Comments on: Review: Frost/Nixon

By: Thelbert

Thelbert — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:19:40 +0000

To see the real Richard Nixon your have to see the documentary Apocalypse Africa Made in America. It contains the recordings of Richard Nixon that were once sealed in which he refers to blacks as ‘just out of the trees with spears’ and aborted black fetuses as ‘the little black bastards.’ What Nixon and his cronies did to Africa makes the Iraq war look like child’s play. This documentary is a must see. Richard Nixon’s sins have been overlooked for far too long, and must be re-investigated for history to be complete. Google NSSM 200 and you’ll see.

By: Sean Barnes

Sean Barnes — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:38:26 +0000

The audience were mature, a demographic for a movie with seemingly limited appeal. The trailer suggests a feature-length debate akin to court room drama. However, this fails to illustrate the background to the debate which is just as illuminating as the debate itself. Sir David Frost is now a renound political journalist but this film fails to identify why, instead concentrating on his knowledge of the media and its public as well as his entrepreneurial side and playboy lifestyle. Frost, played by Michael Sheen (who also played former Prime Minister Tony Blair to aplomb) drops his playboy lifestyle and media savvy approach after Nixon, played by Frank Langella, toys with him with all the tactical strategy of a consummate politician and possibly the keenest intellect of his generation of American Presidents. It is only by the final debate, when probed over Watergate (the abiding memory of Nixon’s reign and resignation) that Nixon admits openly that he realizes that only he believes it is not illegal act if it is the President’s action. This is the key point of the movie and the haunted expression on Nixon’s face immediately after making his admission is worth the theatre admission cost. This is also the converging of two men’s paths whereby Frost becomes a more pragmatic and faithful man as Nixon adopts a more relieved persona and falls into the trappings of retirement. One man’s career ends as another man’s career blossoms but that was always going to be the outcome of Frost versus Nixon.

By: James Cloninger

James Cloninger — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 04:21:49 +0000

The most amusing irony? Since his Nixon interview, Frost’s most successful long running British TV show is: THROUGH THE KEYHOLE. A group of Z-list guests try to guess the “celebrity” owner of a house from its contents.

Please…Frost was always a bit of a hack. Ever watch “The Frost Report” on Rediffusion? Well, probably not, because I’m old and formerly of Britain. Monty Python (of whom most of the writers were once writing for TFR) satirised him well in a sketch of the Timmy Williams Coffee Time…

“Written by Timmy Williams (read: David Frost)”

“Contributing writers:”

ANd then a string of about 100 names, the REAL jokesmen.

And then there’s his stealing Peter Cook’s act on Beyond The Fringe…

By: Snowbunnie

Snowbunnie — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:24:37 +0000

It always irritated me to no end that Nixon was hounded from office for doing what every president known has done: monitor his enemies and the left conduct illegalities all day long and barefaced cover for them as being ‘no big deal’. When the press chooses to front for this there are no crimes. When they choose to hound and harrangue, THEN it is a crime.
I hold as examples Barney Frank. Chris Dodd. Chuck Schumer . Just as the most glaring examples of that. Of course, we could add Blago, Richardson. Emmanuel and now Geitner.. No big deal. THEY are democrats.
I believe Blago is under fire because he knows something they don’t want him to tell. Otherwise, they’d be making excuses for him, too. Tony Rezko must be singing like a bird.
Nixon’s enemies more than anything or any entity was The Press.
As we all know, it still is the enemy of anything that has anything to do with real American Values. As opposed to those practiced by the left charading as Real American Values.

By: Snowbunnie

Snowbunnie — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:18:24 +0000

It is interesting that the argument about methods of thwarting Terrorism are hotly debated. There would be no debate whatsoever if one was not free to make them on boards like this or their family were in imminent danger of beheading because we were living under Islamic law. As the neck hackers raised their weapons, one would be pleading for ANYTHING to intervene and waterboarding would not be left off the table. NOTHING would be left off the table.
It is easy to chat. It is not easy to face these realities. Our President faced those daily and he prevailed on our behalf.
Whether Obama will or will not face those realities and be left wanting or will rise to the challenge will remain to be seen. I don’t have a lot of faith in his abilities based on his two year campaign and what he has said so far. We will see. For those who like to argue these points, by all means continue to argue. We are free, for now, to continue the dialog and as none of us are, thank God , in imminent danger of a head hacking, we can hypothesize endlessly. A luxury afforded by the much maligned President Bush. We will miss him and the wonderful Dick Cheney.
Obama and Biden? Their holding office is a strong signal to our enemies so we should enjoy freedom while we may.

By: Kevin Webb

Kevin Webb — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:03:49 +0000

Two points:

1.)Another great book that contains a balanced portrait of Pres. Nixon is “Kennedy/Nixon” by Chris Matthews (yes, Mr. “Thrill Down My Leg”, but this was before he embraced the left. This was written when Rush would invite him to guest host his show.) It is a fascinating look at the relationship these two had. Most people don’t realize how friendly they were up until the 1960 debates. This book would make for an incredible movie. Both men entered the House at the same time. Their offices were across the hall from each other. Joe Kennedy contributed to Nixon’s Senatorial campaign. They were each selected by their party to talk at town hall meetings and they traveled together to these meetings. Nixon’s paranoia didn’t manifest until the 1960 election when during the first debate, Nixon believed that people in Ike’s team leaked information about the Soviets and Cuba to Kennedy. It was also during the 1960 election that the relationship turned because Kennedy now saw Nixon as an opponent to be defeated. Their is a great movie here.

2.) Another great political movie is the original “The Manchurian Candidate”. Great performances, suspensful throughout, and little ideology besides we are under threat from a governments, not a corporation.

By: Aetius

Aetius — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:19:03 +0000

“reeks of competence” is a great description. It’s a decent film, but how it’s in Best Picture contention is amazing to me. This film will be mostly forgotten in ten years.

the actress is Rebecca Hall, btw. Caroline Cushing is the character.

By: David Hinz

David Hinz — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:13:25 +0000

President Nixon was an evil Republican. It was time to do another movie about how evil Republicans are. That was the entire point.

The left has been unable to PROVE that President Bush broke any laws, so they are forced to return to the only President they can point to who did — perhaps.

By: SonjaP

SonjaP — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 06:25:44 +0000

What’s wrong with “planting listening devices” within the DNC, which was suspected of collaborating with communists?…while we were at war with communist North Vietnam, no less? If the RNC was collaborating with Al Qaeda, would it be “illegal” to bug its headquarters?

By: Orrin Johnson

Orrin Johnson — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:03:12 +0000

"Torture does not lead to viable information in a criminal investigation. It never has." False. Waterboarding Khalid Sheik Mohammed saved untold lives. The ONLY question remaining is whether those deaths are worth less than making one terrorist more comfortable than we make regular fighter pilots during their SEAR training.