
            The movie begins with a brief history of the Persian Empire, leading up to more modern times, when the Iranian leadership was overthrown in 1953, with the assistance of the United States and Great Britain. The pro-Western Shah of Iran led the country until 1979, when he was overthrown among great resentment among the people for his continuing efforts to westernize the country and for his repressive policies. Ayatollah Khomeini assumed control of the country. The Shah was exiled to Egypt and later went to the U.S. to receive cancer treatments. Although President Carter allowed the Shah to come to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons, the people of Iran viewed it as more fuel for the anti-American fire.On November 4, 1979, militants are protesting outside the U.S. embassy in Tehran. They are demanding the Shah be returned to Iran to stand trial. When some of the protesters manage to scale the boundary fence, orders are given to start destroying all embassy records, some by shredding and some by burning. Equipment is also destroyed.The head of embassy security attempts to go outside and reason with the militants, but he's immediately captured and taken hostage. The marines charged with guarding the embassy are armed, but their leader cautions them not to shoot anyone. They limit their efforts to the use of tear gas, but once the chains on the outside gates are removed, the militants storm the embassy and take 66 of the 72 diplomats and embassy staff hostage. Six of the staff, in the only building with a direct exit to the street, are able to escape and hide in the home of the Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). (Fourteen of the hostages were later released, mostly because they were from countries already considered repressed by the U.S., or for health reasons.)One of the militants comes across a poster photo of the Ayatollah with several darts in it, adding to the furor of the moment.In the following days, weeks and months, the hostages were blindfolded and paraded in front of TV cameras and jeering crowds. They were not allowed to speak or read, and they were rarely permitted to change clothes. Throughout the crisis there was a frightening uncertainty about their fate: The hostages never knew whether they were going to be tortured, murdered or set free.Sixty-nine days into the crisis, the Canadians are increasingly uncomfortable with keeping the six Americans at their embassy. Word is that the Iranians have set up sweat shops utilizing Iranian children to go through the laborious process of piecing together the shredded documents. It's only a matter of time before they are able to realize that not all embassy staff have been accounted for and if they reconstruct photographs, they will know who to look for.With the six escapees' situation thus far kept secret, the U.S. State Department begins to explore options for "exfiltrating" them from Iran. Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA operations specialist, is brought in for consultation. Mendez criticizes the proposals submitted to that point, but he also doesn't have any better plan to offer. Then, one day he is at home watching the film "Battle for the Planet of the Apes" on TV with his son, and he's inspired to devise a plan to have the escapees pose as Canadian filmmakers, scouting "exotic" locations in Iran for a new sci-fi film. That would provide them a legitimate reason to leave the country.Mendez and his supervisor Jack O'Donnell (Bryan Cranston) contact John Chambers (John Goodman), a Hollywood make-up artist who has previously crafted disguises for the CIA. Realizing they'll need as much legitimacy as possible to make the effort believable, Chambers contacts the film producer Lester Siegel (Alan Arkin). Initially skeptical, Siegel eventually agrees to help and together they set up a phony film studio, "Studio 6," publicize their plans, and establish the pretense of developing Argo, a "science fantasy" in the style of Star Wars, to lend credibility to the group's cover story.The student militants threaten to try the 52 hostages as spies and carry out appropriate punishments. They go so far as to take a small group of hostages, tie them up, blindfold them, and line them up in preparation for execution by firing squad. The weapons are fired, but they are not loaded, so it turned out to be a cruel hoax. Martial law appears to be in effect throughout Iran, under the rule of the Ayatollah, with opposition members in some cases being shot or hung from the booms of construction cranes, after what amounts to trial via kangaroo courts.Tensions rise as the Iranian housekeeper at the Canadian Embassy is starting to ask questions about the six "guests", such as why they never leave the residence.As he offers the best of what seem to be nothing but bad proposals to effect a rescue of the six Americans, Mendez ultimately receives approval from the Secretary of State to proceed with his fictitious movie plan. He travels to Iran via Istanbul.Posing as a producer for Argo, Mendez enters Iran and links up with the six escapees. He provides them with Canadian passports and fake identities to prepare them to get through security at the airport when it comes time to leave. Although afraid to trust Mendez's scheme, they reluctantly go along with it, knowing that Mendez is risking his own life too, and convinced that it is their only option. Each of the six is tasked with assuming a new identity, involving some use of physical disguise and memorizing details about their new personal histories.The plan is for the group go out in public for a day to scout the local bazaar as a potential filming site. That is intended to add credence to their cover story, then they will leave the country the following day. The visit at the bazaar takes a bad turn when a local businessman takes exception at one of the women in the group taking photos. Fortunately, the group's Iranian culture contact is able to get them away from the increasingly hostile crowd, but the incident is very upsetting to everyone.When it's learned that President Carter has authorized a Delta Force military rescue attempt of the 52 hostages, Mendez is told by O'Donnell that his smaller operation has been canceled, so as to avoid any potential conflicts. Mendez is furious. Because he feels personally responsible for the fate of the six, he decides to go ahead with the plan.That night, Mendez and the six imbibe heavily in alcohol as they attempt to calm their nerves and prepare to either escape or die the next day.The next morning, Mendez calls O'Donnell on a secure phone and tells him he's going ahead with the plan, then hangs up before O'Donnell can try to talk him out of it. O'Donnell is forced to scramble to get word of Mendez's decision to the secretaries of state and defense, and ultimately to President Carter, who is the only person who can re-authorize the purchase of tickets for Mendez and the six on a Swissair flight out of Tehran.A member of the Ayatollah's regime goes to visit the housekeeper at the Canadian Embassy. Fortunately, her story provides continuing cover for the six U.S. embassy employees, as she lies and tells the official that the six had only been at the residence for two days. She must now find a way out of the country for her own safety (she goes to Iraq). The Canadian ambassador and his wife leave for the airport shortly after Mendez and the six do.Tension rises at the airport for Mendez and the six. As they check in for their boarding passes, there is no record of any flight reservations. President Carter was just in the process of re-authorizing the mission. Mendez has no way of knowing this, but he asks the ticket agent to check again. This time, the reservations appear and they receive their boarding passes.At the next security check for passports, a skeptical security official is reluctant to approve the six to continue on their way, as there is no original record of their having arrived in Iran two days before, just the carbon copies the six have with them. The official only changes his mind when a letter from the Iranian Minister of Cultural Works is handed to him. That letter provided authorization for the group to come to Iran.As the group approaches the third tier of security at the airport, a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is checking passports and boarding passes at the gate. He directs the six to a nearby room. The guard is also suspicious as to who they really are and what they are doing there. One of the six speaks Farsi and engages the guard in a dialogue about who they are and their reason for being in Iran. He produces copies of some of the movies' storyboards, and a copy of a newspaper advertisement for the movie. Mendez hands the guard a business card, for the fake production company back in Los Angeles, and tells him they can confirm the group's authenticity.The guard examines the newspaper and places a call to the number on the card. However, Siegel and Chambers have been delayed from returning to their office by some ongoing filming taking place at the adjacent stage. Just as the guard is about to hang up the phone, Chambers answers. The guard asks to speak with Mendez. Chambers tells the caller that Mendez is out of country on a scouting trip. The guard hangs up and returns to the gate to authorize the group to proceed aboard.Meanwhile, the children's sweat shop work had successfully re-constructed a photo of one of the six which was then matched to a surreptitious photo taken of the man at the bazaar the day before. Revolutionary Guards rush to the Canadian Embassy to find it abandoned and all the equipment destroyed.The group boards the plane just before the Iranian guards at the airport are informed of the ruse. As the 747 taxis down the runway, it is chased by two Iranian police cars and a truck filled with Revolutionary Guards. The plane is going too fast for them to get in front of it. Mendez and the hostages breathe a sigh of relief only when the plane has left Iranian airspace. That was day 87 of the hostage crisis.To protect the hostages remaining in Tehran from possible retaliation, all U.S. involvement in the rescue is suppressed, giving full credit to the Canadian government and its ambassador. Iranian government officials are very unhappy with the Canadians.Back in the U.S., as Mendez is turning in his mission-related documents for storage at a CIA facility, he decides to keep one of the fictional movie story boards. He places it on a shelf in his son's bedroom, among other models and toys related to sci-fi movies.Mendez is awarded the Intelligence Star, but due to the classified nature of the mission, he would not be able to keep the medal, or tell anyone that he'd received it. That changed in 1997, when President Clinton declassified the details of the event.John Chambers was awarded CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit for his involvement in the "Canadian Caper."On Election Day, one year and two days after the hostage crisis began, Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in a landslide.On January 21, 1981, just a few hours after Ronald Reagan delivered his inaugural address, the remaining 52 hostages were released. They had been in captivity for 444 days.
    

Argo


            The movie begins on Oct. 25, 1958, at a fancy dinner tribute to Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). Its the usual gala affair, everyone is dressed up and looking expensive. Ed Murrow is introduced as a hero who fought against McCarthyism. Ed comes out and proceeds to make a speech about how journalism has become occupied with presenting only good news and how journalists have succumb to escapism, losing touch with the real world. This attack makes the audience uncomfortable and Fred Friendly (George Clooney) looks like hes having a good time.Flashback to 1953. Joe Wershba (Robert Downey Jr.) and Shirley Wershba (Patricia Clarkson) are alone in the copy room; someone walks in and jokingly asks what people might think. Joe takes Shirley aside and tells her about a loyalty (to McCarthy or the government) oath she must sign, or he may get fired. After some thought, she agrees and they kiss.The newsmen are in a conference room, trying to decide news pieces for the next show. People mention some McCarthy related topics, but are immediately shot down given the controversy involved. Someone brings up the topic of an air force officer in Chicago, who was dismissed from the air force because his father was deemed to be a communist or have communist ties. At his trial, all charges and evidence were in a sealed envelope, which no one saw. The Air Force Officers rights to a fair trial were clearly violated, as he didnt even know the charges against him and was found guilty anyway. The newsmen are reluctant to pursue this, afraid of a backlash from McCarthy. They agree to send two people to Chicago to get some footage and decide from there. Later, the crew is watching footage of the Air Force Officer saying that he would not want his kids to be persecuted for the affiliations of their parents and have to denounce their own father. Ed, Fred, and a third man, are in a room, trying to decide whether to run the piece. Ed is completely for it, while the third man is opposed, mentioning their sponsorship from Alcoa, who is dependant on government contracts. Fred seems to be ambivalent, but trusting Ed. They decide to run it as a piece against the infringement of civil liberties and not mention McCarthy. Fred is met in his office by two Colonels, who proceed to berate him about jeopardizing national security, interfering with government business, etc. Fred asks the Colonels if they know the contents of the sealed envelope and they clearly dont. The story runs; Ed comments on the sealed envelope, and closes with his signature Good night and good luck. We see a bit of the show that runs after Eds, its Don Hollenbeck (Ray Wise) praising Eds courage and reporting. There is a tense moment as everyone waits for the phones to ring and none do. Someone in the back asks if he should turn the phones back on and the tension is eased. The phones start ringing off the hook.Later, the crew, along with Don, is having drinks at a bar and decides to get the early edition newspaper reviews of the show. The first one comes out very good, the second one not. Some people look relaxed, some angry, but Don looks very uneasy.William (Bill) Paley (Frank Langella), boss at CBS, summons Fred to his office and chews him out for the piece, mentioning their sponsorship from Alcoa. However, Bill doesnt actually ask Fred to stop reporting on McCarty issues; he seems to both enjoy yelling at Fred and also trust Freds judgment. Joe and Shirley are getting ready for work, before Joe leaves, Shirley reminds him to take off his wedding ring. It turns out that they are secretly married, which is against company policy. Later, Joe is approached by someone from the government, who warns Joe about running future McCarthy pieces, saying, "What if I told you that Ed Murrow was on the Soviet payroll in 1932?"The crew decides to run a direct attack on McCarthy. McCarthy is holding a senate hearing on a woman who supposedly works in the Pentagon Code Room and is a Communist spy. Although the hearing isnt a real trial, they get the woman fired from her job. The woman in the hearing doesnt actually work in the Code Room and denies any Communist ties. Apparently, an FBI agent saw her name on a Communist mailing list and that is all the evidence they are going on. The news crew point out several things wrong with the hearing: the woman has the same name as three others in the phone book and McCarthy himself leaves the hearing after a few questions. All of these facts are brought to light in Eds show, and Ed volunteers to give McCarthy a chance to defend himself on the show.McCarthy takes up the offer and basically uses the show to make a series of accusations about Eds ties to Communism: a writer with communist ties had dedicated a book to Ed, Ed was on the Soviet payroll in 1932 for some foreign exchange program, and Ed is a card carrying member of the International Industrial Workers association, which is known to be communist. Ed uses the next show to rebut: he was a friend of the author despite their different beliefs, he doesnt deny the second charge, and the third charge is untrue. Ed also says that since McCarthy didn't refute any facts Ed reported about him, the world can assume they are true.The newsmen are sitting around and find out that the Air Force Officer from the first story was reinstated back to the army. At the same time, they also learn that Don Hollenbeck has committed suicide, apparently the pressure was too much for him. In other news, the Senate declares an investigation on McCarthy.Joe and Shirley are called into the editors office and are told about an upcoming layoff. The editor mentions that it is against company policy for two employees to be married and everyone knows they are married. In a happy moment, the two put their rings back on and Joe decides to quit. Bill Paley calls Fred and Ed into his office tells them that CBS lost the Alcoa sponsorship and will have to lay a lot of people off. Ed yells at Bill for his trying to censor them, but Bill responses that he showed his reservations, but had never stopped them from running a piece. Bill tells Ed that his show will be cut from 1 hour to 30 minutes, moved to Sunday afternoon, and Ed will only do five more shows. Ed and Fred walk to the elevator and say that they might as well go out with a bang in their last five shows. Fred mentions that Joe and Shirley were married and Ed seems to be the only one who didnt know.Cut back to Oct. 25, 1958. Ed finishes his speech saying that journalists are the ones with the responsibility to keep the public informed of the real world, regardless of its unpleasantness. Good night and good luck.
    

Good Night, and Good Luck.


            
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August: Osage County


            Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) strolls up to a podium in an auditorium and begins to speak on his religious preferences. He then begins to whistle and whisper into the microphone. An audio technician comes up, and they adjust the volume. Stephen isn't a candidate but one of the main staffers for a candidate. He tells the guys on the stage to fix the audio and add padding to Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney) side, so his height will match his opponent.It's election time, and Governor Mike Morris, a popular, idealistic candidate is going up against Senator Pullman in a Democratic primary. They have been campaigning hard, with Morris having a slight lead over Pullman. But Ohio is a crucial state. It is clear whoever wins Ohio, will win the nomination and will go on to run for President.Morris and Pullman have their debate in which Pullman questions Morris' views on religion. Morris deflects them easily saying he was a former catholic and does not know what happens after death. All he knows is he is not an atheist, Jewish, Muslim, or any other religion association. His religion is the constitution, and he will fight to protect it. The debate over, the two shake hands.Stephen and Paul Zara (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the senior campaign manager to Morris bump into Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). Duffy is the head campaign manager for Pullman. Duffy and Stephen banter about how well Morris did in the debate. "Be careful." Duffy says to Paul, "I might want to steal him from you." Duffy leaves and Paul calls him an asshole.Paul and Stephen have dinner with Ida (Marisa Tomei) a reporter they are both friendly with. Ida asks for a quote about Ohio and Paul says he will only say he is confident they will win. Nothing is guaranteed, and he will not go on record saying they will win if it blows up in their face. Paul asks Stephen about the race. "It's ours for the taking." Stephen says. Paul excuses himself, so Ida turns her attentions to Stephen. Stephen notes he has been on more campaigns than most people have when they're 40, and he has never seen a guy like Morris. Ida scoffs at his optimism. "It won't matter." Ida says. If Morris wins, Stephen gets a job at the White House. If he loses, Stephen will get a high paying consulting job somewhere on K Street. Ida doesn't buy into his idealism, thinking all politicians are the same.At Morris HQ the next day, Stephen crosses paths with Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), an intern he had worked with before. Molly mentions the dive bar most of the interns go to and invites Stephen to have a drink with her the next night. Stephen agrees.Paul has a meeting with Senator Thompson (Jeffery Wright) at his home. They need his endorsement so that his delegates will vote his way. Paul tells him that much. Thompson doesn't respond. It's clear he wants something.Stephen and Morris have a meeting with the staffers. Stephen tells Morris he should go all the way on one of his policies; mandatory service via army, peace corp etc. in return for college tuition being paid. Stephen says it is win win; most will like it, and the ones who won't are too young to vote. Stephen gets a call from his father and excuses himself. But it is not his dad. It is Duffy asking if he has five minutes. Stephen says they cannot talk but Duffy presses for a meeting, saying they will meet in a small bar where no one will see them. Stephen calls Paul and leaves a message and tells him that it's important.At the bar, Duffy cuts to the chase; he thinks Stephen is working for the wrong man. Duffy wants to recruit Stephen to Pullman's camp. They already promised Senator Thompson a cabinet position, so the race is basically over. He can be with the winners, or he can stay and lose. Stephen refuses outright, saying he doesn't have to play dirty politics anymore. "I got Morris!" Stephen says. Stephen goes to leave, and Duffy asks him. "Do you want to work for your friend or the President?" Duffy states cold, hard facts; Republicans are better at the game. They are more ruthless and cunning, and Democrats refuse to "get in the mud with the fucking elephants."Stephen is called by Paul asking what was wrong. Stephen lies and says it was nothing.Molly and Stephen go for a drink that night. Molly reveals her father is Jack Stearne (Gregory Itzin), the DNC chairman and that he is an asshole. Molly asks how old Stephen is, and she correctly guesses 30. Molly reveals that she is 20. Molly asks if it's too much of an age gap for a 20 year old to want to fuck a 30 year old. Stephen asks when she has to work tomorrow. Molly says nine. Molly happens to have the keys to the campaign bus, so they use it and drive back to Stephen's hotel, parking on the curb.The morning after. Stephen and Molly had slept together the night before and are getting dressed for work. Molly's dad comes on the television, and Stephen watches and realizes the irony of watching the dad of the girl he just had sex with. Stephen asks she stay quiet about their dalliance and Molly promises to. Molly confesses she wanted to sleep with him for awhile and thinks she's a bit "slutty" for being so aggressive. Stephen says she wasn't and he respects her for being so forward. They kiss, and go their separate ways.Stephen, Morris, and several staffers including Ben Harpen (Max Minghella) are on a plane going to another speech. The plane shakes a little bit, and Stephen gets queasy. Morris asks if he is all right. "We're going to be fine. We have to do it, it's the right thing to do, and nothing bad happens when you're doing the right thing." Stephen says. "Is that your personal theory?" Morris asks. "Because I can shoot holes in it.""Well there is exceptions to every rule." Stephen says.Morris asks if they are doing OK in the polls. Stephen says they are doing great. Morris tells him not to talk like Paul; Paul is paid to kiss his ass. Stephen is here to tell it to him straight. Stephen reiterates that it will be close, but they will be fine. Stephen makes his whole philosophy clear by saying, "I'll do or say anything if I believe in it. But I have to believe in the cause."Morris does another speech to a younger crowd, who are also key voters. In the back, Stephen confesses to Paul that he met with Tom Duffy. He offered him a job and explained that Sen. Thompson is being promised a cabinet position. Paul is enraged that Stephen lied to him. Stephen says he thought it didn't matter. "It doesn't matter what you thought! It matters what you did. It matters what you DIDN"T do!" Paul screams. Paul tells Stephen to find an empty room. They are going to talk to Morris after the speech.Morris finds out about Senator Thompson wanting to be Secretary of State in exchange for his endorsement. Morris refuses to budge saying they need win Ohio another way.Morris' team hits the pavement trying to rally support and do damage control in light of recent developments.Morris and his wife Cindy talk in the car. Cindy tells him to give Thompson what he wants so they can win.Stephen and the staffers are on the bus when he gets a IM from Molly asking if he wants to meet up again. They have sex again, but Stephen gets distracted by Morris on TV. They both laugh over the mood being broken.Later, Molly is sleeping when her phone goes off. Stephen answers it, but they hang up. Stephen wakes her up and asks who would call her this late. Stephen says he'll call back but Molly pleads for him not to. We find out why. It is Morris' cell phone. Stunned, Stephen asked why she is calling the governor. Molly cracks and tells him Morris and her had an affair one time. Stephen asks why she is calling him again. "Because I need 900 dollars." Molly says (she's pregnant). Molly says she can't go to her father because they are Catholic. Stephen is blown away; his squeaky clean candidate is more dirty than he thought.The next day, Stephen tells Ben to take out the maximum petty cash they can withdraw (500). He meets with Molly, telling her to meet him later.Stephen meets with Ida who drops a bombshell; she knows about his meeting with Tom Duffy. Stephen tries to deny it, but Ida reveals unless he gives her information on Thompson, she leak his story. Stephen says he thought they were friends. Ida scoffs, saying they are only friends because he gives scoops and she writes them in a favorable light.Stephen calls Duffy who denies leaking the story. Stephen sees some men taking pictures and gets paranoid. He hangs up.Stephen meets Molly with $1,800. She needs to get an abortion and then go home. She can no longer work on the campaign. Stephen said she made a big mistake and has to pay for it. He will take her to the clinic and take her to the hotel afterwards. Stephen takes Molly to the clinic, promising to pick her up afterward.Stephen meets with Paul, talking about how they need to spin the Duffy/Stephen meeting. Ben is in the room, as well. Paul reveals he leaked the story. It will give them justification to fire him from the campaign. Stephen is shocked, but Paul goes on a monologue about loyalty. When Paul first started, he was working with a no name politician. The opposing side tried to poach him, but Paul was honest and told his candidate. His boss said he will not stop him from leaving, but Paul stayed loyal to him. They lost, but three years later, the guy ran for governor, using Paul as his manager and they won. "There is only one thing in this world I value which is loyalty. Without it, you're nothing." Paul says.Paul tells Stephen he is fired, and Morris agrees with it. It is not because he isn't good, or he doesn't like him. It's because they can't trust him.Molly is never picked up by Stephen. She eventually has to take a cab back to the hotel. Ben is in her room saying he just got promoted to Stephen's job and Stephen was fired threatening to bring everyone down. Molly is scared, thinking she is about to be used as a pawn in Stephen's game.Stephen meets with Tom Duffy saying he wants in. Duffy says he knows he just got fired, and it will look bad if they take him on. "What if I have something? Something big." Stephen asks. Duffy still won't agree. Realization washes over Stephen. "You never intended on hiring me." he says. Duffy talks around the issue but eventually admits it more or less. If he played off Paul's ethics of loyalty so he would fire Stephen, they could poach him. If they didn't want him, Paul and Morris still wouldn't have him. Duffy would still cause a large blow to Morris' campaign. Stephen is enraged, but Duffy tells him to leave politics because soon he will become jaded and cynical like the rest of them, and it will crush his idealistic soul.Stephen goes back to the hotel and sees a man rush out of Molly's room. He goes inside and sees her body on the floor. She killed herself. Stephen eyes her phone and steals it. He listens to her voicemail, pleading for him not to do anything rash (like leak her affair with Morris). Tears brim in his eyes.Steven meets with Thompson, who seems to not know he was fired. Thompson reveals that he wants the cabinet position, and if he does not have confirmation from Morris by the next day, he will endorse Pullman. Stephen listens, stoically.Morris holds a press conference about Molly's death, claiming not to know her too well. He gets a call from Molly's cell. Morris sees Stephen. The message is clear. Stephen wants to meet.Stephen meets Morris in an empty restaurant. Stephen tells Morris to listen. He is going to fire Paul. Stephen will take over as the head manager. Morris WILL endorse Thompson and get his delegates support. They will win the primary and thus the nomination. Morris asks what he thinks he has. Stephen tells him that you can do a lot in this country; you can start wars, ruin the budget, take bribes. "But you can't fuck the interns." Stephen grimly states. Morris is defiant, telling him that everything is circumstantial. Stephen tells him that she was pregnant, and he took her to the clinic.Morris goes on the defensive. The girl is dead. Since she had an abortion, there is no DNA evidence. It will just be Stephen's word versus his. And he is just a disgruntled ex-staff member. Stephen says there was a note he took. Morris freezes momentarily. However, he quickly deduces there is no note and tells Stephen so. "It's your call." Stephen says.Paul is getting a haircut and walks out a barbershop the next day. Morris is nearby in his SUV asking to talk for a minute. We don't see or hear the conversation, but Paul gets out stunned. He has been fired. Paul later gets on TV, claiming new positive numbers made him, and Morris mutually decide to hand it over to someone different (Stephen).Stephen attends Molly's funeral while her father cries at the pulpit saying his daughter was a good person that enriched everyone she knew. Stephen talks to Paul, who reveals he knew Molly since she was born. Morris doesn't attend the funeral, claiming to be working with Thompson, but Stephen knows the real reason why. Paul notes he got a consulting job on K Street for a million a year, a cushy job "where people won't fuck you over." Paul says that he and Stephen should have a beer one day, and Stephen can tell him what he had on Morris to make him fire Paul.Thompson endorses Morris and asks for his delegates support in voting for Morris. Stephen watches from the crowd, apathetically watching as Thompson and Morris speak in platitudes when he knows their real character and motivations.Ben is working in an office when a new intern, a brunette dead ringer for Molly introduces herself as Jill Morris (no relation).Stephen is walking to an interview when he is stopped by Ida, asking if he wants to comment on a story she is doing. Ida claims that Stephen handed the Thompson endorsement to Morris and that he got Paul fired. Stephen dodges her questions. Ida pleads with him, saying, they are friends, right? Stephen looks at her and says, "You're my best friend."Stephen sits in a chair to do a TV interview. As they put an earpiece in and check the audio, Stephen sits in the chair in silence and meditates on the past couple weeks. Duffy's grim prediction has rung true; he is no longer hopeful about the future of politics. He is just another cog in the machine. Nothing ever changes. The only thing that has, is him. His idealism has been irrevocably shattered. He was willing to use Molly, a scared, young girl to get back at Morris and Paul. His actions indirectly caused her suicide.Stephen listens as Morris gives his speech mentioning that integrity and dignity matters. Stephen now knows Morris has neither. Morris for all his talk is just like the rest of the politicians. He made serious mistakes, and when pushed came to shove he failed the test of character. Rather than own up to them, he swept his scandal under the rug and fired his loyal friend in order to cover up his transgressions.The news broadcaster comes into the earpiece, saying they are speaking to new head manager of the Morris campaign, Stephen Myers. The newscaster asks him how recent upheavals including Thompson's endorsement came to be. Stephen stares at the camera with a blank, chilling expression.
    

The Ides of March


            Jack (George Clooney), an American assassin, is relaxing in a remote cabin at Dalarna, Sweden with his lover, Ingrid (Irina Björklund). The two decide to take a walk on the frozen lake nearby. While walking, Ingrid notices some footprints. Jack immediately becomes suspicious and quickly drags Ingrid to cover behind a large boulder as someone begins shooting at them. Jack kills the shooter and then tells Ingrid to return to the cabin and phone the police while he searches the body. As she rushes past him, he shoots her in the back of the head. Jack suspects there may be another shooter and goes in search of him. He comes up behind another armed man and kills him.Jack travels to Rome, Italy where he contacts a man named Pavel (Johan Leysen). Pavel is the person who provides Jack with his assignments. They don't typically meet in person. Pavel insists that Jack cannot stay in Rome and sends him to Castelvecchio, a small town in the mountains of Abruzzo. Jack arrives in Castelvecchio and immediately feels uncomfortable, so he drives down the road to, Castel del Monte, throwing the phone Pavel had given him out of the car window on the way.While he is hiding out in Castel del Monte, Jack is befriended by an elderly priest, Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), who senses that Jack is not who he claims to be and is struggling to find his way. The father pressures Jack to seek absolution, something which Jack, now going by the name 'Edward' and posing as a photographer, resists.Jack contacts Pavel, who offers him another job, a job that won't require him to kill anyone. Jack eventually decides to take the job and meets with a shady Belgian, named Mathilde (Thekla Reuten), who wants him to build a compact gun with the firing capacity of a submachine gun and the accuracy of a rifle. Jack begins work on the weapon as he begins patronizing a local prostitute, named Clara (Violante Placido). At the same time, Jack realizes that he is being followed by a young Swedish man (Samuli Vauramo) who is probably associated with the people who tried to kill him at Dalarna.One day, Jack meets with Mathilde to test the weapon he has made in the nearby forest. She asks for a few more alterations to it, as well as some special ammunition.While having coffee one day, Clara and a friend, named Anna (Anna Foglietta), see him and come inside to say hello. Clara invites Jack on an actual date, and the two begin to deepen their relationship.One night, as the Swedish assassin follows him, Jack manages to get himself into position for an ambush, but just when he is about to shoot the man from behind, one of his neighbors who rides a Vespa scooter, comes speeding along, alerting the assassin who fires, missing Jack but killing the man on the scooter. Jack takes the scooter and chases after the Swede, who has jumped into his car and sped off. Jack shoots at the Swede, breaking out the back window of the car, then a front tire. The car crashes. Jack has to lay down the scooter to avoid crashing into the car, then gets up and runs to the driver's window, smashing it out with his elbow. He reaches in and grabs the Swede, pulling him partway out of the window, then twisting and breaking his neck.The next day, Jack encounters Father Benedetto while out walking. The father suspects that Jack was involved in the deaths that occurred the previous day and again offers himself to receive Jack's confession. Jack responds by observing that all men have sins, even Father Benedetto, and makes it clear that he has figured out that Father Benedetto fathered an illegitimate son, named Fabio, who works as a mechanic and also gets involved in illegal activities locally. Jack makes use of Fabio to acquire some items he needs to construct a suppressor for the weapon he's building for Mathilde.Jack begins to become suspicious of Clara after he looks through her purse and finds a small pistol. He also follows her and sees her meeting with some rough looking men. He takes her on a picnic where he's prepared to kill her if need be, but when she doesn't make an attempt, he decides instead to confront her about the gun in her purse. Clara explains that she has the gun because of a number of assaults on prostitutes which have occurred in the area. She further explains that the men she was talking to were cops investigating the case.After talking to Pavel one last time, Jack agrees to deliver the weapon to Mathilde, but tells Pavel it will be his last job. That doesn't seem to sit well with Pavel. At the drop off, Jack is on alert, suspicious that Mathilde may try to kill him after she takes the briefcase and excuses herself to go to the ladies room. Mathilde does prepare her pistol inside the ladies room and returns to meet Jack outside the restaurant. They appear about to engage in an old west shootout, but before anything can happen, a busload of students arrive and the kids run between them. Mathilde turns, gets in her car and says goodbye.While driving away, Mathilde is contacted by Pavel, who asks if she has killed Jack. She informs him that she didn't get the opportunity. Pavel orders her to find one. She follows Jack back to town.Jack meets Clara in the crowd at a local religious festival. He asks her to go away with him and she joyfully agrees. Meanwhile, Mathilde has murdered a local citizen in his house and gone up on the rooftop, putting Jack in the sights of the weapon he has just delivered to her.However, when she pulls the trigger, the weapon misfires, the shell exploding into her right eye and she falls back and off the roof. Apparently, Jack came to suspect that he may have been Mathilde's assigned target, so he rigged the gun to misfire. Jack sees Mathilde fall from the roof, so he hands Clara an envelope with money in it and tells her to go to the place where they had picnicked by the river and wait for him.Jack goes to where Mathilde was lying on the ground. She's still alive and he demands to know who she works for. She mumbles that she also works for Pavel and then she dies. Father Benedetto and several altar boys who had been part of the procession, arrive. Jack leaves, apologizing to Father Benedetto, and begins looking for Pavel.Pavel gets the drop on Jack, and shoots just as Jack is turning to face him. Jack is able to get off two shots of his own, one hitting Pavel in the forehead, killing him. As Jack drives to meet Clara at the picnic spot by the creek, he discovers he is bleeding and realizes he has been fatally wounded. As he arrives at the picnic spot, Clara smiles with joy, just as Jack loses consciousness and crashes into a nearby tree... apparently dead.
    

The American


            The movie opens with Brigadier General Dean Hopgood (Stephen Lang) staring intently at his wall from behind his desk. He tells his secretary that he will be going into the next room and charges into his wall, hoping to phase through it. He hits the wall hard and says shit.More of this is true than you would believe.Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) is a reporter at a local newspaper in Ann Arbor Michigan. He opens the film with a narration about how his story doesnt begin where he thought it would. He wanted it to start when he married his college sweetheart, Helen (Rebecca Mader), but he acknowledges that his story started when he interviewed a local man who he heard on talk radio claiming to be part of a secret government initiative. He meets with Gus Lacey (Stephen Root) and Lacey tells him about the psychic spy initiative and tells Bob that he killed his hamster with his mind. Lacey shows Bob a video of his hamster, staring intently at a wheel and then keeling over. Bob is wowed, despite thinking that Lacey is crazy, but then the hamster gets up. Bob asks why it isnt dead and Lacey replies that his mother didnt want him to show the hamster dying so he put in a video if it acting strangely. Lacey mentions that everyone in his unit had different methods and that the strongest Psi-warrior was a man named Lynn Cassady.Bob writes a small piece on Lacey and forgets about him. A year later in 2003, one of Bob and Helens fat coworkers has a heart attack and dies, which serves as a catalyst for Helen leaving Bob. Helen tells Bob that life is too short to spend not looking for true happiness and leaves to be with Bobs one armed editor, Dave. Bob grows increasingly aimless, and decides that he will go to Iraq in order to get the perfect scoop.Bob goes out to the Middle East, but he cant get into Iraq. He lounges around hotels and calls Helen to tell her about his tour in Iraq. When he realizes that shes still with Dave and not missing him, Bob hangs up and goes to get drunk in the hotel lobby. He starts doodling in a notebook and notices a man sitting at the table next to him works for a company trying to make a sales pitch to the newly appointed Iraqi government and decides to talk to him. The man (George Clooney) introduces himself as Skip, but when the power goes out and he lights up a candle, Bob sees the mans nametag says Lynn Cassady.Bob asks Lynn if he knows Lacey, and Lynn runs away. As Lynn runs away, the power in the building fluctuates and Bob pursues him until they arrive at the kitchen. Lynn is on edge and asks Bob who sent him, but Bob tells him that hes just a reporter from Michigan looking for a story. Lynn brings Bob up to his room and tells him about the New Earth Army.The New Earth Army was founded by Bill Django (Jeff Bridges). A Vietnam Vet, he was shot during a mission and had a vision of his attacker which told him that Love would be the winner of wars. Perplexed, Bill offered to research a different way to wage war, and the United States government founded his research. Bill returned years later, after experimenting with numerous drugs. He created a manual which established the New Earth Army as a branch of psychic warfare, supported by Brigadier General Hopgood. Hopgood had read that the Russians believed that the US was researching psychic warfare, so he suggested that the US actually start researching it to prevent the Russians from developing a way to beat them first. Lynn, who made the computers in Area 51 crash and go haywire, was transferred over to the New Earth Army unit to harness his psychic abilities and become a Jedi.Bob is fascinated by the story and convinces Lynn to take him with him into Iraq. Lynn tells Bob that he is retired and doesnt want to have to deal with Bob, but notices Bobs doodling of an All Seeing Eye from the dollar bill and changes his mind. Lynn takes an injection of steroids for what he says is Crohns disease and Bob goes to sleep.The next day, the duo head out into Iraq by car. They drive all day until its lost. Lynn tries to cook some hamburgers with a strange solar cooker made by the New Earth Army. Hours later, the meat is ruined and Lynn is pissed. The pair go to sleep in the car. The next morning, Bob wakes up alone in the car and flips out, thinking Lynn abandoned him to die in the dessert. However, Lynn was just on the cars roof saluting the Sun. Lynn starts driving them toward Baghdad, but as he practices his cloud bursting, crashes the car into a large stone on the side of the road.Bob and Lynn wait for rescue and Bob learns more about the New Earth Army. The unit was not officially recognized as a branch of the military but was dedicated to invisibility, psychic remote viewing and Bill helped Lynn reach his full potential and trained his unit to be the best that they can be. Lynn went from an uptight awkward soldier to a great remote viewer; able to locate whoever he needed to, using his mind. Bob is starting to think that Lynn is insane, and his suspicions are seemingly confirmed when Lynn hurts him with an object in several different ways. After a while, a truck pulls up and picks the pair up.The men on the truck pick up the two and immediately go through their bags. Bob asks Lynn if theyve just been picked up by terrorists and Lynn confirms it as a gun is cocked in their face. They are kept in a holding cell and Bob freaks out after Lynn tries to tell him more about the New Earth Army. Lynn explains that Bob was destined to be with him in this cell because of the drawing Bob had in his notebook of the All Seeing Eye. Lynn shows Bob his All Seeing Eye Tattoo on his chest, which calms Bob down a bit. Lynn tells him that they have been kidnapped by lower level gangsters and that they cannot allow themselves to get traded off to real terrorists.The next morning, at the swap, Lynn refuses to move, and the standoff gets tense. The terrorists are ready to shoot when Bob screams I Am a Reporter! in Arabic. They immediately begin shooting at him, but Lynn tackles the shooter and takes him out. A third hostage runs away into the dessert and Lynn takes the terrorists gun and truck and drives away with Bob. They try to pick up the third hostage, Mahmood, but end up running him over. They are surrounded by White Jeeps, owned by a private defense contractor named Todd Nixon (Robert Patrick). He takes the three into the city, exposing his plans to bring franchises to Baghdad and westernize the region. As hes bragging, a firefight breaks out between his contractors and their rivals (both claiming to have been fired on by Iraqis). The trio escapes and heads to Mahmoods house.At Mahmoods house, he finds that his wife is missing and no one knows where she is. Hes depressed and Lynn apologizes to him for how Nixon acted in the car, saying that not all Americans are like that. That night, Bob watches Lynn inject his last bottle of medication and Lynn pretends he doesnt notice. Mahmood lends his car to Bob and Lynn and the pair continues their journey. They drive to a crossroads and Bob ridicules the fact that Lynn doesnt know where to drive. He takes a right and their car does a backflips when a hidden mine explodes.The pair survive and Bob is carried from the wreck by Lynn. Bob is upset that hes still chasing Lynn through the jungle and asks about Bobs mission. Bob tells him that he was reactivated by Bill. He got a message through astral projection to come to Iraq and find him. Bob realizes that Bob is truly insane and starts yelling at him. Lynn tells him that its something he needs to do because it was his fault the New Age Army was destroyed.Lynn had excelled in remote viewing and was able to locate people at will. This pissed off Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), a psychic who wanted to be number one. Lynn continuously defeated Hooper in testing, so Hooper sought to use psychedelics to even the playing field. He tricked a green lieutenant into taking LSD and the lieutenant went insane from Hoopers experiments. Naked, the lieutenant went into the training yard and started firing at soldiers. Bill approaches him and asks him to surrender the gun, but the lieutenant just shoots himself in the head instead. Bill is brought before a military oversight committee and Hooper buries him by accusing him of miss using funds to hire prostitutes and buy drugs (the hooker thing is a lie!). Bill is dishonorably discharged and says goodbye to Lynn. Soon after, General Holtz (Glenn Morshower) takes over the New Earth Army and Hooper tells him that there are offensive applications to thier psychic abilities. Holtz orders Lynn to psychokinetically stop the heart of a goat. Lynn stares at the goat and it dies after a few minutes of intense staring. Lynn finished the remainder of his tour and leaves, but not before Hooper gives him the Death Tap. Ever since he used his power for evil, Lynn has been cursed.Lynn and Bob go to sleep and when they wake up, Bob sees a goat. He follows it to water and Lynn and Bob drink it as a helicopter appears overhead. The two pass out and come to in a hospital beds. Lynn sees a man looking at them and follows him. They pass through a chamber full of goats and another full of prisoners forced to listen to Barney while being forced to watch strobe lights. They then find an older Bill, burnt out from booze and drugs, working for Hooper at Psi Securities, a psychology/psychic firm which focuses on overseas subliminal messaging. He offers Lynn a job, but Lynn is broken by seeing Bill in such bad shape.Bob walks around and finds Lynn in bed. Lynn tells him hes dying. Bob tries to explain that the death palm is nonsense, but Lynn tells him its his cancer that is killing him. Bob is saddened for his friend and Lynn gives him an old eagle feather Bill had given him to honor his psychic abilities. Bob finds Bill, but Bill shrugs it off. He and Bob find common ground and Bob convinces him to help Lynn get out of his rut. They go into the pantry to get ice cream. Bill then teaches Bob about how to embrace the Jedi lifestyle.Hooper pays Lynn a visit. He wakes him up on purpose, offers him a job and tells Lynn that he knows his abilities are a sham and that Lynn had gotten the location from a former New Earth Army soldier who had hinted that there was work to do. Hooper maliciously taunts Lynn, and Lynn goes back to sleep.The next morning, Lynn goes to join Bob and Bill in the mess tent for breakfast. Bob tells him not to eat the eggs since they laced them with LCD. The entire army is high and hallucinating. Unfortunately, Bill also spiked the water, so Bob, Lynn and Bill are also high. They run to the goat and prisoner storage barns and Bob convinces Lynn to get redemption by freeing the goats. They heard the goats and prisoners out of the camp without a hitch due to the drug induced chaos around them, until they are blocked by Hooper. Hooper points a gun at them, but then puts the gun in his own mouth (mirroring his test subjects suicide). However, before he can shoot himself, he succumbs to the munchies and goes to get food instead. The prisoners and goats leave.Bob sees Lynn and Bill get into a helicopter. He follows them and asks to come, but Lynn tells him that his job is to go and tell the world of their story. Lynn and Bill take off and vanish. Bob tells us that the official word is that they crashed in the desert (because thats what happens when you fly a helicopter while you're tripping on Acid). He wrote the story, but the public didnt even consider it. They just made a joke about the part where prisoners were tortured with Barney. Disappointed, he realized that life happens when you dont try to go against the current (something Lynn had told him personally). He becomes editor of his paper and stares at his wall. He focuses on it intently, smiles, then charges as he phases through the wall like a real Jedi.
    

The Men Who Stare at Goats


            The film starts with Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock) being interviewed. The interviewer says shes been known by many names, most notably Calamity Jane. She will work on the campaign of anybody, provided the money is right. It is revealed that she retired after violating election laws. The rest of the movie is her telling the story of what happened after her resignation.Ben (Anthony Mackie) and Nell (Ann Down) are driving in the snowy mountains (between the mountains, as Jane later corrects them) discussing their plan to sway Jane to work for the campaign of Pedro Castillo, a Senator in Bolivia who is running for President. He is currently 28 points behind. Arriving at Janes house, she explains she has quit smoking and drinking and has focused on pottery. There are dozens of pottery jars and bowls covering the walls. Ben admires a shiny dark bowl but Nell takes it from him.Nell explains that Castillo's opponent, Rivera, has hired her old arch nemesis, Pat Candy (played by Billy Bob Thornton).A screenshot shows Castillo at 8% with Rivera leading with 36%. Several candidates separate the two.Jane has accepted the offer and their plane lands in La Paz, Bolivia, which has an elevation of nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. She is unable to breath and is using an oxygen mask on the car ride to campaign headquarters. She meets the campaign team but stays in the background at the first meeting, clearly feeling ill. The campaign advisors are telling Castillo he needs to meet with the people and be seen as one of the people. Jane is so nauseous from her travel and the elevation she leaves and is heard throwing up.Ben meets her in the hallway and she immediately says hes not a winner, and he cannot win.Later at her hotel room, she is still nauseous from the elevation.Castillo and the campaign team are on the outdoor set of a commercial for the Senator. An young actress expresses concern with her part in the ad, which requires her to be caught by Castillo. She doesn't believe hell catch her and he expresses disbelief. Jane is on the set but is only seen in the background on a lounge chair, still looking unwell. A senior advisor expresses dismay that she has been hired but all shes doing is sunning herself.During a focus group for the ad in which he catches and holds up several people, its clear the ad does not resonate with anybody. One woman says he has a weird smile. Castillo is frustrated and wants to hear what Jane has planned for the campaign. Jane expresses to Ben that she still gets nauseous whenever she sees Castillo.At a large debate with all the candidates, Jane is found behind the stage backdrop during the debate. She is approached by Candy, who tells her hes surprised shes working on an unwinnable campaign. She tells him shes going home tomorrow. He suggests maybe later they can go out.At an evening event, Castillo is shaking hands with people behind a barrier. A man in a mask jumps the barrier and smashes an egg on Castillo's forehead. Castillo immediately punches the man. A young man working on the campaign, Eduardo (Reynaldo Pacheco) comes to the rescue of Castillo and ushers him away. Candy can be seen watching the action in the background.Jane insists to the campaign team that this was set up by Candy. The campaign believes Castillo should apologize as soon as possible but Jane disagrees. She doesn't think the man should change to fit the narrative but instead the narrative should change to fit the man. She insists Castillo express regret, but not to apologize. Finally, she meets with Castillo for their first conversation. She describes the Daisy advertisement, which ran exactly once, that turned the election for Lyndon Johnson over Barry Goldwater. She tells Castillo and the campaign that this is no longer an election, it is a crisis. From that day on, she says, our brand is crisis.While Castillo is meeting with the press, Jane meets Eduardo. His name is too long with her so she just calls him Eddie. She gives him a bottle of Paul Newman Steak Sauce.Another screenshot shows Castillo has 10% to Riveras 39% with 80 days until election day.Jane wakes up in her hotel room. She needs a cigarette, so she walks out the door into a large open foyer. On a table she finds a Rivera doll. She looks across the large foyer to see Candy sitting outside his room. Later shell claim he got the room intentionally to get under her skin.Before a campaign stop, Jane tells Eddie to help Castillo roll up his sleeves. After he does this, Castillo gives Eddie his cufflinks to hold, and it is clear Eddie idolizes him. Later, two senior advisors argue the crisis brand may have worked with the current crowd, but it wont with the working class.At another commercial set inside a warehouse, several llamas are there, and Castillo is set to compare the future of Bolivia with llamas, who work hard. Outside, a large groan is heard. One of the llamas is hit by a truck. Jane says the llama cant stand the commercial so badly, he killed himself.At another meeting with advisors, its revealed the crisis message is working, but not so well that it will win the election. Jane says its time to go negative. She introduces LeBlanc (Zoe Kazan), a young investigator who is hired to dig up dirt on Rivera. Jane suggests that Castillo reveal everything that could be used against him, but he refuses. When Jane leaves the meeting with LeBlanc, she instead instructs her to dig up dirt on Castillo, their own candidate. Walking into the room with the campaign team, she gives a fiery and inspirational speech about how important it is to go negative, and that anybody with a problem with that will be given a set of balls. There is only one wrong thing to do, she says: Losing. She then asks who knows English and only a handful of people raise their hands, so LeBlanc must translate.LeBlanc discovers Rivera has purchased 27 vehicles with taxpayer money at the cost of about 35-40 vehicles. He is a crook. Jane gets a call from Pat who tells her to turn on the TV. Rivera is on, holding two babies during a campaign stop, confessing how hes doubly lucky, and promises to run a positive campaign. Jane insist they go negative in spite of this, but Castillo says no.LeBlanc finds even more dirt on Rivera, but Jane tells her to focus everything on finding dirt on Castillo.Fliers are discovered, authored by the La Paz Grassroots that say Castillo had a three year affair. Jane says that Pat Candy is behind the fliers. Castillo says its in the past, and that his wife knows about it, but Jane claims the perception will be that hes an adulterer. As a result of this, Castillo agrees to start running a negative campaign.Negative ads are now running for Castillos campaign. Candy calls Jane and invites her to go out again. She doesnt respond. Instead, both end up outside of their hotel rooms so they can see each other. Candy reveals it was him (via a friend of a friend) who anonymously suggested to the Castillo campaign to hire Jane.In the city, Eddie is hanging Castillo posters. An SUV carrying the Castillo advisors sees him and stop to give him a ride home, insisted upon by Jane. When they get home, his brothers ridicule Eddie for bringing Yankees and trusting them, and for that matter, trusting Castillo. The boys (all adult age) are living alone because their parents have both died. Jane invites them out to dinner with the campaign team. They are then in a restaurant, the entire campaign team drinking heavily.Back at the hotel room, Jane is with Eddie and his brothers, ordering room service and still drunk. They make a sling shot out of clothes and shoot something that splatters against Candys window across the foyer. They then shoot the head of the Rivera doll Candy had left, and it breaks his window. He calls the police and Jane is seen slapping an officer. She spends the night in jail.Jane meets with Castillo who says shes a liability. She reveals she has had mental issues before and suffered from depression. She offers to reluctantly resign, but Castillo keeps her on. Meanwhile, the senior advisors (Ben, Nell and others) talk about Jane and Candy, how they had sex previously, and how she spread a rumor during a campaign that Candys candidates daughter was on drugs. (The daughter killed herself as a result.)At a Rivera campaign stop, Jane is seen talking to Candy. Candy tells her he knows it was Jane who planted the fliers of Castillos infidelity in order to force Castillo to run a negative campaign. Its also revealed that Candy is the one who ran over the llama during the commercial shoot. While Rivera is still speaking aboard a train, Jane poses as a worker for the Rivera campaign and tells the conductor the speech is over. The train begins to leave and Candy is furious.A montage shows the crisis message is working and support for Castillo is growing.On a campaign bus heading toward a remote Bolivia location on a small dirt road, they discover Riveras bus is directly ahead of them. Jane wants to overtake it. A bus race ensues around dangerous bends and cliffs. Jane yells out the window to Candy that Rivera has dropped 6 points. She then offers money to the driver to overtake the Rivera bus. When it does, Jane moons the Rivera bus. Somebody on the Castillo bus says Jane has a great ass!More fliers are discovered that claim (with pictures) Castillo is a member of a crazy white-robe wearing cult. Like before, it came from La Paz Grassroots, but this time it really did come from Candy. To handle this scandal, Castillo is interviewed on TV and explains it was a visit to his son, who IS a member of the cult, and he had to wear the robe. He denies being a member of the cult. The interviewer talks about his son. Castillo had been coached by Jane that if he senses any emotion or tears, to look directly into the camera. He does exactly that, to Jane's delight, when explaining hes not close to his son, but he wishes he was, with tears in his eyes.A graphic shows with 24 days left until the election, Castillo has 19% and Rivera has 30%.Jane next starts a rumor that Rivera is a Nazi, based on no real facts, but a fuzzy picture showing him with Nazi propaganda. She explains its not relevant whether its true. She just needs to hear him deny it.On a bus trip to a mountainous countryside, protesters start throwing rocks at the bus. The villagers are angrily blocking the bus, and Castillo, against the wishes of Jane, gets off to talk with them. They plead with him that any negotiations with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) be preceded by a referendum so the people can decide. Castillo promises the people that will happen if hes elected.Back on the bus, Castillo explain to Eddie that an effective leader is a father to the people, and that sometimes a father must be strict. He says the people in the village don't understand that yet.In a restaurant, Jane sits alone until Candy sits next to her. He tells a story about a campaign run by Adlai Stevenson in which Stevenson is told everything thinking person would vote for him, to which Stevenson replies that is not enough. I need a majority. Candy goes on to tell Jane, If you fight with monsters too long, you become a monster. Jane later says that shell kill herself if she loses to Candy again (though this appears to be hyperbole) She has lost every election against him.Jane is talking with Nell, and insults her about her dedication to the campaign. She tells Nell she needs to pull some string with her contacts at the Bolivian State Department, in order to take votes from Castillo, and give them to Volasco (another candidate). The next scene shows the state department giving an anti-cocaine speech, which will help Volasco.Another graphic shows the race at 22% for Castillo and 26% for Rivera with 16 days to go.During a debate prep session, Castillo and Jane engage in a heated argument in which Jane says they are all just puppets in the political game, and that nobody is in charge. Castillo tells her she needs professional help for wanting to do anything to win.Right before the debate with the 3 leading candidates, Jane is sitting alone in the lecture hall, reading Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and is soon joined by Candy. They talk about the book and Mephistopheles, with whom Faust makes a wager for his soul. Jane highlights something in the book. Not seeing what she highlighted, Candy asks about it. She quotes, It may be alright to have a power that is based on guns. However it is better and more gratifying to win the heart of a nation and keep it. Candy gives her a condescending compliment and tells her he plans to pleasure himself thinking about her when he returns home. Jane says it will be an honor.During the debate, Nell observes how charming Rivera is, while the team watches stage left. Rivera then repeats the quote Jane told Candy. Jane is elated and tells the communication team to talk to the press and inform them Rivera just used a quote from Joseph Goebbels, the head Nazi propaganda minister.Election day. Montage of the press reporting throughout the day. It is a record turnout and at days end, the results are: Castillo 23.5%, Rivera 22.8%, Volasco 21.9%. Castillo has won the election. Afterwards, Jane sends 3 Bolivian singers to show up at Candys door.Eddie is delivering a framed photograph to now President-Elect Castillo's Senate offices. He overhears him making plans to visit the IMF in New York, and is crestfallen. Later Castillo is heard instructing interest rates to be raised to 15%.Back at Jane's hotel, Ben calls and informs her there will be a protest downtown. A knock on the door reveals Eddie, saddened and angry, who tells her about the IMF plan. Jane tells him this is the way of politics, and its not her job to solve problems after the election. They make big promises that mean jack shit. Getting hurt is unavoidable, she tells him. Eddie replies, "what about you? What are you going to do?" and then leaves. Jane is seen having a moment of introspection.The protest is growing in the city. Candy is outside the hotel in his chauffeur-driven SUV and offers Jane, Ben, and Nell a ride to the airport. They reluctantly agree, but the city is in gridlock due to the protests, which are on the verge of becoming riots. Eddie and his brothers join the protests and are shouting angry chants.Before long the SUV comes to a stop in the heavy traffic on the tiny streets. Candy says he will be going to overseas for a British campaign. Others discuss plans but Jane is silent. She pulls from her bag the pottery bowl that Ben was admiring in the first scene, and hands it to him before climbing out of the car. Ben jumps out and yells, get in the car, what are you doing? They approach each other and she just smiles. Ben says, ok. Let me know how that goes. Jane then joins the mass of people who are walking toward the city.Cut back to the interview that opened the film. Jane says its just a carousel and she was going around and around. She finally just decided to get off the carousel. She is then seen in the middle of the protest, and sees Eddie. Eventually Eddie sees her and they make eye contact. Jane's voice is heard saying, "If you don't like the road you're on, start paving a new one."
    

Our Brand Is Crisis


            In 1943 during World War II, the Allies are making good progress driving back the Axis powers in Italy. However, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) persuades the US President that victory will have little meaning if the art treasures of Western civilization are lost in the fighting, either as collateral damage in combat or looted. To minimize that threat, Stokes is directed to assemble an Army unit nicknamed the "Monuments Men" comprising seven museum directors, curators, and art historians to both guide Allied units and search for stolen art to return it to the rightful owners.In occupied France, Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett), a curator in Paris, is forced to allow Nazi officers like Viktor Stahl (Justus von Dohnányi) to oversee the theft of art for either Adolf Hitler's proposed Führermuseum in Linz, or as the personal property of senior commanders like Herman Goering. While she is nearly arrested for helping her Maquis brother unsuccessfully recapture such items, all seems lost when she discovers that Stahl is taking all of her gallery's contents to Germany as the Allies approach Paris. When she runs to the railyard to confront Stahl, he fires on her with his pistol; although she does not seek cover, she is not hit, but can only watch helplessly as Stahl escapes with the stolen artwork.As for Stokes' unit, it finds its work is frustrated by its own side's combat units which refuse to restrict their tactical options for the sake of preserving architecture, while James Granger () finds that Simone will not cooperate with those whom she suspects are art looters themselves. The unit splits up for various objectives with varying degrees of success. Donald Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville) of the British Army attempts to arrange the safety of a Belgian church with valuable artwork and is killed attempting to prevent the Nazi Colonel Wegner from stealing a statue of the Madonna and Child by Michelangelo.Richard Campbell (Bill Murray) and Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban) attempt to track down a stolen Belgian panel set of religious artwork (the Van Eyck altarpiece looted from Ghent cathedral), and in doing so, find and arrest Viktor Stahl, hiding as a farmer, when they identify the paintings in his house as originals stolen from the Rothschild Collection; Savitz uncovers Stahl's loyalties by tricking his indoctrinated children into saluting Hitler when prompted with "Heil Hitler". Walter Garfield (John Goodman) and Jean Claude Clermont (Jean Dujardin) blunder into a Wehrmacht patrol and Clermont is mortally wounded. Meanwhile, Simone reconsiders when Granger shows her the Nero Decree to destroy all German possessions if Hitler dies or Germany falls, and when she sees Granger return a painting looted from a Jewish family murdered in the death camps to its rightful place as a symbolic gesture. Realizing the Americans are serious in their intentions, she eventually provides a comprehensive ledger that provides valuable information to identify stolen art.Even as the team learns that the artwork is being stored in various mines and castles, it also learns that it must now compete against the Soviet Union which has units of its own seizing artwork as war reparations. Meanwhile, Colonel Wegner is systematically removing and destroying whole art collections as per orders. Eventually, the team has some success as it discovers at least one mine with over 16,000 art pieces as well as grotesque caches such as barrels of gold teeth from victims of the death camps. In addition, it also discovers gold assets of the Nazi German national treasury, the capture of which effectively bankrupts the regime.Finally, the team finds a mine in Austria that seems destroyed and is in what should become part of the Soviet occupation zone. However, the team discovers that only the entrances were damaged by the locals in order to fool the Nazis and it manages to gain entry even as its fellows delay the oncoming Soviets. As a result, the team evacuates as much artwork as possible, including the sculpture Jeffries died defending, before the Soviets arrive.Finally, Stokes reports back to President Truman that the team has recovered vast quantities of artwork and various other culturally significant items. As he requests to stay in Europe to oversee further searching and restoration, Truman asks Stokes if his efforts were worth the lives of the men that he lost. Stokes firmly replies that they were.In 1977, the elderly Stokes (Nick Clooney) takes his grandson to see Michelangelo's Madonna sculpture, amid large crowds of youth appreciating the pieces of humanity's creativity that his men sacrificed so much to preserve in war.-Wikipedia
    

The Monuments Men


            Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, captain of a struggling professional American Football team during the 1920s, the Duluth Bulldogs. Dodge is determined to save both his team and pro football in general when the players lose their sponsor and the league is on the brink of collapse. He convinces a college football star, Carter "the Bullet" Rutherford, to join the Bulldogs, hoping to capitalize on Carter's fame as a decorated hero of the First World War (like Alvin York, he singlehandedly captured a large group of German soldiers).In addition to his legendary tales of combat heroism, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed and skill on the field. As a result of his presence, both the Bulldogs and pro football in general begin to prosper.Zellweger provides a romantic interest as Chicago newspaper reporter Lexie Littleton, who becomes the object of the affections of both Dodge and Carter. One knows but the other doesn't that Lexie has been assigned to find proof that Carter's war heroics are bogus. Indeed, Carter confesses that the surrender of the Germans was a lucky accident and in no way heroic.Meanwhile, Dodge's attempts to legitimize pro football start to backfire, as rules are formalized, taking away much of the improvisational antics that made the game fun for many of its players.With his own playing career near an end, Dodge gets to play in one last big game. This time it will be against Carter, who has changed sides to the Chicago team. Their rivalry for Lexie's affection spills over onto the football field for one last day.
    

Leatherheads

Catch Me If You Can


            Set in year 1959, the film opens with an introduction to the quaint little town of Suburbicon. Established in 1947, it has become a generally pleasant town with people from other parts of the country moving there for an idyllic lifestyle.Mailman Henry (Steve Monroe) goes around happily greeting the town's residents. He reaches the home of the new residents, the Mayers family, who happen to be African-American. When Henry speaks to Mrs. Mayers (Kamirah Westbrook), he doesn't realize she is the new neighbor until she says so. His friendly demeanor drops as he awkwardly tries to step away while "forgetting" to give Mrs. Mayers her mail. The other residents then react with horror to the fact that their new neighbors are black.A town meeting is held full of angry and racist white men demanding that the Mayers be removed from the town. A petition is held among all the all-white townsfolk to do something about getting the Mayers family to move out.The paraplegic Rose Lodge and her twin sister Margaret (both played by Julianne Moore) are the Mayers' next door neighbors. Rose tells her 10-year-old son Nicky (Noah Jupe) to play with the Mayers' son Andrew (Tony Espinosa). Reluctantly, Nicky goes over and invites Andrew to play catch with him.That night, Nicky's father Gardner (Matt Damon) goes into his room with another man, Louis (Alex Hassell). Gardner tells Nicky that Louis and another man, Ira Sloan (Glenn Fleshler) are about to rob them. Gardner takes Nicky downstairs where Sloan is sitting in Rose's wheelchair, and she and Margaret are being kept hostage. After they force Gardner to pour them drinks, the robbers sit the family at the dinner table and smother them with chloroform rags.Nicky wakes up in the hospital to find Gardner and Margaret, and to see that Rose is dying after being overdosed on chloroform.We cut to Rose's funeral. Rose and Margaret's brother Mitch (Gary Basaraba) comforts Nicky and gives him some extra money.People around town offer their condolences to Gardner, Margaret, and Nicky everywhere they go, while quietly insinuating the Mayers family may have been involved.Nicky starts to take precautions to avoid another incident. He sets up bars against his bedroom door to prevent anyone from breaking in. He hears what sounds like Margaret yelling in fright. Nicky grabs a knife and goes to the basement, only to find that Gardner and Margaret are engaged in kinky sexual activity, with Margaret having cut her hair and dyed it blonde to resemble Rose.Gardner is contacted by Captain Hightower (Jack Conley) and asked to come to the police station to view a lineup of suspects. Margaret arrives at the station and brings Nicky because she didn't want to leave him home alone. Nicky is left outside the room as Gardner and Margaret go in. Nicky sneaks in as Gardner is attempting to identify the men. Nicky clearly spots Louis and Sloan as the last two in the lineup. A guard mistakenly flips the light switch on, revealing the family behind the glass and making Gardner and Margaret see that Nicky made it inside.At home during a bath, Nicky asks Gardner why he didn't identify Louis and Sloan when he had the chance. Gardner dodges the question and says it's just complicated.All around town, the racist residents of Suburbicon continue to show increased hostility toward the Mayers family, particularly at the supermarket where Margaret works where the manager tells Mrs. Mayers that everything she has taken has been raised to $20.Louis and Sloan confront Gardner at work in his office. Sloan smacks him around and is angry that Nicky had seen them, and is also demanding money that was supposed to be returned after Rose was killed.Hightower visits Gardner at work to inform him that an enforcer for the mob named Frank Rizzoli had been found dead. After going through his books, it was discovered that Gardner's name was listed among those that owe money to the mob. However, Hightower also notes that they did find a hotel called Garden Lodge, and decides perhaps they were confusing it with Gardner's own name.One afternoon, Margaret is visited by a sleazy insurance salesman named Bud Cooper (Oscar Isaac). He smooth-talks Margaret before making clear his true intentions after he mentions that an insurance claim was filed by Gardner shortly after Rose's death. Margaret lets it slip that she and Gardner were in need of money after Gardner had attempted to start up his own business and subsequently failed. Margaret kicks Cooper out of the house as he continues to press her.Sloan approaches Louis at work and tells them that they need to take care of Nicky since he is going to get suspicious of the whole scheme. Sloan orders Louis to finish the job, or he will become a liability.Throughout the day, the town's residents gather outside the Mayers' home to taunt them before it gradually turns into a riot with police forced to take serious action. The mob breaks all the windows of their home and set their car on fire while planting a confederate flag. Meanwhile, Cooper visits the Lodge house. He tells Gardner he knows about their insurance fraud and that he is going to blackmail Gardner and Margaret with bringing the police over unless he receives the whole cut of the insurance claim. Margaret brings Cooper a cup of coffee, and he begins to choke after drinking it. Margaret admits to Gardner that she put lye in it. Cooper runs out in a panic as Gardner grabs a fire poker. He chases Cooper outside and swings the poker into his head, killing him. Louis and Sloan are nearby watching. Gardner stuffs Cooper into the trunk of his car and drives away to dispose of him, while Louis goes inside the house and Sloan follows Gardner.Nicky realizes what's going on and he calls Mitch for help. Margaret cuts the phone line, and Nicky locks himself in his room. Margaret makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that she laces with crushed up pills to poison Nicky, as well as his milk. Nicky refuses to touch the food. Louis sneaks up on Margaret and strangles her to death before making his way up to Nicky's room. He finds Nicky under the bed but is pulled out by someone else. After a brief struggle, the other person shoots Louis dead. It turns out to be Mitch. He gets Nicky out and brings him to hide in a closet. Mitch turns around to reveal a knife in his back from the fight with Louis. He sits down by Nicky's bed and slowly dies.Gardner takes Cooper's body out of town and leaves it in his car. He rides a bicycle home and is followed by Sloan. While distracted and yelling at Gardner, Sloan is struck head-on by a firetruck. The leaked fuel catches fire and causes the car to explode, killing Sloan. Gardner rides home.Gardner finds Nicky in the closet with a gun. He also finds the bodies of Margaret, Mitch, and Louis. Gardner sits at the kitchen table with Nicky as he starts to eat the poisoned sandwich and drink the milk. He calmly tells Nicky that he can join him in moving to Aruba with the money he will take out from the insurance claim, or Gardner will kill him.The following morning, the Mayers family cleans up the mess around their house. The unrepentant and racist neighbors continue to taunt and use them as scapegoats for the chaos that has occurred in town. Nicky is watching the news on the TV set about the race riot while Gardner lies dead at the table. Nicky goes outside and sees Andrew. He takes a ball and starts playing catch with him.
    

Grant Heslov

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