(Last week was... not a great week, and I didn't get any blogs written. Anxiety went crazy at me, and I ended up having to spend way more time than usual to get basic everyday productive tasks done, which didn't leave a lot of time left for blogging. I'm hoping to get back into the swing of things this week. In the meantime, here's what I've got today!)
I watched my 20th political drama this week, according to Flickchart (The Whistleblower, which landed at #10 out of 20). I figured that meant it was time to do a Top 5, Bottom 5 list for this particular genre. Rankings are out of 2109 movies currently on my chart.
Top 5:
1. Frost/Nixon (2008, #65). This is one example of why I love movies based on plays so much. The tension in this movie is carried entirely by taut dialogue and excellent acting, and it's captivating to watch.
2. All the President's Men (1976, #75). Apparently the Nixon era is my favorite historical period for political dramas. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman are truly excellent here. Fascinating movie.
3. Argo (2012, #519). It wasn't my favorite movie of 2012 by far, but I was impressed by how interesting and exciting the story was. Go, Ben Affleck.
4. Malcolm X (1992, #634). I didn't know much about Malcolm X before watching this movie, and watching his story unfold was very interesting. Denzel Washington is great in this.
5. Amazing Grace (2006, #872). My first political drama about British politics, rather than American. I initially watched it just for Benedict Cumberbatch, but it's a pretty engaging story.
Bottom 5:
1. Island in the Sun (1957, #2019). This movie was excruciatingly boring. I forgot it existed approximately ten minutes after finishing it.
2. Paradise Now (2005, #2005, which is a fun coincidence). Someday I might give this another shot, but when I first saw it, I just didn't get it.
3. Medium Cool (1969, #1966, which is ALMOST a fun coincidence). I couldn't stay interested, and now I've almost completely forgotten it, so it'll probably be stuck in the bottom 200 of my chart for awhile.
4. To Kill a King (2003, #1691). Another one I watched solely for Benedict Cumberbatch, only to find out he plays, like... Royalist #2 or something and isn't even in it. Much as I like Tim Roth, this movie plods.
5. All the King's Men (2006, #1690). The problem with all the political dramas at the bottom of my list is that they were mostly just dull and now I've forgotten them. I can't think of a single memory I have of this movie.
What are your favorite political dramas? Is this a genre you like or dislike overall?
Clearly, in the name of symmetry, you need to either re-rank all the President's Men so it is first, or re-rank All the King's Men so it is second to last.
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