Politics have weighed heavy in all forms of media lately. So I was looking for some alternative entertainment to the Inauguration and as always, I turn to the movies to help me. Here are a few that came to mind to help avoid the “real world”:

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962/2004)
A veteran and war hero has been brain-washed & programmed by the Russians and/or private multinational corporations (depending on what version you watch) to be their pawn as he ascends to the office of President of the United States. The original is a classic and well-worth seeking out. The performances by Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, and especially Angela Lansbury are quite amazing. Denzel Washington, Liev Schrieber, and Meryl Streep are good, but the altered storyline is not quite as strong, nor packs the punch of the original.

SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (1964)
An possible coup-d'etat by a cadre of politicians and the military, led by a zealous general, is uncovered, and a race to stop it by the generals assistant. Taut thriller with great leads, as Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas face off. They scenes together are the real action sequences of the movie. I especially like Douglas' hesitance and guilt at having to turn on his mentor, Lancaster.

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976)
A routine burglary at the Watergate bulding is followed up by two Washington Post reporters, leading to political espionage and the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Showing the power of journalism and the press, holding those who have committed crimes accountable. A president taken down without guns or violence. STILL relevant today as 40+ years ago.

V FOR VENDETTA (2005)
In a near-future fascist England, a woman joins forces with a masked vigilante to try and give the control back to the people. Loved the original comic book series and was astonished that it got made in the post-9/11 era with a terrorist/anarchist for a lead character. But it is still a strong movie, showing what a repressive regime does to people and what the people must do to stop it.
One of my favorite scenes:

RED DAWN (1985)
A surprise invasion by Soviet forces into the United States leaves a group of high schoolers ito becomes the resistance force. More an artifact of the 80's Cold War thinking, it still holds up in many ways by showing what the cost of resistance is on the people, especially the young. Great cast of (then) young actors and veteran character actors. AVOID the 2012 remake at all costs!

THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995)
Before delving into the “The West Wing”, writer Aaron Sorkin wrote this love story involving a lobbyist and the president. There's a great cast here, top to bottom Michael Douglas, Martin Sheen, Annette Benning, Richard Dreyfus, to name a few. This is really a prototype run of his West Wing series, with some great speeches, especially about the idea of democracy
This is one of my favorite scenes:

IDIOCRACY (2006)
A military experiment ends up freezing average man and he wakes up 500 years later to a future where the population has become unthinking idiots, and the US on the verge of starvation. Some have said that Mike Judge's comedy has become prophetic and a documentary. I don't that it's gone THAT far, that's for you to decide. But it IS very funny.

Happy viewing!