The Reagans

[dissention]

The miniseries will air on Sunday night on Showtime. I have no clue if it has been edited, but at least it made it onto the air.

It's cancellation was complete ridiculousness and Les Moonves knew exactly what the movie contained. People in the cast and crew even said that he watched the dailies every day and loved it.

I never liked Reagan one bit and I'm sure one movie can't express what an idiot that man was and how bad a president he was (admit it or not, he sucked and the fact that he gets all the credit for ending the Cold War is just right-wing trash). After all, he was the man that said trees produce more pollution than cars and that facts are "stupid" things.

But, just thought I'd let everyone know it's on Sunday night!

[gldstwmn]

You know I'll be watching this. The directors have said that they cut the bejesus out of it, so we'll see what's left.

[darklinensuit]

I do not believe for a moment that whatever biopic on the Clintons the future holds will be forced off a network and onto cable. Something tells me THAT one will air unedited. Freedom of speech will be the cry.
I'm still without cable, so post about the Reagan thing after you see it.

- Jake

[jwd]

posted by darklinensuit:

I do not believe for a moment that whatever biopic on the Clintons the future holds will be forced off a network and onto cable. Something tells me THAT one will air unedited.

Uh, I can think of at least ONE episode that WOULD be edited out of his biopic, unless of course they show it on the Spice Channel.


Joe

[gldstwmn]

Well, it wasn't too bad for a made for tv movie. It was about 3 hours long and the only thing they really nailed him on was Iran-Contra. He supposedly didn't remember it because of the onset of his Alzheimer's. Nancy comes off in a pretty bad light.

[dissention]

Originally posted by gldstwmn
Nancy comes off in a pretty bad light.

Well, she does that on her own without any help from Hollywood.

I thought it was pretty good. I was disappointed that they cut many of the scenes, but it was still great. Judy Davis *rocks* in every movie she makes.

[gldstwmn]

I'm not a Nancy fan either. It was great when that guy screams at her "That dress you're wearing could feed me for a year!" Don't you think they made Ronnie out to be a tad bit naive? I wish it was longer because a lot of things were glossed over. The whole Just Say No thing from the balcony was interesting. They could have done a whole mini-series on Iran Contra, especially with the way it's played into the mess we're in now. I also thought it was interesting how she cancelled his meeting with VP Bush while Ronnie was in the hospital but then said he'd see Tip O'Neill.

[dissention]

Originally posted by gldstwmn
I'm not a Nancy fan either. It was great when that guy screams at her "That dress you're wearing could feed me for a year!" Don't you think they made Ronnie out to be a tad bit naive? I wish it was longer because a lot of things were glossed over. The whole Just Say No thing from the balcony was interesting. They could have done a whole mini-series on Iran Contra, especially with the way it's played into the mess we're in now. I also thought it was interesting how she cancelled his meeting with VP Bush while Ronnie was in the hospital but then said he'd see Tip O'Neill.

Oh, they portrayed him as a naive little boy who didn't know a thing. But, in all actuality, they weren't off base too much. People close to Reagan have been saying for years how he was naive and too dumb to be president. The only reason Republicans and conservatives hold him in such high regard is because he's the only Republican president who didn't have the foolish things he did publicized. Make no mistake, the Gipper was a flake. And Nancy was the first white trash first lady.

I wish it was longer, too; I would've loved to have seen the backstage drama Nancy caused on the set of Diff'rent Strokes,

[Rob67]

I am a moderate conservative (a realist, if you will) and I have to agree that the miniseries is definitly slanted. If you step back and take an unbiased look at the Reagan presidency, you will see some flaws but also some great moments. I agree with with this editorial from the Washington Times...



Smearing Reagan's legacy

Ronald Reagan's legacy is under attack. For years, liberal academics have tried to explain how the Soviet Union collapsed without giving credit to the U.S. president who challenged communism head on and won. Now Hollywood is opening up another front. Next month, Mr. Reagan will be tarred and feathered in a made-for-TV docudrama by CBS. It is a transparent attempt to obscure historical fact with Tinsel Town glitz.
The anti-Reagan bias of the mini-series isn't hidden. In a Tuesday article focusing on the controversy surrounding the movie, the New York Times noted "growing concern that this deconstruction of his presidency is shot through a liberal lens, exaggerating his foibles and giving short thrift to his accomplishments." In the evidence department, Exhibit No. 1 is that the 40th president is played by Mr. Barbra Streisand, James Brolin. The actor and his wife are longtime activists for far-left causes. In the last month alone, as reported by Matt Drudge, Miss Streisand has labeled the California recall a right-wing "attempted hijacking of the democratic process," attacked "the myth of Big Government" and demanded an independent probe into White House leaks.
On "Hardball with Chris Matthews" two days ago, the host asked Mr. Reagan's campaign manager and two of the president's biographers if they were contacted by CBS to verify the historical authenticity of the film. Strategist Ed Rollins and biographers Lou Cannon and Martin Anderson all stated that they had not been consulted. On the program, these authorities of the Reagan presidency debunked the movie's depiction of Ronald Reagan as callous to AIDS, oversimplistic in labeling people "commies" and accommodating to his wife's alleged consultations with an astrologer. These experts and other articles point out that the movie does not give him due credit for reversing the ascendancy of the Soviet Union, stimulating an economic recovery and making Americans proud again after the defeat in Vietnam and the discombobulation of the Carter administration.
As Mr. Reagan struggles with the last stages of Alzheimer's disease, "The Reagans" mini-series is certainly in bad taste. But its dishonesty is worse. Of course, distorting history is nothing new in Hollywood. On his Tuesday show, Chris Matthews, a forthright liberal, criticized the Oliver Stone productions "Nixon" and "JFK" for playing fast and loose with the truth. "People with the baseball hats on, regular kids in their 20s, they sit there [in the theater] and they suck this stuff up, and they come out of there thinking, 'You know, Nixon had something to do with killing Kennedy.' " Mr. Matthews shows that the Reagan smear does not have to be a partisan issue. All those who respect truth should come out against this latest example of Hollywood revisionism.

[jwd]

Posted by Rob67:

I am a moderate conservative (a realist, if you will)

WELCOME TO THE ROOM!!...and I agree with your post COMPLETELY!!


Joe

[strandinthewind]

The whole Reagan bashing issue aside, it was just an awful production. I couldn't watch it for that reason.

[sodascouts]

Originally posted by gldstwmn
I'm not a Nancy fan either.

Hey! lol

Seriously though, whatever programmer thought it would be a great idea to air a miniseries mocking a dying man should be fired. I think most conservatives and liberals can agree that it was poorly timed, to say the least.

[Johnny Stew]

Nancy (sodascouts) and I talked about this before, and we both felt that the timing was off, and very insensitive towards his family.

But beyond any made-for-TV movie, all I know is that during the years Ronald Reagan was in the White House, my father lost his job because of a crippled economy, was forced to work any job he could find in order to just scrape by, and we had to go on food stamps.
Meanwhile, the rich got richer (and richer and richer).

So credit him all you want for the fall of the Soviet Union and for helping Upper-Class folks... but for me, the struggle of my family and thousands of familes in our area alone, always will be Reagan's true legacy as a President, and I will never forget the hell my dad went thru in order to keep a roof over our heads during that time.

End of story. Fade to black.

[dissention]

Originally posted by strandinthewind
The whole Reagan bashing issue aside, it was just an awful production. I couldn't watch it for that reason.

That's due in part to the fact that they chopped it up worse than Leatherface would to non-virginal teenagers.

Originally posted by Rob67
I am a moderate conservative (a realist, if you will) and I have to agree that the miniseries is definitly slanted. If you step back and take an unbiased look at the Reagan presidency, you will see some flaws but also some great moments.

Of course it is slanted. I think everyone would be preaching to the choir if they tried to say it wasn't. However, it is no more slanted than Fox News, it is no more slanted than the recent Jessica Lynch movie, and it would be no more slanted than a miniseries about Bill Clinton. The same thing that you said about the Reagan presidency having flaws but also great moments would certainly apply to Bill Clinton, but no conservative would ever admit it. If Fox television ever produces a Clinton movie, I'd bet my life that the costumes would mainly consist Devil costumes and they would try to recruit Osama for the lead role.

Let's face it: Reagan some okay things, but he certainly did NOT perform s well as Republicans would have you believe. He wasn't the brightest crayon in the Crayola box and I think it's painfully obvious. He made many remarks that made no sense and many that completely disregarded facts. He took actions that were, in my mind, absolutely ridiculous, yet he is considered one of the greatest presidents. I don't agree, but that's just part of my "liberal agenda."

Originally posted by Rob67
On the program, these authorities of the Reagan presidency debunked the movie's depiction of Ronald Reagan as callous to AIDS, oversimplistic in labeling people "commies"

Sorry, but both of those facts are true. I refuse to believe that Reagan was just "slow" in reacting to the AIDs epidemic, I feel no need to whitewash his actions (or lack thereof) in Republican baloney. As for labeling people as commies, that's common liberal knowledge that the Republicans won't acknowledge.

Originally posted by Rob67
As Mr. Reagan struggles with the last stages of Alzheimer's disease, "The Reagans" mini-series is certainly in bad taste.

And if Bill Clinton was in the last stages of cancer or even Altzheimer's, the conservative-ruled media would hold restraint in a biopic?



Sorry, all of this just proves that the Republicans and conservatives of our country are hypocrites with no grasp on reality. I'm actually surprised that they stopped taking away health benefits from struggling, single parents to fit this Reagan uprising into their schedule. Excuse me while I go chastise homeless people for not paying taxes and propose new laws that would take away Medicare benefits from the poor and elderly who suffer from Altzheimer's. Ah, but first I must propose my vigorous beliefs on why Reagan should replace that crippled devil Roosevelt on dimes.

[dissention]

Originally posted by Johnny Stew
Nancy (sodascouts) and I talked about this before, and we both felt that the timing was off, and very insensitive towards his family.

But beyond any made-for-TV movie, all I know is that during the years Ronald Reagan was in the White House, my father lost his job because of a crippled economy, was forced to work any job he could find in order to just scrape by, and we had to go on food stamps.
Meanwhile, the rich got richer (and richer and richer).

So credit him all you want for the fall of the Soviet Union and for helping Upper-Class folks... but for me, the struggle of my family and thousands of familes in our area alone, always will be Reagan's true legacy as a President, and I will never forget the hell my dad went thru in order to keep a roof over our heads during that time.

End of story. Fade to black.

Amen, Johnny.