Winter Break Assignment:
Watch a movie about the Presidency and blog a review of the movie citing 5 critical vocabulary terms from the packet provided to you in class.
Here are some choices:
Romantic Comedies:
The American President
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyGibtCfMLM
Dave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vkf4VQx2MHE
Classic Movie:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sm9qaEJ3MBc
Action Adventure:
Air Force One
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwQzfS-Di98
Historical recreations:
Frost/Nixon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh26dgvPWO0
Thirteen Days
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSA7Evcy7iE
The movie Frost/Nixon focuses on the story of David Frost, a pushover talk show host from England, and his journey through his interview with Nixon where Nixon eventually apologized to the nation for his involvement in Watergate. Martin Sheen as David Frost and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon both impressively channel and embody their characters and gives the public an accurate view of the President’s role dealing with the Media. When Nixon started being investigated and sued for his involvement in the criminal acts in United States vs. Nixon, he resigned the presidency to avoid his inevitable Impeachment. Frost’s goal was to give Nixon the trial he never had as President Ford infuriated the American People when he used his Executive Privilege to grant Nixon a free and full pardon from any wrong-doings he committed. At the climax of the final interview, Frost quoted Nixon’s conversation with his White House Staff members Colson (Special Council) and Haldeman (Chief of Staff) who were directly involved in the cover-up and discussed the monetary means for the cover-up. I had initially thought the movie was going to be boring, but the story definitely picked up speed at the end and turned out to be very enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the movie I got the impression that the entire story of Nixon's Presidency was essentially a movie-script tragedy. It seemed that Nixon truly died a broken man, literally falling from the most powerful political position on planet Earth to one of the most hated men of his time.
DeleteThe film I decided to watch for this assignment was Air Force One. This film was about a president of the United States who was a war veteran and American Hero with a Medal of Honor. He was on Air Force One when it was hijacked by a group of Russians that were posing as the press. This puts Washington D.C. in an uproar, as it should. Since the president and his family were on board, this raised the question if the President was still able to be called the President under these circumstances. The White House Staff had a lot of arguing in the movie over this subject, which was summarized in the 25th amendment. This amendment responds to presidential disabilities, which includes the President possibly thinking rationally since his family is in a hostage situation. Since this was the case, the Vice President had to make a huge decision, whether or not to sign the paper that the majority of the cabinet signed to make the Secretary of Defense the temporary President. She did not sign the paper because she had hope that the President was still sane, which he was. They released the situation to the media creating an issue of the President in the media. Although he was not in the media directly, his situation was and it was a big thing in the movie seeing how the press wanted a statement from the Vice President. This film shows Modern Presidency and how they deal with foreign policy. The radical Russians and their radical General from Russia who they wanted free after being put in jail was being bargained on throughout the whole movie. This was a prime example of a new-age situation that would happen with extremist terrorists and jailed Russian Generals by the U.S. special forces.
ReplyDeleteTo me I found the Secretary of Defense saying that he was in charge very reminiscient of the Alexander Haig incident. Secretary of state Haig tried to assumet the office in front of VP Bush when Reagan was shot. Reagan fired Haig that week, when he recovered.
Delete“Frost/Nixon” Review
ReplyDeleteIn its place as a drama, Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon” is definitely towards the top of the spectrum in recent cinema. And if looked at from a political or even historical lens, the film should be considered even greater. This film most actively and accurately represented the relationship between the president, or politicians in general, and the media in which both sides endure a struggle for the potential glory of gaining public approval and support. The film centers on British Talk-Show Host David Frost (Michael Sheen) who looks to boost his television ratings by scoring an interview with former United States President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) just three years after his resignation from office. Thinking Frost’s interview would be an easier television route back to fame, President Nixon accepts his interview and from that point on both sides begin to gather facts in search for a strategy to win this war of words. The burning topic all of America is looking to receive information about is the truth behind the Watergate scandal. This, the event that led to Nixon’s impeachment and, further, his resignation proved to be the true tipping point of political turmoil in America during the mid-seventies. Because the Supreme Court Case United States v. Nixon was upheld as the President using his right of executive privilege, the right to withhold information, and President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon from any crimes he had committed against the U.S., the American people were never truly able to get President Nixon’s true motives on the matter. However, in a media agreement between the President and Frost’s producers, it was made clear that anything affiliated with Watergate could not take up more than twenty-five percent of the interview. This further showcases the slippery slopes and other sorts of games that the media and the President play off of one another. Frost’s side needed him to show engaging and questioning body language whilst the President’s side wanted him to look as comfortable and relaxed as possible, as he used long responses to use up the allotted time given for the interviews. Nixon’s strategy worked tremendously throughout the first three-quarters of the interviews, and even started to change the minds of some of the cameramen shooting the tape. But during the most-anticipated Watergate interview, it was David Frost’s research and sharp question delivery that got Nixon to crack on his true motives behind Watergate, and Frost’s win was solidified when Nixon admitted to thinking that the President had a higher power of government than anyone else in the country. Stretching the powers of the President to extremes is very contradictory of anything stated in the Constitution. At that point, Nixon then had no choice but to apologize and confess to the American people. A great dramatic representation of the media struggle came to a close. But, in a very important final scene, President Nixon explains to Frost how presentation and the ability to be liked is almost as, if not more, important than being purely qualified for the job. And with a closing thought, Nixon felt he would have been better off to use his political intellect in another position than attempt to improve his personable skills and win office. “Frost/Nixon” is a great representation of modern politics and how presentation and the media are a driving force in the nation’s perception of the President.
The movie, “The American President” was about the President of the U.S. falling in love with a lobbyist of the Global Defense Council. Moreover, the film did a great job of outlining the Presidents’ relationship with the bureaucracy and his control over it. In the movie, the GDC, a lobby group, is trying to add pork barrel legislation about protecting the environment to a crime control bill. Since in the movie it was an election year, the President tried to make a deal with the lobby group in order to ensure that he could count on their votes. Furthermore, the GDC used this leverage as an opportunity to make its own policies and push its own legislative agenda through the White House. The deal between the lobby and the President was that if the GDC could get 24 votes for the 20% fossil fuel reduction, the President would get the other 10 votes needed and would add it to the crime bill. In terms of the roles of the President, there is a side plot in the movie about a bombing of Sistani by Libya. The President as Commander in Chief made the decision to bomb the Libyan intelligence building in retaliation to its actions towards Sistani. As far as the President and the media are concerned, the movie does an excellent job of showing the negative effects that news can have on a Presidents’ reputation and re-election rate. I found interesting that the President in the movie, President Shepherd, makes a remark at the beginning in which he says if there were TV back when Wilson ran for president, he would not have won because people would have seen him in a wheelchair. Furthermore, the media portrayed Shepherds’ lobbyist-girlfriend as an American traitor. This portrayal lowered Shepherds’ approval rating from 63% to 41%. The movie also does a great job at displaying the different members of the White House Staff. The President’s secretary is shown as one who does all of his petty errands. Furthermore, the White House Chief of Staff is portrayed accurately as the most important and powerful man besides the President himself. In each scene, the Chief of Staff is the one helping the President make his decisions. In fact, the Vice President is not in the movie at all. Finally, the movie succeeds in displaying the struggles of the personal presidency. The personal presidency is merely the idea that people have higher expectations of the president because of what he promises the citizens during re-election. Near the end of the movie, the President makes a speech about how he is throwing away the crime control bill and is going to put forth a bill to eliminate handguns, which will lead to less crime in the U.S. However, making such a promise during re-election is a risky move for the president if he is unable to keep his promise. However, the citizens voted for him since they expect him to make a positive change to the state of crime in the U.S. based on the amount of time and effort he put into his campaign.
ReplyDeleteA couple of minor corrections, FDR is referenced in the movie as having been in a wheel chair (resulting from his polio) and there are two bills in the movie - the crime bill and the environmental bill: there is no pork barrel issue in the flick. Did you find the comments by real senators in the movie interesting?
DeleteI watched "The American President" for this assignment. This film revolves around the love affair between an environmental lobbyist and the American president. While attempting persuade the president to pass legislation that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions, Sydney Ellen Wade stumbles over her words/ But President Andrew Shephard begins to fall in love with her. Bad timing, though, as the president must also struggle with being reelected against his hard hitting foe Bob Rumson, a man who personally attacks the president for his love affair. Throughout the film, Shephard brings into question the idea of the modern presidency. He explains how the media and the press are so willing to always be involved in the president's life. A good example of how different the modern presidency is from that of the past is when the president's chief of staff commented on how the media will affect his presidency. He said, " If there were a television set in every living room 60 years ago, this country does not elect a man in a wheelchair." Throughout the film, the president rallies for a crime bill to be passed, but it did not involve the banning or regulation of handguns. This decision explains the president's power to control the Cabinet and the Bureaucracy. The Cabinet being the President's group of advisors and the Bureaucracy being the administrative system of the government. Many people in the Cabinet and the Bureaucracy had been pushing for a different version of this bill, but Shephard decided what he wanted passed (even though he does rethink his choice in the end). Shephard's true control of his position and the nation is shown when he finally does pass the bill that would reduce carbon emissions by 20% rather than 10%. The film does a very good job of showing the different powers of the President whether it be about domestic or foreign policy. The power over foreign policy is especially portrayed when Shephard decides to send a bombing upon Libya as part of an executive order. This film, also, does a great job of portraying the White House Staff and the individual jobs. We see the Chief of Staff responding to the President's every move and we see staffers keeping busy by attempting to buy out votes. We even see how in the end all of the staffers and workers show the utmost respect to the President no matter how hotheaded about an idea they get. "The American President" is a great representation of the modern presidency and its effect on America's politics, but also an interesting movie that shows the power of the President.
ReplyDeleteGrueling tensions, feelings of uncertainty, and struggling to avoid the death of millions were atmospheres that surrounded a country for Thirteen Days. Focusing on the inner works of the White house, the movie portrayed a period when the world was at the brink of a nuclear war. It was engaging to see how nervous officials were when first being told about the warheads and how stressed out the families were during the crisis. The sense of anxiety can be felt, from a viewer prospective, as the John F. Kennedy tries to negotiate relations with Nikita Khrushchev through the country's actions. Any actions that the White House Staff and the military takes will show the attitude that the country, as a whole, has toward the situation.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the movie the conflicting views between the President and his military generals seemed strange to me. John F. Kennedy can be seen utilizing his Powers of the President to command the arm forces and playing his Role of the President Commander in chief. He is calm, collected, and does not want to provoke an idea that seems aggressive or problematic. Yet, the military seemed to want to go to war always wanting to take action against the President's orders. For example, the military decides to change the DEFCON, defense readiness condition, of the country to level 2 when the president ordered a level 3. The willingness of military officials to disobey orders from the president could be over dramatized to make the situation more entertaining. But, it does give off the sense of panic that the leaders had while being responsible for the lives of millions who were threatened. One scene that stood out to me was the clash between a Cabinet member, specifically Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and the admiral of the navy. The admiral decides to shoot warning shots at incoming ships heading towards the blockade and then gets scolded by McNamara. He states, "This is language. A new vocabulary the likes of which the world has never seen." The fear of the unknown and idea that the country could be attacked anytime are driving leaders to take extreme actions. However, the President and his main advisors know that this is a crucial period in time. This one event could determine the future of the world and the relationship between the two most powerful countries. Thirteen Days was a movie that showed the importance of a strong minded leader and the terrifying events that almost lead to a full out nuclear war unleashed onto the world.
For the winter break assignment, I decided to watch "Thirteen Days". "Thirteen Days" turned out to be a really great, suspenseful movie that kept my interest throughout. It had some things that annoyed me (weird Boston-like accents and random transitions from color to black and white), but other than that the movie was really good. The movie is about the the decisions of President John F. Kennedy and the events that occur during the Cuban Missile Crisis. It shows this through his interactions with his personal White House Staff, Kenny O' Donnell, his special assistant, and his brother and Attorney General, Bobby Kennedy etc, the National Security Council, General Maxwell Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense, John McCone, Director of CIA etc, and the media. You see who the president really is when he is with the ones he trusts the most, O'Donnell and his family, and you see the president trying to show his power when he is talking to the National Security Council and the media. When JFK talks to the media he tries to tell them everything he can, but he knows he has to keep things from them in order to keep some sort of calm and prevent full scale paranoia. When he is talking to the National Security Council he shows the Powers of the President by making sure what gets done is approved by him. For example, during the movie one of the members of the National Security Council discusses the steps of what will go down during the search and seizure of a Russian ship during the blockade, these steps included that if they didn't voluntarily let the soldiers search the ship shot would first be fired across the bow and if then they didn't allow for search they would disable the ship with a shot to the rudder. President Kennedy shows his power as Commander in Chief by making it clear that no shots will ever be fired because that would give the Soviets reason to attack and making sure the Rules of Engagement are defined and kept in order by his commands. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the President had three options of how to handle it. One of the options was the offensive option, preferred by most of the National Security Council, but strongly disliked by the president, which involved an air strike on the missiles in Cuba and an invasion thereafter. Second option was a blockade/quarantine on Cuba allowing no weapons into Cuba. Lastly was to strike a deal with Soviets to rid their missiles in Cuba in exchange that the US rids their missiles in Turkey. All of these options were considered by the President, but it is the role of the President to decide which option was the best for the United States. Overall, "Thirteen Days" was a great movie that showed the troubles and hard decisions that John F. Kennedy and his advisers had to make in order to prevent nuclear war with the Soviets.
ReplyDeleteAir Force One is an action-packed crisis situation for the United States of America in which, the President’s plane Air Force One is high jacked by a group of people who want the president to release General Radek from prison. They were angry that the president for helping capture General Radek, however the President had just given an unexpected speech before the plane ride saying that he would not negotiate with terrorists and that they acted too slowly in capturing General Radek and he created a new foreign policy. The new foreign policy went along with the Imperial Presidency Argument because it seems as if it gave the President more power than the constitution allows in order to act quicker in these foreign issues. The President’s ideas seem to go along with the ideas of the modern presidency as far as foreign policy is concerned. However, while the President was captured on the plane there was an argument over who would be in charge, however, because of the 25th amendment the Secretary of Defense felt that he would be able to take charge as long as the majority of cabinet members signed a paper allowing him to be the Acting President because the president was under duress. However, the Vice President did not sign the paper which allowed the President to stay in charge which was important because he was able to give orders as his role as Commander in Chief when he found a cell phone and when he faxed a message to the Vice President. Of course, the issue of the president’s plane being high jacked was a very big media event and the Vice President had to talk to the media in the President’s absence showing the relationship between the president and the media. She simply walked in and said very little, as much as she could say at the moment, but the media continued to ask questions that she did not yet have the answer to, so she quickly said what she had to say and walked out. The relationship between the President and the media is also shown on the plane when the president is told his schedule for talking to the press on the plane and he just wants to be alone.
ReplyDeleteIn "Dave" the Mitchell administration looks for a look alike for the president to ensure his safety. Soon after Dave is hired, President Bill Mitchell suffers from a severe stroke which leaves him in a coma. Although the 22nd amendment states who should take the president's position if he cannot perform his presidential obligations , the Mitchell administration instead puts Dave into the White House, claiming the Vice President was not mentally stable enough to take office. Dave has to learn the roles of the president , he is helped by the White House Chief of Staff and other senior advisors. He is able to fix the budget in a way to save homeless shelters which the real president vetoed and he gave the President a much warmer and caring image. The real president eventually dies from a stroke after awaking from his coma.
ReplyDelete"The Butler" is a 2013 movie that focuses on the home and work life of an African American Butler working in the White House as a part of the main staff serving the President under the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations after escaping the brutal conditions of the 1920s South. The movie is largely focused around the development Civil Rights movement throughout these presidencies, and depicts the conflict between African American homes as the Butler's son joins both the civil disobedient movement under Martin Luther King, Jr. and then the Black Panther movement. Though "the room should feel empty when the Butler is in it," the Butler often finds himself amid some of the most important conversations and meetings that these Presidents have, allowing him to learn about the thought process behind executive orders, television appearances and legislation. Specifically, the Butler oversees Eisenhower’s reactions to the conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas after the Brown vs. Board of Education Decision. Eisenhower’s advisors urge him that he must enforce the decision made by the Supreme Court, because the Supreme Court makes decisions representing the Framer’s intent, which the president also has a duty to preserve. After the governor of Arkansas refuses to allow the “Little Rock 9” into a white school, Eisenhower is reluctant to get publically involved, but knows that now he absolutely must. Eventually, Eisenhower is forced to make an executive order requiring Federal Troops to oversee the integration of the Central High School of Little Rock. When the Black Panther Party emerges following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the role of the President as Chief Legislator becomes prevalent, President Johnson organizing meetings with the NAACP and other African American lobbyist groups to try to suppress riots while simultaneously helping the African American cause. The relationship between the President and the media becomes especially important during the Nixon era, when advisors attempt to persuade Nixon to get on board with the charitable aspects of the Black Panther Party movement, while still condemning the brutal actions the party takes for attention. It is during this era that the Butler seems to witness more advisors advising on the appearance of policy than the actual policy being made, which is also shown when Pat Nixon invites the Butler to attend a state dinner as a guest, rather than a server. The Butler’s wife is thrilled, but the Butler is discouraged by the fact that he was invited not out of kindness, but to be a show pony, a living example of Nixon’s tolerance and strive for civil rights. Though the Butler realizes Nixon is not as tolerant as he portrays himself, Nixon does aid the Butler in his long time goal of salary equality for the black and white staff in the White House, which only furthers the Butler’s popularity around the White House. During the Nixon era, the Butler is also given money directly from the President for “those who are in financial trouble,” and is told to deliver it secretly, as his political peers and advisors disapprove of it. This scene, in conjunction with a scene in which Nixon tells the Butler he refuses to resign no matter what “they” want, is the only true glimpse we get into the U.S. v. Nixon case, in which Nixon was charged for the use of “executive privilege” to withhold audio recordings from the Oval Office regarding the Watergate scandal. The story wraps up with the Butler living through the 2008 election, and meeting the first ever Black President of the United States.
ReplyDeleteIn the "The American President", the president, Andrew Shepard falls in love with a lobbyist Sydney Wade. This takes place during an election year and at first the president has a good shot at reelection because he has a very high approval rating. He is widowed and has a daughter. His opponent uses his relationship with Sydney Wade as a way to attack him and he loses support. He is seen as someone without family values. Sydney Wade is a lobbyist who wants legislators to support a specific cause in this case environmental concerns. This movie is a good reflection of the President and the Media as it shows how the media can take something as irrelevant as the president having a relationship with a woman and have that overshadow the bills he is supporting and what he has done with his presidency. The media is not always accurate and factual when dealing with presidents and use anything they can to influence the public's opinion. The movie also depicts modern presidency. At one point in the movie, someone comments "if there had been TV during the time of FDR no one would've elected a president in a wheelchair". This shows how in modern times it is much more difficult to hide anything from the media or public and that the media is much more involved in the president's personal life. The others characters in the movie such as Lewis Rothschild and A.J. MacInerney represent the White House Staff. Lewis Rothschild was the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and A.J. MacInerney was the White House Chief of Staff. They showed how much collaboration went on in the White House and how much work had to be done and how it was split.
ReplyDeleteThe movie “Air Force One” has it all: a devoted president, relentless terrorists, hijackings, hostages, airplanes, explosions, politics, and love. It is a successful thriller that details the story of how the United States President combats terrorists who have hijacked what is supposed to be the world’s most secure and extraordinary planes, Air Force One. The movie begins with the capture of radical Russian General Alexander Radek. Following this, U.S. President James Marshall is honored and makes a speech which alludes to a change in American foreign policy. President Marshall tells the world that America is not willing to negotiate with terrorists and that the terrorists should be afraid. Moments later, the President finds himself confronting terrorist that have taken over Air Force One. The terrorists wanted the president. The President was supposed to have been on an escape pod that was ejected from the plane, but instead he stayed to help save his wife and daughter who were among the hostages. Back in Washington, the Vice President and the rest of the White House Staff struggle to meet the demands of the terrorists and wonder if the President is alive or not. The President is able to contact the White House and he asserts his role as Commander in Chief and gives them a direct order to have them shoot at the plane. He warns the Vice President not to negotiate with the terrorists. He states, “If you give a mouse a cookie…” and she replies, “he’s going to want a glass of milk”. This shows the relationship between the President and the Vice President. As the President continues to struggle to stop the terrorists on the plane, in Washington, they look to the Constitution to see what to do regarding the president. There is an understanding that the President is out of contact in a military situation and thus the Secretary of Defense should be in charge as second in command. Under the 25th Amendment, it states that under duress, such as during hostage situations, it creates an incapacity to be in power. And while the President may dispute that an incapacity exists, it does exist if a majority of the cabinet says so. In other words, they conclude in the White House that the President may be alive, but that does not mean he is the President. Then, the Vice President addresses the media, which illustrates how the President is in the media. The media and the press pushed for the Vice President to answer their questions regarding the president and what was happening on Air Force One. After, the Vice President is faced with the decision of whether or not to sign off as other members of the cabinet have to declare the Secretary of Defense in charge of the nation. This would nullify the president’s recent order to have General Radek released from prison. She does not sign the paper however as she remains confident that the President is capable of making the right decisions. On Air Force One, the President successfully fights off the terrorists and is able to follow through with his new no tolerance policy towards terrorism, a rising issue that modern presidents are faced with. In the end, his love for his family and the country fueled him to success.
ReplyDelete"Mr. Smith goes to Washington" depicts the story of Jeff Smith, a small town man with absolutely no knowledge of how Congress works, who is appointed after his predecessor dies in office. The plan is for him to be a puppet for the media "magnate" Jim Taylor and Senator Joseph Paine. When Smith arrives, he's full of idealism and hopefulness that he's completely blindsided by the corruption of the "dog eat dog" world of Washington D.C. He obtains help from his secretary, Clarissa Saunders, who has been in Washington a long time and knows how everything works. When Smith ends of "disgracing" his state, Sen. Paine provides the idea to propose a bill for a national boy's camp, but when this conflicts with Paine and Taylor's plan for a dam to be built...they make plans to take Smith out of Washington. When Smith learns of the corruption, he is devastated and makes a scheme of his own to expose the corruption. He is almost thwarted when Paine and Taylor try to have Smith expelled from the Senate, which leads to a 23 hour filibuster session, where Smith not only addresses why his bill should be passed but also thoroughly exposes the corruption and highlights the values of a good natured American. Funny, insightful, and a true classic, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" displays the corruption of Washington and politics and it has a true sense of how the Senate works and ends with a true filibuster along with a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie Dave, the main character Dave Kovic is asked by the US government to impersonate the President for a reason unknown to him. As the story progresses the actual President, Bill Michell has a serious stroke, leaving him in a comma. The naive Dave is then asked to continue acting as the President because he, “did such a good job.” When actual, the corrupt Chief of Staff, Bob Alexander, is manipulating Dave so he can become President. Bob Alexander plans to do this by creating a scandal so the Vice President is sent to jail, then the President can “have a fatal stroke,” and Bob Alexander may finally take office. Early on in the movie, Dave knows nothing about this, and is simply trying to act as a good fake president. Dave is such a good “fake president,” he is better than Bill Michell, who is very stale and distant, especially compared to Dave. Along with being a kinder President, Dave and the First Lady seem to be more interested in each other than the actual President and his wife. Besides the love interested created, Dave takes an interest in the First Lady’s interest of helping the homeless. When Bob Alexander vetoes the bill containing money for the homeless shelters, Dave takes action. The film makes fun of the US government when Dave has a friend come in to help him try and cut 650 million dollars from the budget. When Dave and his friend are looking at the expenses Dave’s friend says, “If I ran my store like this I would be out of business!” As Dave continues to learn what it means to be President tensions rise between him and the Chief of Staff. Finally in a climax to the film, Bob Alexander is fired, and then accuses the President of participating in illegal activities. After Dave testifies to Congress about what he has done (even though it wasn't really him who has done those things), he has another “stroke”. This time Dave uses the chaos to switch the real comatose President with himself, so he can finally go home. The movie ends very sweet with the ex- First Lady coming to Dave’s office, where he and his coworkers are organizing his campaign.
ReplyDeleteAir Force One Review-
ReplyDeleteA plane is hijacked, hostages are taken onboard, and many are dead; what makes this even more tragic is this plane is not just any plane it is Air Force One and the hostages include important government workers including the President himself and his family. The movie begins with General Radek a Kazakhstan dictator being captured by the Russian and American forces. After this capture, the President uses public presidency by speaking in Moscow giving a speech about his zero tolerance policy regarding terrorism. The President boards Air Force One with his family and government workers including cabinet members, they are joined on the plane by who they think to be Russian reporters, but are really a group of Russian terrorists who plan to hijack the plane. The terrorists would not have been able to go through with their plan if not for rogue Secret Service agent Gibbs who does not reveal he is on their side until toward the end of the film. When the terrorists do take over the plane the President manages to get to the escape pod where he is to be released and brought to safety, but being a Medal of Honor recipient, he is unable to flee the plane and leave his family and others behind, so he courageously chooses to stay onboard and try to gain back control. Being that it is unknown whether the President is alive or dead, back in Washington there is discrepancy over who is in control. The Vice President is leading and making the calls using discretionary authority to make decisions and make judgments that are not layed out by law. The terrorists are demanding that General Radek be released and they will let the hostages go, but being that the United States does not negotiate with terrorists the Vice President does not make the decision to do so. When the President finally makes contact with the Vice President he uses the comparison of “If you give a mouse a cookie” to the terrorists wishes. I liked this comparison because they really do correspond with one another although one is a children’s book and the other is terrorism they both prove that you can’t negotiate or they will keep coming back for more. They reference the 25th amendment in dealing with the absence of the President and who will assume power. With the signature of a majority of the Cabinet they just needed the Vice Presidents signature to take away the Presidents power in this instance and put someone in his place because they felt that the President being a hostage and his family as well, he was not able to act as a President and was acting as a husband/ father rather than doing what his country needed. The President being the Commander in chief under the powers of the President is able to command the army and he makes the decision for the plane to be shot down. The Vice President has faith in the President and does not sign to take his power, so the President remains in control and is able to get the hostages off. With only him a few government workers and his family remaining out of desperation he calls for Radek to be released, but in a turn of events the President reassumes power in the plane and Radek is shot. The President and his family are brought to safety and he successfully stops this terrorist attack.
During break I watched 'Dave'- a romantic comedy that features the 20th century parallels of Sydney Carton and Charles Darney, Dave Kovic and Bill Mitchell respectively. What was supposed to be a temporary fill in for a friend, turned out to be a new twist to next in line to the presidency. Dave Kovic physically appeared similar enough to the president that the government requested he impersonated the president for an event. After President Mitchell suffered a stroke and lapsed into coma, Dave put on the Chief of the Executive hat for a little while longer. Meanwhile, the villainous Chief of Staff, Bob Alexander, tried to manipulate Dave in order to elevate himself to the White House . Ironically, Dave turns out to be an effective president, using his new power to make the country a better place through actions such as creating programs to benefit the homeless. In addition, the romantic part of this film is seen in the relationship that forms between Dave and the First Lady. However, the Chief of Staff, Bob Alexander, is still out for the presidency; he gets fired and then attempts to accuse the 'president' of involvement in a savings and loan scandal. While explaining the situation to Congress, Dave Kovic fakes a stroke, and uses the time he buys to switch himself out with Mitchell. During this time, the rightful 'next in line' candidate VP assumes office by the 25th Amendment as Mitchell eventually passes on.
ReplyDelete“Air Force One” is an action packed film with hijackers, hostages, missiles, and terrorist negotiations. It leaves you on the edge of your seat the whole movie, watching the president try to regain control of the “most secure” aircraft in the world. The movie first begins with the president making a speech through public presidency about the recent capture of the General Radek and how he has no tolerance for terrorism. He then boards air force one and the situation on board becomes deadly when secret serviceman Gibbs, turned corrupt, helps the Russian hijackers, posing as the press, take control of the plane. Many of the White House staff members are taken into the conference room as hostages used for negotiating the release of the general. The president, a veteran, chooses not to use the escape pod, but instead to fight the terrorists and save his family. While on board he realizes that if one of the other planes shoots a missile at air force one it won’t effect it too much, so he gives an executive order for them to fire one so the plane will be shaken up. The vice president and other cabinet members back in DC are trying to keep the president and hostages alive without releasing Radek, but the terrorists claim that every half an hour they will shoot and kill a hostage. The 25th Amendment is brought up into question and who should be in charge since the hostages on the plane are the president’s family it brings into question his ability to make sound decisions. The cabinet majority signs a declaration that the president isn’t in the capacity to make decisions, but the vice president won’t sign the sheet so it is ultimately ineffective. In the end, the president is able to use his war experience to outsmart the terrorists and although the release of general Radek is authorized, it is called off at the last moment and he is killed. In the end most of the hostages were able to escape through a parachute escape plan while another aircraft rescued others and the terrorists were stopped.
ReplyDelete“Air Force One” is a suspense and action film where Harrison Ford plays the protagonist James Marshall. James Marshall was a veteran from the Vietnam War who became the President of the United States. While containing the excitement of hijacks, hostages, and even betrayal, the movie clearly uses real life examples of how the government would react if Air Force One was hijacked by terrorists. After the United States captured the Russian General they board Air Force One, yet Russian radicals are disguised as news reporters and easily board the plane. They hold the President’s staff and family hostage in the conference room of the plane and the President is believed to have escaped when in fact he is still on board. James Marshall contacts the White House staff, who tries to remain in contact with the President, and makes an executive order to have the plane shot down. The majority of the cabinet needed to vote to have the President not make the decisions any longer because he too was held hostage, but the Vice President did not sign and James Marshall therefore remained President. According to the 25th amendment the Vice President would take the position of the President if something should happen to him and he could no longer perform his duties. Moreover, the President and the media are portrayed throughout as seen when the Vice President releases the status of the situation to the public and reporters. It is also portrayed in the beginning when James Marshall is giving his speech about how they do not negotiate with terrorists. The ending is triumphant as James Marshall and his family is saved. In my opinion, many of the scenes were not believable such as how easy it was for the Russians to hijack the plane. However, you will find it to be interesting if you can overlook this and enjoy the movie for what it is.
ReplyDeleteI recently watched the film Air Force One, a movie that features the presidential aircraft being hijacked by Russian ultranationalists. The movie starts with an American-Russian coalition taking down and imprisoning General Radek from power, as he is a revolutionary fighting against capitalism democracy in what was the old USSR. The President then makes a speech following the "accomplishment" stating how they acted too late because hundreds of thousands still died in conflict even though they had just now captured Radek. The President established a new method of foreign policy in which the United States would never again negotiate or give into terrorists. Ironically, shortly after leaving Moscow, Air Force One is hijacked by ultra-nationalist Russian terrorists whom back Radek and his movement. The film then dives into an enjoyable dynamic of an hour and a half of flip flopping between explosions and gunshots aboard the plane and the US situation room in which the White House Staff, cabinet including the Sec. of Defense and the Vice President, and various military generals and officials try and resolve the situation (typical for this type of movie). Several sections of this film feature scenes in which are directly relatable to fundamentals in class. At one point, no one is aware of where the President is or if he is still alive and so an issue of who is in charge of the situation arises. The Secretary of Defense attempts to overpower the Vice President by stating that this is a "military situation" and that if the President is out of reach than he assumes second in command. The Vice President calls for the Attorney General to see through the issue for his knowledge on how the Constitution applies to this particular situation. He states that in compliance with the 25th amendment the circumstances are much more complicated than just a military situation. There needs to be an agreed upon incapacity of the President in order for him to be discharged from office. More specifically, in order to have someone else in charge (most likely the VP) the majority of the cabinet including the Vice President would have to agree and sign on the incapacity. This was actually attempted by the Sec. of Defense in the movie but failed due to the VP refusing to sign it. References throughout the film also relate to the principles regarding the roles of the President. In the beginning while making the speech, the President's role as an agenda setter designated a shift of foreign and national security policy; in addition, on board Air Force One while under siege the President exerted his role as Commander in Chief of the military by ordering a US warplane to fire upon AFO. Another way in which the movie relates to ideals regarding the presidency is how it portrays the relationship between the President and the Media. During the events of the film, before the White House is able to issue an official press conference on the situation (and understandably so), a newscast by CNN spreads an untrue rumor that Air Force One has crashed. The White House, even without the President's direct support considering he was thousands of miles away in a hostile situation, had to quickly respond with an official statement in order to keep the press and American people at bay. All in all, Air Force One was a very good film. It was nothing Award-winning but had a good diversity of action, tension, and political accuracy with good a cast, acting, and effects. To add, I actually was surprised by how much the film directly related to many topics we will be covering this unit in class and I'm eager to formally learn about them in the near future.
ReplyDeleteThe movie that I chose to watch for this assignment was “Dave.” Dave Kovic is a man that just so happens to look practically identical to the president. He’s asked by the government to impersonate the president, Bill Mitchell, for some sort of safety reasons, but then shortly after joining the White House, the real president has a stroke and falls into a coma. Instead of following the 25th amendment and giving the presidency over to the Vice President, the White House Chief of Staff Bob Alexander tells Dave to take over the presidency since the Vice President was deemed “mentally ill” (which we later find out is a false allegation made up by Bob Alexander because of his plan to be president). The White House Staff then spend time to teach Dave important things for him to know about the government and the role of the president. Overall I actually thought Dave did a pretty good job as a fake president for someone who was just a random look alike taken off the street. He even took the time to invite his friend over to the White House to help him solve budget problems to figure out a way to get funds to homeless shelters, which is something that the real president vetoed. There were a lot of good examples of the relationship between the president and the media in this film as well. In some scenes it would show a TV on with some talk show, in which there would be people talking about their opinions of the president and on how his persona has changed after his “minor stroke.” There’s also the example of how Bob Alexander used the press / the news to slander the president after he was fired, and how Dave also used this method to call Bob Alexander out on his allegations, and stated that they were true (the real president was involved, not Dave) but Bob Alexander was also involved in the same scandal. I also thought it was actually interesting that they got real congressmen and women in the movie. In the end, Dave fakes another stroke, and he sort of swaps himself for the real president, and the real comatose president gets taken away in an ambulance to the hospital. In a matter of months the real president then dies, and life goes on. As a side note I thought that the relationship between the First Lady and Dave was adorable and I wanted them to end up together from the start. The relationship between the First Lady and the real president wasn’t good at all, but when Dave “took office” she started to like him and he started to like her.
ReplyDeleteThe film I watched for this assignment was "Dave". This movie was about a man who had an abnormally identical physical appearance to the President of the United States. His name was Dave Kovic. The president's name was Mitchell. On occasion, Dave would fill in and pretend to be Mitchell on certain events "unnecessary" for the President to attend. Once, Dave was called in to cover for Mitchell because he was "busy" with a member of the staff. However, during this time Mitchell had a stroke. After this, Dave continues to take on the roles of the president, still pretending to be Mitchell. The Mitchell administration decides that this is the better idea, regardless of the 25th amendment which says that the Vice President shall take the President's place if he is unable to do it himself, stating that the Vice President Nance was not mentally able to handle the responsibilities of the President. This is a very big job with all of the powers of the president that he is accounted for. While "in office", Dave is able to fix a veto that he felt was wrong of Mitchell to veto, in which homeless shelters are saved. He does this by helping the budget which supported this. Dave eventually fakes a stroke so that the Vice President can step up and become President. He is then free to do as he pleases and eventually Mitchell actually dies after his coma. This movie does a good job of displaying the jobs that a President needs to fulfill and exactly what a Vice President needs to do in the case of the President needing to not be President anymore. - LISA P.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie Frost/Nixon, a British T.V host/personality, David Frost, decides to interview former president Richard Nixon, for the first time since he abandoned office, with hard-hitting questions about the Watergate scandal and other problems that were never addressed by him and clarified to the public. In hopes of getting an apology out to the American people for his wrongdoings as well as the confession that a crime was indeed committed by Nixon, this interview leads to a publicized tension filled battle between the president and the media (David Frost and Co.). One of the main topics most controversially brought up was questions about the United States v. Nixon, specifically regarding tapes that recorded proof that he was aware and contributed to the Watergate scandal. Nixon refused to hand over these tapes for a period of time because of his “Executive Privilege” that gave him the right to withhold information from the courts on some executive matters. This is brought up in the movie through a question asking “How far do you take executive privilege before it threatens democracy?”. When Nixon did eventually produce the tapes, he experienced what is said to be the “ lowest point in his presidential history” when he had to resign because of the impending threat of impeachment from office. The Imperial presidency argument was also brought up during the interview when Frost brings up his many instances of abuse of power and foreign conflicts having to do with Vietnam. Although there were problems in the early interviews on Frost’s part, eventually he does win his side of the battle and is widely remembered for his success. Overall this was a very insightful and interesting movie that accurately described both sides of the opponents, Frost and Nixon, clearly.
ReplyDeleteDave-
ReplyDeleteDave Kovic, an average American citizen had his world turned upside down, and all for his appearance. Dave significantly resembled the current president--president Bill Mitchell. However, what was supposed to be a temporary fill-in job turned into more than Dave ever expected, being the president of the United States.However, the Chief of staff, Bob Alexander, had an ulterior motive. He wanted to frame the vice president, so when the current president died, he could become president, the the v.p. as he would normally under the 25th amendment. Alexander wanted to impeach the vice president, for violating his constitutional powers and doing illegal things on several pieces of legislation. Dave learns a lot while in the White House, things he never would have known. In fact, Dave's common guy knowledge helped him when it came to the office f management and budget. He proposes a reform to the federal budget that would allow for $650 million towards homeless shelters. This catches the eye of his first lady. He wanted to make sure his bureaucracy was clean and honest, and doing the best it could be, that is by helping the people. Though he had the least experience of every president, Dave brings the most to the table, and did the most for America. This Romantic Comedy was astounding and gives light-hearted insight on how things run in Washington with a clever twist.
The movie I watched was Air Force One, an action filled movie about Russian ultranationalists backing their previous leader Radek. Radek is imprisoned because the United States has helped to set up a new regime with Russian President Petrov. The President begins with a speech stating the United States will no longer negotiate with terrorists and that would be new foreign policy. The irony is a group of extremists pose as reporters and get clearance to board the plane with the help of secret serviceman Gibbs who betrays the United States. They obtain the weaponry on the plane and then have all those onboard go in the conference room or be killed. The extremists want to use the president and all other members of Air Force One as hostages to get them to release Radek and reform the old Soviet regime. They chase the president and believe he escapes on a pod so they contact Washington and threaten with the death of a hostage every half hour if Radek is not released. They attempt to negotiate with Petrov who refuses, and they start killing important members on the aircraft. They find the pod in the U.S. and the president is not there so they believe he could be dead until he makes contact through a cellular device. The Secretary of Defense tries to get leadership over the Vice President when they believe the president cannot act, and they have the Attorney General apply what he knows about the constitution to the situation. It appears the Vice President prevails, (the 25th amendment states that majority of the cabinet and the Vice President must sign on the presidents incapacity) but further on he tries to get a document signed by the cabinet and the Vice President, but the Vice President refuses, since Marshall is in a situation where his family is in danger and she knows he is still able to rule, she is not signing something unmoral. They get many to escape from the plane since the president is still on board and has been starting to take out some of the hijackers and help get back the plane. The media is shown in the film because they start rumors saying Air Force One has crashed, and the people listen although it is not true. They broadcast what is happening and the Vice President speaks to explain the situation. The President and those who stayed are captured and they have his family, they hold a gun to his daughters head and convince the President to call Petrov and release Radek. The President attacks the head hijacked after admitting he lied, and they overcome them all accept the head who takes his wife and is finally eliminated in the bottom of the plane. They then call Petrov and order Radek to be killed immediately and he is shot and killed on sight. They take back the plane and finally get back to peace after overcoming Gibbs (the traitor) and the jets attempting to shoot them down. The President regains full duty and they prevail. In my opinion this movie was extremely entertaining although unrealistic between the breach in the security and the use of explosives and guns on the plane. The movie was entertaining and did have purpose showing the role of specific cabinet and government members in times of chaos.
ReplyDeleteFrost Nixon Review - Nicholas Puleio
ReplyDeleteAfter being “media-ed” out of a bid for the presidency in a televised debate, not many people thought the ailing former president would give any networks an interview concerning his resignation in the wake of the Water Gate Scandal, compounded with United States v Nixon, a Supreme Court Case where powers of immunity were formally taken from the president . The last place they expected him to go to was a British talk-show host. With Nixon’s plan being to outwit the bawdy Frost, he did not know he was walking into an intellectual battle between preparation and experience, and the one thing everyone wanted, a confession, was on its way, in a heart-wrenching delivery that blurred the eyesight of countless Americans watching across the country. It did work to restore some of Nixon’s reputation, but painted him as a broken and repentant man.
David Frost is a widely popular (outside of the United States) talk show host/ comedian who has the dream of being successful in the American scene, due to previous successes and feelings of euphoria following them. He decides to bribe Nixon into facing him in a widely televised debate, where they would discuss his resignation and the scandals involving his presidency. Expecting a lively debate filled with banter, the supporting hosts and Frost are surprised when their set unexpectedly becomes confined to a living room, and a one-on-one with the man himself.
Filmed in three daily and separate segments, the first two of which are drowned out by Nixon’s uninterrupted and stately droning. Americans were hungry for a confession after a presidential order on behalf of Nixon was given by Gerald Ford, clearing him of all crimes. The crime Nixon committed almost went to an Impeachment, the process by which the Senate removes a president from office. That crime was directing party members to record conversations had between the planning committees of the Democrats, for an edge in the election. Nixon had dealing with the media where only 25 percent of what was discussed could be on Water Gate, though Frost did not restrict his verbal attacks on the subjects of the Vietnam War or the bombing of Cambodia.
All-in-All, it was a slow but rewarding movie that had me glued to the screen, hanging onto every word.
I decided to watch Air Force One for this assignment. Within the first few minutes, we see an issue arise regarding the President and the media. The President decided to allude to foreign policy changes without first consulting with other cabinet members or with congress. While this may seem noble, the president may not be able to fulfill his promise because he may need to go through congress for approval on various policy changes. Additionally, this brings up the potential problem of “political suicide.” The public presidency plays a role here, as the president may have lost credibility within one single speech. Air Force One is hijacked by Russian extremists, and both the president and the white house staff are faced with various conflicts. For example, the Secretary of Defense tries to assume presidential power in place of the vice president. However, the 25th amendment defends the vice president’s case, and nobody is allowed to take charge while the president is still alive and reasonably not “disabled.” Additionally, the vice president was presented with an opportunity to sign a document granting power to the secretary of state. However, she did not, because she decided that the president was not blinded by his duty as a father to protect his family. Although this movie is exceedingly unrealistic/impractical, with regards to both defying the limits of physics and our protagonist going above and beyond his roles as the president, this movie still contains elements that hold true with regards to modern presidency.
ReplyDelete"I want an identical twin. You could literally switch classes with each other and no one would know!" -Jessica Falvey
ReplyDeleteImagine someone, some average Joe, switching places with the President of the United States and running the country. Well, in the movie "Dave" just that happens. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) is a temp. agent (temporary employment) whom everyone calls "Mr.President" (due to his striking similarities to the President of the United States).
One day, Dave is recruited by the Government to briefly take the President's place (his mission: to exit a hotel and enter a limo). Dave succeeds (but not without putting a little flare to the act).
When President Bill Mitchell (also Kevin Kline) enters a comma, after suffering from a stroke, (while engaging in some strenuous exercise(~)), Dave is called back by the government to once again take the President's place (because according to White House Chief of Staff Bob Alexander (Frank Langella): screw the 25th amendment). Bob Alexander wishes to use Dave in order to preserve his power within the White House. He is unwilling to allow VP Nance (Ben Kingsley) to step in and ruin all he had worked for. Dave is taught all the rules and regulations to run the country. You could say Dave runs the country through Executive Privilege, and to many degrees he does better than the actual president. Dave unknowingly runs a public presidency, he is active, fun, and engaging, all things President Mitchell seemed to lack. Along the way Dave begins to feel an attraction towards First Lady Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver, sci-fi movie star and apparently the warden in Holes).
It really seems as though Dave is running a better presidency, he even manages to cut $600 million from the budget which he then uses to fund homeless shelters. (I really liked the scene because all the Senators were played by themselves).
Alexander grows fed up with Dave's stunts (including the budget incident and an executive order for the government to find EVERYONE looking for a job a job) so he fires Dave, but Ahha, you can't fire the President, Dave fires Alexander. Alexander doesn't know what to do, he can't expose Dave because he'll be brought down too, so instead he accuses the 'President' of a massive Savings scandal that will bring down the VP as well, leaving Alexander to step in.
Dave decides to do the right thing and confesses to 'his' crimes, but Ahha again he manages to tie Alexander to ever scandal and proves the VP'S innocence. While giving his speech Dave fakes a stroke (or something, idk he pretends to faint) and in the chaos Dave manages to escape, the real president is taken to a hospital, and Alexander is left with nothing.
Soon after the President dies and VP steps in and succeeds his session.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was humorous and really sheds some light on how gullible white male politicians are. All joking aside, 'Dave' gives a rather simple, uncomplicated, and rather too perfect look into the life of the President.
The American President is a movie which describes a relationship between the widowed President of the United States and an environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade. During this relationship, the President is attacked during his campaign by the media as well as his opponent in the election for this relationship as well as other activities. Besides the overly romantic ending, this movie does point out key components of the life of a president. Firsty, the White House staff is highlighted, as they told the president his daily agenda as well as advised the president on what speeches to make and how to talk to the public about Sydney Ellen Wade. Secondly, campaign strategies were highlighted, such as personal presidency when the president used his widowed status to help win the position, and public presidency, where the opponent was traveling the nation garnering support. Finally, certain roles of the president were shown, such as being Commander in Chief after ordering a strike on Libya.
ReplyDeleteAir Force One was the movie I watched for this assignment. This movie contains all the goodies of a summer blockbuster: a star-studded cast, a high budget, and a huge amount of intensity. As I watched the opening anti-terrorist speech, I couldn't help but see the parallels from this movie to many horrible terrorist strikes on the United States such as 9/11, or to the many airline bombings and hijacks that occurred in the decades before the movie was made. There are parallels to real world situations in the speech that President Marshall gives, in how he watched on television the atrocities that were occurring in the oppressive regime in Kazakhstan, and took no action. This reminded me a bit of how the United Nations reacted to the horrors of what was going on in Rwanda, in the movie, Hotel Rwanda. People watched the horrors on television, understood the terrors of the situation, and then ignored it. This first speech by Harrison Ford in my opinion made the movie, as it sets his character up as a no non-sense leader, not afraid to take risks. The anti-terrorist sentiment has been exactly the same in every movie made after this one, and has even had a presence on the real world political stage. This movie was made more for fun and thrills than for analysis, with some physics defying action, and a President with a "very particular set of skills." I would rather not think about how Air Force One could be hijacked, but the concept really puts the audience on the edge of their seat. After all, if one of the most well-protected planes in the world can be hijacked, what about our homes and communities? The anti-terrorist and patriotic sentiment that the movie hammers home is one that has stuck for many years, and will continue for many years to come.
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