The Manchurian Candidate (130 minutes)
My alternative title would be: Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue

SUPER MOVIE FAN'S RECOMMENDATION: 4, MUST SEE

Who is in it?:
DENZEL WASHINGTON, MERYL STREEP, LIEV SCHREIBER, KIMBERLY ELISE, JON VOIGHT

What is it about?
Captain Ben Marco (DENZEL WASHIINGTON) is haunted by nightmares of a terrible innocent in the desert of Kuwait, just prior to the start of Persian Gulf War I in 1991. Ambushed by an Iraqi sneak attack, the men of Marco's unit are lost for three days, led out of the desert by a surprising hero, the previously shy outcast and loner, Raymond Shaw (LIEV SCHREIBER). Shaw wins the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor and is an instant hero. Now jump to 2004, during a presidential election year. Shaw is a vice presidential candidate guided and prodded (literally and figuratively) to the limelight by his mother, a leading senator (MERYL STREEP). Marco starts to remember what happened in the desert and it isn't what his original memory told him. He is aided by a new friend Rosie (KIMBERLY ELISE).

When and Where does this movie take place?
The Manchurian Candidate is centered in New York City and Washington, DC.

Why see it? In the 1962 version of this movie with FRANK SINATRA and ANGELA LANSBURY, communists pose as anti-communists to help create a frenzy that will support the reduction of civil liberties in order to deceive the public and take over America. In the 2004 JONATHAN DEMME version, corporate greed and technology aid in the plot to take over the country. Perhaps because of Enron, Halliburton and my own cynicism, the story works plausibly —scaring me to think about how we might be manipulated and used as an innocent public. WASHINGTON is brilliant as always, another Oscar nod is likely. His ability to capture the essence of humanity drives us to care in a movie that might have been absurd. ELISE has a bright future. This is a very engaging thriller that is well timed between the party conventions.

How about the kids?
Rated "R" for violence. There are several scenes of battle combat and murder. This is not for young children. Teens should be fine.

Video Pick of the Week
13 Going on 30
is a better than average teen flick that the rest of us will enjoy. This is another "be careful what you wish for" story but it has intelligence primarily because of JENNIFER GARNER. My wish is to be the same age but to be an afternoon DJ who spins the oldies tunes. But I digress.

Next week, we'll review, Collateral. TOM CRUISE and JAMIE FOXX star I n a movie where CRUISE is a hit man who forces FOXX, a cabbie, to aide him a long day and night of killing. Can he be stopped from killing the last witness?

John Fischetti can be heard Friday's on the Wayne Perkey show on Oldies 103, WRKA and can be reached at fischettij@uncw.edu



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