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Thursday, January 22, 2004

The Hunting of the President
The world premier for the documentary The Hunting of the President is tomorrow at the Sundance Film Festival. The documentary, directed by Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry, was based off the book by Gene Lyons and Salon's very own political analyst Joe Conason.

Of course, since we don't have the ability to travel to Sundance on such short notice, we'll have to wait for its release to the local movie shack. In the meantime, let me leave you with the summary of the film, written by Elizabeth Richardson and Joseph Beyer, from the Sundance directory posted on the movie's website.

There can be no doubt that we live in one of the most tumultuous political climates of the nation's history, a climate where politicians can be toppled on a whim, election results disputed in the country's highest courts, and governors unceremoniously recalled. It's enough to leave even the most cynical voter asking, how did this happen?

Harry Thomason and Nickolas Perry's incendiary documentary, based on the best-selling book by Gene Lyons and Joe Conason, offers a glimpse at the genesis of these partisan vendettas and explores the myths and truths behind the nearly 10-year campaign to systematically destroy the political legacy of the Clintons.

Using previously unreleased materials, interviews, and shocking revelations from both sides of the beltway, this probing work focuses on the smear campaign against Clinton from his gubernatorial days in Arkansas leading up to and including his impeachment trial. Kenneth Starr fans, beware.

Less of an advocacy film and more of an alarming treatise on the political power of the media and personal interests, The Hunting of the President offers us a gallery of defeated politicians, disappointed office seekers, right-wing pamphleteers, wealthy eccentrics, zany private detectives, religious fanatics, and die-hard segregationists, all chiming in discord from the tops of their soapboxes.

Check out the website, it has a comprehensive timeline that would make any historian drool.

9:30:10 PM | COMMENT [] | TRACKBACK []

Return of the King Wins Best Picture from Chicago Film Critics Awards Today
With the Golden Globe Awards three days away, the Chicago Film Critics Association awarded their picks for the best in film of 2003 today. The Return of the King was named Best Picture of 2003; Peter Jackson was honored as the Best Director. The Return of the King has now won six best picture awards by film critics associations.

Sophia Copola, the writer and director of the film Lost in Translation, won Best Screenplay.

Bill Murray won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of a boozy actor working in Japan in the film Lost in Translation.

Charlize Theron, who gained thirty pounds to play a serial killer in the film Monster, won Best Actress.

Tim Robbins was awarded Best Supporting Actor for Mystic River.

Patricia Clarkson was awarded Best Supporting Actress for Pieces of April.

Best Documentary was awarded to Errol Morris' film The Fog of War, about the former Secretray of Defense Robert McNamara.

Best Foreign Film was awarded to City of God, from Brazil.

Best Original Score was awarded to Howard Shore for his music for The Return of the King.

The Most Promising Actor was awarded to Keisha Castle-Hughes, the incredible young actress of the film Whale Rider.

The Most Promising Filmmaker was awarded to the directors of American Splendor, Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

9:12:58 PM | COMMENT [] | TRACKBACK []