Michael Moore and Mel Gibson aside, the purpose of art is not always to send messages. More often, it’s just to tell a story, move people and provoke ideas. Mr. Eastwood’s critics don’t even understand what art is. Politics – not art – is about finding consensus with the majority of the audience. Art is not about avoiding controversy or ensuring that everyone leaves feeling morally uplifted.

Warning: the full article contains spoilers for Million Dollar Baby. But otherwise, standard operating procedure: either a login of your own or one from BugMeNot.

I’m reminded of something Paul Auster once said: “Art is opposed to nothing but falsity.”