I’m a movie guy. I love going to the movies. Don’t get there often but I still check out all the trailers online and plot strategy to get out of the house for those movies I really want to see.
So I just saw the trailer to the new movie 2012. When I first clicked on it my first thought was aren’t we all getting tired of big budget disaster porn but then I paid attention to what I was seeing in the preview and something seemed a little…well you decide:
At the 20 second mark we’ve got the arms of the Jesus the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janiero falling off and then the whole thing falling over completely.
34 seconds in you see like fifty thousand people with candles standing in St. Peter’s Square looking up at the Pope who’s looking down at them.
36 seconds in you’ve got a crowd of people all making the sign of the cross.
Then you get about 12 or so seconds of regular old fireballs from the sky type mayhem.
50 seconds there’s an image of St. Peter’s Basilica toppling.
52 seconds cut to Cardinals inside praying only to look up at the art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to see it breaking apart and presumably crushing them.
54 seconds Those people who were praying with candles outside are now screaming and running. Why? Because the dome of St. Peter’s is crashing down on top of them and then rolling over them crushing a few thousand people as it rolls essentially on top of the camera blacking everything out.
(Holy metaphor alert Batman!)
The rest of the trailer is just regular old mayhem and the White House getting destroyed. And at the end it says, “Find out the Truth.”
And I’m just sitting there thinking “I think somebody’s got a problem with Catholicism.” I mean, that makes Ron Howard looks pretty nice by comparison. But then I thought maybe it’s just because Catholics have the big iconic architecture and imagery. I mean what would Protestant mayhem look like anyway? Rick Warren falling over on top of someone.
I don’t like to jump to conclusions so I Googled Roland Emmerich, the director, who, according to numerous sources is openly gay and an activist liberal. But hey, it’s Hollywood, who isn’t?
I wondered if this guy has some sort of distaste for things Catholic. And darn it but what do I find? I warn you this is kinda weird.
In a closet in his house, Mr. Emmerich has a statue of Pope John Paul II laughing while reading his own obituary. That’s right. Pope John Paul II. In a closet. Laughing while reading his own obituary. You don’t believe me, right? Well, look below.
And then it gets a little weirder. I’m not kidding.
According to the Guardian:
Mao and Lenin fill the length of the 25ft living room wall; an old master-style painting of the Crucifixion shows Jesus sporting a Wham T-shirt; in the guest bathroom is a portrait of Saddam Hussein
I always just thought Roland Emmerich was a mediocre director of bad movies with a ginormous budget. That’s still true. But now he’s a mediocre director of bad movies that I’m not going to see.
July 18, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Scott W.-
sucker bet. When are there not gratuitous digs at the only religion it's acceptable to hate in one of these films?
Try something more complex– my bet is on at least two speaking characters that are identifiably Christian, probably Catholic, denying the danger the doom-sayer says, and probably dying on screen.
About a 50% chance of a Gaea worshiper (possibly in the Greek sense) doing some of the doomsday foretelling. You know, the traditional humans-are-an-infection thing.
July 18, 2009 at 8:16 pm
I think the point is that Jon Cusak is a really good driver but the question is , Can he drive a boat?
Protestant mayhem would involve "The 700 club" or Joel Osteen
July 18, 2009 at 8:54 pm
On a serious note– maybe a tent revival?
July 18, 2009 at 9:26 pm
The trailer also shows Muslims making the Haj.
July 19, 2009 at 8:11 am
I so totally wanted to see this movie, but now with this enligtening revelation… EH!
That freak-director really is a whack job.
= = = =
RC2 said:
"The trailer also shows Muslims making the Haj."
Is the movie going to show a meteor wiping them out? Are we going to be told it's okay for Catholics to be portrayed getting wiped out at St Peter's but not the Muslims doing their thing? Oh, but of course.
Matt
July 20, 2009 at 1:51 am
You forgot to mention the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier being shown turning over and crashing into the Capitol (or was it the White House), yet another "subtle" antiCatholic shot, aimed directly at US Catholics. My husband Geoff remembered this one.
July 20, 2009 at 6:49 pm
I've heard it, or read it somewhere that Catholics make quickly communicated digestable "icons" in movies.
Guy in black suit w/a white collar? Aha, Catholic Priest. Cassock. Even better.
See how you were able to put 2 and 2 together so quickly in the trailer? Now could they communicate that much data so fast using the 2nd Bible Baptist Free Evangelical (used to be a shoe store in a strip mall) church blowing up?
July 20, 2009 at 9:27 pm
UUMMM. If I remember correctly, Didn't God promise not to flood the world again? But I have to say, those futuristic looking arcs sure look cool. So that's where all our bail out money went.
Sorry, another dumb movie by an anti-chrisitian director. No thank you.
July 20, 2009 at 10:19 pm
And Jon Cusack isn't necessarily the friendlist fellow in the world, either.
July 20, 2009 at 10:20 pm
I wouldn't assume that the director is anti-Catholic. What does it mean that our blessed Pope John Paul II would be laughing at his own obituary? If I were going to the arms of Jesus I would laugh too. Many saints have been happy about being called to their Lord. As for Jesus in a Wham! shirt–well, his sense of humor isn't mine, but to have Jesus and the Pope in your house at all means you think He is an important figure who loves everyone–even George Michael.
Still, sounds like a lame movie.
July 20, 2009 at 10:20 pm
"As well-researched as 'The Day After Tomorrow,' as accurate as 'The da Vinci Code.'"
-I. M. Yoking, Imaginary Reviews
July 20, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Anyone else notice the Sistine Chapel ceiling splits EXACTLY BETWEEN God's and Adam's hands?
Yeah, I call Anti-Catholic.
July 20, 2009 at 10:40 pm
*though pops up from another conversation elsewhere, on line, about how folks are amazing good and amazing horrible*
Might be anti-human– anti-good-man– with Catholicism symbolizing all that's good or admirable about humans, and the destruction all that's horrible about people.
July 25, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I am a Muslim. The demonisation of Muslims and Arabs in the media is anything but pretty. However, I have not seen the hatred of any religion or sect in Hollywood as much as I have seen it against the Catholic Church.
I am not going to spend my money on 2012; and I will certainly keep my eyes open for Roland Emmerich's name – I won't spend my money on any of his trash.
Hate is not a Godly value.
-Pink Muslimah
October 12, 2009 at 8:46 am
wow good info but everyone forgets to mention something most of hollywood is antichristian and mostly ANTICATHOlIC. hollywood is run by AntiCatholics and mostly by Jews and they to be honest hate Catholics more than anyone else remember how hollywood and Jewish people attacked the Passion of The Christ. Roland Emmerich and many others like him try to find smart ways to attack Christians and Catholics without people knowing they are. I will not waste my money on this but even though I wont I know that sadly this movie will make a lot of money that it does not deserve its just another end of the world film cant Hollywood think of a better story!
October 23, 2009 at 9:49 am
I'm neither Catholic, nor am I a tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist, but I saw this trailer and immediately thought the same thing: "Whomever directed this has serious issues against the Catholic Church."
October 28, 2009 at 12:37 am
I'm a proud Catholic. I think it is more about St. Peter's being of a legendary stature to the most people (to a lesser extent, the Cristo Redentor in Brazil, but it is clear what it represents).
The trailer also shows thousands of Muslims praying at the Black Stone for the Hajj or whatever. I even have to wiki where that is — (here it is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masjid_al-Haram — it's the "Grand Mosque"! Ha! Even such a basic name escaped my memory, tho I did remember the Black Stone!).
The thing is with other world faiths, the head building of such places cannot ever reach the everyman's mind more than those of Catholicism. Baha'i houses of worship? Jewish ones? Mormon? Anglican? Orthodox? RUSSIAN Orthodox? Hindu? Muslim (in this case, the Grand Mosque)? The only religious place I can think of touching this is the Hagia Sophia, and that isn't some central House of Worship — just a landmark.
The Vatican/Cristo Redentor are the most recognizable and the most iconic. I think that their "destruction" in a sensational film like this elevates the stature of the Catholic faith. It upset me, too, but ultimately, I think it speaks to the world-wide appeal and knowledge that is had for the faith and its institutions.
That's just me. Like I said, destroying the Kashi Vishwanath (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kashi_Vishwanath) just wouldn't have the same *oomph* for such a film.
November 12, 2009 at 4:24 am
I also find it odd that on November 13th the reading at mass in the Catholic church is the following:
Luke 17:26-37
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed all of them — it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, anyone on the housetop who has belongings in the house must not come down to take them away; and likewise anyone in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot's wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it. I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. There will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken and the other left.' Then they asked him, 'Where, Lord?' He said to them, 'Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.'
November 12, 2009 at 2:56 pm
i bet muslin mosques are not shown being destroyed!!! Watch.
November 13, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Any practicing Catholic would know that the end of the world doesn't really matter. If you live each day as it is your last with Christ-like behavior, you will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven.
As for the oddities in Mr. Emmerich's house, it's probably a cry for attention.