DENNIS MCCARTHY

What's everyone's take on McCarthy's decision to score a pro-Trump movie a couple of years ago (DEATH OF A NATION, 2018)? It soured my relationship to the composer considerably, but I still aim to keep my soundtrack of STAR TREK: GENERATIONS, and pining for a MACGYVER release.

True, but a sane person would have stayed away from the project, regardless if they're pro-Trump or not. One can only excuse a pay check for so much.

Yeah, and I can appreciate art of Leni Riefenstahl too, even though it was nazi propaganda.

I think it's easier to overlook these kinds of things when the artist is long since dead, rather than fresh and new.

I’m on the fence about this, but I think ultimately I wouldn’t mind it. I don’t really know this composer and haven’t heard works of his, so it doesn’t affect me, but if one of my loved composers would score such a project, I don’t think it would really affect my enjoyment of the music. Also because music itself is apolitical, and his reasoning for scoring it may have to be completely unrelated to his political views (we all know getting jobs in the film music world can be brutal, also thinking about Joe Kraemer’s tweets on the subject).

On the other hand, I was looking forward a while back to reading The Terror and Drood from author Dan Simmons and after hearing he was a complete nut job when it comes to Trump and stuff, I just deleted his novels from my reading list. I guess I mean it differs from profession to profession. Music is, like I said, apolitical and is easier to seperate from ones views than, say, authors of books. Just like I’ll never again watch a standup special from Louis CK, since that also touches his views and personal beliefs.

EDIT: I just IMDb’d the project and recognized it as that one project that was produced by Gerald R. Molen, which I remembered I was pretty disappointed about as that’s a producer I know from my childhood favorites and as a child it was one of those names you start to recognize. Oh well.

Would you stop listening to McCarthy's STAR TREK word as a result of his connection to a pro-Trump work?

(I am not sure you would listen to much of his STAR TREK music but I use it as a hypothetical example.)

That makes sense. (And I mean that, I'm not being sarcastic - It's got to be easier to overlook people's faults when those faults are far removed from current events)

Cruise is another good case, sure. Ultimately, I think right-wing Trumpism is worse than Scientology, although it's basically pest and colera. For some reason, I've managed to disassociate Cruise's off-screen shenanigans with the films he's in, often because the films are of a high quality (he tends to pick great projects 9 times out of 10).

It is very complex, but I think you might be on to something. Scientology is basically just a cult of lunatics, while Trumpism and other forms of right-wing tendencies are so rampant across the world, it annoys me to high heaven.

Sure, and I know about the injuries he sustained on set for Mission: Impossible, not to speak of the insane stunts he does. But I boycot someone on principle of his or her behavior and beliefs if that causes harm to a large group of people, and the quality of their work is not a factor in that. I think it would be a bit hypocritical if I’d still watch someone’s films despite other people suffering, just because I get enjoyment out of them. Scientology is a plague and it’s been kept up due to not enough people speaking out on it, and keeping people like Tom Cruise on powerful places by making his films so successful. It’s weird how #MeToo actors are being boycotted, but Tom faces no consequences just because Scientology is a “religion”.

Absolutely fair and valid. It's just that by boycotting him, you also boycott the work of a thousand and more filmmaking people who came together to create something amazing. You pay them as well with your ticket. And I try to focus on that while I enjoy watching Cruise hurting himself.

This.

Well, people go because they expect a high quality movie based on Cruise' involvement, so that won't change.

We won't change a thing about Scientology by boycotting Cruise. They need to be fought on a completely different level - which is also not going to happen. The US have got a few other problems.

I mean, I completely support your point of view and intention. I just think it doesn't change much whether you (and everyone who hates Scientology) go see a Cruise movie or not. The masses don't care. Which is true for many sad things.