The Columnist Manifesto

I finally watched Bobby last night, having every intention of liking it. Its political context, in which the subversion of the democratic process leads to the prolongation of a pointless war, is certainly timely.

Writer-director Emilio Estevez tells the story from the vantage point of the random assortment of collateral victims of the shooting -- their backstory, how they happened to be in the line of fire at that moment. Although that's a challenging tack, I'm sure there must be a way to make it work.

But not this attempt. The overwhelming impression was that of a cheesy disaster movie. And the late 1960s clothing and hairstyles made it even more reminiscent of flicks like The Towering Inferno.