list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Death of a President 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/Death_of_a_President/291420/default.aspx Title: Death of a President
Year: 2006
Director: Gabriel Range
Plot: The assassination of the most powerful leader in the free world is examined in this controversial mockumentary from British filmmaker Gabriel Range. On October 19, 2007, president George W. Bush is visiting Chicago when he impulsively stops to shake hands with supporters en route to a meeting, while a throng of protesters demonstrate nearby. Shots ring out, and Bush is fatally wounded. As America and its allies deal with the tragic loss of their leader, vice president Dick Cheney is sworn in as the new chief executive, and while he takes the reigns of the nation and pushes new and aggressive anti-terrorism legislation through Congress, the Federal Bureau of Investigation steps into action to track down the gunman. As Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers share their thoughts on how the murder of the president could have been avoided, and people around the globe discuss how Bush's death has tipped the delicate balance of relations between the United States and the Middle East, a Syrian Muslim activist living in Chicago, Jamal Abu Zikri (Malik Bader), is charged with the murder of the president. While no "smoking gun" connects Zikri to the crime, a wealth of circumstantial evidence points to him as the gunman, and he's tried, found guilty, and executed in short order. However, lingering questions persist as some wonder if the F.B.I. found the right man with the right motives. Created using a combination of newsreel footage, computer-generated images, and newly staged material, Death of a President (aka D.O.A.P.) received the International Critics Prize at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, despite negative reaction from many American political commentators, many of whom were deeply offended by the film's depiction of the assassination of Bush, the sitting U.S. president at the time of the picture's production and release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 15
Number of Lists: 4
Number of blog posts: 5
SpoutRating: 2
]]>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:57:37 GMTDeath of a President2006Gabriel RangeThe assassination of the most powerful leader in the free world is examined in this controversial mockumentary from British filmmaker Gabriel Range. On October 19, 2007, president George W. Bush is visiting Chicago when he impulsively stops to shake hands with supporters en route to a meeting, while a throng of protesters demonstrate nearby. Shots ring out, and Bush is fatally wounded. As America and its allies deal with the tragic loss of their leader, vice president Dick Cheney is sworn in as the new chief executive, and while he takes the reigns of the nation and pushes new and aggressive anti-terrorism legislation through Congress, the Federal Bureau of Investigation steps into action to track down the gunman. As Secret Service agents and law enforcement officers share their thoughts on how the murder of the president could have been avoided, and people around the globe discuss how Bush's death has tipped the delicate balance of relations between the United States and the Middle East, a Syrian Muslim activist living in Chicago, Jamal Abu Zikri (Malik Bader), is charged with the murder of the president. While no "smoking gun" connects Zikri to the crime, a wealth of circumstantial evidence points to him as the gunman, and he's tried, found guilty, and executed in short order. However, lingering questions persist as some wonder if the F.B.I. found the right man with the right motives. Created using a combination of newsreel footage, computer-generated images, and newly staged material, Death of a President (aka D.O.A.P.) received the International Critics Prize at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival, despite negative reaction from many American political commentators, many of whom were deeply offended by the film's depiction of the assassination of Bush, the sitting U.S. president at the time of the picture's production and release. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide15Tag Target (>10)452http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/u28275h53qx.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Death_of_a_President/291420/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/21/36545.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
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Post Date: 10/21/2008 11:01:01 AM
Body: This past weekend, Saturday Night Live received a huge ratings boost thanks to the appearance of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. But as much fun as it was seeing her act the good sport next to a jokingly critical Alec Baldwin, it only made me anticipate her inevitable feature film debut. I mean, did you notice she was the only person who didn’t need to keep reading from the cue cards? She’s a natural. And whether her ticket wins or loses the race on November 4, it’s certain that one day Palin will at least make a cameo in some kind of fictional movie, whether she means to or not. So, as we wait for her to show up in a small part in the Coen brothers’ adaptation of Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (both because she’s from Alaska and reminds me of Frances McDormand in Fargo), let’s take a look at some other politicians who’ve made interesting film cameos, some intentionally and some not. John McCain in Wedding Crashers (2005) Few of us noticed or thought much of it when Senator McCain appeared as himself, shaking hands with Christopher Walken and Jane Seymour, in this romantic comedy. But so far this year you’ve probably seen the cameo, or a photo from it, more times than you’ve seen the rest of the movie. I wonder if McCain and Walken had time to chat about the latter’s role in The Deer Hunter. Christopher Dodd in Dave (1993) When I was in high school, I had no idea who my state’s U.S. Senators were. Fortunately, I saw Dave and saw Dodd’s cameo, complete with a caption telling who he is. Other state’s youth who might have had similar experiences include Iowa, Ohio, Illinois and Wyoming, as the political comedy also featured cameos from Senators Tom Harkin, Howard Metzenbaum, Paul Simon and Alan Simpson. Representative Tip O’Neill also appears, but everybody knew who he was, right? Patrick Leahy in The Dark Knight (2008) What’s a U.S. Senator doing in a comic book movie? More importantly, what’s a Democrat politician doing in a Republican’s wet dream? Well, Vermont’s Leahy is apparently a huge Batman fan and has also appeared in Batman and Robin and lent his voice to an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Al D’amato in The Devil’s Advocate (1997) There’s no more appropriate place for a politician to make an appearance than a movie about the Devil. Right? Well, D’amato’s cameo is unfortunately a little more innocent than it seems, though he is still seen cavorting with employees of Satan. Rudy Giuliani in The Out-of-Towners (1999) It’s definitely appropriate for an NYC mayor to make an appearance in a movie that promotes Manhattan tourism, but Giuliani picked the wrong movie to be associated with. Possibly one of the worst remakes ever, it’s more likely to dissuade viewers to come to the Big Apple. Ed Koch in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Koch, on the other hand, is a huge cinephile (he even moonlights as a film critic) and has appeared in a ton of NYC-set films, good and bad. When I was a kid, nothing made me think Koch was cooler than his appearance alongside the Muppets. Jim Garrison in JFK (1991) It’s typical for people to have cameos in films about themselves, so it’s not too surprising to see the former District Attorney show up in Oliver Stone’s film. Not only did he get to make a small appearance, though, he actually got to portray someone as famous as Earl Warren. And he kind of did a better job of it than Kevin Costner did of portraying Garrison. John F. Kennedy in Forrest Gump (1994) Thanks to movie magic, the former President of the United States was able to make a cameo opposite Tom Hanks sixty years after he’d been assassinated. Of course, another actor provided his line for him, but I’m sure the real JFK would have been down to knowingly costar with an Oscar winner and memorably say, “I believe he said he had to go pee.” George W. Bush in Death of a President (2006) Thanks to similar movie magic, the current U.S. President was able to be seamlessly edited into this movie so that it truly appears as though the real G.W. Bush has been shot. To think, back when Forrest Gump was made, there were such innocent ways of featuring a deceased or unauthorized personality in a movie or TV commercial (remember John Wayne hawking Coors?), but now they’re killing presidents and employing dead child stars (that controversial new Poltergeist Direct TV ad). I wonder how far the ethics will be stretched in another decade. Gerald Ford in The Bees (1978) This is another cameo that probably wasn’t authorized, but it’s even more innocent than putting words into Kennedy’s mouth. Plus, it’s not a very good movie, and so the former U.S. President’s uncredited appearance probably wasn’t a very big deal. Even if the filmmakers try to make it seem that a swarm of killer bees are a threat to Ford as he’s riding on a Rose Bowl Parade float. If Hollywood ever remakes this film, they’ll probably use effects wizardry to make it look like the President actually gets stung and dies. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:01:01 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/21/2008 11:01:01 AMThis past weekend, Saturday Night Live received a huge ratings boost thanks to the appearance of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. But as much fun as it was seeing her act the good sport next to a jokingly critical Alec Baldwin, it only made me anticipate her inevitable feature film debut. I mean, did you notice she was the only person who didn’t need to keep reading from the cue cards? She’s a natural. And whether her ticket wins or loses the race on November 4, it’s certain that one day Palin will at least make a cameo in some kind of fictional movie, whether she means to or not. So, as we wait for her to show up in a small part in the Coen brothers’ adaptation of Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (both because she’s from Alaska and reminds me of Frances McDormand in Fargo), let’s take a look at some other politicians who’ve made interesting film cameos, some intentionally and some not. John McCain in Wedding Crashers (2005) Few of us noticed or thought much of it when Senator McCain appeared as himself, shaking hands with Christopher Walken and Jane Seymour, in this romantic comedy. But so far this year you’ve probably seen the cameo, or a photo from it, more times than you’ve seen the rest of the movie. I wonder if McCain and Walken had time to chat about the latter’s role in The Deer Hunter. Christopher Dodd in Dave (1993) When I was in high school, I had no idea who my state’s U.S. Senators were. Fortunately, I saw Dave and saw Dodd’s cameo, complete with a caption telling who he is. Other state’s youth who might have had similar experiences include Iowa, Ohio, Illinois and Wyoming, as the political comedy also featured cameos from Senators Tom Harkin, Howard Metzenbaum, Paul Simon and Alan Simpson. Representative Tip O’Neill also appears, but everybody knew who he was, right? Patrick Leahy in The Dark Knight (2008) What’s a U.S. Senator doing in a comic book movie? More importantly, what’s a Democrat politician doing in a Republican’s wet dream? Well, Vermont’s Leahy is apparently a huge Batman fan and has also appeared in Batman and Robin and lent his voice to an episode of Batman: The Animated Series. Al D’amato in The Devil’s Advocate (1997) There’s no more appropriate place for a politician to make an appearance than a movie about the Devil. Right? Well, D’amato’s cameo is unfortunately a little more innocent than it seems, though he is still seen cavorting with employees of Satan. Rudy Giuliani in The Out-of-Towners (1999) It’s definitely appropriate for an NYC mayor to make an appearance in a movie that promotes Manhattan tourism, but Giuliani picked the wrong movie to be associated with. Possibly one of the worst remakes ever, it’s more likely to dissuade viewers to come to the Big Apple. Ed Koch in The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) Koch, on the other hand, is a huge cinephile (he even moonlights as a film critic) and has appeared in a ton of NYC-set films, good and bad. When I was a kid, nothing made me think Koch was cooler than his appearance alongside the Muppets. Jim Garrison in JFK (1991) It’s typical for people to have cameos in films about themselves, so it’s not too surprising to see the former District Attorney show up in Oliver Stone’s film. Not only did he get to make a small appearance, though, he actually got to portray someone as famous as Earl Warren. And he kind of did a better job of it than Kevin Costner did of portraying Garrison. John F. Kennedy in Forrest Gump (1994) Thanks to movie magic, the former President of the United States was able to make a cameo opposite Tom Hanks sixty years after he’d been assassinated. Of course, another actor provided his line for him, but I’m sure the real JFK would have been down to knowingly costar with an Oscar winner and memorably say, “I believe he said he had to go pee.” George W. Bush in Death of a President (2006) Thanks to similar movie magic, the current U.S. President was able to be seamlessly edited into this movie so that it truly appears as though the real G.W. Bush has been shot. To think, back when Forrest Gump was made, there were such innocent ways of featuring a deceased or unauthorized personality in a movie or TV commercial (remember John Wayne hawking Coors?), but now they’re killing presidents and employing dead child stars (that controversial new Poltergeist Direct TV ad). I wonder how far the ethics will be stretched in another decade. Gerald Ford in The Bees (1978) This is another cameo that probably wasn’t authorized, but it’s even more innocent than putting words into Kennedy’s mouth. Plus, it’s not a very good movie, and so the former U.S. President’s uncredited appearance probably wasn’t a very big deal. Even if the filmmakers try to make it seem that a swarm of killer bees are a threat to Ford as he’s riding on a Rose Bowl Parade float. If Hollywood ever remakes this film, they’ll probably use effects wizardry to make it look like the President actually gets stung and dies. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/4/34764.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/4/2008 5:01:10 PM
Body: Earlier this week, I recommended 10 movies for Democrats to watch. So, to balance things out and hopefully show a lack of bias, I’ve now selected 10 recommendations for Republicans, too. This was actually the more difficult task, because there are so many classic films that display conservative values — and in the 1980s alone, I think there were about a billion films promoting relatively right-wing lifestyles and ideas. Therefore, I’ve limited my picks to the last two decades, except for one underrated gem that left me with quite an impression as a boy. The Dark Knight (2008) Some said Batman is Bush, others said Cheney, but either way this past summer’s superhero blockbuster resonated with certain conservatives who saw the film as something of an argument about — if not apology for — the actions of the current administration. Similarly, this summer’s Hancock and Iron Man have been read as being particularly relative to Republican politics. We Were Soldiers (2002) At first it was shocking to me that John McCain’s pick for best Vietnam movie is this overly dramatic disappointment from director Randall Wallace, which stars Mel Gibson. Then I realized that it’s one of the few Vietnam movies without a completely negative slant on the conflict. In fact, it portrays an official U.S. victory, making it somewhat optimistic compared to technically better films like Platoon and Apocalypse Now. Primary Colors (1998) This veiled depiction of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign is hardly one-sided, and it’s certainly not intended to be a political attack in the way Oliver Stone’s upcoming W. is, but it’s the perhaps the closest thing Republicans have to a parallel to W., Nixon, Dick and other lampoons of GOP presidents. Commando (1985) Here it is, the one recommendation produced prior to the mid-90s, and with good reason. When I was a kid, this movie made me think guns and other weaponry were the coolest things in the world. I had the Commando action figure, which made G.I. Joe look like a total wimp, and I celebrated such accessories as the Bowie knife and the rocket launcher. While plenty of films from the ’80s feature lots of arms, and many of these movies are about rogue missions of vengeance and/or rescue, for some reason it was this specific movie that resonated most. Between my love for this and Red Dawn, I’m shocked that I didn’t grow up to be a member of either the NRA or the GOP. Juno (2007) This is an obvious choice due to all the Juno/Juneau jokes that came with the Bristol Palin baby news, but despite its relevancy to current events, the movie was already somewhat embraced by conservatives who saw Juno’s decision not to have an abortion as a slighty pro-life statement. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) Another movie that the Palin clan reminds me of is this loose remake and its sequel, as well as the similarly remade giant-family comedy Yours, Mine and Ours. The worlds these films exist in have apparently never heard of abortion or birth control of any kind. Independence Day (1996) I doubt that in such a worldwide alien attack that the U.S. will have the best method of response, but anyway, this nationalistic sci-fi movie is a perfect fantasy for Republicans who think counter-offensive measures are as easy as destroying all known elements of an enemy’s connecting cell structure and then calling it certain victory. I always wonder how long it takes after the credits roll for another organization of ships, all with better operating systems, to arrive and successfully destory us all. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) I understand the intention of co-writer/director Roland Emmerich (who also made Independence Day) was to portray the possible effects of global warming, but the resulting plot is so ridiculously exaggerated that to me it hurt the cause more than helped it. For Republicans who don’t believe in global warming or think it’s not as drastic as some make it out to be, this is appreciable as just another fantastic disaster movie with stunning effects and a mindless story. If you’d rather see a disaster movie that’s the gospel truth — literally — check out Left Behind: The Movie instead. Mr. Deeds (2002) The Democrat list features Frank Capra’s original, so I thought it fair to give Republicans the crappy remake. Aside from meaning it as allegory for how far Republican ideals have fallen, I also intend the selection as recognition of Adam Sandler’s political influence (see Eric Kohn’s argument on the matter). I don’t want to spoil the ending, which comes off as Capra by way of Reagan (who of course was a fan), but I will say its rather unfortunate how Deeds spends his money in this version. Death of a President (2006) Maybe you don’t like the idea of seeing your leader assassinated, but just think how the Bush haters feel when they see the consequences of his death. This is your movie, Republicans, because regardless of the reveal at the end, the faux documentary can still be used to support arguments in favor of the PATRIOT act and other such post-9/11 conservative agendas. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:01:10 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/4/2008 5:01:10 PMEarlier this week, I recommended 10 movies for Democrats to watch. So, to balance things out and hopefully show a lack of bias, I’ve now selected 10 recommendations for Republicans, too. This was actually the more difficult task, because there are so many classic films that display conservative values — and in the 1980s alone, I think there were about a billion films promoting relatively right-wing lifestyles and ideas. Therefore, I’ve limited my picks to the last two decades, except for one underrated gem that left me with quite an impression as a boy. The Dark Knight (2008) Some said Batman is Bush, others said Cheney, but either way this past summer’s superhero blockbuster resonated with certain conservatives who saw the film as something of an argument about — if not apology for — the actions of the current administration. Similarly, this summer’s Hancock and Iron Man have been read as being particularly relative to Republican politics. We Were Soldiers (2002) At first it was shocking to me that John McCain’s pick for best Vietnam movie is this overly dramatic disappointment from director Randall Wallace, which stars Mel Gibson. Then I realized that it’s one of the few Vietnam movies without a completely negative slant on the conflict. In fact, it portrays an official U.S. victory, making it somewhat optimistic compared to technically better films like Platoon and Apocalypse Now. Primary Colors (1998) This veiled depiction of Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign is hardly one-sided, and it’s certainly not intended to be a political attack in the way Oliver Stone’s upcoming W. is, but it’s the perhaps the closest thing Republicans have to a parallel to W., Nixon, Dick and other lampoons of GOP presidents. Commando (1985) Here it is, the one recommendation produced prior to the mid-90s, and with good reason. When I was a kid, this movie made me think guns and other weaponry were the coolest things in the world. I had the Commando action figure, which made G.I. Joe look like a total wimp, and I celebrated such accessories as the Bowie knife and the rocket launcher. While plenty of films from the ’80s feature lots of arms, and many of these movies are about rogue missions of vengeance and/or rescue, for some reason it was this specific movie that resonated most. Between my love for this and Red Dawn, I’m shocked that I didn’t grow up to be a member of either the NRA or the GOP. Juno (2007) This is an obvious choice due to all the Juno/Juneau jokes that came with the Bristol Palin baby news, but despite its relevancy to current events, the movie was already somewhat embraced by conservatives who saw Juno’s decision not to have an abortion as a slighty pro-life statement. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) Another movie that the Palin clan reminds me of is this loose remake and its sequel, as well as the similarly remade giant-family comedy Yours, Mine and Ours. The worlds these films exist in have apparently never heard of abortion or birth control of any kind. Independence Day (1996) I doubt that in such a worldwide alien attack that the U.S. will have the best method of response, but anyway, this nationalistic sci-fi movie is a perfect fantasy for Republicans who think counter-offensive measures are as easy as destroying all known elements of an enemy’s connecting cell structure and then calling it certain victory. I always wonder how long it takes after the credits roll for another organization of ships, all with better operating systems, to arrive and successfully destory us all. The Day After Tomorrow (2004) I understand the intention of co-writer/director Roland Emmerich (who also made Independence Day) was to portray the possible effects of global warming, but the resulting plot is so ridiculously exaggerated that to me it hurt the cause more than helped it. For Republicans who don’t believe in global warming or think it’s not as drastic as some make it out to be, this is appreciable as just another fantastic disaster movie with stunning effects and a mindless story. If you’d rather see a disaster movie that’s the gospel truth — literally — check out Left Behind: The Movie instead. Mr. Deeds (2002) The Democrat list features Frank Capra’s original, so I thought it fair to give Republicans the crappy remake. Aside from meaning it as allegory for how far Republican ideals have fallen, I also intend the selection as recognition of Adam Sandler’s political influence (see Eric Kohn’s argument on the matter). I don’t want to spoil the ending, which comes off as Capra by way of Reagan (who of course was a fan), but I will say its rather unfortunate how Deeds spends his money in this version. Death of a President (2006) Maybe you don’t like the idea of seeing your leader assassinated, but just think how the Bush haters feel when they see the consequences of his death. This is your movie, Republicans, because regardless of the reveal at the end, the faux documentary can still be used to support arguments in favor of the PATRIOT act and other such post-9/11 conservative agendas. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/jj79/archive/2008/6/6/30629.aspx Post By: JJ79
Post To: JJ79 Blog
Post Date: 6/6/2008 1:12:07 PM
Body: Released: October 27, 2006Director: Gabriel Range*****Known more for its controversial subject than any detailed part of the plot, Death of a President focuses on a fictional assassination of President George W. Bush in Chicago following a speech in 2007. At least, that's what the movie bills itself as. Instead, it is an attempt-a decent one at that-to bring the events of September 11 down to a more manageable level. Instead of buildings being hit by airplanes, the president is shot. Poor intelligence about terrorism is replaced by racial profiling and a rush to judgment. All the while, in a documentary-style approach, the event is "examined" through interviews with key personnel...though no one we really want to hear from.Director and co-writer Range seems a bit schizophrenic in executing the film. The titular act doesn't happen until a half hour into the 90 minute production and, even then, never achieves the emotional punch it should. President Bush dies in surgery, not on the rope line when he's greeting people. Not in his motorcade. In the hospital. For us to feel the impact, there has to be something more, a better constructed narrative. Because of all the eggs in the narrative basket, it never focuses on one and rides it to the end. Is this the story of a nation grieving for a fallen president? Or the story of people wrongly accused of a crime? Racial profiling? Rush to judgment? Consequences of not listening to advisers? What is the movie truly about?Some credit has to be given to Range for constructing the film from reenactments and archival footage of the participants. Since no government entity was involved in the production, hours of news footage had to be sifted through to find appropriate moments. For instance, new President Cheney's eulogy is lifted from Ronald Regan's funeral, only with the name changed. While we do see the moment on screen, we also know to watch his lips. When they don't match up to the actual words, there is a problem. (Every other instance of doctored archived footage is manipulated off screen.)Critics have said Death of a President goes too far in the hatred people feel toward the current president. To pretend he is dead and show a supposed aftermath is in poor taste. Does the movie cross the line? It may skirt it, but not cross. Why? There is a larger point Range is trying to make, I think, which gets lost in the shuffle. This is supposed to be a "worst case scenario" prediction, possibly even a warning to the world. Preachy and heavy handed? At times, yes. Well constructed from a visual perspective? Sure. A good film? It's marginal.
]]>Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:12:07 GMTJJ79JJ79 Blog6/6/2008 1:12:07 PMReleased: October 27, 2006Director: Gabriel Range*****Known more for its controversial subject than any detailed part of the plot, Death of a President focuses on a fictional assassination of President George W. Bush in Chicago following a speech in 2007. At least, that's what the movie bills itself as. Instead, it is an attempt-a decent one at that-to bring the events of September 11 down to a more manageable level. Instead of buildings being hit by airplanes, the president is shot. Poor intelligence about terrorism is replaced by racial profiling and a rush to judgment. All the while, in a documentary-style approach, the event is "examined" through interviews with key personnel...though no one we really want to hear from.Director and co-writer Range seems a bit schizophrenic in executing the film. The titular act doesn't happen until a half hour into the 90 minute production and, even then, never achieves the emotional punch it should. President Bush dies in surgery, not on the rope line when he's greeting people. Not in his motorcade. In the hospital. For us to feel the impact, there has to be something more, a better constructed narrative. Because of all the eggs in the narrative basket, it never focuses on one and rides it to the end. Is this the story of a nation grieving for a fallen president? Or the story of people wrongly accused of a crime? Racial profiling? Rush to judgment? Consequences of not listening to advisers? What is the movie truly about?Some credit has to be given to Range for constructing the film from reenactments and archival footage of the participants. Since no government entity was involved in the production, hours of news footage had to be sifted through to find appropriate moments. For instance, new President Cheney's eulogy is lifted from Ronald Regan's funeral, only with the name changed. While we do see the moment on screen, we also know to watch his lips. When they don't match up to the actual words, there is a problem. (Every other instance of doctored archived footage is manipulated off screen.)Critics have said Death of a President goes too far in the hatred people feel toward the current president. To pretend he is dead and show a supposed aftermath is in poor taste. Does the movie cross the line? It may skirt it, but not cross. Why? There is a larger point Range is trying to make, I think, which gets lost in the shuffle. This is supposed to be a "worst case scenario" prediction, possibly even a warning to the world. Preachy and heavy handed? At times, yes. Well constructed from a visual perspective? Sure. A good film? It's marginal. http://www.spout.com/blogs/cinemarian/archive/2008/5/12/28706.aspx Post By: CinemaRian
Post To: CinemaRian Blog
Post Date: 5/12/2008 9:41:57 PM
Body: What a pointless movie this is. One of the most obnoxious things about liberal filmmaking is the tendency to make advocacy films that preach to the choir. What I object to in these sorts of movies is that the playing field is not fair. They pretend to be objective but are really highly biased. When I watch propaganda, I like them to rely solely on manipulative emotional imagery instead of pseudo-facts (a la Sergei Eisenstien). Even when agree with the message and find the movie interesting (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price) there seems to be something disingenuous and patronizing. Death of a President is the worst kind of advocacy film- one that masks its intent until the end. It is also especially annoying because it is NOT boring- I was moderately interested in the movie the whole way through, and when I got to the garbage at the end, wanted 93 minuets of my life back. I will have to give director Gabriel Range credit- he and his editors must have sat through hours and hours boring speeches and news coverage to cobble this movie together. Range splices togehter found footage of George W. Bush and Dick Chaney speeches with new interviews with fictional characters (occasionally special effects are poorly used, pasting Bush's face over and actor's body). As you can gather from the title, the movie is a "what if" story involving the assassination of Bush in October of 2007. Despite the fact he is (will be?) even more unpopular at that time as then he is now, the President decides to give a policy speech in Chicago, a liberal city that is filled with thousands of protestors, some of whom turn violent. The speech goes off without incident, but Bush is killed during a meet-and-greet session by a sniper. Up until this point the movie was pretty interesting (although the technique was obvious) and I was wondering what going to happen next. You should stop reading now if you don't want to know. The FBI arrests a Syrian immigrant named Jamal Abu Zikri (Malik Bader). Let's think about that for a moment. I have nothing against Arabs or Muslims, but if I was an FBI agent investigating this crime, what group do you think I would look at first? Just because someone is Arab or Muslim doesn't mean that they are guilty, of course, but common sense would suggest that members of these groups around the crime scene might be the first on the list to look into. Somehow, I thought that there was a 100% chance that Jamal Abu Zikri was not guilty- and I was right. When you find out who is guilty, the answer is so manipulative that it is an insult to be people on both sides of the Iraq issue. If Range wanted to make a movie about racism towards Arabs or prejudice towards Muslims in America, why didn't he make a movie about factual events! There were plenty of disgusting stories of "retribution" towards those groups after 9/11- why not make a movie about those? And there's also something disconcerting about a Brit making this movie- isn't' Range's leader, Tony Blair, Bush's poodle and doing much of the same things at home? The United Kingdom is certainly not immune from racism against foreigners, what gives him the right to come over here and complain about us in this manner? This movie sucked. Death of a President (2006)
]]>Tue, 13 May 2008 01:41:57 GMTCinemaRianCinemaRian Blog5/12/2008 9:41:57 PMWhat a pointless movie this is. One of the most obnoxious things about liberal filmmaking is the tendency to make advocacy films that preach to the choir. What I object to in these sorts of movies is that the playing field is not fair. They pretend to be objective but are really highly biased. When I watch propaganda, I like them to rely solely on manipulative emotional imagery instead of pseudo-facts (a la Sergei Eisenstien). Even when agree with the message and find the movie interesting (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price) there seems to be something disingenuous and patronizing. Death of a President is the worst kind of advocacy film- one that masks its intent until the end. It is also especially annoying because it is NOT boring- I was moderately interested in the movie the whole way through, and when I got to the garbage at the end, wanted 93 minuets of my life back. I will have to give director Gabriel Range credit- he and his editors must have sat through hours and hours boring speeches and news coverage to cobble this movie together. Range splices togehter found footage of George W. Bush and Dick Chaney speeches with new interviews with fictional characters (occasionally special effects are poorly used, pasting Bush's face over and actor's body). As you can gather from the title, the movie is a "what if" story involving the assassination of Bush in October of 2007. Despite the fact he is (will be?) even more unpopular at that time as then he is now, the President decides to give a policy speech in Chicago, a liberal city that is filled with thousands of protestors, some of whom turn violent. The speech goes off without incident, but Bush is killed during a meet-and-greet session by a sniper. Up until this point the movie was pretty interesting (although the technique was obvious) and I was wondering what going to happen next. You should stop reading now if you don't want to know. The FBI arrests a Syrian immigrant named Jamal Abu Zikri (Malik Bader). Let's think about that for a moment. I have nothing against Arabs or Muslims, but if I was an FBI agent investigating this crime, what group do you think I would look at first? Just because someone is Arab or Muslim doesn't mean that they are guilty, of course, but common sense would suggest that members of these groups around the crime scene might be the first on the list to look into. Somehow, I thought that there was a 100% chance that Jamal Abu Zikri was not guilty- and I was right. When you find out who is guilty, the answer is so manipulative that it is an insult to be people on both sides of the Iraq issue. If Range wanted to make a movie about racism towards Arabs or prejudice towards Muslims in America, why didn't he make a movie about factual events! There were plenty of disgusting stories of "retribution" towards those groups after 9/11- why not make a movie about those? And there's also something disconcerting about a Brit making this movie- isn't' Range's leader, Tony Blair, Bush's poodle and doing much of the same things at home? The United Kingdom is certainly not immune from racism against foreigners, what gives him the right to come over here and complain about us in this manner? This movie sucked. Death of a President (2006) http://www.spout.com/blogs/chutry/archive/2007/6/13/11040.aspx Post By: chutry
Post To: chutry Blog
Post Date: 6/13/2007 5:19:34 PM
Body: Interesting mockumentary that imagines what would happen in President Bush was assassinated. More of a conspiracy thriller than an explicitly political film, although it does address the issues of tightened security after 9/11.
]]>Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:19:34 GMTchutrychutry Blog6/13/2007 5:19:34 PMInteresting mockumentary that imagines what would happen in President Bush was assassinated. More of a conspiracy thriller than an explicitly political film, although it does address the issues of tightened security after 9/11. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/assassination/MemberTagFilms.aspxassassination
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