NOTE: Although I try to maintain my objectivity, I cannot escape the fact that my personal political positions sometimes color my analysis. To ensure that this site maintains a well-rounded political perspective, it is useful for us to consider the opinions of others. To that end, this is the first Guest Column on Reel Change,…
“Savages,” the new candy-coated thriller from once-important director Oliver Stone, comes along at a propitious time. The film is about a bloody feud between a Mexican drug cartel and domestic marijuana growers, but the subject lurking throughout is the War on Drugs, which has been in the news quite a bit lately. First there was…
Very quickly, it has become chic to hate on “The Newsroom.” Aaron Sorkin’s new drama has premiered to uncharacteristically mediocre reviews. Variety laments that “the series doesn’t match the lofty crests of Sorkin’s finest work.” The New York Times says that the show “chokes on its own sanctimony.” And the Washington Post finds that “Sorkin’s…
Director Spike Lee has not released a film during the Obama presidency. This was the man who helmed groundbreaking, commercially successful films on race like “Jungle Fever,” “Malcolm X,” and “Do the Right Thing.” When he arrived on the scene with 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It,” he was hailed as a brave new voice in…
Much like President Obama and marriage equality, my thoughts on “The Avengers” continue to evolve. In my previous review, I implied that the film’s politics do not fall stay strictly within party lines. I still think that statement is true, but its implications say something important. Given the politics of today, “The Avengers” is in…
George Clooney is hosting a $12 million fundraiser for President Obama’s re-election campaign. Bill Maher gave a $1 million contribution, making him the campaign’s biggest individual donor. Eva Longoria has been made campaign co-chair and is doing serious outreach to the Hispanic community. It is clear that President Obama is emphasizing celebrity support in his…
It’s difficult enough to make a successful commercial movie that affects the way we think about political or social issues. In general, people go to the movies to escape the stresses of the modern world, not be confronted with a reflection of them. But if you are going to make a movie that pushes political…
For a society that places so much emphasis on celebrity, it is kind of surprising that in the century or so that movies have been our most popular art form, we have only elected a handful of movie stars to public office. I suspect the reason for this is one that only raises more questions:…
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