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American politics 1s a joke

> A film review of ‘The Campaign’

Jan Prchal
Columnist

 

espite some unnecessary vulgarity,
The Campaign (2012) manages to
subtly and unabashedly satirize modern
US politics, as its well-acted characters
caricature witless politicians and greedy
corporate funders. At a time when politics
south of the border are more absurd than
ever before, this mediocre comedy from
the 2012 election year is worth viewing.
The chronology of the film satirizes
the principle aspects of the modern
American campaign that make it so fake,
in the slogans, the debates, the political
talking points, and the funding. As an
example, congressman Cam Brady, played
by Will Ferrell, opens the film by revealing
that his slogan of “America, Jesus, and
freedom” means nothing to him, but is
beloved by the people who elected him.
The most notable satire in the
film is direct. The Koch brothers,
prominent political donors in the past
several American election cycles, are
directly mocked with the characters of
the creatively named Motch brothers,
who manipulate politics to satiate
their corporate greed. Infamous Wall

  

Street giant Goldman Sachs is explicitly
mentioned in a fundraising dinner
scene that reveals Congressman Brady
and his wife to be an ambitious and
greedy political couple willing to do
anything for campaign finances.

This simple, uncomfortable truth
that corporate money plays a significant
role in American politics is summed up
by a quote from the film’s Motch brothers:
“When you ve got the money, nothing is
unpredictable.” Per the Washington Post,
the political campaigns of Hillary Clinton
and Donald Trump in 2016 cost nearly $2.5

billion combined. It is the anger people
have with this political financing that
made 2016 such a surprising campaign
year, with the unexpected success of
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump.

The acting forms one of this
comedy’s strengths. Zach Galifianakis
plays Marty Huggins, whose troubled
relationship with his wealthy and
politically-influential father is somewhat
reminiscent of the relationship between
John F. Kennedy and his rich and clout-
carrying father, Joe Kennedy. This marks
one of the subtler lampoons in the film.

(YY Ananalysis of Katy Perry’s symbolic
‘Chained to the Rhythm’

(YY The new ‘Zelda’ took my breath away

Y ‘Layers of Influence’ unveiled at MOA

And more!

The Campaign via Warner Bros. Pictures

The supporting acting is also quite
decent, most notably with the two
campaign manager characters, and
the spouses and children of the two
protagonists. Other characteristics
of modern American politics that
the film examines are the fakery of
political debates, and the conspiracy-
fuelled mudslinging that can
occur in campaign advertising.

In short, despite the occasionally
funny—and occasionally crude—
vulgarity, The Campaign successfully
lampoons American politics.

The timelessness of sex and deviance

> ‘Out of the Garden’ play review

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

 

He throughout history have been
imposing rules, defying expectations,
and discovering what pleasure is. Out

of the Garden, the latest production

by Douglas College’s Departments of
Theatre and Stagecraft & Technology,
captures this spirit of revelation across
the ages. Framed by the mysterious
Madame Blavatsky’s Tarot card readings,
the show wholly lives up to its subtitle

of “A Short History of Sexuality.”

The play jumps back and forth
between four stories stretching across
time and culture, all with very distinct
settings and moods, though does so
with fluid scene transitions. Although
the post-Protestant Reformation
Vinegar Tom story has the most stage
time and the largest cast, it doesn’t
feel like the focal point of the play—or
at least, no more than the other three
also feel like they carry the main theme
of the show. All four of the stories are
brilliantly acted and equally gripping.

Chronologically, the first tale is
about Eve (Allegra Ferrari), recounting
her time in and her exile from the Garden
of Eden. Although Eve's narrative might
seem like the one that we all know—she’s
tempted by the snake, she eats the apple,
she and Adam are kicked out of the
garden—hearing her work through and

justify her choice feels entirely original.
Eve is curious, confused, indignant, and
sympathetic; in the intimate setting
of the Studio Theatre, Eve speaks
personally to each and every one of us,
making us question the arbitrariness of
rules and the wrongness of pleasure.

These questions are equally present
in the rich world of Vinegar Tom, set in
17th-century rural England where belief in
God’s power—in His direct hand in daily
life—is the cornerstone of reality. Within
this God-fearing framework, a group
of villagers grapple with the threats of
witchcraft, persecution, and rigid societal
structures. Strict and repressive as this
world is, the actors convey an immense
depth of emotion: From the passion
and unyieldingness of norms-defying
Alice (Dahlia Kerr) and her mother
Joan (Nina Dosdall), to the simple piety
of Susan (Kate Rytter), to the zealous
conviction of witch-hating farmers Jack
(Peter Tran) and Margery (Ferrari) and
witchfinders Packer (Michael Jenkins)
and Goody (Madison Green). The
Vinegar Tom world is a sobering window
into this severe environment, where
women who did not conform had to face
the consequences—whether in divine
punishment or societal condemnation.
This story has some humorous moments,
but most of the scenes are intensely
emotional, driven by the fear of God
or by rage against oppression.

Most of the humour (and plenty of

the passion) in Out of the Garden is in
Anima Mundi, especially in the character
of fortune-telling, Tarot-reading, séance-
holding Madame Blavatsky (Piper
MacLeod). This storyline takes place in
London around the turn of the twentieth
century, focusing on the not-quite-
courtship between budding American
poet David Armitage (Nicholas James)
and wilful young dancer Elizabeth (Hilani
Baybay). Also featured in this world are
the poets William Yeats (Jenkins) and Ezra
Pound (Tran). Poetry, art, and the whims
of fortune—Anima Mundi means “soul
of the world,” and the lyrical spirit of this
age is touchingly invoked in these scenes.
Most modern—and certainly
not least relevant or moving—is the
monologue of Meredith (Green), a woman

 

who is completely, unapologetically
obsessed with the story of Frankenstein.
Her fervent fixation with every iteration
of the Frankenstein story, from movies to
novels to comics, beautifully encapsulates
the disillusionment with modern life,
with gender norms and expectations,

and with the limitations of reality. Her
monologue circles back seamlessly to

the creation of life in the story of Eve.

It’s impossible to single out any of
these four stories as the best, because
they are so cleverly tied together. By the
end of the play, the thematic threads are
brought to an intimate and impeccable
convergence. And for interested would-
be audiences, there’s still time to catch
this exquisite emotional journey: Out of
the Garden runs until Friday, March 17.