The Celluloid President

Send us Fan MailRob Reiner's "LBJ" is a meticulously accurate rendering of the five tumultuous days from President Kennedy's assassination to the newly installed President Johnson's address to a joint session of Congress. While not avoiding LBJ's earthiness and aesthetic flaws, the movie seems to want to rehabilitate Johnson's tarnished legacy, while surprisingly taking a less charitable view of his longtime nemesis -- Robert F. Kennedy.

Send us Fan MailMeryl Streep pulls out one of her best accents to play Margaret Thatcher in the 2011 biopic "The Iron Lady." Jim and Gary both agree that Streep is a great actress and that Thatcher was one of the major figures of the last half of the 20th Century, but they are not completely aligned on the use of scenes where Thatcher is shown to have dementia. Jim also reminisces about the time he met her in Number 10 Downing Street. 

Send us Fan MailIn their second podcast about movies from 1975 -- designated by Netflix as the greatest year in movie history -- Gary and Jim discuss Nashville, the sprawling epic about country music and politics. It's one of the most cynical movies of the Seventies and also secretly one of the funniest. But is it as smart about politics as it thinks it is?

Send us Fan MailWarren Beatty has long insisted that his sex farce "Shampoo" set on the night in 1968 when Richard Nixon was elected President, was a political satire. But was it really, or does it tell us more about the 1970s than it does the 1960s?

Send us Fan Mail"Death by Lightning is a four-part Netflix series about the assassination of President James A. Garfield in 1881, which despite sounding pretty esoteric, is an absorbing depiction of a moment in time during the Gilded Age.  Jim and Gary discuss whether this event has any lessons for us today and wrestle with the important question: what's up with all the beards?

Send us Fan MailIn possibly his greatest movie role, Peter Sellers plays Chance, a simple-minded gardener whose mundane observations are taken as oracular epigrams and metaphors that take the political establishment by storm. "Being There" has a lot to say about our gullibility and our habit of hearing what we want to hear. Once widely lauded as a hilarious and biting commentary about politics, the movie is now rarely in the conversation about great political films but it is as timely today as it was in 1979. 

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss whether a military coup was possible in the early 1960s, as Hollywood seemed to think. "Seven Days in May" is a political thriller that JFK wanted to see made because he was worried about the power of the military. The result is a tense drama in which Burt Lancaster plays a rebellious Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Kirk Douglas as his skeptical senior aide. Will the Constitution be upheld or trammeled? 

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim discuss the 2000 Mel Gibson film "The Patriot," which depicts the brutal war between the patriots and the British during the War of Independence. They agree that George Washington is a great but remote hero and that the movie itself is rough to watch. War is Hell indeed. 

Send us Fan MailIn 1988, Senator Gary Hart was the front runner to be the next President of the United States until he went for a three-hour cruise on the pleasure craft "Monkey Business."  Hugh Jackman plays Hart in "The Front Runner," which asks an always relevant question: how much of a politician's personal life is relevant to his performance as a public servant?

Send us Fan MailIn addition to being a massive hit, "Hamilton" also provides insight into three U.S. Presidents. But more important as we approach July 4, what does the musical say about America and is it still relevant today? 

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss the 1962 adaptation of "Advise and Consent," possibly the most popular American political novel of all time, which was turned into movie by the director Otto Preminger. They muse on the meaning of so many conspiracy and paranoid movies from the early 1960s and debate theU.S. Senate's power to advise and consent on a Presidential nomination.  

Send us Fan MailIn 1944, Daryl F. Zanuck, the head of Twentieth Century Fox, produced a movie about his political hero Woodrow Wilson. Despite being nominated for ten Academy Awards and the winner of five, the film is now largely forgotten. Jim and Gary discuss its historical and artistic merits, while chewing over what they think about Wilson the president.

Send us Fan Mail"The Apprentice" purports to tell Donald Trump's origin story, back when the notorious Roy Cohn took him under his wing and showed him how to win at any cost.  Jim and Gary take the movie on its own terms -- as a piece of history in the 1970s and 80's -- and refrain from discussing contemporary events. 

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss "A Complete Unknown," the Oscar-nominated biopic of Bob Dylan, which explores the cultural and social politics of the early 1960s. And, yes, there is a reference or two to the US President who exemplifies those years -- JFK. 

Send us Fan MailAs they look forward to Lincoln's Birthday, Gary and Jim discuss John Ford's "Young Mr. Lincoln," the 1939 classic tale of Abe Lincoln as a young aspiring lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. Henry Fonda seems to embody Lincoln's very essence in a strong performance that challenges Daniel Day-Lewis for the best impersonation of Lincoln in cinematic history.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim discuss the 1993 political comedy "Dave," in which a Presidential lookalike assumes the powers of the Chief Executive when the real President has a stroke. And what do you know, the imposter starts solving the country's problems. Starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver as rough stand-ins for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Send us Fan MailIn the spirit of Christmas, Gary and Jim sought out a Christmas classic that depicts a U.S. President and landed on "Love Actually," one of Gary's least favorite Christmas movies. Has he changed his mind since the last time he watched it? And what did Jim think now that he's finally seen it? Crack open a bottle of Christmas cheer and fire up the podcast to find out what love actually means.

Send us Fan MailOn December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley materialized at the White House gates requesting a meeting with President Nixon. The photo that was taken later that after at the subsequent meeting is the most requested image in the National Archives. Jim and Gary discuss the 2016 movie that was made of this strange event and wonder what it is about famous people that makes them so kooky.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim discuss the 1994 Tom Hanks film "Forrest Gump," which looks at the social history of the 1950's through the 1980's through the eyes of a low-IQ but wise soldier, runner, ping-pong player and all-around keen observer of human nature. Forrest finds his way to visit three American presidents and eventually finds love where you'd most expect it.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary actually went to a couple of movie theaters to watch "Reagan," the new biopic of our 40th President.  They use this episode to discuss the movie, their own personal experiences with Reagan, and a recent field trip they took to the Nixon Museum and Library.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary take a break from discussing movies and have a chat with Ken Khachigian, a former top aide to President Nixon and then President Reagan's favorite speechwriter.  Ken has written a fascinating book called "Behind Closed Doors: In The Room With Reagan and Nixon," a no-holds-bars, brutally honest look at what it's like to play politics at the highest level. In the book Ken writes about the work that went into preparing for Nixon's interviews with David Frost, which was later dramatized in the movie Frost/Nixon. Jim and Gary ask him about that movie, which they previously dissected, to get an insider's account and to find out what it's like to be portrayed onscreen. They also get candid insights into Nixon and Reagan's strengths and weaknesses and learn more about the backstabbing that takes place in the White House when aides even betray their president to advance their own objectives. For more information on Ken, the book and his public appearances go to https://www.reaganandnixon.com/.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim talk about "Lee Daniels' The Butler," the slightly true story of a White House butler who served and interacted with eight U.S. presidents. The White House scenes are counterpointed by highlights from the real-life Civi Rights movement. The movie was a major hit in 2014 and stars and all-star cast of white and Black actors ranging from Forest Whitaker and Oprah to Robin Williams and Jane Fonda.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss "J. Edgar," Clint Eastwood's 2011 biopic of J. Edgar Hoover, who was arguably the most powerful bureaucrat in history. Several American presidents feared him; others used him as an ally. The movie says a lot about the rise of the national security state and the danger of federal law enforcement involving itself in politics.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss Jerry Seinfeld's homage to 1960s business and political culture, including his hilarious take on JFK.  But do only Baby Boomers find this movie funny?

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss Martin Scorcese's epic movie about one of the most disturbing incidents in U.S. history -- the systematic murder of Osage Indians during the 1920's to steal their oil rights.  And believe it or not, there is an appearance by a President in this movie: Calvin Coolidge.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary don't agree about much when it comes to Barbie, except that people who criticize it for political reasons should get a life.  Gary thought the movie had surprising philosophical depth and Jim just didn't like the execution.  They do agree, though, that they'd rather be a Ken than an Allan. 

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary take a look at the 1975 action/adventure movie "The Wind and the Lion," which stars Brian Keith as an overly energetic Theodore Roosevelt, Sean Connery as the last of the Barbary Pirates, and Candice Bergen as a kidnapped American widow who becomes a feisty pawn in internal Moroccan politics.

Send us Fan MailWhen President Harry S Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Japan, thereby ending World War II, he was able to do so because J. Robert Oppenheimer had successfully led the effort to build it. In this episode Jim and Gary discuss Christopher Nolan's masterpiece "Oppenheimer," which depicts the top-secret effort to build the bomb and its messy political aftermaths.

Send us Fan MailIn advance of the 60th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Jim and Gary take a break from U.S. presidents to discuss movies by, for and about the Fab Four.  And in the process they even discover a few connections with American presidents.

Send us Fan MailWith "Amistad," Steve Spielberg gives us two presidents for the price of one -- John Quincy Adams and Martin Van Buren, who battle over the fate of a group of kidnapped Africans that has revolted against their captors on the Amistad slave ship. This inspiring movie has a lot to say about maritime law and even more to say about the evils of slavery.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim discuss whether the producers of "All The President's Men" were justified in turning The Washington Post's  Watergate coverage into a political thriller before deep-diving into the making of the film and questioning whether it provides enough context.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary don't see eye-to-eye on Oliver Stone's verdict on the Kennedy assassination, although they do agree that it is a masterpiece of movie making.  They also reminisce about the time they visited Dealey Plaza, give some half-baked opinions on how the assassination changed history, and provide a definition on what is a conspiracy theory.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim discuss the movie "Selma," in which Martin Luther King manipulates President Lyndon Johnson into supporting the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The movie is a testament to the power of non-violent civil disobedience and the toll that it can take on a movement leader.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss Ron Howard's movie about the 1977 interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon.  Did Nixon finally get the trial that the American people were denied or is that a lot of media hype?

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim wonder what in the world Merchant and Ivory were thinking when they made this movie and speculate if it could get them cancelled retroactively.

Send us Fan MailWe take a look at Winston Churchill at the beginning of World War II. He's not an American president but he's half American and a great leader. In this movie he drinks a lot of brandy, takes a ride on the Tube, and saves Western Civilization. 

Send us Fan MailOliver Stone's "W" is a two for one opportunity, with two presidents in one movie: George W Bush and George H.W. Bush. Gary and Jim try to unpack their complicated feelings about the Bushes and discuss whether George W. Bush should have invaded Iraq to find those WMDs.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim chew on Bill Clinton's character and talents when discussing "Primary Colors,' a highly fictionalized account of the 1992 Democratic primary race in which Clinton evades one trap after another of his own making. They wonder whether they were too hard on the guy 30 years ago.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary discuss one of the greatest comedies ever made -- and that's not just their opinion.  "Dr. Strangelove" is on The American Film Institute's list of 100 best films of all time.  The film concerns the efforts of a fictional U.S. President to stop a nuclear war with the Soviet Union after an insane Air Force General launches an unauthorized nuclear attack on the Soviet Union.   George C. Scott has never been funnier and Peter Sellers has never been more restrained (at least in two out of the three parts he plays).

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim debate JFK's leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis and bemoan Kevin Costner's bad Boston accent.

Send us Fan MailJim and Gary talk about the most famous hot dog in U.S. history and ponder how many mistresses FDR really had in this 2012 movie about our 32nd president, his good friend Daisy Suckley and the king and queen of the United Kingdom.

Send us Fan MailWhatever they think of him as a President, Gary and Jim agree that JFK is a remarkable figure and a genuine war hero. The question is, does "PT 109" do justice to President Kennedy's war-time experience?

Send us Fan MailYears ago Gary and Jim saw "Dick," the teen comedy about Watergate.  Is it still as funny now as as it once seemed?  Yes!!! It's easily the most hilarious movie about any U.S. President.  And such a great soundtrack.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim discuss the greatness of Abraham Lincoln and Spielberg's remarkable civics lesson in passing the Thirteen Amendment, which outlawed slavery.

Send us Fan MailGary and Jim reminisce about how they became friends defending Nixon in college and then dig into Oliver Stone's epic movie about the 37th President.  They no longer see eye-to-eye on Nixon himself and have differing tolerances for conspiracy theories.