Amazed no one’s mentioned the most obvious (to me) for this time: The American President. Also, another great Aaron Sorkin movie: A Few Good Men. Not my favorite xmas movie, but very Americana: It’s a Wonderful Life (for you trivia buffs, the pool Donna Reed falls into at the beginning when the gym floor opens was Beverly Hills HS where my parents went).
As much as I love Dazed and Confused (and I do love it), Fast Times at Ridgemont High came first. There are just so many great moments, or maybe I love that one so much because my high school years were more like Fast Times. Both are great summer movies.
I'll hazard a guess that the preeminent creative force in mid-20th century America were the producers, and I don't think any producer had a more profound impact on our culture during that period than Walt Disney.
Among so many accomplishments, starting with his creation of Mickey Mouse, Disney had the forethought to see the potential in a 14-year-old English actor named Hayley Mills. POLLYANNA was her first film for the studio.
I won't give away the plot and only reference it as a film suitable for the entire family and dominated by complex female characters (so rare at that time), from Mills, to Jane Wyman, Agnes Moorehead, Nancy Olson (still with us at age 98) and a host of standout character actors including Reta Shaw, Anne Seymour and Mary Grace Canfield.
And I reckon if each of us sat down right now and wrote five things we were glad for, we'd find the common ground we've all been yearning for to mend this country of ours.
Network. The sheer, saturating cynicism of corporate media could be a foreshadowing of Fox News under Roger Ailes, or the new dispensation at CBS. It also shows what suckers Americans are for fake authenticity, which generally means semi-coherent ranting rather than logical arguments, and that passive Americans like nothing better than some manipulator to get them angry and resentful.
That said, the ending was spoiled by the scenario of Peter Finch being assassinated by the network. It would have been much more effective (as well as realistic) to have the network simply pink-slip him and blackball him with the other media, and he ends up doing his ranting on a streetcorner, homeless and down on his luck.
Armageddon - A soul sibling to ID4 with its "America can fix anything" attitude and a great presidential speech. Fun Fact: The same actor playing the same POTUS character also delivers the great speech in The Rock.
Jaws - In addition to the 4th of the July setting it is a reminder that politicians never save us, we save ourselves. The fact that yuppie rich boy Hooper and working class Quint find something adjacent to respect for one another during their common shark killing cause is also very American.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - Ferris Bueller is teenager that thumbs his nose at authority, is a good hang, and is liked by all. I think it is a little undervalued that the reason why he is liked by all is because he is cool to everybody. We only get a few scenes showing this, but when he is talking to the freshmen, you get the sense that he looks out for people. In my head cannon he is elected President of the United States in 2016. Obviously, Cameron is his constantly exasperated Secretary of State.
Ghostbusters - Four working class stiffs start an independent business, fight a bureaucracy, and save the world in the process. The NYC setting is so important to this film's working class vibe.
Superman - After learning more about the turbulence of the 1970's I wonder if Richard Donner and company were suggesting that truth, justice, and the American way is the real punk rock. It feels like a prelude to Reagan's 1984 "morning in America" campaign too.
Superman's final line, “no, sir, don’t thank me, Warden. We’re all part of the same team," feels like both a reminder and a call to action for the 1978 audience. It's a reminder for 2026 too.
Moneyball - How can you not get romantic about this baseball movie about an underdog that defied a system with new thinking? It reminds me of a couple of guys that got together in 1776 and put together some radical thoughts on paper.
Here is a little bit of optimism for the holiday. A reminder of the vision and promise we cherish. Here is our little animated appreciation of that wonderful legacy we share, just ahead of the holidays. Please feel free to use and share it as you wish. Thanks for all your work!
Barry Levinson's "Avalon." Immigrant family becoming American, with the pathos of leaving behind the stability of family roots and culture, but also the inevitability of change and hope for a better future.
For me - and particularly in light of the last decade, it's "Dave":
"I forgot that I was hired to do a job for you and that it was just a temp job at that. I forgot that I had two hundred and fifty million people who were paying me to make their lives a little better and I didn’t live up to my part of the bargain. See, there are certain things you should expect from a President. I ought to care more about you than I do about me… I ought to care more about what’s right than I do about what’s popular. I ought to be willing to give this whole thing up for something I believe in."
I always watch 1776, the movie based on the play. What I love about is how it shows what everyone is motivated by or loyal to. Characters are loyal to their states, people, military, ideology and it all is a mirror to where we stand and the problems still persist whether it be 1776, 1976, or 2026.
Amazed no one’s mentioned the most obvious (to me) for this time: The American President. Also, another great Aaron Sorkin movie: A Few Good Men. Not my favorite xmas movie, but very Americana: It’s a Wonderful Life (for you trivia buffs, the pool Donna Reed falls into at the beginning when the gym floor opens was Beverly Hills HS where my parents went).
Bull Durham, I'm sorry.
As much as I love Dazed and Confused (and I do love it), Fast Times at Ridgemont High came first. There are just so many great moments, or maybe I love that one so much because my high school years were more like Fast Times. Both are great summer movies.
12 Angry Men
Bonnie and Clyde
Easy Rider
Godfather II
Deliverance
Once upon a Time in America
Mississippi Burning
I'll hazard a guess that the preeminent creative force in mid-20th century America were the producers, and I don't think any producer had a more profound impact on our culture during that period than Walt Disney.
Among so many accomplishments, starting with his creation of Mickey Mouse, Disney had the forethought to see the potential in a 14-year-old English actor named Hayley Mills. POLLYANNA was her first film for the studio.
I won't give away the plot and only reference it as a film suitable for the entire family and dominated by complex female characters (so rare at that time), from Mills, to Jane Wyman, Agnes Moorehead, Nancy Olson (still with us at age 98) and a host of standout character actors including Reta Shaw, Anne Seymour and Mary Grace Canfield.
And I reckon if each of us sat down right now and wrote five things we were glad for, we'd find the common ground we've all been yearning for to mend this country of ours.
Enjoyed this. Thanks.
“Do The Right Thing.”
Network. The sheer, saturating cynicism of corporate media could be a foreshadowing of Fox News under Roger Ailes, or the new dispensation at CBS. It also shows what suckers Americans are for fake authenticity, which generally means semi-coherent ranting rather than logical arguments, and that passive Americans like nothing better than some manipulator to get them angry and resentful.
That said, the ending was spoiled by the scenario of Peter Finch being assassinated by the network. It would have been much more effective (as well as realistic) to have the network simply pink-slip him and blackball him with the other media, and he ends up doing his ranting on a streetcorner, homeless and down on his luck.
That would be so typically American.
For all you fellow Letterboxd Users: https://letterboxd.com/jakevk/list/the-bulwark-goes-to-hollywoods-films-for/edit/
I'll add more titles as you all suggest them.
Independence Day - obvious reasons
Armageddon - A soul sibling to ID4 with its "America can fix anything" attitude and a great presidential speech. Fun Fact: The same actor playing the same POTUS character also delivers the great speech in The Rock.
Jaws - In addition to the 4th of the July setting it is a reminder that politicians never save us, we save ourselves. The fact that yuppie rich boy Hooper and working class Quint find something adjacent to respect for one another during their common shark killing cause is also very American.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - Ferris Bueller is teenager that thumbs his nose at authority, is a good hang, and is liked by all. I think it is a little undervalued that the reason why he is liked by all is because he is cool to everybody. We only get a few scenes showing this, but when he is talking to the freshmen, you get the sense that he looks out for people. In my head cannon he is elected President of the United States in 2016. Obviously, Cameron is his constantly exasperated Secretary of State.
Ghostbusters - Four working class stiffs start an independent business, fight a bureaucracy, and save the world in the process. The NYC setting is so important to this film's working class vibe.
Superman - After learning more about the turbulence of the 1970's I wonder if Richard Donner and company were suggesting that truth, justice, and the American way is the real punk rock. It feels like a prelude to Reagan's 1984 "morning in America" campaign too.
Superman's final line, “no, sir, don’t thank me, Warden. We’re all part of the same team," feels like both a reminder and a call to action for the 1978 audience. It's a reminder for 2026 too.
Moneyball - How can you not get romantic about this baseball movie about an underdog that defied a system with new thinking? It reminds me of a couple of guys that got together in 1776 and put together some radical thoughts on paper.
Aerosmith tickets: “top priority of the summer”
This summer and every summer!
Here is a little bit of optimism for the holiday. A reminder of the vision and promise we cherish. Here is our little animated appreciation of that wonderful legacy we share, just ahead of the holidays. Please feel free to use and share it as you wish. Thanks for all your work!
https://vimeo.com/1096145803
Barry Levinson's "Avalon." Immigrant family becoming American, with the pathos of leaving behind the stability of family roots and culture, but also the inevitability of change and hope for a better future.
For me - and particularly in light of the last decade, it's "Dave":
"I forgot that I was hired to do a job for you and that it was just a temp job at that. I forgot that I had two hundred and fifty million people who were paying me to make their lives a little better and I didn’t live up to my part of the bargain. See, there are certain things you should expect from a President. I ought to care more about you than I do about me… I ought to care more about what’s right than I do about what’s popular. I ought to be willing to give this whole thing up for something I believe in."
Alright, alright, alright!
Yeah, I feel like I couldn't really do Wooderson justice in the space allotted!
I always watch 1776, the movie based on the play. What I love about is how it shows what everyone is motivated by or loyal to. Characters are loyal to their states, people, military, ideology and it all is a mirror to where we stand and the problems still persist whether it be 1776, 1976, or 2026.
It’s hardly a classic like Nashville, which I loved. Independence Day.
INDEPENDENCE DAY IS GREAT. I'M SORRY FOR SHOUTING BUT IT NEEDS TO BE SHOUTED FROM THE ROOFTOPS!