Saturday, June 6, 2020

At the Cinema - May 2020

American Destiny - 10

When I heard that Robert Redford was coming out of retirement to direct and star in a new movie, I was surprised.  When I heard that he was pulling together all his industry contacts to produce an “instantaneous” production with several directors and numerous actors, all working simultaneously on multiple sets, I was curious to say the least.   

Then I saw this epic production.  It may be the greatest piece of cinema ever produced.  How they wrote, filmed, and edited this in less than 30 days is probably going to set a new standard in digital production.  It’s immediacy and timeliness are simply stunning.  The movie is set in every American election year for the next 20 years.  Each Election year has a different director.  Buckle your seat belt.  It is a very bumpy ride.


2020 – The Cleansing

In the first chapter, Redford directs himself as President Donald Trump.  As the election nears, the world is squarely in the bulls-eye of a second great depression, as the lingering effects of the coronavirus scare have ensured that much of the business world is ping-ponging between good and bad.  Other countries cannot duplicate the US Fed actions that goosed the stock market and the rebound of the virus following world-wide protests was inevitable.  The unrest was fueled equally by a policeman’s choke hold on George Floyd, and the availability of a lot of out of work protestors.  Public pressure mounts on the administration and the response never meets the clamor.

Oddly, the most devastating scenes in this section take place in football stadiums, as election day approaches.  The NBA and MLB had already struggled through abbreviated seasons, and football was supposed to be a return to normalcy.  Roger Goodell, played by Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson delays the start of the season, cancelling the first two weeks, but the President and Goodell square off.  Trump, never a fan of the NFL since their rejection of him as an owner, feels that it is his last chance to restore normalcy before the election.  Goodell starts the season, but the stadiums are eerily quiet as the crowds are masked, small, and socially distanced.  The quarterbacks are calling audibles that can be heard in the upper deck.  The fans are passive observers.  College football is no better.  Bands are not allowed, and while the student section has some enthusiasm, others stay home.  The rattle of pom poms is barely audible  After 4 games, the NCAA cancels the season, but the Power Five conferences refuse, and play continues until a National Champion is crowned (Mississippi State.)  Redford’s choice to focus on football as a metaphor for the economic doldrums is perfect.

On election night, Redford portrays Trump as surprisingly calm, resigned to his fate as the results from Broward County make it apparent that the tide has turned.  He seems almost eager to return to his business interests.  Joe Biden (Christopher Plummer) is elected President in a landslide, as the virus fatalities in the US near 200,000 and the economy continues to bounce wildly. 
               Robert Redford as Donald Trump

             Christopher Plummer as Joe Biden

               Dwayne Johnson as Roger Goodell

2024 - The Comeback

As the 2024 election nears, in the segment directed by Steven Spielberg, Biden has decided not to run for reelection.  He has failed to slow the erosion of confidence, and has spent much of his term reversing the policies of the Trump administration.  Unable to get his nomination of Barack Obama as a Supreme Court Justice to replace a retiring Ginsburg through Congress, he faces backlash from all sides and it is obvious his health is failing.  The social media clamor about the Supreme Court dwarfs any other that has been seen previously, with an aging Mitch McConnell right in the middle of it.  While Vice President Val Demmings (Gina Torres) has teamed with Attorney General Kamala Harris to rebuild confidence in law enforcement, little else has gone right.  The Senate is stale-mated at 50/50, and the mid-term elections deadlocked the House as well.  The stock market hovers at half of its previous highs as many businesses never re-opened.  Losses of the Olive Garden and Applebees were not disastrous, but many local businesses also were never able to re-staff, much less refinance.  Controversial legislation like the “Reserve Assets Act of 2022” have become wildly unpopular.  After the bank’s had to beef up their reserves following numerous bank crises, the public clamored that businesses should all be required to have more cash reserves.  Advocates like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, played with gusto by Marisa Tomei, pointed out that in the crisis, companies were calling for “socialist” bailouts, and payroll assistance after just two weeks of shutdown.  As the national debt soared to $25 trillion, the public was angry about the lack of accountability as numerous instances of abuse were revealed.  In a wide-open primary, Harris (Rosalie Dawson) takes up the Democratic mantle but fails to capitalize on the momentum of the Facebook replacement for minorities called “Blackbook” that was formed when minorities revolted against Facebook.  She wins the popular vote, but is narrowly defeated by the Republican nominee – Donald Trump who is drafted to run again with the promise “that only he can fix this.”  Redford is back as Trump.  Trump has spent 4 years defending himself in court against various charges, tweeting almost hourly a criticism of someone.  But it is Broward County that carries him over the top, as he recaptures Florida.  Vice President Nikki Haley, here played wonderfully by Anne Hathaway, has no idea how quickly she will be making major decisions.

               Gina Torres as Val Demings

              Rosario Dawson as Kamela Harris

              Anne Hathaway as Nikki Haley

2028 - The Upset

In the chapter directed by Spike Lee, it is Democrat Pete Buttigieg who defeats Republican Nikki Haley, who while serving as Trump’s Vice President had been elevated in 2026 after Trump was impeached for a second time. This time he was convicted by a Senate controlled by the Democrats and majority leader AOC.  This was all precipitated by what would be known as “The Great Secession” that occurred when California, Oregon, and Washington banded together to secede from the US and become “Western America.”  The states were angered by their lack of representation in the Electoral College as California resident Kamala Harris had won the popular vote by over 7 million votes in 2024 but still fell short in the Electoral College.  Unexpectedly, Alaska joined the new country and the financial power of the new entity was staggering, instantly becoming the third biggest economy in the world.  When the Canadian province of Vancouver joined, Western America became a world power and began to build a military. In addition, their drain off of tax revenue for the US made the US insolvent in the eyes of the markets.  Trump famously said “Let them go” as his, and other Republicans disdain for the “west coast elites” was front and center.  “Let them go” became his rallying cry, but the US Credit rating plummeted and Trump declared the government bankrupt.  The underfunding of government caused by decades of “cutting taxes” was now fatal, and the 2026 tidal wave of Democrats into office, resulted in Trump’s impeachment when a whistleblower in the IRS illegally released his tax returns.  His indebtedness to Russian banks and mob figures were the last straw.  Director Lee captures the Senate trial in flashbacks, and it is now-Indiana Governor Pete who emerges as a unifier.  Zac Efron is Buttigieg and has perfectly captured an older and wiser Buttigieg.  With equally charismatic Mikie Sherrell (Amanda Seyfield) as his running mate, they win Broward County and upset Haley and Marco Rubio (Carlo Mendez) in the general election. 
                  Zac Effron as Pete Buttigieg

            Amanda Seyfried as Mikie Sherrill

2032 - The Moon

Buttigieg is believed to trail substantially in the polls when he pulls off a huge upset, winning a second term with a narrow victory over Republican Adam Kinzinger (Chris Pine) who mounted a strong campaign.  Somehow Republicans cannot capitalize on their Electoral College Advantage and chaos erupts in Broward County, invalidating all ballots cast there.  President Pete’s progress from his first term on health care is stymied by Congress and his second term is destined to be marred by a military defeat of epic proportions when the US Space Force loses the battle for the moon to the Chinese force in 2034.  The US had several encampments there that were critical as stairsteps to Mars, but the Chinese force wiped them out with sonic nuclear waves.  Vice President Sherrill is the head of the Space Force and her promising career is torpedoed.

Director Alfonso Cuaron returns to his “Gravity” roots with stunning battle footage.  Soon after the Chinese capture the moon, they begin a run on the US banks trying to redeem bonds.  The US is on the brink of war with China for a year, but the US Military has been depleted by the reduced funding and the US is in a quandry as Allies of both sides line up with World War III seeming to be inevitable as the 2036 election nears.
                 Chris Pine as Adam Kinzinger

2036 - Electoral Shock

Quentin Tarantino directs this segment.  The battle royal of all elections explodes in ways that no one could have predicted, making Reservoir Dogs look tame by comparison.  For the first time since Teddy Roosevelt, a viable third party candidate emerges in the form of 84 year old Mark Cuban, played almost digitally by Jake Gyllenhall.  The two-time mayor of Dallas has impeccable credentials as a do-er – not a politician – who just outworks everyone else.  He also has an unlimited war chest after 30 years of successful Shark Tank ventures, which have made him the richest person in the world.    He is also rumoured to be the recipient of a youth serum, as he still looks and acts 20 years younger.  He’s been a long-time activist for protecting both the environment and social security, both of which are in dire shape.  Meanwhile fellow Texan Dan Crenshaw (played by Pete Davidson, of all people) is the Republican nominee, while Ocasio-Cortez finally gets her Democratic party’s vote of confidence as their nominee, largely as a reward for shepherding sweeping health care legislation through Congress.  While Cuban falls short, his prior assumed-Republican leanings take votes from Crenshaw.  None of the three get a majority in the Electoral College, and in a stunning move, Congress elects Cuban.  It’s ground-breaking and in his first term with Vice President Justin Amash they begin to try to pull together a coalition to address the 40 trillion dollar deficit that has been in “reorganization” for a decade.  Despite Cuban’s charisma, the US economy has been overtaken by China and Russia.

Tarantino pulls no punches about how far the US has fallen, and it would appear Cuban has his work cut out for him.
              Jake Gyllenhall as Mark Cuban

       Marisa Tomei as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

              Pete Davidson as Dan Crenshaw

2040 - Broward

M. Night Shyamalan directs the final chapter, as long-time Senators Corey Booker (LL Cool J) and Marco Rubio (Carlo Mendez) square off in their bid to unseat Cuban.  The movie concludes with the kind of shocking ending you would suspect of this director, and I’m not going to give it away in this review, other than to say it happens in Broward County.

The ending is the cherry on top of an incredible movie, probably the most revolutionary in motion picture history. It will stand with such epics as Gone with the Wind, and Lawrence of Arabia.  Don't miss it.  



             Carlo Mendez as Marco Rubio


           LL Cool J as Corey Booker




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