indieWIRE reports that HBO has acquired the television rights to a long-in-the-works documentary about Barack Obama’s run for president, produced by Edward Norton, directed by Amy Rice and Alicia Sams and edited by Sam Pollard. Pollard’s oft-collaborator Spike Lee discussed the film a bit earlier this year at Silverdocs. More from Variety’s Michael Jones and Jeff Wells, who thinks it’s a mistake for the filmmakers to shoot the innauguration if it means the film won’t be ready for release until late 2009. Meanwhile, the film’s theatrical distribution rights are apparently still up for grabs.
My mom has the hots for President Clinton as badly as I swoon for Arnold Schwarzenegger, both of us turning into goofy schoolgirls at the mere mention of our respective crushes. While the Governator’s arrogant, aggressive virility drives me wild, personally I’ve never fantasized about Arkansas charmer Slick Willy.
And yet I’d be thrilled to bed John Travolta, who embodied Bill Clinton via the character of Jack Stanton in Mike Nichols’ 1998 Primary Colors, a thinly veiled account of the would-be president’s rise to stardom during the 1992 primaries, with a swift-moving screenplay by Elaine May based on political reporter Joe Klein’s originally “Anonymous” novel. Travolta as Stanton perfectly captured the sexy essence of Clinton then topped it with his well-honed movie star touch.
But what other ties to film does this news warrant? Well, Obama’s win will apparently help the relationship between Hollywood and D.C., according to The Hollywood Reporter. Something about “breaking free of long-held stereotypes” in pop culture. Hmm, doubtful.
From what I know about Boondock Saints fans, they are definitely more excited that Troy Duffy has begun shooting The Boondock Saints II than they are about any presidential election. I’m only in that boat if there’s any hope for an Overnight sequel to go with it.
It’s the old man versus the young, less-experienced black man. No, I’m not talking about McCain and Obama. This is the election battle between Emperor Palpatine and Lando Calrissian for the leader of the Star Warsgalaxy. But if the good folks at Funny or Die intended for real life analogy then that means Sarah Palin = Darth Vader and Joe Biden = Chewbacca — speaking of which, isn’t it time we have a candidate with some awesome facial hair, preferably the sideburn-mustache combo (aka “Friendly Mutton Chops”) sported by Chester Arthur?
Despite the issues with his age and appearance, Billy Dee Williams is pretty awesome to have appeared in this video. It would have been even cooler, though, if he’d cracked open a can of Colt 45 at the end, for the clincher. Otherwise, the clip peaks with Admiral Ackbar’s “It’s a trap!” (a nice touch considering I found the video via the Ackbar-obsessed Fark.com). As for the answer to the question of what Calrissian is smuggling this time? I’d say he’s got a couple doughnuts hidden in those cheeks (and yes, they have doughnuts in the Star Wars galaxy).
You might have seen the “Don’t Vote” PSA featuring Hollywood celebrities ranging from Leonardo DiCaprio to Jonah Hill attempting to use reverse psychology in an effort to get lazy, apathetic Americans to register and then take part in this year’s presidential election. It’s a bit long for something so urgent and potentially influential, but it’s cool that so many unrelated famous people came together for something so important. Anyway, the guys at MagicHugs.com have now re-edited some of the footage from that PSA to create their own campaign regarding the films of Nicolas Cage. And while I doubt Leo or even Jonah appreciate being made to appear so critical of their peer’s career choices, it’s pretty funny. The only thing I don’t understand, though, is if I’m supposed to come away thinking I should watch Nic Cage movies. After all, the other “Don’t” PSA is meant to actually get me to vote.
Also related to the “Don’t Vote” PSA is another political ad featuring another movie star who represents that apathetic young American demographic the other celebrities are speaking out to. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has created his own little commercial for Barack Obama, a candidate he considers to be that rare politician who isn’t “bullshit.” Levitt claims not to be a Democrat or Republican, and he admits he’s never really cared about anybody running for president before, but he just had to tell us that he’s “feeling pretty strongly on this one.”
I wonder which ad will speak most to the typically indifferent, the one from the famous people who simply want people to get up and vote, no matter how potentially uninformed they may be, or the one from an apolitical peer who wants others to notice a specific hopeful’s distinction.
Will this year’s presidential election be determined by which candidate is more hip? Barack Obama is younger, listens to Jay-Z and Kanye West and is something of a trendy choice among college students. McCain, on the other hand, is older and (now) less athletic but is still considered to be hip in a cool grandpa kind of way. Like the grandpa who has exciting war stories to share. Have you seen the video footage of him jumping from an explosion during the USS Forrestal fire? That’s pretty cool.
So, the outcome of the race may depend on what the majority of Americans think is cool. Charisma or Muscle. It reminds me of an election for high school class president. Who is more popular, the preppy basketball player or the more jockish captain of the wrestling team?
But do we really want a cool president? Let’s take a look at some of the coolest fictional presidents from the movies and decide if it’s truly a good idea to base our vote on which candidate we’d prefer to hang with.
California may have spent the last five years under the rule of a Republican movie star, but news that major industry players are anything but super-lefty liberals still seems to strike many as a surprise. Responding to a story in which it’s casually mentioned that Dennis Hopper is expected to attend the Republican National Convention, Defamer’s Kyle Buchanan writes, “Did we miss the memo that said the countercultural director of freaking Easy Rider was a Republican? We’d assumed his appearance in the right-wing Zucker film An American Carolwas a strict paycheck gig…”
I’m not sure when the “memo” first went out, but Hopper has been a registered Republican for over 25 years. …Read more
Never one to pass up an opportunity for bullying, Michael Moore has posted excerpt from his new book on his website, entitled “How to Blow It.” It’s a snide, six point “blueprint from the Democrats’ past losing campaigns” to ensure that “the Democratic Party establishment, can help elect John Sidney McCain III to a four-year extension of the Bush Era.” As Nikki Finke points out, the final item on the list is “especially intriguing” — in that Moore conflates his own self-importance with Democratic cowardice.
“Denounce me!,” Moore shouts. Obama, he says. “Better denounce me or [Republicans and pundits] will tear him to shreds. He had better back away not only from me but from anyone and everyone who veers a bit too far to the left of where his advisers have told him is the sweet spot for all those red state voters.”
Remember, this is an Opposite Day list, which means the clear implication is really, “Embrace me or you deserve to lose.” Because we certainly haven’t wasted enough time talking about which candidatesare in bed with which media figures, right?
The Obama Movie: so inevitable, it’s as if it is already among us. You know that Will Smith will play Obama and that Oliver Stone will write and direct. John Williams and Quincy Jones will tag-team the musical score, a soulful, all-American gumbo that samples gospel, Aaron Copland and snap music. Kerry Washington will essay Michelle Obama.
No, Steven Spielberg will direct, with Chiwetel Ejiofor as Obama, same composers. Twelve Nobel, Pulitzer and Oscar winners write the screenplay. Special afro effects by Industrial Light and Magic. Spielberg intercuts between Barack cumming and Blackwater snipers pinned down in Mosul.
Sure, it’s just a guy dressed up like The Joker. And sure, he really was a Romney supporter. But it’s an endorsement for the Republican ticket nonetheless. Really, who knew so many Comic-Con attendees were conservatives? Including that woman with no pants. And Wolverine.
Obviously the video is meant to be humorous, so part of the point was to show weirdos stating that they’ll be voting for McCain or, worse, Ron Paul. And to show the ditzy girls who can’t make up their mind — that zombie chick frightened me in so many ways, but it was the girl who quickly flipped her choice to agree with her friend that made me scared for the future.
My version of The Godfather would open with a voice in the darkness saying, “I don’t believe in America. The American Dream is a once-beguiling fairy tale; show’s over, y’all.” But The Dream is still real to many people, and the violence that powerful private interests have done to it in the last century pains them like a kidney punch.
Gonzo journalism pioneer Hunter S. Thompson was one of the wounded, and so is Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Darkside), the far more straight-laced director of the entertaining documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson. They share a proprietary sense of outrage over abuses of power they’ve witnessed in their times. For them, America’s Nixons, Enrons and Bush-Cheneys have desecrated the church, the front lawn. For all their passionate trouble-making, there’s no denying that Gibney and the late Thompson, two white males who came up through America’s hallowed institutions (Thompson through the U.S. Air Force; Gibney through Yale), are insiders.
When I went to interview Gibney about Gonzo, I remembered the film’s procession of leathery right-wingers and elites, former Thompson nemeses, who have warm, friendly things to say about “Dr. Gonzo” now that he’s dead, now that his caricature as a gun-toting drughead has endured beyond his politics. I wondered if, in the end, being inside got the hole dug any better than chucking rocks from outside.
Congratulations to Jordan Gray, creator of the above image and winner of our Presidential Zombie Photoshop Contest. Jordan, please contact us at karina AT spout.com with your mailing information so we can get you your prize. Many thanks to all who entered, and check back because we’ll be doing more contests in the near future.
That improbable release date quoted in the Entertainment Weekly story about W? Variety has confirmed it. Apparently, Lionsgate is all set to release Oliver Stone’s George W. Bush movie on October 17…even though it’s not even going to begin shooting until May 12. I’m sure it’s technically possible to finish casting, shoot, edit and promote an ensemble cast biopic about the president of the United States in five months (actually, I’m not sure, but I’ll give Stone the benefit of the doubt). I’m just not sure such a total rush job is really the best breeding ground for a great work of political criticism. Hope I’m wrong!
Matt Dentler, whose name has become synonymous with the SXSW Film Festival’s ascendancy over the past several years as both a studio launching pad and a platform for no-budget American indies, is leaving the festival to take a position on a new digital rights wing at sales agency Cinetic. He’ll be replaced at SXSW by Janet Pierson who, with husband John, repped for sale some of the biggest indie success stories of the 90s, including Roger & Me and Slacker. For the full details behind these moves, check out this story at indieWIRE.
Time Warner has fired roughly 450 of New Line’s 500 employees, as part of their move to fold the long-independent speciality division fully into the corporate beast. The news has been expected for awhile––so much so that, after the requisite mourning, David Poland’s already looking at mini-studio’s demise as an opportunity to lessen urban blight.
The Academy has announced some key dates for the 2009 Oscar calendar. Most of note: nominations will be announced two days later than is traditional, in order to give the presidential inauguration on January 20 some breathing room.
I haven’t seen it anywhere yet, and I’m wondering why more people aren’t talking about how this summer’s new Spielberg movie, Indiana Jones and The Latest Terrible Movie Title From George Lucas, will change the dynamic of the presidential race. I have to believe that if the movie does well it’s going to seriously help John McCain with undecided voters, who will figure, hey, if Harrison Ford can still handle all this action in spite of the fact that he’s 71 years old, so can McCain.
No, Harrison Ford is not actually 71, but he’s so close that this can’t actually be funny as a joke, so we’ll call it a serious line of cultural-political inquiry.
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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Never one to pass up an opportunity for bullying, 
That improbable release date quoted in 
Matt Dentler, whose name has become synonymous with the SXSW Film Festival’s ascendancy over the past several years as both a studio launching pad and a platform for no-budget American indies, is 
