Am I the only person who wasn't riveted by Oliver Stone's movie, W.? Am I the only one who didn't find it "fascinating" or "thought-provoking"? It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know and it is, after all, about someone that I detest and really don't care to get to know any better. Not after the last eight years. At this point, I just want Dubya to go the hell away. Like to the distant reaches of the Outer Darkness...What I did like was the symbolism as seen through certain camera shots: the gold cross on the Texas belt buckle and poor Spot finally just saying through her body language, "I'm not chasing your fucking ball anymore, @sshole!" Best though, was the depiction of Bush's (or any would-be King of the World's) gaping, voracious appetite, not just for food and drink (both alcoholic and soft drinks), but also power, paternal approval, and social acceptance. And like any would-be Napoleon, Alexander, or Hitler, when the addictive megalomaniac finally chokes on his insatiable greed, only he can save himself, there's no one there to help him. History has shown that this kind of man always goes down the hard way, and never to a happy ending.
Most of the roles, in my opinion, remain hollow impressions rather than real portrayals, except for Dubya, George and Barbara Bush, Dick Cheney, and Karl Rove. Yeah, the Condoleezza Rice was spot on, but hell, Frank Caliendo could have done as well and kept me more interested.
Maybe it was just the benedryl I took before we left the house, but I had a hard time keeping my eyes open during the last 45 minutes of the film. The last time I felt like that at a movie was back in the late 70s when I took my kids to see the re-release of Disney's Pinnochio. Hm. The best touch, however, was the choice of Dylan singing, With God on Our Side during the end credits. Tasty!
The film that looks great is the new Ron Howard release, Frost/Nixon. I loved David Frost, and the trailer seriously grabbed me.
For a better, and possibly less biased take, read Lynette's review here.
