Political Pop Culture Party Mix

There's no denying that 2008 will be a big year in politics and while we here at LRG refuse to get involved in such polarizing real world events("Don't ask,don't tell" sounds fine to me in this context),it would be sheer folly to ignore the affect all of this will have on the entertainment world in which many prefer to deal rather than the realm of official bureaucracy,which has as much logic to it as a Lewis Carroll novel.

A number of political movies have been rapidly released over the past few months(Rendition,Lions For Lambs,etc)and have been avoided like the plague by film goers for the simple reason that during difficult times,folks want to shell out their extra bucks for a taste of unreality at the box office,especially nowadays where ,if they want political stances and /or speechifying,it's easier and cheaper to watch CNN or go online.



I'm not against making a political statement thru art,but as they say,timing is everything(plus,it helps to step away from the easy go-to hammer blows to make your point painfully obvious).

Also,metaphor is a great way to dress up those veggies that the kids won't eat and make them taste like candy. Many of the reviews for the latest Stephen King adaptation,The Mist,have gleefully pointed out the allegorical nature of the piece and in my humble opinion,you can get alot more insight into why xenophobia is alive and well after watching Hostel rather than a PBS documentary on the subject.

So,with that in mind,here are a few of my personal pop culture picks for those who want to have some thoughts on the upcoming Presidential race but don't want to sit thru a bunch of dull talk on the tube. Some of this is laced with humor,a few are abit stomach churning but that's the usual side effects of politic immersion:



ELECTION

One of my favorite Reese Witherspoon films;she is total perfection as the ambitious high school overachiever Tracey Flick,whose desire to claim the office of Class President is on the level of Evita Peron. Matthew Broderick also gives a brilliant performance as Tracey's teacher who has more than one reason for wanting to derail Tracey on her bulldog path to glory:







HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX

One of the darkest books in the series,both the film and story introduces us to the most sinisterly sweet political villains around,Delores Jane Umbridge,who sugarcoats the Ministry of Magic's attempts to deny the truth about Voldemort and the growing threat about to face the wizarding world. No better example of abuse of authority and slow but steady hostile takeovers can be found than within the perky pink mind of Professor Umbridge:





LAND OF THE DEAD

George Romero's zombie flicks have the distinction of being well placed on the pulse of current events and his 2005 entry hits with deadly accuracy upon many targets:class warfare,exploitation of the poor and downtrodden,head in the sand tactics that let real dangers grow and thrive and social snobbery that allows those with power to use and discard people who only do their dirty work in order to get a taste of the good life as their well deserved reward:





V FOR VENDETTA

I know that Alan Moore wasn't pleased with this film version of his graphic novel(then again,he's never happy with any of them)but his message about daring to rise up against injustice and tyranny is still deeply embedded in this movie and speaks to people of all nations and inclinations.

We'll be hearing a good deal of talk from many people this election year but will any of them be able to be as riveting as the mysterious V,who honors Guy Fawkes Day with such zeal?:



Let us leave things on a lighter note with my favorite little ditty from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Charles Durning sure can dance a little sidestep and this tune fits any and all politicos on both sides of the aisle: