list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Good Night, and Good Luck. on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Good_Night_and_Good_Luck/255097/default.aspx Title: Good Night, and Good Luck.
Year: 2005
Director: George Clooney
Plot: George Clooney pays homage to one of the icons of American broadcast journalism, Edward R. Murrow, in this fact-based drama, which was Clooney's second feature film as a director. In 1953, Edward R. Murrow (played by David Strathairn) was one of the best-known newsmen on television as host of both the talk show Person to Person and the pioneering investigate series See It Now. Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, was generating no small amount of controversy in the public and private sectors with his allegations that Communists had risen to positions of power and influence in America, and an Air Force pilot, Milo Radulovich, had been drummed out of the service due to McCarthy's charges that he was a Communist agent. However, Radulovich had been dismissed without a formal hearing of the charges, and he protested that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. Murrow decided to do a story on Radulovich's case questioning the legitimacy of his dismissal, which was seen by McCarthy and his supporters as an open challenge to his campaign. McCarthy responded by accusing Murrow of being a Communist, leading to a legendary installment of See It Now in which both Murrow and McCarthy presented their sides of the story, which was seen by many as the first step toward McCarthy's downfall. Meanwhile, Murrow had to deal with CBS head William Paley (Frank Langella), who was supportive of Murrow but extremely wary of his controversial positions, while Murrow was also trying to support fellow newsman Don Hollenbeck (Ray Wise), battling charges against his own political views, and working alongside Fred Friendly (George Clooney), the daring head of CBS News. Good Night, and Good Luck also stars Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, and Robert John Burke; the film won Best Film honors after its world premiere at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 75
Number of Lists: 58
Number of blog posts: 8
Number of discussion threads: 13
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:04:43 GMTGood Night, and Good Luck.2005George Clooney<a href="/players/P____13722/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>George Clooney</a> pays homage to one of the icons of American broadcast journalism, Edward R. Murrow, in this fact-based drama, which was Clooney's second feature film as a director. In 1953, Edward R. Murrow (played by <a href="/players/P____68638/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>David Strathairn</a>) was one of the best-known newsmen on television as host of both the talk show <a href=/films/26471/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Person to Person</a> and the pioneering investigate series See It Now. Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, was generating no small amount of controversy in the public and private sectors with his allegations that Communists had risen to positions of power and influence in America, and an Air Force pilot, Milo Radulovich, had been drummed out of the service due to McCarthy's charges that he was a Communist agent. However, Radulovich had been dismissed without a formal hearing of the charges, and he protested that he was innocent of any wrongdoing. Murrow decided to do a story on Radulovich's case questioning the legitimacy of his dismissal, which was seen by McCarthy and his supporters as an open challenge to his campaign. McCarthy responded by accusing Murrow of being a Communist, leading to a legendary installment of See It Now in which both Murrow and McCarthy presented their sides of the story, which was seen by many as the first step toward McCarthy's downfall. Meanwhile, Murrow had to deal with CBS head William Paley (<a href="/players/P____40453/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Frank Langella</a>), who was supportive of Murrow but extremely wary of his controversial positions, while Murrow was also trying to support fellow newsman Don Hollenbeck (<a href="/players/P____77060/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ray Wise</a>), battling charges against his own political views, and working alongside Fred Friendly (<a href="/players/P____13722/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>George Clooney</a>), the daring head of CBS News. Good Night, and Good Luck also stars <a href="/players/P____16881/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jeff Daniels</a>, Robert Downey Jr., <a href="/players/P____13504/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Patricia Clarkson</a>, and <a href="/players/P_____9625/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert John Burke</a>; the film won Best Film honors after its world premiere at the 2005 Venice Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide75Tag Target (>10)588133http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u44382l4don.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Good_Night_and_Good_Luck/255097/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_July_20_Television/625/43200/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/20/2009 2:04:43 PM
Body: [quote user="leeroy711"]Quiz Show - I like to mention this film about as much as I can. I think it's Redford's most underrated film and it's my personal favorite. It's about a scandal involving a game show but it was all of the intellectual banter scenes between Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow made this film so memorable. Also, John Turturro's performance was brilliant.[/quote] [quote user="mciocco"]Network - At the time, Paddy Chayefsky tried to imagine the most ridiculous and absurd things that could happen on TV news... Frighteningly, it doesn't seem as ridiculous or absurd these days.[/quote] These are two I would defintely mention as favorites. Network however is probably the quintessential film about television and what it has become from my viewpoint though. The most hilarious movie about television though - "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF. It even has a little spoof of Network. Although Death to Smoochy is a hilarious film about children's television which I think features Robin Williams' greatest performance of his carreer. [quote user="leeroy711"]Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - George Clooney directed Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Chuck Barris' (ehem) autobiography.... How could you go wrong? I remember when the book came out. I read some excerpts from it and thought how crazy it could be if the right people got involved to make the film. [/quote] I also just realized that this is only one of two movies that George Clooney has directed about television. The other one being Good Night, and Good Luck.
]]>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:04:43 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme7/20/2009 2:04:43 PM[quote user="leeroy711"]Quiz Show - I like to mention this film about as much as I can. I think it's Redford's most underrated film and it's my personal favorite. It's about a scandal involving a game show but it was all of the intellectual banter scenes between Ralph Fiennes and Rob Morrow made this film so memorable. Also, John Turturro's performance was brilliant.[/quote] [quote user="mciocco"]Network - At the time, Paddy Chayefsky tried to imagine the most ridiculous and absurd things that could happen on TV news... Frighteningly, it doesn't seem as ridiculous or absurd these days.[/quote] These are two I would defintely mention as favorites. Network however is probably the quintessential film about television and what it has become from my viewpoint though. The most hilarious movie about television though - "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF. It even has a little spoof of Network. Although Death to Smoochy is a hilarious film about children's television which I think features Robin Williams' greatest performance of his carreer. [quote user="leeroy711"]Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - George Clooney directed Charlie Kaufman's adaptation of Chuck Barris' (ehem) autobiography.... How could you go wrong? I remember when the book came out. I read some excerpts from it and thought how crazy it could be if the right people got involved to make the film. [/quote] I also just realized that this is only one of two movies that George Clooney has directed about television. The other one being Good Night, and Good Luck. http://www.spout.com/groups/HORROR_MOVIES_101/Re_The_Uninvited_A_Tale_of_Two_Sisters/222/39975/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: seely
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 1/27/2009 3:14:13 PM
Body: Just caught this over in Coming Soon: [quote user="Spout"] The Uninvited -- Watch the trailer. A girl's mother returns from the dead to warn her about her father's new fiancee. The father is played by the excellent David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, Bourne Ultimatum); his creepy new fiancee (who was nurse to his late wife) is played by the lovely Elizabeth Banks. It's a remake of the Korean horror flick Tale of Two Sisters. Has anyone seen it? (Here's the trailer.) It looks like the rare movie where the remake could be better than the original. [/quote]
]]>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 20:14:13 GMTseelyHORROR MOVIES 1011/27/2009 3:14:13 PMJust caught this over in Coming Soon: [quote user="Spout"] The Uninvited -- Watch the trailer. A girl's mother returns from the dead to warn her about her father's new fiancee. The father is played by the excellent David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, Bourne Ultimatum); his creepy new fiancee (who was nurse to his late wife) is played by the lovely Elizabeth Banks. It's a remake of the Korean horror flick Tale of Two Sisters. Has anyone seen it? (Here's the trailer.) It looks like the rare movie where the remake could be better than the original. [/quote] http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/1_30_TAKEN_shaken_and_stirred_by_new_movies/216/39913/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: spout
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 1/26/2009 1:11:45 PM
Body: Finally The Wrestler is in wide release, and it is fantastic! I will not soon forget it. (Watch the trailer.) FilmCouch will discuss it this Friday. Taken -- Watch the trailer. I was wary of this film until I saw this tougher-than-nails trailer, where Liam Neeson gives a monologue as hard as anything ever put on film. The story: Neeson plays a former spy who will stop at nothing to save his teenage daughter from her captors. The criminals do not want ransom; they want to turn her into a sex slave. I'm excited to see it, but I wonder how it handles the modern problem of the sex-slave trade? Will Taken just exploit modern slavery to put a new twist on the old "they took my daughter" action plot? (For example, Arnold Swarzenegger's Commando.) The Class -- Watch the trailer. We might think we've seen this before, but I think we'd be wrong. A teacher struggles to meaningfully teach an ethnically diverse group of rough-and-tumble high schoolers...and the trailer makes it look like it's way more than a French Freedom Writers! Based on a novel by Francois Begaudeau, who also stars as Mr. Marin, essentially playing a version of himsef. It won the Palm d'Or at Cannes, and I'm really looking forward to it. The Uninvited -- Watch the trailer. A girl's mother returns from the dead to warn her about her father's new fiancee. The father is played by the excellent David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, Bourne Ultimatum); his creepy new fiancee (who was nurse to his late wife) is played by the lovely Elizabeth Banks. It's a remake of the Korean horror flick Tale of Two Sisters. Has anyone seen it? (Here's the trailer.) It looks like the rare movie where the remake could be better than the original. New in Town -- Watch the trailer. Big-city Renee Zellweger gets a huge dose of culture shock when she's sent to a small Minnesota town to supervise a manufacturing plant's "restructuring." It's full of talented and likable actors: Nathan Fillion, Harry Connick Jr., and J.K. Simmons (Burn After Reading, Juno, Thank You for Smoking). But even if it's good, do you think this Neo-Great Depression flick will connect with audiences? I thought during the Great Depression people wanted to escape to movies that weren't about hard times? So, ladies and gentlemen, unless all the king's horses and all the king's men go to see New in Town, it looks like Paul Blart will remain the number one comedy in America for another week. Will Pink Panther 2 unseat the champ?
]]>Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:11:45 GMTspoutComing Soon1/26/2009 1:11:45 PMFinally The Wrestler is in wide release, and it is fantastic! I will not soon forget it. (Watch the trailer.) FilmCouch will discuss it this Friday. Taken -- Watch the trailer. I was wary of this film until I saw this tougher-than-nails trailer, where Liam Neeson gives a monologue as hard as anything ever put on film. The story: Neeson plays a former spy who will stop at nothing to save his teenage daughter from her captors. The criminals do not want ransom; they want to turn her into a sex slave. I'm excited to see it, but I wonder how it handles the modern problem of the sex-slave trade? Will Taken just exploit modern slavery to put a new twist on the old "they took my daughter" action plot? (For example, Arnold Swarzenegger's Commando.) The Class -- Watch the trailer. We might think we've seen this before, but I think we'd be wrong. A teacher struggles to meaningfully teach an ethnically diverse group of rough-and-tumble high schoolers...and the trailer makes it look like it's way more than a French Freedom Writers! Based on a novel by Francois Begaudeau, who also stars as Mr. Marin, essentially playing a version of himsef. It won the Palm d'Or at Cannes, and I'm really looking forward to it. The Uninvited -- Watch the trailer. A girl's mother returns from the dead to warn her about her father's new fiancee. The father is played by the excellent David Strathairn (Good Night and Good Luck, Bourne Ultimatum); his creepy new fiancee (who was nurse to his late wife) is played by the lovely Elizabeth Banks. It's a remake of the Korean horror flick Tale of Two Sisters. Has anyone seen it? (Here's the trailer.) It looks like the rare movie where the remake could be better than the original. New in Town -- Watch the trailer. Big-city Renee Zellweger gets a huge dose of culture shock when she's sent to a small Minnesota town to supervise a manufacturing plant's "restructuring." It's full of talented and likable actors: Nathan Fillion, Harry Connick Jr., and J.K. Simmons (Burn After Reading, Juno, Thank You for Smoking). But even if it's good, do you think this Neo-Great Depression flick will connect with audiences? I thought during the Great Depression people wanted to escape to movies that weren't about hard times? So, ladies and gentlemen, unless all the king's horses and all the king's men go to see New in Town, it looks like Paul Blart will remain the number one comedy in America for another week. Will Pink Panther 2 unseat the champ? http://www.spout.com/groups/Coming_Soon/One_good_one_bad_one_maybe_New_movies_week_of/216/37788/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Coming Soon
Post Date: 12/1/2008 1:40:51 PM
Body: Of the films coming out this Friday, one looks very good, one is probably very bad, and one could go either way. What are you looking forward to the most? Reporters vs. The Man 3. Frost/Nixon (NEW) -- Watch the trailer. This is almost unanimously getting good reviews. I'll definitely see it because I'm interested in anyone who's willing to risk their career by holding a president accountable for their illegal actions. 2. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) -- Watch the trailer. Ed Murrow and Fred Friendly became my heroes when I saw them go against the grain of witch-hunting, McCarthy-ite America. Do you guys think this is just 'an issue' movie? Even if you do, you have to admit it looks beautiful. Cigarette smoke is always so hypnotic in black and white. Speaking of smoking, my favorite movie about Reporters vs. The Man is... 1. The Insider (1999) -- Big tobacco pays Russell Crowe, a chemist, to make their cigarettes more addictive. When Crowe quits on moral grounds and threatens to go public with his story, he and his family begin to receive death threats. One of Michael Mann's best and most gripping films. And it isn't even violent! Thank You Sir, May I Have Another: The Unstoppable Punisher Re-boots 3. The Punisher: War Zone (NEW) -- Watch the trailer. Ray Stevenson plays Frank Castle, joined by Wayne Knight (Newman!) as Microchip, and the handsome Dominic West as horrific villain Jigsaw. Does it have a chance to be good? 2. The Punisher (2004) -- Watch the trailer. Tom Jane as Frank Castle. John Travolta tried to play creepy, but just came off sleepy. I give it one star (out of five). 1. The Punisher (1989) -- Watch the trailer. Dolph Lundgren! I never saw this one, but my old boss did, and he said it was better than the one with Tom Jane. What do you guys think? Who do you guys want to see play the Punisher in the next, inevitable re-boot? Who should play the villain? Also New: a Mixed Bag 1. Cadillac Records -- Watch the trailer. It's 1950s Chicago, where some of the most exciting and beautiful records of all time were released by Chess records. I'm really interested in this time and the music that came from it, but it's getting mixed reviews. A few of the musicians in it are Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) and Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright). Adrien Brody plays label owner Leonard Chess. 2. Nobel Son -- Watch the trailer. When chemist Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman) is awarded a Nobel Prize, a crook kidnaps his son and demands a ransom of $2 million. Rickman refuses, so his wife (Mary Steenbergen) tries to rescue her son. Everything about this movie (except for Alan Rickman) says "second rate." Favorite Rickman performances, anyone? I'm going with the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. 3. Local Color -- John is a shy teenager who would like nothing more than to become a painter, but his father (played by Ray Liotta) would rather have him play baseball and hang out with girls. John lucks out when he gets the opportunity to spend a summer with his favorite Russian impressionist. I'm mostly interested because Ron Perlman plays a minor role. I always like watching him. 4. Ciao -- Watch the trailer. Two men are brought together by the death of a mutual friend. 5. Let Them Chirp Awhile -- A struggling screenwriter takes care of a Jack Russell terrier with hopes of laying its owner. (Sigh)
]]>Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:40:51 GMTSkyPilotComing Soon12/1/2008 1:40:51 PMOf the films coming out this Friday, one looks very good, one is probably very bad, and one could go either way. What are you looking forward to the most? Reporters vs. The Man 3. Frost/Nixon (NEW) -- Watch the trailer. This is almost unanimously getting good reviews. I'll definitely see it because I'm interested in anyone who's willing to risk their career by holding a president accountable for their illegal actions. 2. Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) -- Watch the trailer. Ed Murrow and Fred Friendly became my heroes when I saw them go against the grain of witch-hunting, McCarthy-ite America. Do you guys think this is just 'an issue' movie? Even if you do, you have to admit it looks beautiful. Cigarette smoke is always so hypnotic in black and white. Speaking of smoking, my favorite movie about Reporters vs. The Man is... 1. The Insider (1999) -- Big tobacco pays Russell Crowe, a chemist, to make their cigarettes more addictive. When Crowe quits on moral grounds and threatens to go public with his story, he and his family begin to receive death threats. One of Michael Mann's best and most gripping films. And it isn't even violent! Thank You Sir, May I Have Another: The Unstoppable Punisher Re-boots 3. The Punisher: War Zone (NEW) -- Watch the trailer. Ray Stevenson plays Frank Castle, joined by Wayne Knight (Newman!) as Microchip, and the handsome Dominic West as horrific villain Jigsaw. Does it have a chance to be good? 2. The Punisher (2004) -- Watch the trailer. Tom Jane as Frank Castle. John Travolta tried to play creepy, but just came off sleepy. I give it one star (out of five). 1. The Punisher (1989) -- Watch the trailer. Dolph Lundgren! I never saw this one, but my old boss did, and he said it was better than the one with Tom Jane. What do you guys think? Who do you guys want to see play the Punisher in the next, inevitable re-boot? Who should play the villain? Also New: a Mixed Bag 1. Cadillac Records -- Watch the trailer. It's 1950s Chicago, where some of the most exciting and beautiful records of all time were released by Chess records. I'm really interested in this time and the music that came from it, but it's getting mixed reviews. A few of the musicians in it are Chuck Berry (Mos Def), Etta James (Beyonce Knowles) and Muddy Waters (Jeffrey Wright). Adrien Brody plays label owner Leonard Chess. 2. Nobel Son -- Watch the trailer. When chemist Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman) is awarded a Nobel Prize, a crook kidnaps his son and demands a ransom of $2 million. Rickman refuses, so his wife (Mary Steenbergen) tries to rescue her son. Everything about this movie (except for Alan Rickman) says "second rate." Favorite Rickman performances, anyone? I'm going with the Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. 3. Local Color -- John is a shy teenager who would like nothing more than to become a painter, but his father (played by Ray Liotta) would rather have him play baseball and hang out with girls. John lucks out when he gets the opportunity to spend a summer with his favorite Russian impressionist. I'm mostly interested because Ron Perlman plays a minor role. I always like watching him. 4. Ciao -- Watch the trailer. Two men are brought together by the death of a mutual friend. 5. Let Them Chirp Awhile -- A struggling screenwriter takes care of a Jack Russell terrier with hopes of laying its owner. (Sigh) http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Best_Political_Passion_Projects/190/36347/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 10/15/2008 9:25:26 AM
Body: Chris posted the Best Political Passion Projects on SpoutBlog. ____________________________________________________ I was happy to see Good Night, and Good Luck there. I was just thinking last night how I'd like to see more contemporary black and white movies. I dismissed that possibility with the thought, "Nobody has the guts." I forgot George Clooney has the guts. I need to see The Great Dictator. It's too bad W. is sounding less than great, I wanted it to be great. To be honest though, Oliver Stone has never inspired me to have confidence in his sense of humor. Incidentally, Josh Brolin was really funny and charming on Letterman last night. Letterman said, "You're father is James Brolin--" and Josh interrupted, "No, Charles Bronson. I don't know how this mix-up got started."
]]>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:25:26 GMTSkyPilotTop 510/15/2008 9:25:26 AM Chris posted the Best Political Passion Projects on SpoutBlog. ____________________________________________________ I was happy to see Good Night, and Good Luck there. I was just thinking last night how I'd like to see more contemporary black and white movies. I dismissed that possibility with the thought, "Nobody has the guts." I forgot George Clooney has the guts. I need to see The Great Dictator. It's too bad W. is sounding less than great, I wanted it to be great. To be honest though, Oliver Stone has never inspired me to have confidence in his sense of humor. Incidentally, Josh Brolin was really funny and charming on Letterman last night. Letterman said, "You're father is James Brolin--" and Josh interrupted, "No, Charles Bronson. I don't know how this mix-up got started." http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/14/36308.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/14/2008 5:01:12 PM
Body: Oliver Stone has long been synonymous with political passion projects, but his latest film, W., may be his most ambitious effort yet, if only because of how quickly the thing came together and got made. Now the serio-comic biopic about our sitting president is about to hit theaters, less than ten months after anyone had heard of its inception, and it’s getting a number of favorable reviews, will possibly rule the box office this weekend, and could even garner an Oscar nomination for Josh Brolin, who portrays the man with the titular initial, George W. Bush. But not all political passion projects are quite as successful as W. is expected to be. Some such films have been banned, while some have simply failed to acquire an audience on more democratic grounds, whether in terms of box office, critical or awards recognition. Yet regardless of the reception of a political passion project, either at the time of release (or intended release) or decades later, it may be regarded as an achievement merely for being made, because it can be a difficult task for a filmmaker, no matter how famous or powerful, to completely, without compromise, express his or her politics using such a collaborative and populist form of art as cinema. We’ve put together a list of 10 political passion projects that were (and are) successful on both levels. They’ve been embraced by a wide audience, a majority of critics and/or the Academy, and they also manage to be as uncompromising in their political passion as is possible in Hollywood. The Great Dictator (Charles Chaplin, 1940) For his first “talkie”, Chaplin took on Hitler and the Nazis when it was still taboo for American media to do so. And it became his biggest hit ever in spite of its controversial subject matter. Considering one of the major problems with W. is reportedly Oliver Stone’s inability to mix the serious scenes with the comic, he might have benefitted from looking again at this film, one of the greatest political satires of all time. Meet John Doe (Frank Capra, 1941) Capra had already made a number of greater films with political subject matter, but this was pretty much his ultimate passion project, a culmination of themes he’d worked with on similar films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But as successful as those films were in terms of Capra’s political expression, and as free as the filmmaker seemed to be throughout his illustrious career at Columbia Pictures, he always felt at least a little stifled by studio head Harry Cohn, and so with this, his first semi-independent project (co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros.), he had the most creative control yet. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t nearly as popular as his past films and the film is also not nearly as tight a work. However, more than 65 years later, it’s still one of the best displays of a filmmaker attempting to work out and express his political ideals in a mainstream film. Wilson (Henry King, 1944) Long before Oliver Stone and political documentarians made it more common and acceptable to make a movie about disliked politicians, producer and 20th Century Fox founder Darryl F. Zanuck developed this passion project about his favorite president, Woodrow Wilson. And the result would seem to have been a great success based on its reception by critics and the Academy Awards (nominated for 10, it won 5 Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay), yet it was a terrible, terrible flop at the box office, apparently because the public didn’t like or care about Wilson as much as Zanuck did. And legend has it that Zanuck was so embarrassed by the failure that he forbade his staff to ever mention its title again. Despite it’s Oscar success, it is unfortunately unavailable on DVD. The Green Berets (Ray Kellogg, John Wayne, John Gaddis and Mervyn LeRoy, 1968) Regardless of whether or not you agree with John Wayne’s politics, you have to give the guy some respect for making a stand with this film, which displays his support for the Vietnam War. It was a bold move for anybody, even one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, to dare go up against the zeitgeist of the times. And of course it was and is very much hated because of its heavy handed pro-war message. Reds (Warren Beatty, 1981) Beatty had already shown himself to be something of a politically minded celebrity, and he would go on to a greater reputation for being a liberal actor/filmmaker, but here with his first solo directing effort, he made an ambitious epic about the American communist John Reed and released it in a year that ushered in the most conservatively materialistic decade of the 20th century. Despite the political climate of the country, though, it was relatively successful at the box office, and it went on to recieve 12 Oscar nominations, of which it won 3, including a Best Director trophy for Beatty. Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992) Whether or not you believe it should have been nominated for more Oscars or if it was politically and racially ignored, the success of Malcolm X, both financially and culturally, was a terrific achievement for Spike Lee, who had made and has made less ambitious political passion projects before and since, some even arguably better than this one. Dead Man Walking (Tim Robbins, 1995) Robbins had already begun making political statement films a few years earlier with Bob Roberts, but this film, which he also produced, is the greater passion project. It may occasionally put off supporters of the death penalty, but those performances by Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon (who won an Oscar) simply can not be ignored. The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2004) You can’t think about passion projects without this film immediately coming to mind –– and not just because it has the word passion right there in the title. As for the political part, as much as some of us would prefer not to think of religion as being a part of politics, it certainly is, and both the marketing and reception of Gibson’s film were very much from political perspectives, possibly even more so than from straight religious perspectives. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005) Perhaps the best cinematic celebration of journalism since All the President’s Men, Clooney’s film is also possibly the classiest political passion project since guys like Beatty, Robbins and Clooney decided to go behind the camera and express their ideals. Darfur Now (Ted Braun, 2007) At a time when famous people like George Clooney and the double duty of “Brangelina” get equal respect and flak for being so political, it’s refreshing to see this documentary defend celebrity action while also examining the film’s specific cause. Produced by and featuring Don Cheadle (and also featuring Clooney), the doc is not technically the actor’s project as much as it is Braun’s, yet due to Cheadle’s passionate interest in the Darfur issue and his involvement with and in the film, and because he’s the biggest name on the production, it can certainly be accepted as equally his political effort. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 21:01:12 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/14/2008 5:01:12 PMOliver Stone has long been synonymous with political passion projects, but his latest film, W., may be his most ambitious effort yet, if only because of how quickly the thing came together and got made. Now the serio-comic biopic about our sitting president is about to hit theaters, less than ten months after anyone had heard of its inception, and it’s getting a number of favorable reviews, will possibly rule the box office this weekend, and could even garner an Oscar nomination for Josh Brolin, who portrays the man with the titular initial, George W. Bush. But not all political passion projects are quite as successful as W. is expected to be. Some such films have been banned, while some have simply failed to acquire an audience on more democratic grounds, whether in terms of box office, critical or awards recognition. Yet regardless of the reception of a political passion project, either at the time of release (or intended release) or decades later, it may be regarded as an achievement merely for being made, because it can be a difficult task for a filmmaker, no matter how famous or powerful, to completely, without compromise, express his or her politics using such a collaborative and populist form of art as cinema. We’ve put together a list of 10 political passion projects that were (and are) successful on both levels. They’ve been embraced by a wide audience, a majority of critics and/or the Academy, and they also manage to be as uncompromising in their political passion as is possible in Hollywood. The Great Dictator (Charles Chaplin, 1940) For his first “talkie”, Chaplin took on Hitler and the Nazis when it was still taboo for American media to do so. And it became his biggest hit ever in spite of its controversial subject matter. Considering one of the major problems with W. is reportedly Oliver Stone’s inability to mix the serious scenes with the comic, he might have benefitted from looking again at this film, one of the greatest political satires of all time. Meet John Doe (Frank Capra, 1941) Capra had already made a number of greater films with political subject matter, but this was pretty much his ultimate passion project, a culmination of themes he’d worked with on similar films like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. But as successful as those films were in terms of Capra’s political expression, and as free as the filmmaker seemed to be throughout his illustrious career at Columbia Pictures, he always felt at least a little stifled by studio head Harry Cohn, and so with this, his first semi-independent project (co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros.), he had the most creative control yet. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t nearly as popular as his past films and the film is also not nearly as tight a work. However, more than 65 years later, it’s still one of the best displays of a filmmaker attempting to work out and express his political ideals in a mainstream film. Wilson (Henry King, 1944) Long before Oliver Stone and political documentarians made it more common and acceptable to make a movie about disliked politicians, producer and 20th Century Fox founder Darryl F. Zanuck developed this passion project about his favorite president, Woodrow Wilson. And the result would seem to have been a great success based on its reception by critics and the Academy Awards (nominated for 10, it won 5 Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay), yet it was a terrible, terrible flop at the box office, apparently because the public didn’t like or care about Wilson as much as Zanuck did. And legend has it that Zanuck was so embarrassed by the failure that he forbade his staff to ever mention its title again. Despite it’s Oscar success, it is unfortunately unavailable on DVD. The Green Berets (Ray Kellogg, John Wayne, John Gaddis and Mervyn LeRoy, 1968) Regardless of whether or not you agree with John Wayne’s politics, you have to give the guy some respect for making a stand with this film, which displays his support for the Vietnam War. It was a bold move for anybody, even one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, to dare go up against the zeitgeist of the times. And of course it was and is very much hated because of its heavy handed pro-war message. Reds (Warren Beatty, 1981) Beatty had already shown himself to be something of a politically minded celebrity, and he would go on to a greater reputation for being a liberal actor/filmmaker, but here with his first solo directing effort, he made an ambitious epic about the American communist John Reed and released it in a year that ushered in the most conservatively materialistic decade of the 20th century. Despite the political climate of the country, though, it was relatively successful at the box office, and it went on to recieve 12 Oscar nominations, of which it won 3, including a Best Director trophy for Beatty. Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992) Whether or not you believe it should have been nominated for more Oscars or if it was politically and racially ignored, the success of Malcolm X, both financially and culturally, was a terrific achievement for Spike Lee, who had made and has made less ambitious political passion projects before and since, some even arguably better than this one. Dead Man Walking (Tim Robbins, 1995) Robbins had already begun making political statement films a few years earlier with Bob Roberts, but this film, which he also produced, is the greater passion project. It may occasionally put off supporters of the death penalty, but those performances by Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon (who won an Oscar) simply can not be ignored. The Passion of the Christ (Mel Gibson, 2004) You can’t think about passion projects without this film immediately coming to mind –– and not just because it has the word passion right there in the title. As for the political part, as much as some of us would prefer not to think of religion as being a part of politics, it certainly is, and both the marketing and reception of Gibson’s film were very much from political perspectives, possibly even more so than from straight religious perspectives. Good Night, and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005) Perhaps the best cinematic celebration of journalism since All the President’s Men, Clooney’s film is also possibly the classiest political passion project since guys like Beatty, Robbins and Clooney decided to go behind the camera and express their ideals. Darfur Now (Ted Braun, 2007) At a time when famous people like George Clooney and the double duty of “Brangelina” get equal respect and flak for being so political, it’s refreshing to see this documentary defend celebrity action while also examining the film’s specific cause. Produced by and featuring Don Cheadle (and also featuring Clooney), the doc is not technically the actor’s project as much as it is Braun’s, yet due to Cheadle’s passionate interest in the Darfur issue and his involvement with and in the film, and because he’s the biggest name on the production, it can certainly be accepted as equally his political effort. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_black_and_white_movies_made_after_1970/190/26750/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Smooth_J
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 3/29/2008 7:25:19 PM
Body: My picks...1. The Man Who Wasn't There2. Pi3. Schindler's List4. Good Night, and Good Luck.5. Sin CityPretty conventional, but I've still got a lot to see...and I would also like to add Memento to that list, but that's really only half in black and white, so it doesn't really count completely I guess.
]]>Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:25:19 GMTSmooth_JTop 53/29/2008 7:25:19 PMMy picks...1. The Man Who Wasn&#39;t There2. Pi3. Schindler&#39;s List4. Good Night, and Good Luck.5. Sin CityPretty conventional, but I&#39;ve still got a lot to see...and I would also like to add Memento to that list, but that&#39;s really only half in black and white, so it doesn&#39;t really count completely I guess. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_black_and_white_movies_made_after_1970/190/26138/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 3/12/2008 4:32:49 PM
Body: 1. Schindler's List It may be cliche but I still think this may be the greatest film ever made. 2. PiThe first Aronofsky film and it's better every time I watch it 3. The Man Who Wasn't ThereThe Coen brothers with cinematographer Roger Deakins proved b&w can have some of the most beutiful shots ever 4. The Elephant ManThe only Lynch film I ever fell in love with 5. Ed Wood and Good Night & Good Luck tie I could probably tie several more with 5th place but these are the ones that seem to stick out in my mind.
]]>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:32:49 GMTleeroy711Top 53/12/2008 4:32:49 PM1. Schindler&#39;s List It may be cliche but I still think this may be the greatest film ever made. 2. PiThe first Aronofsky film and it&#39;s better every time I watch it 3. The Man Who Wasn&#39;t ThereThe Coen brothers with cinematographer Roger Deakins proved b&amp;w can have some of the most beutiful shots ever 4. The Elephant ManThe only Lynch film I ever fell in love with 5. Ed Wood and Good Night &amp; Good Luck tie I could probably tie several more with 5th place but these are the ones that seem to stick out in my mind. http://www.spout.com/blogs/indieabby88/archive/2008/3/9/26013.aspx Post By: indieabby88
Post To: Bloggish review blog
Post Date: 3/9/2008 4:34:21 PM
Body: I'll admit that I'm a real sucker for interview shows. I've been a fan of "Inside the Actor's Studio" for years, so I was really looking forward to Professor Richard Brown's series of interviews with (mostly) well-respected actors, and for the most part, this disc delivered. I got "Leading Men," which contained interviews with George Clooney, Josh Lucas (huh?), Daniel Day-Lewis and Dennis Quaid.Clooney's interview provided a lot of interesting information about his background. I thought his description of his childhood and his idealistic journalist father really explained a lot about the kind of public figure the actor is today, and why he's taken on so many of the recent projects he has, like Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck. While he still seemed pretty self-important, Clooney's view that his stardom has everything to do with luck and ability, and less to do with arrogance was a great point of view to hear. It seems as though Clooney is very grateful that he's gotten to where he is today, and realizes that without the occurence of certain events, he might still be doing dozens of failed television pilots.Josh Lucas' appearance was very hard for me to understand. I know he's been working for a number of years now, but as far as I can tell, he hasn't done anything that noteworthy. Whenever I've seen Lucas in a film, it's a supporting (or barely noticeable) role in a good movie like "American Psycho" or "A Beautiful Mind," or a bigger role in a terrible movie (see "Sweet Home Alabama"). I'm not sure what made Lucas think he was entitled to seem like a "serious actor" when talking with Brown, but all he succeeded in doing was making himself seem more puffed-up than he has any right to be. I thought this one was a definite miss in the series.Day-Lewis, on the other hand, was the interview I'd anticipated the most, and the one that I felt had the most in-depth disucssion of the actual craft of acting. Method actors have always fascinated me, and Day-Lewis is really the method actor's method actor. This is the guy who, on the set of "In the Name of the Father" spent the night being screwed around with in a jail cell and interrogated by British Special Branch officers for several hours just to better understand his character. That's some hard core devotion right there.Dennis Quaid's interview was by far the most enjoyable. It was clear the crowd got a big kick out of seeing him talk to Brown, and Quaid, in turn, seemed genuinely pleased at the audience's enthusiasm. His answers seemed very straightforward and honest, and he came off as a very nice, genuine sort of guy. I get the feeling that Quaid is the kind of guy all the other guys want to have a drink with. His body of work hasn't been consistently great (there'll always be "Dragonheart," after all), but Quaid was so charming and willing to talk that I ended up not caring.
]]>Sun, 09 Mar 2008 20:34:21 GMTindieabby88Bloggish review blog3/9/2008 4:34:21 PMI&#39;ll admit that I&#39;m a real sucker for interview shows. I&#39;ve been a fan of &quot;Inside the Actor&#39;s Studio&quot; for years, so I was really looking forward to Professor Richard Brown&#39;s series of interviews with (mostly) well-respected actors, and for the most part, this disc delivered. I got &quot;Leading Men,&quot; which contained interviews with George Clooney, Josh Lucas (huh?), Daniel Day-Lewis and Dennis Quaid.Clooney&#39;s interview provided a lot of interesting information about his background. I thought his description of his childhood and his idealistic journalist father really explained a lot about the kind of public figure the actor is today, and why he&#39;s taken on so many of the recent projects he has, like Syriana and Good Night and Good Luck. While he still seemed pretty self-important, Clooney&#39;s view that his stardom has everything to do with luck and ability, and less to do with arrogance was a great point of view to hear. It seems as though Clooney is very grateful that he&#39;s gotten to where he is today, and realizes that without the occurence of certain events, he might still be doing dozens of failed television pilots.Josh Lucas&#39; appearance was very hard for me to understand. I know he&#39;s been working for a number of years now, but as far as I can tell, he hasn&#39;t done anything that noteworthy. Whenever I&#39;ve seen Lucas in a film, it&#39;s a supporting (or barely noticeable) role in a good movie like &quot;American Psycho&quot; or &quot;A Beautiful Mind,&quot; or a bigger role in a terrible movie (see &quot;Sweet Home Alabama&quot;). I&#39;m not sure what made Lucas think he was entitled to seem like a &quot;serious actor&quot; when talking with Brown, but all he succeeded in doing was making himself seem more puffed-up than he has any right to be. I thought this one was a definite miss in the series.Day-Lewis, on the other hand, was the interview I&#39;d anticipated the most, and the one that I felt had the most in-depth disucssion of the actual craft of acting. Method actors have always fascinated me, and Day-Lewis is really the method actor&#39;s method actor. This is the guy who, on the set of &quot;In the Name of the Father&quot; spent the night being screwed around with in a jail cell and interrogated by British Special Branch officers for several hours just to better understand his character. That&#39;s some hard core devotion right there.Dennis Quaid&#39;s interview was by far the most enjoyable. It was clear the crowd got a big kick out of seeing him talk to Brown, and Quaid, in turn, seemed genuinely pleased at the audience&#39;s enthusiasm. His answers seemed very straightforward and honest, and he came off as a very nice, genuine sort of guy. I get the feeling that Quaid is the kind of guy all the other guys want to have a drink with. His body of work hasn&#39;t been consistently great (there&#39;ll always be &quot;Dragonheart,&quot; after all), but Quaid was so charming and willing to talk that I ended up not caring. http://www.spout.com/blogs/chrismorrell/archive/2008/1/20/24125.aspx Post By: chrismorrell
Post To: chrismorrell Blog
Post Date: 1/20/2008 9:08:10 PM
Body: This is a superb piece of work...the acting is invariably brilliant,standing up to close scrutiny...not least literally,as the black and white and close up photography allows us to concentrate on the lights in the eyes.There is fear in the eyes of Jeff Daniels, the sceptical producer...scarily so in the case of Ray Wise, the persecuted Newscaster.David Strathairn conveys conviction and bravery,with just a glint of that fear...and while we are engrossed in this story of the cowing of the newsgatherers of the U.S. of the nineteen fifties,we find ourselves substituting "War on Terror" and "Patriot Act" for "Communism" and "Fellow Traveller"...
]]>Mon, 21 Jan 2008 02:08:10 GMTchrismorrellchrismorrell Blog1/20/2008 9:08:10 PMThis is a superb piece of work...the acting is invariably brilliant,standing up to close scrutiny...not least literally,as the black and white and close up photography allows us to concentrate on the lights in the eyes.There is fear in the eyes of Jeff Daniels, the sceptical producer...scarily so in the case of Ray Wise, the persecuted Newscaster.David Strathairn conveys conviction and bravery,with just a glint of that fear...and while we are engrossed in this story of the cowing of the newsgatherers of the U.S. of the nineteen fifties,we find ourselves substituting &quot;War on Terror&quot; and &quot;Patriot Act&quot; for &quot;Communism&quot; and &quot;Fellow Traveller&quot;... http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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