Review: Swing Vote

2008/PG-13/Comedy

Swing Vote is a masterpiece of American cinema! Truly there are so few weak links in this film that I was astonished. An all-star cast, amazing writing, fantastic premise, and a message every American needs to hear.

When I saw who would be appearing in this movie I had some expectations: That this would be an amazing cast with one notable exception. Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Judge Reinhold, newcomer Madeline Carroll, and Kevin Costner. Like with the great film Thirteen Days I expected that the cast would shine and Kevin Costner would be beyond annoying. I am happy to say that I was very surprised to have been wrong in the case of Swing Vote. Kevin may have been the best of the bunch (which is a great compliment considering the performances given by Nathan, Stanley, and Kelsey.)

One of the reasons I thoroughly enjoyed this movie is that it managed to succeed in the very place that Recount failed. This movie completely avoided any kind of bias. While I believe it was written with a shred of the common Hollywood bias: The Republican incumbent may have been a little on the soft side intellectually. But Kelsey turned him into someone very honest, genuine and likable. Kelsey's performance thankfully removed the last bit of bias.

**Spoiler Alert**
A brief plot synopsis: The election comes down to the electoral votes from New Mexico. The election in New Mexico comes down to one small town. That one small town was an exact tie with the exception of one voter whose vote wasn't counted due to a computer malfunction. That person will be allowed to recast their vote deciding the winner of the town, state, and election.

The best part of this movie is how it handles politics as a whole and politics individually. The two candidates repeatedly change their stances in order to woo Kevin Costner's character's vote. One of the candidates even complains that the other "stole his platform" because they both are dancing across the political aisle based on what this one man says he wants. The Republican candidate announces a large environmental conservation plan. The Democrat goes Pro-Life and references our Intelligent Designer. The exposure of the fact that a politician will do or say anything for a vote is both believable, realistic, and disturbing.

Our individual political responsibility is a parallel message of Swing Vote. Eugene "Bud" Johnson (Costner) comes to learn that he'd been neglecting this responsibility. He gives a rousing speech that's impassioned and honest enough to spur any complacent American into the voting booth. You can watch the beginning of that speech here.

If the film exhibits any weak points, it's two fold. The movie went a little long. Secondarily, a journalist has an opportunity to break the scope of a lifetime and she chooses not to. Sorry, I don't buy that!

The strengths of the film by far outweighs its weaknesses. Overall: 4.5 out of 5!

Too Funny!

Of Course, It's a Cubs fan. "I know I bought this hat for a reason, now, what was it?"

Disturbing

There is a car dealer who wants you to know that he can get his customers financing for their new car. His slogan is "He just wants to get you a loan." But, it sounds really creepy. It sounds like the ad is saying "He just wants to get you alone."

What's worse? With his new ads, he's got his 12 year old son saying it. Eck-ch!

Seriously, give it some thought before you put something on the air! (At least his competitor's slogan is "He just wants to get you approved!" There's somebody who put some thought into his ad!)

More Thoughts on Obama

I have held my tongue for quite some time on this issue, and I thought it best to comment while on vacation. That way you all have to wait for me to get back to respond.

So, I want to inquire to those of you who voted for our current president: Any voter remorse?

Allow me to point out some of his decision that have driven me bonkers.

Did you know: We are now giving Maranda rights to enemy combatants and terrorists? That's right: They now have the "right to remain silent!" That's the surest way to find out what they are plotting, where their troops are, and how to protect American lives: Tell them they don't have to tell us. Reverse psychology? Somehow, I doubt it!

Did you know: That the first qualities our President looked for when determining whom he would present to the Legislature for their rubber stamp into the supreme court wasn't any kind of professional qualifications? No no: Truth be told, The President actually had two qualifications in mind: 1) a woman. 2) Hispanic. Let's see. When I pick someone based on their race or gender that is... what are those terms again? Oh yes: Racist and sexist.

Did you know: Obama's choice for Supreme Court Justice has often allowed racial bias cloud her decision making? Two perfect examples: She determined that there was racial bias when a school board decided to demote a black child from 1st grade back to kindergarten yet ruled that there was no racial bias when a city threw out the results of a firefighter promotion exam because no minority firefighters qualified for promotion. In regards to the Second Amendment, Judge Sotomayor rejected a claim that a New York ban on a martial arts weapon (a nunchuka) violated a man's Second Amendment rights, explaining that the Second Amendment only applies to the federal government. In other words: The states can outlaw whatever they want and are not beholden to the Constitution of the United States of America. Frightening? Well, here is probably the scariest thing I've read about Ms. Sotomayor: "In a 2005 panel discussion at Duke University, Sotomayor told students that the federal Court of Appeals is where "policy is made." Silly me. In all of my extensive study on the subject of law, I thought the legislature was where policy was made. But I guess the judge knows best!

Did you know: That few Presidents have been better at the "it's not my fault" game than our current Commander in Chief? (Clinton actually played the opposite game, taking credit for some of the things his predecessor set in place.) How many times can one man use the word "inherited"? Enough is enough! Look, you inherited a problem. You took an extended look at said problem. You provided a solution for the problem. It didn't work. Guess what: you didn't inherit your poor solution. Nor will you have inherited the further recession we are headed to once your government money runs out. What will he take credit for?

So, just wondering, for those of you who cast your vote for our first black President: Any voters remorse? Anyone?

Culture Wars

While attending a Christian men's conference, I saw something that made me cringe! It was this:

How long are we, as Christians, going to follow in the footsteps of culture as though we are it's pitiful little brother? For years, Christians created culture! Galileo, Copernicus (you have to be a Christian to be excommunicated), Michelangelo. Now we are so far behind culture we've been lapped. There is an enormous vault of examples of the Christian subculture imitating American culture. Guitar Praise (which is Guitar Hero with Christian music) is just the most recent offender in this long line of wannabes.

Interestingly enough, recently, culture has begun to imitate (or perhaps, more appropriately mock) the Christian subculture. We all remember the WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) movement? I believe this was the first victim of the reverse imitation.

"What would Jerry Do" was one of the first to appear (left). I have to give "What Would Jason Do" an honorary mention. I have also seen personalized bracelets ("What Would Henry Do" and the like). I've also seen it turned into "Who" rather than "What".

Then next Christian item to fall victim was the dreaded bumper sticker!


became



One of the most interesting "conversations" between the Christian subculture and the ... non-Christian subculture is expressed in the following icons:

The Icthus Fish was an early Christian symbol stemming from the days of persecution. A believer would draw a semi-circle in the sand. If the person they were with was also a believer (or a follower of "The Way," as they called themselves then.) they would complete the fish by drawing the second half of the circle that crosses the first creating the tail. If not, they would usually either do nothing, or complete the full circle.

Misunderstanding the Icthus, anti-Christians created this symbol, "evolving" the Icthus with feet (and just in case we followers of The Way were too dumb to understand, they tossed Darwin's name in the fish, so we'd be sure to get it.)




Not to be outdone, Christians fired back.




And then the "anti-Christians" struck a blow that most believers didn't understand. This is the "Flying Spaghetti Monster." What does this have to do with anything? It was a response to the letter to the Kansas Board of Education regarding Intelligent Design. Because ID doesn't specifically mention God, but rather any "Intelligent Creator", opponents wrote a letter stating they believed that a "Flying Spaghetti Monster" was the Intelligent Creator. Somehow, this has flown almost entirely under the Christian Subculture's radar. I think, however, that sometime soon we will see something like this: