HomeTagged ‘Thomas Frank’
New York is becoming more like Kansas
In the election for the 23rd District in upper New York State, Democrat, Bill Owens narrowly defeated Conservative Party candidate, Douglas L. Hoffman. But that isn’t the real story.
What’s interesting is that the Republican nominee, Dede Scozzafava, a moderate, withdrew from the race under pressure from leading conservative activists like Sarah Palin and Tim Pawlenty. [...]
Operation Rescue: “We’re not dead yet”
Defiant as ever, Wichita-based Pro-Life activists Operation Rescue proclaim they’ve recovered from its financial crisis earlier this year. Presumably donations plunged after intense public backlash against the murder of Dr. George Tiller back in May – despite the groups clear repudiation of the accused killer, Scott Roeder. From their press release:
Recently, the Associated Press, along [...]
Video: director Joe Winston on The Interview Show
A few weeks back, Joe had the great pleasure of sitting for a chat with Mark Bazer, the witty and talented host of The Interview Show, a monthly talk show which tapes at the Hideout in Chicago.
As good as the video is, it was much more fun to see the show live. Talkshow + [...]
Can liberals and conservatives enjoy the same movie?
Our film adaptation of Thomas Frank’s “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” raises eyebrows with some fans of the book, because it does not set out to explain the whole argument Frank makes about why social conservatives overwhelmingly vote Republican (even last fall, in the face of economic disaster.)
Some fine Oklahoma hospitality
So Joe and Tom have returned from Oklahoma and unpacked our bags, after a very rewarding visit (at this point, Laura is too pregnant for travel.) Neither of us had ever been to Oklahoma before, and Steve Hunt and David Glover, the activists who got the ball rolling, made sure we had everything we needed. [...]
A refreshing breeze
The Oklahoman shows some appreciation for the evenhanded tone of our movie:
Joe Winston’s “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” explores how real people live, work, think and vote in Oklahoma’s neighbor to the north. While it addresses clearly the fractures in Kansas’ body politic, it is the rare political documentary in which no one is labeled [...]
Great opening weekend in Chicago
We were excitedly looking forward to our home town premiere at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and certainly were not disappointed. Our post-screening Q & A’s played to packed houses, and as always, you in the audience kept us on our toes.
They were rewarded for sticking around, as we shared with them how we met [...]
Listen to Laura, Joe and Tom’s WBEZ radio interview
WBEZ has posted the entire episode of “Eight Forty-Eight”, the program we appeared on this morning, and we’ve grabbed our interview for your listening pleasure. It’s the most fun we’ve had at Navy Pier (where WBEZ’s studios are located) without riding the Ferris Wheel.
Click here to listen or download the MP3.
3 1/2 Stars from Roger Ebert!
“I’ve rarely seen a documentary quite like it. It has a point to make but no ax to grind…What’s the Matter with Kansas? doesn’t connect the dots, nor does it need to. It takes no cheap shots. It is all there to see. These good people are voting against themselves.”
WBEZ radio interview tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, filmmakers Laura Cohen, Joe Winston and author Thomas Frank will all appear on WBEZ, Chicago Public Radio, for an interview on “848″ to talk about the journey from page to screen of “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” on the eve of its Chicago Premiere. If you’re in or near Chicago, tune in to [...]
Thomas Frank: the backlash returns
Thomas Frank, who coined the term “the Great Backlash,” and made it famous in his book, “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” notes in his column in today’s Wall Street Journal that it didn’t take long for the Obama Honeymoon to end.
A scary new populism made the cover of Newsweek back in March.
But then we skipped [...]