“So did the better man win?”

With the democratic primary season (hopefully) drawing to a close, and with a potentially nasty general election upon us, now seemed like the perfect time to pick at the giant scab that is the 2000 Presidential Election. Recount is the latest from HBO Films which recounts (zing!) the entire George Bush/Al Gore fiasco. The movie sports an all-star cast, including Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern and Tom Wilkinson.

Recount accomplishes what more than a month of around the clock reporting failed to do: it lays out the entire process in a way you can actually understand, albeit with a decidedly liberal bias. But while we all know how this story ends, Recount will still glue you to your television screen, almost hoping that somehow it’ll all play out differently this time. Spacey stars as Ron Klain, Al Gore’s former chief of staff who heads up his effort to challenge the Florida election results. On the opposite side of the aisle is Tom Wilkinson as James Baker, Bush Senior’s former Secretary of State who does everything he can to stand in his way.

Delivering one of the movie’s finest (funniest?) performances is Laura Dern as Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, a woman who only years ago was “teaching the Chicken Dance to seniors” and who is now excited to be right smack in the center of the national spotlight. Ed Begley Jr., Bob Balaban and Dennis Leary round out the cast.

Politicos and fans of shows like The West Wing are going to have a lot of fun here. Suspense plays throughout as Gore’s camp races against the clock to get ballots in contested Florida counties recounted, or in some cases, counted at all. Republicans and all three or four fans of the Bush Administration will no doubt feel frustration at being painted as political slimeballs, resorting to harassment and intimidation to stop them. Of course, none of that will compare to frustration felt by Democrats, who will only view this as more evidence of an election that was stolen from it’s rightful winner. Iraq, rising food and gas prices and a tanking economy makes sure the salt is rubbed in nice and deep.

The film ends with Bush’s victory speech, in which he promises to earn the respect and trust of the American public, including those who didn’t vote for him. This forces us to ask ourselves the same question Spacey asks Wilkinson after the Supreme Court hands down it’s unprecedented, and some would say unbelievable, verdict, “Did the better man win?”

I love the political stuff, so Recount was right up my alley. But, as said, this movie will probably alienate some. But who cares, right? It was great anyway.

8 out of 10 stars

Part 1 - Join or Die

Better late than never, right? I’ve come to the conclusion that HBO is the best cable network EVAR. With networks like Showtime and even AMC biting at their heels, HBO delivers a quality of entertainment that you’re really not going to find anywhere else. Especially now, with shows like The Sopranos and The Wire having joined the ranks of the dearly departed, and with the television landscape having gone nutty nuts in the past few years, big productions are what it takes to snag viewers. Luckily, John Adams delivers. In fact, you could say, it’s revolutionary! Oh I hate myself.

Adams takes a look at America’s second president unlike anything we’ve seen on-screen. And unlike coach whoever’s class in high school, you actually come away feeling like you’ve learned something. In part 1 of a 7-part miniseries, we see Adams begin as a simple, Baystate lawyer who rises through the ranks to become a simple, Baystate lawyer on his way to join the Continental Congress. The journey from point A to point B is interesting, as we see anti-British sentiment rising throughout Boston. Adams’ decision to represent a group of British soldiers charged with massacring innocent civilians shows us both his character and his desire to see justice served. The fact that the soldiers weren’t found guilty and strung up shows us exactly how good a lawyer he was. After the trial, Adams, having made a name for himself, is singled out by the British and Revolutionaries both as someone they want on their side. Of course, we know who Adams chose to go with.

The production value here is fantastic. And that’s all around, costumes, sets, FX. As far as Revolutionary War-era films go, you won’t see anything that looks better than this. Of course, there aren’t that many to choose from, but still. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are brilliant in their performances. In the beginning, their scenes together seem so short, but we get such a sense of how much they relied on each other. So far I’ve really enjoyed Danny Huston as Samuel Adams, a character who seems at once both sinister and benign. Next up is Part 2: Independence. Will Sam Adams finally give the others a taste of that new ale he’s been raving about? Join us next time and find out!

LOSTWATCH!! - “Meet Kevin Johnson.”

Lost fans were blindsided tonight, as it was FINALLY revealed that Ben’s mysterious informant on the freighter was in fact Michael, the punk who sold out his friends to escape the island, but not before shooting both Libby, who we loved, and Anna Lucia, who we immediately forgave him for. Ben told Michael that if he followed an exact compass heading, he’d eventually find America. The exact details of that fateful trip are still unknown. All we see is the aftermath inside…

… the name on the street for the Oswald State Correctional Facility.

Lies. Regret. Michael lies in his cell asking himself how he got to this point. He’s let down his friends, but more importantly, his family. Now Walt’s joined the Homeboys and won’t talk to him. Michael goes to McManus and asks if he can visit his son in the Hole. McManus tells him that he’s tired of his crap, but that he hasn’t given up on him yet, and no, he can’t visit Walt. As Michael leaves, he takes one last look back, and can just spy his son watching him. Malcolm David Kelly’s age has gotten to be a problem in recent years, but at least it can’t get any worse.

Michael’s about to hit the gym with Beecher when McManus tells him he’s got a visitor. It’s Tom, who’s uncharacteristically light in the loafers.

Michael: You! What do you want?

Tom: Oh hey Tom, how are you? How’sth the island? Oh great Michael, thanksth.

Michael: How did you find me?

Tom: LOL. We let you go sthilly-buns. Did you seriously think we wouldn’t be keeping tabsth? ^__^

Tom tells Michael about the fake Flight 815 wreckage and says that he’s got one chance at getting out of Oz alive. Infiltrate Charles Widmore’s boat, which is getting ready to set sail for Lost island. Michael agrees, but he doesn’t like it. Tom stages a prison riot and Michael escapes through one of Busmalis’s tunnels. When we see him again he’s no longer Michael Dawson but mild-mannered deckhand Kevin Johnson. When he gets to the freighter, Naomi tells him he’s got a package the lads have just unloaded off the lorrie. It’s from Tom. “Wait a day or two before opening it,” he says. “Until then, enjoy Fiji. I spent a week there one night, if you catch me.” When Michael finally opens the package he finds enough C4 to kill everyone on the ship ten times before they hit the ground. He takes the bomb down to the engine room, sets it up, and…

Ever since Oz, Michael’s been so wound up. This was Tom’s way of telling him to relax. He’s on a boat in the middle of the south Pacific, for Heaven’s sake. He should enjoy himself. Michael laughs and decides to hit the shuffleboard court. He goes up top, where he finds the Tremor brothers shooting things with semi-automatic weapons.

Michael: Hey fellas, I thought this was a rescue mission.

Jeeves: Don’t you have something to mop?

Michael: What?! I ain’t your damn field ******. You lucky ’cause I’m gonna let that one slide.

Fast-forward to the engine room, where Micheal has been telling this entire story to Sayid and Desmond. Sayid is royally pissed and drags Michael by the scruff of his neck up to House’s office, where he tells the doc that “Kevin Johnson” isn’t “Kevin Johnson” at all! He’s Michael Johns– I mean Dawson! Michael just stands there all like, “Dude, shhhut up.” House sits back and twirls his cane before saying, “Intracranial berry aneurysm.” Sayid doesn’t understand. “It’s what killed Minkowski.” House pops a vicodin then heads over to Cuddy’s office.

Back on the island, John calls a Family Council and tells the kids that he’s sorry he’s been so crazy at work lately, and that no, he and their mother aren’t getting a divorce. Ben uses this opportunity to tell Alex that people are coming to the island and everyone is going to die, and because she’s his daughter, she’s sure to suffer more than anyone else. He tells her to take Carl and go to the Temple, which is right next to Space Mountain inside Tomorrowland. She’ll be safe there. Rousseau is cool with it, but asks if there will be any time to stop and build traps.

On their way, they stop at a concession stand to buy a funnel cake. Carl tells Alex, “Look babe, don’t ever forget — brrbbbllleb!” just as a bullet rips right through his neck, tearing it apart just like a stick of butter would be ripped apart by a bullet. Rousseau looks up from her trap and yells, “It’s a trap!” before being shot herself. With her last breath, she tells Alex to run as fast as she can, to which Alex replies, “I surrender!”

And before we knew it, it was over. Five weeks until the next new episode. It sucks, but is still better than the seven months we’ll have to wait before the start of season 5. We’re down, but not out, so stay tuned to this space for more new (and maybe not so new, *wink*) editions of LOSTWATCH!!.

Join or Die, pt. 2

Here’s the full trailer for HBO’s John Adams miniseries, which starts this Sunday night. Make sure you’re back here next week, and every week after that for our coverage of America’s sexiest president.

Could it be?

Nobody talks about or remembers The Sopranos anymore, but that could all change according to a rumor that popped up in the Baltimore Sun yesterday:

The manager of Satin Dolls, the Lodi, N.J., nightclub known to Soprano fans as the infamous Bada Bing, says Tony Soprano and his crew could be smoking cigars at their favorite gentleman’s club once again - to film a Sopranos movie.

Nick D’Urso said renovations were put on hold after the club received a phone call about plans for a feature film version of New Jersey’s favorite crime family. D’Urso refused to say who contacted him, but he insists the information is legit.

“I got an inside tip that they’re going to do a movie, so I don’t want to make any major changes,” D’Urso said Wednesday. “I’m not going to reveal my sources, but we got a call from somebody [working] on the script.”

An HBO spokeswoman replied to D’Urso’s claims with a firm “no comment”.

I have a feeling there’s no truth at all to this. I thought the series wrapped up nicely in the finale. Do we need a Sopranos movie? What do you guys think?

Join or Die

 

 

Keep this on your radar. HBO is producing a seven-part miniseries on John Adams, based on David McCullough’s 2002 biography. Academy Award nominee Paul Giamatti stars in the title role, with Laura Linney co-starring as Abigail Adams. What little I’ve seen so far looks great, and McCullough is a terrific author. The whole thing kicks off March 16th. So make sure you cancel anything you might be doing with work or your family, because this is gonna be better than ten Super Bowls!

Here’s the official site.