Look out. Hollywood is having a Republican crisis.
Once America’s most dependable bastion of liberal blather, the land of make believe has gone rogue. Each week, the new movie season brings another defection to Camp Romney, a place where taxes are less punishing, foreign policy is reliably pro-Israel, and stupid movies like “Innocence of Muslims’’ are not blamed for costing American lives.
It’s the terrorists, stupid.
You can see this sea change in the new Ben Affleck-directed movie, “Argo.” Once an ardent Obama-phile, the disaffected Hollywood hunk has chosen this election season to take on flaccid Democratic ex-President Jimmy Carter with a terrific and damning (to the government) new film about the 1979-81 Iranian hostage crisis. It seems no accident that the film brilliantly foretells today’s bloody events in the Middle East.
The land that once loved Obama is not stupid when it comes to selling tickets. The unexpected hit of the summer was Dinesh D’Souza’s documentary, “2016: Obama’s America.’’ The stinging big-screen indictment of Obama’s socialist leanings and disloyalty to the state of Israel was — surprise! — produced by the Oscar winner behind “Schindler’s List,” “Rain Man” and “Jurassic Park,” Gerald Molen.
“All of my movies have been about telling the truth,” Molen, a rare Hollywood Republican — who knew? — told The Hollywood Reporter.
Even hard-left filmmaker Michael Moore has grown weary of a commander-in-chief who doesn’t appear up to the job. After Obama’s disastrous performance in the debate against Mitt Romney, Moore tweeted, “If Romney keeps this up . . . Obama is going to vote for him!”
Four years ago, I doubt that the anti-union movie “Won’t Back Down’’ would have been green-lighted, let alone attract an A-list cast including Oscar nominees Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis. The poorly reviewed film (by lefty journalists) broadcast the message that Americans are fed up with liberal teachers unions that care nothing about kids while protecting rotten teachers and obstructing efforts at school reform.
Even loopy actress Lindsay Lohan, who once called Obama’s elevation to president “amazing,” said she’s endorsing Romney this time, although I suspect La Linz’s loyalty is not a great score for Mitt.
“Argo,” with its early Oscar buzz, stellar cast and formerly reliably liberal director in Affleck, may present the most chilling depiction of our enemies since “The Manchurian Candidate.’’
The flick’s backdrop is the snatching of 52 American hostages by Iranians at the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979. The hostage crisis carried on for months, as an impotent Carter couldn’t do anything right.
“Carter’s s–tting enough bricks to build a pyramid,’’ remarks a CIA superior Jack O’Connell (Bryan Cranston).
The CIA, meanwhile, hatches a plot to extract six Americans who’ve escaped the embassy and are holed up at the Canadian ambassador’s house. In a real-life drama that was kept secret until the Clinton administration, CIA operative Tony Mendez (Affleck) rescues the six Americans after 87 days, convincing the Iranians that the Americans are really part of a Canadian film crew.
The remaining 52 hostages finally came home after a mind-boggling 444 days in captivity. By then, fed-up voters replaced Carter with Republican President Ronald Reagan.
Affleck, no big fan of Romney, has soured on Obama. “I voted for Obama last time, although he got to be all things to all people then,” he said while promoting his film. “And now, he’s got a record, which makes it really different . . . I obviously have more complicated feelings.”
“Argo” evokes another complicated recent Middle East crisis: the murders of American Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three colleagues. Five days after the event, UN Ambassador Susan Rice hit the talk shows, insisting that Stevens’ killing resulted from a “spontaneous” protest rally against “Innocence of Muslims,” a schlocky film seen as insulting to the prophet Mohammed.
The Obama administration wanted to blame the deaths on something out of its control but has since backed off the claim, looking as weak as Jimmy Carter at his most impotent.
In 2012, the Hollywood brain trust knows that images of American strength sell better than those of self-flagellation.
There is hope.
Biden hi-Jacks debate
He lost me at “Jack Kennedy.’’
Vice President Joe Biden’s debate performance against Republican veep hopeful Paul Ryan was rude, crude and weird. The low point came when Ryan argued that President John F. Kennedy cut taxes. The smirking, laughing, off-his-meds Biden snarked, “Now you’re Jack Kennedy!”
Moderator Martha Raddatz let Biden walk all over her, as well as the too-polite Ryan. And why not? Barack Obama was a guest at Raddatz’s 1991 wedding.
Biden was friskier than Obama was in his debate against Mitt Romney. For me, that’s not saying much.
Rudy redux is just the ticket for NY
Run, Rudy, run!
Rudy Giuliani just might want to run for another term as mayor, The Post’s Cindy Adams reports. The City Charter allows the best leader we’ve ever elected to regain office after a break.
Under Rudy, the city was transformed from a crime-ravaged pit to a place where you’d put a mother you like. Who else do we have to chose from the next time around?
There’s Walmart-hating Council Speaker Christine Quinn. And tax-increasing Public Advocate Bill de Blasio.
It remains to be seen whether Rudy wants to trade his cushy life as a consultant for the pain and criticism of being mayor. But I can dream.
Truly Amazin’ grace
The Mets didn’t have a chance this year. They do have a heart.
Player Daniel Murphy, ex-manager Willie Randolph and former stars Darryl Strawberry, Doc Gooden, John Franco, Al Leiter, and Ed Kranepool are schlepping to Woodland Park, NJ, Nov. 1 to raise money for the club’s director of media relations, Shannon Forde, diagnosed with breast cancer.
Bats, balls and jerseys signed by Eli Manning, Tim Tebow, LeBron James, Derek Jeter, A-Rod, and Willie Mays will be auctioned. Get tickets at hopeshinesforshannon.com.
And pray for a better 2013.
Putting the brakes on pedal perps
Hooray. The City Council last week passed “Stuart’s Law’’ for Stuart Gruskin, killed by a kamikaze delivery bicyclist on a Midtown street in 2009. Awaiting the signature of bike-crazy Mayor Bloomberg, the law requires businesses to force cyclists to complete a safety course. Another law set fines for rogue riders who run red lights and ignore traffic rules.
New Yorkers shouldn’t risk their lives crossing the street