Review CXII - Wag the Dog

Review 112
Wag the Dog (1997)

Loving the Spanish poster, which translates to smoke screen. Anyway, I came across Barry Levison's Wag the Dog... somehow. And when I saw who starred in it (Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro), along with cameos from some known faces (Woody Harrelson and Jim Belushi), I was surprised I had never heard of this film. But then again, I don't like comedies really, and I don't usually explore political comedies. But the big names made me have hope. I mean, Robert De Niro had even helped to produce this one. Must be good, right?

The presidential election for the United States is eleven days away, and an underage "Firefly Girl" (translation: girl scout) has accused the president of sexual advances. The president is seeking another term, and this could make him lose the election. So what does spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) decide could save the president? A distraction. Something big. How about a war? With Albania? With the help of director/producer Stanley Motts (Dustin Hoffman), this war may be the saving grace in this election.

The shots were weird in this one. There were some weird focuses and zoom-ins that made the film seem like a television show at times. Otherwise, there was nothing particularly interesting going on, unfortunately.

The acting was good and I did actually laugh during the film. Dustin Hoffman's character did give me a good laugh at times, which is usually rare for me in dark comedies. I'll see the humour, but it won't make me laugh out loud. This one did. Comedic genius? No. But it gives a little laugh.

Even though Wag the Dog might not seem like your type of movie and even I didn't really find the film that good, I will recommend it for a watch anyway. And I'll tell you why: The government lies. I'm sure you've all heard about the conspiracy theories surrounding 9/11 when the twin towers fell, or about assassinations maybe being plots from the government. I can't offer you the answers to those theories, it's something you would have to search on your own, but I think it's important you know right off the bat that not everything you see should be trusted. Your government doesn't have your best interests at heart, at least part of the time. And I can offer you a little story to help you understand if you think I'm a raving nut and "conspiracy theorists are just nut bags". It even relates to movies and directors - hurray! Stanley Kubrick released 2001: A Space Odyssey back in 1968, about a year before the first moon landing from the United States. The film has one particular scene where the group of scientists head to the monolith on... Jupiter, was it? Anyway, the monolith is surrounded by film cameras and lighting, almost like a movie set. Could this be a reference to another conspiracy theory about the moon landings being fake? In a way, yes, though the reality is a little less bleak. Apparently Stanley Kubrick was approached in order to film some "moon shots" if the footage from the Apollo 11 mission would have been sub par (Though reading now, it seems this is not true? I don't even know anymore). So I like to assume that the moon landings did happen, but that they needed footage to show the public because this was the television age after all. But really, if this stuff has been going on since the sixties, who is to say they haven't stretched televised reports? After all, Watergate, where Nixon was found falsifying the election votes, was a thing. And there is a thing called synchronicity, but I'll leave you that to look up yourselves if you're interested. I'm not confirming or disproving any theories because seriously, there is so much to say and some of it is major baloney, but if there's one thing I say to take away from Wag the Dog, it's to question everything. Descartes may have lived a long time ago, but the meaning of questioning dogma is still valid and especially appropriate today where knowledge is available at our fingertips.

Wag the Dog - we might be the people, but we're manipulated in order to follow a government plan. The title is appropriate, isn't it?

Review XLVII - Silver Linings Playbook

Review XLVII
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

If there was one film I have been really looking forward to see, it would probably have been David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook. I've been told David O. Russell has quite the character, but he makes good films, and his latest film intrigued me. Plus it has Jennifer Lawrence in it, who has quickly risen to notable status due to her great acting ability. The film also stars Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher and John Ortiz.

Pat (Bradley Cooper) has just been released from the Baltimore mental institution after suffering a bipolar "incident" with his wife, Nikki (Brea Bee), after he catches her with another man. He is forced to stay with his parents, with a overly concerned mother (Jacki Weaver) and an Eagles fanatic - and slightly obsessive compulsive - father (Robert De Niro), but, despite what everyone tells him, he is convinced he will re-unite with Nikki. While having supper at his friend's (John Ortiz) house, he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a woman with almost as much character as Pat himself. Pat agrees to enter a dance competition with Tiffany in order to show his wife he has changed, as he believes he can find a silver lining in everything.

Apparently the movie is based on a novel from Matthew Quick. Sadly, I have not had the opportunity to read the book, so I won't be able to compare the two. However, I can definitely say the plot was enjoyable. It's a romantic comedy, but it has a bit of a different twist. I mean, we have two characters with one who suffers bipolarism and the other, well, you'll see if you watch the film. The two are obviously non-conventional protagonists, so it makes for an interesting story. The comedic elements, especially the one- or two-liners, in the film were also really good. You had a running gag concerning Danny (Chris Tucker's character), and I thought it was funny. Pat's outbursts were, at times, quite funny. The one with Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, before he rants, made me laugh a lot (I'm glad I didn't see the trailer - it left it all new to me). Tiffany is also an interesting character who you automatically root for, or I did, at least. The fact that it tackles the relationship between these two people is what makes it unique, and I really enjoyed it.

Jennifer Lawrence did a great job, but I guess given her reputation, and her Oscar-nominated Golden-Globe-award-winning performance , it was expected. She plays Tiffany well, and I will admit, I liked Tiffany's character. She's strong-willed but still visibly fragile. She was definitely really great. Bradley Cooper also did a great job, though it was undermined a bit by Jennifer Lawrence's performance. I bought Pat, until Tiffany came on, who I really bought. Still, I know someone similar to Pat's character, and I believed Bradley Cooper's performance. Robert De Niro did a good job as a crazy Eagles fan, but nothing extraordinary compared to what he has done before. I still enjoyed his performance, though. Chris Tucker also had a fun character to play, and he did it well. I've kind of been shot down (scarred is probably more accurate) by his performance in The Fifth Element (*shudders*), but I still thought he did a great job. It's nice to see him doing something else other than Rush Hour films! Anupam Kher was great as the psychiatrist as well.

While I really enjoyed the film - I thought it was great - some things didn't sit well with me. I thought the ending was a bit too abrupt for my liking and some parts of the film didn't sit well with me. I thought Pat's brother, Jake (played by Shea Whigham), was a bit unnecessary. I know it's to show how his brother has always been "better" than Pat, but Pat takes everything nonchalantly and then it's dropped. While I get what they were doing, it still seemed like Jake didn't need to be there. There's also the idea that Pat wants to get his old job back, but again, that's skimmed over. It seems that, while many things went into depth and were solid, many things were not. Initially I didn't pick up on them, but having some time to think about it, I started to pick this out. I guess, in the end, the film is funny to watch, but it's still, in a sense, a typical romantic comedy that doesn't aim for anything than to make a person laugh... Which it does, so this critique was pointless. Moving on!

I'd give the film eight stars on ten. It was quirky, funny, and enjoyable, if you like romantic comedies. It also has a pretty good soundtrack, though the songs seemed out of place. For example, Girl from the North Country, the version with Johnny Cash, from Bob Dylan is a song that plays in the film while Tiffany and Pat are practising their dance. I love that song (in fact, Nashville Skyline is a great album, but that's me just promoting Bob Dylan now, hehe), but the lyrics don't fit with the scene. It seems like a more appropriate song could have been chosen, but again, I'm just nitpicking. Great film, definitely way better than average, but not extraordinary.

Pirate Bay torrent