Wag the dog

Wag the Dog, 1997
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Anne Heche, Woody Harrelson

Stage: Home theatre, lovely Saturday evening



Wag in short: After being caught in a scandalous situation days before the election, the president does not seem to have much of a chance of being re-elected. One of his advisers contacts a top Hollywood producer in order to manufacture a war in Albania that the president can heroically end, all through mass media.

Preps: It is a recommendation from a side I really appreciate. I have never seen a bad movie with such recommendation. Plus, a claim that every person that works in mkt should see this. Hence.. am anxious with expectation.


Reality: Well, it's always good to see and hear what the president team has in their sleeve. In this case, I am just bursting with laughter. First, do you get caught with a scout days before the election? (you don't). Still, this is the case here and the team needs to wrap it up before the years of preps go rotten.
In any case, I seriously doubt now (after seeing this) in every war, every little thing the media produces, every announcement ever made by government. I see in this movie, how rotten it might be, behind the scenes, on a place we don't see or hear about. Even the closest to the president in this case don't know bits of scenario that is driven to the masses.
For a person living in the balcan region, it's highly amusing, how other countries (us in perticular) abuse the names of foreign yugoslaw republics and use it as a "terrorist" country. May it be Bosnia or Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia or in this case, even a southern country, Albania. What did Albania do to us, the chieftain asks.. What it didn't do to us, is the real question, De Niro answers. And creates a stunt war, made in studio. Was the Gulf War really directed in studio? Maybe not, but it made me question every bit of information I received about the event.
The power of marketing, if driven with intelligence and style, is amazing. The movie depicts real drama you can setup with mere imagination. At the end, how convenient, the director gets shot/killed for trying to speak up. How american!
This piece is one of the brightest I have seen lately. Even though it doesn't have the scenes, the photography, the music, or anything really obvious, it has a strong story and a direction. How convenient it is to have Hoffman in the role of the producer, fighting for his rights :) I could just burst in laughter again. His imagination inside the piece and intercapturing the role he's playing is spectacular. President wants a white kitten? We will give him the white kitten.
Last, but not least. Bringing in the fallen hero (making a mistake and afterwards, having him killed and watch the whole US cheering for his fallen return, with a super dog behind, wagging his tail).. it reminds me of some scenes I really admire in Monty Phython. If you are a fan, you will love this piece. If you are more average, romantic comedy type of movie fan, you won't really get all the fun parts there are here. Because some of them are just beneath the average skin.


My personal rating: 9,0 (absolutely brilliant. I loved it and laughed long afterwards)


Wag the Dog on IMDB

Six days, Seven nights, 1998

Six days, seven nights, 1998
Director: Ivan Reitman
Cast: Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, David Schwimmer



Stage: Home tv selection on a Thursday night.


Six days, seven nights in short: Taking a romantic tropical island week off with her boyfriend, an ambitious, decisive New York girl agrees to help her magazine out by covering a story on a neighbouring island. The only plane available is piloted by a laid-back heavy drinker with whom she shares a mutual dislike. But she has no choice and he can't refuse the money. When the plane crash-lands on an uninhabited island with little chance of rescue they both wish they had made other arrangements - at least to start with.





Preps: Seen this at the movies a loooong time ago. I think once more or twice on TV. I am a huge fan of Harrison Ford. He just feels right. So I guess I cannot miss a mile by choosing this. Tired after gardening and chopping bushes, trees, I need a relaxing movie.


Reality: This is one of romantic comedies where you can easily do something aside and have this for the background. Especially if you have watched this several times, like I have. However, for the first time comers, it is a nice and lovely story about a couple, tearing apart, finding one of the cutest romantic places in the world to break up. Now, the story reveals itself in the shape of a proposal on romantic trip, deeply assasinated by her job, for which she needs to travel away, gets crashed on an island and tries to survive with Harrison Ford in main masculine role.

In a way this is a romantic version of Cast away. You have a three hour misery in shape of Tom Hanks, surviving on a desert island. Here we have a party for two and some romance to go along.
The movie isn't something extremely great, nor it would impress you beyond belief. It's a safe choice for a night of relaxation and non-thinking. Your mindset won't burst into deep philosophy. However, deep inside it hides the eternal question - how much do we appreciate time-being, present time, are we enjoying, or are we working for the time that will never arrive for most of us - so we will die trying, as Bruce Willis would say. Do you make every day count or not? Are you spending your time with the right person or are you wasting your efforts, energy and lifetime with people that don't deserve this?
Another thinking can be given to a woman leading a relationship. This is precisely the image of one, as she runs everything and he is a romantic cissy. I wouldn't expect something else from David Schwimmer, obviously he cannot get out of this Friends role and this is a perfect copy of his role in famous series. As per Anne Heche, I love her small energy burst and her cast. I think she did a good job, however, I didn't see real romance between the main characters, in this sense Ford and Heche. I can easily picture her as the main copy and editor for a magazine of women, however, she cannot really do romantic scenes, like these in this piece. I don't buy it.
The movie is filled with general sayings and no, it will not thrill you. But if your goal is to relax and not think of your job, angry partner, sassy kids, mean neighbours, it will do its job perfectly.



My personal rating: 5,0 (a decent romantic comedy, without getting a mile beyond average).


Six Days on IMDB