Re: paleonet Bible Belt creationists threaten IMAX film industry with extinction

[Nancy Meyer <marsglow@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Phil Novack-Gottshall <pnovackg@westga.edu> wrote:
> I have to agree here with Frank.  An article in today and
> yesterday's 
> Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted test audiences in
> Atlanta simply found 
> the movie dull (which could be a neutral way of avoiding
> the issue, too, I 
> guess.)
> 
> "Fernbank among IMAX theaters rejecting 'Volcanoes''"
>
http://www.accessatlanta.com/entertainment/content/entertainment/news/0305/25volcanoes.html
> 
> (It's on the AP wire if you'd prefer to locate in your
> own newspaper.)
> "The scientific team and research on the film was
> top-notch," said Anita 
> Kern, dean of science at Atlanta's Fernbank Museum of
> Natural History, 
> whose IMAX theater chose not to run "Volcanoes." "But
> when you're doing 
> IMAX films, you're doing it for the general public. What
> you want is to 
> educate people in very entertaining ways. This film just
> didn't do it. It 
> was slow moving and a little dry."
> 
>
http://www.accessatlanta.com/search/content/movies/news/0305/25mojo.html
> 
> (At bottom of page)
> ""I think the bigger issue is more serious [than whether
> a few theaters are 
> concerned about offending fundamentalists]," Low [the
> movie's 
> producer-director] said by phone Thursday. "All the
> theaters are struggling 
> with the same dilemma ­ lots of science films aren't the
> best box office. 
> They try to straddle it with films that show hot ladies
> kayaking or 
> skydivers in a science mission."
> 
> It may be a sadder truth that science movies (even those
> with underwater 
> volcanoes, archaea, and chemosynthetic tube-worms) have a
> hard time 
> competing with the mindless and more profitable stuff
> available everywhere.
> 
> But it does seem that the "evolvophobes" did protest
> during screenings at 
> other southern theaters.  The good news is that the
> controversy is piquing 
> enough interest to make the movie profitable.  Perhaps
> picketing is in 
> order?  It worked for Fahrenheit 9-11 and the Last
> Temptation of 
> Christ.  Now there's a thought...
> 
> Phil
> 
> At 01:11 PM 3/25/2005, you wrote:
> >I certainly second the emotion, but not the action.  So,
> what, if we also 
> >boycott the IMAX theater system, then they become doubly
> unprofitable and 
> >go out of business entirely?  And then the general
> public misses out on an 
> >otherwise valuable resource in disseminating scientific
> information, 
> >especially to young people?
> >
> >Not to repeat myself, but IMAX is a business, whatever
> else it also 
> >is.  We can't insist that they stay in business at a
> loss.  Let's look for 
> >ways they can continue to disseminate sound scientific
> info, and remain 
> >profitable.
> >
> >You know, we and the anti-evolutionists are starting to
> sound like the 
> >hockey players and owners!
> >
> >F
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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>    Phil 
> Novack-Gottshall                       
> pnovackg@westga.edu 
> 
> 
>    Assistant Professor
>    Department of Geosciences           "Do not be too
> moral.  You may cheat
>    University of West Georgia               yourself out
> of much of 
> life.  Aim above
>    Carrollton, GA                                     
> morality.  Be not 
> simply good; be good
>    30118-3100                                         for
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> Thoreau
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>   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

"The United States is in no sense founded upon the Christian religion." - George Washington

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