• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)--The only parts that really matter are with Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce). A devilish combination of Rupert Murdoch (Fox News) and Robert Maxwell (a real-life media mogul villain who died under mysterious circumstances on his yacht), Carver plays God using information technology. James "The Jerk" Bond (Pierce Brosnan) really peeves me off in this film--he ruins everything while hooking up with slutty ladies. But Bond doesn't hurt Carver--who, apparently, is a determined and focused role model for success!
• Newsies (1992)--Yeah, it's a musical, but it's also a story of the little man fighting back! Plus, you probably forgot that it's Christian Bale in the role of plucky Jack Kelly as he fights against media giants like Joseph Pulitzer (Robert Duvall). Catchy tunes, dancing boys, labor issues, and a cast of misfits with nicknames like "Boots," "Crutchy," "Specs," and "Mush" are a recipe for inspiration! Makes me want to sell issues of the PM on the street corner, crying "Extry, extry! Wm. Steven Humphrey calls Desperate Housewives a Poopy McCrappants!"
• The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)--Larry Flynt: a man who built a media empire from pictures of naked ladies, and now rolls around in a wheelchair. I'm not a big fan of porn magazines (I prefer the internet), so it's not Larry Flynt: The Lover of Boobies that I respect, but rather Larry Flynt: The Lover of Fighting for Freedom Against the Stoopid Jerry Falwell and His Libel Case. We could all learn a lot from this film about freedom of speech and other "important" issues, but the real lesson is in the first part of the film: you don't need much to start a porn magazine empire!
