'W.' trailer: Can his exposé of George W. Bush get Oliver Stone back in the Oscars derby?
Oliver Stone's newest film, "W.," about the life of the current U.S. commander in chief could well put the three-time Oscar winner back in the derby.
As you will see from the trailer, Josh Brolin eerily embodies George W. Bush, just as his father, James, bore a strong resemblance to President Ronald Reagan when he portrayed him in a 2003 TV miniseries. Oscar winners Richard Dreyfuss as Vice President Dick Cheney and Ellen Burstyn as Barbara Bush lend support as do Oscar nominee James Cromwell as President George H.W. Bush and BAFTA winner Thandie Newton as Condoleeza Rice. Stone, who won the first of his three Oscars for the adapted screenplay of "Midnight Express" in 1978, wrote "W." with longtime collaborator Stanley Weiser and directed and produced the film due out Oct. 17 from Lionsgate, the indie studio behind the best picture upset pulled off by "Crash" at the 2005 Oscars.
This one-time darling of the Oscars picked up his last nomination — No. 11 — back in 1995 for his "Nixon" screenplay. That biopic about the fall of the 37th president lost all four of its Oscar bids and two of Stone's subsequent films — "U Turn" (1997) and "Alexander" (2004) — earned only Razzie recognition. "Any Given Sunday" (1999) was a modestly successful look at pro football while "World Trade Center" (2006), which earned excellent reviews for handing such a difficult subject matter, failed to make its mark come awards time.
Back in 1986, Stone pulled off a rare feat with two writing Oscar nods for "Salvador" and "Platoon." Though he lost to Woody Allen's scripting of "Hannah and Her Sisters," Stone did win the directing Oscar for helming best picture winner "Platoon." He won a second directing Oscar in 1990 for "Born on the Fourth of July" and had Oscar nods for producing and writing that film as well. Stone was Oscar-nominated in the same three categories two years later for "JFK."
Stone won the DGA for the same two films that earned him directing Oscars -- "Platoon" and "Born on the Fourth of July" -- and the WGA for his "Midnight Express" script. He had four more WGA nods that mirrored his Oscar nominations for writing, save for "Nixon." And he has five Golden Globes -- three that match his Oscar wins plus a screenplay Globe for "Born on the Fourth of July" and a directing Globe for "JFK."
Photo credit: Lionsgate
Bush lives in a bubble...he puts up with nothing. Our democratic contenders, both Obama and Clinton have put up with much more than he'll ever have had to deal with and they do it with grace and honor. Bush is a dry drunk trying to forge a different path from his daddy and do a better job (at least he thinks so). Bravo Stone...you're a great director.
Posted by: edie611 | August 02, 2008 at 05:13 AM
Wow. Is this really the pulse of our country? Congress has a 9% approval rating. The lowest EVER. Bush has committed war crimes AND political crimes against his own citizens. The very notion that ANYBODY would support this guy makes me sad to be an America. If you support this president, then you are just plain STUPID. He has trampled all over the rights of Americans and the hundred thousand plus Iraqi citizens that have been killed or severely injured just to achieve the political agendas of the corporate losers that support him and his deranged cabinet. I would like to say that you people make me laugh. But really, you make me cry.
Posted by: Todd Ess | August 01, 2008 at 05:06 PM
Uhh... like Fox News, all the other Rupert Murdock papers and stations, like all the liberal radio talk-show hosts (ha!), the the crew from the Wall Street Journal, yadda, yadda. The liberal media is a myth, just like all the hardships that poor President Bush has had to "put up with."
The man has been an abject failure at everything he ever tried, and unfortunately, America, the American and Iraqi peoples, and the entire American system of government will have to deal with the consequences of his insipid mediocracy and his arrogance for a long time to come. Truly the man is too stupid to know how stupid he is. As apparently you are as well.
Posted by: Stefan | July 31, 2008 at 03:36 PM
Oliver Stone is another one of moron's that has no idea what pressure is on the President. Oliver, If you happen to read this: You are a low life, scum sucking, bottom feeder. I wish I could see it from your point of view, however, I cant get my head up my a$$ that far.
Posted by: OliverSucks | July 29, 2008 at 08:30 PM
ummm....iʻm pretty sure stone is a fan of bush....so donʻt expect this film to be anti-war, anti-bush, or anything like it. i think itʻs more of the "before they were rock stars" kind of a "coming of age" story...a build up of bushʻs hedonistic, spoiled brat of a life.
Posted by: stmaui | July 29, 2008 at 06:19 PM
Ellyn Burstyn is much too soulful and classy to play Barbara Bush. She's apparently the enforcer of the family.
Um...Kathy, if you remember there was a Clinton movie, It was called "Primary Colors" and didn't exactly portray Bill and Hill as saints.
Posted by: Shawn | July 29, 2008 at 03:50 PM
This will be the best comedy of the year!!!!
Posted by: Karl Rove | July 29, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Oliver Stone has become a joke. This will only play for the extreme left crazies. It will bomb like all the anti war films have. Pathetic.
Posted by: Chris | July 29, 2008 at 01:31 PM
What Bush has had to put up with?? What about what America has had to put up with ? Stupid, badly handled war, no-bid billion dollar contracts to his friends, deficits through the roof, Katrina incompetence, corruption in the Justice department; reading our mail spying on us, economy crumbling, world hates us, - Bush is stupid stupid stupid, not to mention his evil henchmen. And you are worried about what he had to put up with from Hollywood ? - you must be as stupid as he is.
Posted by: SpeakTruth | July 29, 2008 at 01:29 PM
I can only hope that should a democrat make it to the White House, he or she will have to put up with what President Bush has. I won't hold my breath, however, as Hollywood and the mainstream media are both riddled with liberals.
Posted by: Kathy | July 29, 2008 at 12:03 PM