The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Political films you may have missed Posted: 03 May 2013 04:50 PM PDT MAY 4 — It's voting time again, and in honour of the electric political mood that we're all in at the moment, let's take a look at some excellent and probably underrated (or overlooked) films about politics or the election process that you may have missed throughout the years. I won't be including the more mainstream or popular ones like Primary Colors, Wag The Dog, The Campaign, The Ides Of March, Mr Smith Goes To Washington or All The King's Men because they're pretty obvious choices, so I hope the more left-of-field recommendations I'm making here will provide you with much enjoyment. Election This teen movie starring Matthew Broderick and a young Reese Witherspoon is not exactly unpopular, but due to its status as an MTV Films production most adults would have probably passed it over because they think that it's just another dumb MTV teen movie. Wrong! Cleverly transplanting the election process onto a high school situation, it's actually a remarkably funny and surprisingly smart satire, driven by Witherspoon's relentless performance as a relentless go-getter who'll stop at nothing to win. If that still doesn't convince you, then the fact that it was directed by Alexander Payne, who made Sideways, About Schmidt and The Descendants will probably change your mind, especially when it's — in my humble opinion — still the best thing he's done so far. The Candidate Despite starring Robert Redford at the height of his fame in the '70s, I don't think that many people are aware that this film exists. Telling the story of how an idealistic candidate played by Redford gradually loses his nerve for being honest in his campaign because he's fallen behind in the ratings and polls, it's an especially special film for possessing an understated yet highly depressing ending that hits you like a sledgehammer (but softly). Being There One of the gentlest and funniest satires I've ever seen, this classic by forgotten New Hollywood man Hal Ashby (at least compared to his more famous compatriots from the same era like Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Steven Spielberg) comes at the tail end of his remarkable string of outstanding films in the 1970s (which include Harold And Maude, The Last Detail, Shampoo and Bound For Glory), but may be the finest one in that outstanding bunch. It's about a simpleton gardener called Chance (played by Peter Sellers) who knows only gardening and what he's seen on TV, and by chance (i.e. a hilarious series of misunderstandings) stumbles into the inner circle of political power brokers and rises all the way to the top, even being mentioned as a presidential candidate. Do check this one out. The Contender Smear campaigns are something that we Malaysians are more than familiar with in the political and election game. Because of the different sets of morals that we Malaysians have compared to Americans, the whole moral point of this film, in which Joan Allen's vice-presidential candidate was subjected to an appalling smear campaign concerning things that happened when she was in college, will unfortunately never apply over here. But that shouldn't stop us from watching this electrifying thriller, which will no doubt inspire some moral steel in some viewers. Advise & Consent Made by Hollywood legend Otto Preminger three years after his classic hit Anatomy Of A Murder, this awesome examination of the kind of dirty tricks and backroom deals necessary to make things happen in the political and governmental machine is rather forgotten now, despite the kind of star power it has (Henry Fonda, Walter Pidgeon, Charles Laughton). But if you find the deal-making parts of Spielberg's recent hit Lincoln intriguing, then I assure you that you'll be overjoyed to see this one. King's Game In the great tradition of '70s paranoid thrillers and conspiracy movies, this Danish film is a hugely efficient thriller that uncovers what happens when a leading candidate for prime minister became involved in a car crash 11 days before the parliamentary elections, and the behind-the-scenes power play, cover-ups and media spin involved when other politicians smell an opportunity to strike and rise to the top. Again, the ending is a huge downer, but when a political film wants to be "real", there really is no other choice for endings, right? Silver City US indie legend John Sayles rarely makes films that one would call "entertaining" or "easily digestible", but this political satire, which combines elements of a whodunit or murder mystery as well as the usual elements of political satire is a surprisingly pleasurable watch. Chris Cooper's very George W. Bush-like accent and vocal performance probably helps a great deal, but this is truly one political-film-with-a-bite that deserves to be seen by more people than its rather pathetic US$1.4 million (RM4.25 million) worldwide box-office collection suggests. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Posted: 03 May 2013 04:44 PM PDT
MAY 4 — This week has seen the birth of a new Clasico — a new footballing rivalry that has swiftly become one of the world's must-see encounters. For years, the most mouth-watering clashes on the planet have been long-established: Manchester United against Liverpool; AC Milan against Inter Milan; Barcelona against Real Madrid; Celtic against Rangers. But now there's another. A new domestic rivalry whose importance is beginning to transcend national borders: Bayern Munich against Borussia Dortmund. The two sides meet in the Bundesliga tonight (12.30am kick-off Malaysian time) and it will be a celebratory occasion as both come into the game fresh from their triumphant midweek Champions League semi-final successes over Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Bayern have looked like the best team in Europe all season. I wrote as much in this column as far back as September and, if anything, the Bavarian team have only got better since then. They certainly looked like world-beaters when I went to watch them ruthlessly dispose of Barcelona in Wednesday night's second leg. From the opening whistle, it was clear that this is a formidable and extremely confident team. All across the field of play, they were strong, composed and comfortable. There was no chink in their armour, no part of the pitch where you thought: Barca have got a chance there. In the centre of defence, Jerome Boateng and Daniel van Buyten were smooth and unruffled, dealing with every Barcelona attack as though they casually nicking the ball away from eight-year-old boys. Ahead of them, Javi Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger controlled the central areas, sticking close together in defence to deny any openings to their opposition but then quickly breaking forward to create space when possession was won. Completing the central spine were Thomas Muller and Croatian striker Mario Mandzukic, both of whom were magnificent in an unfussy, unobtrusive manner. They are very different players — Muller is rangy and energetic while Mandzukic is immensely strong, bearing the resemblance of a human magnet due to his ability to retain possession even when under physical pressure — but they complement each other perfectly. Then there's Bayern's exhilarating width, with captain Philipp Lahm and Dutchman Arjen Robben raiding the right wing with frightening pace and incision while David Alaba and Franck Ribery offer the same threat down the left. The only player I haven't mentioned is the goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was left virtually unemployed thanks to the excellence of his teammates. But on the few occasions Neuer was called into action, he fulfilled his task with the same calm efficiency that oozed throughout his team. Ah... there is it: that word: "efficiency". Sooner or later, any Englishman's account of a German football team has to contain the word "efficient", which has become the Briton's favoured stereotype for Germanic culture. And it's true, Bayern were ruthlessly efficient. There's nothing unusual in their defensive shape of 4-2-3-1, a formation which is employed by many teams, but Bayern's defensive execution just looked much more disciplined and solid than anyone else. There were no gaps for Barca to exploit, with Bayern's players moving as a coherent unit in an organised and wholly co-ordinated manner to close down the space in front of their penalty area. Little wonder they've only conceded 14 goals in 31 league games this season. However, simply calling Bayern "efficient" would be a gross disservice to their sparkling attacking play. Defensively, it is an appropriate adjective. But when they come forward, their ability to attack with pace, intent and incision makes them thrilling to watch. German teams, according to the English stereotype, are not supposed to be exciting: this Bayern team trample all over that myth. They are a wonderful team. Dortmund aren't too shabby either. Although the final stages of their second leg at Madrid became unnecessarily scary after the Spanish side scored twice in the space of five minutes to leave themselves within one more goal of the final, the gap in quality between the two teams was far greater than the eventual aggregate scoreline of 4-3 suggested. Over the 180 minutes of the tie, I reckon Dortmund were the better team for 145. Madrid had the better of the 10 minutes before half-time in the first leg, the opening quarter-hour of the second leg and then the crazy final 10 minutes. Other than that, though, Dortmund were in full control and could have easily scored more than their four goals. Although they line up with a similar 4-2-3-1 formation and execute counter-attacks with comparable pace and precision, Dortmund are a very different team to Bayern. They are much looser, more creative, more open — rather befitting the markedly contrasting personalities of the two coaches, Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp and Bayern's Jupp Heynckes. While Bayern are more predictable — you know what's coming but are still powerless to stop it — Dortmund's attacking players are capable of surprising you with their inventive approach play, which appears more off-the-cuff than it probably is. Dortmund's playmaker Ilkay Gundogan is a very different central midfielder from Schweinsteiger, for example — one is elusive and subtle where the other is powerful and relentless — while the wing play of Marco Reus relies far more on nimble trickery rather than the sheer explosive pace of Ribery or Robben. But Dortmund are another fantastic team and the clash of styles in the Wembley final later this month could be a treat to behold, especially if Dortmund play with the attacking abandon that made their first-leg performance over Madrid so exhilarating. Before then, though, there's today's Bundesliga meeting between the two teams. As a dress rehearsal for the Champions League final, it might actually be something of a let-down. Both camps could well be suffering from a hangover (perhaps literally) after their European exertions, and it would be a surprise to see either manager send out anything like their strongest 11. Make no mistake, though: these two teams deserve to be in the Champions League final. They are the best teams in the world right now. And what's more, given the relative youth of their squads and the healthy state of their finances, they could well be here to stay. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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