New at Reason

Tim Cavanaugh | September 5, 2006

A British mockumentary speculates on the assassination of President Bush. As pundits go ballistic, David Weigel does his best Oliver "Bily" Sipple impression to put The Death of the President into perspective.

Comments

|9.5.06 @ 4:11PM|#

I was wondering when Reason would pick this up.

In my view, the notion of the movie falls between "icky" and "tasteless".

Besides, I don't think I could stand another outbreak of conspiracy theories.

|9.5.06 @ 4:36PM|#

Garth Ennis' comic 303 climaxed with a disillusioned veteran taking out Bush with a single head shot. It featured Laura and Cheney covered in blood.

http://www.avatarpress.com/303/

|9.5.06 @ 4:40PM|#

Actually, once you get beyond the shock value of having someone kill Bush, this movie seems to conform the to logic of his supporters. Having the assassin be Syrian, bluring the line between terrorists and anti-war protestors, and having Bush become a martyr to the cause. Remove the assination angle and this is about as shocking as a neo-con blog post.

|9.5.06 @ 7:07PM|#

So at what point do we recognize this as a well funded troll?

The movie, and the outrage from it, feels like people just going through the motions.

This is about a "controversial" as the Super Bowl.

|9.5.06 @ 7:28PM|#

Speaking of icky movies, have ya seen the trailers on the tabloid shows for the new RFK hagiography Bobby? Jesus, man, pass the insulin...

|9.5.06 @ 8:33PM|#

were lookin forward to it showing here. extra beer & orvilles best.
better him than one more soldier......

|9.5.06 @ 8:36PM|#

but im kinda miffed by the pro illegal immigrant subtext.
like actual citizens cant take out their own trash.
but im sure thats just me.....

|9.5.06 @ 10:14PM|#

"It is completely uninteresting, unless you're a bitter British screenwriter, to imagine a world without two D-list filmmakers"

Well, I dunno. I had no idea there was a "Theo Van Gogh" until he became an assasinated filmmaker. (I did know of Pim Fortuyn before his assasination). And now Theo's kind of interesting.

dhex|9.6.06 @ 12:37AM|#

except in the us, which is rather unfortunate, if only cause killing artists is totally gay.

|9.6.06 @ 2:06AM|#

Bush clutching and wheezing as if he's swallowed the world's largest peanut.

Shouldn't that be a pretzel?

|9.6.06 @ 2:25AM|#

Mr or Ms Mutt (although I suspect the former rather than the latter) - you are a funny person. I appreciate the caustic humor.