The Americans (2013-8)

The Americans is an extremely suspenseful Cold War-era spy thriller, perhaps the best TV has ever seen. Similar to Breaking Bad, The Americans excelled at character development of antiheroes, and at slow-burn long cons unfolding over the course of a whole season. The series follows two "illegals", Soviet sleeper agents posing as travel agents, living in Virginia (though recognizably filmed in New York) at the height of the Cold War with their two American-born children. Though not a true story, it is based in truth. The Soviet Union took espionage very seriously; it is kind of incredible (read: crazy) how integrated they were in American society. That combination of extreme dedication and pettiness is, I think, uniquely Russian, maybe also kind of Chinese. I think the inverse, the Russian version of the Americans, probably didn't work because it's unbelievable that American spies were so nuts.  They characteristically over react a lot, and devise wild over-the-top schemes to achieve small goals.

Philip says it best in Season 6, that they were always worried about what the Americans would do them, but in the end it was other Soviets that would ultimately be their downfall. Meanwhile, Stan (a stand-in for the bureaucracy generally) fails to see why Gorbachev's leadership matters. If he had asked someone at State, Gorbachev's opening up of the Soviet Union would be far more important than his mission to catch illegals--Stan fails to see the forest for the trees or is so focused on winning the battle he can't fathom winning the war. He is blinded by his narrow focus. Similarly, Elizabeth sees her job as a spy as purely ideological, so stone cold that she doesn't even realize the other tactical qualities it takes to be a spy. It's why she thinks Paige could become a spy herself, even though it is so obvious that she could not. 

Some highlights:

• The assassination attempt on Reagan as seen from Russia as a coup in motion was eye-opening
• The bio-weapon plot line is a clear example of defense spiral, the classic IR theory. The Soviets cannot discern the difference between offensive and defensive weapons, so when they discover that the Americans are developing bioweapons, allegedly serums for potential bioweapons, they must escalate their own stockpile, bound to spiral out of control. 
• Spying isn't all just assassinations, it's mostly intelligence gathhering
• Great use of 80s music
• Fantastic costumes and hair styling for the many disguises
  
• Mischa's son never really comes in to play. It's like they had plans for him but then forgot and left him hanging.  
• The first season is very exciting. I think it's the strongest season along with the last.
  
• The ending is brilliant. I called Henry's ending, but did not see Paige's gut-punch ending coming.
  

Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)

Good Night and Good Luck is a sleek movie about Edward R. Murrow's public battle with the notorious Senator McCarthy. It uses quite a bit of authentic archival footage in original black and white. As a consequence, the whole movie is filmed in black and white to match, and it's an excellent choice. The movie looks really good. It's more relevant today than it even could have predicted. In 2019, journalists, on TV and otherwise, play an extremely important role in holding government officials accountable. Maybe it serves as a lesson on how to take put a stop to Donald Trump.

Captain Fantastic (2016)

I missed this one when I was at Cannes. And I'm very glad I finally got around to it, because it is incredible. Viggo Mortensen plays the anti-capitalist patriarch of a family that lives deep in the wilderness. They have survival skills and in-depth knowledge about very specific things, including philosophy and the US Constitution. But they struggle to reintegrate into society lacking "normalcy." Is normalcy a good thing? With a thought provoking screenplay and commanding performances, it is an excellent film. And there is a big splash of family drama and emotion to make you feel for these characters. It's really touching.

All the Way (2016)

Bryan Cranston won a Tony Award for his portrayal of LBJ in All the Way. In the HBO adaptation, he transfers that performance to the screen. Cranston is perfect in everything. I love HBO's political dramas. And this is no exception. LBJ's presidency was very eventful: Civil Rights, Vietnam, Great Society. There is a lot to pack into a two hour movie. Perhaps the issues don't all get enough screen time, but as a survey of history from the perspective of the most powerful man in the world, it succeeds.