Movie goers looking for something beyond the usual summer escapist fare, rejoice! At movie theaters around, near or a few hours from you, eight films currently vie for your attention as they try to seriously address the issues of today.
The Illusionist. Neil Burger's film travels back to late nineties and pulls back the curtain to show how magicians Karl Rove and Karen Hughes made 'toy soldier' Bully Boy look like a living boy. The weakest aspect of the film is the supposed romantic chemistry between Rove and Hughes. As William F. Buckley Jnr. remarked at the premiere, "When Karl looked at Hughes, I felt nothing. But when he eyed a greasy hamburger, I just knew he f**king wanted to f**k the hell out of that f**king piece of meat."
Descent. This horror film from Lions Gate charts one day in hell, 24 hours in Baghdad outside the Green Zone.
Beerfest. "Prepare for the Ultimate Chug of War" screams the posters about this inside look at what really goes on at Camp David with our semi-dry drunk misleader full of ennui and booze as he attempts to cope with the cakewalk that burned America. Don't miss the climatic moments when a drunken Cheney grabs a rifle and announces "I'b uh thoughing humphing. I mean humphing. I mean -- F**k, I'm thoughing shooting."
The Night Listener. Alberto Gonzales' lonely nights listening in on every call Americans make gets spicey, in this art-house film, when John Aschroft shows up in Nazi/S&M drag. Rumor has it that Kenneth Starr passed out in the middle of the first showing and, as a result, had to come back the next three nights to see what he'd missed.
Little Miss Sunshine. Michael Arnot's semi-fictional script follows a Secretary of State as she beams and presents mock concern over Israel's armed aggression towards Lebanon. SoS breaks out into song at key moments throughout -- hell's version of Julie Andrews.
Monster House. "THE BIGGEST SURPRISE OF THE SUMMER!" scream the ads and you'll find yourself agreeing as you see George and Barbara Bush enjoy their retirement via violent fights over who farted (at one point, Big Babs breaks down in tears bemoaning the death of Millie because, while Millie was alive, Big Babs could always blame the flatulence on the dog), which bratty grandchild took only one sip of canned soda and then left the wasted drink out on the counter, what really happened on the houseboat in the eighties and nineties, and how many Americans have to die in Iraq before they agree that their son has shamed a nation.
Material Girls. Teen-queen wanna-bes a few years too late, First Twins Jenna & Barbara star in this comedic vehicle about pampered young women given easy breaks. Taste making trend setter Jonah Goldberg reportedly gushed, "It's the most charming debut since Clyde the orangutan did Every Which Way But Loose."
How To Eat Fried Worms. In this semi-fictitious tale, Laura Bush explains how, as a young woman, she killed a man and offers up some of her home cooking finest such as the dish the film takes it title from.