I had the opportunity to see this movie today. Kids were outside and I (with the flu) setup shop on the couch and watched a couple of movies.

This movie is a chilling drama that explores and exposes the dark side of the American Dream. THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON focuses on the prescient and tragic true story of Sam Bicke ( Sean Penn), as a disillusioned & broken "everyman" who, in 1974, was driven to plot the assassination of Nixon.

Despite the fact that his marriage is breaking up and that he is trapped in a sales job he finds demeaning, Sam tries desperately to succeed both at home and in the workplace; all he wants is to win his family back and to start a business of his own. However, in a society worn down by political corruption and the Vietnam War, there is not much room left for dreamers.

Sam's world quickly unravels against the backdrop of the Watergate scandal, which exposes culpability at the highest levels of society. With images of Nixon-- “the greatest salesman of them all”-- flooding the airwaves, Sam believes he has found the person responsible for his, and America’s, problems. Penn proves that he is at the very peak of his career, delivering an explosive performance that is both heartbreaking and horrifying.

While Penn is not one of my "favorite" actors, he pulled this off with such passion that I found myself glued to my seat. For Sean Penn, job VERY well done. For Sam Bicke, I genuinely felt sorrow and compassion for this man.

While I do not condone his actions, it becomes increasingly clear why stressed out people do what they do...

So last night, my wife decided she wanted to see a movie. So being the great guy I am, I obliged.

She decided she wanted to see Brokeback Mountain. I know what you're thinking. They same thing I was. Uh, hmm, I need to mow the lawn, clean out the garage, oh I really need to help you color your hair.

None of those excuses worked and off we went.

So lets get to it. The movie was good. Going in I was not sure what to expect other than all of the rumors about it being a gay porno.

I will admit, it had a few sexual/passionate scenes. For those of you that have seen it, I will never look at spitting on my hand the same way again!

Anyway, I can certainly see how it won so many awards. It truly was a good flick.