Thus “Pearl Harbor” sits on the shelf despite fantastic CGI while “From Here to Eternity” gets repeated viewings. Indeed, I find I turning more and more to the old, all done in the studio, moderate budget, b/w classics despite their monaural soundtracks and obvious rear-screen projections and glass shots.

Avatar’s box office success certainly justifies its making to the business people involved, but I personally will likely hold back form seeing the “new” 3D technology until something that is more than eye candy becomes available.

And not supporting a film with a nasty anti-west, phony-baloney eco theme, seconds that decision in my mind.

Q: This year has seen a surge of antiwar films, which are flopping like dominoes, while “Protect and Defend” is the No. 1 book this week. Is Hollywood ready for Mitch Rapp yet?
A: I don’t think we are quite there. Hollywood is now saying people don’t want to watch movies about war. No, Americans don’t want to watch [bad] anti-American movies about war. Americans would love to watch a great movie where Mitch Rapp is meting out punishment to these crazy zealots, but I don’t know if Hollywood has the guts to do it. If Democrats take the White House, Hollywood will make a movie like that in a heartbeat.

I haven’t heard of anything like a right wing oriented movie coming down the production gut. As near as I can tell “Atlas Shrugged” is still stalled in production with no end in sight.

It strikes me that it’s quite possible that the Hollywood left may prefer being in total control of the greatest propaganda machine the world has ever seen. The success of AVATAR implies that you don’t need to make movies that conservatives would go to, because Hollywood now makes more of it’s money overseas than at home and anti-Americanism makes more money there than Mom and apple pie does here.

Add to that the problems with Obamism and the possible resurgence of the Republicans, and there must be a terrific temptation to keep the Hollywood ministry of truth’s novel writing machines working round the clock.