Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2016 14:20:11 GMT -5
YOUNG MR. LINCOLN (1939) This year we got not one but TWO movies about Barack Obama. I haven't seen this much Presidential fanfare since, well, Abraham Lincoln. His portrayal has ranged from being a great man to being a great President to being a fucking vampire killer. Sure, there are films about John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon and even Ronald Reagan has made a few appearances, but those tend to focus on the negative. Kennedy's cinematic legacy is that he got shot. Lincoln got shot too, but it's hardly the focus of any motion picture. That was true even in the early days. Case in point: 1939's Young Mr. Lincoln starring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford. It centers on Lincoln's time as a lawyer, similar to the Obama movies focusing on his college and civil servant days, but while those have basis in reality this just seems like a revisionist fairy tale. It is true that Lincoln was a defense lawyer at a murder trial where he used a weather almanac to get his client acquitted. What isn't true is everything else portrayed in the film. In real life, Lincoln got involved because the defendant's father was a friend of his. Here, he witnesses a whole town go hysterical and ask for blood and he has to step in to remind everyone that every person deserves a fair trial. The person being innocent is just icing on the cake. Lincoln even manages to figure out the real killer and expose him in the middle of the trial. It's like an episode of Law & Order. That's what makes Young Mr. Lincoln difficult to fully embrace. Lincoln comes across as Superman. That can be accepted from Superman, a fictional character, but this is a real person. You gotta throw some flaws in there. You gotta make the character feel, you know, human. Hopefully, all these people wanting to bring Obama's story to the big screen learn from the mistakes of Young Mr. Lincoln. To use John Ford's cinematic achievement, Liberty Valance, as an example: You can print the legend but don't make the legend seem like bullshit.
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Nov 2, 2016 15:13:10 GMT -5
I like that film, but I can't disagree with your points. I like this film more than Spielberg's Lincoln actually.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 2, 2016 15:50:57 GMT -5
I was given this movie as a gift a long time ago but never watched it. Maybe I will after Out of the Past that Sno reminded me of.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 2, 2016 16:48:51 GMT -5
Spielberg's Lincoln is better. That movie rules.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 2, 2016 16:55:30 GMT -5
I'm trying to find the scene of Tommy Lee Jones convincing the guy to cast a vote for the amendment, 'RE-PUB-LI-CAN.'
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Nov 2, 2016 17:18:43 GMT -5
Lincoln was just kind of boring. I mean I liked it, it was a well made film, and Day-Lewis was sensational in the role, but the movie itself just wasn't that interesting. Young Mr. Lincoln at least has a more interesting plot and Henry Fonda is good in the role. Movies about presidents don't usually tend to be as interesting as they should be.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Nov 2, 2016 17:21:20 GMT -5
Lincoln was just kind of boring. I mean I liked it, it was a well made film, and Day-Lewis was sensational in the role, but the movie itself just wasn't that interesting. Young Mr. Lincoln at least has a more interesting plot and Henry Fonda is good in the role. Movies about presidents don't usually tend to be as interesting as they should be. I find Spielberg's Lincoln more relevant and brilliant by the day. It's a great argument for pragmatism and moderation in politics. Doesn't surprise me one bit that Hilary loves it. |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 2, 2016 17:54:52 GMT -5
Lincoln was just kind of boring. I mean I liked it, it was a well made film, and Day-Lewis was sensational in the role, but the movie itself just wasn't that interesting. Young Mr. Lincoln at least has a more interesting plot and Henry Fonda is good in the role. Movies about presidents don't usually tend to be as interesting as they should be. I'm not trying to attack you, but saying Lincoln is boring reminds me of people saying Barry Lyndon is boring. It feels like a reaction to the expectations of the genre rather than the film itself. The cast is awesome, the dialogue is excellent, and it's both fascinating and exhilarating to see the political machinations that went into the passing of the 13th amendment. I find it very different from the stiffness "period biopic" tends to imply. |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 2, 2016 18:06:16 GMT -5
.....there are people who don't like Barry Lyndon?  |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 2, 2016 18:30:59 GMT -5
.....there are people who don't like Barry Lyndon? Sad but true. |
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 3, 2016 21:37:12 GMT -5
GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT (1947) From the point-of-view of Republicans, Barack Obama getting elected as President of the United States is evidence that racism is over. It's more complicated than that. You didn't see the horrors of the Holocaust awaken people and end antisemitism. Case in point: only two years after World War II ended, a major Hollywood studio made a movie about a reporter (played by Gregory Peck) pretending to be Jewish so he can expose the bigotry of upper class neighborhoods in New York and Connecticut. It was a box office success and won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It was a major breakthrough for cinema and social-political awareness, but it's more complicated than that. Gentleman's Agreement is a VERY safe film. It's doubtful that bigots watched it and completely changed their minds about Jews. The story is superficial. The characters are ridiculous. It didn't tackle any real issues. It's a movie made so liberals can feel better about themselves. But the intent was noble and it did open doors for filmmakers with more backbone to explore social and political topics in their work. I guess what I'm trying to say is: change doesn't happen overnight. It takes years - even generations. The journey from Gentleman's Agreement to Norman Lears' work on television to Oliver Stone and Spike Lee's cinematic achievements of the 80's is a long and interesting one.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 8, 2016 3:47:36 GMT -5
A Face in the Crowd (1957) What the fuck happened? Are we seriously a day away from Donald Trump possibly becoming the President of the United States? This is historic. Not because Trump is an asshole, but because this is the dumbest we've ever been as a nation. People didn't think it could get worse than George W. Bush. It did. That means things could get worse than Trump. It's a slippery slope. That's terrifying. Just to prove how much we've declined as a civilization, watch a Face in the Crowd starring Andy Griffith. Griffith, in complete contrast to Mayberry and Matlock, plays an alcoholic and womanizing radio & TV star who gets involved in politics by helping the image of a Senator running for President. This movie was ahead of its time. It predicted the impact television would have on social and political issues - for better or worse. That's it's greatest achievement. It also has something else to offer, we just didn't know it until now. The film ends with a hot-mic incident exposing Griffith's character as a fraud. Think of the scene in Batman Returns when the Penguin's recording is made public. That's where they got the idea. In both instances, the characters careers and reputation are destroyed. And yet, for reasons that can't be fully explained, reality contradicted that in 2016. Donald Trump, despite numberous scandals -- including hot mic ones, reached the finished line. How did a movie from 1957 show an America that's smarter than the one we have now? I'll let historians sort that one out.
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Nov 8, 2016 16:53:05 GMT -5
Yeah, Gentleman's Agreement isn't anything too special. It's well made enough and Peck is excellent, but like you said the film plays everything completely safe and in the end has nothing important to say.
What's up with you watching all these old movies? I didn't think you did that.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 29, 2016 14:32:01 GMT -5
FAIL SAFE (1964) In 1964, Stanley Kubrick gave Dr. Strangelove to the world. It was a satirical look at nuclear annihilation. Also released that year was Sidney Lumet's Fail Safe. Many consider it the serious version of Dr. Strangelove. It kinda is. Due to a communication error, the Soviet Union is accidentally bombed by the United States. In order to appease the Soviets, the U.S. agrees to bomb New York City. Realistically, I'm not sure how well that would work out. Two wrongs don't always make a right. But the movie allows you to go along with it by feeling authentic. The audience spends nearly 2 hours watching the government make some very difficult decisions. The intent of Fail Safe is to have an anti-war message, but really, it just reminds you of how important elections are. We have the tendency of putting really stupid people in charge, case in point: Donald Trump, when we should be carefully analyzing every available candidate. These people have to make some really tough choices that will affect human history. And yet, sometimes we put more effort into hiring teenagers for a fast food job than electing the leaders of our country.
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 29, 2016 17:45:42 GMT -5
FAIL SAFE (1964)In 1964, Stanley Kubrick gave Dr. Strangelove to the world. It was a satirical look at nuclear annihilation. Also released that year was Sidney Lumet's Fail Safe. Many consider it the serious version of Dr. Strangelove. It kinda is. Due to a communication error, the Soviet Union is accidentally bombed by the United States. In order to appease the Soviets, the U.S. agrees to bomb New York City. Realistically, I'm not sure how well that would work out. Two wrongs don't always make a right. But the movie allows you to go along with it by feeling authentic. The audience spends nearly 2 hours watching the government make some very difficult decisions. The intent of Fail Safe is to have an anti-war message, but really, it just reminds you of how important elections are. We have the tendency of putting really stupid people in charge, case in point: Donald Trump, when we should be carefully analyzing every available candidate. These people have to make some really tough choices that will affect human history. And yet, sometimes we put more effort into hiring teenagers for a fast food job than electing the leaders of our country. Thinking about Trump in a Fail-Safe situation makes me queasy. |
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Post by Jibbs on Nov 29, 2016 18:58:41 GMT -5
He wouldn't bomb New York. It has Trump Tower.
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on Nov 29, 2016 21:32:46 GMT -5
Anyone else remember the TV film version of that in the late 90's, early 00's? That was surprisingly good.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Feb 24, 2017 22:15:47 GMT -5
All the President's Men (1976) Donald Trump has called the media the enemy of the people, and just today, banned several major news organizations from a press briefing. The man is starting a war with the very people who took down Richard Nixon. This might turn out in our favor. All the President's Men isn't a history lesson. It won't tell you anything you didn't already know about Watergate. Instead, it shows us the legwork it takes to get the facts and expose the truth of a criminal activity. It also puts the spotlight on the people who put their time and energy into their report. In the beginning, no one knew Watergate led to the President. No one knew it would be one of the defining events of 20th century America. It was just a burglary. Well, not JUST a burglary, but you get what I mean. It was their hard work on a small story in the middle of an election year that took down a President. They say the press is the last defense and this proves it. I hope this movie becomes relevant again and inspires the journalists of today and tomorrow. The movie has some pacing issues and might struggle to attract a modern audience, but it delivers the message expertly well. It's authentic. It tells the story well. It has the right dose of emotion. This isn't a boring movie you watch in high school. It's a very good piece of cinema and an important one.
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Post by Neverending on May 11, 2017 16:33:43 GMT -5
Donald Trump fired the director of the FBI. Echos of Nixon the press says. Firing people didn't turn out so well for Nixon. Like the time he fired his dog walkers. Dick (1999) They should make movies like Dick. You can masturbate AND learn in the process. Starring Doomsday 's boyhood crush Kirsten Dunst and Michelle Williams during her Dawson's Creek days, Dick tells the story of the Watergate scandal and Nixon's resignation but replaces Deep Throat with two teenage girls. Lesson here is: never piss off a woman. You think Trump has pissed off any women lately? Maybe life will imitate art. Maybe Trump will fire his dog walker Kellyanne Conway and his Presidency will be annihilated. Maybe Kirsten Dunst can play her in the movie. |
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Post by Neverending on May 11, 2017 23:47:42 GMT -5
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thebtskink
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Post by thebtskink on May 12, 2017 6:33:35 GMT -5
It's a good movie.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on May 12, 2017 11:53:56 GMT -5
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Post by Neverending on May 13, 2017 11:24:55 GMT -5
BULWORTH (1998) Bulworth. One of the hip-hop classics, just ask Dracula and Deexan . Bulworth, the last relevant Warren Beatty movie, is about a senator who arranges his own assassination during the 1996 primaries so his daughter can get the insurance money. What he didn't count on was falling in love with Halle Berry and winning re-election by firing up voters with his socialist views. Not entirely sure what to think of Bulworth. When it came out I suffered 2nd hand embarrassment. Why the fuck is Dick Tracy hanging out in the hood and rapping? Now I can actually laugh along. Beatty is great as a suicidal politician going to the deep end and getting embraced by the last community he expected. It's an odd concept but he makes it and the political leanings are stuff still being discussed today. What's stranger is Beatty's post Bulworth career. He clearly had a lot of creative juice left but he did that giant flop Town & Country and then disappeared for nearly 20 years. What happened, Beatty? You spoke too many truths in Bulworth? We're in Trump Land now. Hollywood let you out to fuck up the Academy Awards so you can make Bulworth 2. Make it before you become totally senile.
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Post by Dracula on May 13, 2017 12:04:26 GMT -5
"Going Bullworth" has apparently become a common expression in Washington to refer to the fantasy of ignoring politics and just speaking your mind in publics. It used to seem like a really appealing concept. Seeing it actually happen is scary as hell, don't think a movie like that is going to work again for a while.
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Post by IanTheCool on May 13, 2017 12:09:52 GMT -5
Canadian Bacon is pretty awful. The only good thing about it was the propoganda.
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