“Rendition” placed ninth at the box office last weekend. The movie had Oscar hype, a strong cast, and an interesting premise. I watched it twice, and, while I felt the movie had its flaws, I think it also is indicative of what America does or, in the case of “Rendition,” does not want to watch.

I don’t think people want to see movies where America is painted in this sort of “gray.”  No one wants to see where Americans play the bad guys. Not to say in “Rendition” that the American characters are necessarily bad, but they are not all good, either. I also think that “Lions for Lambs,” the new Robert Redford/Meryl Streep/Tom Cruise political film, will also do poorly because of its subject matter.

People want to watch action movies that, while they are entertaining, do not force them to look at the darker side of life. Let me note that I have no problem with that; I love action films. I don’t mind going to a movie, checking my brain at the door, and being entertained. But I have to say, it won’t sell.

It saddens me because movies such as “Lions for Lambs” give at least some glimpse into issues we should be more concerned about rather than the latest antics of Lohan or Hilton.  However, it’ll be dismissed as “liberal propaganda” or, at the very least, “not entertaining.”

History tells us that people will go through their trends, and I hope the dismissal of these political films that show us the things we only hear about from a distance eventually get to the forefront of moviegoers. I know the movies are meant as an escape from the daily grind, but, sometimes, it is important to take notice of what is going on in your world.