What’s your favorite political movie?
About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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Dr. Strangelove.
we cannot allow a mine-shaft gap.
kleiner rises from a chair
“Sir, I have a plan… Mein fuhrer! I can walk!”
Does a romance count?
That was so good … and the speech Michael Douglas gives at the end is so powerful. Annette Bening is marvelous (she’s in a new HBO movie in which she plays Jean Harris, who was convicted of murdering the Scarsdale diet doctor).
And you just made me remember another possible candidate: Wall Street ?
AAP is one of the few movies I own…the dialogue is great.
Need to rent Wall Street again can’t remember the details.
The Corporation Sundance TV-PG 02/01/06 04/01/06 Free Movies!/Sundance Channel
Comcast ON DEMAND Home
This is a new documentary that no one here should miss.
An American President was my first thought too. It’s a love story and a little too predictable, but the dialog is worth it and the interplay between the political and the personal lives of the characters is interesting.
Two of my favorite scenes:
President Douglas and Chief of Staff Sheen are having a conversation over a game of pool. The subject of Douglas’ personal interest in lobbyist Benning comes up. Sheen asks if he should conduct a poll on the likely political impact. Douglas absent mindedly says sure, why not and then violently retracts his statement.
Douglas and Benning the lobbyist in the Oval Office. Douglas asks Benning to go with him to some function. She hesitates, asking about the propriety. He says, “I’m just a guy asking a girl out on a date.” In the background we hear the growing noise as Marine One comes in to land on the south lawn. “What’s that noise?”, she asks. “Oh, that’s just my ride.”
Wonderful memory … yes, those are great scenes.
Say, I just looked it up at IMDb. Aaron Sorkin, the creator of “West Wing,” wrote the script. And Rob Reiner directed.
And here’s the link to their memorable quotes from the movie.
The Sorkin connection is obvious, isn’t it? I kept having little flashes of deja vu watching The West Wing. When I found out why it made perfect sense. In a very real sense, AAP is the pilot for WW. And I find it fitting that Martin Sheen got promoted from Chief of Staff in AAP to Prez in WW.
Thanks for the memorable quotes link, althought they could just about quote the entire movie as far as I’m concerned.
This is one of the few movies I never tired of, and I did not know about the connection between West Wing and AAP. Now I know why I love both!
So many great scenes…I am heterosexual, and “I” fell in love with Annette and Michael!
Ooops, there’s a typo in your memorable quotes link. Try this one instead:
Memorable Quotes from The American President (1995)
Salvador
Oh yeah. The first time I saw that, it tore me up. Incredibly sad and powerful in parts.
Incredibly powerful film. I had friends who were there during that time.
So did I. And a few didn’t get back… which is about where I started thinking “What they’re telling me… they’re lying…” (Yeah, Yeah, I knew Watergate was a bunch of lies but we got rid of those bastards and … What can I say? I grew up in a moderately Republican household with parents who remembered the War and wanted to trust the gummint. I had to grow up a bit before getting radical…)
Incidentally there’s a docu on VHS called “The Situation” that was made later by the actual Boyle about some of the actual things that happened when they were incountry. It’s hard to find; there was a guy selling them on (auction site E) for a while but I haven’t seen them anywhere else. Worth a look if you run across it.
I had lived for an extended time in Argentina over several years prior to the time period in the film Salvador. Videla and his junta were terrorizing the country and even though I was a North american gringo living there with an Argentine wife and family, I came to experience the all pervasive terror that exists in such brutal dictatorships and which never really lets up. the pressure is always there, and you never know who you can trust about anything.
So, when I saw “Salvador”, it triggered powerful, visceral memories. I even cried in various parts of the film when I first saw it, because I “knew what was coming” and how terrible it was in real life.
Too hard to choose one.
I always get a huge kick out of watching ‘Wag the Dog” — Hoffman and DeNiro had so much fun with that.
The most recent film I saw was “The Constant Gardener,” and that’s excellent!
I’d categorize “Traffic” as a political flick too, especially about our INSANE drug laws — and it’sone of my favorite films.
All The President’s Men is a great, great one — always willing to watch it whenever it’s on — high drama too, even though I know the story
The Contender with Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges (as the president) is also highly entertaining .. not a great film, but very good.
(Also loved the HBO series, “K Street.” And have been so pleased to find, here at BT, several people who also enjoyed it, since I thought I was the only one … it bombed on HBO, sadly.)
I had a dream about you last night Susan…but it wasn’t a good one. I dreamed I was reading a headline that said “Susanhu, famous political blogger leaves Boomantribune to start her own site”. Seriously.
I’m more than a little relieved to see you here this morning ;o)
The beat goes on.
Thank you for dreaming about me. I wish I’d have a dream about you, but it wouldn’t be about blogging! (i’m so bad. … i’m objectifying you, huh.)
Well it’s been a few days, yes days since I was someone’s object so the memory is fresh and I’m secure enough to be your object any time.
How’s that?
I have this terrible habit of saying what’s on my mind too ;o)
Can’t decide on a favorite movie, but there is still more re: Medicare D: Numbers and Government Subsidies.
Numbers being played with again?
“Seven Days in May”
“Manchurian Candidate”, (the original; I haven’t seen the remake).
Ironically, both these films were directed by the same guy, John Frankenheimer.
Damn! Didn’t even think about the original Manchurian Candidate!!! Definitely!!!
And ironically, both were based on real events. The story for Seven Days in May came straight out of the Pentagon’s own files, said the author. And the Manchurian Candidate’s technical advisor later told prositutes in Vegas that he had hypnotically programmed Sirhan Sirhan.
“Seven Days in May”, for me, was even more chilling that “Manchrian Candidate”, if only for the reason that, where MC involved the machinations of an external, foreign, less visible “enemy”, “Seven Days” was illustrative of a complete, internal, “we have no one else to blame but ourselves”, attempt to destroy ourown government by homegrown psychopaths.
These two films, along with one other (Path’s of Glory”), combined with the murder of JFK, all came together in mylife in such a way that by the time I reached age 18 about ayear and ahalfafter seeing these movies, I fuly realized there was absolutelynoreason to trust anything the government was saying about anything,especially war.
So my resolve was strengthened, I avoided being drafted to kill in Vietnam, and got my first concussion right here at home in the US from our own police while protesting the Vietnam War.
Absolutley the original Manchurian Candidate. The remake, Denzel notwithstanding, was a disappointment.
Hey–don’t forget Jeffrey Wright!
I’ll be glad when that man FINALLY gets his due. He is simply amazing, and though I’m committing Black Woman Heresy here :<) he’s an even more brilliant actor than Denzel.
Syriana was good.
I wish I’d seen that.
Many critics I heard on TV said that it was very difficult to follow. Do you agree? Hoping George Clooney gets an Oscar for his role…. he’s nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
‘course, people said The Constant Gardener was hard to follow, and I didn’t find it so. (Would love to read that book sometmie.)
Many critics I heard on TV said that it was very difficult to follow.
That’s because they’re idiots. It wasn’t hard to follow. Sure, you had to pay attention, but I thought many of the critics made themselves look and sound silly.
two from Zeitgeist
Seen both. “:Lumumba” was an HBO or Showtime film .. i forget which … so damn good. Hell of a story. Kind of depressing though because it shows how the people’s leaders can be smashed.
That Chomsky doc is always playing on Free Speech TV, which I get via DISH. It’s very, very good. FSTV has about three docs featuring Chomsky that they reair often.
Dave. My Fellow Americans. The Manchurian Candidate. Malcolm X. The Fog of War, though it’s a documentary. Syriana, of course. And Jodi Foster’s Contact, though it wasn’t marketed as a political movie, most certainly is in many ways.
And I forgot–The Pentagon Wars which ran on HBO. Brilliant movie. Funny as hell. And the obvious waste of resources and misplaced priorities–absolutely terrifying.
Even moreso, when you consider that at this very moment, it’s even worse.
the only one that comes to mind is “Dave”.
Wouldn’t call it strictly a political movie, but in terms of taking on the Powers That Be, “Good Night and Good Luck” was very powerful. (And I heard Dianne Reeves took a Grammy for her soundtrack album…very cool.)
First thing that jumped to mind for me was Being There. Quickly followed by Bob Roberts, The Candidate and a few other titles, many of which are referenced above. The other one that quickly came to mind, especially given present circumstances, was The Conversation. I’ve been putting off watching that again for a while, and it’s probably high time. But not tonight. Just watched Corpse Bride and am still loving that particular Burtonian vibe.
“If the roots are not damaged, there will be new growth in the spring.” –Chauncey Gardener
That’ll date me a tad, but as a;
It seems the movie, Z would fit as well with our times as does the book, 1984
Some info on Z here
WOW. NDD, you jogged my mind on that one! Yes, one of the all time great political films, and one I’ve not watched in many years… time to dig that tape out again. I remember when that came out when I was a kid and (precocious) reader that I was, I had to read the book too (I was about 11 then, I believe). Have seen it again several times as an adult, and I actually used it in a film class I taught back in the 90’s on Jean-Luc Godard. Costa-Gavras is always worth a look. He made a great one in the mid-90’s called Little Apocalypses, but it was in French and didn’t get much (if any) of a release here. Saw it at a film festival and it was more than prescient of the direction the world has taken since then.
Anyway, thanks for jolting me back to remembering Z! And as my French friends were always quick to point out, the title of the film is actually pronounced Zed. LOL.
Hope your snow event is over now. 🙂
I haven’t seen Z for a couple of decades at least. I’m delighted that I managed to “shake at least one apple out of the tree.”
Thanks for the other leads, as I’m not familiar with them. Back in them thar days we were reading Wretched of the Earth, by Fanon, and Great Fear in Latin America, by Gerassi. Both of which fit well to current happenings. [please excuse errors in book title/author spellings, if any, short of time tonight.]
I was going to say, Not much has changed since those times. However, for a variety of reasons I think the situation is worse now, than then.
I’d let “Z” slip my mind also. One of themost powerful films ever. Costas Gavras’ other film “State of Siege” was also quite relevant and powerful in the same way that “Z” was, with respect to US skullduggery in S. America.
Not really political per se, but I absolutely loved “The Insider” with Russell Crowe as Jeff Weigand and Pacino as Lowell Bergman examining the whistleblower that took on the tobacco industry.
Oh, it’s absolutely political! How could I forget that? I love that movie. I also love Gladiator which I think is political, too.
Marcus Aurelius coming to the conclusion that his rule has been marked by 4 years of peace out of 20 and a corrupted Rome. Bread and circuses. They oppose him, yet they do nothing, Maximus says of the Senate.
Yep. Pretty political to me.
Given my sig, The Insider should have been the first movie I listed!
:<)
ah so many great films mentioned here.
I want to underscore Bob Roberts, a most underapprecated Tim Robbins film.
Recently I have rewatched Bullworth a few times. It stands up very well.
Are you sure it’s underappreciated? Maybe people just misunderestimated it? Happens to the <supply own adjective> of them.
well, lets just say that when I have mentioned it over time, I have yet to meet someone who has even heard of it, let alone seen it. But that’s just my experience.
Really? And we’re misunderestimated here in the ‘hinterlands’and that’s one of my prized films in the collection? LOL. Guess we need to push this one more, huh?
And Bulworth… whoa, I saw that a few months ago, and despite Warren Beatty, I really liked that one. Although, if I lived in CA, I’d vote for Beatty in a heartbeat over the WhoreInAtor. FWit’sNOTWorth
I’ve never seen “Bulworth.” I somehow manage not to see it’s on TV until it’s halfway over, and I want to see it from the beginning.
I was curious what Beatty was up to, and IMDb lists nothing since 2001.
and the Manchurian Candidate-truth is stranger than fiction
Network
I like the ones that don’t look political: Country, The River, 8 Mile, Redemption, Lackawanna Blues, especially Iron-Jawed Angels. To Kill a Mockingbird, Sometimes a Great Notion, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
You can see most of Jack Nicholson’s movies on tv, but never Cuckoo’s Nest.
I do, even if it is supposed to be about one my favorite politicians. I don’t mind that politicians are human but I do mind when they do the job they were hired for pathetically. I also like Shot Through the Heart which is about two best friends who end up on opposite sides in Sarajevo.
Has anyone else noticed that fewer comments are being rated up around here lately?
Take this thread as an example. Where’s the love? Isn’t sharing the love the BT way?
It takes only a minute to roll through a thread and spread some 4’s around.
Peace
individuals right now. Who wouldn’t be? It might be time for that Diary we talked about Cabingirl.
More the reason to stick together imo.
and I think we are all still together, but we are too depressed to get excited about it.
Better to keep your finger away from the rating key on weeks like this — because you might just pause on some of those lower keys fairly often.
Definitely…but I’m totally wiped out by this stomach thing still.
Ihave been wondering the same thing for a couple of months now…I think you hit the nail right on the head with that one.
</sigh>
As you wish.
Best Film
about political process: The Candidate
about the politics of arm twisting: On the Waterfront
about politics of the legal system: To Kill a Mockingbird
Best film that explains THIS administration: Elmer Gantry.
The one that affected me the most politically was “The Little Drummer Girl.” For the first time I understood the Palestinian/Israli conflict on a real human level. It absolutely changed how I see that situation. I guess with this one and “Constant Gardner” John Le Carre deserves cudos for more than being a great spy novelist. He also makes great political statments.
so much happening lately that somehow I placed it on a back shelf. Thank you for the reminder.
in my post just below yours, I say that I just read that book. Finally.
You’ll love it, Tracy .. it’s great writing and highly entertaining. I couldn’t put it down. And he so carefully (yet passionately) describes both sides’ views. Amazing writing.
I just read that book! finally, years after seeing the movie … I found a whole stack of great books, including two more LeCarre novels, at St. Vincent in hardback, perfect condition, for $1.
LeCarre takes great time and effort and thought to build a portrait of BOTH SIDES of the conflict. It’s truly powerful writing, and an astonishing feat — to show such heartfelt sympathy for both sides’ views (and differing views within each side).
That movie was regarded as something of a failure, but it’s alright. It’s very engaging. But the book is infinitely superior. Stands the test of time too…. sadly.
All the Presidents Men is my all time favorite. The original Manchurian Candidate was a masterpiece. I too loved Primary Colours. Ol John had Clinton down to a T!! And 4’s for everyone!! Have to hand out the love to all that stay engaged, no matter the subject!
Hey hun. Why is everyone so glum? I’ve been jammed up as of late so I haven’t had time to write (I have to do better in finding the time to write), or even comment.
I’m disgusted with all the administration’s lies, but that’s a permanent condition. What else have I missed (other than mutilation–I read all +200 comments yesterday)?
Hey AP, been wondering where you’ve been. Glum? It is a condition that I have had since 2000. Problem is I get a dose of crap everyday and now becoming used to the condition. But no worries! Things are looking up as the canaries are beginning to sing. Good to see you my friend.
Oh and Day of the Dolphin with George C. Scott.
Believe it or not, but Lawrence of Arabia, which is filled with a political subtext we are still seeing played out today.
The Dead Zone because the chickenhawk is exposed in the end.
I am looking for a real life Network!
Are you mad as hell, Mattes?!!!
P.S. One more — a must-rent movie — “The Quiet American” starring Michael Caine.
….so ***n’ mad I am not going to take it anymore….unlike some of our elected officials that are scared of their own shadow!
If I owned a wheel chair, I’d be out there with a picket sign! Hopefully by next summer…I might be able to attend some Kossack meetings.
something to do with a link. The message it gives is not clear. I always post links just like I do, here and Kos…no problem until today.
Can someone help me out? Did the procedure change or something. Frustrating.
“Z” and “Missing.” Thank you, Costa-Gravas.
about the Cuban Missile Crisis and how JFK handled it. Makes one long for the days of having an intelligent president in the White House.