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I had MSNBC on for a while in the background while I was working yesterday, and they were giving what seemed like an inordinate amount of attention to the trailer, released over the weekend, for Oliver Stone’s W. Most of the talking heads were just mocking the trailer and Stone, but gossip reporter Courtney Hazlett had an interesting observation. Noting that Stone is pushing his crew through a (probably ill-advised) grueling seven month production and post-production schedule, Hazlett predicted that crowds might come out just to see a finished product produced under such duress. With a gleam in her eye, she said, “It could be a hot mess!”
Leaving the wildly off-base assumption that moviegoers actually care about the conditions under which a film is produced aside, it’s interesting to see W’s rush to release as a selling point, especialy since so many bloggers are, in the wake of the trailer release, saying the exact opposite.
At Salon, Alex Koppelman predicts that with Stone’s history of historical revision, the film is sure to become a hot punching bag on conservative talk radio in the weeks surrounding the release. So close to the election, he says, “it could prove unhelpful to Barack Obama and Democrats. I would be more excited to see the film on Nov. 17, with the election in the rearview mirror and the era of Bush retrospection unofficially and unapologetically under way.”
It’s a fair point, one Ryan Adams at Awards Daily takes up as well. “In the final days before the election we should be focused on the future, not poking ditto-heads to make them spew up the news cycle.”
Of course, since said conservative partisans have already begun their cries of “No fair!”, there is the possibility that they’ll exhaust themselves before the movie even comes out, no matter when that might be.
No, probably not.
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We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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We know Stone is notorious for his historical inaccuracies when it comes to portraying history in his films. But, hell, we can enjoy this. What does Obama got to do with it? Stone is a fairly right wing Republican kind of guy anyway even if he’s “Hollyweird.” I can’t wait to see Bush challenge the old man to a fist fight!!
And besides it’s a movie! Please do we have to toe the frigging party line in everything?
Stone’s machismo is more of the left-wing guerrilla variety. Certainly Salvador, Born on the Fourth of July, and JFK suggest that Stone is more paranoid Leftist than jingoistic chest-thumper. Though World Trade Center and the not-altogether unsympathetic (at least on a personal level) Nixon balance out the picture a little bit.
It many ways, Michael Moore ended up causing more problems for Dems than needed, and this could do the same. If it is the slightest bit revisionist, it becomes a house of cards that can be pulled apart and used to fuel new arguments in the final days of a heated election. Although the trailer made me laugh, it will likely speak only to the choir, which will further divide folks (when people feel their party insulted they are more likely to cling to it, if Obama is saying - let’s all be cool - they are more likely to listen).
The link on above is for a CNN headline t-shirt that reads, “W depicts Bush as a frat-boy partier”.
Ironically, Josh Brolin is a rather liberal democrat. Can you image how funny it would be if he gets photographed wearing this shirt? It would be like Paris Hilton holding the bible. I feel like if enough people blog about him wearing the shirt it will actually happen.
opps the link was cut short. Here it is: http://tinyurl.com/6jkjce
Enjoy
Release it now!
Its already been proven at the box office that movies that trash current administrations lose money. This one will be no exception. While not a Bush fan, I am a fairness fan and this movie ( going by the leaked script and traliers) is going to denegrate Stones director abilities
To showcase Bushes shortcomings are pretty redundant anyway, since he does a grat job all by himself anytime he is on TV
At the end of the day George W has the last laugh as no matter what, he still got elected twice.
We knew Clinton was a liar cheater before he was elected, what happened this time? Exaclty.
Am I voting Obama? nope sorry. No attacks after 911 and a Katrina hurricane again yet all safe means current philosophy is working
Thats not a personality thing its a lifestyle vote. At the end of the day thats what you vote for. Obama is not about change, he is putting out plays right from the dem playbook
Promise to give something - health care
Tax the rich (even though they already pay 60% of ALL taxes)
same old doo doo
McCain? Nice man, been through a lot, experience counts and a fresh faced pistol there behind him
Could be 12 years of republicans this time around
I am off to call vegas on those odds
Scrap watching this swill before it starts