It’s About Time: Pioneering Film Blog Libertas Returns
The relaunch of Libertas is like a reversal of the old joke about lawyers: What do you call a thousand lawyers trapped at the bottom of a well? A good start. We don’t need one more conservative blog about movies and culture, we need hundreds more. But Libertas and its few competitors are a promising start.
Libertas, which was originally launched in 2005, went dark in 2008 while promising a rethink and a reboot. In the meantime, it lost its most resonant voice — that of writer John Nolte when Big Hollywood launched and tapped him as its editor. Libertas’s founders and editors, Govindini Murty and Jason Apuzzo, are still running it, but when it relaunched May 19 they promised “a different emphasis from” the original Libertas. They say the former site “spent most of its time critiquing the ideological content of Hollywood entertainment — much of which is still inimical to freedom.”
The new site promises to:
“[Promote] films that celebrate freedom, democracy, and the dignity of the individual [by featuring] short films, webisodes, movie clips and trailers, podcasts, as well as news and reviews of pro-freedom films that are currently in theaters or are available on DVD. … Libertas’ goal is to show our readers movies they can enjoy — not just to warn them about movies to avoid.
This last sentence seems to imply that competitor sites are joyless and negative — but if the web has proved one thing in the last ten years, it’s that loathing can be entertainment. How many sites — cultural, political, economic, whatever — are devoted partly or mainly to appalling the reader? High dudgeon is a valuable commodity. I enjoy a little outrage with my morning coffee. If you’re on this site, maybe you do too.
So I’m glad to report that Libertas does not, in fact, shy away from a little vigorous acid-spewing — labeling Avatar “asinine” in one post, and “anti-American propaganda on a staggering scale” in another. (Okay, these are a bit late, but I think it’s fair to say that had Libertas existed when Avatar came out it would not have been slow to formulate some opinions about it).
You expect to come across such opinions on Big Hollywood, too, but Libertas goes on to this fumdoozler of a conclusion:
Films like Victor Erice’s Spirit of the Beehive (1973), Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979), and Koreeda’s Maborosi (1995) demonstrate James Cameron’s vast and pathetic misunderstanding of his own art form. Sinking into almost complete stillness, they begin to speak the half-veiled symbol language of the world, and, as Yeats says, “call down among us certain disembodied powers, whose footsteps over our hearts we call emotions.”
Whoa. That’s a lotta syllables and suspiciously foreign-sounding words, there, pardner. And Yeats!
A good start but, they really need to clean up their code, make the site more user friendly and especially more FireFox compatible.
Boot is right to note that there should be “hundreds more” “conservative blog[s] about movies and culture.” Toward that end folks should know about another site, in addition to Libertas, they might add to their blogrolls if interested in what’s going on in the world beyond politics.
S.T. Karnick’s The American Culture (TAC) features regular articles reviewing books, movies, music and what’s happening the academic world. It also contains the occasional, as Boot describes them, “quick draw and … carpet bomb.”
One thing that distinguishes TAC from a lot of other sites is that we’re (full disclosure: I write for the site, being one of those responsible for more of the ‘quick draw’ posts) not afraid to take on the conservative establishment as well as the Left-wing know-nothings that dominate the cultural influence professions.
Culture drives politics. It sets the foundation from which our politicians and public policy bureaucrats build Leviathan. If you want save America from its slide into a Euro-style social democratic State then you have to reform the culture into one that respects America’s foundational values, liberty and individual responsibility.
I hope folks will take the time, stop by TAC, add the site to your favorites list and join the conversation. Long lasting political change will only happen if the culture supports it.
Not only should there be hundreds more conservative blogs about movies and culture, there should be more conservative movies and culture. Most family friendly movies Hollywood releases do well at the box office – that’s how they finance the other anti-American, anti-family, anti-Republican, anti-conservative, anti-Christian, pro-Obama, pro-socialist movies.
Anonymous: Certainly, wouldn’t want people to face movies that challenge their viewpoints.
So are we supposed to part with $10 only to discover our “viewpoints are challenged”? Can I get my $10 back if I’m not satisfied? If not, I think I’ll keep my $10, and let Hollywood finance their viewpoint-challenging agenda with someone other people’s $10.
I enjoyed Libertas in its previous form. We’ll see where this new incarnation goes. There is enough room on the internet for everyone to have their different take on things.
I have been waiting a long time for “Libertas” to return. I would check back periodically in hopes that they would relaunch their website. I thought that they were gone for good. I am very happy to see that they are back again. I have spent countless hours delving into their informative analysis and critique of Hollywood of today. As a movie lover(especially the classics) and conservative, it was the only website of its kind. And I really missed it when it was gone. I will definitely return to see what’s in store.
Libertas’ goal is to show our readers movies they can enjoy — not just to warn them about movies to avoid.
Certainly, wouldn’t want people to face movies that challenge their viewpoints. Do you understand what the word “pioneering” means? Idiot.
Could you tel me in the name of what I have to accept that some alcoholic, drug-using, teenage-raping (that is for Polanski) or friendly to teenage rapers, college dropout, who konws nothing about “real life” try to impose me his viewpoints? And BTW, would you accept that some person (that is me
who is superior in everything to the never-do-wells who produce films and to the bunch of losers who attend Chomski lectures challenges your viewpoints? Would you accept that from Joe thePlumber?
“The Kind of Face You Hate” is a very good book/film/culture blog by a rather conservative fellow. Though he doesn’t try to direct his reader’s viewing or reading habits, and reports on just about anything.
http://wwwbillblog.blogspot.com/
I like this article! thank you anyway!!
lam waiting for long time for your Libertas. Libertas, which was originally launched in 2005, went dark in 2008 while promising a rethink and a reboot. Thanks for giving such articles.
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lam waiting for long time for your Libertas. Libertas, which was originally launched in 2005, went dark in 2008 while promising a rethink and a reboot. Thanks for giving such articles.