normbeau Reviews

Primary Colors (1998)

Clinton Supporter that Loves this Movie

[10/10 · 1 August 2004]

No one is a bigger fan and supporter of Bill Clinton than myself. That being said, this "fiction" motion picture really cuts close to the real thing as far as Bill and Hillary's real personal life. Yes, he is a womanizer and yes, Hillary is a powerful and somewhat controlling person. This movie seems to be close to what we believe happened in this part of their lives.

For that reason, I was wiped away by this movie. The legacy of Bill Clinton over time will fade as far as this "personal life" business went. He will be remembered for what he did for the USA as far as pulling us together as a country and feeling like one. His history of the most prosperous economy of anytime in the past. Hillary will set her own history now as Senator of New York.

Whether you like the Clintons or not, watch this movie. It's scary how close in some places it is to the truth, but in others it's just made up fantasy. Either way, it will hold your interest.

The Reagans (2003 TV Movie)

This is "right on". No wonder conservatives buried this

[10/10 · 6 December 2003]

In the beginning, I was a fan of the Reagans, but over his administration, things that are illustrated in this movie came to light and my opinion drastically changed. As far as the acting, James Brolin and Judy Davis have these characters nail down perfectly. No matter what you think of this movie, you can't deny they do an excellent job. Judy Davis, after her turn as Judy Garland, is the new Meryl Streep of taking on and transforming herself into a totally different character. Three cheers to here. As far a Brolin goes, I never really thought much of him as an actor, but he has changed my mind with this performance. I really think I'm watching Reagan. Amazing.

There were two points in this movie that gave me a positive insight into Nancy Reagain. First was the point in the movie where she visits her mother in the nursing home and she grabs onto the words of her mother that say "I love you". You can see Nancy grab that and give her true feelings back. Unfortunately, the mother was telling everyone "I love you", which puts Nancy back to her normal cold self. What this did show me though was that Nancy was like she is probably due to a total lack of love and saying so in her childhood. I hope her kids understand this now.

The second positive thing I saw, which I hope was accurate, was her grief and concern over the Aids epidemic. I think she felt the effect of this, but she couldn't get her husband to accept this and talk about it.

Overall, I thought this was excellent and wasn't as "over the top" as I was led to believe.

Chicago (2002)

The Musical is Back in a Big way

[10/10 · 19 August 2003]

The musical is back and it's first class. Rob Marshall as litten up the screen with a fabulous adaption of the Broadway classic Chicago. The cast is great starting with Renee Zellweger doing a great job in the lead musical role of Roxie Hart. She sings, dancces and acts up a storm. Catherine Zeta-Jones Velma Kelly steals the eye when she is on screen. Her opening number, "All That Jazz" shows us all she a talented singer and dancer as well as an actress. Supporiting cast Queen Latifah, Richard Gere and John C. Reilly are all perfectly cast in their roles.

Last year, "Moulin Rouge" was a brilliant return of the musical, but "Chicago" leads the pack as the best hollywood musical since "Singin' In the Rain". I've watched this at least a dozen times so far and I enjoy each viewing as much as the first. Far and away this is a true "10" rating. Watch it, you'll be hooked.