Fall films election special: Five picks for the political partisan

Make the movie theater your own personal echo chamber with these fall films that speak to the Republican, Democrat, libertarian, Occupier or tea partyer in you.

By David Fear and Joshua Rothkopf Tue Aug 21 2012

Photograph: David James

Lincoln
Photograph : Rhythm & Hues

Life of Pi
Photograph: Phil Bray

The Master
How to Survive a Plague
Photograph: Ron Phillips

Red Dawn

Photograph: David James

Lincoln

On November 6, Americans will trudge to the polls and choose our great nation’s future leader. No matter which way you vote, there’s a movie coming out this election season that will play directly to your side of the political fence. Cast your ballots for one of these five fall films, citizens.

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For the Republican

After endless hand-wringing over which crazy-pants candidate to support during the primary, we know that you pine for the simpler good ol’ days of the Grand Ol’ Party. Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln should play directly to your image of the original log-cabin Republican: a true leader, a man of steadfast values who helped unite our nation in troubled times while rocking an awesome beard. He’s the dream candidate (played by Daniel Day-Lewis), one who inspires with his opinions and oratory skills—in other words, a welcome antidote to Team Elephant’s current nominees.

Opens Friday, November 16, 2012

For the Democrat

You’ve kept the faith for four years, hard though it’s been with those contentious do-nothings digging in their heels in response to your every initiative. Ang Lee’s Life of Pi might speak your language: It’s about a clever boy who learns how to survive on a shipwrecked boat with a bunch of dangerous zoo animals. (Sound familiar?) The faith-tinged original novel also has the benefit of being one of Obama’s favorites; he once wrote a fan letter to author Yann Martel.

Opens Wednesday, November 21, 2012

For the libertarian

Freedom means choosing your own path in life, you cry, without interference from the government. Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master follows one bold individual: Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an enterprising American and free-market entrepreneur who transforms society by exploring his (and others’) full potential. This visionary simply wants to be left alone to do his thing, i.e., launching a spiritual movement while answering to no authority other than his own. Any resemblance to a real-life iconoclast is, of course, purely coincidental.

Opens Friday, September 14, 2012

For the Wall Street Occupier

The 1 percent just get wealthier, and all you got out of your time spent at Zuccotti Park was a smelly T-shirt. Why not learn some valuable lessons in successful protesting from the documentary How to Survive a Plague? Assembled entirely from on-the-street footage shot by activists themselves, the film charts the successful rise of the AIDS-awareness movement, as its outraged members learned the science of viral immunity and found the best ways to hound the government.

Opens Friday, September 21, 2012

For the tea partyer

Can’t someone step up and understand your rage? America is under siege, gosh darn it, and more movies should speak to that—such as Dan Bradley’s remake of Red Dawn. Unlike those other namby-pambies, you need no persuading that our peaceful towns may one day be invaded by evil North Koreans—hell, you can see Russia from your house. Good thing Thor’s Chris Hemsworth and other clean-cut youths are on the defense. USA! USA!