Susan Hated Literature

Nov 19 2008

W.

Published by Fence under Books

Dir: Oliver Stone
Writ: Stanley Weiser

Josh Brolin … George W. Bush
Elizabeth Banks … Laura Bush
Ellen Burstyn … Barbara Bush
James Cromwell … George Herbert Walker Bush
Richard Dreyfuss … Dick Cheney
Ioan Gruffudd … Tony Blair

This is an odd sort of a film. I mean, it clearly isn’t meant to be full of praise for George W. Bush. But at the same time it is almost gentle in its treatment of him. Presenting him as a somewhat simple-minded, but well-intentioned, fool. With Daddy Issues.

The film cuts back and forward in time. From W. as a drunk, to W. as president. It looks at his relationship with his father. With that decision not to go after Saddam in the first Gulf War and W.’s insistence that America do so in the second. And every so often inter-cutting W. and his love of baseball.

I enjoyed it. I suppose. But it really isn’t anything special. The acting is all fine and well, but it lacks any real sort of insight. If you are going to have a character-study, even a humourous one, then you really need to study the main character. Instead we seem to get a collection of scenes from George W. Bush’s life. Maybe we’re supposed to provide the analysis ourselves, I dunno, it just didn’t really work for me.

One to save for the dvd release I think.

IMDb ; Elsewhere

Tags: 6 Stars, bio, biopic, comedy, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, George W. Bush, Ioan Gruffudd, James Cromwell, Josh Brolin, Oliver Stone, Richard Dreyfuss, Stanley Weiser, W.

2 responses so far

Jun 09 2006

Poseidon

Published by Fence under Moving Pictures

Dir: Wolfgang Petersen
Writ: Mark Protosevich & novel by Paul Gallico

Kurt Russell - Robert Ramsey
Josh Lucas - Dylan Johns
Richard Dreyfuss - Richard Nelson
Jacinda Barrett - Maggie James

You know this was a surprisingly entertaining film. Okay, so the plot was wafer-thin, and the characters not so defined, and the opening shot of the boat incredibly boring, but ignore all that and instead enjoy the multiple deaths, the explosions, and possibly the world’s worst actor. Well maybe in other roles Andre Braugher isn’t too bad, I don’t know, I haven’t seen him in anything, but in his role as Captain he is totally unbelievable and deserves his fate for his lack of ability to deliver a line.

But back to the fun nonsense, because that is what this film is all about. Wondering who will make it, and who won’t. And more importantly how won’t they. Now the death count of the “core group” isn’t as high as a horror film, because this isn’t horror, it is a disaster movie, but there is still plenty of stunts and death along the way.

You know the plot right? Big ship, starts to sink, small band determined to fight their way out. A task made more difficult because the boat has been turned upside down by the rogue wave that hit them.

Fun, pointless and funny, although I’m not sure if they meant to be, I’d recommend this film for some totally mindless entertainment.

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