Seas. 2-- I've heard she has sex with an inappriopriately older man. |
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This whole election business is exhausting. People in one state saying they don't like Obama because he's Muslim, while people in another state dislike him because of the crazy things his former pastor once said. Pundits on cable news make fun of those "silly feminists" claiming sexism against Clinton (while they refer to her as Mrs. Clinton and talk about which man can do the job, Senator McCain or Senator Obama).
It's enough to make me wanna turn off the television until January. The boyfriend and I have been watching Buffy The Vampire Slayer on DVD from the beginning, an episode or two a night. I only watched it sporadically when it was on TV, and I when I watched, I was always confused: Did Buffy always have a sister? When did Willow become a witch? Wait, when did Willow become a lesbian? Wasn't she in love with Xander? We're in early Season 2, Buffy is an only child, Willow is not a witch (so far as I can tell), and she's definitely into Xander, so I'm looking forward to getting the answers to these questions in due time.
But when there's political energy in the air, it's hard to go off it cold turkey. And what better way to enjoy the hilarious frack-ups* of our current administration than by laughing at Nixon? In the way that M*A*S*H appealed to people during the Vietnam War, DICK (1999) is even more delightful 
I googled "Dick" with no other keywords. Don't try that at the library. |
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during this Bush administration than ever. Michelle Williams and Kirsten Dunst are fabulous as two teenage girls who wander off course during a White House tour and become dogwalkers for Checkers. Oh, and did I mention that they hang out at the Watergate Hotel and accidentally see the shredding room in the White House? With a terrific supporting cast (Will Ferrell and Bruce McColluch as those "muckraking bastards" Woodward and Bernstein; Dave Foley; Ana Gasteyer; Harry Shearer; and Devon Gummersall – remember Brian Krakow on MY SO-CALLED LIFE?), wonderful costumes, and just enough puns on "Dick," DICK is one of my favorite movies.
CANADIAN BACON (1995) is delightfully funny. Written by political know-it-all Michael Moore, the United States depicted in CANADIAN BACON is in a bit of a recession, but not why you might think – no foolish spending or crooked government contracts. Nope, this recession is because of a pesky little thing called peace. Jobs are lost left and right. Weapons manufacturers are holding auctions and closing down. Meanwhile, the president's advisers recommend he stage a fake war with Canada (since the Russians aren't interested in another cold war) to boost the economy and his ratings. The President is played by Alan Alda, (who I heart), but the real stars of the film are John Candy as Sheriff Boomer and Rhea Perlman 
I would be happy with a pres like Dave right about now. |
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as Deputy Honey as they take their misinformed anti-Canadian sentiment to the extreme. Through every Canadian stereotype anyone has ever thought of, the whack priorities of the United States are satirized.
Part underdog tale, part rom-com, DAVE (1993) is one of the sweetest feel-good movies I can think of. Kevin Kline stars as President Bill Mitchell, a bastard and philanderer, and as Dave Kovic, an affable chap who is hired by the White House to impersonate the president after he has a stroke. Frank Langella is eerily evil as he plays Bob Alexander, the chief of staff who wants to use Dave as a puppet in an attempt to use Mitchell's stroke to bring the president and the vice president (Ben Kingsley) down. But the forces of good are stronger than Alexander bargained. Dave takes his new job seriously as he discovers, and then attempts to undo, much of the nastiness behind the scenes of the Mitchell administration. Oh, and he falls in love with the first lady (Sigourney Weaver), hence the rom-com part of the movie. I give it two thumbs up, but I do have a soft spot for Kevin Kline. (don't even get me started on IN AND OUT!)
Peter Sellers rocks as President Merkin Muffley (among many other characters) in DR STRANGELOVE (OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB) (1964). Stanley Kubrick's satirical masterpiece seems to only become more relevant with each passing year. Kubrick makes us laugh at some of the scariest shit ever: the fact that idiots have their fingers on The Button. Idiots answer the Red Phone. Idiots have our lives in their hands, quite literally. Idiots send us $600 checks to, I don't know, fix the country?
Oh, if you haven't seen DR STANGELOVE, two things: No. 1, you need a little non-spoiling synopsis. An Air Force general goes bat-crazy, thinking that the USSR is trying to pollute the bodily fluids of Americans or some such nonsense and sends bombers to attack. The problem is that the USSR has the nuclear capability to wipe out all life on Earth, which is certain to happen if the Air Force is not stopped. The movie is basically about fear over WWIII.
No. 2, what's wrong with you? See it already. Geez. I know it's bad form to insult one's readers, but you shouldn't be allowed to get a bachelor's without having seen it. It's a classic and part of our national consciousness, not unlike other such classics as BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE and FLASHDANCE. Your local indie theater might even have midnight showings.
*Did I mention my boyfriend has also been watching the final season of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA? I think it's rubbing off on me.
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