Well today is the day! Will you go and vote?

You better get your arse down the your voting station pretty damn sharpish – do you really want to miss out on taking part in what is the most important election America has seen ever?

Anyhow, since we cannot bribe you with free offers of ice-cream or coffee we will do what we do best here at Couchslobs and that is to make a list.

No, the list will not give reason why Obama is a better candidate because we are not a political blog. But that does not mean we cannot give you a list of our favorite political movies. Just make sure you watch them AFTER you have voted.

Gandhi – directed by Richard Attenborough Ghandi is one of those epic movies. And not only because it is quite long (by the 1982 standards it is exceptionally long). Gandhi won 2 Oscars –for best picture and for best actor and it goes without saying Ben Kingsley did a marvelous job. It is a bit slow at times, but it is one of the golden pieces of cinema history about a man who knew even then that violence is never the answer.

Citizen Kane – considered by some as best movie of all time, Welles’ Citizen Kane has not lost any of it’s luster (or relevance) even though it was filmed in 1941. Rosebud indeed.

The Candidate – featuring young and the timelessly dashing Robert Redford it tells a story of well modern day politics, how charms and good looks can be used to your advantage if you are running for Senate. Well there is more to it then that but I saw this movie just the other day and it is fascinating to me how relevant it still is.

Dr. Strangelove – under direction of Stanley Kubrick and with the comedic talent of Peter Sellers this black comedy takes the piss out of the Cold War. Well it deserved to be taken the piss out of. And that is all I will say about that without launching into a full blown rant.

Manchurian Candidate – ah how can you resist old Blue Eyes? Manchurian candidate tells a story of a son of a prominent right wing leader who was brainwashed to turn into an assassin for the international Communist conspiracy. And while I do prefer the 1962 version, the 2004 version with Denzel Washington, Liev Schriber and Meryl Streep was not half bad either.

Wag The Dog – as someone who has experience in political PR I enjoyed Wag the Dog. I guess you can either be impressed or appalled at what some good spin and PR can do. It is a funny little movie and I do not even dare to think how much truth might be in it.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – directed by an all time favorite Frank Capra and played by James Steward Mr. Smith Goes to Washington was highly controversial when it was released and created quite a stir – it was labeled pro-Communist and anti-American just because it dared to speak about the corruption of American government. I guess it would be considered pretty mild by today’s standards.

All the President’s Men – another golden oldie All the President’s Men is a story of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the journalists who were investigating the Watergate break-in and exposed the scandal in the Washington Post. Woodward and Bernstein were played by Redford and Hoffman and the movie was produced by Redford himself. And now we even know who Deep Throat was.

JFK – now who can resist a good conspiracy theory? I for one cannot. Directed by Oliver Stone and staring one of my not-so-favorite actors Kevin Costner, it explores the events leading up to the assassination of JFK and the cover-up that followed immediately afterwards. As with many Oliver Stone movies this one was also labeled controversial but it did not stop it from winning 2 Oscars.

Nixon – another movie directed by Oliver Stone and featuring Anthony Hopkins as Richard Nixon it tells the story of the former US president from his childhood to his infamous departure from the White House. With a stellar cast, good direction and simply superb Anthony Hopkins (who I can watch drinking coffee and still be enthralled) even though you might have not thought much of Nixon give this one a go.

Man of The Year – this film made the list just because Robin Williams is one of the rare few actors and comedians that can tickle me pink every single time. Sure some gags and jokes have been seen before but sometimes in serious time we all need a bit of frivolity. Or as Heath Ledger said in the Dark Knight “Why so serious?” Why so serious indeed.

So tell us our dear readers what are some of your favorite political movies?