Movies your favorite conservative friends/family members would benefit from watching?

Post some movies you think would help change a conservative's mind about the issues in this election, along with an explanation if you feel like it. Let's not go total polemic here--the political/social thrust of the film has to be convincing on fairly non-identifiable terms. In other words, you have to keep the reflexive ideological walls from going up, as they would with, say, a Michael Moore movie.

Here's a few from me; I'll add more as I think of them:

Umberto D--Why social welfare is absolutely necessary to any modern nation with an ounce of compassion.

Battle of Algiers--Shows the essential futility of modern nations fighting foreign guerilla wars without raising the politicized spectre of Vietnam. The French "win," and still lose, while the film retains sympathy for both sides (unless you're a fan of Sarte :P).

Salesman--Excellent documentary which shows the emptiness and moral decay that results when religion is used for marketing and profits.

in a serious accident.

Sicko can penetrate even the most hardened, selfish, self-absorbed mind.

one of my closest friends is a flaming anti-abortion right-wing raving kook (no secret, he knows i thinks so)

his favorite movie is running on empty, his favorite play, les mis -- we are talking about a guy who likes a good cry

i don't know what to make of all this but i conclude that when he goes to the movies, it's just entertainment and a good cry, he also likes tragic operas but i don't go to those so i'm not familiar enough to know if there's a progressive slant there just that the ones he likes are the sad ones

i really think they don't carry these stories over to real life, they can feel empathy for one fictional character, but not for real people, there's a fictional distance there ?

conservatives won't go to documentaries, will they? if you can get your conservative friends to go to one documentary, i'm dying to know HOW?


(as someone else just posted, why not sicko, i suggested it, seems to be right up his alley of sad depressing entertainment, but if it's "real" he won't go)

And most importantly it's non-editorial. At least, there's no overarching narrative description, just the action. And the action, sadly enough, speaks for itself.

As for stubbornly separating entertainment from politics, in these films it would be very hard to do. I mean a lot of the popular tragic operas aren't exactly politically astute. (Even the new Grapes of Wrath opera didn't pack as much punch as the book or movie in that regard.) :D

Insofar as they're friends and family, I am assuming they'd put up with a little innocent movie showing as long as it's a good movie.

he used to be in sales, is this door to door sales? so he might get a kick out of it from that angle too

A lot of fathers and grandfathers of people were in the trade, and plenty of ex-door-to-doorsers are still around today. It is fairly depressing, however. But in a gripping way. Incidentally the other two are dramas, which are entertaining in their own right.

Sicko
Dr. Strangelove
The American President
The US Vs. John Lennon
All The President's Men

But they hate all of these films so I wouldn't waste my time even discussing the virtues of these films with a neocon.

turned me on to recently:

The Revolution Will not be Televised:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

and The Times of Harvey Milk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SXFLywBX_I&feature=related

That's not a movie??

Right.

Republicans never get it until they're hit in the head with it. In fact, I bet that saying about needing a 2x4 to get someone's attention was written about a Republican.

If they made a sort of Jackass meets Sicko - you know, Jackass does something stupid, har har, needs medical care and can't get it, oh fuck - repeat repeat repeat repeat....

That "I might be wrong" that is so increasingly rare with regard to people's political views.

"Republicans never get it until they're hit in the head with it." That's why I think Sicko is the closest thing out there that they may be able to identify with. You know, "Oh my God, this could even happen to meeeeeeee"

That's why I added the whole Jackass angle, it feeds their need for ridicule and holds their attention long enough to squeeze snippets of Sicko so that they can learn something before their pea brains pop.

:hi:

since they all seen to channel Scrooge. The final speech of the Ghost of Christmas Presant is quite effective.

Shows why a decentralized Arab insurgency will never be defeated by artillery, tanks and helicopters.

They would learn a lot and probably like it. It is very bloody. Nicolas Cage plays a dealer who sells arms to African dictators and war lords. The arms end up in the hands of, among others, children. It is a violent film. The interesting thing is the inner dialog of Cage as he justifies his heinous conduct to himself. The end is great. I recommend this as a good film to show right-wingers. It voices their ideas.

Another good film is Siege, a 1998 film with Annette Benning playing a CIA officer. I think Denzel Washington is also in it. It shows New York City under terrorist attacks. Incredibly, the film was made before 9/11. You are shown what a terrible thing military action inside the U.S. might be, how horrible and useless torture is and how futile it can be to "play footsie" with terrorists in order to get information out of them. You also see how American meddling (such as our meddling in Pakistan) can actually make terrorism worse since sometimes we idiotically and unintentionally actually foster and train terrorists when we think we are fostering and training counter-terrorists.

Let me know what you think. Drop me a line if you want.

I don't know why there's not more films like this made. It's got it all. Nary a boring moment. Quality all the way.

...oh, wait--these are my feel good movies i watch to FORGET about republicans. i guess I benefit from watching these--so i don't go stark raving fucking insane.

anything that would benefit a republika to see would probably be over their head(s)

It's about an American insurgency against an empire trying to impose what they think is right on a country it is occupying (sound familiar?). Best part about it is that it is made by right-wingers so hopefully you should have no problems convincing wingers to watch it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085482/
Mayan Indian peasants, tired of being thought of as nothing more than "brazos fuertes" ("strong arms", i.e., manual laborers) and organizing in an effort to improve their lot in life, are discovered by the Guatemalan army. After the army destroys their village and family, a brother and sister, teenagers who just barely escaped the massacre, decide they must flee to "El Norte" ("the North", i.e., the USA). After receiving clandestine help from friends and humorous advice from a veteran immigrant on strategies for traveling through Mexico, they make their way by truck, bus and other means to Los Angeles, where they try to make a new life as young, uneducated, and illegal immigrants. Written by Ed Cannon {ecannon@mail.utexas.edu}

Shortbus

The most moving film I have seen since I don't know when. John Cameron Mitchell is my current god. This film....wow, just wow.