Has it really been 3 months?

For those of you that have deeply suffered from my lack of blogging, I do apologize. I figured I should at least make an anniversary post.

I recently saw "Frost/Nixon", a movie with a number of powerful actors, mostly Frost (Michael Sheen) and Nixon (Frank Langella). Langella really captures the spirit of Nixon, a highly functioning, but socially inept old man who's one desire in life (other than bugging hotels) is to be liked. He constatnly makes bad jokes and rationalizes why things did not go his way. Sheen is not without due credit as he portrays just what Nixon wants to be, a playboy with more charisma than he knows what to do with. The film has a very smooth flow to it and is easy on the senses. We see a pre and post Watergate Nixon split into two characters, (Nixon and his assistant Jack Brennar). While Nixon is somewhat defeated, though not very, from the years of exile on the highly despised West Coast, Brennar brings an aggresive spirt that could be interpreted as that of a teenage son.

Frost's story of immense sacrifice and endless struggles to get these interviews out to the public are made apparent. The first three days of interviewing make Nixon look like a revived man, a man running for President once more. He becomes a devil in a tuxedo. However, cognitive dissonance and alcohol make Nixon call Frost just in time to deliver an inspiring speech to motivate him to burn him in "the trial he never had" on the final day of interviews. As Frost succeeds in making Nixon look awful, a beautiful speech delivered by Sam Rockwell's character (James Reston) looms in the back ground tells of the amazing feelings of bliss the entire world (in the circle of the characters and the United States at large) experiences.

At the end of the film, Nixon is propping himself up with a golf club, looking an awful lot like a geezer with a crutch. Even in his finally big speech, Nixon seems like a loser trying to look cool in front of Frost. Another insignificant/significant (depending on your level of apathy) symbol breifly making an apperance in the film is the bright light bulb that resembles that of te TV lights that made Nixon sweat into defeat back in 1960 on national television. Coincidentally, it bursts on the fourth day of taping just as Frost's luck turns around.

Overall I must complement Ron Howard on a fine film, he pulled out all the bells and whistles to make a quality film. I hope Mr. Bennet is enjoying his retirement and tat all but a few of the students from our superb class are having a ball in college. It was a great way to spend 40 minutes a day.