frost/nixon

[jlh]

I saw Frost/Nixon on Saturday night with my friend W_____. Short answer: It is superb, and you don't have to know anything about Nixon, or Frost for that matter, so be able to follow what is going on. That said, if you're an American over the age of 18, you really should know who Nixon was. Hence, I'm not cutting this for spoilers—if you don't know that Nixon fucked up, that is really not my problem as it happened in real life 25 years ago.

It was spectacular. Frank Langella was excellent as I expected, and actually made me feel just a little sorry for Nixon, mostly that he'd fucked everything up so spectacularly. But Michael Sheen was amazing—I'd mostly only known him as "that guy who keeps playing Tony Blair" but he was really, really great. And so much of it was in his expressions. Frost is a guy who rarely says what he's thinking, but we knew, and we knew because of the actor. I always love seeing Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell, and they were fantastic and hilarious as usual.

I highly recommend!

Comments

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

I'm not usually a big fan of movies about political events, but I really want to see this. It looks really interesting; I find Nixon kind of a fascinating individual; and having seen Micheal Sheen as a werewolf in "Underworld" and as Tony Blair in that movie about Queen Elizabeth, I'm also kind of fascinated by him.

So I'm really glad to see your review! Makes me want to see it even more.

[cricketnyc.livejournal.com]

Wow! I never put it together that it was him in Underworld! Thanks for that tidbit!

[mahoni.livejournal.com]

I spent most of "The Queen" going 'where have I seen him before?' It was kind of boggling to suddenly realize the last time I'd seen him he'd been a werewolf. I mean. Werewolf. British PM. Er. :))

[annearchy.livejournal.com]

if you don't know that Nixon fucked up, that is really not my problem as it happened in real life 25 years ago.

Dude, it happened in real life more than 35 years ago! And alas, I am old enough to remember all of it all too well. Did Michael Sheen play Tony Blair in "The Queen" with Helen Mirren? I watched a bit of that when it was on Oxygen recently.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

Sad to say I probably know more about Frost than Nixon. Have always found the path he took from radical anti-establishment comedian* to interviewer of presidents and kings intriguing.

They're giving DVDs of the actual original interviews away in the Independent this Saturday so will watch that too, but thanks for the recommendation.

* Or as radical and anti-establishment as the BBC was allowed to be in 1964.

[jlh.livejournal.com]

That's such a great tie-in, giving away the DVDs. I should poke around on you tube and see if I can find them.

[titanic-days.livejournal.com]

Of course, true to form I then completely forgot to buy the paper at the weekend, so I guess I will have to head to YouTube as well.