Catholics Call for Critic to be Fired After Positive "Compass" Review

From LifeSite via Movie City News:

WASHINGTON, December 11, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In light of the fact that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office for Film and Broadcasting withdrew its positive review for "The Golden Compass", Catholic leaders are reissuing a call for the Bishops to fire their film office director. Harry Forbes, the director of the USCCB, was listed as primary author for the much contested Compass review but was also the author of a December 2005 glowing review for the homosexual propaganda film Brokeback Mountain.

Human Life International (HLI) Leader Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the latest developments. "I'm very happy of course that the review has been taken down from the bishops' website, so there's no more damage that can be done by that particular review," he said.

Noting that Forbes also authored the positive review of Brokeback Mountain, Euteneuer said, "However the bishops need to correct the anomaly of having someone on staff who speaks in their name making these kinds of reviews of movies."

The HLI Leader added: "It's a scandal and I renew the call that this man should resign or be fired."

Um...doesn't that defeat the purpose of film criticism? The publishers want you to review films...but only giving the thumbs up when they say it's OK? How is that even possible?

Oh well...even the great Pauline Kael was once fired for panning The Sound of Music, so I guess anything is possible. But that's just ridiculous...and EXACTLY the kind of behavior that Pullman is critiquing in his books.

I also find their labeling of Brokeback Mountain as a "homosexual propaganda film" ignorant and backwards. It's one of the most unpolitical movies you will ever see...a beautiful love story with no agenda.

These people need to get over themselves.