Althouse: "The Dictator... who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.”

December 14, 2011

"The Dictator... who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.”

20 comments:

Kirby Olson said...: Why do these guys always have big beards? It's the one thing dictators around the world seem to share: Castro, Bin Laden, Stalin, Che, the Taliban -- maybe Qaddafi thoguht that since he was clean-shaven he couldn't have been a dictator.; 12/14/11, 7:09 PM
Quaestor said...: WHORE:
"What am I, a Kardashian?"

DICTATOR:
"No, you're much less hairy."

I died laughing.

In my next incarnation I'm definitely seeing The Dictator. And I die laughing once more. I'm getting off the Wheel really soon!; 12/14/11, 7:12 PM
madAsHell said...: A Jew playing a Muslim dictator! What a hoot!

Have we ever had a Jewish dictator?
...Herod?; 12/14/11, 7:23 PM
Quaestor said...: Col. Quack shoulda worn a beard.

Take a look at photo of Qaddafi circa 1968 when he just another member of the junta. He was passably handsome then, in a greasy Mediterranean sorta way. He matured into one ugly muthafucker... it looked like he had devolved into the ape ancestor. A generous dose of facial hair would have welcome.

wv: goingpi - Going ape means going crazy. Goingpi mean going irrational.; 12/14/11, 7:23 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: Less S, more Q than I thought it would be.; 12/14/11, 7:29 PM
Jason (the commenter) said...: And I thought 2011 was a bad year for movies.; 12/14/11, 7:53 PM
edutcher said...: Hmmm,

Think I'll pass on that one.; 12/14/11, 8:25 PM
Henry said...: If I just read the text and ignored the rest, I could give you a real historical figure: Kemal Ataturk.; 12/14/11, 8:28 PM
Psychedelic George said...: Zany.; 12/14/11, 8:48 PM
Scott M said...: I caught the trailer today. Classic stuff, especially the track and field bit.; 12/14/11, 9:01 PM
I'm Full of Soup said...: Juvenile humor never gets old. I will pay to see this movie. LOL at the track scene!; 12/14/11, 9:52 PM
Steve Koch said...: Great trailer.; 12/14/11, 10:51 PM
Fen said...: /related Totalitarianism, via Insty

CLIMATEGATE UPDATE: UK police seize computers of skeptic blogger in England. Hmm. Could it be politically motivated? Some think so.

UPDATE: The U.S. DOJ is going after blogs too, reportedly. None of this is increasing my confidence in the disputed climate science . . .

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/12/14/uk-police-seize-computers-of-skeptic-in-england/

http://noconsensus.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/crackdown-shooting-in-the-dark/

Is Althouse next?; 12/14/11, 11:30 PM
A. Shmendrik said...: Has potential!

Including the potential to be the first comedy to unleash truck bombs.

So, I'll check it out on demand.

From Cut Bank, MT.; 12/14/11, 11:30 PM
Titus said...: Althouse, have you been to Viroqua?

It's supposed to be kind of cute and farm to table organicish.; 12/14/11, 11:49 PM
bgates said...: Going after Qaddafi and Saddam in 2012. That's edgy.; 12/15/11, 2:19 AM
Toad Trend said...: That was no starter's pistol.

Looks like a perfectly fine skewering. I won't see this at the theater but will probably put this on the rent list.; 12/15/11, 6:18 AM
KCFleming said...: Charlie Chaplin did The Great Dictator in 1940. People thought he was Jewish, partly because of the film. Heck, he wondered if he was Jewish.

Hard to top that film, but the message needs retelling.; 12/15/11, 7:41 AM
Carnifex said...: @Pogo

Saw "The Great Dictator" in college for a course. It is one of the finest, funniest movies ever made, and I will always praise my teacher for introducing it to me.

For those that don't know, it's a satire made by Charlie Chaplain made about statism, and tyranny, specifically poking fun at Nazi Germany.

In it, Chaplain plays dual roles, a poor jewish barber, and a dictator of a bellicose, martial country. They switch roles vis a vis "the Prince and the Pauper". Hilarity ensues.

Hidden gems in the movie include the dictator doing a rhythmic gymnastic routine with an enormous globe of the world, and a scene where a Mussolini type fellow dictator and THE dictator share a barbering, each pumping his own barber chair to be higher than the other.

The movie is a talkie too, so its easier to follow for modern audiences.

One of the things that really surprise about Chaplain is what an athlete he was. His comedy always had a physicalness that was a result of wild gesticulation from primitive movies, but the gymnastics routine has a grace that belies how hard it would actually be to perform.

"The Dictator" sounds like a remake, albeit cruder, of this great film. I won't view it because of Cohen though. I did love the Kardashian line...is anyone else tired of people being famous for just being sluttty?; 12/15/11, 10:23 AM
Jim Howard said...: I'm pretty sure we just saw every funny joke in the whole movie.; 12/15/11, 10:46 AM