The left coast Tokyo Rose slime

By Jack Furnari

The pumpkin headed leftists in Hollywood consistently under-estimate the essential goodness and patriotism of the American people.

Hollywood seemed to think the week before Veteran’s Day was the perfect time to release a gaggle of anti-war movies. The Hollywood elites gravely miscalculated. The anti-war movies bombed big time at the box office.

The left coast Tokyo Rose slime in Hollywood is confused. They don’t understand us. They thought because many Americans disagree about the Iraq war that the average American was willing to aid and abet the enemy. What Hollywood found out is that Americans don’t want to see movies that Osama Bin Laden and the lunatic running Iran would love.

Whatever our political affiliation or our opinion of the Iraq war, most Americans revere our men and women fighting for freedom around the world.

So, this Christmas season, tell Hollywood to stuff it. Open a Netflix account or tune into the Turner Classic movie channel and rediscover, or see for the first time, some truly great movies that reaffirm your values and your love of life, freedom and country.

If you want to see some good war movies that celebrate the sacrifices that have been made for freedom, try 1989’s Glory with Denzel Washington, George C. Scott in Patton, or We Were Soldiers Once with Mel Gibson.

For the rebellious romantic, nothing beats Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Mel Gibson in Braveheart.

I still love to watch some of the back-in-the-day classics like, The Bridge on the River Kwai, John Wayne in The Sands of Iwo Jima, and The Longest Day made in 1962 with an international all-star cast. What can one man do in a world at war? Bogey knows and does something about it in Casablanca and The African Queen. The historically accurate Zulu from 1964 made Michael Caine a star and elegantly foreshadowed the fall of the British Empire.

One of my all time favorite films, and the film many say I’ve modeled my political career after, is the 1936 classic starring Errol Flynn, The Charge of the Light Brigade.

But man does not live by war alone, and there are wonderfully warm uplifting movies that have stood the test of time.

Once, before I was born, when America was at war, Hollywood made movies like 1942’s Yankee Doodle Dandy with James Cagney. I guess back then, it wasn’t “cool” to try and demoralize the home front during a war.

There’s Fiddler on the Roof with the great Israeli actor, Chaim Topol, which in between fantastic musical performances, reminds all of us of some of the reasons why our “old countries” weren’t so great and our ancestors came to America.

The Bells of St. Mary’s with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman has special meaning for me, and I’ve seen it dozens of times. Schools like that did and do exist. I went to one just like it as a child. The Bells of St. Mary’s is a true celebration of the Catholic life well-lived. Rent it or buy it. There’s no better movie for people of faith to watch at this time of year.

To celebrate the triumph of the American spirit there’s Rudy, which chronicles the journey of an undersized son of a steelworker getting into and playing football for Notre Dame.

The first black American to win the Academy Award for Best Actor wasn’t any hip-hopper. It was Sidney Poitier in 1963’s Lilies of the Field. Poitier plays an out of work black Baptist contractor who builds a church for an order of German Catholic nuns in the middle of the Arizona desert. Mark my words, even an atheist will be singing “Amen” by the end of this movie.

Only Bill Murray could hysterically wisecrack his way through a profound film of redemption like he did in 1993’s Groundhog Day.

Seasonal classics like It’s a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and Miracle on 34th Street, are as good today as the day they came out.

If you still crave the community experience of a theater, the film Bella will probably still be in theaters when this column prints. Directed by thirty-year-old Mexican director Alejandro Monteverde, Bella is a powerful and life-affirming film.

It would take years for anyone to see all the great movies that have been made. These are just a few of my favorites. There’s no need for anyone to wallow in the self-hatred and destructiveness of the Hollywood left. This year entertain yourself and your family while you rejuvenate, reaffirm and celebrate the values that made America great.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah