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The more I think about it, the more the 5 minute car commercial in Barbie bugs me. (feddit.de)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/moviesandtv@lemmy.film
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It's like in a music video when the artist suddenly pulls out the new Samsung explosive device, and your heart sinks a little.

Not only is it necessary for even decent movies to be packaged within some IP, they also seem to rely on selling ad space within the movie itself.

Very bleak.

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[–] [S] 8 points 3 years ago (2 children)

This critique irks me for some reason. Consider this: Imagine the latest Top Gun had some scene where Tom Cruise literally high fives Uncle Sam, then slowly whispers "Freedom" and winks into the camera. You'd rightfully find this jarring, a poor aesthetic choice, weird.

But then someone online tells you why you'd expect anything else from a franchise that's heavily subsidized and supported by the military industrial complex, and demanding a sort of artistic consistency from such a franchise is pointless to begin with.

Tldr: I think you can critique the art even if you're aware of it's ideological confines.

(This reply hinges on such a scene not being in the latest Top Gun movie, which I haven't see yet to be honest)

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago

    A fair point, but in your original example we're talking about a cell phone. That's a significantly more subtle inclusion than Tom draping himself in an American flag and riding off on the back of an eagle.

    I don't remember the scene we're talking about, so if it was a cell phone in the real world I see no issue. If it was in Barbie's world then it should've been plastic. That would be my only complaint.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    It might not be as obvious as literally winking into the camera, but Top Gun had substantial monetary investment from the U.S. military, and they definitely tried to make being in the military look cool and fun and attractive.

    They definitely don’t show what it’s really like to be a service member, and that’s for good reason.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah that's kind of my point. Even knowing it's partial propaganda, you'd know when something is "off". Just like even knowing that Barbie is partially a branding campaign, You know how the car comercial scene is "off".

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago

    I guess what I’m saying is I don’t see either top gun or Barbie movie as “partial propaganda”, I see them as entirely propaganda. So, at least for me, having some additional propaganda for Samsung phones or car brands doesn’t seem out of place or jarring for me.

    It’s honestly more jarring for me to see how the military is portrayed compared to what it’s actually like.

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