Movies, 2000, boo hoo, campaigns, florida, hbo, history, katherine harris...

Old Man Upset At Accurate Portrayal of His Wimpiness

Recount, the HBO film about the 2000 presidential election mess in Florida, premiers on HBO soon. It looks fiendishly entertaining if you are a nerd, like some of us. Primarily because OMG Laura Dern as Katherine Harris. The make-up! They even recreated the horse photos. Some people, though, are not so excited about this movie. Because they are characters in it. Specifically Warren Christopher, a respected elder of the Democratic party, who is portrayed as a spineless pussy. He is played by John Hurt in goofy (but accurate) prosthetics. Christopher was the "public face of the Gore team" and the film basically shows how he played fair while Bush's fixer, James Baker, waged war. All of this is public record, but Christopher's pissed anyway, saying the filmmakers distort the story. Baker, on the other hand, is hosting a damn screening of the film at his think tank. He says the film makes him out to be "a little more like Don Corleone" than he really is, but that is actually a dark and depressing joke. He's worse than Don fucking Corleone, because Don Corleone was pretend. Oh hey, the trailer's after the jump.

[NYT]

12:42 PM on Wed May 14 2008
By Pareene
1,489 views
40 comments

Comments

Mediahohoho at 12:54 PM on 05/14/08
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At least the Godfather didn't wack a whole country.
hypocriteoath at 12:59 PM on 05/14/08
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@Mediahohoho: oh yeah, that makes him a whole lot better.
Mike_Jahn at 01:01 PM on 05/14/08
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Yo, Barry Hussein? Yeah you. Playing fair is an old Democratic shortcoming that don't work! They're relying on you to play fair! They're gonna kill you!
roodles at 01:01 PM on 05/14/08
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I think "spineless pussy" is a phrase that can describe the entire Democratic party most of the time. If that makes Warren Christopher feel any better.
Mike_Jahn at 01:03 PM on 05/14/08
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@roodles: @roodles: Amen!
IntoAshes at 01:03 PM on 05/14/08
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Despite the presence of K-Pax star Kevin Spacey, this looks to be all kinds of awesome. I guess we will have to wait 4 years for the Kerry/Diebold version...
if_i_only_had_a_heart at 01:03 PM on 05/14/08
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isn't this a little late?
misssgolightly at 01:06 PM on 05/14/08
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I wonder who plays this guy? [www.washingtonpost.com]
Cause that's all I need to know.
In Other News... at 01:07 PM on 05/14/08
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@if_i_only_had_a_heart: Hindsight is 20/20 and makes for great TV. I'll watch anything Kevin Spacey does, and Bruce McGill too.
In Other News... at 01:08 PM on 05/14/08
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@roodles: And the sad thing is, it's Democrats who are saying that. Am I right, Democrats?
roodles at 01:14 PM on 05/14/08
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@Mike_Jahn: @In Other News...: absolutely! I vote Democrat but I'm really a leftist and I find them so abysmally disappointing.

I'm pretty sure I could have run both Gore and Kerry's campaigns better from my bathroom.
Excusado at 01:15 PM on 05/14/08
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Plus, this was written by the guy who played Jonathan on Buffy. How could it not be all kinds of awesome?
oneinsixbillion at 01:16 PM on 05/14/08
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2008 will be a debacle. I hope the last eight years at least helped Democrats drop their balls an inch or two.
DorothyMantooth at 01:20 PM on 05/14/08
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I think this looks really promising, too!
But I can't, for the life of me, figure out who Spacey's playing! I actually thought he was meant to be Gore in the first coupla frames! But that can't be right.
Can it?
In Other News... at 01:25 PM on 05/14/08
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@roodles: At times, my friend, didn't it seem like they were run from a Port-A-John in the middle of the Bering Strait?
Spirit Fingers at 01:26 PM on 05/14/08
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I just want someone to play out that scene when Jeb whines to Barbara "The Pearl" Bush, "I will deliver Florida, Mama." Right before his "think tank" creates the term "hanging gonads....no, wait, hanging chads"
Mediahohoho at 01:28 PM on 05/14/08
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@hypocriteoath: On the plus side, that Genco is some mighty fine olive oil.
Mediahohoho at 01:29 PM on 05/14/08
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White life form plays Rove?
In Other News... at 01:30 PM on 05/14/08
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@Mediahohoho: Did you mean to type "What"? Because "White" is pretty funny too.
BadUncle at 01:31 PM on 05/14/08
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@IntoAshes: Try to think of him as Kaiser Sozay.
Mediahohoho at 01:31 PM on 05/14/08
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Also, Warren Christopher should be even more furious about Warren Christopher's portrayal of Warren Christopher as Secretary of State. He should also thank Condi Rice for taking away the "worst in the modern era" taint. Barely.
Phyllis Nefler at 01:32 PM on 05/14/08
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@DorothyMantooth: I think he plays Gore's chief of staff.
Mediahohoho at 01:32 PM on 05/14/08
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@In Other News...: I'm not sure anymore? Is "white" a genus or a species?
fileunder at 01:33 PM on 05/14/08
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@DorothyMantooth:
IMDB says "Ron Klain", which I had to Wiki, so I can tell you he's Gore's Chief of Staff. Random, huh? I don't think I remember him. But yay, technology! Couldn't do this in 2000.
Mediahohoho at 01:37 PM on 05/14/08
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I'll watch it just because I'm betting Laura Dern's Kitty is going to be dumb-a-licious. But I'm not giving odds on my TV surviving the night.
DorothyMantooth at 01:44 PM on 05/14/08
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@Phyllis Nefler: @fileunder: Thanks, you guys. Servicey!

Now. How 'bout that makeup?! Fabulous!
if_i_only_had_a_heart at 01:50 PM on 05/14/08
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@In Other News...: @Mediahohoho: i think the answer to that is fungus
In Other News... at 01:58 PM on 05/14/08
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666 views just now, I swear.
GollyG at 02:01 PM on 05/14/08
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The preview alone is making me all kinds of pissed all over again.
AlannaBanana at 02:02 PM on 05/14/08
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@Excusado: I hope Buffy comes and saves Christopher from shooting himself in front of the whole high school!!
Excusado at 02:03 PM on 05/14/08
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@oneinsixbillion: You think there'll be a general election in 2008? Ahahahahaha.

Three words: Marshall law, baby.
Itsjustcatnip at 02:20 PM on 05/14/08
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Judging by the last two elections, I should start stocking up on happy now.
kathotdog at 02:27 PM on 05/14/08
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Laura Dern looks awesome!
But I would prefer that John Hurt portray all his characters as Caligula from "I,Claudius." So it would be: John Hurt as Caligula as Kane; John Hurt as Caligula as The Elephant Man: John Hurt as Caligula as Warren Christopher.
Mediahohoho at 02:45 PM on 05/14/08
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@Excusado: Oh man, I've been saying this on the d.l. for a long time now and people have been telling me I'm crazy and I just keep saying I hope so I hope so. But NB, it's martial law. Let's hope we don't all know how to spell it by the end of the year, because they've already got a contract with KBR to build and supply domestic concentration camps. Dark times.
skahammer at 03:06 PM on 05/14/08
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@Mediahohoho: No, I think we have to take Excusado at his/her word and try to figure out exactly which Marshall s/he is saying will be promulgating the law of the future.

Thurgood is an obvious choice, but my sense of the post leans to something a little zanier: Penny or Garry, maybe? But of course "Peter Marshall law" is just too much to hope for.
Excusado at 03:19 PM on 05/14/08
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@Mediahohoho: Would you believe that in real life I'm a good speller?
Mediahohoho at 04:43 PM on 05/14/08
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@Excusado: I was once told by someone who had the pleasure of editing me that my spelling was "post-modern." So, hello, Mr. Kettle.
dola at 04:46 PM on 05/14/08
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If your income is garnered by rent, stocks & dividends this movie will matter to you. If you work in finance, advertising or publicity, this movie will matter to you. If you read The Economist for a 'well rounded opinioned', etc...
famousauthor at 05:50 PM on 05/14/08
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That's Mississippi John Hurt, isn't it? They should have tried a northerner for the role.
oneinsixbillion at 06:21 PM on 05/14/08
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@Excusado: Well, were I a betting man, I'd say on January 21 George W. Bush is President. But hey.