On the plane back from Washington I watched the movie BOBBY, which I assumed would be the life story of Bobby Kennedy. It turned out to be more like an episode of Hotel Babylon. I half thought Tamzin Outhwaite would glide into the hotel reception at any moment. The whole film was actually about Bobby K's last day, or rather the life of the hotel on that last day.
The film certainly wasn't short of star names. Emilio Estevez even had his father Martin Sheen in a minor role. But the only actor to cover himself in glory was Federico from SIX FEET UNDER (don't know his real name).
The mix of real footage and fiction was smooth from a production viewpoint but didn't really work for the audience until the climactic assassination scene.
Now I'm waiting for Hollywood to make REAGAN. I suspect I might have a long wait.
10 comments:
As you say, Iain, a truly awful film, but interestingly so. It was Hollywood displaying its right-on credentials through an essentially European aesthetic. Perhaps they really are ashamed of bing American.
Do you never read newspaper film reviews, so that you can avoid this dreadful Hollywood dross ?
Oh, I forgot, news papers are 'so last century' to you...
Go and see the film 'Venus' instead - it is fantastic and Peter O'Toole is absolutely superb.
Um...Emilio Estevez hasn't been a star since he was married to Paula Abdul, back in the early Twenties.
I believe they've sold the option to Dutch, but on the basis that its' fictional. I think they're waiting for Nancy to die, though, as the woman has been known to take things rather personally and be dangerous in a grudge match. I certainly wouldn't want to go up against her.
Incidentally, they do say the most interesting things about her early years in Hollywood. Those would make a most intriguing film.
My next door neighbour when I lived in Washington DC was in the room when Bobby Kennedy was shot. He was the Washington Correspondent for the Minneapolis Newspaper. He told me of the drama of the event and how he was lucky enough to grab one of the few phones and phone in his story. They held the front page for his story, which was a big thing in the days of mechanical type. Interesting guy, he also went to China with Nixon.
Anonymous 10:22. Did you read Iain's post? He didn't GO AND SEE the movie. He was on the damned plane. That's what they were offering. Duh.
BTW, why did they imagine anyone would care about Bobby Kennedy's last day? The guy had 11 children and was still unfaithful to his wife, who, in the great tradition of Kennedy wives, became an alcoholic. He and John had Marilyn Monroe murdered because she was getting to demanding.
Even if there were a fair film about Reagan made, Iain, I doubt that the Left or the Right would like it. He was neither as bad as the Left like to think nor as great as you hear from the Right. The man's been alternately demonised and deified; either that sort of hysteria will die off and people will eventually see him in a more realistic light or else he'll become an American Hero For The Ages and any attempt to really analyse him will be 'revisionism'. Now's not the time, in any case.
Were you not expecting the life and times of Mr Zamora?
Really, you did not expect Hollywood (2007 version) to get into anything controversial did you?
America is once more moving in the right direction on public debate but they still like everything glazed if not properly iced with pink sugar.
Iain, the film trailers showed clearly that it was a 24 hours snapshot of the hotel, the people staying there, the people working there, at the time of his shooting.
I hope they're better at medicine than they are at astroturf. Quit spamming the blogs, ya twerp.
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