I will watch your favorite political documentary/movie.

[Blart]

I will watch any political documentary you name and review it, giving it between 1 and 5 "smoking cutlers", 5 being the best.





I can obtain the movie on my own, so all you need to post is the title.

I've been addicted to both left-wing and right-wing documentaries for the past couple months, so odds are I've already seen anything you post.

I will try to be fair. I am a known commie-liberal-pinko, but I was once a libertarian, and there are right-wing documentaries that I find fair and engaging -such as Michael Moore Hates America (bad title, decent film) and Waiting for Superman. My personal favorite documentary so far is The Corporation (hulu, Netflix, Amazon), which brings in intellectual heavyweights from the right (e.g. Milton Friedman) and left (e.g. Noam Chomsky) for great interviews, plus the production values are high. That will set the bar for 5 smoking cutlers.

Anyway, please post the title of a documentary. I will guarantee a review of one(1) documentary per poster. Adding a link to netflix/amazon/hulu would be nice, but not required. Warning: I will be watching while doing boring database work, so please no excessive subtitles.

[houghtam]

Religulous, by Bill Maher

Available on Netflix Instant Streaming.



...aaaaaaand...GO!

[fwf]

Herbert Hoover: Landslide. Good tale about the last time America made a shrewd business man, billionaire, that couldnt give a **** about the lower class their president.. Very fascinating.

[DBruleU]

Anything by Gaffney.

[lonestar]

Originally Posted by Blart

I will watch any political documentary you name and review it, giving it between 1 and 5 "smoking cutlers", 5 being the best.





I can obtain the movie on my own, so all you need to post is the title.

I've been addicted to both left-wing and right-wing documentaries for the past couple months, so odds are I've already seen anything you post.

I will try to be fair. I am a known commie-liberal-pinko, but I was once a libertarian, and there are right-wing documentaries that I find fair and engaging -such as Michael Moore Hates America (bad title, decent film) and Waiting for Superman. My personal favorite documentary so far is The Corporation (hulu, Netflix, Amazon), which brings in intellectual heavyweights from the right (e.g. Milton Friedman) and left (e.g. Noam Chomsky) for great interviews, plus the production values are high. That will set the bar for 5 smoking cutlers.

Anyway, please post the title of a documentary. I will guarantee a review of one(1) documentary per poster. Adding a link to netflix/amazon/hulu would be nice, but not required. Warning: I will be watching while doing boring database work, so please no excessive subtitles.

I will be watching for the reviews and may even watch a fewwthat you trash as they may be worth seeing..

[El Minion]

This documentary made me have a meltdown, especially after it was shown that it directly helped recall Governor Grey Davis and put Schwarzenegger in his place through no fault of Davis or state regulators, among other things that royally pissed me off. Enron being caught on tape laughing at the "free market" manipulation of California energy prices that led directly to vulnerable citizens not getting their AC on during the sweltering summer months which led to several of their deaths. Artificial supply restrictions to boost demand prices in the name of ripping off the citizens of California. Fúck you Ken Lay, rot in hell ásshole!

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

[TonyR]

No End in Sight and Inside Job, both by Charles Ferguson, were very good. I'd give a slight nod to the former, but take your pick.

[Blart]

Originally Posted by houghtam

Religulous, by Bill Maher

Available on Netflix Instant Streaming.



...aaaaaaand...GO!

Bill Maher came off as a jerk to some his interviewees, but then again it's Bill Maher. I'm not a big fan of his comedy, but there were some hilarious scenes with the Senator "You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate, though." and the gay reformer's giggle fit.

Most of the movie was kind of ligh-hearted, Maher wandering around interviewing kooks, and sometimes knowledgeable religious folk (who he didn't disagree with, as they were equally doubtful.)

It wasn't a pro-atheist movie as I expected, but an anti-fundamentalist movie.

The end of the movie took a sharp turn when Maher launched into his rant against religion. Even as an atheist, Maher failed to convince me that Religion is the source of war and violence.

For example,
"Rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves. And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you actually comes at a terrible price."

That could easily be a rallying cry for Paul Ryan to drop his phony Catholic front and admit he's an Objectivist. And if Paul Ryan is in all likelihood atheist, as are many neocons, then you don't need religion to be a loony, warmongering prick.

Besides, poverty and religion are eternally linked. Nobody is going to cast Jesus or Mohammed out of their lives when that's all they have. I still believe religion is a symptom, not the problem.






Pros: funny
cons: not always funny, Sagan did this anti-religion thing better.

[houghtam]

Originally Posted by Blart

Bill Maher came off as a jerk to some his interviewees, but then again it's Bill Maher. I'm not a big fan of his comedy, but there were some hilarious scenes with the Senator "You don't have to pass an IQ test to be in the Senate, though." and the gay reformer's giggle fit.

Most of the movie was kind of ligh-hearted, Maher wandering around interviewing kooks, and sometimes knowledgeable religious folk (who he didn't disagree with, as they were equally doubtful.)

It wasn't a pro-atheist movie as I expected, but an anti-fundamentalist movie.

The end of the movie took a sharp turn when Maher launched into his rant against religion. Even as an atheist, Maher failed to convince me that Religion is the source of war and violence.

For example,
"Rational people, anti-religionists, must end their timidity and come out of the closet and assert themselves. And those who consider themselves only moderately religious really need to look in the mirror and realize that the solace and comfort that religion brings you actually comes at a terrible price."

That could easily be a rallying cry for Paul Ryan to drop his phony Catholic front and admit he's an Objectivist. And if Paul Ryan is in all likelihood atheist, as are many neocons, then you don't need religion to be a loony, warmongering prick.

Besides, poverty and religion are eternally linked. Nobody is going to cast Jesus or Mohammed out of their lives when that's all they have. I still believe religion is a symptom, not the problem.






Pros: funny
cons: not always funny, Sagan did this anti-religion thing better.

Rep for you when I get a chance. My favorite part of the show from an ideological perspective, as someone who was raised Catholic, was his conversation near the Vatican with that priest. Good example of the "yeah some of the stuff religion does is pretty stupid, but the idea is still nice."

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

PBS Frontline

John O'Neill: The Man Who Knew

Watch online here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/

[Blart]

Originally Posted by fwf

Herbert Hoover: Landslide. Good tale about the last time America made a shrewd business man, billionaire, that couldnt give a **** about the lower class their president.. Very fascinating.

A very timely documentary! Depression? Check. Wall Street hero versus man of the people? Check. Unrestrained capitalism versus collective economy? CHECK!

I found this much more interesting than FDR's bio - funny how villains are always more interesting.

Do you really think Hoover didn't care about the poor? The doc made it seem like he cared deeply (unlike today's GOP) but didn't know how to help. The man was a great humanitarian, but economics was still a fairly new science, nobody knew who Keynes was, and the best advice seemed to be coming from the laissez-faire capitalists. It's hard to blame him for going with expert opinion.





pros: interesting
cons: not that interesting because there are no fat guys screaming their opinion, extreme paranoia, or campy 50's movie clips used for irony. PBS man, PBS.

[Blart]

Originally Posted by houghtam

Rep for you when I get a chance. My favorite part of the show from an ideological perspective, as someone who was raised Catholic, was his conversation near the Vatican with that priest. Good example of the "yeah some of the stuff religion does is pretty stupid, but the idea is still nice."

That guy was awesome, as was the Vatican's Astronomer.

Like I said, it's not an atheist movie - he got along well with two very religious people. They just weren't fundamentalists.

[Doggcow]

Where is smoking Jay Cutler from? It's hilarious but wtf? lolol

[Bacchus]

Sicko is one of my favorites.

Here are the documentaries I have on DVD. If anyone is interested I can make you a copy.

Fahrenheit 911

Ape to Man (2005)

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln (The Last of Mrs. Lincoln) TV Movie

Lincoln (Gore Vidal's): TV Movie

Lincoln (History Channel Home Video)

An American Experience: PBS Home Video

Thomas Edison

Wild by Law

The Wright Stuff

Mr. Sears Catalog

The Way West

Ishi the Last Yani

1950 Educational films about drugs

America Beyond The Color Line

The Awful Truth With Michael Moore: Seasons 1,2 Q=10 4 DVDs

Babies (2010)

Baraka

Bowling for Columbine

CNN Millenium 2000

Capitalism: A love Story (2009)

Cocaine Cowboys

D-D Remembered

Deliver Us From Evil

Desperate Crossing: The True Story of the Mayflower (2006)

Food Inc. (2008)

Frontiers of Flight: Air Transport

****: A Documentary (2005)

The Girl Next Door (1999)

Great Train Robberies

Ghost Hunters: Season 1 Q=10 3 DVDs

Grizzly Man (2005)

How the Earth was Made (2007)

It Might Get Loud (2007)

John Waters DVD Scrapbook

The Klu Klux Klan: The Secret History (1998)

Last Days on Earth (2006)

Mein Krieg

Move On: The Movie

One Day in September

The Osbournes: Season 1 Q=10 2 DVDs

Planet Earth complete collection 5 DVDs Q=10

Project Gemini: A Bold Leap Forward: 3 DVDs

The Serial Killers (1995) 3 DVDs

Taking Chance

That Was Nam (2010) 9 DVDs http://www.amazon.com/That-Was-Nam-C...ews/B003XMKUES

This Filthy World

This Film is not Yet Rated (2006)

Taxi to the Dark Side

Trains Unlimited

True Action Adventures of the Twentieth Century (Time Life Video)

Sailing Alone Around the World

Bombs Away

Elite Warriors

Legends of WW II

Escape to Freedom

The Great Escape

The Universe: The History Channel Home Video S-1 4 DVDs

Vintage School "Scare" and Informational Films

#1 - Drug Addiction, You Want Thrills?, Baby Sitter's Guide and more.

#2 - Dating Do's and Don'ts, Teenicide, Drugs Are Like That and more.

#3 - The Innocent Party, Sudden Birth, Girls Beware and more.

#4 - One Will Die

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Small Prices

When the West Was Fun: A Western Reunion

Who Killed the Electric Car (2006)

Winged Migration

The Waltz (Greatest rock music ever)

Warriors: BBC Home Video

Crazy Horse

Joseph Stalin

Richard the Lionheart

Douglas McArthur

The Red Baron

Colin Powell

Norman Schwartzkopt

Omar Bradley

Risking their Lives

World War II Films: Rare Unedited Footage

Germany/Europe (1942-1946)

USA/Japan (1942-1946)

The Homefront: America (1942-1946)

[GreasyQtip]

I downloaded a brand new documentary last night I plan to watch tonight, It is called We are Legion it is about the hacker group Anonymous and although not directly along any party lines it will be fairly political I assume.




Also I am reminded of "Jesus Camp" which I think gives some insight into how lonestar was raised (no joke).

[fwf]

Originally Posted by Blart

A very timely documentary! Depression? Check. Wall Street hero versus man of the people? Check. Unrestrained capitalism versus collective economy? CHECK!

I found this much more interesting than FDR's bio - funny how villains are always more interesting.

Do you really think Hoover didn't care about the poor? The doc made it seem like he cared deeply (unlike today's GOP) but didn't know how to help. The man was a great humanitarian, but economics was still a fairly new science, nobody knew who Keynes was, and the best advice seemed to be coming from the laissez-faire capitalists. It's hard to blame him for going with expert opinion.





pros: interesting
cons: not that interesting because there are no fat guys screaming their opinion, extreme paranoia, or campy 50's movie clips used for irony. PBS man, PBS.

He had the resources of the federal government to help the people and he choose not to. He had a deep seeded belief that it was not governments responsibility. The soup lines, the hoover cities.. he just sat back and watched. Go study FDR's first 100 days in office. Never has a president come in and had more straightening up to do. My point was- I dont think that cut throat, successful business men like Hoover/Romeny have the right skill set to be president over the 100%.

[Popcorn Sutton]

http://www.thecartelmovie.com/

[Arkie]

The Money Masters (1996)


The Secret of Oz (2009)


Peace, Propaganda, & the Promised Land (2004)

[Blart]

Originally Posted by DBruleU

Anything by Gaffney.

Sorry man couldn't find it. Frank Gaffney? He appeared in a few docs, but only produced one - Islam vs Islamists, which was a PBS reject. I couldn't find it anywhere.

Originally Posted by El Minion

This documentary made me have a meltdown, especially after it was shown that it directly helped recall Governor Grey Davis and put Schwarzenegger in his place through no fault of Davis or state regulators, among other things that royally pissed me off. Enron being caught on tape laughing at the "free market" manipulation of California energy prices that led directly to vulnerable citizens not getting their AC on during the sweltering summer months which led to several of their deaths. Artificial supply restrictions to boost demand prices in the name of ripping off the citizens of California. Fúck you Ken Lay, rot in hell ásshole!

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

LOVE the soundtrack. Tom Waits, Billy Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Marilyn Manson, etc. Eclectic and fun.

I can't believe the Enron guys liked the book, "The Selfish Gene" because I enjoyed it too - but our interpretations must have been completely different. I saw it as a good little explaination of genetics and evolution for laymen - they took it as a philosophy for crushing people.

It was shocking how connected they were to the Bush family (every Bush recording a goodbye message for the exec - ****ing incredible), how they cheered on forest fires and the destruction of power plants, how callous the traders were to the lives of the elderly - even laughing as they suffered and died.

The lying, cheating, stealing - and it's not just Enron. Many major banks and corporations were in on Enron's schemes. America got screwed.









When watching the conclusion it was clear that anything we do to limit or free corporations - regulation, deregulation - they will exploit to the fullest. Ken Lay was an a-hole, but there's nothing odd or extraordinary about him. We wrote the rules.

Found it on Hulu, as well as various "other" sources. Great documentary.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/337496

[Bacchus]

Originally Posted by Blart

Sorry man couldn't find it. Frank Gaffney? He appeared in a few docs, but only produced one - Islam vs Islamists, which was a PBS reject. I couldn't find it anywhere.



LOVE the soundtrack. Tom Waits, Billy Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Marilyn Manson, etc. Eclectic and fun.

I can't believe the Enron guys liked the book, "The Selfish Gene" because I enjoyed it too - but our interpretations must have been completely different. I saw it as a good little explaination of genetics and evolution for laymen - they took it as a philosophy for crushing people.

It was shocking how connected they were to the Bush family (every Bush recording a goodbye message for the exec - ****ing incredible), how they cheered on forest fires and the destruction of power plants, how callous the traders were to the lives of the elderly - even laughing as they suffered and died.

The lying, cheating, stealing - and it's not just Enron. Many major banks and corporations were in on Enron's schemes. America got screwed.









When watching the conclusion it was clear that anything we do to limit or free corporations - regulation, deregulation - they will exploit to the fullest. Ken Lay was an a-hole, but there's nothing odd or extraordinary about him. We wrote the rules.

Found it on Hulu, as well as various "other" sources. Great documentary.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/337496

I agree with the five Smoking Cutler's it was a great Documentary. One that should make a difference and open people's eyes but we live in a time of apathy.

[Blart]

Originally Posted by TonyR

No End in Sight and Inside Job, both by Charles Ferguson, were very good. I'd give a slight nod to the former, but take your pick.

I went with No End in Sight.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/337493

Thanks, it was horrific.

These weren't typical right-wing nutjobs, or easy-pickin targets from a Michael Moore film. Those interviewed were all Bush loyalists - people who once believed in the humanitarian aspect of the Iraq war, people Bush himself appointed, as well as generals, experts, etc.

I always looked at Cheney/Rumsfeld/Condoleezza as evil people, but I'm anti-war so no big surprise.

What I didn't know was how stunningly incompetent they were at carrying out their war. To ignore the advice of generals, people on the ground, and experts in favor of their own crazy plans?
For example: 500,000 well armed, well trained young men ready to serve the new government. Disbanded, unemployed, left to starve. One clip of the riots that followed tells you where the muscle behind the insurgency came from.

The documentary is made up of interviews and war footage. It's as engaging as it is serious. It's not an easy film to watch, but only because it's frustrating watching pure corruption and incompetence. I searched to find a "rebuttal" or "debunk" to get the other point of view - as you find in response to most partisan documentaries - but there was none. I guess there's nothing to say when former Bush appointees are doing the talking.

[TonyR]

Originally Posted by Blart

What I didn't know was how stunningly incompetent they were at carrying out their war...

...It's as engaging as it is serious. It's not an easy film to watch, but only because it's frustrating watching pure corruption and incompetence.

Glad you watched. You put it perfectly. Very good but difficult to watch and extremely frustrating. Inside Job is similar in this respect for sure.

[Arkie]

Why We Fight



I give it five smokin jays.

[baja]

Originally Posted by Blart

I went with No End in Sight.
http://www.hulu.com/watch/337493

Thanks, it was horrific.

These weren't typical right-wing nutjobs, or easy-pickin targets from a Michael Moore film. Those interviewed were all Bush loyalists - people who once believed in the humanitarian aspect of the Iraq war, people Bush himself appointed, as well as generals, experts, etc.

I always looked at Cheney/Rumsfeld/Condoleezza as evil people, but I'm anti-war so no big surprise.

What I didn't know was how stunningly incompetent they were at carrying out their war. To ignore the advice of generals, people on the ground, and experts in favor of their own crazy plans?
For example: 500,000 well armed, well trained young men ready to serve the new government. Disbanded, unemployed, left to starve. One clip of the riots that followed tells you where muscle of the insurgency came from.

The documentary is made up of interviews and war footage. It's as engaging as it is serious. It's not an easy film to watch, but only because it's frustrating watching pure corruption and incompetence. I searched to find a "rebuttal" or "debunk" to get the other point of view - as you find with most partisan documentaries - but there was none. I guess there's nothing to say when former Bush appointees are doing the talking.

Anyone that does not believe evil is working on this earth needs to watch this film.


Evil before your eyes, undeniable evil.

What else could it be?

Some will say what we have here is stupid, plain and simple..

Stupid that profound has evil as it's puppeteer.


Thanks for the link. Powerful stuff.

[Blart]

(I'm reviewing documentaries posted in order - no intentional skipping)

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

PBS Frontline

John O'Neill: The Man Who Knew

Watch online here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/

I was expecting Frontline's dry documentary style (which I usually like) but the jazz, the hushed voices, the clubs - they really tried to stylize O'Neill's life. And after hearing about the kind of guy he was, he'd have appreciated it.

Quick summary: FBI Maverick is obsessed with Bin Laden, lives for his work (and his clothes, and his mistress) wants to change how the FBI handles and passes along information, and is rather carefree with his own safety. He stopped a Y2K massacre in New York (which he attended, in case the attack happened he wanted to be there), and is about to figure out 9/11 - he has two of the eventual pilots within his grasp, and a plane ticket to Yemen - but then some jealous types and a rigid bureaucracy screw him over and kick him out.

Defeated but still hoping to help, he takes a job as the security officer at the World Trade Center, knowing full well what he's getting himself into.

The big eye opener? It's harder to blame Bush for 9/11 after watching this (not impossible, just harder.) I had to check and make sure L.A. BRONCOS FAN recommended this. The biggest issue wasn't a president that ignored reports - it was that the rigid, slow moving bureaucracy of the FBI wasn't ready for a small, well-funded global opponent. O'Neill tried his best to fix the FBI, and failing that - to stop Al Qaeda on his own, but one ball-buster can only do so much.

Heroic and sad story. Frontline does their best to jazz it up, but it lags at times. FBI people can make for dry interviewees, no matter how exciting their lives. All I really wanted to see was O'Neill busting terrorists and schmoozing with foreigners. This would work much better as a feature film.