Dr.Strangelove Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We've got two portrayals of U.S. Presidents vying for Oscars this year: Josh Brolin as W in W. and Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon. I've yet to see either one, though I did see Langella in the Broadway play, which I hear the movie faithfully replicates. On the eve of W.'s release, it seemed like a good time to get a discussion going on Best Screen Presidents, real or fictional. Here's my list, which is surely missing some obvious choices -- but that's part of the fun.

1. President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) - The Contender
For the past couple of elections, pollsters have asked people which of the two presidential candidates they would rather "have a beer with." Inevitably it is pointed out that the person you would rather have a beer with is frequently not the person you would want to run the country. Jeff Bridges's President Jackson Evans, though, wins at life: he's the guy I'd want to have a beer with, and the guy I'd want running the country. Seriously, I would vote for Jackson Evans over either John McCain or Barack Obama. He's charming, and funny, and a bit of a jerk when called for, but he stands up for what's right and gives the best Rod Lurie Speech to date. My favorite movie president -- though for the record, I think The Contender is only pretty good.

Who doesn't love pie? And more importantly, who doesn't love pie in the face? Well, as long as it's not YOUR face. (Though of course you can balance out the humiliation of being served -- so to speak -- with the knowledge that what you were being served was dessert goodness.)

The history of pie-fighting in movies is vast and varied, ranging from the simple to the sublime. Oh heck, who am I kidding? It's all just a messy, slapstick good time. Take a look at these famous movie pie fights, and then let us know: What's your favorite? Which ones did we miss? If you were to get hit in the face with a pie, what type would you prefer? And ... are you hungry yet?

I'm a sucker for creative, non-fancy fandom. In January, I shared a clip to Star Wars' Battle of Yavin done entirely with hands. Now I've got something of the non-motion variety. There is an art exhibit making the rounds that recreates scenes from Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The kicker -- it's done with household objects. Now, I'm not talking about taking them and making mini replicas by morphing them. Instead, this is a collection of images very similar to actual scenes, but within the constraints of the materials used. It's kind of like the hands -- they can't be perfect replicas, but the idea and mood are down pat.

The exhibition comes from Kristan Horton, a visual artist hailing from Canada. For two and a half years, the only video he had in his studio was Dr. Strangelove, and he watched it over 700 times. Why he didn't go and pick up any other video is beyond me. Heck, I love Heathers and have probably seen it 100 times, but that's over 15 years! The collection of images starts with the classic Columbia logo with the torch-bearing woman, which is shown with its recreation -- one that uses a bottle and what appears to be an old trophy bottom, some tape and some plastic or tissue. Beyond that, a plane is recreated with silverware, a remote control becomes a computer panel and an old dictionary becomes a bed. You can see some of the images here, and the exhibit is currently housed in Toronto, at York University, before it moves to Vancouver's Contemporary Art Gallery this July.

A thoughtful reader pointed out to us that yesterday was Stanley Kubrick's birthday -- he would have been 78 had he not died in 1999 -- and I couldn't let the occasion pass without an image from one of his movies. At first, I thought I should remember one of the lesser-known films, something that many people haven't seen, like Paths of Glory or Barry Lyndon. Barry Lyndon has some gorgeous images, as does A Clockwork Orange. But ultimately I decided to go with one of the most iconic images from a Kubrick film, the one that most of us would recognize instantly, the one that reminds you that you haven't seen Dr. Strangelove in awhile and ought to rent it again soon.

I don't need to explain the context of the above image, although it reminds me how much I enjoyed Slim Pickens as Major Kong. Rumor has it that Peter Sellers was supposed to take that role too, but was unable to do so. As much as I enjoy Sellers, I'm not sure he'd be quite as convincing a Texan as Pickens in this dark comedy. If you don't know anything about the above image, get to a video store immediately and rent Dr. Strangelove. And don't forget to wish Kubrick a (late, but sincere) happy birthday.

[Thanks to Asim for the tip.]