OSCARS '91: JFK
“About as subtle as a cockroach crawlin' across a white rug!”
CONTENT WARNING: Discussion of assassination, graphic details of gunshots, homophobia, lies, drugging, conspiracy theories, war.
This week we discuss what, in retrospect, was the most controversial film of the year, even more than two serial killer films. No, the honor of Film That Made Everyone Angry was this week’s movie, predicated on flipping the script on the most infamous moment in American political history. And yet, for a movie tackling such a weighty subject, with a strong, self-assured filmmaker at the helm, this is an absolute stinker of a movie. it’s bad enough that the movie trades in some of the worst and most easily debunked conspiracy theories surrounding November 22, 1963; it’s also just so incredibly boring. Kevin Costner is reduced to expounding exposition while everyone else has to overact around him, all because Oliver Stone needed to shove his own dark beliefs into the public sphere. In doing so, he created a new level of doubt that has since transformed into some of the most dangerous conspiracy believers in society. All rise as we put JFK on trial this week on Macintosh & Maud Haven’t Seen What?!
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Intro music taken from the Second Movement of Ludwig von Beethoven's 9th Symphony. Licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Hong Kong (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 HK) license. To hear the full performance or get more information, visit the song page at the Internet Archive..
Excerpt taken from “Prologue” from the soundtrack to the motion picture JFK. Written and composed by John Williams. Copyright 1991 Warner Bros. Inc.; Regency Enterprises; Le Studio Canal+; Elektra Entertainment.
Excerpt taken from “Mr. Lucky,” copyright 1980 Music De Wolfe.
Excerpts taken from JFK, © 1991 Warner Bros. All Rights Reserved.
Excerpt taken from “The Boyfriend (Part 2)” from the show Seinfeld, © 1989- 1998 Castle Rock Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.
Excerpt taken from Bull Durham, © 1988 ORION PICTURES CORPORATION.
Excerpt taken from “Main Title” from the soundtrack to the motion picture The Prince of Tides. Written and composed by James Newton Howard. Copyright 1991 Sony Music Entertainment, Inc.
