Video Views

Hail to the Chief
Now that the election is over and we prepare for a new leader in Washington,
it is appropriate that we consider our movie Presidents and
candidates for that office. Starting off with a few comedies about the
campaign process, watch Robin Williams as a news satire program
host win his run for President in MAN OF THE YEAR, co-starring Laura
Linney, Christopher Walken, and Lewis
Black. And in HEAD OF STATE, Chris
Rock plays yet another unlikely candidate.
Quite a few famous actors have
played the President of the United
States. For example, Jeff Bridges sat
in the Oval Office as Joan Allen struggled
to become the Vice-President in
THE CONTENDER. THE AMERICAN
PRESIDENT played by Michael Douglas
romanced a lobbyist (Annette Bening),
and Mark Harmon had to watch
out for the first daughter as he played
the Commander-in-Chief in CHASING
LIBERTY. Dennis Quaid showed his
versatility by playing the President
from an untypical comic perspective in AMERICAN DREAMZ; while
William Hurt did a convincing job with his small role as the President
in VANTAGE POINT. Kevin Kline, in a double role, played both the
President as well as a guy hired to impersonate him in DAVE. Three
Presidents in one movie? Yes, in MY FELLOW AMERICANS, a couple
By Art Slavin
of past Presidents (Jack Lemmon and James Gardner)
romped across the country while Dan Aykroyd was in
office. Not a good guy, but a President who abused his office was
played by Gene Hackman in ABSOLUTE POWER. But Nick Nolte portrayed
one of our most respected leaders in JEFFERSON IN PARIS. And
John Travolta looked and acted awfully
like one of our more recent Chief
Executives in PRIMARY COLORS.
But I seriously doubt that Jack Nicholson’s
portrayal of the President
in MARS ATTACKS! was intended to
be realistic in the face of aliens. The
science-fiction thriller INDEPEND-
ENCE DAY, however, took the alien
situation more seriously when Bill
Pullman had to make some tough
decisions as President of the United
States. More Presidents in troubling
situations were played by Harrison
Ford in AIR FORCE ONE, Donald Moffat
in CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
(starring Harrison Ford), Ronny Cox in MURDER AT 1600 (with Diane
Lane and Wesley Snipes), Jim Curley in IN THE LINE OF FIRE (starring
Clint Eastwood), David Rasche in THE SENTINEL (with Michael
Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland), and Bruce Greenwood in NATIONAL
TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (starring Nicolas Cage).
Based on a True Story
Some movies claim to be “Based on a True Story.” This often means
some of the action really happened to someone; but names, dates,
places or even some of the plot have
been changed to make a better story.
FLAWLESS (2007) is loosely inspired
by a true story. In London in 1960, a
janitor (Michael Caine) convinces the
only woman executive (Demi Moore)
in the company that controlled the
world’s diamond supply to help him
steal a few gems. Instead, he steals
all of them. DREAMGIRLS (2006)
changes names and music, but you
know it’s really about Diana Ross and
the Supremes and Motown Records
mogul Berry Gordy. More serious
stories include A MIGHTY HEART
(2007). In 2002 terrorists kidnapped
U.S. newspaper reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) in Pakistan.
His wife Mariane (Angelina Jolie) galvanized the government and
used the media to try to rescue him. On 9/11, two Port Authority
policemen (Nicolas Cage and Michael Pena) were trapped in the
wreckage of the WORLD TRADE CENTER (2006). This is the story of
their courage and of the men who risked their lives to dig them out.
By Susan Varno
Other heartwarming takes include THE GREATEST
GAME EVER PLAYED (2005), THE WORLD’S FAST-
EST INDIAN (2005)
and THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFI-
ANCE, OHIO (2005). Some true
stories tell of people who made a
difference. Inspired by their coach
(Denzel Washington), in 1935 THE
GREAT DEBATERS (2007) from all
black Wiley College in Texas started
debating white colleges. After winning
most of these contests, their
coach challenged Harvard University
to a debate. Harvard accepted. A
woman (Charlize Theron) fought sexual
harassment in the 1970’s coal
mining industry in NORTH COUNTRY
(2005), a 1960’s Washington D.C.
radio talk show host (Don Cheadle) asked his listeners to TALK TO
ME (2007) the night Martin Luther King died, and a football coach
(Matthew McConaughey) put together a new squad after the Marshall
University team died in a 1970 plane crash in WE ARE MARSHALL
(2006).
Another Look – Hugh Jackman
Born October 12, 1968, the youngest of five children, Hugh Michael Jackman grew up in Sydney, New South
Wales, Australia. When he was eight, his mother returned to England, leaving his father to raise the family.
Hugh took up acting at his private boys school, starring in “My Fair Lady.” After earning a journalism degree
from Sydney’s University of Technology, he joined the Academy of Performing Arts in Perth. On graduation,
the 6’ 2½” actor became a regular on the Aussie TV shows “Correlli” (1995) and “Halifax F. P.” (1998), and he
hosted the lifestyle series “In Fashion” (1997). His first movie roles were in a couple of Aussie films in 1999.
Jackman’s starring role in the London production of “Oklahoma!” (1999) inspired director Bryan Singer to cast
him as mutant superhero Wolverine in X-MEN (2000). He reprised the role in X-2 (2003) and X-MEN: THE LAST
STAND (2006), and he plans to star in the spin off X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE in 2009. In 2001, he fell for
Ashley Judd in SOMEONE LIKE YOU, was a reluctant hacker in the heist thriller SWORDFISH, and time-traveled
to NYC to romance Meg Ryan in KATE AND LEOPOLD. After winning a Tony as Peter Allen in “The Boy From Oz”
on Broadway, Jackman played VAN HELSING (2004), hunter of classic Transylvanian monsters. In 2006, he was exceptionally busy. Director
Woody Allen starred him as a British playboy and possible serial killer in SCOOP. For THE FOUNTAIN he played a Spanish Conquistador, a
present day neuroscientist and a future space traveler, all searching for the “Tree of Life.” In THE PRESTIGE he was an early 1900’s London
stage magician whose rivalry with Christian Bale leads to experimenting with life and death. In animated features Jackman voiced a tap
dancing penguin in HAPPY FEET and a rat who is FLUSHED AWAY into the London sewers. In DECEPTION (2008) he’s lures Ewan McGregor
into a life of depravity and murder.
December 2008 Video Views 12
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