Capital Punishment

8/22/05

Who could forget Jimmy Stewart's famous filibuster in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," or the White House totally blowing up in "Independence Day"? There are so many memorable D.C. moments in movie history. As we all return to the District, let's take a look some monumental D.C.-related movies.

"xXx: State of the Union" - 2005

Not a hardcore porn set in the Oval Office, but a sequel to the 2002 Vin Diesel action flick "xXx." Just when the first "xXx" movie couldn't get any more X-treme, here come Ice Cube and Willem Dafoe in a face-off of epic proportions. Despite the fact there's no totally awesome extreme snowboarding away from an explosion scene, there's still a cameo from rapper Xzibit to make it quadruple-x.

"The Pacifier" - 2005

What are the odds? There's another D.C.-Diesel connection. This time, it's the entirely plausible plotline of Vin Diesel, a Navy Seal, babysitting four kids and a duck in Bethesda, Maryland. Sadly, there's no scene of Vin checking out the Corner Slice for pizza or picking up some hot threads at the Mustard Seed.

"D.C. Sniper: 23 Days of Fear" - 2003

Actually living through sniper-fest 2K2 makes me appreciate this made-for-TV movie all the more. With Charles S. Dutton as Chief Moose holdin' it down, there's no way this could be a bad viewing experience. That is, unless it involves taking a shot of Tenley vodka every time somebody says the word "sniper," as some of my friends did. Beware of the 23 days of alcohol poisoning in store after a game like this one.

"Beavis and Butthead Do America" - 1996

The climax of this classic film has Beavis and Butthead rocking the nation's capital. While Butthead does hit on Chelsea Clinton, the best scene has to be when Beavis glances back and forth between a photo of Dallas (voiced by Demi Moore) and the Washington Monument, and then runs into a camper to flog his dolphin.

"Traffic" - 2000

In Steven Soderbergh's "Traffic," the "Swimfan" herself Erika Christensen becomes a crack whore in D.C. despite the fact that her dad, played by Michael Douglas, is the newly appointed drug czar. What caused Christensen to become a straight up ho? It wasn't the scientology. Christensen has been a scientologist since birth (which one would think - considering scientology's stance on conventional medication - would get her off the crack at least). In the movie, her hooking all started when "That '70's Show" dork Topher Grace totally gave her some crack. Damn Topher. That's messed up.