Looking at the comment numbers on today's earlier posts -- 1 for health care v. energy, 1 for Alaska senate race, 28 for drummers -- I can see that with the election over, I'm going to have to find new ways to entertain you.

This blog's motto is "Politics. And Other Stuff." The other stuff mostly fell by the wayside during the heat of the campaign, but I guess it's time to expand the ambit a little now. So...

A friend of mine asked the other day about the best liberal message movies of the post-war era. By best he meant excellent films that had a significant impact in the culture. He meant American films, but since this is the Guardian, let's make it international for our purposes.

What are your thoughts? Obvious: To Kill a Mockingbird. Twelve Angry Men. In the Heat of the Night. Paths of Glory. Things like that.

Less obvious: The great and terribly under-seen Odds Against Tomorrow, by Robert Wise from 1959. Check it out. Really great stuff.

Two other questions: What are the good conservative message movies, even if you disagree with the message? And, what liberal message movies suck even though you agree with them? God knows there are loads of those. Too heavy-handed. Twelve Angry Men notwithstanding, I think several of Sidney Lumet's films end up in this category.

As for a conservative movie I absolutely adore, one of my top films of all time: Zoltan Korda's The Four Feathers (1939). But is it really conservative? On the hand, it's all about upholding the old traditions, representing one's (very upper) class. On the other, the moral of the actions of John Clement character is that there are other ways to be a hero besides being a soldier. So one could argue it both ways.

I'd be keenly interested in British opinion on this question, since I'd imagine you all had to read a little A.E.W. Mason in school. Knowing nothing about the man, I take him to be similar to Buchan or something. But anyway that is great, great filmmaking. And oh that Jane Duprez! Grrrr!

I will pass good suggestions in all categories along to my friend, who was asking for research purposes. Start your engines.