Is There Anything That Isn't Bush's Fault?
Obviously not

Here's some of the article from NewsBusters.org; (Emphasis mine.)


Newsweek's Setoodeh: Blame George Bush for Depressing Hollywood Movies
By Brad Slager

There is absolutely no shock in stating much of the Hollywood media tend to lean slightly more to the left than a fuel gauge pointing to empty. This week I read the upcoming Oscar season seems to focus on movies trending towards morose and dark subjects, and therefore it was with little surprise, and a great deal of mirth, that I learned from an entertainment writer that the reason behind this somber subject matter was not the film makers themselves but a rather well-aimed target for the Hollywood left.

These are the sage words from Newsweek writer, Ramin Setoodeh: “You can blame Hollywood's gloom and doom on the Oscars, but I'm not going to. Instead, I think it's George W. Bush's fault.

This kind of sweeping commentary of course is asinine, but what strikes me initially is the writer’s ignorance of the past few years of film making. However, before delving into that morass let’s first analyze the films Setoodeh points to for evidence. His primary focus is on “The Road”, the post-apocalyptic drama starring Viggo Mortensen with bleak scenes and themes. “The Road seems to suggest that mankind is on a dreary march to endless pain” writes Ramin, “and after sitting through this season's Oscar contenders, I can relate.” But looking into the source material you could come to a different conclusion.

It is based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy, which was released in 2006, but McCarthy stated in an interview he was inspired to write the father-son story back in 2003. This would suggest he was probably primarily influenced not by a perceived morass of a Bush Presidency but by the fresh wounds of the 9/11 attacks and the doom they could portend. Next, Setoodeh gives you permission to stop listening to him opine as he brings up the Coen Brothers release, “A Serious Man”, which he declares a comedy, even as he admits, “I had to get up and leave in the middle, it's so depressing.” Not the best way to back up your premise.Newsweek, huh? Interestingly, I just posted a few days ago that it's predicted that Newsweek is going to go belly-up in 2010.

Coincidence? I think not.