This is the best movie I have seen this year (scratch that! In several years). A true story that provides a good background to the American intervention in Afghanistan, a country that we liberated from Communism but failed to help
build a democracy. Ultimately, this led to the rise of the Taliban and bin Laden—and the subsequent shit show of 9/11(but I digress).
Charlie Wilson’s War stays with in the confines of the 1980s and highlights the efforts of Wilson (played by Tom Hanks), a Texas playboy congressman that is turned on to the plight of the Afgans from a suite in Vegas (which is properly adorned with strippers and cocaine), while watching Dan Rather report on the soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Charlie’s interest is further fueled by Houston socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), a sexy power broker who uses her intimacy with Charlie to convince
him to do what Congress is unwilling to do: End the Cold War by helping
the underfunded Afghan holdouts defeat the Russkies. With the help of rogue CIA agent, Gust Avrakotos (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the two men supply the ragtag afgans with upwards of $500 Billion in cash, arms, and training.
Hoffman was by far the best of the three stars that made up this movie. Todd McCarthy ‘s review in Variety provides a wonderful summation of Hoffman’s role:
"Decked out with a pouffy ’80s hairdo, moustache, protruding gut and
ever-present smokes, Hoffman’s Gust moves into a room, plants himself
there like an unmovable oak and lets loose with a barrage of delicious
verbiage that is equal parts exceptional expertise and withering
invective. This reps yet another indelible performance from the amazing
Hoffman; whenever he’s on, the picture vibrates with conspiratorial
electricity."
By far the most ironic moment of the movie for me was a scene where Joanne Herring (Roberts) was introducing Pakistan’s President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq (Om Puri) at a fund raiser she was hosting in Texas. During her introduction, she blurted out that he did not kill the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto when he took over power. This,on the same day that Bhutto’s daughter Benazir Bhutto was assassinated (most likely from Pervez Musharraf, another soldier turned politician). Surreal!!!!
I highly recommend that everyone checkout this movie. For those who have not seen the trailer, I have provided it below:
Hey dude. I’m only commenting on the movie story because you have no general comment box in which i can ask you embarrassing questions in the public eye 😉 . I was going to ask 1: Why don’t you have facebook? and 2: If a turtle loses it’s shell, is it homeless, or naked?
Anyways, I sent Cindy some crazy tracks that I found in the last little while.
BTW: I got to go see Digitalism live! With Shout out out out. Was a blast, me and my buds are probably going to be in a bassnectar video!
Take care dude.