Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMother Jones: "In the "RoboCop" reboot, Samuel L. Jackson is basically Bill O'Reilly..."
In the "RoboCop" reboot, Samuel L. Jackson is basically Bill O'Reilly
http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/02/robocop-remake-samuel-l-jackson-bill-oreilly-politics
Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi action movie RoboCop (1987) is a famous satire of the excess and greed of the Reagan era. José Padilha's 2014 reboot of RoboCop (in theaters on Wednesday) is also a critique of American society and power. The remakestarring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Abbie Cornish, Michael Keaton, and Jay Barucheltakes place in the year 2028, mostly in Detroit. The American military is occupying countries all over the worldwith the help of completely autonomous killer robots called "drones." (Get it?) In this not-at-all-distant future, the United States has apparently invaded Iran in "Operation Freedom Tehran." OmniCorp, which designs and manufactures these military robots, wants to put this technology to use in law enforcement on American soil. Thus begins a debate over civil liberties and human emotion.
But the best thing about the new RoboCop is Samuel L. Jackson's turn as the smartly dressed, flag-pin-wearing host of a cable-TV news and commentary show. His perspective is jingoistic, pro-US-empire, and staunchly pro-RoboCop and tough on crime. ("Why is America so robophobic?" he asks during a broadcast; he later asks if the US Senate has become pro-crime.) He cuts the mic of guests he disagrees with and is prone to loud swearing on camera. As you might guess, many critics have already compared Jackson's character to Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. For instance, the name of the fictional show is The Novak Element, which sounds a bit like The O'Reilly Factor.
O'Reilly and Fox News did not respond to a request for comment regarding RoboCop's possible nod to The O'Reilly Factor. Jackson points to a different conservative host as his inspiration (via Blastr):
I play a character by the name of Pat Novak, who's sort of a combination of Rush Limbaugh and Al Sharpton, if you can combine those two people. So I refer to him as Rush Sharpton...He has one of those shows that's an opinion show, and his opinion is that automated policing is a good idea, so he's a proponent of RoboCop.
http://www.motherjones.com/mixed-media/2014/02/robocop-remake-samuel-l-jackson-bill-oreilly-politics
Paul Verhoeven's sci-fi action movie RoboCop (1987) is a famous satire of the excess and greed of the Reagan era. José Padilha's 2014 reboot of RoboCop (in theaters on Wednesday) is also a critique of American society and power. The remakestarring Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Abbie Cornish, Michael Keaton, and Jay Barucheltakes place in the year 2028, mostly in Detroit. The American military is occupying countries all over the worldwith the help of completely autonomous killer robots called "drones." (Get it?) In this not-at-all-distant future, the United States has apparently invaded Iran in "Operation Freedom Tehran." OmniCorp, which designs and manufactures these military robots, wants to put this technology to use in law enforcement on American soil. Thus begins a debate over civil liberties and human emotion.
But the best thing about the new RoboCop is Samuel L. Jackson's turn as the smartly dressed, flag-pin-wearing host of a cable-TV news and commentary show. His perspective is jingoistic, pro-US-empire, and staunchly pro-RoboCop and tough on crime. ("Why is America so robophobic?" he asks during a broadcast; he later asks if the US Senate has become pro-crime.) He cuts the mic of guests he disagrees with and is prone to loud swearing on camera. As you might guess, many critics have already compared Jackson's character to Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. For instance, the name of the fictional show is The Novak Element, which sounds a bit like The O'Reilly Factor.
O'Reilly and Fox News did not respond to a request for comment regarding RoboCop's possible nod to The O'Reilly Factor. Jackson points to a different conservative host as his inspiration (via Blastr):
I play a character by the name of Pat Novak, who's sort of a combination of Rush Limbaugh and Al Sharpton, if you can combine those two people. So I refer to him as Rush Sharpton...He has one of those shows that's an opinion show, and his opinion is that automated policing is a good idea, so he's a proponent of RoboCop.
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
4 replies, 1149 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (1)
ReplyReply to this post
4 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Mother Jones: "In the "RoboCop" reboot, Samuel L. Jackson is basically Bill O'Reilly..." (Original Post)
Miles Archer
Feb 2014
OP
Nay
(12,051 posts)1. Even with Jackson, I can't see how they can improve on the original movie. It
was, in a word, perfect. I still use phrases from it:
"I'll buy that for a dollar!"
"A new toy!!! Can I play?"
"Can you fly, Billy?"
"I can feel them, but I don't remember them."
"You a COLLEGE BOY?"
"I'm cashing you out, Bob." BOOM.
Etc.
Timez Squarez
(262 posts)2. Some movies should NOT be remade..
And Robocop is one of them.
Still have the VHS somewhere buried in the storage room.
Puzzledtraveller
(5,937 posts)3. Agree on Robocop
Total Recall too. It really shows a lack of creativity and originality.
joeglow3
(6,228 posts)4. "I'll buy that for a dollar"
I say that all the time and usually just get odd looks.