiracy theorists who believe that the Qanon conspiracy theories are real, and that the film is being used as a Qanon recruitment tool?

And that Trump and his ilk are pushing the film because they believe that building the Qanon base will allow them to subvert the democratic process and seize control of our country?

And we are left to wonder “where will they stop”, and the answer is obvious: they won’t stop until they have stripped rights from all minorities, including the LGBTQ+ community, destroyed our democracy and created their own conservative hellscape?


Yep, those damned conspiracy theorists…

Good to see that conspiracy theory portion of your brain is sharp as a tack Jason. It is not a conspiracy theory, it's a strategy. Just like undermining the voters belief in our Democratic institutions is a strategy, and it's working too.

I'll buy the Q-anon recruitment tool part, not so much the conservative hellscape bit.

Certainly more propaganda for people like Ann to suck up.

I'd roll my eyes but you beat to it

You failed to mention that the Movie is the story of Tim Ballard a Federal Agent.

I didn't mention it specifically, but the content of the links state it, even in the initial WA PO article. It's supposedly based, but not accurately based in the Tim Ballard story.

And Micheal Moore made "documentaries" that were liberal, cut and splice fraud he claimed to be true.
I didnt spend money on those, nor will I on this. Easy peasy, dealt with!

I can hardly wait till Michael Moore comes out with a sequel.

(Our posts crossed in cyberspace, TB40. Funny that we think alike.

quote:

Originally posted by skb:
It is not a conspiracy theory, it's a strategy.

That’s what I keep trying to tell people, but they just laugh and call me a conspiracy theorist…

I’m going to start referring to myself as a “strategy theorist”.


All kidding aside, doesn’t the fact that this “theory” rests on the fact that they are “conspiring” to use this “strategy” kinda make it, by definition, a conspiracy theory?

I remember Moore being mad as hell. One of his films was hard on Canada. Canada said it could be show there, but not called a documentary, as it was fiction.
You just shake your head over some of this stuff.

Well, JBrown, any time the likes of Bannon, Flynn, Kari Lake, Trump, Gibson, etc., get involved you know at the heart of it is a conspiracy up to no good.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
Well, JBrown, any time the likes of Bannon, Flynn, Kari Lake, Trump, Gibson, etc., get involved you know at the heart of it is a conspiracy up to no good.

But your “theory of conspiracy” doesn’t involve any crazy stuff does it? I mean, you are not accusing them of harvesting youth potion from trafficked children via their secret hideout in a pizza parlor, so I agree that it doesn’t meet the definition of a conspiracy theory.

quote:

Originally posted by JBrown:

But your “theory of conspiracy” doesn’t involve any crazy stuff does it? I mean, you are not accusing them of harvesting youth potion from trafficked children via their secret hideout in a pizza parlor, so I agree that it doesn’t meet the definition of a conspiracy theory.

literally tears in my eyes from crying while laughing

I'm just surprised that such good hearted, selfless people like Bannon, Trump, Flynn, Lake, and lots of other people on the right have latched onto it.

I'm also surprised that the left media is making such a big deal out of it.

I don't see the clarity of it, from the smoke on both sides.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/0...ound-of-freedom.html

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/19...of-freedom-heres-why

I generally don't like these kinds of movies. I get to emotionally involved and get wrapped up further than the cinema intent. I don't find "Saving Private Ryan" or "Shindlers List" fun.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/lo...t-in-dallas/3300289/

So how true is this movie? I see the occasional headline like the one above, regardless the actors politics or the movies fans, is there any merit here?

I don’t believe ANY movies “based on fact”!

Hollywood wouldn’t know facts if they smashed them in the face, or stuck up their collective arses!

Brand has an interesting take on the pushback that the movie is receiving:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_LHm3akWRXQ

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:
I don’t believe ANY movies “based on fact”!

Hollywood wouldn’t know facts if they smashed them in the face, or stuck up their collective arses!

…and you get your news from the Daily Mail

Makes no difference!

All bullshit!

JBrown, that's (probably) the best explanation/review I've seen. It's reasonable anyway. I didn't see or hear anything in the video that IMO didn't have merit.

The underdog theme. That's Gibson's M.O.

A new economic model, bypassing the establishment, etc. is why the media is stirred? I don't buy that as the core issue.

When I started this thread I didn't know that this was so complex. It will take a while, looking back, to sort it out, IMO.

I think there is a lot of psychological stuff to this as well, the passion, emotion, affirmations, and a lot of other undertones.

My issues tie directly to the associated Q Anon stuff, the fact that it appeals mostly to Rightists women, Christians, etc. And the fact that Trump did a screening in Florida and in attendance were Bannon, Flynn, Lake, and other such minded people causes me to think very skeptically.

Why would THEY promote it? Why does it have such appeal to such people who think in certain ways?

When something is associated with people who are clearly nutz, and they latch onto it, clutch it, cherish it, ID with it, then what does that say?

To think it's simply a new thing, economic, movie making, funding, screw the establishment, is a form of dismissal, IMO. There's more to it.

So, a movie about a real life person who has spent a lot of time rescuing kidnapped children from pedophiles is a conspiracy?

quote:

Originally posted by Aspen Hill Adventures:
So, a movie about a real life person who has spent a lot of time rescuing kidnapped children from pedophiles is a conspiracy?

I was just going to post the same thing. it seems the subject matter has been forgotten in the search for a nefarious reason for making it.

How many of the above comments are based on seeing the movie? Pro or con?

quote:

Originally posted by JudgeG:
How many of the above comments are based on seeing the movie? Pro or con?

Doesn't matter. The good/bad decision is based on partisan politics. If it makes their guy, party or position look bad, the movie was not made in good faith.

Q anon is their boogey man.

Bannon, Flynn, Lake, Trump, etc., etc., are the boogie men/women for real.

The movie is just a plot point, as they say in the narrative of telling the story. It's a thing - associated with an intangible.

The fact that such people latch onto it, the plot point, is interesting if not disturbing.

When the films star publicly in marketing this film advances the lies that children are being kidnapped at the behest of world elites to mine children for a false substance, the film is tainted by those lies.

CAVIEZEL: Adrenochrome. The whole adrenochrome empire. This is a big deal.

What everyone is saying about this film is true. We know that be a the face of the film is saying it.

No, I shall not see it, or at least give Caviezel a dime.

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/20...ing-conspiracy-theor

I watched the movie The Passion, by Mel More Blood Gibson.

I won't watch another movie that he is associated with.

I think I have a unique window into the thinking of the sort of people who are drawn to movies like The Sound of Freedom, which is specifically targeted towards Christian audience. The "thinking" thing can only be assessed from the outside looking in, by their actions and what they say. I was once on the inside looking out but flipped it.

I have close relatives who WILL vote for Trump if he's the nominee. They think he's a victim of the establishment, the leftist media, and is being persecuted. They actually think his persecution is their persecution. They actually think all the stuff against him is made up, and that he's good for the country, which is why "They", the other they, whoever they are, want him to lose. They actually think laws and law Enforcment, DOJ, FBI etc., are in cahoots to destroy Trump by any means.

Thus, any counter-means is justified. The GOP in congress push the narratives as hard as they can.

IMO, all that is related somehow to the movie. It's all part of a bigger picture.

It's not correct to generalize people. But in the case which this movie's viewership and popularity shows, people generalize themselves.

Trump is the frontrunner for nomination by the GOP for a reason. All the investigations, cases, indictments, etc. only serve to solidify his stand with the republican party, individual claims herein notwithstanding.

Trump was inspired by the movie The Sound of Freedom to make the death penalty as part of his campaign agenda when he's re-elected.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/b...024/?sh=3f6f90b41736

Trump Pledges Death Penalty For Human Traffickers—Here’s What Else He’s Promising If Elected In 2024

It seems to me, the popularity of the film is in direct relation to the outcry from the Left.

It's a portrayal of what one Federal agent experienced and claims to have seen with his own eyes.
Quite accurately too from the reports I've read.
Why not simply allow it to play out and see just how popular it is with the viewing public?
Why is there such vehement criticism and opposition to a film which brings the horror of child sex trafficking to the attention to a wide audience?
Is stopping child sex trafficking not a worthy cause?

One great irony in all this is that Disney actually owned the rights to this movie and either thought it wasn't feasible financially or didn't think such a film fit into their social philosophy.
Point is, The Sound of Freedom has raked in over $100M and cost just $14.5M to make and Disney has lost an estimated $900M on its last eight movie releases.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
I watched the movie The Passion, by Mel More Blood Gibson.

I won't watch another movie that he is associated with.

I find this comment fascinating.
What about The Passion is so objectionable to you?

The Passion of it.

That's how Gibson earned the term More Blood Mel.

Just look into his eyes to see what I'm talking about.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam:
The Passion of it.

That's how Gibson earned the term More Blood Mel.

Just look into his eyes to see what I'm talking about.

When I went to Italy, there is a church in a small town which had a crucifix showing Christ's body pale, bloody and battered.
That was the first time I had seen a crucifix portraying Jesus as he would have actually appeared and at the time it was quite shocking.

The brutality of Jesus' Passion or any other crucifixion for that matter has been watered down in the last few centuries artistically.

I think that is what Gibson wanted to convey in the film.

He's a passionate man and the crazy look in his eyes comes out if he's talking about any of his movies with a theme that is worth being passionate about whether it be The Patriot, Braveheart or The Passion of the Christ.

Okay - fair enough. Thanks for your view.

You had the chance to attack me, and didn't choose to go that way. Thanks.

Granted, assessing the passionate "look" of someone is subjective.

I've seen it in church too many times. In addition to the "look" the attitude and actions count too, such as with Kari Lake, MTG, Boebert, for examples.

It's a stretch to try to tie this all in - the movie appeal and support for Trump.

It is not a coincidence that the passions of Christians also are part of the passions of Trumpism.

I see it but explaining it so it's obvious to others is not easy.

What should be obvious is the connection. Why is another thing. What it means - another thing.

It looks to me like a lot of denial going on there.

There must be some deeper meaning to the remake of little mermaid being black too!!
Look at all the hoopla movies brings out in people.

quote:

Originally posted by theback40:
There must be some deeper meaning to the remake of little mermaid being black too!!
Look at all the hoopla movies brings out in people.

It is interesting to think about that.
I’d guess that traditionally, movies have been used as a momentary escape from the concerns of real life.
A little respite from all the crap we deal with day in and day out.

You can’t beat a good story, so when the story is adulterated with politicized messaging viewers push back.
It’s as if the social agenda and engineering is finding it’s way into every aspect of life even those little episodes of “me time” we all look forward to.

I guess that’s partly why the Hallmark movies have such high viewership.
Most are just silly love stories but all offer a little fantasy and a little escape for a while without the need for too much thought investment.

The little mermaid being redone as a black skinned character… meh. It doesn’t change things too much.

Snow White (think the name… how do you change her to black) and the seven dwarfs to the “magical creatures” fundamentally is changing the traditional story.

The basis of being against the film (sound of freedom) because of what the actors support in real life is the fundamental basis of the whole cancel culture. It’s worked… the US culture is headed down the road of McCarthyism, but the political positions are reversed.

You know the whole if you don’t know history, you’re doomed to repeat it thing… only now with the intrusiveness of AI and the internet it’s liable to be much more vicious and intrusive than before.

quote:

Originally posted by Magine Enigam: And the fact that Trump did a screening in Florida and in attendance were Bannon, Flynn, Lake, and other such minded people causes me to think very skeptically.

Why would THEY promote it? Why does it have such appeal to such people who think in certain ways?

When something is associated with people who are clearly nutz, and they latch onto it, clutch it, cherish it, ID with it, then what does that say?

ME, I had to laugh as I read that. As someone who loves wrestling with a conspiracy theory, I could really see how your brain was connecting the dots.


Anyway, I wonder if there isn’t a more simple explanation that you haven’t considered:

quote:

This movie being independent and not following the Hollywood rules, was going to be left to fail. Seriously, would today’s Hollywood promote a movie about a white guy as the HERO rescuing brown children from truly EVIL human traffickers, who happen to be brown? Isn’t that white supremacy at its finest?

So Hollywood leaves the movie to die(it was made 5(?) years ago) as they like to do with these “unwoke/conservative” films.

But the movie finds a surprisingly passionate audience. The establishment does its best to discredit the movie, but the publicity and pushback backfired and pushed the movie into the mainstream. And the movie’s fans begin a grassroots campaign to promote it, sending it to the top and beating the establishments movies.

The establishment tries even harder to discredit the film, trying to explain it away as more “alt right” conspiracy.

And the flames continue to grow to the point that they actually have you promoting the movie, right here on AR, to a willing conservative audience.

Is it just me, or is that the story of President Trump’s ascendance to the presidency?


In a way, Trump and his fans are reliving the glory of MAGA 2016 through the success of this film. Conversely, the establishment, especially leftists, are being forced to relive the horrors of MAGA 2016, complete with all of their same self defeating blunders.

So Trump/Bannon/Lake are enjoying promoting a wholesome true story, while their enemies are freaking out and trying their best to suppress this wholesome true story.

Are they gloating? Yes

Does that bother the establishment/leftist? You tell me…

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/23...beidallah/index.html

‘Barbie’ breaks box-office records while crushing right-wing outrage
Opinion by Dean Obeidallah
Updated 9:35 PM EDT, Sun July 23, 2023

https://www.washingtonpost.com...ics-backlash-parody/

The Barbie movie, according to conservative criticism

By Alexandra Petri

July 22, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

https://www.theguardian.com/co...republicans-reaction

Why does the Barbie movie have Republicans in such a tizzy?
Katrina vanden Heuvel

ME, why would you try to take your own thread off topic? Makes me wonder what you have learned since the first post.

I am interested to hear if you see any validity to assertion that battle around The Sound of Freedom is analogous to MAGA 2016.

*BTW, I saw a trailer for Barbie and thought that it looked hilarious. I even went so far as to suggest to my daughter that we should go see it.

First, I don't think Barbie is off-topic. It's part of the same topic.

Yes, I agree with your assertion and analogy. to MEGA 2016.

Everyone should just go see Oppenheimer on IMAX.