“Thank you for your service.” The words have become a cliché, but Hollywood has tried long and hard to make them matter. The industry has produced countless films about warfare and those who died for their country (whom we remember this week). But it has had a mixed record on presenting characters suffering the after-effects of putting their lives on the line. They may have survived, but lost comrades and innocence. It is their moment, too.
World War II brought the most cinematic treatment, and one of the directors who himself served — William Wyler — later had the guts to depict the challenges soldiers faced when the fighting stopped. Vietnam was likely the most troublesome to depict, it being the one we lost. Right-winger John Wayne was up first, with “The Green Berets,” gung-ho in flavor. It wasn’t until the late ‘70s that a pair of exceptional movies focused less...
World War II brought the most cinematic treatment, and one of the directors who himself served — William Wyler — later had the guts to depict the challenges soldiers faced when the fighting stopped. Vietnam was likely the most troublesome to depict, it being the one we lost. Right-winger John Wayne was up first, with “The Green Berets,” gung-ho in flavor. It wasn’t until the late ‘70s that a pair of exceptional movies focused less...
- 5/27/2024
- by Michele Willens
- The Wrap
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned former Fox News’ host Tucker Carlson and Donald Trump after senators approved a $95 million foreign aid package that would send funds to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.
Under the law, the United States will send $60 billion in support to Ukraine, $17 billion for Israel, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $8 billion to Taiwan.
“I think the demonization of Ukraine began by Tucker Carlson, who, in my opinion, ended up – or he should have been all along – which is interviewing Vladimir Putin,” McConnell told reporters during a news conference.
“And so, he had an enormous audience, which convinced a lot of rank-and-file Republicans that maybe this was a mistake,” he added. “I think the former president had sort of mixed reviews on it. We all felt the border was a complete disaster, myself included.”
The Senate minority leader went on to talk about the negotiation phases.
Under the law, the United States will send $60 billion in support to Ukraine, $17 billion for Israel, $9 billion in humanitarian aid for Gaza and $8 billion to Taiwan.
“I think the demonization of Ukraine began by Tucker Carlson, who, in my opinion, ended up – or he should have been all along – which is interviewing Vladimir Putin,” McConnell told reporters during a news conference.
“And so, he had an enormous audience, which convinced a lot of rank-and-file Republicans that maybe this was a mistake,” he added. “I think the former president had sort of mixed reviews on it. We all felt the border was a complete disaster, myself included.”
The Senate minority leader went on to talk about the negotiation phases.
- 4/25/2024
- by Alessio Atria
- Uinterview
When the skilled dramatic actor Caroll O’Connor took a comedic turn as Archie Bunker in “All in the Family” in 1971, critics noticed the layered performance. Looking back decades later, Ronald Brownstein wrote in The Atlantic: “‘All in the Family’ commanded national attention to a degree almost impossible to imagine in today’s fractionated entertainment landscape. Archie Bunker’s catchwords — stifle, meathead, and dingbat — all became national shorthand. Scholars earnestly debated whether the show punctured or promoted bigotry.”
A Smithsonian Magazine article by Sascha Cohen stated that the fictional working-class TV dad “was retrograde, incapable of dealing with the modern world, a simpleton left behind by the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, a pathetically displaced ‘historical loser.’ (Producer Norman Lear) used him as a device to make racism and sexism look foolish and unhip, but liberals protested that as a ‘loveable bigot,’ Archie actually made intolerance acceptable. Lear...
A Smithsonian Magazine article by Sascha Cohen stated that the fictional working-class TV dad “was retrograde, incapable of dealing with the modern world, a simpleton left behind by the social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s, a pathetically displaced ‘historical loser.’ (Producer Norman Lear) used him as a device to make racism and sexism look foolish and unhip, but liberals protested that as a ‘loveable bigot,’ Archie actually made intolerance acceptable. Lear...
- 7/5/2021
- by Jordan Barkin
- The Wrap
Appearing on The Situation Room Tuesday, panelist Ron Brownstein dismissed the idea that Trump Jr. was forthright as utter nonsense.
- 7/11/2017
- by Joe DePaolo
- Mediaite - TV
After landing more audience “friendly” items in Ross Katz’ Adult Beginners and Richard Lagravenese’s The Last 5 Years, RADiUS’ Tom Quinn and Jason Janego have made their third pick-up of the Toronto Int. Film Festival (technically their first post-fest item) with a boundary-pushing/raw street film that blurs the lines between docu and fiction. After world preeming in Venice, and Tiff, the Safdie Bros.’ Heaven Knows What lands at Nyff tomorrow and will be pegged with a second quarter 2015 release.
Gist: Written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, this is based on Arielle Holmes’ soon-to-be-published memoir Mad Love in New York City and tells the story of a vagabond couple in NYC battling addiction amidst a manic love affair.
Worth Noting: Creative members of the Safdies collaborative include Ronald Brownstein, mutli-tasking actress Eleonore Hendricks and for a second outing, Sean Price Williams (Dp on Alex Ross Perry’s films).
Do We Care?...
Gist: Written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, this is based on Arielle Holmes’ soon-to-be-published memoir Mad Love in New York City and tells the story of a vagabond couple in NYC battling addiction amidst a manic love affair.
Worth Noting: Creative members of the Safdies collaborative include Ronald Brownstein, mutli-tasking actress Eleonore Hendricks and for a second outing, Sean Price Williams (Dp on Alex Ross Perry’s films).
Do We Care?...
- 10/1/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The broadcast and cable networks will be going all out for coverage of the 2012 presidential election, which now kicks off less than 24 hours from now. Most results shows will ramp up between 6-7 Pm Et on Election Day and all seem to be planning for a long night in the presidential race between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Here’s a rundown of plans: Broadcast ABC: “ABC News Your Voice, Your Vote – Election Night Coverage” will originate live from Times Square, with real-time results appearing on Times Square screens. Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos will host beginning with a special edition of “World News with Diane Sawyer” at 6:30 Pm Et and continuing until at least 2 Am. A special edition of Nightline will air at 2:35 Am Et. Team: Jake Tapper, David Muir, Katie Couric, Barbara Walters, Jonathan Karl, Ron Brownstein and Cokie Roberts, Josh Elliott, Amy Robach, Cecilia Vega,...
- 11/5/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Chicago – With a wink and a smile, The Criterion Collection inducts Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker’s excellent “The War Room” into their arsenal eight months before the 2012 election. This riveting examination of the 1992 election from the winning side feels particularly relevant in today’s heated climate and the Blu-ray release also includes a stellar 2008 feature-length documentary called “Return to The War Room” in which the key players revisit the scene of the crime.
Blu-ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
Watching “The War Room” again one remembers the lightning in a bottle aspect of Clinton’s 1992 campaign. Seeing a glimpse of a young(er) Clinton is fascinating but the movie belongs to James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, the two men who really propelled Clinton into the White House. They were the right people at the right time for the right campaign. And the access granted to their influential and game-changing techniques was amazing. From...
Blu-ray Rating: 4.5/5.0
Watching “The War Room” again one remembers the lightning in a bottle aspect of Clinton’s 1992 campaign. Seeing a glimpse of a young(er) Clinton is fascinating but the movie belongs to James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, the two men who really propelled Clinton into the White House. They were the right people at the right time for the right campaign. And the access granted to their influential and game-changing techniques was amazing. From...
- 3/28/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
DVD Playhouse—March 2012
By Allen Gardner
J. Edgar (Warner Bros.) Director Clint Eastwood provides a rock-solid, albeit rather flat portrait of polarizing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, covering his life from late teens to his death. Leonardo DiCaprio does an impressive turn as Hoover, never crossing the line into caricature, and creating a Hoover that is all too human, making for an all the more unsettling look at absolute power run amuck. Where the film stumbles is the love story at its core: Hoover’s relationship with longtime aide Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). In the hands of an openly-gay director like Gus Van Sant, this could have been a heartbreaking, tender story of forbidden (unrequited?) love, but Eastwood seems to tiptoe around their romance, with far too much delicacy and deference. The film works well when recreating the famous crimes and investigations which Hoover made his name on (the Lindbergh kidnapping,...
By Allen Gardner
J. Edgar (Warner Bros.) Director Clint Eastwood provides a rock-solid, albeit rather flat portrait of polarizing FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, covering his life from late teens to his death. Leonardo DiCaprio does an impressive turn as Hoover, never crossing the line into caricature, and creating a Hoover that is all too human, making for an all the more unsettling look at absolute power run amuck. Where the film stumbles is the love story at its core: Hoover’s relationship with longtime aide Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). In the hands of an openly-gay director like Gus Van Sant, this could have been a heartbreaking, tender story of forbidden (unrequited?) love, but Eastwood seems to tiptoe around their romance, with far too much delicacy and deference. The film works well when recreating the famous crimes and investigations which Hoover made his name on (the Lindbergh kidnapping,...
- 3/7/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: March 20, 2012
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
James Carville campaigns in The War Room.
Directed by renowned cinema verité filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop) and Chris Hegedus (Kings of Pastry), the 1993 documentary film The War Room focuses on Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign.
The 1992 presidential election was a triumph not only for Clinton but also for the new breed of strategists who guided him to the White House and changed the face of politics in the process. In their behind-closed-doors account of the campaign, Pennebaker and Hegedus follow the brainstorming and bull sessions of Clinton’s crack team of consultants — especially the folksy James Carville and the preppy George Stephanopoulos, who became media stars in their own right as they injected a fresh spirit and spontaneity into the process of campaigning.
Criterion’s DVD and Blu-ray editions of the acclaimed movie are highlighted by a restored high-definition digital transfer,...
Price: DVD $29.95, Blu-ray $39.95
Studio: Criterion
James Carville campaigns in The War Room.
Directed by renowned cinema verité filmmakers D. A. Pennebaker (Monterey Pop) and Chris Hegedus (Kings of Pastry), the 1993 documentary film The War Room focuses on Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign.
The 1992 presidential election was a triumph not only for Clinton but also for the new breed of strategists who guided him to the White House and changed the face of politics in the process. In their behind-closed-doors account of the campaign, Pennebaker and Hegedus follow the brainstorming and bull sessions of Clinton’s crack team of consultants — especially the folksy James Carville and the preppy George Stephanopoulos, who became media stars in their own right as they injected a fresh spirit and spontaneity into the process of campaigning.
Criterion’s DVD and Blu-ray editions of the acclaimed movie are highlighted by a restored high-definition digital transfer,...
- 1/3/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Ron Brownstein is the political director of National Journal and appeared today on Morning Joe to make sense of a slate of Gop presidential candidates that currently appears to be wide open. Because the slate has not yet "coalesced," it seems that the opportunity for a late comer to challenge for the nomination is very real. Brownstein surmised that Gop support falls across two clear categories: fiscal conservatives, who support Mitt Romney, and "blue collar populists," who support Mike Huckabee. But in the eyes of Brownstein, NJ Governor Chris Christie is the one candidate that truly appeals to both.
- 3/16/2011
- by Colby Hall
- Mediaite - TV
Los Angeles Times: An unattributed report filed late tonight states, “A man believed to be connected to the slaying of veteran Hollywood publicist Ronni Chasen fatally shot himself at a Hollywood hotel Wednesday evening as Beverly Hills police were serving a search warrant there.” It continues, “The name of the man was not released, and his exact connection to the Chasen murder case was not immediately known. The shooting occurred after 6 p.m., according to two law enforcement sources who spoke on the condition that they not be named.”
The Carpetbagger: Melena Ryzik recaps Monday night’s ever “scrappy and unpredictable” Gotham Independent Film Awards, at which Debra Granik’s little indie “Winter’s Bone” was the big winner — despite the shocking upset of star Jennifer Lawrence by Ronald Brownstein (“Daddy Longlegs”) in the best breakthrough actor category. The film took home the top two prizes of the night,...
The Carpetbagger: Melena Ryzik recaps Monday night’s ever “scrappy and unpredictable” Gotham Independent Film Awards, at which Debra Granik’s little indie “Winter’s Bone” was the big winner — despite the shocking upset of star Jennifer Lawrence by Ronald Brownstein (“Daddy Longlegs”) in the best breakthrough actor category. The film took home the top two prizes of the night,...
- 12/2/2010
- by Mary Skawinski
- Scott Feinberg
Since I declared 2010 to be Year of the Underground Film Loop, I’ve decided to try to start doing link round-up posts of interesting stuff found on other underground film websites — and related content on other sites that might prove interesting to an underground film audience. Hopefully, I can keep this up as a series, but for now here’s some nice links for you that I’ve encountered the past few weeks:
Matthew Flanagan has put up a very beautiful series of stills captured from Jonas Mekas’ Walden DVD. (Which I sadly still have to get.) You can scan through the series here. In a somewhat different vein, filmmaker Bob Moricz is threatening to re-watch every Friday the 13th film ever made and post up his thoughts. I’m a fan of that franchise — as lame as most of the films are — so Moricz’s series is interesting to me.
Matthew Flanagan has put up a very beautiful series of stills captured from Jonas Mekas’ Walden DVD. (Which I sadly still have to get.) You can scan through the series here. In a somewhat different vein, filmmaker Bob Moricz is threatening to re-watch every Friday the 13th film ever made and post up his thoughts. I’m a fan of that franchise — as lame as most of the films are — so Moricz’s series is interesting to me.
- 4/4/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
- Best news to come out on Sunday: no one lost any money. In an article from the NYTimes, we get a sense that no one wants to make the Grace is Gone mistake. More reviews are coming in via Variety (see clearly labeled headlines here and The Hollywood Reporter offers a morsel of reviews here. Over at Spout.com we have the daily musings of a couple of Park City virgins: 2 indie filmmakers who've never been invited to Sundance are Ronald Brownstein (Frownland) and Joe Swanberg (Hannah takes the Stairs) and they seem to be having a fun time discovering the fest. Finally, a new Sundance initiate was announced on Sunday put in place to support indie producers. Below: perhaps the most sought after docu. ...
- 1/21/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
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