Pretentious Ramblings

If your a watching film, or have watched one (a lot of people have you know), and that film tells the story of an historic event and/or person, and you discover something incredibly interesting and exciting making everything in the world make sense. Then you find out what you’ve just seen is not a key to understanding the mysteries of life but sensationalised excitment that hopes you don’t bother questioning anything you see. Odds are that film or films (lets break that boundary people) is an Oliver Stone film. Today we have the first trailer for his next film, a George Dubya Bush biopic. I usually cringe at the release of an Oliver Stone film, as it often feels like he’s begging for controversy. To me he seems to know that what he’s created has taken out a large artistic licence, but hopes humanities cravings for excitement and intrigue will bypass the holes of truth (yeah it does sound like a subtitle for a national treasure film…I think it does).

Having said that (well actually having written that but I heard that’s what journalists say in real life) part of me believes that the film industry, and culture in general, needs someone like Stone. Someone willing to create debate over the truth behind a person or event (even if it’s not his attention), providing a voice for outsider (yeah im not sure if thats true either) views. On the other hand theres a side of me that thinks Oliver Stone feeds to the often unhealthy diet of conspiracy theorists. So much so that major 9/11 conspiracy theorists (am I right in thinking that’s a harsh term…confused) were annoyed that Stones “World Trade Centre” didn’t give them a voice. At least that’s what I heard, mate, no what i mean (cockney get-out clause if it turns out to be untrue, maybe Stone should use that line in his films, I certainly believe his films need more cockneys, as all Hollywood films do).

Enough that down to the supposed topic. For those of you interested ( or those of you who haven’t seen it already because I took so long to right this…bitter) here’s a link to the W trailer, actually here it is.

Personally I’m intrigued (although I’m still unsure), especially seeing Thandie Newton as a freakishly accurate yet more attractive Condoleeza Rice (sorry Condoleeza your not my type) and Ioan Gruffudd as an odd, possibly blonde, Tony Blair. It may or may not be accurate, but seeing as it’s about a man I have no sympathy for (understatement) I wouldn’t care, he deserves any humiliation he gets (may be a band wagon but a fair and well made one). Although Oliver Stone says it will be a “fair” depiction (add cockney get-out clause, I also apologise to all cockneys as it is an inaccurate depiction of cockneys), although i think a fair depiction will show his failings (as a politician and a human being) enough without any “Stoneism’s” (made up ism). Now having contradicted myself and wondering whether my criticisms are fair I’ll leave you with a link to a similar article (sort of) written by someone who can write, here