Friday, August 03, 2007

WHAT IF?
I watched an amazing movie the other day that posed that very question. Death of a President is about exactly that. It is a mockumentary about the assassination of President Bush. Using actual footage of the president, the story unfolds using 'interviews' of key people from Bush's speech writer to one of the secret service officers. What really interested me was the film maker's ability to weave real images with ones created for the film. I have found criticism over the acting; however, I felt that everyone (virtually all unknown actors) did very well. The only point I would have to concede to is that the woman who plays the speech writer is a little too devoted to the prez, to the point of being fanatical. Perhaps my disbelief evolves from the idea that anyone could like him that much.
The main reason why I'm such a fan of this movie is because of the superb editing and the fact that, as you watch it, there's only a few moments where you can notice that anything was altered. I'm sure if I went back and watched it again I could find more examples, but the story was so well delivered that I was too hypnotized to pay attention.
Do yourself a favor and check it out, no matter what your feelings are toward the president. The director/writer does a good job of not getting up on a soapbox about the obvious issues. Like a real documentary, he presents the events from a neutral perspective.

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