R.I.P.: George McGovern (1922-2012)

Two things that immediately popped into my head when I heard the sad news this morning about George McGovern's death.

First, he was the first Presidential candidate I ever voted for -- at a time when this country seemed even more divided and yet, strangely enough, at the same time, somewhat more civil than it is now.

Second: It has been impossible for me to read or hear McGovern's name ever since seeing All the President's Men without thinking of Hal Holbrook in that dimly lit parking garage telling Robert Redford, in the condescending tone of someone explaining the obvious to a none-too-bright child, that McGovern was the liberal Democrat that Richard Nixon and his flunkies wanted to run against in 1972, because he'd be so much easier to beat than Ed Muskie.

I have never ceased to agree with those who've praised George McGovern as a good and honorable man. But I still shudder when I consider how easily and ruthlessly he, and we, were manipulated by his opponent.

From Frost/Nixon to Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

Michael Sheen has appeared in all three of the Underworld movies, but I'd be willing to bet most people who know him best as either David Frost (Frost/Nixon) or Tony Blair (The Queen) have no idea that he's been moonlighting as a werewolf -- excuse me, a Lycan -- in this horror-flick franchise. He's actually the hero of the latest entry -- Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, opening today at theaters and drive-ins everywhere -- and I give him his fair props in my Variety review. But I couldn't help thinking while watching the movie: I wonder how long it'll take for some Photoshop-savvy Internet jokester to design a new Frost/Nixon poster with Sheen as a snarling lycanthrope -- and Frank Langella as Dracula?


(Or, maybe better, Langella as Skeletor from Masters of the Universe?

'1776' Redux

At the end of a lazily decadent July 4th holiday – much of it spent chomping down hot dogs and watching my beloved Astros get pounded by the Phillies – I sat down to watch 1776 on Turner Classic Movies. I had vague memories of seeing the 1972 musical back during its original theatrical run, and even vaguer recollections of being none too impressed. Nevertheless, I tuned in – partly because I had nothing better to do, but also because I’d heard rumors that the movie (one of the last Old Hollywood musicals based on Broadway hits) had been substantially improved by the restoration of scenes and songs that had deleted by producer Jack Warner (at the insistence, according to Hollywood legend, of no less a notable than Richard Nixon) before its ’72 release.

Alll I can say is: I’m glad I made the effort. Mind you, 1776 still is something less than an unadulterated masterwork. (Although director Peter H. Hunt manages some impressive wide-screen compositions, he’s a tad too literal-minded in some aspects of his stage-to-screen translation.) Taken as a whole, however, the movie is wonderfully entertaining – and, better still, undeniably inspiring -- as it offers an intelligently yet playfully romanticized account of events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. But wait, there’s more: The cast includes most of the major players from the original 1969 Broadway ensemble – including William Daniels (John Adams), Howard Da Silva (Benjamin Franklin) and Ken Howard (Thomas Jefferson), all at their finest – along with an absolutely luminescent Blythe Danner (who was pregnant with Gwyneth Paltrow during filming) as Martha Jefferson. And the heated debates over individual rights and tyrannical rulers is, alas, every bit as relevant today as in 1776 or 1972.

I can easily see how this restored 1776 might eventually become a holiday season staple (much like It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story) over years and years of TV reruns. For some background on the restoration, along with fair appraisals of the movie itself, see here (at the end of a review of the 1997 New York stage revival) and here.

Speaking of movies based on dolls.. er, sorry, I mean, action figures...

Along with the upcoming Transformers movie and the just-announced ThunderCats feature, there's a new and presumably improved He-Man and the Masters of the Universe film on the drawing board. I would understand if the producers decide that, this time, they should cast someone a tad bit more expressive than Dolph Lundgren in the lead role. But I think it would be way cool if they'd let Frank Langella reprise his performance as Skeletor (one of the few saving graces in the 1987 Masters of the Universe flick). I mean, what else could Langella do as a follow-up to playing Richard Nixon, right? And come to think of it, Meg Foster hasn't been up to much lately -- so maybe she could take another shot at playing Evil-Lyn?

But if you want to find out what happens to action figures after their stardom fades, look here. Warning: It's not a pretty picture.