24 May 2012

A Special Relationship Revisited

This review is from: The Special Relationship (DVD) Let me begin by saying that I enjoyed this BBC-HBO production immensely, largely because of Martin Sheen's nuanced portrayal of Tony Blair. I have to acknowledge, however, that viewer reactions might be based upon how one feels about both Blair and Clinton. Some might find the film either too pro- or too con, because of the writers' and director's determination to keep the scenario firmly anchored in the middle of the political road, allowing the viewer to make up his mind on whether Blair began his political career as a novice, learned the political tricks of the trade (no pun intended) from a master conjurer, and then surpassed his mentor in dealing squarely with political reality. The director is particularly neutral in his attitude toward the present Secretary of State, well acted by Hope Davis, while he allows (constantly munching) Dennis Quaid as her philandering husband to suggest a cringing leer, when she questions him about the truth of the scandal; and Helen McCrory's Cherie, suggests, not-quite subtly, a crypto-Lady MacBeth in waiting. Not really over-the-top performances, but almost!Michael Sheen's often-underplayed portrayal of Blair, however, keeps the film on track. He shows us a combination of vulnerable charm that soon emerges as infectious charisma, that the original does possess, whether one approves of him politically or not. Watching Sheen's portrayal, I found myself, at first, constantly readjusting my perspective, telling myself: "no, Sheen doesn't look like Blair." Soon, however, I forgot about my initial scepticism, accepting him without reserve as Tony Blair. I therefore wish that the cinematographer had photo-shopped Sheen in the final newsreel scenes, because the sight of the real Blair brought me back to reality, but perhaps a sudden dose of reality is exactly what the director had in mind.

23 May 2012

THE BEST OF THE TRILOGY

This review is from: The Special Relationship (DVD) I THINK WITHOUT A DOUBT THIS IS THE BEST OF THE TRILOGY.... IF YOU EVER WONDERED ABOUT THE US VS BRIT RELATIONSHIP IN RECENT YEARS, THIS MOVIE EXPLAINS IT IN A COMPELING AND INTELLIGENT WAY.

20 May 2012

Once youve gotten used to the faces, this movie grips you

We know the faces of the protagonists so well that no portrayal can be entirely convincing. The faces here are good, but no one who'd followed the period in question would mistake them for a moment. Neither of the actors are actually as transfixing as Blair and Clinton.That's distracting at first, but the movie is so well made that after a few minutes, the viewer forgets it, and only the occasional newsreel clip distracts.More persistent is the feeling that the most crucial and the most compelling of these events are so private that no-one could possibly know if anything like them actually occurred. Only two (or occasionally three or four) people would know, and they ain't sayin'.

20 May 2012

inside the clinton presidency with tony blair

This review is from: The Special Relationship (DVD) Here is a great movie portraying just how our government and the President of the United States of America wheels and deals with its allies to how a president and corrupt government can cover up incidents that ordinarily happen. it shows the powerfull relationship that the US and our ally Britian work hand in hand together to keep us as a superpower in the world game of risk. great inside look into the clinton-blair aka the special relationship bond between the US and GB. very entertaining and you learn alot about just how much power our President has and can use at his will.

19 May 2012

Watchable

This movie contains almost a child like view of the world. The Americans are somewhat all knowing and wise while the British are naive. It is almost as if the British have done a total reverse of their post ww2 view that the British felt that they were the smart ones in the relationship. It cast doubts as to whether there is a special relationship between Britain and the US, and it also contains the view that Tony Blair was not a progressive which the films sees as a criticism of him.The filming itself was good. There were times, I was stunned how seamlessly, the movie was able to merge the movie into historical films. I also thought that Dennis Quaid played very well.

borwi00

18 May 2012

Missed opportunity

What was surprising about Blair's relationship with Clinton? This filmwas a missed opportunity to explore the far more surprising 'specialrelationship' between Blair and Bush. The film has some greatproduction and sets, but apart from a stand-out superb performance byHope Davis as Hilary Clinton (a role that she will play again),everybody else come over as slightly out of sync. Michael Sheen spentthe whole movie playing the new boy at boarding school, where he wasmuch less convincing than in The Queen. Dennis Quaid was the leastconvincing, particularly when playing a scene next to Hope Davis. Isthere a better Clinton out there? You must think so. All in all itseemed like a wasted 90 minutes, showing very little of the corridorsof power, touching lightly on the events of the day. This seemed to bemore an issue with the lightness of the events than with the writing asPeter Morgan did a much more convincing job on The Queen. If this isthe precursor to Special Relationship 2 - The Gulf War, I would suggestskipping this and finding out why Blair got along so well with someonewho was not like him.

Max_cinefilo89

17 May 2012

The story of a beautiful friendship

Following the "secret" story of his election (The Deal) and his firstmajor crisis (The Queen), writer Peter Morgan ends his unofficial TonyBlair trilogy with one of the most famous aspects of the man'spolitical career: his friendship with US President Bill Clinton, andthe hopes and problems that came with it.The film, made as a co-production between BBC and HBO (where itpremiered in May 2010, though it has been picked up for theatricalrelease in other countries), starts in slightly familiar territory,showing us Blair (played, once again, by Michael Sheen) before he waselected, and the same goes for Clinton (Dennis Quaid), who immediatelybefriends the British politician on the grounds that they have a lot incommon: young (politically speaking), ambitious and eager to make adifference in their respective governments. Once both men are inoffice, the cooperation goes very smoothly, prompting the media - andthe two friends themselves - to talk about a "special relationship"between America and Great Britain. However, like most relationships, ithas to face some hard times, most notably the conflict in the formerJugoslavia and, on a more private front, the Lewinsky scandal, whichdrives a wedge between Bill and Hillary (Leslie Hope) and Tony andCherie (Helen McCrory, reprising her role from The Queen).Like most of Morgan's work, The Special Relationship puts a lot ofemphasis on character and performance, especially Sheen who, by now,wears Blair's clothes and mannerisms like they were a second skin, afact that becomes more evident when archive footage is used to show theman's first encounter with a very different Commander in Chief (oneGeorge W. Bush), and he's ably assisted by the excellent Quaid who,having already played a President in American Dreamz, gets past thenot-so-perfect physical resemblance between himself and the realClinton to deliver a fully formed portrayal of a flawed, but verycharismatic individual. On the female side, Hope is the usual guaranteeof quality, while McCrory is a bit of a revelation, taking advantage ofthe increase in screen-time she has been granted compared to The Queen.That said, the film is probably the least dramatically poignant of thetrilogy. Maybe it has to do with the change in the director's chair(goodbye Stephen Frears, hello Richard Loncraine), but the real reasonis the excessive familiarity of the material: whereas The Deal and TheQueen dealt with the unseen (and largely fictionalized) side of theirrespective stories, The Special Relationship centers around a piece ofAnglo-American history that has been widely covered multiple times,meaning there's very little on screen, no matter how entertaining, thatpeople haven't heard of before.Overall, a slightly underwhelming but consistently amusing look at theworkings of English and US politics, propelled by a flawless double actand some Aaron Sorkin-like writing. If this is the last we'll see ofMichael Sheen as Tony Blair, one thing is clear: it's been a verypleasant experience.7,5/10

Danny Blankenship

17 May 2012

An okay film of the ever lasting friendship with the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

This HBO original movie "The Special Relationship" is a well done dramathat follows the inner workings and relationships between the U.S. andthe United Kingdom. It mainly focuses on the friendship made betweenBill Clinton and Tony Blair and it continues with the election ofGeorge W. Bush. Most compelling is seeing how Clinton and Blair try tomatch political styles. And the film show the struggles of Clintonespecially his sex scandal with Monica. Plus Hillary is rightfullyportrayed as ego driven and power hungry. The performances were dead onSheen was brilliant as Blair and Dennis Quaid nailed Bill's southerndraw just perfect. And Hope Davis was just fine as Hillary.What can I say it's good to have an international friend and this movieshowed how two prime leaders can get along and help make decisions."The Special Relationship" is one good film to enjoy and feelcomfortable with.

17 May 2012

Not That Special After All!

The film analyzes the relationship between the United States and Great Britain under President Bill Clinton (1993-2001) and British Prime Minister Tony Blair during the second term of the Clinton administration. The film has a great cast. Dennis Quaid really becomes Bill Clinton and not a caricature on Saturday Night Live. Hope Davis does a very good job in capturing Hillary Rodham Clinton's character. It's really Michael Sheen's performance as Prime Minister Tony Blair and Helen McCrory's performance as his wife. They played the same roles in the film, "The Queen." Anyway, this film might be useful in the schools regarding international politics but the Lewinsky scandal and vulgar descriptions make it hard to pass the censor. Regardless, I didn't find the story that intriguing except that Blair comes across as idealing Clinton as some hero. It's really Blair's story about Milosevic and the horrors in the former Yugoslavian nation. Blair comes alive when he's fighting for injustice.I just wished that they added more features regarding the history and the background of two important players in international politics.

flyzone1

17 May 2012

Surprisingly good!

It seems movie reviews of this work are subject to the politics andrealities of the event rather than the recreation and acting of thissurprisingly good story. Dennis Quaid, who I've never seen do anythingabove mediocre work usually just mirroring himself, was justoutstanding as Bill Clinton. I think it is by far his best piece ofacting to date. Equally so for Michael Sheen who I am less familiarwith. Both men did a good job of presenting the personalities,complexities and subtleties of each leader. "Hillary Clinton" didn'tjust look the part - she was Hillary (at least what we know of her).Bill was presented as the smart politician sleaze ball and failedleader of lost promise that he was. Tony Blair is presented as both apromising leader and sympathetic character doomed to eventualdestruction. The story was able to project all this in its short 90minutes. On top of that it was educational to boot. Good job!

12 May 2012

Three HBO Films Keep It Real--The Bromance Between Blair and Clinton

In the realm of made-for-TV movies, there is no question that HBO has been leading the way with critically acclaimed and Emmy nominated fare within recent years. Take 2010, for example, with HBO's "The Pacific" ruling in the mini-series category--three other HBO productions were left battling it out in the film subdivision. "You Don't Know Jack," a Barry Levinson biopic about assisted-suicide maverick Jack Kevorkian, netted 15 Emmy nominations and won Al Pacino a statue as Best Actor. "Temple Grandin," another biopic--this one about the autistic Grandin who became a pioneer in animal husbandry--also garnered 15 nods and was the night's big winner. In addition to Outstanding Made For Television Movie, it won Best Actress for Claire Danes as well as supporting statuettes for David Strathairn and Julia Ormond. And finally, there was "The Special Relationship," depicting the bond between Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, which was a bridesmaid with five nominations and no wins. All in all, a good showing for HBO! Arguably the film with the highest profile and most distinguished pedigree of the three is "You Don't Know Jack." Interestingly enough, it is also my least favorite. There is certainly nothing wrong with "Jack" and I learned quite a bit about Kevorkian, who to my mind is darn near a saint. From a surprisingly humble beginning, Kevorkian was a trailblazer and with single-minded purpose became a figurehead in groundbreaking legal debates about medical ethics. It's a great and fascinating story, but Levinson gives it a surprisingly by-the-numbers presentation. Anyone familiar with the routine cadence of a biopic will agree that this one ticks all the expected boxes. Pacino is refreshingly restrained and, for the first time in years, brings an understated dignity to a role. He does well capturing the unprepossessing doctor and he is ably assisted by John Goodman, Brenda Vaccaro, and Susan Sarandan. "You Don't Know Jack" is a good film that's at its best when looking at the quietly intimate moments of Kevorkian's patients. "Temple Grandin," on the other hand, is the most unexpected of the three films. I was fearful that "Grandin" might be a bit like medicine--good for me but not very fun. But not so! Both heartfelt and entertaining, this film pulses with life. In an interesting visual style, it attempts to connect the viewer to how Grandin's mind visualizes things. Unique in its presentation, it's also a dynamic narrative device! Claire Danes does her best work in years--it's a showy role, but she doesn't showboat. And like Pacino, Danes does a nice job of approximating the real life inspiration. Grandin's story is terrific too. She overcomes so much as a woman, as someone with autism, as someone who seems incapable of normalcy. Through sheer perseverance and stubbornness, she made people listen and became an industry leader in the humane treatment of livestock. Fascinating stuff, really--makes me wish I had a bit more gumption. And then we have the utterly charming "The Special Relationship." Another film that is far more engaging than one might predict, "Relationship" plays almost like a sly comedy of manners. A terrific Michael Sheen plays Tony Blair--and really who else could play Blair? This is his third collaboration as Blair with screenwriter Peter Morgan. A young Blair is infatuated with Bill Clinton (nicely done by Dennis Quaid) and adopts much of his style from his mentor. The two form a friendship with Clinton in the driver's seat, but through the years as scandal strikes--there is a delicate shift in balance that makes for a role reversal. Topical and true to the historical events, "Relationship" is also a smart and amusing riff on male bonding. Morgan continues to be one of our strongest writers so it's no surprise that this is a literate and winning film. Hope Davis also does a good Hillary. All in all, these are three worthwhile films. Maybe it would make a fun biopic triple feature. "Jack" ranks about 3 1/2 stars--nice but conventional. "Grandin" would be about 4 1/2 stars--director Mick Jackson does wonders with the visual aspects of the film. And "Relationship" would fall in between at 4 stars for making recent history seem new again. Keep it up HBO! KGHarris, 10/10.

12 May 2012

Great caricatures of Tony Blair and Hilary Clinton but Quaid is no Bill Clinton.

How you feel about this HBO Original Film - which garnered FIVE Emmy Nominations will definitely depend on your political beliefs and how you felt about President Bill Clinton and his "personal" problems while in office. There's no denying that. The film doesn't really take sides but there is a bit of a slant to it.Actually the film - a co production with the BBC - is just as much about British Prime Minister Tony Blair and is the third in a trilogy about him, all starring Michael Sheen as Blair. He looks a lot like him too. Clinton is played by Dennis Quaid and looks very little like him. And his drawl is almost a caricature. It takes a long while to not be distracted by this Saturday Night Live- type imitation. And this was the most disappointing part of the film for me. Hope Davis as Hilary Clinton, however is spot-on! She looks like her and captures her body language and speech patterns even better than Tina Fey channels Sarah Palin. If the ever make The Hilary Clinton Story, Davis needs to fill the title role!The period covered in the film is just 5 years and its recent history to us. Maybe over time the Clinton impression will seem less off-putting. And the use by Director Richard Loncraine of real footage near the end of the film makes the role seem even more miscast.There is only ONE bonus feature: A less-than five minute "making of" featurette that adds nothing of value to the film.One of three recent Emmy Nominated HBO films to see light on DVD this fall (the others were the five star films You Don't Know Jack and Temple Grandin), this one is unfortunately not up to the usual HBO standards, in my opinion.Steve Ramm"Anything Phonographic"

07 May 2012

The Queen, part two

Tony Blair must be quite the double-edged sword for Michael Sheen. He's played him twice before (in The Deal and, of course, The Queen [Blu-ray]), and now returns to the role that's made him famous playing opposite Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton. That he's played the role in three different films speaks volumes to how good he is in it, though I'm sure he's looking forward to not doing it anymore.This particular movie tells the story of the relationship between Blair and Clinton, with a particular focus on the events surrounding NATO's intervention in Kosovo and the Lewinski scandal. As such it's got a very different style than "The Queen", and isn't quite as good, but is very entertaining.I particularly liked Sheen's performance, again. Helen McRory does an excellent job as Ms Blair. Dennis Quaid... Dennis Quaid acts quite like Clinton, but looks nothing like him. In fact in several scenes he looks quite a bit like Al Gore, which is a little startling at times.But beyond that rather odd bit of casting the movie works and works well. You get a real insight into the way the "special relationship" between the US and the UK works (and you certainly come away knowing who the junior partner is). At no point was I bored and if it's note quite as excellent as "The Queen" that's mostly due to a somewhat drier plot. Recommended if you can get it on HBO and if you cannot, buy the DVD when it is out!

06 May 2012

HOPE CLINTON

The movie centers primarily on Tony Blair and how the political genius of Bill Clinton helped him along until student became master. Hope Davis owns Hillary Clinton. She did a better job portraying her than perhaps Tina Fey does Palin. Quaid had down Clinton's speech but he simply didn't look like him. The movie starts with an obscure Blair studying the US 1992 campaign to see how the Democrats turned things around. (It is easier for a political party to change its views than it is to change the views of the people.) Cherie Blair is envious of Hillary because Bill shares his power with her as she is his closest adviser. The movie then moves to Ireland then goes through the Monica scandal and climaxes with Blair becoming the master politician over Bosnia-Kosovo genocide. Ominous music is played when Bush is elected (hint at liberal bias). I found the movie to be extremely interesting and more entertaining than I expected. What the movie doesn't show is how Blair got dismantled over his special relationship with Bush and the Iraqi war, although Clinton's final words were that of a warning to Blair NOT to get close to Bush and questions if Blair is a true progressive. There is some sex talk over the Monica affair and Hillary does drop the f-bomb once.

Ross Dunne

05 May 2012

Two leaders interact on a political and personal level

This movie gives an entertaining and intriguing glimpse at two recentleaders of Britain and America, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, and howthey connected on a personal and political level. We have heard a greatdeal about the Bush-Blair relationship but the Clinton-Blair connectionhas not been the same grist for the mill. They are kindred spirits inpolitics but their personal styles are another matter. So the clashesseem inevitable as Clinton comes across as an insightful but boorishPresident to Blair's calculating idealism.Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton gives a superb performance as theex-President, while Michael Sheen is the eager-to-learn protégé, TonyBlair. One forgets that it is Quaid and not Clinton on the screen; theportrayal is that close to the mark. The intense Blair is moredifficult to pin down but Michael Sheen has played Blair before andagain gives a competent performance. Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair and Hope Davis as Hillary Clinton fittheir supporting characters as well, particularly Hope Davis as theformer First Lady. Davis conveys the steely determination of theambitious Rodham-Clinton. McCrory is the anti-establishment spouse whois more attuned to taking pot shots from the sidelines.All in all, an interesting take on the two leaders and their spouses asthey wade through domestic and international crises, ranging fromKosovo and Northern Ireland to the Lewinsky affair. This is a moviethat I would readily watch again. It deals in a compelling way with twovery fascinating men whose stories are still fresh in the public mindbut whose legacies are still undecided.

Troy_Campbell

05 May 2012

An insightful drama.

British actor Michael Sheen portrays real-life figures with an eeriedegree of precision. In 2008 he took on the tricky part of down-and-outjourno David Frost in Frost/Nixon and absolutely nailed it. Then lastyear he delivered a remarkable performance as hubristic English soccercoach Brian Clough in the lesser seen drama The Damned United. Now inhis the third time depicting the former U.K. PM (first in telemovie TheDeal, then in the Helen Mirren-starring The Queen) he mimics Blair'smannerisms, vocal tones and overall personality so perfectly that Blairhimself couldn't play the role as well.As the title would suggest though, this drama follows a relationship,which requires a second party. Step in Dennis Quaid as Bill Clinton. Hedoesn't convince on the same level as Sheen – Clinton's highlydistinguishable accent evades Quaid to begin with – but it's not longbefore the seasoned actor gets in a groove and solidly embodies thebeguiling American. Helen McCrory and Hope Davis don't have anydifficulty managing their supporting characters, the former as CherieBlair and the latter as Hillary Clinton. Davis especially is pitchperfect as the intriguing and somewhat imperious U.S. first lady.Although, predictably, the movie lives and dies by its performances,the screenplay is clever enough to display these people in events thatwill allow us to connect with them. In the opening act we see how thesetwo world leaders – Clinton the suavely aggressive big brother, Blairthe amenable and awestruck little brother – became friends, then wemove on to how they dealt with this 'special relationship' during goodtimes and bad. It's a tremendous friendship to witness, how they andtheir wives react to certain situations, the Lewinsky humiliation ofparticular note, indicates what we have probably suspected all along:they are, despite their global status and positions of power, humanafter all.An insightful drama that invites you into the lives of some veryfascinating people.4 out of 5 (1 - Rubbish, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Good, 4 - Excellent, 5 -Classic)

Biggest_Loser

29 April 2012

Dennis Quaid brings power and humanity to a distinct historical figure

This is set during the 90s with hopeful Labour candidate Tony Blair(Michael Sheen) looking to help his party claim victory in a generalelection for the first time in over twenty years. He intends to boosthis popularity by meeting with the US President Bill Clinton (DennisQuaid). The plan works for the polls and it also sparks a friendshipbetween the two leaders. One aspect they share in common is that theyare both watched over by their dominant wives Hilary Clinton (HopeDavis) and Cherie Blair (Helen McCrory). Their friendship continuesover the years and is tested most fiercely during the Monica Lewinskyscandal. Despite being mocked by the other world leaders, Blair standsup for Clinton without knowing the whole truth. Having shown hisloyalty, Blair sees this as an opportunity to pressure the experiencedUS President when it counts most, specifically during the Bosnian War.He calls upon the reluctant US government to commit ground troops tocombat the invasion, further testing his friendship with Clinton.Despite having the credentials of Peter Morgan as a screenwriter, whopreviously wrote The Queen and Frost/Nixon, this compelling film is notbeing as widely distributed as it should be. It is being released inonly three countries, including the US as a telemovie by HBO. It isdisappointing that it will not reach a wider audience because directorRichard Loncraine has taken a new side of the Clinton/Lewinsky drama,showing the development of a power game that would haunt Blairthroughout the rest of his political career. As with Frost/Nixon themain players here are shown in a human light but with slightly morehumour this time. Both Blair and Clinton are shown at home, interactingwith their families to make them seem more relatable before their fatalmistakes. It pays off in the final third, the most intensely toldportion of the story, with Blair's self-righteousness and overtlyChristian values becoming more apparent as he tries to justify theBritish and US involvement with the Bosnian crisis. The film isstructured like a Greek tragedy, given that Blair's hubris takes over,believing that his involvement with the Republicans will be a similarrelationship to the one he shared with Clinton. It is because of thedisaster of the war in Iraq that the audience realises that this willnot be the case, giving the film powerful dramatic irony. It is withthese final moments of The Special Relationship, particularly whenClinton warns him about what is to come, that the film accentuates itspoint and truly soars.The essence of this film is a character study and the performances areuniformly excellent. Although Dennis Quaid might have once seemed likea rather unlikely choice to play Clinton he embodies this role so wellthat it becomes more than just an impersonation. He balances the keyaspects of Clinton's leadership, as a hugely charismatic and invitingperson but there is also something far more sinister that arises in himwhen he confronts Blair about the crisis. The film asserts that Clintonnever stopped being a politician, even in the face of Hilary when helies straight to her about his involvement with Lewinsky. The only hintof vulnerability he shares is when he looks out a car window at the USCapitol, perhaps realising the dwindling nature of his legacy andreputation. Michael Sheen has played Blair before and here hecharacterises him as a bumbling Englishman who is initially in awe ofhis situation. The way that he becomes more and more self-assured doesnot feel rushed or contrived but entirely believable because of ourknowledge about the sort of person he would grow into. The roles ofboth women have not been underwritten either. They're bothcharacterised and performed sharply as powerful and unflinching. Thoughthere are light comic touches applied to Cherie, such as when Blairasks if she would leave him under the same circumstances and she says:"no...but I would make your life hell".This is an intense and grossing political drama that not only speaksabout transnational negotiations but it also broadens one's perspectiveof particular political events and how they would influence the future.The events are told precisely with both humour and intensity, beggingthe question as to why the film itself has such minimal distribution.Those that do see the film will be engaged by the quality of the topperformances, particularly Dennis Quaid who brings power and humanityto a distinct historical figure. It's an important political filmbecause it reflects on how these events would continue to influencesome of the most significant choices made by politicians in the 21stcentury.

paul david

29 April 2012

will the real tony Blair and Bill Clinton please stand up!

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie on DVD and draw the obviouscomparison with Michael Sheens performance of tony Blair in the 'Queen'and of how Blair was portrayed in 'The Ghost Writer'. 'W' also springsto mind about George Bush and of course Peter Morgans other recent workabout a political leader, 'Frost Nixon'.At first I was watching a political comedy where Tony Blair wasdestined to become an Americanized Mr Bean. Dennis Quaid, asprofessional an actor as he is, was way too overpowering in the role ofBill Clinton who I am sure is a lot more gentler as a guy than the filmportrayed.The film ends up with us feeling a degree of sympathy for both Blairand particularly Clinton, though I doubt the reality of this. Howspecial this relationship was compared with Thatcher and Regan or Blairand Bush, its difficult to say but it was absorbing to see the factsput through the 'mill' and an almost objective appraisal given of theproblems raised by both leaders. Was the French President Chirac reallythat pompous? Were the leaders that close on a personal level?Actually, I think Tony Blair must be thinking himself - gosh that guySheen acts me than I do myself. He is certainly a very likable'duplicate' of the real thing and perhaps a more acceptable version. alot of recent history is dealt with in this 90 minute movie, as othershave commented, nothing at all with that, the film is useful if onlyfor English education in hearing English and American language side byside and a terrific dose of history as I have mentioned.Might get Michael Sheen a much deserved Oscar nomination. As for DennisQuaid, as AL gore might have once said - you are NO Bill Clinton! Gotto say the two ladies playing the wives of Cheree and Hilary are almostcomedy like and the script to some extent is more appropriate to a TVsit com than a movie suitable for DVD or cinema release.Not knocking the movie. Its very watchable, not in any way tedious,quite funny at times and keep the kids out of the room at certain timeswhen sexual innuendos are mentioned with reference to Bill Clinton's'you know what'! Enjoy!

29 April 2012

I did not have sex...

SPOILER ALERT ABOUT ENDING!==Hooray! Second to review! I'd have prefered first, though.This nearly made my eyeballs fall out when I saw Michael Sheen was reprising his portrayal of former Prime Minister Tony Blair--for the third time now--and I flew off my seat when I saw Dennis Quaid was playing President Bill Clinton. And this movie does not disappoint.Naturally, "the special relationship" can be traced back to King George VI (the queen's father), who developed what he called "a special relationship" with FDR and the U.S. While the film misleads a bit about that - the idea that all countries want a special relationship with the U.S., how arrogant can we get - it certainly describes the very spine of the narrative here. Though THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP is not as rich and well-planned-out as Stephen Frears' THE QUEEN (with Michael Sheen in his second role reprisal as Blair) it is fascinating to watch the great friendship between Blair and the Clintons. It's fun to see the Clintons and the Blairs privately talking about each other, and a profound sadness at seeing their friendship meltdown. Quaid hands in an Oscar-worthy one here. Clinton is the next Nixon as we all know, and no actor has taken a shot at Clinton. Quaid has set a standard, and I hope everyone gets to see this. He could so easily have caricatured the president in an ugly way, he could have ruined the voice...in short, it's the actor's old "Nixon Trap". Quaid nails the voice and ensures that nothing goes awry with his portrayal. Also pleasing to see was the return of Michael Sheen's partners-in-crime, Helen McCrory as Cherie Blair and the annoying Mark Bazeley as Alastair Campbell. (Gosh, is this Campbell like that in real life? No wonder Blair has aged badly.) Though the film looks too hard toward THE QUEEN and THE DEAL (the tv film in which Sheen first played Blair), both Frears-directed films and both fascinating, thus causing it to fall a bit short, it is riveting nevertheless. The crises facing Clinton and the triumphs facing Blair cannot be missed. Did you know that not only England but also America half-jokingly wanted Blair as "king"? He was that popular, even though this movie makes it look like Clinton taught Blair everything.The concentration on Blair's achievements vis-a-vis Bosnia as well as Northern Ireland is superb. While Clinton assisted Blair through the horribly bloody waters of Ireland's problems, Blair later looked to Clinton for help with Milosevic in Bosnia--help which Clinton was unwilling to give.Thus begins the downward spiral in Blair-Clinton relations, because Clinton begins to doubt Blair was ever really a left-centrist progressive. Meanwhile Blair practically kills himself defending Clinton morally. It is sad to see who the better man really is, and it isn't Clinton. Had he not turned a friendship into an endless pissing contest, insulting and accusing Blair at every turn, history might be very different.Clinton's endless, jealous rants about Blair's legacy was a most astonishing and little-known fact. It is, I guess, to Clinton's credit that he didn't publicly air this laundry. Blair, whatever his apparent shortcomings, is shown through and through as a great man, which he is.Andre Desplat comes back with some THE QUEEN-tinged soundtrack but he really holds back. Some of it literally sounds "rinky-dink" and anemic. I wonder why they would allow Desplat to get away with this kind of thing. The performances and terrific humor in this film make up for the little soundtrack. ==SPOILER, ENDING: I was startled by the end of this film, in which we see the real press conference between Blair and George W. Bush at Camp David. Why not do it with actors?--and it struck me, this is brilliant, really not done often or done well. It's leading us, as it were, back into 'real' reality. And what a snappy bite, seeing the real moron who would step in to lead this nation, with Blair standing next to him in a state of semi-shocked disbelief. No wonder they went with the real deal and not actors. Get this, enjoy it and make sure Mr. Blair does not lose his well-earned place in our history.

freemantle_uk

29 April 2012

The not so Special Relationship

Peter Morgan obviously has two obsessions in his life, Tony Blair andMichael Sheen. He is one of the few big name writers around and afterlooking at the rise of Tony Blair and how he dealt with the death ofPrincess Diana, he tackles his first few years a Prime Minister and hisfriendship with Bill Clinton.The Special Relationship starts in 1992 with Tony Blair's (Sheen)famous visit to America after Bill Clinton (Dennis Quiad) was electedPresident and in 1996 when as Leader of the Opposition was given almosta state visit by the President. As Prime Minister Blair and Clintonbecome close friends, believing they could usher in a new centre leftprogressive age around the world. They work closely together during theNorthern Ireland peace process and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, beforediffering over Kosovo.Morgan is of course a very talented writer, with The Jury, The Deal,The Last King of Scotland and Frost/Nixon all being excellent pieces ofwork. In a 90 minute package Morgan tries to cover as much ground aspossible: anyone interested in government and politics will be hookedto the film. But this is a blurred vision of what happened and this isa fiction because we really don't know what happened behind closeddoors. Morgan sets out to show Blair and Clinton were friends more on apolitical level then a personal level, with Clinton and his staff morewilling to ignore Blair. This is a slightly bias account because Morganignores that Alistair Campbell (Mark Bazeley) was in reality a vilepiece of work when it came to power and the media, always looking for afight or that Cherie Blair (Helen McCrory) is the type of woman whoenjoys all the benefits of power, such as nice shopping trips andgetting free gifts. The film also suffers from the benefit ofhindsight, with Clinton predicting a new progressive age, consideringthat he was suffering from a right-wing Republican Congress and Americais a right-wing country, coming up with characters that are even worst(Bush Jr. and Sarah Palin), or that Blair seeing it as the West's moralduty to go into Kosovo, leading to some of his arguments with Iraq. Thepolitical discussions and philosophy is interesting, but it would havebeen good to have more of how government and international relationsfunctions.Sheen has made the role of Tony Blair his own and no one else couldcommand that role like he does. He is able to show Blair as either acaring man who thinks he is doing what he thinks is doing the rightthing to a selfish man who is only interested in power for himself. ButQuiad was a poor choice as Clinton. Quiad was obviously trying his bestbut he did not have to the look nor able to capture his voice ormannerisms. The other supporting actors were also strong performances.Richard Loncraine does have a form making TV movies, with The GatheringStorm being an award winning film. Considering the material could bedry he was able to tell an fast paced film, balancing the differentplots, but it was clear he was working with a limited budget. Many ofthe scenes were internal and stock footage was used. Loncraine andMorgan should have made The Special Relationship should have beengrander, either with electioneering, the planning for the work or theon going struggles the two politicians had to face. It would have beengreat to see how someone like Aaron Sorkin would have handled thematerial with his flair and knowledge of politics. Loncraine is notStephen Freers who handled Morgan's previous Morgan and Sheenoriginally wanted to make a film about Blair and Bush Jr. but thoughtthat relationship with Clinton was more interesting. That is truebecause it was more of a partnership between Blair and Clinton becauseunder Bush Blair just gave in to him on everything, Iraq, missiondefence and extradition and got nothing in return. Under Bush Blair wasa puppet and we all remember during the 2006 Lebanon War Bush justdismissing Blair, with Blair not standing up to Bush. Bush and theneo-cons were so dogmatic that if anyone dogmatic that they set out todestroy or ignore any one who criticised them. It was his way or noway.