Wag the Dog - New Line Platinum Series

Rating:
Summary: Scathing Commentary meets Blackest Comedy
Review: There's no question as to whether this film is plausible or not. All of the technology needed to execute everything it depicts is in place and has been for some time. Physically, all of what it suggests could happen. It could be happening. The only real question is whether the ethics of the political and media machines are above doing it or not.

This film takes that question and suggests what its answer might be. What comes out is a scathing commentary presented as the blackest of comedies. And it is very, very black. It succeeds though because it's strong on all fronts. The script, written by David Mamet and Hilary Henkin, is excellent. It's alive with wit. There are plenty of great opportunities for anyone with good timing, comic or dramatic, to make full use of them.

Director Barry Levinson took full advantage of that. His sense of pacing is exceptional. The film never becomes bogged down. When the pace does slow for an instant now and then it serves as an opportunity for the viewer to absorb what they've seen. His sense of timing is excellent because the gags, though they're expected, always seem to come from nowhere. The editing, done by Stu Linder, is superb. If Levinson's timing was off anywhere Linder's editing corrected it.

There really isn't a weak performance in this film but a few are so strong they have to be singled out. Woody Harrelson is in excellent form as the maniac-made-hero, "Old Shoe". Anne Heche gives a tour de force as the White House Press Agent who suddenly discovers the "other side" of her job. Robert De Niro is entirely convincing as the conniving manipulative spin master whose sole purpose is to see that only the "right" news items stay in the spotlight. The film belongs to Dustin Hoffman though. Next to his role in the Rain Man this is one of the best things I've seen him do. His ability to get right inside a character is still astonishing. His character, the vain and eccentric producer who pulls jewels from sewage, is the most likeable character in the film. That point serves to drive the grimmer side of the message this film is giving home.

Wag the Dog is a film that addresses what has to be a touchy subject for a lot of people. It probably won't please a really large audience because of that. I don't know. I have no idea as to how well (or poorly) the film did at the box office. It's a film that should be seen though. The comment it makes isn't so much as to whether the political establishment is morally bankrupt or not but rather about how easily it would be for it to manipulate (or manufacture) facts if it is. It does it in a way that's consistently funny and it never loses sight of the point it's trying to make.

There are some excellent notes provided in the "special features" section of the DVD. They provide a bit of history as to how Hollywood has been used as a "spin machine" to manipulate propoganda on behalf of what government wanted. Anyone taking the time to watch this film should read them. They provide plenty of incentive to view this film in a serious light.

Rating:
Summary: Very funny, with a ring of familiarity!
Review: It kind of makes you go hmmmmmm! This film is quite funny. A president (who looks somewhat like Clinton) is involved in a scandal with a firefly girl. He's up for re-election and the story is about to break. How do you get people's minds off of it? You create a bigger story. So comes the idea to stage a make believe war in Albania. Why Albania? Because no one knows anything about Albania, that's why.

How do you make it look like we're at war? You hire a Hollywood producer and swear him to silence of course! It sounds ridiculous for sure but it's just far fetched enough to work here and given some of the things that go on in the oval office these days, is it any wonder that Hollywood loves to take pot shots at Washington?


Conrad Breen (Deniro) is Mr. Fix it. He's the guy you call when you need to get out of a jam. Dustin Hoffman plays the Hollywood producer. The real story here is that there are spin doctors that try to make us believe the opposite of what has happened. How much of it do they get away with? How much of it do we believe? Creating the appearance of a war taking place may be stretching it a bit but do we really know for sure that something like this hasn't happened?

Hmmmmmmm?

Rating:
Summary: 'WAG THE DOG' Do you trust your president, Dog?
Review: The movie 'Wag The Dog' directed by Barry Levison in america in the year 1997, deals about influence and manipulation media can have on the the society. The main actors in the movie are Dustin Hoffmann and Robert Deniro.
It is 1997, the presidential election is running in the USA. Now the president is involved in a sexual affair with a teenage girl(?). Then it seems that nobody would now vote for the president. Because of that a worker of the president, played by Robert Deniro, and his partners want to creat a war against the albanian terrorism to pass the days before the election. To get rid of this problem they try to get help by an american film producer, played by Dustin Hoffman. Viva comericals the now want to influence the people in the country. The Showbiz-man is full of senational ideas to solve this problem. An Albanian girl is running throught the fire-lines of the terrorist with a kitty in her arms. This for example is created in a studio , to have an emotional efect on the viewers, so that they maybe vote now for the president. With these lies now the people thought that it is right to help these poor people. But what is this? An american soldier left in front of the albanian boarder.
But now they have so big problems with protagonist for the soldier. If you now want to see or hear more, check this DvD out. If you are interested a bit in politics or media. You can say that this is a comedy which shown also some dramatic in it. If you have watched movies in michael moore style also this movie should be in you interest because you can also relate this problem into the present. It would not be useful to show this movie small children because they would not understand the real meaning of it. To sum it up this is a very informative and it also could based on a real problem. You can get many information how people and politicians can manipulate you via media. And the last question you must ask yourself..... Do you trust your president, dog?

Rating:
Summary: All eyez on me
Review: This film directed by Barry Levinson with Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Anne Heche is about the structure how the media can influence the people.
When a sex scandal threatens the reelection campaign of the USA president, his advisor played by Robert De Niro brings in a top Hollywood producer played by Dustin Hoffman to manufacture a war that will distract the voters only for TV, they create a conflict in Albania, complete with a young actress, played by Kirstin Dunst, playing an Albanian teen with a white cat fleeing the bombs. They choose Albania because nobody knows the country and it is far away. Later the CIA find out whats up and the advisor of the President looked them on the site of the layers. But later on the CIA sayed that the war is over. But the advisor and his group build a new story with a hero. But later on the hero was killed by a farmer and the President wins the alections with 89 %. After that they killed the producer because he wanted to go to the press.

In my opinion this film is a very ironic movie about the policy. But it was done very well. It shows us how the policy maybe works in the United Staates and how naive the normal people can be and how the TV or other Media can influence the people.


Rating:
Summary: Can we believe everything we see?- The mankind is in danger!
Review: Do we live in a world controlled by the media ?

This is the question the movie 'Wag the Dog' (1997) is about. The director of the movie is Barry Levinson The movie with Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro playing the main players, is about a presidential election controlled by the media.

At the beginning of the movie the presidant has a sexual affair with a 15-year-old-girl and because there are only some days left to the presidential election, the president instructs Mr. Fix-It (Robert De Niro), a man who works for the president to do something against that. So he goes to a Hollywood producer (Dustin Hoffman) and tells him that he has to create an artificial war against Albania, by creating short video clips published on TV of a war againt Albania, to bring the sexual affair in the background.

This movie is a great movie in my opinion because it shows how politics can use the media to controll the public. Can we trust everything shown on TV or written in the newspaper ? Definitely not because there are always people who want to use something for their own advantage (for example money,peoples' agreements or even an election). So who can we believe ? The movie shows that everything can be a lie because even the president can use the media for his own advantage. I think the movie makes a lot of people think about the media. Maybe after seeing this movie the people think more about that what they see and do not believe everything anymore. Maybe they prove and difference things. And because of that I like this movie. It had a positive affect on me. You really have to see it.
But at the end one question:

Is it true that on 20th July 1969 an american spaceship landed on the moon ? Or is it only a fake to get the attention of the whole world ?

See the movie and ask yourself the question again!





Rating:
Summary: - - - - -"Wag The Dog"- - - - -
Review:
The film "Wag The Dog" was written by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet.
The directors are Barry Levinson and Robert de Niro. The film is a comedy.

Before the election day a scandal erupts that threatens to cripple the president's bid for a second term. But Conrad Brean( Robert de Niro) has the ability to manipulate the press and the American people. They created a bigger and better story- a war. Stankley Motts(Dustin Hoffman) a Hollywood producer helps them.
And so the show started. The leading actors are Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman. The film was published 1997 in the USA.
I find the film very funny and laughed a lot. If you want see some political events, buy "Wag The Dog".

Rating:
Summary: The dirtiest movie ever by onkel leck mich am arsch
Review: Hallo i just wanted to say that this movie just sucks
i dislike the actors the writers and also the producers.
It is like teasing with nails on a black board for the pupils who have to watch this movie. for me it was the dirrtiest movie ever i just want to say its against the law to tease pupils with this movie the only lightspot in this movie is ROBERT de NIRO he is the king in this damn movie he kickz asses all the time. He gets everything he want and he could get all all money if he kills the president if he want but he have to shot the whole world out of me to make it clear of idiots. MUHAHAHA

leckt mich ihr wichser

Rating:
Summary: Wag The Dog -political satire
Review: The film "Wag The Dog" is written by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet and it is filmed with Dustin Hoffman and Robert de Niro in year 1997.

The american president gets public suspect maltreat a schoolgirl. Then the election stands before, a crafty man has to come up with a strategy in the background to distract the media out of the bad act of the president. With the aid of a Hollywood producer and whose bizarre crew without further ado it get provoke a war against Albania-of course without the land knows something about it- and produced the corresponding pictures for Tv in a studio.
A senator sees through the game and concludes the war in short verbally.
But the clever warriors come up with something new quickly...

So all in all it is a political satire and it shows how do the people believe in the media and the exitscene of "Wag The Dog" seems anticipate the "Lewinsky affair".

It is a funny film because of the good actors, Dustin Hoffman and Robert de Niro, and that's why I recommend this film to everyone.


Rating:
Summary: tolique means......
Review: The movie Wag the dog was made in the year 1997 by Barry Levinson, with starring of Dustin Hoffmann, Robert De Niro. The Movie shows, how the President with his helphands together tryes to make the american people to vote for him to become more votes. His assistants use media to make the presidantial candidate to win. There idea is to produce a war, witch people should belive in. They imitade a war with Albania. They show a short movies of this war. All this movies are an good production of an Hollywood producer, who works for the President. The movies seems like the real captures, so the peaple belive in this. All the media reports about this war and this helps the President to win.

This movie critices the people who are naive, who belive in things they see, read or hear. Media can influenc the own opinion of the people.

I think it is a good movie for all the people and age groups. You must learn to use the media correct, to be not influenced by it.