From James Bond to Luke Skywalker: The Movies Leading Hollywood Right Now
Matt Dowd and LZ Granderson talk all things Hollywood.
— November 5, 2015 -- Favorite actor - go. Matt Dowd: You tell me Daniel Day Lewis is in a movie, I’ll go see it.LZ Granderson: Meryl Streep could play MLK Jr and I would see it. MD: Isn’t there a movie now where she’s a bit part?LZ: "Suffragette."MD: Right, just a very bit part. Did you see "Sophie’s Choice"?LZ: Of course. I’ve seen everything. MD: She’s an amazing actress - best actress of this generation.LZ: And one thing that makes her so loved by the public is there’s a humility about her away from the camera. Even though the accolades come her way in no point does she go Kanye on us.
"Star Wars." Why does it still resonate, nearly 40 years later? And is Luke Skywalker evil?MD: "Star Wars" has always had a father-son Oedipal theme going on right?LZ: Exactly. And that’s why it has resonated decade after decade. If you’re talking about the first one or the one coming out in five to six weeks, it resonates with American families because it is about families in addition to all the intergalactic stuff. LZ: There’s this debate going on in the new film -- Do you think Luke Skywalker is evil? MD: Do I believe Luke Skywalker is evil? No. LZ: Because he went to the dark side to be Darth Vader, then he came back to his sense then he said no. MD: I don’t think he’s evil.LZ: We haven’t seen him in the posters, we have yet to see him in the preview, we just kind of see this sick lord walking around.MD: I don’t think he’s evil.LZ: I', going evil. I think he went to the dark side and had a moment of reconciliation with his father. But remember Yoda says if you end your training early you will go to the dark side. He ended his training early, he put his toe in the dark side.MD: I still believe Luke Skywalker is good.
Dowd just re-watched "Citizen Kane," the 1941 film based on William Randolph Hearst's life. He noticed some uncanny similarities to a certain presidential candidate.MD: Incidentally I was flipping through the channels the other day and as I watched it I was like, this is Donald Trump. Watch that movie -- a wealthy guy, got everything, didn’t care about anybody, sort of discarded women along the way as if they were just possessions. Had this unbelievably bravado bullying quality to him and ended up unhappy because he never had a real childhood. Think about that.LZ: Wow -- you certainly have.MD: It’s great commentary. Not only on on the times, but on America and on narcissists which is who Kane was.
And of course...Bond. James Bond.MD: Daniel Craig is the first Bond again that I’ve really liked.LZ: He brings the element Christian Bale brought.MD: A dark bind.LZ: And gravitas. There is a anchor to the way Daniel Craig has brought this James Bond in carnation to the public’s lexicon. And it’s...rooted in things we can all identify with.MD: Not being fully good.LZ: Not being good, exactly.MD: Having some bad.LZ: Exactly.
