The Candidate
Is The Candidate, in fact, the anti-West Wing? A political story that ends not with a bang, but with a question of existential dread.
Let us know what you thought of the film!
A Face In The Crowd
Did this movie predict Trump back in 1957? We discuss the film debut of Andy Griffith in a role so dark, anyone who knows the Andy Griffith show might experience some uncomfortable dissonance.
Some goodies that came up in our conversation:
What did you think of the film, on a scale of 1–10 grains of inert matter? Let us know!
Network
This week, we dive deeper into the role of the fourth estate, as we discuss Network, the Oscar-winning film that was meant to be a wild satire at the time it was released, but ended up uncannily predicting the future.
Some additional reading material:
Mad As Hell, Dave Itzkoff's book about Network
Directors' Guild of America post about Sidney Lumet at a 2003 screening of Network
Vanity Fair article on the legacy of Network (which includes thoughts from Aaron Sorkin)
Bulworth
This week, we're discussing the 1998 film Bulworth, which features a rapping Warren Beatty, a young Josh Malina, a few problematic moments, and some wonderful and strange ones, too.
For a real treat, watch the music video for Ghetto Supastar, which also features a young Josh Malina!
What did you think of Bulworth? Join the conversation over on our Patreon and let us know on a scale of 1–10 forced calls!
Judas and the Black Messiah
What's more terrifying in Martin Sheen's depiction of J. Edgar Hoover—the racism, or the makeup?! We discuss ALL the important aspects of this cat-and-mouse thriller, which was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, and won two: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Daniel Kaluuya.
For additional viewing:
Hoover and Sheen-as-Hoover, side by side:
What did you think of Judas and the Black Messiah? Let us know on a scale of 1–10 simultaneously played saxophones over on our Patreon page, patreon.com/thewestwingweekly.