Even Hollywood's been breached by the midterm elections! Gloria Allred, apparently bored with muckraking the governor's race, has her sights set on Conviction, the new Hilary Swank film where the actress goes from low-life to lawyer to defend her brother from a murder rap. Go rattle your own saber at Inside Job, the Wall Street corruption doc in limited release at the Landmark. Propositions 20 & 27 aim to change the process of redistricting - what a perfect time for a cinematic primer on Gerrymandering! LAist's own Farley Elliott reviewed Gerrymandering earlier this week. His conclusion? The film "very smartly peeks open the heavy lid of political dullness", but it often "lacks a clear message". This critique cannot be applied to I Want Your Money, whose trailer boasts Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, Fox News clips and a cartoon boxing match pitting Obama against Reagan. more ›

In American politics, it may well be that the thinnest of lines truly divide us the most. Beyond race, wealth, or denomination (although certainly encompassing all of these), political voting districts hold an absolutely distinct and direct power in being able to outline and define our governmental landscape. Districts, and the highly debated practice of redistricting, have for years been largely responsible for the election of officials that, frankly, may have otherwise had no business being in office. Gerrymandering, the new documentary that focuses on the unfair and advantageous side of redistricting (a process called, you guessed it, gerrymandering), attempts to take this complex problem and not only make it understandable, but also palatable. more ›

Vhhat's all dis taulk about Garryshandling? Huh? Garry what? Gerrymandering?? Oh. Our soon to be ex-Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, is the featured interviewee in October's GQ. The seven year politician (he prefers "public servant") discusses his upcoming departure from office, his featured finale in the soon to be released Gerrymandering documentary, California's Proposition 11, bodybuilding (gasp!), and that his future plans include not being a loser. more ›

On June 3rd, California went to the polls, voting on representatives and various bits of legislation, most notably Props 98 and 99. It was a real race for those of those measures, both had real potential for real change, whether it was for the better or worse. But voters also voted for Congressmen such Howard Berman and Henry Waxman. The choices were simple (because choice was not a choice other than not voting) and there was hardly a mention of their campaigns in the news. Welcome to gerrymandering, the practice of drawing districts in favor of one voter base, and California has ranked the 9th worst state in the nation, according to one non-profit's report [pdf]. The LA Times breaks it down: more ›