Stop-Loss.

HOLLYWOOD -- War. Huh-yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothin'.

So said Edwin Starr, and so say movie theatre owners, who are begging Hollywood to stop making Iraq War-themed films that are keeping audiences away in droves.

As if the message being sent by moviegoers wasn't loud and clear -- with the disappointing results for 2007 stuff such as In the Valley of Elah, Redacted, Grace is Gone and Lions for Lambs -- along came Paramount's appropriately-titled Stop-Loss to hit it home.

Despite getting reasonably good reviews, the drama from Boys Don't Cry director Kimberly Peirce fell out of the Top 10 in its second weekend.

No big surprise there -- ticket buyers want escapism for their hard-earned money and $8 dollar tubs of popcorn.

While the intentions of Peirce and the other filmmakers are honourable, the fact remains it's just way too soon for an adequate period of reflection.