Since it's movie awards season, I thought we might have a semi-polite (HA!) discussion regarding political movies. Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Bullworth - Warren Beatty as the last honest politician.
2. Primary Colors - John Travolta does a better Clinton than Bubba.
3. Bob Roberts - Tim Robbins as a guitar-strumming fascist.
4. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington - James Stewart as a lamb among wolves.
5. Meet John Doe - Gary Cooper as the little guy who won't be chewed up by the political machine.
Has anyone seen "Frost/Nixon" or "Milk" yet?
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86 comments:
I'm fond of "The Candidate" still. Certainly apropos today...
And "All the King's Men" is a classic, the role of a lifetime for Broderick Crawford
"Manchurian Candidate."
Michael - I thought of both "The Candidate" and "Face in the Crowd", but it's been quite a long time since I saw either of those. More for the netflix queue.
WT - Good one! Angela Lansbury is EVIL!!!
Yeah! I would've picked "Bulworth" as well, but you beat me to it... ;-) (and hangin there, JMF!)
Milk was awesome. Great movie.
Also, I would add Nashville, which I just saw but was a little bewildered by. It was interesting...just a bit much.
what about Election?
oooh - double post - Wag the Dog. Excellent.
Pontecorvo's "Burn."
I also liked "Wag the Dog" and "Bullworth."
Wow, I'm out sick for a few days and the blogosphere explodes! I'm always good for a few comments and I'm trying to catch up, so...
1) "Everybody" keeps leaving and coming back. Strange.
2) The one point gina keeps harping on-- that everyone doesn't have to agree-- is exactly why I don't have any problem with spirited mutual abuse (a la twin v. SOAB or gina v. the world).
3) I try to avoid abusing those who don't have it coming, although I've done wrong regarding that in the past, admittedly.
4) I don't think it's possible for Obama to please too many people consistently. Never one to proclaim him any sort of savior, I'm sticking to my original reasons for liking him-- he appears sane, he's articulate, he's black (and given the fact that this is still a novelty, I take no shame in that. I'm one of those 'try anything twice' types), and out of the overwhelming three choices I had, he appealed the most. Hellelujah.
4) If that really is gina's photography, I agree that it's damn fine work.
5) Tolls and blogs go together like love and virtual marriage. Hell, it's half the fun even when I'm not involved.
6) six thoughts without a single movie (they've all been mentioned-- at least the ones I've seen)... my apologies to our wonderful host.
Been away for a couple days. Wow!!! Anyway, I agree with BURN, WAG THE DOG, DR. STRANGELOVE, FAIL-SAFE and of course MR. SMITH
The Parallax View was outstanding, I thought. When Beatty was in that airliner... wow.
Let's not forget 'Brazil'.
Why thank you , TooSense...maybe you're not the bad villain I thought you were...in fact, I retract every bad thing I ever said about you. From now on, you can be godless heathen, and I won't mind at all. And, it's not me vs. the World, it's me vs. the Baby Killers. Everyone else that I come into contact with really enjoys my company...unless they're big phonies. I have a habit of exposing them, and they don't like it at all.
Oh, ya...there's a picture for you in there, TooSense. Dec. 9, 2008.
Thanks for the inspiration....
Anonymous - Please note the new rules of engagement. If you would like to sign in and take credit for those two posts, I will not delete them. However, please know that in the future, there will be a 'zero tolerance' of Anonymous posts.
I think one of the reasons there are a goodly number of anonymous posts is because it's a pain the ass to type your user info in all the time. Is there not a function to "remember me" on the Google blogs? I don't mind doing it but I think Gina is so anxious to get in and flame she's too lazy to type in her information.
It's okay if you don't want to sign in - you can post as "Anonymous", but sign your post.
For example: Anonymous said...blah, blah, blah. Ferrethead
No obligation to the google/blogger overlord, but an acknowledgement that you are owning your words. If, as some as said, they are being mis-represented, then they should go ahead and sign in... Plus, perhaps it's a good thing to stop and think before we 'flame on'.
;-)
I'm pretty sure I didn't stutter...
I thought that was funny....
ggg
Recognizing that ferret's in charge here, I have to add that I'm always uncomfortable with censorship, regardless of who's doing it or even why. I know, I know... start my own blog. It's just that, even if vile accusations are hurled at the innocent, context typically reveals what open minds need to know to draw their own conclusions. gina's comment might have been funny, in which case we missed out on the joke. If it wasn't, the clear light of day reveals all. End grumble.
P.S. I never met an atheist who didn't enjoy a beautiful sunset. The beauty of refracted light can also be found on the feathers of dead, oil slicked birds washed up on a beach. We all consider the lillies and the birds of the air.
TS - what Gina's comment was was Anonymous, and I have decided that I will not censor based upon content (to a certain extent), but people will take responsibility for their words, or they won't be posted. If I make exceptions for certain comments that make me laugh, I will be accused of having a double standard, so I must be consistent.
I'm trying to come up with a workable solution that doesn't end up alienating everyone - including myself. Write pretty much what you want, but expect to be held accountable by signing your posts...or they will go bye-bye.
For your consideration: Good Night & Good Luck, V For Vendetta, Salvador, Z, Bobby, Hotel Rwanda, The Great McGinty, The Lives of Others, Charlie Wilson's War, Thank You For Smoking, Dave, The Quiet American, Duck Soup, Missing, JFK.
Thank you!
Why TooSense--you're the smartest man on Earth, aren't you?! You like refracted light, do you?
You should stare at chandeliers, then--they're good for hours and hours of cheap entertainment...
ggg
oh, I forgot about...Rendidtion, was it? "Corruption is why we whin!"
That's got to be one of the best lines ever.
I'm going to go with JFK, notwithstanding all of the great examples given by the others here (and I will admit that many of them are terrific). But more than any of them, JFK brings the stakes into high relief.
wv: brisis--I guess that's when there's a shortage of mohels?
Well, I don't know about the smartest, but I'm pretty sure it's the refraction I learned about in fourth grade that makes all those colors in the sky. With the help of spent fossil fuels, of course. But I kind of doubt it's a miracle. Otherwise it'd be, like, all fractals 'n shit.
You're so dry and boring. Not believing in anything. It takes an imagination to see how complex nature is and understand that it can't have happened just randomly.
I guess I would have to agree with you that perhaps you aren't the smartest man...
ggg
I believe you may be right, gina.
Gina, if God designed the digestive system of horses, He should be fired as incompetent.
Right about what, TooSense?
dsg...I think God had a sense of humor...think of how dull life would be if we couldn't see the absurdity in the digestive systems of horses.
ggg
who is in the pic, DSG? is that someone famous or someone related to you or both?
That I'm not the smartest man on earth. I thought it was a silly idea when you proposed it, but I kept quiet to minimise your looking foolish in the company of our fellow bloggers who are well aware that I am not. I think you're the only one who actually wrestled with the validity of your assertion, and for that, I'm flattered.
suza, I thought it was Marlon Brando.
I miss Rondo. But, all things must pass
Hmmm. So thoughtful of you. If I didn't know better, I'd think you were almost showing a human-like mercy.
ggg
Pshaw... you flatter me still.
suza - I know who it is...
It's his father. Don't you ever click on the pictures and read the identification?
ggg. I'm suffocating here, ferret. Thanks for ruining my creativity...
And TooSense--you know I'll always be secretly in love with you...
Sorry to bring up something as unpleasant as the real world, but look at this...(from Compuserve news)
ob Loss Tsunami: 70,000+ Wiped Out
Monday January 26, 2008 will be recorded in stock market history as "Bloody Monday" with the announcement from American companies of a tsunami of job losses totaling 70,000 in a single day! Another 3,500 job layoffs were announced this morning. How comfortable are you that your job is safe?
The additional loss of 70,000 jobs in a single day, announced by six companies top companies, brings the January total of job losses to already more than two million! Construction machinery manufacturer Caterpillar, pharmaceutical Pfizer includes the purchase of jobs at Wyeth that they just bought, telecom Sprint Nextel Corporation and home improvement retailer Home Depot.
Other announcements included IBM, Texas Instruments, Ductch Financial Group ING, Deere & Co, BHP Billiton, Clear Channel Communications, Intel, Rohm and Haas, United Airlines UAL, Williams-Sonoma, Time Warner, among others.
ggg
Suza, Gina is correct, it is a photo of my dad from when he was in the Army during WWII. That photo was published with his obituary notice last year. He was a handsome devil.
yes, DSG, he certainly was. :) you have inspired me. I scanned in my parents wedding picture and I may use it as my new avatar. I'm bored with looking at my brother the scuba dork.
er, I guess that would be snorkel dork. rhymes better anyway...
My folks' wedding was interrupted by the news of JFK's assassination. It kind of put a damper on their day, but it makes it easy to remember their anniversary.
Geez, Mindful Life. No disrespect intended but your Mom's a hottie!
Hmm. They got married on a Friday?
ggg
First they smashed a mirror.
gina - how cute! We have our own little Nancy Drew here at Brushfires! People get married on all sorts of days of the week. But, if you really want to believe that we're all a bunch of liars, feel free! Personally, as you seem to hold us all in such low esteem, I don't understand why you keep posting here. Surely you could find a group of people that you believe are truthful to share your particular (or should that be peculiar) brand of wisdom with...?
I'm gonna assume it wasn't a church wedding...which explain your atheism.
Was it a civil ceremony--a shotgun wedding perhaps?
Do you know what I think is interesting? That most of us are about the same age...well based on the latest claims of people's ages...
ggg
ggg
It's cheap entertainment. I spend plenty of time with people that think exactly like me...that gets boring after awhile. And, I'm sorta a scientist/troll in my approach to things...I like poking and prodding to see how people react. It gives me good insight into human behavior. How else am I gonna understand it? Unlike some people I want to come to my own conclusions, not take some egghead's textbook word for it.Then I take that knowledge and apply it to my work. See?
p.s. Seeing how I'm the only conservative person willing to come to your blog, you kinda need me, dontcha? Or your whole premise is shot to hell.I mean, I'm sorry I can't be the perfect candidate, but beggar's can't exactly be chooser's.
It was a home wedding, explained by working class, hospitable immigrant parents (my grandparents). Yep, my mom got married in the living room she grew up in. A few years later, she had her first child. He went on to marry a catholic girl, for which he was excommunicated.
I should clarify-- the he who was excommunicated was my older brother, not my dad. Not that anyone really cares.
Actually, Gina, I occasionally have a conservative viewpoint as well.
Ted, is that when you look up from your work, deep down in the septic tank?
Yes, TS. The burning of the eyes will do that
That's a very sweet story. Nothing wrong with that. If I had to do it again, I think I'd do the same thing...or run off to Rome. But Friday? Why not Saturday. Everyone's tired on Friday's.
What religion, other than Catholicism, excommunicates? Judaism?
Just how old are you, TooSense? Maybe I don't love you after all.
And Ted, if you're conservative, you don't show it too often.
I guess I had been hoping for a less throthing-at-the-mouth type of conservative...(sigh) That may be why you haven't noticed TedSpe's brand, it's more subtle and nuanced. (Two words you may wish to familiarize yourself with.)
Gina, my Presbyterian grandmother tsk-tsked her way through the priest's half of my brother's wedding ceremony. You know how typically the sanctuary is divided by groom's or bride's people? Well this time it was catholics on one side, protestants on the other (not really). But his church did ultimately draw the line and my brother remains married to the heathen. I'll be getting black balloons next month.
Heathen? She must be a catholic.
We're really the only only, one true apostolic church, you know.
Some immigrants, those Episcopalians, eh?
How old are you? 36?
wv: miction: not a lie, exactly, just creative storytelling..,
'I guess I had been hoping for a less throthing-at-the-mouth type of conservative...(sigh) That may be why you haven't noticed TedSpe's brand, it's more subtle and nuanced. (Two words you may wish to familiarize yourself with.)'
Not dry and boring, like dry and boring stale toast? Something yummy, like scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese? Or poached eggs on buttered sourdough toast? That's what some people like for breakfast. Some people prefer stuff they could choke on.
Sorry, miss read that. Presbyterian.
That's even more likely. Where'd they immigrate from?
I'm the only one, true citizen of Pepperland.
From their homeland, silly. Same as the founding fathers.
How's the Sea of Holes?
wv: boara
I've got a hole in me pocket.
Argentina?
"My Black Balloons Are All Banged And Blown." - Beck
I have many conservative views too, but they are SO nuanced that I bet nobody, including ggg, noticed.
Ted, sir, unbonk yourself.
Ha. The Oracle sees all...you're no conservative. True conservatives are never so cowardly that they won't admit it around the peers...
I don't believe that you're English. I would never fall in love with an Englishmen....they're quite pasty and have bad teeth. Prove your identity. Post your picture so I can seeeeee.....................
wv: nutellav
I didn't say I was English, just that my family emigrated from their homeland, just like the founding fathers. English.... spituiee!
Oh. My. Gooooooood. Er, God.
What have you got under that skirt,TooSense...is it true what say about Scots and their skirts?
Show me, or give me a good description. They oracle can see nothin' yet.
The Oracle. She can't see. Please. Show. Me.
I like to keep a couple of catholic girls under there. As often as possible.
But their moustaches always tickle.
Well, if that's the kinda catholic girl you like keeping up there...I suppose I'm not for you then. You know, that says something very revealing about yourself. Be careful. Next you'll let it slip that you really prefer men.....
You know.You made me think. The kind of men I like to keep under my skirt have had mustaches...and it wasn't the mustache that tickled....
So Gina: you part your "moustache" in the middle? ;-)
Naw, ggg, if I was really cowardly, I'd just spout as much bile as I could and not sign the post...
no offense taken, Ted...told ya she reminded me of laura petrie. :)
my momma is still adorable and has kept her girlish figure (although she would disagree and then modestly abuse her appearance by denying she was anything resembling "cute").
She definitely passed that trait on to me. I'd rather be overly modest about my appearance and accomplishments than boastful - it's very unbecoming.
I would never wear my exploits with sheep on my sleeve. I prefer to send that message more subtly, through intricate cabling.
I'm sorry, TooSense...I missed the subtle and nuanced 'Scared Sheep' bit. We have goats around here. Would you like to come for a visit? It's like a great, big park. Lots of wildlife.
Bring your boots...you'll need em' for all the rides I'll take you on.
There's only one caveat...you gotta let me take your snapshot for my book I'm planning on--wearing your boots of course...
'She definitely passed that trait on to me. I'd rather be overly modest about my appearance and accomplishments than boastful - it's very unbecoming.'
Uh-huh. By the way, Mmmmiss 'ILOVEBUTTERCREAMFROSTING'for as Italian as your brother appears, he sure doesn't look like the likely genetic offspring of the two people in the picture.
Italians are a motley bunch. My best friend from law school is Italian, with blond hair and blue eyes.
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