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Primary Colors

Primary Colors

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great film, great casting!
Review: Even though this film debuted to less-than-stellar reviews, I think it is a superb film. Based on the book of the same name, the film gives the viewer a fictionalized dramatization of the 1992 Clinton Presidential campaign. However, regardless of your political leanings, you will enjoy this film, as I believe it is one of the best political movies ever made.

The really great part of the film is the casting, which seems almost perfect. John Travolta, Emma Thompson, Adrian Lester, and Maura Tierney all really shine. But my favorite actor in the film has to be Billy Bob Thornton, and his imitation of James Carville. Thornton is excellent in this film. Do yourself a favor, and pick up a copy of this film!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: IT'S ABOUT HISTORY FOR US TOO
Review: A human and incredibly funny look into the campaign of a Clintonesque politician and his bid to become president, based on the book of the same name by Joe Klein, originally published anonymously. The casting in the film is brilliant, with John Travolta (whom I otherwise dislike) perfectly cast as the all too human Jack Stanton. The incomparable Emma Thompson delivers an outstanding performance as Jack's long-suffering and politically astute wife (in fact, she is the driving force in their relationship and in his politics. She is the one portrayed as caring about the issues. Very close to the Hillary and Bill relationship the public has seen for the last eight years). Despite Thompson's belaboured attempts to produce an American accent, she overcomes this slight impediment to turn in a truly stellar performance. Adrian Lester (another British actor expertly playing an American) as the idealistic newcomer in charge of Stanton's campaign, Henry Burton, is excellent. Kathy Bates steals this film, really, with her brilliant and eccentric portrayal of another idealistic woman who, despite suffering mental breakdowns at pivotal points in her own career, is always willing to do whatever it takes to defend and support her best friends, the Stantons. Other parts in this film are brilliant. Billy Bob Thornton is hilarious; Larry Hagman of Dallas fame plays a wonderful role as Stanton's opponent, Maura Tierney of News Radio and now ER plays another of Stanton's advisors, and while it is not a huge role, she plays it well. Another memorable character is played by Stacy Edwards, probably best known now for her role in tv's Chicago Hope, but who had a memorable role in the scathingly misogynistic and indeed misanthropic film In the Company of Men. Tony Shalhoub (of the brilliant film Big Night and of tv's Wings and Stark Raving Mad) and Allison Janney (of tv's West Wing) also star in small but interesting roles. Overall the characters in Primary Colors are unforgettable. This lends the film a very real quality. Indeed, the story is riveting, particularly when held against the backdrop of Bill Clinton's own troubled but ultimately triumphant campaign for president.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Be Not Deceived- This is a GREAT Film
Review: Forget Bush and Gore! The more interesting race for the presidency took place in "Primary Colors," an all-around outstanding movie which sank into obscurity, unfortunately, thanks to the Lewinsky scandal. Yes, it's loosely based on the Clintons, but if you put that aside and just focus on the movie in its own right, it's not as hard of a pill to swallow.

To start, seasoned vets Nichols and May provide sharp direction and writing, respectively. Even though this movie is about politics (which, as all of us now know, can get pretty gruesome), they make it interesting and intriguing by going behind the scenes, showing the feelings and emotions of the people involved in a presidential campaign, feelings and emotions that don't come through in press conferences and interviews.

The vision of Nichols and May is turned into fine art by a superb cast. Travolta is surprisingly charismatic, and Emma Thompson deserves much more praise than she has received as his patient but driven wife. Billy Bob Thornton gives a hilarious supporting performance, and Larry Hagman also does a great job as Travolta's opponent who's unwillingly thrust into the spotlight (Rob Reiner also has a humerous cameo as the host of ... call-in radio show in Florida).

But the two stars that outshine the rest are Adrian Lester and Kathy Bates. Lester is absolute dynamite as the campaign manager who yearns for "the real thing," a candidate who actually practices what he preaches. His performance is dramatic and heartfelt. As great as his performance is, Bates is the unsung hero of the movie, and without question, deserved to win Best Supporting Actress (she was robbed by Judi Dench and her 5-minutes-of-fame in "Shakespeare in Love"). She is outrageously funny at times and humble and vulnerable at others, but always comes through with an endearing sincerity.

So, if you want to see an all-around great movie or, more specifically, if you've become disillusioned by the political process and the (so-called) leaders it has produced, there has never been a better time to watch "Primary Colors."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The utopian 68er turned President
Review: PRIMARY COLORS

The book was good, but the film is even better due to its density. To become the President of the United States one has to go through a long process where dirt, lying, bragging, covering one's own foolishness is the only way to victory. What happens if the would-be candidate has had generous and utopian ideas in the past ? He will have to step down into the game and play it rough. What happens if that one has practiced and is still enclined to practice the « Love and Peace, Make Love not War » philosophy and life style ? He will have to lie and cover up his own inclinations and his own blunders. The press and his opponents will get everything out. So where is hope ? A President was elected that way, on such a basis, and the film like the book intends to aim at one particular person. Now eight years have gone by and that man is out, what can we say ? He remained the same, in spite of all, during those eight years. But what was and still is his secret ? A simple thing : the capability to listen, to speak to the heart or the brain, to really feel emotions, to be true in his words and in his feelings, even if his desire to have direct contact with people trapped him easily under the talons of those who have no scruples. The actors are very good, the film is full of humor and yet dense with meaning and the fear that nothing can be achieved in a democracy if one does not lie to get to the top in order to influence some decisions and maybe change a few details in the picture, hoping that those few details will be strong enough to unravel the fabric of injustice and start the loom that will weave the cloth of the future. But eight years after those events we kind of doubt that anything can be changed really. Are we doomed to remain in the same path forever ? Who can change it ? How can it be changed ? The film has no answer. The answer is deep at the bottom of our imaginative eyes and hearts ? Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Need help!
Review: Really liked the movie. Very good acting. Especially interesting at this time, considering our long wait for election results. Getting ready to read the book. Please someone, write and tell who you think the various characters in this movie represent in the campaign of '92.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The primary colors of paints are Red, Blue and Yellow
Review: Traditionally the three primary colors are considered to be Red, Blue and Yellow and the secondary colors Green, Orange and Purple, thus mixing Red and Blue will make Purple, mixing Red and Yellow will make Orange, mixing Blue and Yellow will make Green, and mixing Red, Blue and Yellow will make Black.

However this does not always work. Sure, mix Red and Yellow together, and you'll get Orange. However mixing Blue and Yellow does not make green, at least not if the blue is a strong, true blue. In that case, you'll get Black. And the Purple from mixing Red and Blue is likely to be dark. You cannot get a bright purple from mixing red and blue paint.

A primary color's complement (opposite) is the mixture of the other two primaries. Mixing a color ink or paint with its complement produces Black. From the above model, pairs of complementary (opposite) colors are Red & Green, Blue & Orange and Yellow & Purple. Though mixing the latter two will make black (or at least a very dark color), I've always found that mixing Red and Green paint produced Brown.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Good
Review: This is an intelligent, humorous, interesting take on politics. It shows how a self-destructive psychopath like Clinton can thrive when his sobordinates are willing to take bullets for him, and how he can con and manipulate people with his charm and cunning. It is truly a fascinating study of the psychopathic personality. A fine film.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: GREAT SATIRICAL JABS
Review: The first part of this movie is so good you almost forget that the second part ends up being an endless talking marathon.Still it is easily the best film about politics in almost forty years and JOHN TRAVOLTA has a field day playing the part.It tells a lot about the reality of a world almost totally dependant of image seekers.Watching this certainly won't convince you that politicians aren't hypocrits, but nevertheless it is certainly worth seeing because its gonna make you think

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The role for Travolta was born to play.
Review: The plot:Jack Stanton(Travolta) is a unknown southern governor, who`s is running for President of the United States with his strong equally ambitious wife, Susan(Emman Thompson). Running against the odds, The Stantons need all help they get from thier extremely colorful political team. Great performances by Travolta, Thompson and Adrian Lester(Who`s is Superb as Travolta`s adviser).

DVD`s has great anamorphic widescreen transer(2.35:1) and Good Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround. Grade:A-. Panavision.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb
Review: Whatever one might think of the Clinton's legal and political challenges, this movie makes it clear that beneath it all, they are good people who try to do the right thing, but get blinded by human ambition.

Even though I went into the movie both skeptical of "Saturday Night Fever" Travolta's ability to play the president and fear that the movie would be thinly veiled anti-Clinton material, I was pleasantly suprised on both accounts. The acting and plot were so good that I drove friends and family crazy as I went to se this movie for weeks when it was in the theaters and later scrambled to get the video.Nichol's portrait of the candidate is complex.

For an honest assesment (Just to be sure my democrat affiliation was not blinding me) I took a Republican friend of mine to the show, and while she came away still unable to support the president because of his "slick" demeanor, she said he did not appear as bad as she had mythologized him to be. The Clintonesque Jack Stanton does not mean to hurt people and is genuinely sorry when he does. Both the Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinski scandals are adressed in this film (although the specifics on the former are more simmilar to news than the latter for time reasons)


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