W

commercials -- pop culture -- celebrity cults : Oliver Stone and "Last Goodbye" -- what do we know about G.W. Bush? What did we understand about ourselves eight years later? Political journalism on the big screen -- oh, US president is a celebrity. According to Oliver Stone we know about W. all what we know, i.e. NOTHING. Why bother? [my post]... W. & Olive Stone [knol]

... Variety:

Oliver Stone’s unusual and inescapably interesting “W.” feels like a rough draft of a film it might behoove him to remake in 10 or 15 years.[ i -- AA ] The director’s third feature to hinge on a modern-era presidency, after “JFK” and “Nixon,” offers a clear and plausible take on the current chief executive’s psychological makeup and, considering Stone’s reputation and Bush’s vast unpopularity, a relatively even-handed, restrained treatment of recent politics. For a film that could have been either a scorching satire or an outright tragedy, “W.” is, if anything, overly conventional, especially stylistically. The picture possesses dramatic and entertainment value, but beyond serious film goers curious about how Stone deals with all this president’s men and women, it’s questionable how wide a public will pony up to immerse itself in a story that still lacks an ending.[ AA ]

What is the story?

The Concept and the script problems -- 3 time lines : present, past, dreams [late introduced].

Themes -- father/son, brothers, Who is Mr. American Man? Christianity made in USA...

Conflicts -- and self-discovery moment?

Character = Hero = "W." -- a letter instead of a name. Almost a number. "Junior"!

... In Stone's words, the film asks: "How did Bush go from being an alcoholic bum to the most powerful figure in the world?" : 'The screenplay, written by Stanley Weiser, plays up the rivalry between W. and his father, suggests at least one conspiracy theory, and dramatizes W.'s near-fatal encounter with a pretzel in 2002. But compared with Stone's paranoid take on the JFK assassination, the script lacks imagination. For the most part, it trots out well-known Bushisms ("I'm the decider," "shock and awe," "is our children learning," and "axis of evil") and seems content to re-create equally well-known events from Bush's presidency (pressuring George Tenet to produce actionable intelligence on Iraq, proclaiming "mission accomplished" on the USS Lincoln).'

* other titles for Politics & Movies [ "Wag the Dog" * "All the President's Men" * list online ]

topics: directors * films * movies *

Politics vs. History Citizen Kane

godfather

... JFK + Nixon [info]

my sharing google Knol*

NOTES : how to put my other "notes" like --

Freedom of speech is meaningful only if there is freedom of mind. I see not much "Oliver Stone" in "W." (less than in "Platoon," for example). I, Stone, you, and others who read this post, are bound by the time we all live in -- and I want to see in this magic mirror more, then I see on TV screen. I want my children and grandchild to see the time before them to understand where their problems come from. Should I also mention the rest of the world who is watching America, which is center stage of history right now.
"What does the rest matter?" Art? Animals live without it -- are they happy? How would we know? They do not write poetry.
I judge Stone by the standards he establish for himself. The last shot where is no ball to catch that is the story I wish I could see. The story of a man, who became and was US president for ... nothing?
I wish that "W." won't end with rating and Bush leaving The White House in Jan., but could be the ground for a discussion on what our eight years of the new millennium were about.
After watching "Citizen Kane" I said that I wish I could see "Citizen McCain" -- only art can discover, and not to "cover" -- the soul, heart and mind. Am I only one who is tired of empty endless talks about the candidates? "Who is Barack Obama?"
After eight years we still cannot say that we know "Who is George W. Bush"... Should we try art mode, maybe, if we still interested in ourselves.
[clipmarks]

Genre -- satire? [W] Contemporary popular usage often uses the term "satire" in a very imprecise manner. While satire often uses caricature and parody, by no means are all uses of these or other humorous devices, satiric. Refer to the careful definition of satire that heads this article.

Bio-pic (what is that?) A biographical motion picture — often shortened to biopic — is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their lives. [W]
[ Dangers of Biopic movies ]

Political, Historical? [Shakespeare's chronicals to recall]

Drama

...

scenes : script online PDF

film-north

W.

Election as Spectacle : movies & politics

filmplus.org/movie + film-north blog + google calendar notes
Stone's interview:

film.vtheatre.net/2008
* compare with Citizen Kane
trailer:
* my IMDB.com
... more reviews:
IHTribune
What doesn't work and why?
Slate (left top)
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jun/29/entertainment/ca-w29
list

1. * Wag the dog [written by David Mamet] Two Powers [ Media and Politics ]
script online
http://www.surfthechannel.com
2. All the President's Men
3. Dr. Strangelove
4. All the Kings Men 2006
5. The Manchurian Candidate
6. Traffic [ ? ]
7. Fail-Safe
8. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
9. Candidate 1972
10. Nixon + JFK 1991
11. 1984
12. The Manchurian Candiadte 2004
... the rest from the playlist "2008" @ youtube.com/anatolant
...
...
Get this widget! or Rank'em Yourself!