Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Dodos at Discovery
Word is going around that filmmaker Randy Olson, whose new film "Flock of Dodos: The Evolution - Intelligent Design Circus," is getting rave reviews and attracting audiences at the Tribeca Film Festival and college campuses around the country, was treated recently to an angry grilling by the Discovery Institute.
From what RSR has been able to piece together, Olson got the Star Chamber treatment from Bruce Chapman, Jonathan Wells, John West, Casey Luskin and Rob Crowther when he met with them at Discovery to discuss their objections to his film.
"Flock of Dodos" which premiered in the Kansas City area has been universally praised by reviewers at a wide range of publications -- from Variety to National Review -- for its even handed approach to a controversial subject.
Apparently, the boys in Seattle aren't too upset at the film's portrayal of intelligent design, but they hate the way Discovery comes across. We hear they spent some two-and-a-half hours telling Olson what they don't like about his film. A good deal of it at high volume.
They don't like the fact that Olson included the Institute's annual budget and its funding by right-wing groups -- many of which are quite upfront about their religious mission -- in the film.
They're also just a bit sensitive to the film's report of their hiring the Creative Response Concepts public relations firm. Can it be that the Discovery Institute finds the firm's PR work for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth too toxic even for them?
Funny, we thought that's why they hired them.
There's more on this floating around. RSR has his ear to the ground. We'll let you know more when we hear it.
From what RSR has been able to piece together, Olson got the Star Chamber treatment from Bruce Chapman, Jonathan Wells, John West, Casey Luskin and Rob Crowther when he met with them at Discovery to discuss their objections to his film.
"Flock of Dodos" which premiered in the Kansas City area has been universally praised by reviewers at a wide range of publications -- from Variety to National Review -- for its even handed approach to a controversial subject.
Apparently, the boys in Seattle aren't too upset at the film's portrayal of intelligent design, but they hate the way Discovery comes across. We hear they spent some two-and-a-half hours telling Olson what they don't like about his film. A good deal of it at high volume.
They don't like the fact that Olson included the Institute's annual budget and its funding by right-wing groups -- many of which are quite upfront about their religious mission -- in the film.
They're also just a bit sensitive to the film's report of their hiring the Creative Response Concepts public relations firm. Can it be that the Discovery Institute finds the firm's PR work for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth too toxic even for them?
Funny, we thought that's why they hired them.
There's more on this floating around. RSR has his ear to the ground. We'll let you know more when we hear it.
