Something to like about McCain

[dashingly]

Apropos of nothing, nevertheless surprising.

Last year, for example, on a slow day on the campaign trail, I asked the Original Maverick what movie he'd last seen. "The one about zombies," he said.

"28 Weeks Later?" I asked. "The one about a zombie plague in London that has some not very subtle allusions to Gitmo?"

"Yeah, that one," he said. "I liked the first one, too."

"The one that was sort of about the effects of government-propelled hysteria that happened to come out after 9/11?"

He shrugged. "A lot of those zombie movies are political, you know."

He is a TV buff as well, enthusing over Showtime's Dexter, a program about a serial killer who murders serial killers. Possibly this edginess in his viewing taste is related to the edginess that crops up, on occasion, in his politics. (What's bombing Iran if not extreme?)

After a bit of wrangling, I got John McCain on the phone for a half hour on a Sunday in late August—he was on his way
to church at the time—to discuss matters both political and pop. Is there anything to be learned about this man—who could soon have his finger on the button—from how he wields the remote control?

Sit back, watch the replay, and decide for yourself.

I was surprised to learn that Dexter is one of your favorite shows.

I think it's a very good series. I enjoy Dexter; I enjoy The Tudors. You know, I think I'm pretty normal in my tastes.... Lost, I also like Lost. And Prison Break. I think it's a shame when the guys get out of prison. I thought The Wire was an excellent series. I've also heard that John Adams is excellent—that's my next viewing assignment.

There is more to the interview but I do not recommend wasting your time on it.
http://radaronline.com/from-the-maga...stewart_01.php

[lesslucid]

I'd be interested to learn more about what he thought of the Wire.

[Tom Chick]

That's actually pretty good coming from a guy whose favorite movie of all times is Viva Zapata. Hey, McCain, tell us again about the scene where Marlon Brando learns how to read the Bible on his honeymoon!

Also, the interviewer is a total 'tard. "Allusions to Gitmo"? "The effects of government propelled hysteria"? Man, what version of 28 Weeks Later did she see?

-Tom

[TimElhajj]

That sounds more like Children of Men, which didn't have a sinlge zombie.

[RSofaer]

Isn't 28 Weeks Later British?

[Hans Lauring]

Yeah, unless he talks about fast zombies vs. slow zombies in the next debate, I'm not impressed.

[Tom Chick]

I'm pretty sure 28 Weeks Later was an American production in terms of the money (Fox?). But it was a Spanish director, and I think I recall Fresnedillo saying he used a largely Spanish crew. The creators of 28 Days Later, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland, are Brits.

But mad props for McCain for noting that "a lot of those zombie movies are political, you know". That pretty much evens out the Presidential candidate movie cred gap after seeing a story about Obama catching a matinee of Dark Knight.

-Tom

[NoWayJose]

Haha posts to Tom complaining about Viva Zapata (again): two.