By Laurie Baron
SAN DIEGO — We used to go to the movies to escape reality, but our current political polarization has crept into feature films. Beware this summer, there are a lot of movies either with the same titles or slight variations that are more ideological than cinematic.
Nope: Pretending to be Jordan Peele’s upcoming horror movie, this expose of Senate Republicans under Mitch McConnell is even scarier as the chamber is invaded by elderly white zombies who have infected Joe Manchin and the shapeshifter Krysten Sinema.
Shotgun Maverick: You’re expecting Tom Cruise and instead you get Sarah Palin campaigning for congress brandishing guns and denouncing John McCain for not being maverick enough. Ted Cruz makes a cameo appearance to make sure the audience gets to see at least one Cruz.
Lightyear: Ignoring copyright laws, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Richard Branson compete to send one of their spaceships to fly Buzz Lightyear off the planet where he is marooned. Buzz finally pays the hefty ticket price charged by Musk, but Musk demands that Buzz first prove that he is a Republican and will open a Twitter account.
Jurassic World Dominion: Propagating a new conspiracy theory, this film depicts the owners of Dominion Voting Systems recruiting dinosaurs to rig the 2024 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden because he looks like a fossil.
Mrs. Harris Goes to Washington: To direct attention to our current vice-president, this film portrays her not being able to break ties in the Senate since few bills ever get past the filibuster. Critics who have seen a preview think it will flop because there’s not enough action.
Dr. Fauci in the Multiverse of Madness: Convinced that Covid still poses a threat to the United States and world, Dr. Fauci tries to persuade a misinformed public that vaccinations work, masking is still advised in certain settings, and that even though ivermectin kills intestinal worms, it does bubkes for Covid. Those on Facebook’s Metaverse refuse to give him likes.
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Baron is professor emeritus of history at San Diego State University. He may be contacted via lawrence.baron@sdjewishworld.com. San Diego Jewish World points out to new readers that this column is satire, and nothing herein should be taken literally.