SHOWTIME'S 9-11 DOCUDRAMA - HOLLYWOOD GETS ONE RIGHT

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Wow! Am watching this now - powerful stuff.

They make Bush and the cabinet look GREAT!

[Arpege92]

I think the liberals are throwing one hell of a fit right now! he he he he he

[Fawnn]

I turned to watch the president's speech and then my sister-in-law phoned, so I missed a great deal of the film. What I saw, I thought was good. I plan to watch when it's on Showtime West at 11pm. (I should go try to find a tape before then!)

I liked the shots they showed of Hillary because the ones I saw sure showed her smirking or snearing, even in church! ;)

Reason for this post: I'm curious what your overall impression was of the film. Did you enjoy it beginning to end? Anything special I should watch for?

[TomGuy]

Note: Times listed are CDT; station number is my local so it may differ from your cable/satellite provider.]

7:00 PM

Channel 580 SHOe

Sunday, 7

DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
125 min.
Having played a buffoonish President George W. Bush on Comedy Central's That's My Bush!, Timothy Bottoms does dramatic justice to the Commander in Chief in this involving 2003 docudrama, which chronicles events following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The film is “not necessarily about the personalities,” according to screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd, “[but] about the complexity of what it was like to try and be a leader.” Effortlessly blending actual footage with dramatic reenactments, the movie is at times emotional and suspenseful. But it occasionally stumbles when saddling Bush with some overly melodramatic, John Wayne-ish bravado.

Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Scott Alan Smith, Lawrence Pressman, Penny Johnson Jerald, John Cunningham, David Fonteno, Gregory Itzin, Penny Johnson Jerald, Stephen Macht, Mary Gordon Murray, Lawrence Pressman, George Takei, David McIlwraith, Myron Natwick, Allan Royal, Chuck Shamata, James McGowan, Debra McGrath, Gerry Mendocino, Brian Paul, Carolyn Scott Rating: TV-PG Content: Strong, Coarse Language Category: Movie, Drama Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith Release Year: 2003

Additional Airings
Date	Time		Channel
Monday, 8	8:30 PM		581 SHOTe	N/A
Wednesday, 10	4:30 PM		582 SHOCe	N/A
Thursday, 11	8:00 PM		580 SHOe	N/A
Friday, 12	3:30 PM		581 SHOTe	N/A
Saturday, 13	7:30 AM		582 SHOCe	N/A
Saturday, 13	8:00 PM		582 SHOCe	N/A
Tuesday, 16	9:00 AM		582 SHOCe	N/A
Tuesday, 16	4:30 PM		582 SHOCe	N/A
Wednesday, 17	10:00 PM		580 SHOe	N/A
Friday, 19	7:00 PM		582 SHOCe	N/A
Saturday, 20	4:30 PM		580 SHOe	N/A

[Timeout]

Anything special I should look for?

Actually, you've seen it all before. What's fascinating is the "familiarity" of it, yet the awesome job they did of capturing each character. It's gripping.

There is one little surprise at the very, very end...

[TomGuy]

Watch it through the credits. It has the actors' takes on how they perceived their characters. Also, following the movie are a few short features which might be of intest. They run approximately 25 minutes, total.

[Fawnn]

I just freeped a friend that I was surprised at how much the film emphasized the renewed patriotism after 9/11!

(I'm betting any Rats who've seen the film are furious about now!)

[habs4ever]

Ah, so it's accurate then? Fancy that!

[weegee]

I think that you'll enjoy these vanities I found:

What perchance did they threaten Toronto with if the civic officials there didn't allow the movies to be filmed there? To have Al Quaeda "World Trade Centerize" the CN Tower or maybe a SARS bomb perhaps? Just thought I'd ask though I think the movies were luckily NOT SHOWN in CANADA.

SICKING.... I was yelling... YELLING at the TV!?!?!

Sounds series. Like a nervous twitch worthy of Al Franken (his co-host on MSNBC was worried that he might suffer a stroke).

[dalebert]

Bush and the Cabinet are great. At least you never have to wonder what side Bush is on.

[CMAC51]

>> Having played a buffoonish President George W. Bush on Comedy Central's That's My Bush!, Timothy Bottoms does dramatic justice to the Commander in Chief in this involving 2003 docudrama <<

I was able to watch the entire film and having studied many accounts and direct quotes from the administration and staff on the events following 9/11, I would say the film is extremely accurate for a hollywood production.

I was struck by the excellent casting (for appearance, style, image, etc) of many of the characters especially Laura Bush, Karen Hughes, Ari, Rummsfeld & Rice. Timothy Bottoms made a gallant effort at George Bush, but during the entire movie, I had a constant feeling that he couldn't touch the real depth of the man. My impression was confirmed in the final scene where they switched from Bottom's delivering the address to the joint session of congress to film of the real George Bush. Our President has a depth and spirit that cannot be reproduced by even the most polished of actors. There is no substitute for the real thing.

[lilylangtree]

Saw it listed but figured that it would be another way to leftists writers and producers to denigrate W and refused to watch it.

[CMAC51]

>> Saw it listed but figured that it would be another way to leftists writers and producers to denigrate W and refused to watch it. <<

Watch it if you get another chance. A very high percentage of the dialouge comes from actual quotes from interviews and such.

[Utah Girl]

Timothy Bottoms (who plays President Bush) said that all Americans should be grateful that Bush is our president at this time. He gained a greater appreciation for President Bush after this part.

I agree, the docudrama was excellent. I had to keep pinching myself, it was so positive.

[ReleaseTheHounds]

Wait a minute, JQ! Tom Shales (of the Washington Post) called this moving "simultaneously dull and disgraceful"... Here's the link I posted yesterday:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/977280/posts

Didn't seem so "dull and disgraceful" to me!

[nutmeg]

Darn, I don't have Showtime. Will this be repeated during the next few weeks often on Showtime (like the way HBO runs movies)? I wonder if I can sign up for Showtime for a month, then drop it...

[gonzo]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/977280/posts

There! Tom Shales is an a$$hole. Bring Kleenex for the movie..........FRegards

[EdJay]

Doesn't it bother ANYONE ELSE here that this "patriotic" movie was shot ... in CANADA??????

[Fawnn]

Times are for EDT; channel numbers are for my cable system. According to tvguide.com, the dates, etc. when the film will air are:

Airings
Date Time Channel VCR Plus+
Monday, 8 9:30 PM 222 SHOTe N/A
Tuesday, 9 0:30 AM 227 SHOTw N/A
Wednesday, 10 5:30 PM 223 SHOCe N/A
Wednesday, 10 8:30 PM 228 SHOCw N/A
Thursday, 11 9:00 PM 221 SHOe N/A
Friday, 12 0:00 AM 226 SHOw N/A
Friday, 12 4:30 PM 222 SHOTe N/A
Friday, 12 7:30 PM 227 SHOTw N/A
Saturday, 13 8:30 AM 223 SHOCe N/A
Saturday, 13 11:30 AM 228 SHOCw N/A
Saturday, 13 9:00 PM 223 SHOCe N/A
Sunday, 14 0:00 AM 228 SHOCw N/A
Tuesday, 16 10:00 AM 223 SHOCe N/A
Tuesday, 16 1:00 PM 228 SHOCw N/A
Tuesday, 16 5:30 PM 223 SHOCe N/A
Tuesday, 16 8:30 PM 228 SHOCw N/A
Wednesday, 17 11:00 PM 221 SHOe N/A
Thursday, 18 2:00 AM 226 SHOw N/A
Friday, 19 8:00 PM 223 SHOCe N/A
Friday, 19 11:00 PM 228 SHOCw N/A
Saturday, 20 5:30 PM 221 SHOe N/A
Saturday, 20 8:30 PM 226 SHOw N/A

[Fawnn]

Doesn't it bother ANYONE ELSE here that this "patriotic" movie was shot ... in CANADA??????

That's the part of the film that's reflective of Hollyweird's hypocracy. ;)

[Dako no tane]

I thought it was an outstanding portrayal of the melding of strategic and leadership considerations by the President and his cabinet/advisors as they faced this crisis. The President was portrayed as decisive and engaged. His advisors were all clearly brilliant, but also clearly subordinate to the President. The President quickly made the key decisions, and focused the debates. I hope it is a true picture of the President's insight and leadership.

The more I think about it, the more I think it must be essentially accurate, because the alternative view often presented by the Democrats/media of a witless moron with feuding advisors could not possibly have sustained such an effective war policy over the past two years.

The movie is just jam-packed with concise glimpses of the major debates and decision points that the adminstration grappled with in the first month after 9-11. All of the essential elements of the debate are presented in tightly scripted snippets, that I am sure tend to make every character seem a lot more articulate than they could possibly be in real life, but this technique allowed the presentation of a lot of material jammed into a two hour movie. It is must viewing. I hope it gets to a wider audience.

Downside: the "stage" movements seemed really stagey most of the time; the camera was the only thing that bounced in Rummy's office when the plane hit; the fighters escorting AF One must have been flown by Chinese pilots; there were hundreds of soldiers running around like maniacs for no apparent purpose at Offut AFB. In short, apart from the original footage, the movie looked very "made for TV", and very Hollywood -- but the ideas were very un-Hollywood.