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Reagan Stars Penelope Ann Miller and Dennis Quaid

Last week, Eye For Film had the chance to sit down with stars of Reagan, a biopic starring Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller as Ron and Nancy. Based on Paul Kengor's book The Crusader, it has Jon Voight as a narrator for the story. Not conventionally though. Kengor's book is subtitled Ronald Reagan And The Fall Of Communism, and Voight plays an old Kgb hand who explains how the Gipper brought Gorbachev to the table and more.

Due to time differences I wished Jon a good evening from Scotland. "Hello Andrew," he said in a passable Scottish accent. He continued "Great lad, great". It was only fair to say I'd offer him some of my mum's shortbread; even online interviews need snacks, and that got a laugh too.

The film is framed with his character, Viktor Petrovich, as the lens for it.

Werner Herzog collaborator Spring Films plots ambitious project.

UK documentary producer and director André Singer (The Act Of Killing) has revealed he is working on an ambitious new project about iconic former Russian statesman Mikhail Gorbachev and his role in the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Singer, the regular Werner Herzog collaborator who produces under the banner of London-based Spring Films, unveiled the project – titled The Enigma Of Mikhail Gorbachev – as one of the central pitches at Sunny Side Of The Doc (Ssd) on Tuesday (June 20).

The feature documentary and series will focus on Gorbachev’s six-year reign as general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Cpsu) from 1985 to 1991, during which time his policies of “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring) hastened the dissolution of the Soviet Union, fall of Russian-style communism and the end of the Cold War.

“There’s a surprising amount of material about Gorbachev in film but there has not been...

Filmmaker Eugene Jarecki has signed with UTA, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned. He previously was with CAA.

Both of his documentaries — Why We Fight, about the rise of the military-industrial complex, and The House I Live In, about the war on drugs — won Sundance Grand Jury Prizes and Peabody Awards. His other credits include the Emmy-winning HBO documentary Reagan and The Trials of Henry Kissinger, which won an award from Amnesty International and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.

Jarecki, the brother of fellow filmmakers Andrew Jarecki (The Jinx) and Nicholas Jarecki (Arbitrage), will...

Now in its sixteenth year, New York City’s own Tribeca Film Festival kicks off every spring with a wide variety of programming on offer, from an ever-expanding Vr installation to an enviable television lineup, but the bread and butter of the annual festival is still in its film slate. This year’s festival offers up plenty of returning favorites with new projects, alongside fresh faces itching to break out. From insightful documentaries to fanciful features, with a heavy dose of Gotham-centric films (hey, it is Tribeca after all), there’s plenty to dive into here, so we’ve culled the schedule for a few surefire hits.

This year’s Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 20 – 30. Check out some of our must-see picks below.

Read More: Why ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Is the Most Anticipated Screening of the Tribeca Film Festival

“A Gray State”

It might be the craziest story...

Netflix has released the trailer for its upcoming original documentary “Get Me Roger Stone.” The film explores the life and career of the longtime Donald Trump advisor, who helped launch his political run.

Read More: Sarah Paulson Nominates Herself to Play Donald Trump in New Season of ‘American Horror Story’

“Get Me Roger Stone” features interviews with the infamous political strategist and self-proclaimed “agent provacateur,” as well as with people who have followed and studied his career. The documentary explores the career of the man who sports a tattoo of President Nixon in his back as a badge of honor.

“Those who say I have no soul, those who say I have no principles are losers,” Stone says in the trailer, sounding a lot like Trump. “Those are bitter losers.”

Read More: Writers Guild Negotiations: If Talk Shows Go Dark, Donald Trump Could Be The Biggest Winner in a Strike...

The children of presidents are part of an exclusive and usually genteel club — but that hasn’t stopped one of them from speaking out against the highest-profile latest occupant of that role. On Saturday’s episode of “Am Joy” on MSNBC, Ron Reagan, the son of President Ronald Reagan, called Ivanka Trump her father’s “security blanket” and blasted the president for having Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner in prominent advisory roles. During a panel discussion that also included attorney Lisa Bloom and Politico’s Annie Karni, host Joy-Ann Reid turned to Reagan, saying he’s the only person...

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump sold himself as a successful businessman and deal-maker who gets things done. But former Secretary of State and White House Chief of Staff James A. Baker III warns that “running a business and running the government are two entirely different functions.”

In a wide-ranging new interview with Politico, the widely respected Republican — who counts admirers from both sides of the aisle and reigned as Washington’s top backstage power broker under former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan — shares his criticisms, hopes and advice for the 45th president.

Rule No. 1: “Process matters,...

John McLaughlin, the conservative talk-show host and pop-culture lightning rod who helmed the long-running roundtable TV show The McLaughlin Group, has died. He was 89.

The McLaughlin Group Facebook page reported the news. "Earlier this morning, a beloved friend and mentor, Dr. John McLaughlin, passed away peacefully at the age of 89," the statement read. "As a former Jesuit priest, teacher, pundit and news host, John touched many lives. For 34 years, The McLaughlin Group informed millions of Americans. Now he has said bye bye for the last time, to rejoin his beloved dog,...

Together, Nancy Reagan and her husband, 'Ronnie,' wrote a White House love story worthy of Old Hollywood. Subscribe now for an inside look at their extraordinary journey and 52-year marriage, only in PEOPLENancy Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, delivered a heartfelt eulogy at her mother's funeral Friday before the former First Lady was laid to rest beside the love of her life, former President Ronald Reagan. Davis, who has opened up in recent days about the complicated relationship she had with her mother, shared poignant memories and funny stories about the former First Lady. "As her own health declined,...

Together, Nancy Reagan and her husband, 'Ronnie,' wrote a White House love story worthy of Old Hollywood. Subscribe now for an inside look at their extraordinary journey and 52-year marriage, only in PEOPLENancy Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, delivered a heartfelt eulogy at her mother's funeral Friday before the former first lady was laid to rest beside the love of her life, former President Ronald Reagan. Davis, who has opened up in recent days about the complicated relationship she had with her mother, shared poignant memories and funny stories about the former first lady. "As her own health declined,...

Together, Nancy Reagan and her husband, 'Ronnie,' wrote a White House love story worthy of Old Hollywood. Subscribe now for an inside look at their extraordinary journey and 52-year marriage, only in PEOPLENancy Reagan's funeral service was underway at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Friday, where family and longtime friends including Larry King and Gary Sinise gathered to pay their final respects to the former first lady. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived with ex Maria Shriver as the Santa Susana High School Choir performed "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and other patriotic songs. Other celebrities among...

Together, Nancy Reagan and her husband, 'Ronnie,' wrote a White House love story worthy of Old Hollywood. Subscribe now for an inside look at their extraordinary journey and 52-year marriage, only in PEOPLENancy Reagan's funeral service was underway at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Friday, where family and longtime friends including Larry King and Gary Sinise gathered to pay their final respects to the former first lady. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived with ex Maria Shriver as the Santa Susana High School Choir performed "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and other patriotic songs. Other celebrities among...

Together, Nancy Reagan and her husband, ‘Ronnie’, wrote a White House love story worthy of Old Hollywood. Subscribe now for an inside look at their extraordinary journey and 52-year marriage, only in PEOPLEBefore she is laid to rest on Friday beside the love of her life, Nancy Reagan and her extraordinary life will be celebrated in a funeral ceremony that the former First Lady planned herself - "from the program participants to the flowers, peonies, her favorite," an official from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation tells People. "We did add one thing to the program that she hadn't specifically requested...

Together, Nancy Reagan and her husband, ‘Ronnie’, wrote a White House love story worthy of Old Hollywood. Subscribe now for an inside look at their extraordinary journey and 52-year marriage, only in PEOPLEBefore she is laid to rest on Friday beside the love of her life, Nancy Reagan and her extraordinary life will be celebrated in a funeral ceremony that the former First Lady planned herself - "from the program participants to the flowers, peonies, her favorite," an official from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation tells People. "We did add one thing to the program that she hadn't specifically requested...

Nancy Reagan has died at age 94. The widow of late former President Ronald Reagan and one of the most influential first ladies in United States history passed away Sunday at her home in Los Angeles after suffering congestive heart failure, her office announced in a statement to E! News. Nancy was born Anne Frances Robbin in New York City in 1921. Like her husband, Nancy used to be an actor. She went by the name Nancy Davis and appeared in films such as The Next Voice You Hear and The Dark Wave in the 1950s. She and Ronald wed in 1952. They had two children, Patti Davis and Ron Reagan. "Nancy Davis Reagan has led a remarkable life—as an adoring daughter,...

Independent artists Kris Bowers, Germaine Franco, Danielle Eva Schwob and Jeremy Turner are among the select few for this summer’s Music and Sound Design Labs held at Skywalker Ranch in northern California.

This is the third year that Skywalker Ranch will host the Music and Sound Design Labs, a joint initiative between the Sundance Institute’s Film Music Program and Feature Film and the Film Music Program and Documentary Film Program.

The Music and Sound Design Labs provide workshops and creative exercises for composers, directors and sound designers to collaborate on the process of designing a soundtrack for film.

“This year’s fellows include an outstanding group of composers whose work will deepen and enrich the experience of the diverse personal stories being told by these fiction and documentary filmmakers,” said Sundance Institute Film Music Program director Peter Golub.

“Skywalker Sound is the perfect space for composers, filmmakers and sound designers to come together to explore...

The holidays are winding down and that means we at Ioncinema.com are gearing up for our annual pilgrimage to Park City where an A-list of documentaries is now set to premiere. Earlier this month Tabitha Jackson and the Sundance doc programming team let the cats out of the bag, unsurprisingly announcing much anticipated Us Doc Competition titles such as the Ross Brothers’ Western, Louie Psihoyos’ Racing Extinction, Marc Silver’s 3 1/2 Minutes and Lyric Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe’s (T)Error, along with some surprises like Bryan Carberry and Clay Tweel’s bizarro Kickstarted doc Finders Keepers (see trailer below). Having been produced by the fine folks behind The King of Kong and Undefeated, the film bears all the markings of its well regarded pedigree, yet appears to be of even odder ilk, following the story that unfolded when a severed human foot was discovered in a grill bought at a North Carolina auction.

On December 17, El Dia de St. Lazaro, something extraordinary happened! Equivalent to the “Fall of the Wall”, President Barak Obama simultaneously with Raul Castro of Cuba announced that diplomatic relations between our two countries was being restored; the last of the Cuban Five imprisoned for 15 years in the U.S. for spying (on Cuban terrorists based in Miami) would be returned to Cuba in exchange for Alan Gross (imprisoned for 5 years for bringing Cuba forbidden internet technology), and an unnamed CIA agent incarcerated for 20 years, along with other Cuban political prisoners; And that this would be the first step in finally normalizing relations between Cuba and the U.S.A.

Read More: Sydney Levine's First Impression at the 2014 Havana Film Festival

As my friends and I were driving from Trinidad to visit a sugar plantation which was the basis for the Cuban wealth of the 19th century, we got a message that in one hour Raul Castro would make the formal announcement and President Obama’s address would also be broadcast.

As we entered the former plantation home, now a restaurant, we heard the singing and jubilation coming from the bar and immediately joined in as the only Americans to share the joy; the Scotch (not rum) was flowing and the dancing and singing continued until the address came on the television.

I realized that in my 15 years of coming to Cuba, this was the moment I had been waiting for. We watched Raul Castro explain, and we watched President Obama explain, and as I watched the faces of the beautiful Cuban people as they listened, some with tears and others with smiles, all with great intensity, I understood the meaning of “rapprochement”. We turned toward each other in pure happiness and felt ourselves united after 55 years of separation.

This is The Place and I am here.

We knew when the Mercosur Heads of State were gathered under tight security at the Hotel Nacional during the first days of the festival that something was afoot. We heard that not only were they planning a possible counter boycott of U.S. in their upcoming May meeting, shutting out U.S. from attending, but the Hotel Nacional’s guest roster included the name of an American who was negotiating something much bigger.

Some speak of the idealism behind this long-wished-for move of U.S.; others speak of the economic necessity. Looking back at my most incredible year of traveling around Latin America, I understand that with the new expansion of the Panama Canal enabling the huge Chinese container ships to pass through, the most convenient next-stop-port for them is Havana. And from Havana, the most convenient port is not Cartagena or Cali in Colombia but New Orleans! And so we may see the rapprochement bring back the glorious days when music and adventure were equated with the Louisiana-Cuban connection. My hope is that the values held so dear in Cuba spread to U.S. and that we Americans don’t spread our U.S. arrogance when we land on the shores of the country which has managed 55 years with no help from us.

There is still more to this tale of reunion, but I am sworn to secrecy for the moment. But you will read it in papers other than this blog. Thirteen months of secret negotiations took place in Canada with the help of the Pope. At a wonderful dinner at a newly opened up Cuban-Russian restaurant on the Malecon, “Nostrovia”, our friend the restaurant owner, Rolando Almirante, whom we know as a documentary filmmaker and host of a weekly Cuban TV show, introduced us to a Canadian and an American both of whom had been involved with the long negotiations. Together we toasted the event with vodka.

To return to the Hotel Nacional and the festival:

Exceptionally quiet for those political reasons, it was also quiet because but there was none of the active debating over the new Law of Cinema which so excitedly animated the festival here last year. There was a low-key conference about the law of cinema and audiovisual culture held by the Cuban Association of Cinema Press with Fipresci and other invited guests to discuss and express opinions about whether most countries by now have a law of cinema, whether developing countries are planning on establishing a law of cinema, whether a law of cinema is necessary for a country aspiring to a higher level of culture for its population, and in what way would a law contribute to the development of production and to the appreciation of cinema. But you do not see everyone gathering in groups to discuss these ideas as they did last year.

Some of last year’s top filmmakers – producers like Ivonne Cotorruelo and Claudia Calvino are so busy preparing their next coproductions that they have no time for such discussions. Others shrug and resignedly express Cuban forbearance as usual.

I asked my friends what is the status of the law being established here in Cuba where only one law of cinema exists, which is the establishment of Icaic, the government institute that determines everything about film behind closed doors. Their answer was “Nothing”. Nothing has changed since last year. Discussions are continuing, and there will be a law established, but not yet…and so I learned that once the first big step is taken here, the next steps are very slow to follow.

So here is what happened on Day 3, December 7 of the my festival:

Our friend Pascal Tessaud whose short from France “City of Lights” brought him to Los Angeles several years ago, had a screening of his new film “Brooklyn”. Its premiere screening here (It premiered in Cannes’ Acid section earlier this year) was to an odd audience of older people. No doubt they were expecting a film about “Brooklyn” (which used to be the name of a bar in Central Havana) but instead got a film about a young Afro-Swiss rapper-girl named “Brooklyn” who enters the rap scene of Paris, made up of Arabs and Africans.

“Afronorteamericano” films were also spotlighted with Oscar Micheaux’s “Assassination in Harlem” (1935), “Within our Gates” (1920), “Body and Soul” (1926) starring Paul Robeson, “Underworld” (1937), “Swing” (1938), and Spencer William’s “The Blood of Jesus” (1941).

Also showing were North American documentaries “Citizen Koch”, “The Notorious Mr. Bout”, “The Overnighters”, and an homage to filmmaker, Eugene Jarecki (“Capturing the Friedmans” 2003, “Arbitrage” 2012, “The Trials of Henry Kissinger” 2002, “Why We Fight” 2006, Emmy Award winning “Reagan” 2011 and 2012’s “The House I Live In” about the war against drugs which along with “Why We Fight” won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance) and a retrospective of Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck. Trinidad & Tobago’s annual showcase featured “Creole Soup” from Guadalupe and “Legends of Ska” by American DJ and ska specialist Brad Klein. And of course there was the latest crop of new films from Latin America and the newest films from Cuba, and much, much more.

Today Benecio del Toro, a regular at this festival, won the Coral of Honor for his role as “Che” in Steven Soderbergh’s movies and for his role as the narcotraffiker, Pablo Escobar in the NBC miniseries “Drug Wars: The Camarena Story” and here now, as Escobar in “Escobar: Paradise Lost” directed by the Italian Andrea Di Stefano. For Benecio, Cuba is “a dream come true”.

Day 4, December 8.

There seems to be a trend toward films about children. The prize winning film “Conducta” and Cuba’s submission for Academy Award Nomination as Best Foreign Language Film has already won awards around the world including The Coral for Best Picture and Best Actor here in Havana. This young boy loses every government protection because of his family’s dysfunctions and yet he maintains the spirit of survival and transcendence. Another story from Argentina, Poland and Colombia, France and Germany, “Refugiado” directed by Diego Lerman, also deals with a child who returns home from a birthday party to find his mother unconscious on the floor. The mother then flees seeking a safe place for them and he experiences fear in all the formerly secure places he has known. “Gente de Bien” a Colombia-France coproduction directed by Franco Lolli also explores the world of a young boy, abandoned by his mother and placed in the disheveled home of his impecunious father, who is taken in by a teacher who means well but whose family refuses to accept him. This little kid reaches his limit when his dog dies; but thrown back to his caring if off-kilter father, you get the feeling he too will be all right after all.

A couple of new gay films showed: Cuba’s “Vestido de Novia” was so crowded I could not get near it. Lines around blocks and blocks to get into the 1,000 seat theater were incredible proof of how much Cubans love cinema. Winner of last year’s prize for a work-in-progress, “Vestido de Novia” (“Wedding Dress) will soon be on the festival circuit. Two years ago, at Guadalajara’s coproduction market “Cuatro Lunas” by Sergio Tovar Velarde was being pitched. A sort of primer on gayness, four stories tell the tale of 1) discovery of one’s gayness, 2) first gay love, 3) first gay betrayal of love and 4) love at a mature stage of life. Producer Fernando … hung out with us a bit as we all come from L.A. and have friends in common.

What – aside from the new rapprochement between Cuba and U.S.A. – is “good for the Jews”? A wonderful film from Uruguay, Spain and Germany, “Mr. Kaplan” directed by Alvaro Brechner and produced by my most helpful friend Mariana Secco, and my German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner (Isa: Memento) brought a new understanding for the good and the bad in our recent history. Almost a comedy and almost a tragedy, the film’s resolution served to transform our propensity to see and judge in black and white.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a horror title. It is not. Well, actually it’s horrifying terrain in the docu scheme of things. Profiled couple in Filmmaker Magazine Top 25 New Faces of 2013, Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe have received a ton of support for (T)Error. The long list includes BBC Storyville, Itvs, The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund Film Grant, Tribeca Film Institute (Tribeca All Access Creative Promise Award Winner, 2013), International Documentary Association (Pare Lorentz Grant), Chicken & Egg Pictures, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant, 2013) and finally, they relished in the splendor of the Institute once again with the 2014 Creative Producing Summit, Creative Producing Documentary Lab and June Documentary Edit and Story Lab. A possible thematically linked companion piece to Citizenfour, this should be ready for 2015 – in the mean time, you can read about their filmmaker lab experience here.

Gist: This...

The behind-the-scenes expose of Dan Rather’s scandalous George W. Bush story has landed another two additions to its expanding cast. Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter each bagged the news that Topher Grace (Spider-Man 3) and John Benjamin Hickey (HBO’s The Normal Heart) have signed on for Truth.

The true life story of CBS newscaster Dan Rather’s ruinous report has already attracted a strong cast. It’s not a surprise, either, with a scandal as juicy as the one in which Rather found himself. Based on the memoir by the anchor’s producer, Mary Mapes, the movie investigates what happened as Rather alleged that former President George W. Bush had been granted special preferential treatment during the Vietnam draft.

Grace will play one of the key figures behind Rather’s downfall, Mike Smith. He’s been described as “a researcher who helped figure out the truth behind the...

Stephen Colbert grew sideburns, donned earth tones and lit up on camera to go back to 1974 to mark the 40th anniversary of President Nixon's resignation. No longer content just to expain the news, Colbert also explained a little history on Monday's “Colbert Report,” interviewing Nixon speechwriter Pat Buchanan and White House counsel John Dean. He called Nixon his “all-time favorite non-Reagan president.” Also read: Stephen Colbert, Out of Character, Tells Teen Girls What to Do About Catcalls (Video) Colbert asked Buchanan if Nixon should have destroyed the so-called “smoking gun” tapes that indicated Nixon had tried to cover up the break-in.

By Mark Pinkert

Contributor

* * *

This is the third article in a three-part series.

Though many Academy Award Best Picture nominees contain—or are predominantly about—sex and relationships, very few have been about sex issues in law and politics. In recent years there has been Milk (2008), the biopic of Harvey Milk, a California politician and gay rights activist, and otherwise not much else. Even in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the AIDS epidemic was a hot button issue, few films of this genre made it to the Best Picture ticket (remember, Philadelphia was snubbed from the category in 1993). Sexual issues topics, though, have been more popular within the documentary medium: there was Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989), which won for Best Documentary, and which was the first AIDS-related film to win an Oscar, the The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), which also won Best Documentary, and How to Survive a Plague...

Title: The House I Live In Director: Eugene Jarecki A searing, stirring and deeply humanistic documentary look at the collateral damage and some of the perhaps unintended consequences of the United States’ decades-long “war on drugs,” Eugene Jarecki’s “The House I Live In” is an emotionally shattering work, but also one that has a hefty, legitimate intellectual punching power. Suffused with a righteous anger that the filmmaker methodically turns up to a full boil, this Grand Jury Prize winner from this year’s Sundance Film Festival is a compelling portrait of failed social policy. While the drug war is for many synonymous with the Reagan administration, it was actually formally launched under Richard Nixon. Since [ Read More ]

The post The House I Live In Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.

Documentarian Eugene Jarecki has already tackled topics like the military supremacy of the United States in Why We Fight, the hidden side of human nature through the use of the science of economics in Freakonomics and one of our nation's presidents in Reagan. Now he's diving into the War on Drugs, a costly endeavor that arguably has created more problems that solutions to society's drug use, with the documentary The House I Live In. This film criticizes the War on Drugs, claiming it has cost countless lives, destroyed families, and inflicted untold damage on future generations. It's quite captivating. Watch! Here's the first trailer for Eugene Jarecki's The House I Live In, in high def from Apple: Filmed in more than twenty states, The House I Live In tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America's War on Drugs. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the...

With powerful and probing films like "The Trials of Henry Kissinger," "Why We Fight" and "Reagan," documentarian Eugene Jarecki has turned a critical eye to some of the most fundamental political and social issues on the American landscape, and he's done it again with his latest effort, "The House I Live In." We're unveiling the exclusive poster for the upcoming film, and it promises to be another riveting exploration of a subject that has gone on the backburner a bit in the national conversation. The film, which won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival in January, delves into the so-called "war on drugs," looking deeply into its systemic failures, exposing the true human cost of the current approach and offering inspiring solutions for change. Jarecki talks to activists, prisoners, legal experts, journalists and more to paint an expansive portrait of the subject. Yes, this one sounds like it's going to.

SnagFilms announced today the acquisition of domestic distribution rights to the two most honored documentaries of 2012: The House I Live In, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and Beware of Mr. Baker, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, Reagan), tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America’s war on drugs. From the dealer to the narcotics officer, the inmate to the federal judge, the film offers a penetrating look inside America’s criminal justice system, revealing the profound human rights implications of U.S. drug policy. Beware of Mr. Baker, directed by Jay Bulger, is an intimate look at legendary drummer Ginger Baker, best known for his work with Eric Clapton in Cream and Blind Faith. Considered by many to be the world’s best drummer,...

Since Obama took office, the Gop has been relentlessly using the national debt as a justification for their proposed policies of severe spending cuts. But how did we get a debt crisis in the first place? By spending money like a coke fiend, George W. Bush squandered our national surplus on Iraq, Medicare Part D, and, most importantly, his fabled tax cuts; the debt Gop hates so much is entirely the consequence of their own economic policies.

In 2000, the Congressional Budget Office forecasted that there would be a six trillion dollar surplus accumulated by the end of the decade. This was based on the surplus in 2001, the result of the Dot Com bubble and Clinton’s tax raises. (Funny how Clinton presided over a growing economy and increasing taxes. Does tax guru Grover Norquist have a rebuttal?)

Rubbing his hands together at that forecast, Bush Jr. decided to snatch the...

"What are the four most dreaded words in the English language? Mike Wallace is here." So read a 60 Minutes ad that once hung on a wall in Mike's office, overlooking the Hudson River. Mike commanded attention, whether seated quietly at his desk or gracefully walking the hollowed halls of the 60 Minutes' offices on New York's West Side.

60 Minutes was created by the late great Don Hewitt, its brilliant and tirelessly energetic executive producer. He asked the late Harry Reasoner, a superb broadcast writer, and Mike Wallace, a demanding interviewer, to anchor the program. 60 Minutes is one of the greatest television programs of all time. The broadcast has finished the season first in the television ratings five times, and it has finished among the season's top 10 programs 23 times.

Since its inception, its quality story-telling and fiercely competitive spirit has characterized 60 Minutes. And working for the powerful 60 Minutes brand name over the years were legendary journalists like,...

Parker Posey was all set to host last night's awards ceremony, but fell ill — and so, as live-bloggers Eric Hynes and Claiborne Smith report, Sundance festival director John Cooper reluctantly took the helm, choking up a bit right at the top as he drove himself through a remembrance of Bingham Ray. Rebounding, he brought on director and actress Katie Aselton as co-host and it was on to the awards. You can actually watch all this here (select "2012 Sundance Film Festival"). An overview of what the critics are saying about the winners:

Grand Jury Prize: Documentary. The House I Live In, "a lucid, long-view unpacking of the War on Drugs from Eugene Jarecki, who ably dissected the lead-up to the Iraq War in Why We Fight." The Boston Globe's Ty Burr: "The movie marshals a wide selection of talking heads, from Oklahoma prison guards and Reagan-era appointees to street dealers and Jarecki's own nanny,...

Documentary filmmaker and Sundance staple Eugene Jarecki (his last film "Reagan" premiered at the festival in 2001 and his 2005 film "Why We Fight" won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize) is back this year with "The House I Live In" (U.S. Documentary competition), a comprehensive work that delves into the war on drugs. What it's about: Filmed in more than 20 states, "The House I Live In" tells the stories of individuals at all levels of America's war on drugs. Says director Jarecki: "I've been preparing to make this film for over 20 years. But its seeds were planted in my childhood. I first met Nannie Jeter, one of the film’s main characters, when I was just a few days old coming home from the hospital. From that day on, she became a second mother to me, and her children and grandchildren a second family. Growing up in the wake of the civil rights movement,...

Every pundit that has tried to make a point, throw a punch, or declare victory should pause today to salute Christopher Hitchens.

He burst on the U.S. media scene first on William F. Buckley Jr.'s television series Firing Line, then on CNN's Larry King Live and Crossfire in the early Reagan Presidency. He (along with now presidential candidate Newt Gingrich) knew immediately that cable television was the new media play for serious public policy combat. The "disruptors," as our web friends say now. Hitchens didn't talk to the empty chairs each night on C-span as Gingrich did to make his points and show the American people that he was still at work, he just swung for the rafters with every comment on the only two cable shows.

Pat Buchanan, a great verbal brawler in his own right, is the only person I ever saw who could anticipate the blows.

Brother of Andrew Jarecki (All Good Things, Capturing the Friedmans) and Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, Reagan), Nicholas Jarecki, will be making his his narrative directing debut at Sundance Film Festival 2012 and we have the first look today. Arbitrage stars last year’s Sundance break-out actress Brit Marling (After Earth, Sound of my Voice), as well as Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Tim Roth and Nate Parker. Check out the images below.

Synopsis:

A hedge-fund magnate is in over his head, desperately trying to complete the sale of his trading empire before the depths of his fraud are revealed. An unexpected, bloody error forces him to turn to the most unlikely corner for help.

We also have a single look from Spike Lee‘s highly-anticipated drama Red Hook Summer, which follows “a young Atlanta boy spends his summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, who he’s never seen before.” The cast includes Clarke Peters,...

The International Documentary Association (Ida) has announced its list of 2011 award nominees. Up for Best Feature are Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega's Better This World, Peter D. Richardson's How to Die in Oregon, Patricio Guzmán's Nostalgia for the Light, Eric Strauss and Daniele Anastasion's The Redemption of General Butt Naked, and Tatiana Huezo's The Tiniest Place. [Photo: David McKay, imprisoned as a "domestic terrorist," in Better This World.] Themes range from political repression and the cosmos (Nostalgia for the Light), political repression and terrorism paranoia (Better This World), and political repression and hope in a small village in El Salvador (The Tiniest Place) to euthanasia and (How to Die in Oregon) and the story of a Liberian warlord (The Redemption of General Butt Naked). Of the five Best Feature nominees, only Nostalgia for the Light was also nominated in that category for the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking, which were announced yesterday. Notably absent...

Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan in Eugene Jarecki's Reagan Euthanasia, Political Repression, Liberian Warlord: International Documentary Association Nominations David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award This award recognizes exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level and brings greater public and industry awareness to the work of students in the documentary field. GUAÑAPE Sur Director/Executive Producer/Writer: János Richter Executive Producers: Heidi Gronauer, Lorenzo Paccagnella Producer: Georg Zeller ZeLIG- School for Documentary, Andanafilms, Icarus Films Heart-quake Director/Writer: Mark Olexa Executive Producers: Heidi Gronauer, Lorenzo Paccagnella Producers: Georg Zeller, Nadia Caruso ZeLIG – School for Documentary River Of Victory Director/Producer: Trevor Wright Executive Director: Jack Emery Producers: A. Todd Smith, Jordan Augustine Full Mountain Pictures, Brigham Young University Smoke Songs Director/Producer/Writer: Briar March Executive Producers: Jan Krawitz, Jamie Meltzer, Kris Samuelson On the Level Production Transit Director/Writer: Regina Tan Producers: Haley Quartarone, Juvia Chua,...

Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway's Better This World From Pinochet and Reagan to General Butt Naked and Terrorism Paranoia: International Documentary Association Nominations Best Feature Award Better This World Directors/Producers/Writers: Katie Galloway & Kelly Duane de la Vega Producer: Mike Nicholson Executive Producers: Julie Goldman, John Battsek, Nicole Stott, Chana Ben-Dov, Sally Jo Fifer (Itvs), Simon Kilmurry (American Documentary|Pov) Loteria Films, Bullfrog Films, Cat & Docs How To Die In Oregon Director/Producer: Peter D. Richardson Executive Producers: Melody Korenbrot, Sheila Nevins (HBO) Supervising Producer: Jacqueline Glover (HBO) Associate Producers: Sophie Harris, Jordan Curnes Clearcut Productions in association with HBO Documentary Films Nostalgia For The Light Director/Writer: Patricio Guzmán Producer: Renate Sachse Atacama Productions (France), Blinker Filmproduction GmbH and Wdr (Germany), and Cronomedia Ltda. (Chile), Icarus Films The Redemption Of General Butt Naked Directors/Producers: Eric Strauss & Daniele Anastasion Executive Producers: Gregory Henry, David Shadrack Smith...

You know the motto. "If Ronnie Reagan can do it, so can any Hollywood A Lister!" Ok, maybe that's not a real motto. But from the looks of Republican candidates as of the last few decades, there's got to be a seriously similar one that those guys are running with.

For instance, back in 1988 George Hw Bush’s camp considered tapping Clint Eastwood for the vice pres position – that's according to newly released tapes aired by ABC News. In one recording, you can hear Bush’s former campaign chief and Secretary of State James Baker during a Q&A, which took place sometime after Bush had won the election, discussing the possible running mates.

The interviewer said: "[Bob] Dole, [Dan] Quayle, [Alan] Simpson, [Jack] Kemp - anyone else you remember being an important candidate?"

After a brief chuckle, Baker responded: "You don’t have Clint Eastwood - make my day."

As the interviewer laughed him off,...

Welcome back to a fresh round of Reports. I personally am hoping for at least one more smackdown on the line of Friday’s brilliant hit at Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. After all, isn’t that what Thomas deserves for watching The Daily Show when Stephen’s trying to interview him? Seriously, I thought it was a fine example of how Mr. Colbert can impart important information with his humor—namely the fact that the bench-warming Thomas, alone of all Supreme Court Justices, has said nothing at all in the past five years. People who haven’t realized exactly how incompetent and impotent a judge Thomas is, now will…and enjoy a laugh, too.

This week brings us three out of four guests who have appeared on the ‘Colbert Report’ before, including one real friend of the show whose politics aren’t to my taste, but who I must admit makes a fun interview.

A new documentary reminds us of the Gipper's eerie transformation from B-movie actor to master of the political stage

This week, as part of the Ronald Reagan centennial, BBC Four screened the Eugene Jarecki documentary American Idol: Reagan, a film which was presented in a notably conciliatory, even celebratory spirit. (The BBC's iPlayer site also has available the 1954 movie Cattle Queen Of Montana starring Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan, the film visible on the movie-theatre marquee in Back to the Future.)

The film is watchable and interesting: it does not exactly shrink from criticism, identifying the damaging, long-term consequences of Reaganomics and the abysmal compromises of the Iran-Contra affair, but notably declines to discuss the support given to Saddam during the Iran-Iraq war, which ran roughly concurrent to the Reagan presidency. Similarly, the supposedly profound importance of Margaret Thatcher and the special relationship doesn't get much of a look-in, except...

Chicago – It may have been missed by some during yesterday’s Superbowl festivities, but Sunday would have been the 100th birthday of one of our country’s most beloved leaders, Ronald Reagan. To commemorate the occasion, HBO is premiering a documentary by the excellent filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (“Why We Fight,” “The Trials of Henry Kissinger”) titled simply “Reagan.”

Television Rating: 4.0/5.0

There are few leaders in the history of the White House more beloved than Ronald Reagan. He has become so iconic that it’s hard to get beneath the image to the real man beneath. It’s difficult to see humanity when someone is so high on a pedestal. And Ronald Reagan was not a very easy man to get to know. The documentary makes clear that he had few friends, close only really to Nancy. Interviews with family members make them sound nearly as inquisitive as to who exactly...

Filed under: Documentaries, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical

One of the quickest films to reach a wide audience following its Sundance premiere last month, Eugene Jarecki's 'Reagan' debuts on HBO tonight (fittingly, a day after Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday). And it's a must-see for fans of non-fiction film, fans of the 40th president, and even those critical of the man for whatever reason. Jarecki, whose last feature was the magnificently comprehensive 2005 military-industrial-complex history, 'Why We Fight,' may still surprise you with just how fair and lucid a portrait he has made about such a controversial and complicated figure.

He "was both smarter and better than the left think he was," Ron Reagan Jr. says in the film, "and less the giant than many on the right think he was." The son of Ronald and Nancy is a consistent presence throughout 'Reagan' (Michael Reagan...

Filed under: Documentaries, Sundance Film Festival, Cinematical

One of the quickest films to reach a wide audience following its Sundance premiere last month, Eugene Jarecki's 'Reagan' debuts on HBO tonight (fittingly, a day after Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday). And it's a must-see for fans of non-fiction film, fans of the 40th president, and even those critical of the man for whatever reason. Jarecki, whose last feature was the magnificently comprehensive 2005 military-industrial-complex history, 'Why We Fight,' may still surprise you with just how fair and lucid a portrait he has made about such a controversial and complicated figure.

He "was both smarter and better than the left think he was," Ron Reagan Jr. says in the film, "and less the giant than many on the right think he was." The son of Ronald and Nancy is a consistent presence throughout 'Reagan' (Michael Reagan...

To mark the 100th birthday of late President Ronald Reagan, HBO is premiering the documentary Reagan at 9pm Et, Monday night. Director Eugene Jarecki's film is a clear-eyed assessment of the Reagan myth, and the reality behind it. Despite the polarizing nature of its subject, Reagan largely steers clear of extreme worship or revulsion, examining The Great Communicator's life in cooler terms. In an exclusive interview, Jarecki spoke with Mediaite about what went into the making of Reagan, and what was left out.

Eugene Jarecki's documentary Reagan-debuting Monday on HBO-tries to illuminate the popular president. Lloyd Grove on whether there is anything left to say-or is Reagan just impossible to really know.

Ronald Reagan was plainspoken and sunny in public-a Great Communicator to hundreds of millions around the world. "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" he famously exhorted at the Brandenburg Gate-the battle cry of the Cold War that prefigured the collapse of the Berlin Wall and, in turn, Soviet Communism.

Related story on The Daily Beast: Will Natalee's Father Find Her?

But, at his private core, America's much-celebrated 40th president was unknowable and unreachable, even to his official biographer. After spending hours with the man, Edmund Morris was so perplexed by the impenetrability of his subject's inner life that felt forced to invent a fictional Reagan confidant in Dutch, his authorized biography, in a rash attempt to explain it. Morris...

Eugene Jarecki’s documentary on Ronald Reagan debuts Monday and — so far — it’s easily avoiding the controversies that surrounded History’s ReelzChannel’s Kennedys project. The film is earning praise for being even-handed in its portrayal of the president, and Jarecki says the content will surprise many Americans.

“One of the great myths about Reagan was that he was an amicable dunce — a guy that floated his years throughout the White House and was just the puppet of smarter men,” he told Fox News. “That could not be farther from the truth from what I saw.”

Here’s an...

Editor’s Note: In a fevered rush to get straight to the movies he loved, intrepid reviewer Robert Levin didn’t write an intro. In fact, he might not even believe in them. Maybe he believes you’d rather dig into the movies than read one. So without any ado, here’s Robert’s list of the best movies he saw at Sundance. Look out for a few of them coming to a theater near New York and La and On Demand throughout the year. 6. Terri A movie filled with an authentic, affecting sweetness, Azazel Jacobs’s take on the proverbial high school movie is imbued with a mature recognition of how much shit really does go on during those awkward secondary school years. Newcomer Jacob Wysocki, playing the lead, is the discovery of the fest as far as I’m concerned, an actor of uncommon strength and grace. 5. Reagan Eugene Jarecki continues his essential, career-long...

This year's Sundance film festival discouraged big-name Hollywood stars in favour of emerging talent

Kevin Macdonald's documentary marvel, Life in a Day, is formed out of some 4,500 hours of material shot by film amateurs around the world and sent in to YouTube. There are images of striking beauty, tender and funny scenes. Nothing much newsworthy happened on 24 July 2010, but as a girl from Illinois whose footage closes the film says, something did happen. At Sundance, to make sure we didn't all think we'd dreamed the whole thing up, 25 of the film-makers, from Chile, Bali, Ukraine, Dubai and indeed Britain sat on chairs and talked about the experience of seeing their work edited into a film. "Life is different now," the girl from Illinois said. "I feel different."

In bad times, it's easy to snuggle within a reassuring notion of the past. Perhaps this accounts for the excess of admiration...

Remember the Earth Liberation Front? In the 1990s a collection of separate anonymous cells without any central leadership that carried out acts of sabotage and arson — burning lumber companies, torching a parking lot of SUVs, destroying a research laboratory. The clandestine group’s goal was to halt the destruction of our environment.

If A Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front gives us the larger context of the environmental movement and the more radical Earth Liberation Front, and then focuses on one cell in Oregon and on the activist Daniel McGowan. It is an intriguing and important film that pulls back the veil on an obscure historical organization while presenting the personal perspective from an activist in the thick of the action.

When peaceful demonstrations and letter writing campaigns produced no positive results, when the police responded to slightly escalated tactics with excess force and even torture, a...

Check out the links below — and check back often — for all the latest blogs, reviews, video interviews and filmmaker features from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Actors scheduled to appear in the Moving Pictures Media Studio on Park City’s Main Street during the fest include Elizabeth Banks, Kate Bosworth, Steve Buscemi, Patrick Dempsey, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Giamatti, Ed Helms, Rashida Jones, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Emma Roberts, Paul Rudd, Alicia Silverstone, Liv Tyler and Rita Wilson (talent subject to change). Do you have a question for one of our guests? Leave it in the comment box below for the chance to connect with a Sundance star!

Preview

‘Be There’ or Be Square: Festival director John Cooper and programming director Trevor Groth are making Sundance the gem of indie fests. Read our interview with the duo for insider tips on how to Sundance, from in-depth programming notes to what to pack...

Check out the links below — and check back often — for all the latest blogs, reviews, video interviews and filmmaker features from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

Actors scheduled to appear in the Moving Pictures Media Studio on Park City’s Main Street during the fest include Elizabeth Banks, Kate Bosworth, Steve Buscemi, Patrick Dempsey, Zooey Deschanel, Paul Giamatti, Ed Helms, Rashida Jones, Ashley Judd, Ray Liotta, Emma Roberts, Paul Rudd, Alicia Silverstone, Liv Tyler and Rita Wilson (talent subject to change). Do you have a question for one of our guests? Leave it in the comment box below for the chance to connect with a Sundance star!

Preview

‘Be There’ or Be Square: Festival director John Cooper and programming director Trevor Groth are making Sundance the gem of indie fests. Read our interview with the duo for insider tips on how to Sundance, from in-depth programming notes to what to pack...

Reviewed by Jeremy Mathews

(from the 2011 Sundance Film Festival)

Directed by: Eugene Jarecki

Early in Eugene Jarecki’s “Reagan,” we hear Ronald Reagan talk about how images aren’t always the same as the truth, especially in the case of presidents. And, he could have added, especially in the case of himself. Conservatives who have taken him as their mascot treat the president’s eight years in the Oval Office as a period of hallowed perfection. Others see him as a man whose economics crippled the country and whose administration crushed unions and broke laws. One montage, in a four-panel split-screen, shows the barrage of Reagan name-dropping that makes up our modern political discourse.

One group may have more facts in its corner, but Jarecki (“Why We Fight”) isn’t quite willing to take sides in the matter. He weaves together evidence that’s quite damning of Reagan with worship...