Upticks in the volume or quality of movies about American politics aren’t particularly good news; historically, it’s a pretty reliable warning sign that things in the real world aren’t going so well. And so, in the 20 years since IndieWire launched, we’ve seen a barrage of great movies about American politics. Yay?
Watch enough of them, and it’s hard to imagine how this country actually functions (or endures). These films can form a grim echo chamber that might seem it leaves us with little to celebrate.
And yet, there’s real joy to be found if you know where to look. Many of these movies are comedies — our increasingly absurd times inspire increasingly absurd movies. “Wag the Dog” seemed like outlandish satire when it premiered in 1997, but 19 years later it feels like a stone’s throw away from the truth. On the other hand, if 1997 audiences...
Watch enough of them, and it’s hard to imagine how this country actually functions (or endures). These films can form a grim echo chamber that might seem it leaves us with little to celebrate.
And yet, there’s real joy to be found if you know where to look. Many of these movies are comedies — our increasingly absurd times inspire increasingly absurd movies. “Wag the Dog” seemed like outlandish satire when it premiered in 1997, but 19 years later it feels like a stone’s throw away from the truth. On the other hand, if 1997 audiences...
- 6/29/2016
- by David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Liz Shannon Miller, Ben Travers, Eric Kohn, Steve Greene, Kate Erbland, Zack Sharf, Kate Halliwell, Sarah Colvin, Russell Goldman and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sarah Palin has launched her own online video channel. The Sarah Palin Channel launched Sunday, with the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice-presidential candidate serving as executive editor and overseeing all of the channel's content. Photos Team Hillary Clinton: Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen and Her 2016 Supporters The subscription-based channel will be available on the Tapp platform. Tapp, which launched in March 2014, is the collaboration of former TV execs Jeff Gaspin and Joe Klein. Tapp aims to provide high-profile personalities with their own channels, and the Palin chanel has been rumored to be in the works for
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- 7/28/2014
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Twenty-five years ago this month, Spike Lee released his third feature film and, inarguably, his greatest joint: Do the Right Thing, the story of tensions between the local residents and an Italian-American family in the black neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, on the hottest day of the summer. The film was a trenchant exploration of the racial politics of New York City at the time, from incendiary trash-talking to police violence and an ensuing riot — even extending to the graffiti on the wall reading "Tawana Told The Truth." (Tawana Brawley...
- 6/20/2014
- Rollingstone.com
DreamWorks Pictures announced today that .Lincoln,. directed by Steven Spielberg, will hit $100M at the domestic box office today, 34 days from its initial exclusive release in 11 theaters on November 9. With its relevancy and riveting storytelling, the powerful film has resonated with American audiences across a wide demographic, drawing in moviegoers from teens to senior citizens.
.Lincoln,. starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones, has steadily delivered strong performances to hit the $100M mark today. To support audience demand, an additional 271 theaters will be added Friday, bringing the total number of theaters to 2285.
Today, .Lincoln. received seven Golden Globe® nominations.more than any other film this year and more than any other Spielberg film. In addition to best picture drama and best director nods, the film was nominated in the best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress categories as...
.Lincoln,. starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones, has steadily delivered strong performances to hit the $100M mark today. To support audience demand, an additional 271 theaters will be added Friday, bringing the total number of theaters to 2285.
Today, .Lincoln. received seven Golden Globe® nominations.more than any other film this year and more than any other Spielberg film. In addition to best picture drama and best director nods, the film was nominated in the best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress categories as...
- 12/13/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
On Monday morning's Morning Joe, host Joe Scarborough mocked Time magazine's Joe Klein for his assessment that the September 11 attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi were not carried out by al Qaeda, and joined panelist John Heilemann in dismissing the 100% true fact that President Obama called the attacks an "act of terror" as a "talking point." Scarborough's prosecution of Klein, in which he repeatedly made the false assertion that Gen. David Petraeus testified that "al Qaeda was involved," culminated in a laughing reference to Klein as Simpsons Police Chief Clancy Wiggum, who frequently tells Springfield citizens there's "nothing to see here."...
- 11/26/2012
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
Coming up on MSNBC: guests/topics MSNBC primetime show previews: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 .Hardball with Chris Matthews. (Live 5-6 P.M. Et; Re-airs 7-8 P.M. Et) Tonight.s Highlights: What impact has Rep. Akin.s comments had on his political future and the Gop? Michael Steele and Nia-Malika Henderson weigh in. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-md) and Joe Klein discuss Rep. Akin and Rep. Ryan and their stance on abortion. Mayor Michael Nutter (D-Philadelphia) on voter ID laws and the 2012 election. Video Clips: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/ Blog: http://hardballblog.msnbc.com/ Twitter: @hardball, @hardball_chris Facebook: http://facebook.com/hardball .PoliticsNation with Rev. Al Sharpton. (Live 6-7 P.M. Et)Tonight.s Highlights: Louise Slaughter (D-ny), Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus joins Reverend Sharpton for an exclusive interview to discuss Rep. Akin refusal...
- 8/22/2012
- by April MacIntyre
- Monsters and Critics
Time's Joe Klein added his voice to night to people who support the President but weren't exactly sure about his speech on the economy today. Appearing with Lawrence O'Donnell on tonight's Last Word, Klein said he thought the speech "works well with the base" but that the base wouldn't be enough to win the election, and the President had generally "failed profoundly in his ability to explain what he's done."...
- 6/15/2012
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Bill Clinton started off the week by saying something favorable about lowering taxes, which is now considered a Major Gaffe™ that somehow revives Hillary 2016 if one is to go by some headlines. But on Hardball today, Chris Matthews, Joan Walsh and Joe Klein wanted to make abundantly clear that they didn't think President Clinton was hurting the Obama campaign, and kept coming up with new ways to praise the life and times of Bill Clinton.
- 6/7/2012
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Glenn Beck isn't one to make the same mistake twice, and when Bill O'Reilly told him to clean himself up to be on his show, he took it seriously, donning a velvet sport jacket and bringing out a wine glass and the 2010 Joe Klein era pipe for tonight's show. The topic tonight was President Obama's birth control mandate, which Beck insisted was a sign that the President "is interested in radical transformation."...
- 2/14/2012
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
On Thursday night's The Last Word, host Lawrence O'Donnell dove into reports of a chaotic Herman Cain campaign with gusto, particularly the revelation that an internal campaign memo instructed aides, when driving with the candidate, “Do not speak to him unless you are spoken to.” O'Donnell joked that he had tried, unsuccessfully, to institute such a rule at MSNBC for a long time. Guest Joe Klein, though, probably had the line of the night, calling the Republican field "the most...glorious display of weird humanity I have ever seen."...
- 10/28/2011
- by Tommy Christopher
- Mediaite - TV
A lot of Washington reporters love covering politics from, you know, Washington. But Time's Joe Klein has pretty much had it up to here with DC, and--since the 2012 election seems to be nearing full-swing status--he's got a better idea, that combines finding stories and escaping the Capital. "Washington is just too ugly for words. The rest of the world isn’t much of a bargain, either. I’m feeling the need to get outta here, hit the road, talk to actual people. And so–you knew it was coming–another road trip!"...
- 7/15/2011
- by Mark Joyella
- Mediaite - TV
Now after a few weeks passed since President Obama successfully ordered the killing of Osama bin Laden, Chris Matthews wondered how much the act improved Obama's relationship with the military. Elisabeth Bumiller from the New York Times admitted it was a boost, but warned that Obama's proposed budget cuts to the military could jeopardize the warm feelings. Joe Klein, however, viewed the relationship as being in much better condition.
- 5/29/2011
- by Matt Schneider
- Mediaite - TV
Joe Klein Explains His ‘Victory For Socialism’ Comment On NY 26: I Was Mocking ‘Radical Republicans’
As the internets have likely been informing you, last night on MSNBC's The Last Word, Time columnist Joe Klein said the Democratic win in New York's 26th District special election was “a victory for socialism.” On Fox, the comments were covered without any suggestion Klein might've been kidding. And at Hot Air, Klein's applauded for getting it right: "He’s crowing about Hochul’s big win and that’s irritating, so I feel obliged to rip on him — and yet, I don’t really disagree. Medicare is socialistic and the public might, might, be attached to it to the point where they prefer not to touch it even though that necessarily means a fiscal crisis sooner rather than later."...
- 5/26/2011
- by Mark Joyella
- Mediaite - TV
Joe Klein's shots against fellow liberals on CNN recently did not go unnoticed, especially by MSNBC host Ed Schultz, who Klein described as "stupid" and "unworthy." In his "Psycho Talk" segment today, Schultz went after Klein for attacking a position some polls show a majority of Americans agree with, and hinted that Klein has something to gain from the war continuing.
- 1/11/2011
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
Friday
WWE Smackdown - Syfy, 8 - Network Premiere. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss - Tlc, 9 - Series Premiere. Plus-size bridal gown show. Say no to the eclair.
Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret - IFC, 10 - Series Premiere. I'll be reviewing.
Teach: Tony Danza - A&E, 10 - Series Premiere. Tony Danza becomes a full-time (certified) history teacher at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. I'll be reviewing.
Real Time with Bill Maher - HBO, 10 - Featuring Arianna Huffington, Cornel West, David Cross and Joe Klein.
Saturday
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WWE Smackdown - Syfy, 8 - Network Premiere. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Say Yes to the Dress: Big Bliss - Tlc, 9 - Series Premiere. Plus-size bridal gown show. Say no to the eclair.
Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret - IFC, 10 - Series Premiere. I'll be reviewing.
Teach: Tony Danza - A&E, 10 - Series Premiere. Tony Danza becomes a full-time (certified) history teacher at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. I'll be reviewing.
Real Time with Bill Maher - HBO, 10 - Featuring Arianna Huffington, Cornel West, David Cross and Joe Klein.
Saturday
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- 10/1/2010
- by Benny Gammerman
- Filmology
Anderson Cooper is nearing a deal for a syndicated daytime talk show, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 43-year-old 360 host, who's been with CNN for nine years, is negotiating for a program that would be pitched to stations next year as a possible Oprah Winfrey replacement. The show would expand upon Cooper's hard-news background, covering celebrity stories and social issues. Cooper is in negotiations with Telepictures Productions, the same studio behind The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Since gaining notice for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami, there has been speculation about Cooper's future at CNN. Earlier this year, The New York Times reported that he met with CBS, where he is already a special correspondent for 60 Minutes. After years of declining ratings and firing longtime domestic President Joe Klein on Friday, can CNN really afford to lose one of its biggest stars?...
- 9/30/2010
- by cjoyce@corp.popstar.com (Colleen Joyce)
- PopStar
Chris Matthews revealed an interesting statistic on his show Sunday: More than half of Republicans polled say they have a negative attitude toward Islam, this compared to only 27% of Democrats. Asked Matthews: Is this negative feeling what's propelling American Muslims (i.e. the Times Sq. Bomber, and the Fort Hood shooter) to attack America? Joe Klein thinks it's a contributing factor.
- 8/30/2010
- by Glynnis MacNicol
- Mediaite - TV
CNN is reporting that General Stanley McChrystal, the U.S. military’s top commander in Afghanistan, has submitted his resignation following White House furor over incendiary remarks he made to Rolling Stone. The network heard the news from Time magazine’s Joe Klein, who heard it from an anonymous source. CNN says it’s currently working to independently confirm the story. Word of McChrystal’s reported stepping down falls in line with an earlier prediction by Politico’s Mike Allen, who reported that “
ublic and private signs from the administration point to President Barack Obama firing—or accepting the resignation of—Gen. Stanley McChrystal after careless, smart-aleck comments he and his staff made to Rolling Stone.” (Mike Allen, soothsayer, is definitely the combination of the Holy Ghost and a Founding Father that The New York Times said he was!) White House press secretary Robert Gibbs hinted at the commander’s...
ublic and private signs from the administration point to President Barack Obama firing—or accepting the resignation of—Gen. Stanley McChrystal after careless, smart-aleck comments he and his staff made to Rolling Stone.” (Mike Allen, soothsayer, is definitely the combination of the Holy Ghost and a Founding Father that The New York Times said he was!) White House press secretary Robert Gibbs hinted at the commander’s...
- 6/22/2010
- Vanity Fair
Oh to be a fly on the wall for this conversation. After all his hooting and hollering over Time, and in particular Joe Klein, Glenn Beck apparently had no qualms about attending last night's Time 100 bash...where, as luck would have it, he ran into said Mr. Klein. It apparently did not go well. May we present you the he said, he said.
- 5/5/2010
- by Glynnis MacNicol
- Mediaite - TV
Glenn Beck has still obviously not gotten over being called seditious and compared to Timothy McVeigh. Yesterday, it was Joe Klein's turn to incur the wrath of his '50s TV fireside chat; today was Bill Clinton's. And if the left could get away with comparing him to McVeigh, Beck seemed to figure, he was going to turn the tables on them and compare Oklahoma City to the tragedy in Waco, Texas.
- 4/21/2010
- by Frances Martel
- Mediaite - TV
This morning on the Chris Matthews Show, Time's Joe Klein said that what is different between today's Tea Partiers and past anti-government movements is the presence of Fox News, "which allows its commentators like Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck to rouse the Tea Party", and a Gop that is lacking in a "responsible, moderate" leadership. Not to mention, Beck and Palin (and Rush Limbaugh) are close to committing sedition. Video after the jump.
- 4/18/2010
- by Glynnis MacNicol
- Mediaite - TV
Yes, Tom has much to share with us about foreign conflicts. But Karl, aka 'Bush's brain', has some thoughts of his own . . .
Lost in Showbiz knows you only come here for the glamour – but hopefully stay for the hugs – so today we have Tom Hanks, Karl Rove, and a somewhat dysfunctional analogy between the war on terror and the Pacific theatre of operations in the second world war. I do hope you wore heels.
To summarise: this week, Tom Hanks mentioned the war, and Karl Rove – the Rod Hull to George Bush's Emu – didn't let him get away with it, and now they're having a media spat in which racism and Barbra Streisand are hot button issues.
And so to the extended version. You might know that Hanks, along with Mister Spielberg, has produced a new 10-part HBO miniseries called The Pacific, which is set during the...
Lost in Showbiz knows you only come here for the glamour – but hopefully stay for the hugs – so today we have Tom Hanks, Karl Rove, and a somewhat dysfunctional analogy between the war on terror and the Pacific theatre of operations in the second world war. I do hope you wore heels.
To summarise: this week, Tom Hanks mentioned the war, and Karl Rove – the Rod Hull to George Bush's Emu – didn't let him get away with it, and now they're having a media spat in which racism and Barbra Streisand are hot button issues.
And so to the extended version. You might know that Hanks, along with Mister Spielberg, has produced a new 10-part HBO miniseries called The Pacific, which is set during the...
- 3/18/2010
- by Marina Hyde
- The Guardian - Film News
As I predicted in my review of Avatar, the big budget sci-fi event is not only making an absurd amount of money, but it is also causing a stir in the village of political pundits. Some have called the film “anti-American” and “anti-military” while others say that’s total garbage.
From Time columnist and avowed liberal Joe Klein:
But that wasn’t the most amazing thing about the movie: the Americans were the bad guys. They were a mercenary army working for corporate villains who wanted to strip-mine a tribe of alien, cerulean nice-guy, enviro-theists. The dialogue was awful; the characterizations were crude…and I’m sure that conservatives will dismiss this as another excretion of the Hollywood left. But still, it was something for a mainstream–indeed, a blockbuster–motion picture to have you rooting for the blue dudes flying about on birds painted like Chinese fans…and rooting against the humans,...
From Time columnist and avowed liberal Joe Klein:
But that wasn’t the most amazing thing about the movie: the Americans were the bad guys. They were a mercenary army working for corporate villains who wanted to strip-mine a tribe of alien, cerulean nice-guy, enviro-theists. The dialogue was awful; the characterizations were crude…and I’m sure that conservatives will dismiss this as another excretion of the Hollywood left. But still, it was something for a mainstream–indeed, a blockbuster–motion picture to have you rooting for the blue dudes flying about on birds painted like Chinese fans…and rooting against the humans,...
- 1/10/2010
- by Erik Buckman
- ReelLoop.com
More than murder, corruption, war, scandal, it’s revolution that the media adores. Revolution’s the ultimate conflict and the ultimate upset. Even more, the media loves a revolution that produces media—that is, pictures. Even better when you don’t have to send a camera crew, as with the YouTube video of the dying Iranian woman, Neda Agha-Soltan. Curiously, it may not matter whose side is revolting. The 1979 revolution in Iran, even with America cast as the enemy of the revolution, was covered with as much excitement by the Us press as the current one. This is surely one of the major dangers of revolution: the maximum number of cock-sure-sounding people with little idea of what they are talking about—the nature of revolution being, after all, maximum confusion—talking as much as possible about it. The imperative, from the media point of view, is to reduce the narrative,...
- 6/23/2009
- Vanity Fair
During the presidential campaign, it made sense (sort of) for John McCain to spew G.O.P. talking points regardless of whether they made any sense or not. But what’s in it for him now? The Arizona Senator—who, you’ll recall, is not only not our commander-in-chief but is also far too old to ever consider being one in the future—has been nipping at President Obama’s heels over his take-it-slow response to the crisis in Iran. “Sen. Daniel Webster, when the Greeks rose up against the Turks in 1823, I would love to give you the full quote, where said of course it is our duty to stand up for people who are struggling for freedom,” McCain said. “That is what America is.” McCain’s blather was so irrelevant to the current situation that Dem-friendly journalist Joe Klein jumped down his throat right then and there.
- 6/23/2009
- Vanity Fair
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