Watched a couple of movies after working in the office and mowing the lawn. Watched episodes 2 and 3 of "The Civil War" - fantastic, and surprisingly moving considering most of the filming is of still photographs.
However, what really knocked my socks off was watching "Frost/Nixon". I've always admired Ron Howard as a director, and I was not disappointed with this. What surprised me was that I never thought anything could make me feel sorry for Richard Nixon - and Ron's film did! Langella did an amazing job as Richard Nixon and I was blown away by how the suspense built.
I don't remember seeing the original interview - I was so disgusted with the whole thing I avoided anything having to do with Nixon - but I do remember some of the quotes from the interviews: such as "When the President does it, it's not illegal!" Fortunately, I can view the interviews now as there's a dvd of them available, which I'll be watching soon.
The only time I ever actively campaigned for a politician was when McGovern ran against Nixon in 1972. I tried to get my parents to vote against Nixon, remarking that the guy was a crook. Years later, my mom told me how bitter she was when it turned out I was right.
When Nixon was first elected in '68, I was fighting in Viet Nam and really didn't follow what was happening (don't think I knew much about the democratic convention in Chicago until I got back). Wouldn't have mattered if I did, since I was 18 at the time and couldn't have voted, though I certainly could have gotten killed "fighting for my country". You 18-year olds can thank us Viet Nam vets for your ability to vote - we and those who supported us threw such a stink about that injustice that it was changed. In any case, I would not have voted for Nixon even then, despite his promise to "end the war". All this to show how much I disliked the man - and yet the film made me feel pity for him. That's good acting, writing and directing, folks! If you haven't seen it - take a look.
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