VCRkilledtheRadio: Wag the Dog

What do you feel is the message the director is trying to express in this movie? Support your answer with examples.

I feel that the director wanted to show a few things. First I think he wanted to show how much we trust the media and how easy it is for them to lie to us. In the limo he says if it’s on TV it must be true. Then they make a fake war to distract the masses from the molester scandal. He is showing use how silly our faith is in the media. Second I truly feel he wanted to point out that sometime the bad guys win. EVERY main character in the movie is either a terrible person or working for a terrible person. They are covering up a molester scandal and the all seem ok with that. Some even seem to enjoy it.

(If its on TV it MUST be true!)

(Oh...the leader of the free world might be a rapist...well...its a living)

2. If applicable , discuss if you think this movie has accurate depictions of minorities or if they are situational? Why or why not?

I feel that the movie had a few Jewish stereo types. Dustin Hoffman plays the “Jewish producer” a little hard. I also noticed a lack of…”color” in this movie. I feel like the movie is a sea of white and I had to look through all of my screen shoots (like I was playing where’s Waldo) to find anyone that wasn’t white.

(Anything worth doing is worth over doing...right Mr. Hoffman?)

(yup...)

(FOUND HIM!)

(...just tan?)

3. Explain if you think the director’s ethnic/cultural/professional background played a role in directing this film?

I can’t see how it couldn’t! I’m sure if he wasn’t involved with something like wag the dog I bet he knows people that have been. He wanted to show the world what our trusted politicians could really be like. Also as an adult human the man knows that sadly sometimes the worst people can win and in politics that’s more true than false.

(...Feeding the masses lies...and they love it!)

4. What groups (people of color, nationality, culture, class,gender etc.) may be offended or misinterpret this movie and why?

If anything is holy in this world I would hope that ALL people would be offended by this movie. Not because it was a bad movie ( it’s a GREAT movie), not because the bad guys wins and tricks you into wanting them (at times/in the moment) to win, but it should offend people because it point out how much trust we put into TV! It points out that we are lied to and we know it but we want to believe it…so we do because it on a glowing box that vomits words at us.

(Believe.)

5. What the movie added to your visual literacy?

The movie did this thing where it would zoom in on to weird (well I thought they were weird) parts of the environment. It made the scene seem more real. It also gave the since that you were seeing through the eyes of one of the characters in the movie. Or he would focus on a minor prop in the shot that normally would be over looked but it shouldn’t be. It’s the directors way of making us look at what he wanted.

6. What kind of artistic and/or visual means did the director use in the movie to focus our attention?

The zoom in. He filled the screen with whatever he wanted us to focus on. These things changed the meaning of the scene. The scene of the illegal farmer gaining his citizenship the camera focuses on the bible. To me it was a joke by the director. Something that is used to help stop people from lying was being used to make one work.

(...These people are so bad they use the lord for evil... Lucifer could take notes.)

7. Additional comments/and or analysis/and or other movies recommendations (optional).

This movie made me feel like a stupid and terrible person. It made me feel stupid because I never really thought the government really did that. It made me feel terrible because I found myself hoping these horrible people survive one more lie. But when a movie can make you feel these things…it makes it a god movie!