Moveon Doesn't Flinch. More Ads Coming Featuring Dem Actors

[bigtree]

. . . the new batch of slick commercials are a far cry from the usual humdrum cut-and-paste political ads currently plugging away on cable news stations. "The Pie," for example, plays more like a 30-second movie than a yawn-inducing campaign commercial. Directed by Allison Anders (Grace of My Heart), "The Pie" stars Ione Skye and Illeana Douglas in a diner face-off (take that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth!).

Grounded for Life star Logue pushes the tired political commercial genre even further with several irreverent spots featuring his Jimmy the Cab Driver persona. In "Jimmy the Cab Driver: Tax Break?," Logue's wacky cabby muses on the recent Bush tax cuts to an nonplussed fictional passenger in his New York City cab.

The content of the 10 different spots varies greatly according to each writer-director's creative vision. The sole unifying theme is a mistrust of President Bush's policies and a desire for change in November. Director Rob Reiner, for instance, contributes an ad that uses footage of President Bush from an April news conference in which Bush famously paused lengthily when asked whether he'd made mistakes as President.

Other spots include "It's His Job or Yours," directed by The Bourne Identity's Doug Liman and featuring a voiceover by Damon; "American Opinions," pairing writer-director John Sayles and Martin Sheen; and "Who Profits?," a spot featuring Johansson, Bacon and Ed Anser.

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14782,00.html

[joefree1]

1. the repukes got money and power

We got talent and we're better looking. Sink the swift boat liars.


Download the free poster/sign here:
http://ediablo.com/eDiabloGallery.html

[NewJeffCT]

12. not only that

According to that post yesterday, we're also better in bed!

[seabeyond]

2. i have seen three or four, they are kick ass, bring em on

they are cool. love the one bush is saying mistakes, my mistakes. let me think..............oh it is so funny. from one of his few press conferences

[City Lights]

4. I love the ads I saw. They do kick ass.

Saw clips last night on MSNBC. Hope they get lots of free play.

[Lefty Pragmatist]

3. Anybody else think

this is probably not a good trend in political advertising?

We will benefit for a while given the relative mobilization of liberal actors and directors; great. But after it balances out, hasn't it debased the political debate even further?

[madfloridian]

5. I think it is a great idea.

The right wing has made fun of the "liberal Hollywood folks" far too long, while forgetting they have a right to their activism and their voice.

Never forget the Dixie Chicks. That was ugly.

[seabeyond]

7. no because

repugs had the power and when they did this reform was strongly stacked for the republicans and everyone knew it. was a ploy like delays redistricting here in texas.

the basis for 527 is ok. it is holding candidate responsible for flat out lie, vs attack or whatever ad. it about says they have to be attack ad, but there is even integrity in this. an honesty in an attack ad. swift bopat was an example of irresponsible and bush accountability is to say no, not right

his bad

dems need 527

[bigtree]

9. debasing bush

before he gets another media free ride to debase Kerry. Seen any of the false bush ads? That's debasement. Telling the truth is not debasing.

"It is pretty obvious that the debasement of the human mind caused by a constant flow of fraudulent advertising is no trivial thing. There is more than one way to conquer a country."
Raymond Chandler (1888–1959), U.S. author. Letter, November 15, 1951, to his New York literary agent Carl Brandt. Raymond Chandler Speaking (1962).

[Lefty Pragmatist]

14. You're missing the point.

The debasement isn't the relative truth of the MoveOn charges. It's actors leveraging their fame and status for political purposes.

There are two things I think people here are missing about the conservatives' criticism of Hollywood types.

1) In the narrowest sense, they're right. Just because somebody has big boobs or a pretty smile doesn't mean they know a thing about the issues. That's the Shockley Effect, in spades. (Don't scream at me that the conservatives use the same tactic -- Heston etc.-- when it serves their purposes. I agree that they're utter hypocrites.)

2) More importantly, it works. Associating Democratic politics with Hollywood drives middle of the roaders away from the party. MoveOn's profile isn't helping us, and I don't have any use for tactics that don't help us. I would march hundreds of genuine vets in front of the cameras in dozens of ads, rather than brainless automotons with a script and an axe to grind. Ed Asner's a nice old coot, but he isn't the face of a winning party.

[bigtree]

16. I'm not missing the point

I disagree with it. The trashing of actors reminds me of the attitude towards entertainers that folks had in the dark ages. Actors were denied lodging and basically looked on as the scum of the earth. Acting and entertaining is work. These folks are hard working Americans who often bring compelling and important issues to national focus through their work.

NIXON. 1995. Dir. Oliver Stone. Stars Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Power Boothe.

TRUMAN. Dir. Frank Pierson. Stars Gary Senise, Richard Dysart, Diana Scarwid.

MALCOLM X. (1992) Dir. Spike Lee. Stars Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall.

AMERICAN HISTORY X. (1998). Dir. Tony Kaye. Stars Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Stacy Keach.

REDS. (1981). Dir. Warren Beatty. Stars Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, Edward Herrman, Jack Nickolson, Paul Sorvino.


GUNGA DIN. (1939) Dir. George Stevens. Stars Cary Grant, Victor McLaglen, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Joan Fontane.

DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. (1965). Dir. David Lean. Stars Omar Sharif, Julie Christie, Geraldine Chaplin, Alec Guinness.

ELECTION. (1999). Dir. Alexander Payne. Stars Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein.

A FACE IN THE CROWD. Dir. Elia Kazan. Stars Andy Griffith, Patricia Neal, Walter Matthau, Lee Remick.

GANDHI. (1982). Dir. Richard Attenborough. Stars Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen, Edward Fox, John Gielgud.

MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE. (1962). Dir. John Frankenheimer. Stars Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury.

CLOCKWORK ORANGE. (1971). Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Stars Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee.

MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. (1939). Dir. Frank Capra. Stars James Stewart, Jean Arthor, Claude Rains

DR, STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB. (1964). Dir. Stanley Kubrick- Peter Sellers (in 3 roles), George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Slim Pickens and James Earl Jones.

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. (1976). Dir. Alan J. Pakula. Stars Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Robards, Jack Warden.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. (1962). Dir. David Lean. Stars Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif.

CITIZEN KANE. (1941). Dir. Orson Welles. Stars Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane.

SCHINDLER'S LIST. (1993). Dir. Steven Spielberg. Stars Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes.

ALL THE KING'S MEN. (1949). Dir. Robert Rossen. Stars Broderick Crawford, Joanne Dru, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge

JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG. (1961). Dir. Stanley Kramer. Stars Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Maximilian Schell, Montgomery Clift.

[henslee]

17. What a great list of pictures. eom

[Doctor_J]

6. rebecca romijn...

I thought she was a repub. Glad she's with us.

[mac56]

11. Self-edit.

I wondered if maybe her husband John Stamos is a Dem too. Turns out they're divorcing now. Although I still hope he's a Dem.

[Doctor_J]

13. ex-husband

it's over :-(

[mac56]

15. Yeah, I found that out after the fact.

One never knows what goes on behind closed doors, but from my observations - John Stamos is NUTS.

[LynnTheDem]

8. Now is when MoveOn should go ballistical

Bush refuses to denounce the SBLiars.

Kerry can continue to denounce MoveOn.

And MoveOn should REALLY let them have it and smack that deserter ties-to-world-terrorists bush and his Cartel hard. REAL HARD.

:D

[henslee]

10. Saw all the spots here's my review.... some good some sorta lame.

though what the heck do I know... There were 15 in all....

There were 4 Jimmy the cabdriver ads (you know him from MTV spots)
Two of them were hysyterical and two were unintelligible...(to me)

It's painfully obvious that 30 second spots are a tricky medium. Especially when hipsters in a bubble are behind the camera.

"Mistake" by Rob Reiner featured real flubs by * and was good.

There were two animated ones that sort of just sat there.... very little cohesion and I can barely remember them now.

Richard Linkletter did a good one with a "real" good old boy in it talking with utmost sincerity.

"George Bush/his job or yours" was great. It had Matt Damon's voice and showed folks disppearing right before the camera, right in the middle of a job... like a fireman putting out a fire poof he's gone but the fire still burns. It was good.

The best one by far was "THE AIR WE BREATTE" BY Charlie Fisher. It had everybody smoking in it.... babies, a woman giving birth, sprinters. It was cinematic and hit you hard.

Benny Boom's was cute.... It showed kids, mostly black, in the inner city, going to vote. It had a nice energy. It looked cool.

The Margarat Cho spot featured lots of gay couples, some with children. Look, I love my gay brothers and sisters but (and don't hate me) I sure hope they don't run that one too much... All it does is preach to the choir. Anyone gay or sympathetic to gay rights is already voting for JK. Just does not seem too Machiavellian to play this issue up.

Frankly, I think Margarat Cho is a no-talent and gets a super free ride being the "oooh-controversial" gay comedian postergurl. She sure ain't funny and political at the same time like my main fucking man Dave Chappelle AKA "Black Bush" AKA "Rick James bitch".