Frost/Nixon (2008)
Directed by Ron Howard
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harboured doubts about their boss's ability to hold his own. But as the cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.
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What critics compared Frost/Nixon to
The shrewd script by Peter Morgan (“Frost/Nixon,” “The Last King of Scotland,” “The Queen”) stresses the parallels in the men’s lives.
The immensely gifted screenwriter Peter Morgan reunites with his “Frost/Nixon” director Ron Howard and returns to his favorite theme, a real-life drama about the clash between two brilliantly talented but flawed figures.
But could director Ron Howard and screenwriter Peter Morgan, who combined superbly to bring a similarly contentious clash to the screens with Frost/Nixon , manage to do full justice to this adrenalin-fuelled tale?
In some ways, “Rush” reminds me of Howard’s other 70s drama “Frost/Nixon.”
Scripted by Peter Morgan, whose stage play Frost/Nixon formed the basis of Howard's previous real-life 70s grudge match, Rush paints its duelling antagonists with the most baldly oppositional black-and-white brushstrokes.
Director Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind," "The Da Vinci Code") pulls from the pugilistic experience of "Cinderella Man" and restages Morgan's play as a boxing match between two unlikely and opposite contenders.
In adapting the award-winning 2006 play by Peter Morgan (2008's " The Other Boleyn Girl "), director Ron Howard (2006's " The Da Vinci Code ") has ably converted "Frost/Nixon" to the cinematic format.
Oh, he's competent as all hell (though not invariably: Grinch along with The Da Vinci Code and EdTV all lurk menacingly in the dark waters of his CV), and the one thing that you don't get to say is that Frost/Nixon looks like a stage play.
Part of the credit goes to Howard, the director of such reality-based melodrama as “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13,” not to mention such pure genre action as “The Da Vinci Code.”
The malevolent leader of this Italian faction is Aro (Michael Sheen from "Frost/Nixon" and "The Queen") and his menacing minion is Jane (a nearly unrecognizable Dakota Fanning from "The Secret Life of Bees" and "War of the Worlds").
These touches, along with key supporting performances from Michael Sheen (“Frost/Nixon”) as the Don of what amounts to the vampire Mafia and scene-stealer Anna Kendrick (who is generating Oscar buzz for her performance in the upcoming “Up In the Air”) as Bella’s verbose, tart-tongued pal Jessica, make “New Moon” shine bright.
Michael Sheen ("Frost/Nixon," "The Damned United") is an absolute hoot as Volturi head Aro and Dakota Fanning ("The Secret Life of Bees") does some lovely subtle work as the pain inflicting Jane.
Not until Michael Sheen, of "Frost/Nixon" and "The Queen," makes an appearance as the vampire pope - a cross between Count Dooku and Voldemort, with Dakota Fanning in a small role as his sidekick - does the gloomy and lethargic film show any bite.
Why hire actors of such caliber as Michael Sheen (2008's " Frost/Nixon ") and Dakota Fanning (2009's " Push ") and then saddle them with walk-on cameos?