We’re not a political site, so I won’t bore you with the important issues involved in the upcoming 2008 elections. Instead we have at some real hard facts which might help you decide who to vote for. That’s right, we’re taking a look at the leading candidates favorite movies.
H
illary Clinton (D-New York)
Favorite Movies: The Wizard of Oz (”When I was much younger [it] was my favorite movie. I just loved imagining myself being there with Dorothy and being part of that great adventure she had.”), Casablanca (”When I was in college and law school…”"I watched it I don’t know how many times. It was always so much fun. By the time we watched it over and over again, we were actually reciting the dialogue.”) Out of Africa (recent years).
Favorite Actors: Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
B
arack Obama (D-Illinois)
Favorite Movies: The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II and Lawrence of Arabia
Favorite Actors: Jimmy Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey Bogart, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon and Angela Bassett.
J
ohn McCain (R-Arizona)
Favorite Movies: Viva Zapata, Letters from Iwo Jima and Some Like it Hot.
Favorite Actors: Marlon Brando, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe.
Recent Movies: The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Identity, Mission: Impossible, (”I like those kinds of things, the car chases”) The Departed, (”It’s pretty rough, but I kind of liked it. Nicholson plays too much Nicholson”) and Syriana (”I enjoyed ‘Syriana,’ although a lot of people didn’t”).
Discuss: Isn’t it strange that McCain was the only candidate with a movie made in the last 20 years?
March 4th, 2008 at 3:20 am
Obama FTW! The Godfather, Lawrence of Arabia, Humphrey Bogart, need I say more? This guy better win the damn Presidency!!
March 4th, 2008 at 3:55 am
McCain actually sounds like a film buff.. That Nicholson comment :up:
March 4th, 2008 at 4:22 am
Yeah I though McCain sounded like a movie buff. Probably the only one of them that takes time out and watches a movie to relax, judging by the age of the others choices.
But Obama had me at the godfather. It seems I like him more whenever i hear something about him. lol
March 4th, 2008 at 4:38 am
no sidney poitier or denzel washington, obama? for shame!
March 4th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Really interesting article. But I’m very surprised with the movie selection of John McCain. My perception of him is that of an aggressive warmonger (something like Bush II). How can somebody like that stand to watch a movie like “Letters from Iwo Jima”?
March 4th, 2008 at 6:30 am
I expected more from Obama (age 46) who I’ll be voting for. I mean, come on… Fav actors like Stewart, Tracy and Bogart? Nothing wrong with those choices but it’s something my grandfather would say.
When it comes to movies, it’s McCain FTW.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:14 am
What’s your source for this information?
March 4th, 2008 at 9:27 am
I was watching TBS this weekend because Wedding Crashers was on and I found that John McCain has a few small parts towards the beginning of the movie where he looks like he is talking with Christopher Walken at the wedding reception.
Is John McCain the only candidate with a spot in a film?
March 4th, 2008 at 9:28 am
BTW it surprises me that Obama likes the first two Godfathers like myself. I might have to vote for him because he obviously has good taste and can key into the best aspects of film-making.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Peter,
You ’somehow’ forgot to add Ron Paul’s fave movies to the list…
Communion, Three Days of the Condor, Rocky V, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Beaches
March 4th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Hunter, I was going to include Paul, but I decided instead only to include the leading candidates. :)
March 4th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Peter, I believe that was a burrrn.
March 4th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Isn’t not odd that McCain’s choices are only violent movies? :-)
Go Obama!
March 4th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Any of you guys and gals remember the news reporting that John McCain was set to see There Will Be Blood? This was curiously seen on the Drudge Report with the headline “John McCain goes to see There Will Be Blood” and then later that day another odd headline appeared “John McCain does not end up seeing There Will Be Blood.”
Fun conspiracies abound.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:10 pm
Clinton - Does anyone care?
Obama - Choices convey American Ideals and values. Forget that the Godfather is about mobsters for a second, and see that its about family (i.e. Nation) struggle. Duty to one’s own. The rise to power, correcting the mistakes of the forefathers (Micheal:Vito :: Obama:Presidents before). Look at his actors, Jimmy Stewart, Tracy, Bogart. These are American Icons. Times of a past when the ideals of a nation seemed limitless. Come on Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.. Read between the lines here. Obama Is America.
McCain - Spy and war movies. uh oh. Some like it hot? enough said.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Peter, what are your sources for this information?
I don’t see a link to the source anywhere in the article, and Googling for the candidates and movie names either leads back here or to other blogs quoting this one.
Where’d you get these answers?
March 4th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Clinton’s answer came from a recent speech. McCain’s answers came from an interview in Variety. Obama’s answers came from a recent Entertainment Tonight interview.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Also:
“The rise to power, correcting the mistakes of the forefathers (Michael:Vito :: Obama:Presidents before).”
You might want to watch the movies again or re-think this analysis. Don Vito was an extremely successful Godfather in both financial AND family terms. His family was of paramount importance.
By those terms, Michael was a leader who made the crime family successful, but he was paranoid and almost singlehandedly destroyed and alienated his own family.
He killed his sister’s husband, leaving his sister a bitter shell, he killed his own brother, he alienated his adopted brother Tom Hagen, he alienated and demonized his wife to the point where she aborted his baby rather than bring another Corleone into the world.
I’ve always felt that the true value of the lessons of Michael Corleone are as a warning against the dangers of paranoia and the value of family. I think Corleone’s was a warning rather than an example.
March 4th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Peter–thanks for the references. You pointed out that McCain was the only one who mentioned recent movies. My guess it that if Clinton and Obama had the same kind of interview, specifically on movies, as Variety did with McCain, they would’ve mentioned some more current films.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Issac: I was unable to find interviews where Clinton or Obama talked about recent movies they had seen. BUT my comment was that McCain was the only candidate that has a movie on his favorites list, that was released in the last 20 years. My observation wasn’t of the “Recent Movies” selections. I’m not a republican, and I’m not trying to say “look at how hip McCain is”. I just thought it was funny that the guy most people regard as the cranky old man was the only candidate to have a contemporary film as one of his favorites.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Oh, I agree. McCain is a terrible politician and a generally bad person, but his thoughts on movies were pretty cool, and much hipper than I would have expected.
I’d love to see a similar interview with Obama or Clinton, giving that much depth to the subject of movies. Or music, for that matter.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
On, on -
“The rise to power, correcting the mistakes of the forefathers (Michael:Vito :: Obama:Presidents before).â€
Mike wants to take the family legit from the day he becomes the Don. Crime is not the route he wants to take. He is abandoned by his sister (who eventually comes back), betrayed by brother who he is forced to kill. There are overwhelming circumstances, however, his goals are to take the family legit, to clear it’s name, clean up it’s act.
I don’t see mike as paranoid, rather calculating, proactive, and reactionary to those that would try to topple his family.
And by the end of part II we see mike with no enemies, and only partners and the ability to raise to prosperity. At least until part III which should have never been made in the first place.
March 4th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Mike, that’s an interesting take on it. I disagree, but there’s not any “definitive” answer, so it’s cool to think about.
I don’t see Michael’s desire to take the family “legit” as more than superficial. In the beginning, he SAYS that’s what he’s interested in, and it may be, for a while, but I see Michael’s only goal as amassing power and more power, for its own sake.
I think that’s what Part 2 was trying to convey, with the flashbacks where we see how well Vito becomes part of his community and helps the people in the neighborhood, becoming a beloved figure.
People loved Vito. Nobody loves Michael–they only fear him.
It’s true that we don’t necessarily see how Vito would have handled having a brother as weak as Fredo who betrayed him in that way, but throughout Part 2 especially we see Michael’s obsession with eliminating his “enemies”. Tom Hagen even tries to convince him to chill out about it, but he’s obsessed with wiping out anyone and everyone who has wronged him or who ever could wrong him. I think he comes across as paranoid.
Just look at the differences in the family situations between the two men. Vito had the big loving family, wife who was loyal to him forever, lots of devoted children and a community of supporters who loved and admired him. Michael wouldn’t even let his children see their mother and his ambition tore his family apart.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
I seriously doubt those were hillarys favorite movies. Cmon…Wizard of OZ? and she provided a humane description of why she liked each movie and what it reminded her of… Obama and McCainjust picked movies they like. McCain picked the Bourne movies cause, get this, he likes the car chases! Wow what a concept. Liking a movie just cause its entertaining and not because you imagined your self as dorothy on an adventure. Please her favorite movies are probably pretty in pink or something like that but those arent elegant movies.