Political Marathon 2008

Submitted by greenmind on Sat, 01/19/2008 - 02:21
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  1. JANUARY
  3. 11 : Die Hard 2 (1990) [C/62] - A little more disbelief has to be suspended than the first movie (I mean, taking on a crack rogue army unit?) but it's still good fun (though not as funny). Fred Thompson, scumbag he is, is a delight.
  4. 13 : The Trials Of Henry Kissinger (2002) [B/76] - Shocking but completely devoid of new information to anyone who has studied the CIA's actions over the past 40 years in depth. But that's not very many people so it's an interesting primer.
  5. 13 : Shooter (2007) [B/79] - Enough political content to make this a great anti-hero action movie. It's a tight conspiracy movies and best of all it lets the villains' p.o.v. out without judging it.
  6. 16 : Can Mr. Smith Get To Washington Anymore? (2006) [B+/82] - One sided with Jeff Smith seemingly a knight in shining armor. However, this is overcome by the fact that the "war room" aspects of it are amazing. Better than any scripted narrative like this.
  7. 17 : Charlie Wilson's War (2007) [B/78] - It's really amazing how much is packed into this really short film. It's worthwhile just for the snappy politically humorous dialog. And it's actually never screeds like it could have done.
  8. 18 : Street Fight (2005) [A-/83] - Actually made me long for televised battles of half-truths and Rovian tactics. This was actually a scary, unglamorous political battle carried out at street level third world intimidation style.
  9. 19 : One Bright Shining Moment (2005) [B-/74] - More a "Biography" type documentary than anything politically astute (and the one-sided narration doesn't help this fact). Still it's like a treasure trove of facts on the 1968 and 1972 elections.
  10. 20 : Giuliani Time (2005) [B-/70] - A really scary portrait of NYC under the regime of "Rudy" that reminds people of the pre-9/11 mayor. It lets him defend himself in his own words but only the evil ones.
  11. 22 : Our Brand Is Crisis (2005) - [C+/67] - Focuses so much on the backroom strategy that the general feel of the country is lost (sort of like the candidate himself). Would have been a better film if it followed multiple candidates.
  12. 23 : This Divided State (2005) - [B/78] - The tension can be felt right through the television screen. The joy of this film is that it's painted in terms of free speech v. no free speech and not left versus right.
  13. 24 : National Treasure: Book Of Secrets (2007) - [C/59] - Without the wonderful Illuminati background of the first the sequel really falls flat. So flat that it's impossible to forget it's a Disney movie in its sort of fun, but not really, joyride.
  14. 26 : Class Action (1991) [B-/72] - Wish there had been more in the courtroom and less on the mats. The only thing missing at some points was gunplay. There are some truly touching moments but none to do with the law.
  15. 27 : So Goes The Nation (2006) [A-/83] - This movie left me alternatingly feeling queasy and wanting to cry. It opens a lot of old wounds but never in an overtly partisan way. It's really just a text book on campaign management.
  16. 28 : Rudyland (2001) [C/64] - Not very in-depth and sort of shoddily made. It seems like it was a Rudy primer made for people with really short attention spans (or who live in NYC and just needed a refresher).
  17. 30 : Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man (2006) [B/77] - Despite the title (which is explained in the first few minutes), this is a fair documentary that gives a complete history of Ralph Nader, warts and all (though it does cast him in a favorable light).
  19. FEBRUARY
  21. 4 : Senator Obama Goes To Africa (2007) [B/77] - This film poses a chicken/egg problem. Either it shows how his mindset was informed due to Africa or it was trying to justify it. Either way, the footage of a real Africa makes it worthwhile.
  22. 6 : Running With Arnold (2006) [C/57] - So few neutral voices that it's just a partisan hack job. Though if even half of the screeds are true, it's an eye opening reflection on the cult of personality that California seems stuck in.
  23. 7 : Journeys With George (2002) [B/78] - I had always heard about Bush getting away with everything in the 2000 race because he charmed the press corps. This movie brilliantly shows how this happened. And he is very charming.
  24. 8 : An Inconvenient Truth (2006) [B+/80] -Absolutely mouth dropping. I know there are doubters and Gore does resort to hyperbole on occasion but it does a good job of pointing to just how global warming could effect every aspect of life.
  25. 10 : Who Killed The Electric Car (2006) [B/77] - An extremely good "follow the money" story made better by the fact that this was more about consumer choice and not as much about regulation. Plus it did make me cry for the car like a real death.
  26. 11 : Everything's Cool (2007) [B/75] - Of all the global warming documentaries out there, this one is the most straight-forward history on the subject. It's definitely for those without doubts on the subject though.
  27. 12 : The Oil Factor (2005) [B/76] - The title of the movie is very misleading as the amount of coverage of U.S. oil interests is minimal. It does, however, present a strong case for non-military reconstruction efforts in the region.
  28. 15 : Iraq For Sale: The War Profiteers (2006) [B/79] - Does spend too much time on the families of the fallen contractors rather than statistics. Its central premise should probably be infuriating to anyone who wants good government or is patriotic.
  29. 16 : Shut Up And Sing (2006) [B/75] - As far as a story of speaking truth to power and its consequences, this film was great. A flaw is that it jumps around the timeline taking a shorthand approach assuming the audience knows the story.
  30. 18 : All The President's Men (1976) [B-/71] - Journalism can be a grinding, boring profession which is why I switched majors in college after starting there. This movie shows the behind the scenes well but in the process moves really slow.
  31. 20 : Fidel (2002) [B-/73] - Does an amazing job of showing Castro's impact on the world that is greatly ignored. What it does a poor job of is painting the full picture of Castro's Cuba. It's filled with Castro apologists.
  32. 21 : Blame It On Fidel (2006) [B/78] - At first, it's really hard to like this bratty kid and feel for what's happening to her. But in the end, this is a good story told well about the effects of political movements on the family.
  33. 24 : Left Of The Dial (2005) [B/77] - A great warts and all behind the scenes look at mismanagement, ego conflicts, and how to fail when a lot is on your side. Shows the truth behind why Air America struggles (and it's not ratings).
  34. 26 : Chisholm '72: Unbought And Unbossed (2004) [B-/70] - Really doesn't examine the campaign as much as it could have. Basically just follows it chronologically. But it does let Shirley speak and shows a forgotten part of the '72 election.
  35. 29 : Malcolm X (1992) [B/77] - This movie is long due to the ourageous amount of effort spent on his time on the streets. It does provide some context but this movie doesn't get good until it really gets into Malcom X not Little.
  37. MARCH
  39. 1 : The Murder Of Fred Hampton (1971) [C/58] - I think the problem with this movie is it was made at a time when documentaries just documented. There was no cohesive theme and no real emotional attachment in any way.
  40. 3 : Gandhi (1982) [B/78] - Got its power from making Gandhi into a Jesus-like figure which I'm not sure is what he would have wanted. Great movie but the Bollywood "Hey Ram" dealt with the issues involved slightly better.
  41. 6 : The Devil Came On Horseback (2007) [B/79] - Beyond being just an eye opening fim on Darfur, this film serves as an apt metaphor for the helplessness much of the world feels about the situation and a show of the camera as a weapon of peace.
  42. 8 : Vantage Point (2008) [C/64] - Besides a few completely jaw dropping moments, this movie was sort of redundant. I wish they weaved the viewpoints into a narrative better instead of just retelling the story over and over.
  43. 10 : Battleship Potemkin (1925) [B/77] - There were many individual moving moments in the film, but to me the events in Odessa and the events on the Potemkin never quite tie together in any but a political way.
  44. 14 : In The Name Of The Father (1993) [B/78] - I couldn't help thinking the whole time how British the sensibilities of this film are but how they apply to us now more than ever. Not to pun but "The Boxer" had more punch.
  45. 16 : A Mighty Heart (2007) [C/63] - It's always sad when a film with its heart in the right place falls on its face. There's not a lot of power here, just a straight ahead detective story which everyone already knows the ending to.
  46. 18 : The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2006) [C+/66] - I feel as though I know less about the Irish Civil War (which plays far too small a part in the movie) than I did going in. This movie is almost offensive in how they portray the revolution as well.
  47. 20 : No End In Sight (2007) [B+/81] - This is the definitive documentary on how we won the war and lost the peace in Iraq. My only gripe is the reconstruction experts they interviewed offered no solutions to the problem as it stands.
  48. 22 : Bobby (2006) [B-/73] - This is far too much to squeeze into such a short time and some of the stories are unnecessary distractions. It's as if Estevez tries to squeeze all of the politics of the 1960s into 120 minutes.
  49. 30 : The Madness Of King George (1994) [B-/70] - A good historical piece that actually gives enough information so that the viewer doesn't need to actually know the story to enjoy it. There's nothing Earth shattering here, just British history.
  51. APRIL
  53. 13 : The Prisoner Or: How I Planned To Kill Tony Blair (2006) [B/77] - Does an extremely good job of putting a human face on Abu Ghraib and the conditions there as well as what's happening on the ground in Iraq. It really does show it's not all a horror story.
Author Comments: 

Really just a subset of my larger Movies Viewed And Reviewed In 2008, this marathon will run the whole year and I'm going to try for at least 50 100 (in the words of John McCain, "50, why not make it 100") political documentaries and movies with political themes.

Focusing, of course, on films about the electoral process both in the United States and abroad.

Oh, and movies with Fred Thompson in them just for bonus fun (even though he's about as far from me politically as you can get).

CaptMal03/09/2008

Ah, Journeys with George...I am the exact opposite of a Bush supporter, but I've always liked that movie.

greenmind03/10/2008

Exactly. That movie makes Bush look human which in itself has to be good film making.