Genres

Visitors Review

whiterat1 2012-05-20 09:25:13

Women Good Men Bad

Women are good. Men are bad. Women are good. Men are bad. Women are good.Men are bad. We men should be ashamed. We are bad. Hollywood is good. Menare bad. Movies should be for daughters. Women are good. Men are bad. Sonsare bad. Men are bad. Women are good. Daughters are good. Men are bad. Ibelieve what Hollywood tells me. Women are good. Men are bad. Women aregood. Hollywood never lies. Men are bad. I am a man. I am bad. Men are bad.Women are good. Men are bad. Women are good. Men are bad. Women are good.Women are good. Women are good. No matter what. Women are always right.Women are always right. I am always wrong. That's because women are alwaysgood. And men are always bad. I am ashamed to be a man. Work will set youfree. Work will set you free. Men are bad. Men are bad. Women are good. Workwill set you free. Work will set you free.

rotrel 2012-05-19 14:55:09

A despicable show of nazifeminism, or maybe worse

This is a simplistic, unAmerican film, one of the worst I've seen inmany years. Some very good acting by Joan Allen (the only thing thatcan be saved from this nightmare), Sam Elliot and Gary Oldman, andmaybe the worst performance by Jeff Bridges. Some characters (Rep.Webster, Special Agent Willomina) are simply abominable. The wholesituation is so ridiculous, that one wonders what kind of feverishimagination would place somebody as wildly liberal, disloyal,contradictory, and confused as Senator Laine Hanson in such a highposition. I loved Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 911". It was straight andhonest, concise and well taken. "The Contender" is exactly the oppositein all respects. I give it a 3 / 10 out of respect for Joan Allen.

John Taylor 2012-05-10 03:31:13

Outstanding!!!

I have just finished watching an amazing political movie that left megasping at it brilliance.The Script,the acting and Story is quite simply outstanding.Joan Allen plays a governer who is in line and is the prefered choice asVice President. Along the way there are poeple who dont like the idea of awoman being the president's right hand man....Woman.Gary Oldman plays the congress leader who rakes up sexual rumours and anyinuendo to make sure she falls at the first hurdle.Oldman is wonderfull as is Jeff Bridges as the president.The Diologue is straight from the top drawer is has you gripped from thefirst minute and does not let go until the very end.The Contender is a Contender for one of my all time favourites.10 out of 10

2012-05-09 16:03:53

A realistic, fast-paced movie with many surprises, right to the end!

This movie captured my interest right from the start and didn't let upuntilthe last few frames, where I had yet another revelation. Especiallyinteresting was the photography that was, at times, very close to thesubjects to highlight the intensity of a scene.The acting was superb and I thought that they became the characters in mymind, and not just the actors playing them. In the same vein as, forexample, Mel Gibson became William Wallace and Marlon Brando become VitoCorleone.Good job!

Casey Machula 2012-05-05 11:54:47

Sexual McCarthyism at its finest

`Sexual McCarthyism' is a relatively new political phrase. It was coined,as you recall, back in 1998, when people began to wonder if the president'ssexual indiscretions qualified as `high crimes and misdemeanors.' TheContender, which manages to avoid the overworked clichés about Bill andMonica , is an enthralling political drama about the subject. It deservesto be categorized in the same class as All the President's Men and TheCandidate.The central issue is the President's choice for Vice President. We don'tknow why he must pick a second in command. One assumes that the formerVicePresident died while in office. But that's not the point. It doesn'tmatter. The selection process, subject to Senate confirmation, is merelythe vehicle through which competing ideologies are brought together asadversaries.His choice is not a popular New Hampshire Governor named Jack Hathaway,lionized in the media as a hero – by all measures the `safe' choice.Instead, against the advice of his aides, he chooses Ohio Senator LaineHanson, an American blue-blood Wellesley graduate who has, some claim, acheckered past. It's to be the `swansong' of an outgoing President. Andsothe battle ensues.Fortunately, The Contender is not your typical Hollywood production. Ithas no cheesy `action' scenes. The sexual content (an orgy) serves thestory, and not vice versa. The language, though strong, is entirelyappropriate: it's a violent movie; but, the violence is verbal. And thestory is brought to a high level of dramatic intensity through a perfectcombination of utterly engaging dialogue, together with some extraordinaryacting. Most important of all, the main characters evolve. They aretransformed, for better or worse, as the drama unfolds. But that's notall:as viewer, you perceptions evolve along with the movie. You're put in aposition where you have to make character judgments. And at the end of themovie, your own judgments are put to the test.

2012-05-05 02:06:42

One of the best political thrillers ever made!

"What I say, the American people will believe, and do you know why? Because I'll have a very big microphone in front of me." This comes from the mouth of Congressman Shelly Runyon, one of the many characters in what is perhaps the most intriguing political thriller ever made, "The Contender," a film that captures so many of today's political and societal elements and behaviors that it becomes much more than just a movie, but a testimonial into the moral beliefs and traditional values of citizens and politicians alike. It focuses on a person's right to a personal life as well as that person's strength and ability to stick to them in a time when people run scared from their beliefs in the face of the possible consequences. The premise of the story begins with the president's search for a suitable candidate to fill the vacant vice president's position after his own running mate's death a few short weeks ago. His first initial choice is Governor Jack Hathaway, whose recent attempted rescue of a drowned woman have made him a hero in the eyes of a nation. But President Jackson Evans decides that he wants someone that American citizens will value for their beliefs, and not for heroics, and therefore rejects Hathaway for his choice candidate, Senator Laine Hanson, who is more than happy to fill the position. Being a Republican-turned-Democrat, Hanson is not liked by some, especially Shelly Runyon, who meets with the rejected Hathaway and lays out his plans of determination to bring down Hanson by delving into her past. He strikes pay dirt when he uncovers photographic evidence of Hanson being "gang-banged" by a college sorority group, and even though none of the photographs show her face outright, many witnesses appear to give their testimonial about the events of that evening, and not in Hanson's favor. As the hearings begin to determine whether or not she is a likely and qualified candidate for the position, the rumors begin to build, more witnesses arrive, but never does Hanson confess or deny the allegations brought against her, stating clearly that it is no one's business as to what her past involved. From the very beginning, the movie piles on the politics, giving us all the terminology without ever making it sound too complicated or overly brainy. It has all the makings of a perfect political thriller, and it takes those makings and makes them reality, giving us a story that is based not only on a person's rights, but on the way in which today's society behaves when there is an authority figure involved in a scandal. The movie itself is a testament to this way of thinking, because instead of focusing solely on the possible sexual proclivities of Hanson, it chooses to allow Runyon to question her morals concerning her political beliefs as well. He very rarely attacks her on the basis of her past, but instead criticizes her beliefs on abortion, separation of church and state, and her atheism. This is the defining contrast between the two major forces against Hanson in the film: the press focuses on her sexual past, while the governing bodies lean towards her moral and societal beliefs. And in dealing with her sexual past, the movie is truly wonderful in never coming out and saying that it, in fact, is her in the photographs, or whether or not she did engage in "deviant sex." Rare flashback glimpses never give us a clear look at her, nor do the photos. This gives the movie such a great opportunity which it capitalizes on: it allows Hanson to make a choice between allowing the allegations to overtake her or to simply look upon them as personal and say nothing publicly. In her choice to remain silent about her affairs, Hanson comes off as strong, morally righteous and defiant of those who want her out of the running. The plot for this film is complete and utter brilliance, with twist after twist, and revelation after enticing revelation. What really keeps it moving is its connections to the real political world, using such events as Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky as an example of moral belief. The movie also takes a stand on how our nation looks solely at the bad qualities and past events of a person's life, without ever really paying attention to the greatness they have to offer to this country. Performances are solid all around, with an especially commendable performance from Joan Allen, who is the centerstage for all the goes on in this movie. She plays the part of Laine Hanson, who, through Allen's performance, comes off as solid, strong, and most importantly, intelligent, in the face of her enemies. Her acting for this movie deserves a nomination for something at least. Jeff Bridges plays President Evans with sincerety and wit, and he is able to make us believe in the President's stand behind his candidate with firm dialogue and attitude. Gary Oldman plays Shelly Runyon, and does so with all the deviousness and craftiness that he brings to his many other roles that require this trait. He is the character of the film that we love to hate, and by movie's end, we hae no remorse for him. The supporting cast, which includes Christian Slater, Sam Elliot and William Petersen, all bring more life and charisma to the picture, making this cast one of the best of 2000. "The Contender" itself is one of the ten best films of 2000, and also the most innovative political thriller ever made. There were moments that I cheered for; there were times when I felt such a connection between the fiction of the film and reality that it almost seemed disturbing that this is such an accurate portrayal of how we as a nation act in the face of scandal. The movie has a lot to say about us, and about personal rights, and it carries all of this off successfully and with competence.

disdressed12 2012-05-02 13:34:18

truly great political intrigue film

The contender is a powerful,riveting movie of political backstabbingand hidden agendas.it is full of suspense and intrigue.a very dramaticfilm,yet not at all boring,with a great mix of characters and someexplosive revelations.this is a very well done movie with some big nameactors putting in stellar performances.Jeff Bridges plays presidentJackson Evans,who,upon the death of the vice-president is faced withthe task of nominating a replacement.Joan Allen plays democraticsenator Laine Hanson,the president's nominee.However she must firstappear before the confirmation committee and be approved.and this willnot prove easy. this is where the movie really gets going.both Bridgesand Allen put in solid performances,but it is Gary Oldman who playscommittee chair Sheldon Runyon(a republican)who is a standout.Oldmangives a powerhouse performance.Christian Slater,Sam Elliott,WilliamPeterson,Saul Rubinek,and Philip Baker Hall,among others also put interrific performances.this is truly a great movie.but,if you aresensitive about your politics,you might want to avoid thisone.otherwise prepare to be entertained for 2 hours.

canuck-3 2012-05-02 00:42:19

Great movie, bad ending

Superbly acted by everyone in the cast, this is a nice tight politicalthriller. The film could have been a masterpiece if had not been let downby some terrible writing at the end. The whole thing starts to fall apart the moment the writer/director felt theneed to have a Hollywood ending. The moment Joan Allen has her big"hollywood moment" is the moment everything comes apart. From that point onthe script becomes almost entirely predictable and disappointing. The film's final scene is a hackneyed piece of "USA Number One!" writingthat does not do justice to the careful character studies that have gonebefore. We've invested all this time in the movie, and we want to see theheroine resolve her conflicts, not have someone step in and resolve them forher.I do still recommend the movie for the first three quarters of it. It is avery good movie that could have been great.

paul2001sw-1 2012-05-01 04:30:14

Could have been a...

All systems, especially political ones, depend on a modicum of goodwillto keep them running. When Bill Clinton was President of the UnitedStates, he found himself persecuted under the Constitution by enemieswho did not accept his right to be President in the first place and whogranted him no leeway whatsoever. Clinton's story is clearly the modelfor the event depicted in 'The Contender', although in fact the film issomewhat tamer than real life. At first, it's a fascinating study intothe abuse of process and how a line can be crossed between duepartisanship and straightforward hatred; the fact that the hate objectis a woman is an original, but sadly convincing, touch. The film losesground somewhat towards its ending, however, with its heroinerepresented with increasing adulation, whereas one of the terrible butintriguing things about the Clinton story is that he really wasn't avery nice man. The film also makes her a liberal hero in a way that issadly unlikely in real life. And what's completely absent from the filmis any anger at the fact that the best liberal hero that Hollywood caninvent is the daughter of a Governor, raised in privilege and educatedat the Ivy League: the sense of disconnection of the whole politicalclass from the lives of ordinary Americans is not represented at all.Much as I detest the Republican leadership, the people may be the faultof the system rather than vice versa. But even a liberal film dare musteulogise, not criticise, the American dream. The ending, in keepingwith this, is weak.Performances are nicely judged, especially from Gary Oldman as theRepublican leader. This is an entertaining and intriguing film; justnot a particularly political one.

Dougster-5 2012-04-30 20:38:38

Movie Defeated its own Purpose

The idea was that a politician's steamy and sordid private life is of norelevance to their political capabilities.The Contender took the high ground - make no comment about the accusationsbecause you then stoop to your accuser's level. Which leads us to atriumphant conclusion as Laine Hanson gets the nomination....but only afterthe President knows the accusations are false.But what if the accusations had been true? That would have been a moviewith guts.The Contender has little guts, and follows the tired old Hollywood plotline: Girl Meets Nomination; Girl Loses Nomination; Girl GetsNomination.

2012-04-29 15:10:02

"Otherwise, it was pretty good...."

This movie brings to mind childhood memories - running across an open field of grass, barefoot and fancy-free. But then all of a sudden you feel that sickeningly warm gush between your toes and you realize that you've stepped-in "It". And you try to wipe it off...but that residue and smell just stays with you the whole day long.This past weekend I "stepped-in" The Contender.It's rare that I have such a visceral reaction to a movie and I'll admit that a good part of it has to do with the tripe that passed for political points of view on the part of the main characters. But beyond that, the imagery, the dialogue, the costumes....nearly everything about it was intelligence-insulting manipulation of the worst kind.Here's just a couple samples:The Republican "bad guy" (apparently redundant terms in the eyes of the writer/director, Rob Lurie) is shown eating bloody red meat - with close-ups of the plate just so it wouldn't be missed ("Thanks, Rob!") - like a guy who just stumbled down a mountainside with the Donner Party. At first it didn't sink in because I didn't want to believe that a movie with the high-profile DreamWorks name behind it would go for such a banal metaphor. Thankfully the creators of the film resisted what must have been an overwhelming temptation to have the Republican congressman grow fangs and flinch at the sight of a cross (actually, they saved the animosity and reflexive aversion for anything religious for the main character)The protagonist (or should I say, "protagonista"), Laine Hanson, was shown running/exercising in Arlington Memorial Cemetery several times during the course of the movie. In one scene she goes sprinting across the graves of the buried soldiers followed by a bout of stretching while standing between the rows of crosses marking the graves. I guess they were aiming at an allusion to the sacrifices of those who gave their lives for their country with Sen Hanson sacrificing her political aspirations for her moral stand....but instead they conjured scenes that were awkward, self-conscious and really pretty creepy if you think about it.All in all a regrettable waste of 4 bucks and, more importantly, 2+hours of my life. In fact, I'm almost afraid to talk about it with friends and family for fear that I might lose some respect for those who actually find the movie worthwhile. I know, I know - intolerance of the diversity of opinions, and all that stuff - its just so difficult to suffer fools, or at least foolish opinions.For those (like me) who are fascinated by dramatizations of the goings-on in the Oval Office, save your money and stick to "The Left...er...West Wing" . While this weekly drama has a tendency to lapse into the droning self-righteousness of liberal propaganda, it is at least, not generally mean-spirited in its partisanship. The same can't be said of The Contender.

2012-04-29 04:18:18

"CONTENDER" TRIES TO PUT DOWN CLINTON INVESTIGATION

"The Contender" was made by a former West Point guy who is a liberal, a rarity in and of itself. It does not take a highly liberal position, but it is not conservative. The film's message is that the right's overarching investigations into Clinton's sex life were intrusive, although it does not examine the fact that his lies came under legal oath.The V.P. dies and a woman Senator is nominated to replace him. A rumor circulates that while in college she was gangbanged by a fraternity. She refuses to answer the allegations. A conservative Senator (Gary Oldham, who is actually conservative and later expressed dismay at script changes to make conservatives look worse than originally planned), opposes her because of her alleged youthful promiscuity. He is also in league with another Senator who he wants to get the nod. The President (Jeff Bridges) sticks by the nominee and after a few twists and turns she gets in. The charges are never publicly refuted, which is the film's message. She reveals privately that the gangbang story was false, and the moral is that politician's personal lives are not open season for the press. This resonates to an extent, but the timing of the film, in light of the Clinton scandals, makes it obvious that the purpose is to dissuade the public that Clinton's immorality is our business.STEVEN TRAVERSAUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"STWRITES@AOL.COM

dublin9 2012-04-24 03:49:58

Washington Smells but Hollywood Stinks

The acting was good as was the movie... until the final half hour. It'shere that the Hollywood progressives turned a solid plot into a pretzeland substituted continuity with partisanship.I took this DVD out of my player to my wife's rants of "why did wewaste two hours of our life watching this garbage propaganda?" This iswhy I love her. She cuts to the chase.So, what did we learn from this junk? That's easy: Even trashyDemocrats are better than the best Republicans.That's home spun Hollywood philosophy folks. Brought to you by thepeople that haven't come out with a Tom Clancy genre Arab terroristflick since 3,000 Americans were murdered. These are the effete cowardsthat smugly think they can alter the American culture to their own smugand feckless theology."The Contender" goes beyond disinformation. And while it slicklyimposes a progressive ideology (replete with the righteousness ofbreaking into every American's home and taking away their firearms), itshows how little Sillywood thinks of our intellect and logic.4 stars out of ten for decent acting.

dcsgirlie 2012-04-23 15:25:18

Typical and Predictable, but watchable - sort of.

Given Joan Allen was nominated for an Oscar for this role, and it gotravingreviews, I was honestly hoping to see something different come out ofthismovie.All hopes came crashing down when I realized what a waste of time it was.Itwas completely predictable - to the point that you could ALMOST say thewords as they came out of the actors mouth. It had the same old storyline,with the same old problems, and the bad guy gets hurt in theend.I will say that Joan Allen was great in this movie. She was strong, andpoised in this role, and there is a message within this movie. Its justtoo"been done" - and while this goes with many movies, there are only soomanytwists we can see with politics...

Idocamstuf 2012-04-16 14:40:21

Overblown and obvious, but somewhat entertaining

The Contender is the kind of film that is not necissarilly good, but isstill quite watchable. Joan Allen plays the sleazy vice president nomineewith a notorious past, and one of the other nominees(Oldman), is the madmanthat uncovers the past and rubs it in everyones face. This is a somewhattired and predictable story, but the cast does make it somewhat worthwatching. I think this film was very overrated at the oscars, Bridges andAllen were both nominated. I would much rather suggest the much underated,and better Jeff Bridges movie "Arlington Road", as an alternative to thistrash. Overall, its not very good, but on the other hand, you could do alot worse. My IMDB rating: 5.7/10.

noahbi 2012-04-16 09:29:58

Two words: Jeff Bridges

I must admit that I walked out of this one with mixed feelings. The storyfeels uneven, especially the ending; but Jeff Bridges compensates foreverything! His Munster-Cheese-Sandwich-President will live for ever in mymemory as one of the all-time funniest persons in a movie!

F_Jenkins 2012-04-15 08:39:56

What a script

I was never a fan of Rod Lurie as a critic or radio show host. I don'tthink he's a very good director either. But as a writer, I can't praise himenough. This script will be used in screenwriting classes. It's a beautifulpiece of work that one can spend hours examining. Everything is set up justright, including all its little nuances that are like sprinkles on top ofthe great icing on top of the cake. When Jeff Bridges finally orderssomething they don't have; Allen's refusal to use her new found info onOldman's character; the little twists in the last act. I love this script.And the cast was awesome. Everyone was so well cast, especially Bridges whowas amazingly presidential, and of course, Gary Oldman, who should have beennominated for an Oscar. Forget about the boring West Wing. These are muchmore interesting characters. The Contender will be a DVD that Ipurchase.

donny-31 2012-04-15 03:23:25

Love those Hollywood Left-Leaning Liberals!

I thought this film was wonderful; I gave it a nine.You will seldom see better performances in such an arena - a politicalone, that is. Joan Allen is HUGE in this movie, Gary Oldman isCosmically Right In There, and we even have a wonderful piece of workfrom Jeff Bridges.Of course this film shows a bias that I prefer, so I like it a littlemore because of that. In general, showcases for hardball, power-playpolitics tend to be overdone (that's my opinion, anyway), but I foundthis one to be both cerebral and satisfying.My only (minor) disappointment was in finding out "the truth" about theallegations against Allen's character. But I guess it was given inorder to equal out the truth we are given about her rival and herdetractor.

2012-04-12 13:15:39

Tired Hollywood Attempt At Patriotism

This movie was a flop. Not only because of its lack of making a mark at the box office, but also because of its total lack of having any reason to make people want to see it.Even when I got to see it for free at an advanced screening I felt I had been cheated, cheated out of two hours of my life. This movie tried to be a throw back to the political thrillers of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood when they made them right, but fails because the producers and director obviously never watched any of the classics for pointers. The plot and script decrease in importance and value as the film progresses. The characters build no connection with the audience and Joan Allen's part could have been filled by ANY actress; she does not deserve a single award nomination. The only reason this film received any recognition was due to the fact that it pandered to the overly "liberal" population in Hollywood. This film is so apparently biased in its views that a viewer would have to be both blind and deaf in order to remain unbiased in a review of it.The killer of this movie (not the only one, but a big killer of many) is when Joan Allen is on the stand and they ask her if she believes in God. She responds "No," but then adds that she believes in the, and I quote, "Church Of Democracy." I about vomited my popcorn at that point, that's how bad it was.Never see this movie.

Jamie Clay 2012-04-12 02:08:41

Nice enough movie but you can wait to rent it

**SPOILER** **SPOILER**This is a rah-rah "Our country is great, but it's time for the politiciansgrow up" sort of movie. (A political coming of age film?) It would beniceif some of the concepts in this film would come true, but the cynic in medoesn't see it happening any time soon, regardless I'm sure PresidentClinton loved some (or most) of the messages here.The film has an agenda that's not even loosely veiled. It addresses manyofthe "issues" of the last 8 years with a obvious slant towards "the left".Now there is NOTHING wrong with that but 50 percent (+or - 10) of thevotingpopulation will no doubt have a problem with one (or more) of the messagesbeing honored here.I should mention that there is also the underlying message of "all we aresaying, is give girls a chance" - I look forward to the day when we don'thave to make such pleas, someday this country will grow up...but then Iwatch COPs or Jerry Springer...and just sigh...sorry I'mdrifting.The cast is the best thing about this film, there are some good (but notgreat) performances, no Oscar nominations here I'm afraid. I loved JeffBridge's president who constantly was ordering exotic meals, trying tostumpthe staff - that was a lot of fun.As much as the film makers would love to think they put plot twists intothis film, they missed the mark - there were no surprises. It was easy totell that the audience I saw this film with knew what was about to happenasthey often chuckled with anticipation before each twist wasrevealed.On a real petty note, the title sequence for this movie was so "IrwinAllen"bad, it made a few people (including me) in the audience laugh out loud.Hope they didn't spend too much on it.Bottom line: A nice film worth seeing that pulls on some easy heartstrings(for me at least) but there isn't enough reason to see this one in thetheater, it'll play well on the small screen.spoiler section -------spoiler section---------spoilersection---------spoiler section -------spoiler section---------spoilersection---------spoiler section -------spoiler section---------spoilersection---------spoiler section -------spoiler section---------spoilersection---------spoiler section -------spoiler section---------spoilersection---------spoiler section -------spoiler section---------spoilersectionThe primary dagger against the female VP candidate is a night of rumoredsexual debauchery that happened when she was in college. This issue comestolight AFTER she is selected to be VP. I have a hard time buying that thiswould ever happen in this day and age.This sort of scandal would have been exposed LONG before she would havebeenconsidered for the VP position. Add to that the fact that (A) she is aGovernor's daughter (B) this was "folklore" on her college campus and (C)she ran for (and won) a SENATE position, makes the plot point that thisissue still needs to be "fully addressed" even less plausible.I wouldn't have made her a Governor's daughter, it would have helped -some.In the end, she was too squeaky clean to be a politician. There was ahintthat something in her past was worthy of her stepping down (when the cuteFBI agent gave Sam Elliot the investigation report) but in the end it wasjust a red herring used distract us, unsuccessfully.And speaking of which, wasn't that FBI agent just too damn cute? I meanwhenwe first are introduced to her and she's interviewing Gary Oldman, didn'tmost of us think she was going to try and seduce him to get some dirt? Notthe best casting I'm afraid, though her performance was justdandy.FWIW: Then the whole Adultery perjury thing was weak and felt like filler(it was nice to see Mariel Hemingway though.)Later in the film's big twist it's divulged that the girl who drowned inthebridge accident was once a member of secret ops (or something like that)andthat the accident was staged (uh-doy). The only problem with that is, whythe heck was she so stupid about getting out of the car? Anyone doing suchastunt would know to roll the window down to help equalize the waterpressure. I contend that she would have had the window down already andwould had been prepared to get out quickly.The writers decided to killed her to try to disguise that this was astagedevent and thus embed a twist in the film, didn't work. Now, if they hadknocked the girl out from the impact, it would have been easier to acceptlater on but NO they needed the dramatic images of her drowning in thecar.(Plus didn't they see Abyss? She could have been revived!!!)