It was the day after somebody shot Cindy Ryder’s dog with a crossbow and most of the people in town had heard about it. The dog wasn’t a particularly well-loved animal, but the shooting of any pet tends to heighten…
One Interesting Morning
Tag: politics
Ronald Reagan died and went to Hell
Ronald Reagan died and went to hell. He was just as surprised about it as you are. He wasn’t expecting a standing ovation but he got one. Many souls enduring torment appreciate a rousing speech. It gets tiresome, all that…
Wag the Dog
Wag the Dog is a brilliantly conceived and executed satire of the relationship between media and politics. The film skewers the “politics as spectacle” that has come to dominate national politics. Conrad Brean doesn’t simply manipulate the truth – he…
Primary Colors and the 1992 Clinton Campaign
The opening sequence of Primary Colors telegraphs the central theme and concern of the film: character. Democratic Presidential candidate Jack Stanton moves slowly through a crowd, shaking hands with the people. In a medium shot that isolates his body and…
Politics as Spectacle: Cinematic Campaigns and Political Message
Lurking in the shadows throughout America are citizens who voted for Ralph Nader in 2000. I’m one of those people, proud to have voted for Nader (with the rationalization that I lived in a “safe state” – Washington – where…