Political movies under Trump? (and in general)

[Kyle]

What do you think political movies (or movies in general) under Trump are going to be like?

Trump made the media one of his biggest enemies throughout his campaign and I highly doubt they're not going to use one of the most powerful tools at their arsenal.

Those involved 'Star Wars' have already come forward on their positions, and Rogue One this December has a whole lot of relevant political ramifications that Disney and the filmmakers didn't know they were making when the film was being made: a group of minorities banding together to defeat the empire. The New Order (despite having more power sadly in reality) is no doubt gonna stand in for Trump, empire comparisons have already been made all around.

MARVEL is going to enter the scene as well with a Captain America who is against the way the country is being ran by the President trampling on people's civil rights. I do not foresee why they would not continue that and possibly stronger than ever before. Chris Evans as well has made it publicly known that the guy playing Cap is against Trump as well. Serpent Society in the works? Before it was a mask title for Civil War, but Nixon is the villain in that arc - change it for someone who can stand in for Trump and that arc is all the more real. Cap fighting for the good of America!

Trump's made a lot of media enemies along the campaign trail and personally, I don't see how that can't leave a mark on cinema for years to come. With how vocal Aaron Sorkin has remained about this, we know he's going to definitely deliver something really powerful in the years to come.

What kinds of films do you think we'll be seeing?

 

[Boom]

Now would be a great time to bring Red Skull back in Captain America.

 

[Kyle]

Now would be a great time to bring Red Skull back in Captain America.

The President rips his face off to reveal that he's the red skull.

... or keep Serpent Society and just reveal he's working for the Red Skull. I could see them going either way.

No doubt about it though, I can definitely see Chris Evans wanting to do a Captain America movie very soon.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I wonder what the implications will be for television as well. There's been quite a few shows lately with female presidents. I am curious what presidents in TV shows and movies will look like in the next 4 years.

 

[Kyle]

I wonder what the implications will be for television as well. There's been quite a few shows lately with female presidents. I am curious what presidents in TV shows and movies will look like in the next 4 years.

This show is either going to tank in ratings (people against the President) or soar (this President shows what being a President is all about!).

One terrifying thing I can see, that show could be the mirror to our bizarro world that we're living in. For example one instance in that had the President choosing diplomacy rather than shoot first ask questions later to prevent a potential war. The Secretary of the Department of Defense didn't listen since he wanted blood and the President fires him. Frighteningly, with Trump I can see that going in reverse: "Fire, destroy them!" "But we have to be diplomatic, we don't have any proof - it could start a war!" "You're fired." To be real though, this series did have a frightening depiction of what could happen if reversed.

In another a Governor defies the administration and attemots to establish his own authority over his state and people. In this one the governor is condoning fascism and rounding up Muslims while the President's against it. So the President enacts martial law and later places him under arrest for treason.

As said, that show is all the more frightening to watch since it's like that's the real one and we're living in the bizarro world.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I'm hoping for more of an in depth understanding of what makes Trump so terrifying than it being superficial. The ironic thing is if you were to write a character like this in a movie, everyone would say tone him down because it's so ridiculous. He's like the President in Escape from L.A.

 

[GREEN =w= DAY]

more apocalyptic films no doubt

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Captain America: Traitor

 

[Jochimus]

I dunno, a follicly-challenged billionaire who likes to put his name on everything he owns...personally I'd have thought this to be the ideal time for a Superman film franchise willing to give us President Lex.

 

[Doctor Jones]

I mean Lex Luthor as President isn't the stuff of comics anymore. At least Luthor was smart.

 

[Kyle]

I'm hoping for more of an in depth understanding of what makes Trump so terrifying than it being superficial. The ironic thing is if you were to write a character like this in a movie, everyone would say tone him down because it's so ridiculous. He's like the President in Escape from L.A.

I can atest to that. I had a villain that was Trump mixed with Pence with a lot of political power and some notes were "people would never listen to that guy..." Never wanted to go "aha! See, you're wrong my cartoon like villain does exist!" I'll be honest, I've already made plans to dig that one back out. Part of what inspired this thread. If I'm thinking it - everyone all over Hollywood must be as well. Trump gave everyone a permission to have a movie President that you can hate and fear. Plus all this anger including myself that people have, yeah there's gonna be protest movies - gotta put that anger to good use.

 

[Silvermoth]

Now would be a great time to bring Red Skull back in Captain America.

Or Hate Monger? I would actually love to see Steve beat up the klu klux klan. I would like it even more if falcon cap did it, or spidey, or Wiccan or Misty knight.

I reckon we will be seeing a lot more movies about young people resisting evil old dudes

 

[dude stannis]

I'm hoping for more of an in depth understanding of what makes Trump so terrifying than it being superficial. The ironic thing is if you were to write a character like this in a movie, everyone would say tone him down because it's so ridiculous. He's like the President in Escape from L.A.

Exactly, he's a lazy idiot who was all bluster. It wont be some, war against the totalitarian dictatorship, V For Vendetta or They Live. It will be Burn After Reading. A bunch of idiots tripping over each other.

 

[TheVileOne]

People don't want politics shoved down their throats when they go to the movies.

 

[dude stannis]

Doesn't stop them from informing the films of he time.

 

[Kyle]

Doesn't stop them from informing the films of he time.

Precisely. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Captain America Winter Soldier. Hunger Games. Just to name only a very few. These aren't films one thinks of when they think political films usually, but they are - very much so. Films are always to mostly politically inspired, as a reaction to the times that one lives in. Hell, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a political reaction film.

 

[Octoberist]

Or the original Godzilla, reflected on Japan's reaction to the nuclear bomb. Or Shin Godzilla, on the incompetence of the Japanese government and the political redtape after the recent tsunami and nuclear disasters of 2011.

 

[dude stannis]

No Reagan/Tatcher era, we don't get stuff like They Live, Brazil or RoboCop.

Also shame BDT wont get his big break lol.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Exactly, he's a lazy idiot who was all bluster. It wont be some, war against the totalitarian dictatorship, V For Vendetta or They Live. It will be Burn After Reading. A bunch of idiots tripping over each other.

They should make a Gremlins 3 now.

 

[Mysteryman]

This show is either going to tank in ratings (people against the President) or soar (this President shows what being a President is all about!).

One terrifying thing I can see, that show could be the mirror to our bizarro world that we're living in. For example one instance in that had the President choosing diplomacy rather than shoot first ask questions later to prevent a potential war. The Secretary of the Department of Defense didn't listen since he wanted blood and the President fires him. Frighteningly, with Trump I can see that going in reverse: "Fire, destroy them!" "But we have to be diplomatic, we don't have any proof - it could start a war!" "You're fired." To be real though, this series did have a frightening depiction of what could happen if reversed.

In another a Governor defies the administration and attemots to establish his own authority over his state and people. In this one the governor is condoning fascism and rounding up Muslims while the President's against it. So the President enacts martial law and later places him under arrest for treason.

As said, that show is all the more frightening to watch since it's like that's the real one and we're living in the bizarro world.

The show has a full season pick up.
I stopped watching after episode 3.
Somehow, it didn't seem real to me.

 

[Kyle]

The show has a full season pick up.
I stopped watching after episode 3.
Somehow, it didn't seem real to me.

Yeah. Didn't seem real before, but all too scary now since we're in the flipped mirror version of it. Caliexit happened in a sense in the show as well or the threat of it before being forced to stop by the President (for good reasons).

 

[chamber-music]

It always cracks me up when people say politics or social issue in the real shouldn't or don't inform entertainment and pop culture when they clearly do and have since the dawn of human civilization.

There will be some sort of comment about Trump and the current divisions in American in entertainment just like there was a reflection of the the issues of the day in cinema of the past.

 

[TheVileOne]

Precisely. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Captain America Winter Soldier. Hunger Games. Just to name only a very few. These aren't films one thinks of when they think political films usually, but they are - very much so. Films are always to mostly politically inspired, as a reaction to the times that one lives in. Hell, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a political reaction film.

Political allegory is one thing, but again, they don't want it shoved down their throats. You could easily make an argument that the political climate that informed films such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier is what led to someone such as Trump becoming the President. The American people stopped trusting the system and the federal government. Let's not ignore Captain America playing whistle blower to SHIELD and HYDRA and info dumping everything in the movie, which is exactly akin to Snowden and Wikileaks. All that happened under the watch of a President Obama and when people like Hillary Clinton were in his cabinet.

But again, it's fine to do allegory, but it has to be done in a way where it's not shoving it down people's throats. Even Doug Liman talked about this with The Bourne Identity, which is definitely a political thriller. Liman expressed how he is definitely a leftist and some of those ideas are reflected in the film but he intentionally presented it in a way so it wouldn't be shoved down everyone's throats.

 

[Kyle]

Um, nobody said shoving it down anyone's throat - you just took it that way. Look at the title of the thread (AND IN GENERAL).

The political climate definitely is what led to Trump. Hillary was more of the same. I'm an independent who's against Trump from a humanitarian viewpoint. I could see KKK and nazi rallies organizing around him and the rise in hate crimes coming from a mile away, thus I was always against him. To me Trump is evil, not from a political level but a humanitarian one.

 

[TheVileOne]

I would say this election is proof with how out of touch elite Hollywood and celebrities are with the rest of America. Bernie Sanders was actually courting young voters and diverse Americans instead of just Hollywood like Hillary. And the DNC still favored her.

So the politics will come from their narrow view.