Society (1989) (Ws)

Starring:Billy Warlock, Connie Danese, Ben Slack, Evan Richards, Patrice Jennings, Tim Bartell, Charles Lucia, Heidi Kozak, Brian Bremer, Ben Meyerson, Devin DeVasquez, Maria Claire, Conan Yuzna, Jason Williams, Pamela Matheson, Chris Claridge (II), Michael Schipper, Amy Obrand, David Wiley, David Wells
Director: Brian Yuzna
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Don't miss it...
I am confused
We need to wake up
A must-see!
INCONVIENT FACTS

An Inconvenient Truth
Starring: Al Gore , and Billy West (II)
Director: Davis Guggenheim
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Who Killed the Electric Car?
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
The Secret (Extended Edition)
The Da Vinci Code (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)
The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B000ICL3KG
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Amazon.com

With the fate of our planet arguably hanging in the balance, An Inconvenient Truth may prove to be one of the most important and prescient documentaries of all time. As he jokingly refers to himself, "former President-elect" Al Gore felt an urgent personal calling to draw attention--as he had been doing throughout his political career--to the increasingly desperate crisis of global warming, and this riveting documentary is basically a filmed version (by respected TV director Davis Guggenheim) of the PowerPoint lecture that Gore has presented (by his own estimate, well over 1,000 times) to attentive audiences all over the world. Considering Gore's amiable, low-key approach to charts, graphs, statistics, and photographs that leave no room for doubt regarding the reality (not "theory") of global warming as Earth's ultimate environmental crisis, many viewers will be surprised by just how fascinating and convincing this no-frills film really is.

As we learn about the milestone events that shaped his character (including his sister's death and young son's near-fatal injuries after being struck by a car), Gore sheds the stiff demeanor of his 2000 presidential campaign and impresses us as a man with a mission, transcending partisan politics with an impassioned plea for common sense, ethical forthrightness, and passionate purpose in reversing the harmful effects of global warming through personal and political responsibility. Some may accuse Gore of exploiting global warming as a Democratic platform, but his honest conviction regarding this "inconvenient truth" (i.e. overwhelming evidence of global warming that's troublesome to those whose interests are threatened by Gore's irrefutable message) is likely to silence all but the most obtusely stubborn detractors. By taking the high road and discreetly avoiding a full-on assault against the George W. Bush administration (which has steadfastly avoided "the inconvenient truth" with obfuscating spin control and policies favoring the oil industry), Gore effectively rises above political differences with a stern but hopeful eye toward a better future for our children.--Jeff Shannon

Description

Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Al Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change in the most talked-about documentary of the year. An audience and critical favorite, An Inconvenient Truth makes the compelling case that global warming is real, man-made, and its effects will be cataclysmic if we don't act now. Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way: often humorous, frequently emotional, always fascinating. In the end, An Inconvenient Truth accomplishes what all great films should: it leaves the viewer shaken, involved and inspired.

Customer Reviews:

Don't miss it..........2007-07-04

Essential viewing for anyone who DOESN'T want to commit suicide, individually or collectively! Clarity, humour, and candid dialogue on how to avoid global warming. I have bought 3 and have given them as presents. I can't underline how important I think this dvd is.

I am confused.......2007-07-04

How come America missed out on such intelligent Presidental potential. A great humanitarian with even greater sense of purpose - what the world needs now. How I value my copy of An Inconvenient Truth even though I was late to purchase it. Not TOO late one hopes.

We need to wake up.......2007-07-01

Most people, who have bashed this film on here, have never even seen it. We seriously need to wake up people. This isn't an issue of republicans or democrats, its an issue of humanity. And if we continue to argue and fight we'll never get this solved and our stupid behavior will ruin our children's lives. For all those who are against abortion, I hope you are against the extinction of the human race as well.

A must-see!.......2007-07-01

I would have rated it 4-stars for Al Gore's somewhat dry style, but I gave it a 5 because I think it is so important for people to see this. There is no question that global warming is real(and I knew before I saw this documentary) and that we are, at the least, significantly contributing to it. What blows me away is seeing the evidence of it in such an incontrovertible manner.

There are many things we can do to reduce our "carbon footprint", even without dramatically changing our lifestyles, things like using window fans or attic fans instead of turning on the A/C on relatively cool days, turning down the heat a notch and wearing an additional layer of clothing instead, being "energy-aware" in the home, at work and on the road. The trouble is that people don't seem to see that they need to make individual contributions, and that perception is what I think this documentary will change. Buy it, and share it with as many people as you can. This is a message that needs to be heard.

INCONVIENT FACTS.......2007-06-29

Why didn't he clearly state that temperature changes have been occurring normally over the eons; that sunspots have a greater impact on climate than humans; that according to the United Nations report from which he quotes, methane from animals raised for human consumption causes more Greenhouse gases than those generated by autos,and energy production plants, combined. Also, was it really necessary to use footage of a nuclear explosion to demonstrate the effects of changing weather. Of course, he doesn't have a political agenda: Right.

Ghost In The Shell - Solid State Society (Limited Edition)

Average customer rating:

The Right Mindset
Surely they could've done better...
Argueably the Best GIS yet
Full English Version
True to the Series

Ghost In The Shell - Solid State Society (Limited Edition)
Starring: Michael McCarty (III) , Dean Wein , Yutaka Nakano , Takashi Onozuka , and Joshua Seth
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Manufacturer: Manga Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

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Ergo Proxy, Vol. 4: Wrong Way Home
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Volume 2 ( Limited Edition)
Ergo Proxy Vol. 3-Cytopropism
Ergo Proxy 5: Terra Incognita (Ws)
Black Lagoon Volume 2 Limited (w/ Dog Tag)

ASIN: B000PMGNK4
Release Date: 2007-07-03

Amazon.com

The television movie Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society (2006) continues the adventures of the cast of Stand Alone Complex, the TV series based on Mamoru Oshii's watershed feature. It's been two years since Major Kusanagi left Public Security Section 9 and struck out on her own. Batou pursues only investigations that interest him. Togusa is in charge of the Section, largely by default. All three characters, plus Chief Aramaki and the Tachikoma robots, join in the investigation of a string of suicides by agents of a foreign general. The trail leads them to a terrorist plot involving micro-machines created to release a deadly virus, and to the master-hacker known as the Puppeteer. The depiction of a corrupt politician using resources earmarked for the care of an aging population for his own ends reflects recent scandals in Japan. But Solid State Society feels derivative. The plot borrows heavily from the "Laughing Man" storyline, and the general lack of inspiration is evident in the failure to resolve the mystery satisfactorily.

The Limited Edition includes a music CD and a second DVD of extras, among them notes on designing the futuristic vehicles in the film, and an interview with Mitsuhisa Ishikawa of Production I.G., all packaged in a metal box. (Rated 13 and older: violence, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

The Right Mindset.......2007-07-05

So, the first thing I have to say is yes, I am glad I bought it. However, don't make the same mistake I made... I, for no good reason, assumed that the team who created GITS: Innocence created GITS: SSS. Wrong!!! Do not expect the same dramatic, philosophical, and artistic depth and sophistication found in GITS: Innocence.

The team that created this film is the same team that generates the series. As a matter of fact, this film has a "made-for-TV" feel about it. It seems as if two individual stories were grafted together as one which may account for some of the disharmony. It also felt somewhat episodic, as if filmed so that it could be easily serialized. (As an aside...The involvement of Nissan makes me a little nervous for the future, hopefully the studio doesn't lose their artistic vision and swing too far to the commercial side. The concept cars were cool but they weren't anything the art team couldn't have created on their own. With the exception of one scene, the cars simply were not integral to the film.)

Now, with all of that said, I love the series. This film is on par with caliber of the 2nd season. The art, audio, general plot, English dubbing, etc. is top notch. (Writing? Well...the continuity people responsible for ensuring that the story flows smoothly could have tightened things up a bit.)

If you love the series, you'll love this movie.

So, yes, I'm glad I bought it and I'll probably watch it again today!!

Surely they could've done better..........2007-07-02

Ghost in the Shell's success has always been a bit of a fluke, as it was to be Appleseed that was Shirow's magnum opus. I really wanted to like Solid State Society, I really did, but just found it to be very lacking.

The first season of Stand Alone was amazing, as it managed to capture some of the feel of the comic: counter terrorist ops fighting terrorists and drinkin a cold one afterwards. Second season was passable, grasping at straws to develop characters meant to be nothing more than a talking head or plot device, plus the inclusion of a Mary Sue villain.

Still, I'd hoped that all the money that the GitS property has made studio IG over the years could've produced something better than what was essentially an almost two hour episode of Stand Alone with at most three minutes of amazing action animation.

Had they simply retold the classic Puppet Master story from the comic using the Stand Alone characters, it could've been a much better movie. The further GitS breaks from the original source material (specifically the original comic run), generally the weaker it becomes. I can't help but think that by borrowing more heavily from Man Machine Interface (particularly the whole rogue Motoko and Motoko's split consciousness bit), Solid State Society lost the potential to be an action packed thriller to wrap up the series in a hail of gun-fire and car chases. It all felt rather unsatisfying.

After the unyieldingly convoluted, pandering, and nearly unreadable debacle that was Man Machine Interface, I hope, as a Shirow fan, that the Ghost in the Shell franchise can be laid to rest with some of its dignity in tact; a solemn procession that should not end with a 21 gun salute, but rather a crudely drawn Batou going colon "d" while firing a miniature shoulder mounted rocket into the air.

Argueably the Best GIS yet.......2007-06-16

Not since they pulled out the concept in the first GIS movie that the build up of information at nodes in the sea of information could result in a self maintaining/regulating entity have I been so blown away by an idea in an Anime film. Batou, Togusa, and the whole gang are on the job, but where is the Major? Some hard hitting criminal is up to something with people dying or disappearing or simply just being erased from the sea of information. The Major is missing AND their is a new criminal about, who could it be?

Well, this film take political science fiction to its height, and also does very nicely with the technology and action aspects. And the ending is friggin phenomenal. Sure the GIS has always been wonderful with its ability to paint the world in shades of gray, or at least to say that sometimes the black is the better choice over the white, but in this story, the viewer will find it impossible to make a judement call on which side was fighting for the greater good.

BTW, watching these movies in English is pathetic because they choose voices that seem appropriate for Children's Cartoons. Be serious, GIS is absolutely not for children, if, IF, they can comprehend the concepts being thrown around, there is no way they can actually appreciate them.

Full English Version.......2007-06-12

I saw this movie for the first time on Sci-Fi Channel's Ani-Monday. I was getting ready to call it a night when this was advertised as being next and had to stay up and watch it. It's a very well done movie with a lot of feeling of the first movie that was brought to the series. Alot of things have changed, alot of feelings are different, but it's all very good. I think I saw an edited version but for the most part it was very well done. All the original cast has returned to do the voices so there's no problem with the english subtitles or with dubbing. Overall it was a good movie.

True to the Series.......2007-06-11

This film is one of the best things that I have seen come out of the GITS franchise. I have watched the movie several times, each time enjoying even more. I would give a description of the plot, but I will not ruin it for you. My only complaint about Solid State Society is that it borrows ideas from both of the feature-length movies. If you liked GITS: SAC, and most specially 2nd GIG, you will enjoy this movie.

Note: It is dubbed in English, unlike Innocence. Amazon just has that fact incorrect

Average customer rating:

Great in some parts, drags in others
So powerful
A very moving and sometimes upsetting documentary.
a study in compulsion and grief
Extremely disturbing.

The Bridge
Director: Eric Steel
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000O76PXK
Release Date: 2007-06-12

Amazon.com

Director Eric Steel has succeeded in making one of the most morbid documentaries ever, The Bridge. Starring several deceased Golden Gate Bridge jumpers, The Bridge is a eulogy comprised of interviews with their loved ones and friends who reminisce about those who succeeded in committing suicide in the San Francisco Bay. Spliced between interview footage are shots of the bridge in all its majesty, surrounded by fog, and being enjoyed by tourists. Meant to represent The Bridge as a rounded character, one of beauty punctuated by tragedy, this film is assuredly touching for the affected families. It's an important step in the grieving process, but feels random viewed by one who didn't know these mentally disturbed citizens. As a conceptual investigation into suicidal motivations, the documentary succeeds, though midway through viewing one begins to feel like an interloper at various funerals. We hear of one woman's battle with schizophrenia, another man's death obsession, and several retellings of those who witnessed the horrendous events. Like Grey Gardens, The Bridge captivates by triggering one's love of sensationalism, but fortunately the film's sincerity undercuts any inkling of gossip column crime reporting. This tribute to suicide victims serves as an oblique tribute to The Bridge, as an honest portrayal of its history, gritty though important to remember. --Trinie Dalton

Description

The Golden Gate Bridge is an iconic structure; a symbol of San Francisco, the West, freedom - and something more, something spiritual, something words cannot describe.
The director and crew spent an entire year focusing on the Bridge. Running cameras for almost every daylight minute, they documented nearly two dozen suicides and a great many unrealized attempts. In addition, the director captured nearly 100 hours of incredibly frank, deeply personal, often heart-wrenching interviews with the families and friends of the departed, as well as with several of the attempters themselves.
THE BRIDGE is a visual and visceral journey into one of life's gravest taboos, offering glimpses into the darkest, and possibly most impenetrable corners of the human mind.

Customer Reviews:

Great in some parts, drags in others.......2007-07-04

Way too much static 'people talking to camera' to carry this movie. Overly introspective. Would have benefited from quicker pacing. For example, the section on Kevin Hines, who survived a plunge from the bridge, really begins to drag on and on long after the relevant points have been made.

'The Bridge' might have been strengthened by talking with some of the bridge workers or Coast Guard in order to round out the whole experience of Golden Gate jumpers.

On the plus side, the cinematography is great. As I understand it, the produced used off-the-street local camera talent....which says something about how fertile a place SanFran is for the arts. Also, the narrative leading up to a couple of jumpers works well....sure wish he had been able to interview Gene Sprague's mother.

Great dramatic effect created by interspersing cuts of various people which leaves you guessing which one will go over the rail.

Overall, a good movie.

.

So powerful.......2007-06-27

I wasn't sure what to expect with this DVD. It is beautiful, terrifying and gut-wrenching. Seeing people end their life and listening to their friends and loved ones trying to make sense of it is a world we don't get to see into very often, nor do most of us want to. This is an amazing piece of journalism.

A very moving and sometimes upsetting documentary........2007-06-26

As of today's date, this documentary still has no release date in Australia. I have been waiting for the U.S. DVD release as it is a film I have wanted to see after first reading about it in 2006. I watched it tonight by myself without any pre-conceptions and I have been touched, moved and brought to tears in a documentary that handles its subject matter with both taste and compassion. Suicide of any kind is never an easy subject to talk about let alone make a film about. I give Eric Steel 10 out of 10 for this very poignant work and Alex Heffes the same for his haunting piano score that weaves effortlessly throughout the film.

a study in compulsion and grief.......2007-06-23

One of the pure joys (a word I use intentionally considering its disturbing connotations in this context) of the documentary is the element of challenge--to undertake a concept that brings up more questions than answers, more complexity than simplicity. When the proper challenge is identified, it is the talented film maker who explores rather than concludes, who looks for the range of possibility and concern, the mirror of real life if you will, rather than find an oversimplified answer to everything.

And this is where this film succeeds immensely.

The Golden Gate Bridge is evidently one of the most popular spots for suicide in the world. In 2004, when this film was shot, 24 people threw themselves from it. And Eric Steel, shooting the bridge from various angles during this year, caught several of those suicides.

There is an ethical discussion to be had about the premise of the film alone, an effort to capture suicides on film rather than prevent them from happening. But Steel's handling of these events is far more human and considerate than the manipulative handling of so-called reality shows, where the people are but spectacles who can be maneuvered and edited in any which way to get a pre-desired end. Steel takes these suicides and studies them by talking to the deceased's relatives and friends, or people who witnessed the event, to look at not only the impact of suicide and mental illness, but also the effects of relationships, of living through the day-to-day and not wanting (or not expecting) such events of drama in their lives.

The ranges of attitudes regarding mental illness alone are well worth watching this movie for. From a couple of kiters who are so into their sport that they cannot relate at all to a person's desire to hurl himself to his own death, to parents who have to live with the fact that their own son will most likely find a way to kill himself (and eventually does). People who live with regret for their own actions (or lack thereof) or anger at a loved one for leaving them in that way. The suicides in this film are not presented in any way to glorify them. Instead, each and every person who jumps (or who attempts to jump) comes across as scared and confused. The jumper who survives his attempt describes it best when he says how he was determined to die until his hands actually let go of the rail, at which point he knew that he didn't want to die anymore. Every jumper in this film comes across as a frightened and confused person, even a guy who seems to be talking almost casually on a phone before he climbs up onto a rail, crosses himself and goes.

The story of Gene, the thread that is carried through the movie as we see a man in black with a long mop of curly hair pace back and forth along the bridge as though either looking for the right spot or trying to convince himself to finally go through with it, is probably the most compelling for the essence of painful tragedy involved. His death caps off the film perfectly--it is both sad and shocking, and definitely a punch in the gut. Steel takes a highly difficult subject that many people should be enraged and shocked by, and he treats it more as a story of the survivors and our own confusion towards this compulsion and determination. Alas, these are human beings after all, so we are compelled to find some way to cope with the fact that our own can be so flawed.

Extremely disturbing........2007-06-19

I have mixed feelings about this documentary. If they end up using it to convince San Francisco to stop letting anyone walk or bike over the bridge, erect suicide barriers or have security all over the bridge, then add a star. Having the one guy who survived the jump might be a good story to scare someone from doing it. But is this a dvd you want to buy? In a way this is part snuff film, part documentary. The reason a lot of people will want to see this is out of morbid curiosity to see people jump. The same reason they rent Faces of Death. I rented it and watched it tonight and it was extremely difficult to watch, especially to see the first person jump. I yelled in horror when I saw it. And I've seen everything. Those of you saying that "everyone" should watch this film are out of your minds. There is a reason that suicides are usually not reported on. The reason is that everytime the media does so others follow suit. That is my main reason for giving this a low rating. That and the fact that it is so depressing to watch and you are not going to want to see it a second time so why buy it? If you have to see it, rent it. Or go to the arthouse cinema. But if you do find it playing somewhere- trust me - don't bring a date.

I am not equating the work here from a cinematic perspective to Faces of Death (or it's sequels and spin-offs) and I do not believe that the director and crew made this with bad intentions. But I felt the need to inject some reality into the reviews here with all of these critics telling everyone to feed the cat and run out and buy this. I'm just saying that this is not The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, i.e. something meant for all viewers. And that suicide contagion is not dependant upon a director going so far as to "glorify suicide". It only needs to be mentioned or described- and here the director goes well beyond that.

Average customer rating:

Chinatown
Twists & Turns
Great Jack Nicholson as Humphrey Bogart type pi
Very Good
Classic Film Noir.

Chinatown
Starring: Richard Bakalyan , Faye Dunaway , Jerry Fujikawa , Bruce Glover , and John Hillerman
Manufacturer: Paramount
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Two Jakes
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ASIN: B000022TSH
Release Date: 1999-11-23

Amazon.com essential video

Roman Polanski's brooding film noir exposes the darkest side of the land of sunshine, the Los Angeles of the 1930s, where power is the only currency--and the only real thing worth buying. Jack Nicholson is J.J. Gittes, a private eye in the Chandler mold, who during a routine straying-spouse investigation finds himself drawn deeper and deeper into a jigsaw puzzle of clues and corruption. The glamorous Evelyn Mulwray (a dazzling Faye Dunaway) and her titanic father, Noah Cross (John Huston), are at the black-hole center of this tale of treachery, incest, and political bribery. The crackling, hard-bitten script by Robert Towne won a well-deserved Oscar, and the muted color cinematography makes the goings-on seem both bleak and impossibly vibrant. Polanski himself has a brief, memorable cameo as the thug who tangles with Nicholson's nose. One of the greatest, most completely satisfying crime films of all time. --Anne Hurley

Customer Reviews:

Chinatown.......2007-07-03

Cynical, brooding, and knotted with mystery, Polanski's "Chinatown" is not just one of the best films ever made about the City of Angels, earning a dozen Oscar nominations--it's also one of the most superbly crafted, post-`40s noirs you'll ever see. The cast, of course, can't be beat: Dunaway is at once jittery, seductive and impenetrable, while Jack is at the top of his game as the Chandleresque former cop Jake. Real-life legendary director John Huston also delivers a titanic performance as the arrogant Cross. Watch for Polanski himself as a knife-wielding thug with a grudge against nosy people.

Twists & Turns.......2007-06-07

"Chinatown" is an amazing piece of film that grows richer as it grows older. It was nominated for 11 Oscars, only winning one for Robert Towne's Best Original Screenplay. John Alonzo, who was nominated for Best Cinematography, sets a sheen & sparkle to the vintage look of the film. The soundtrack is also brilliant. It was nominated for Best Picture but lost to "The Godfather Part II."

While "Chinatown" did not do well @ the Oscars, it was the Golden Globe winner for Best Drama and also brought Roman Polanski a Best Director Golden Globe award. Roman Polanski has done many classics including his other Oscar nominations as Best Director for Rosemary's Baby & "Tess" to his 2002 Oscar win for The Pianist. "Chinatown's detractors say that the pacing is slow, but I find that it builds intensity as each piece of the puzzle is revealed and somehow doesn't fit or indicates that there is more to the puzzle.

As Jake "J.J." Gittes, Jack Nicholson has never been better. His demeanor that leads you to think he never takes anything seriously is contained, with just enough wiseacre to make him endearing. Nicholson brought home the Golden Globe as Best Actor but lost the Oscar to surprise winner Art Carney for Harry and Tonto in a field that also had Al Pacino for "Godfather Part II," Dustin Hoffman for "Lenny" & "Albert Finney in "Murder on the Orient Express." As Gittes, we watch Nicholson twist and squirm. The scene where Roman Polanski slits Gittes' nose is brutal and remains emphasized as Nicholson plays following scenes with a big bandage on the middle of his face.

Faye Dunaway received her second Oscar nomination for this film. Her performance is incredibly controlled, but throbbing with the underlying secrets of her past and conditioned by the opulence of her wealth. She lost the Oscar to Ellen Burstyn for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore.

The film's large cast is peppered with faces we had seen or later saw frequently. Darrell Zwerling whose career spanned the decade was also seen in "High Anxiety," "Grease" & "Capricorn One." As Dunaway's husband Hollis, he remains bespectacled & without dialogue for much of the picture until his character's tragic demise. John Huston's legendary career is reflected in the shadow of his presence on screen as the family patriarch Noah Cross. Perry Lopez plays detective Lou Escobar in his most memorable film. John Hillerman, who would play prominently on TV from 1980-1988 in "Magnum P.I.," plays Yelburton, the assistant water commissioner. Diane Ladd plays Ida Sessions, the fake Mrs. Mulray. Ladd picked up a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" that same year & was later nominated for "Wild at Heart" in 1990 and "Rambling Rose" in 1991. Burt Young who would be Oscar nominated for his character Paulie in "Rocky" in 1976 plays Curly who Gittes helps with marital matters. James Hong who played prominently in 1994's film The Shadow appears stoically as Mrs. Mulray's butler. "Chinatown" picks us up and carries us through to the ending, surprising with twists & turns. It is classic cinema. Bravo!

Great Jack Nicholson as Humphrey Bogart type pi.......2007-05-25

Great actors, script, and direction. Very good film noir technique. Can seen several times. The details are great.

Very Good.......2007-05-13

GO on seeing the movie until u are twisted by the twist given by the director

Classic Film Noir. .......2007-04-15

You're going to spend the majority of this movie wondering why it has the title it does and I'm not going to spoil it for you by mentioning it, but what I will say is that it has one of the great surprise endings in the history of Hollywood. The plot is outstanding and it's hard to tell where its going based on the first hour alone. Nicholson is superlative in the role of J.J. Gittes. His performance is nearly as good as Bogart's was in The Maltese Falcon. Dunaway and Houston are outstanding as well. Chinatown is every bit as entertaining as it is excellent.

Average customer rating:

Michael Moore is "slightly" over the Top
A poorly argued liberal rant.
great documentary movie
Good but a little sensational
Fahrenheit 9/11

Fahrenheit 9/11
Starring: John Ashcroft (II) , James Baker III , James Bath , Khalil Bin Laden , and Stephen G. Breyer
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005JNEI
Release Date: 2004-10-05

Amazon.com

To anyone who truly understands what it means to be an American, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 should be seen as a triumph of patriotic freedom. Rarely has the First Amendment been exercised with such fervor and forthrightness of purpose: After subjecting himself to charges of factual errors in his gun-lobby exposé Bowling for Columbine, Moore armed himself with a platoon of reputable fact-checkers, an abundance of indisputable film and video footage, and his own ironically comedic sense of righteous indignation, with the singular intention of toppling the war-ravaged administration of President George W. Bush. It's the Bush presidency that Moore, with his provocative array of facts and figures, blames for corporate corruption, senseless death, unnecessary war, and political favoritism toward Osama Bin Laden's family and Saudi oil partners following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Moore's incendiary film earned Palme d'Or honors at Cannes and a predictable legion of detractors, but do yourself a favor: Ignore those who condemn the film without seeing it, and let the facts speak for themselves. By honoring American soldiers and the victims of 9/11 while condemning Bush's rationale for war in Iraq, Fahrenheit 9/11 may actually succeed in turning the tides of history. --Jeff Shannon

Description

In the most provocative film of the year, Academy Award-winner Michael Moore presents a searing examination of the role played by greed and oil in the wake of the tragic events of 9/11. From Academy-Award winning director Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine). WINNER, Palme D'Or Award at the Cannes Film Festival, BEST PICTURE. DVD features:

* "The Release of Fahrenheit 9/11" featurette
* "Iraq, Pre-War" featurette: The people of Iraq on the eve of invasion
* "Homeland security, Miami style" featurette: Footage of the old men who patrol the Florida coast lookng for terrorists as part of the homeland security plan
* "Outside Abu Ghraib Prison"
* Eyewitness account from Samara, Iraq
* "Lila, D.C.": Lila Lipscomb at the Washington, D.C. premiere
* Arab-American comedians: Their acts and experiences after 9/11
* Extended interview: More with Abdul Henderson
* "Condi 9/11": Condoleezza Rice's 9/11 Commission testimony
* "Bush Rose Garden": George W. Bush's full press briefing after 9/11 Commission appearance

Customer Reviews:

Michael Moore is "slightly" over the Top.......2007-07-05

This film is a good portrayal of the the dissentinting notion to the lies that Bush and his addman Cheney were presenting to US and to the world prior to the Iraq invasion. Unfortunately, most of us bought it. For me, unlike Hillary and most of the rest of the cadidates who seem to have a hard time recognizing true religious extremism (narrow mindedness), or comment on it, and the politicians who have endeavored to use that extremism to further their re-election ambitions the Bush-Cheney ploy to advance himself power-wise, has been lost. We live in, as always, a likely difficult world if we are not in the right place at the right time with the right look for our purposes. I think Michael Moore did a good job in affirming that perception.

A poorly argued liberal rant........2007-06-30

I am about as liberal as they come and I couldn't stand this movie. Completely ignoring the fact that this movie has very little in common with real documentaries, this movie begins with a rambling, incoherent conclusion that repetitiously attacks Bush and his administration in every way conceivably possible. Now, I realize most of us already have opinions on a subject and it is good to be honest about the fact that none of us can truly be impartial. But the whole point of a well-crafted argument is that you provide your audience with copious evidence, and you present it in such an artful way that the audience reaches your conclusion by themselves by the end of the movie. This even-handed persuasion obviously escapes Moore, as the first few minutes of the movie consist of a very hateful rant about Bush and his policies. Only after this rant does Moore begin to provide any evidence as to why we should hate Bush. The feeling I got from the movie was of a little kid tattletaling on his older brother. That's not to say I don't agree with the general conclusions. But the point of a movie like this should be persuasion. Liberals don't need convincing that Bush is despicable. It's the moderates and conservatives who need persuading, and this crude and poorly put together "documentary" surely is not going to do that.

great documentary movie.......2007-06-25

This movie makes you think. This movie is kinda biased and a lot of clips were taken way out of context. For example, the clip where Britney Spears says " we should all support our president Bush" was take out of context much like the American soldiers in Iraq acting psychotic and making them seem like they lost it and were killing everyone randomly. But yes, the Bush administration and politicians and the goverenment in general are all corrupt and evildoers. This is how the American society is. The rich justs keeps getting richer and the middle and lower class are becoming poorer. And everything in our society is in favor of the rich. For example, Paris Hilton. If the Paris Hilton incident happened to someone else that person would've been behind bars for 5 to 10 years. But poor Paris was whining and crying and said "this isn't right" by serving only 20 something days. Our US laws and our government are a big joke.

Good but a little sensational.......2007-06-20

Worth watching, and full of good facts. I admit I prefer my documentaries a little less "sensational" just put the facts out there and let people judge. But that's just me other people find that boring...

Fahrenheit 9/11.......2007-06-13

Excellent movie - sad, but true! A must see for everyone in this country.

Ghost In The Shell - Solid State Society

Average customer rating:

Sweet!
True to the Series
Delving into a detailed universe...
Another Star in the GitS Series
Much better than the serials

Ghost In The Shell - Solid State Society
Starring: Michael McCarty (III) , Dean Wein , Yutaka Nakano , Takashi Onozuka , and Joshua Seth
Director: Kenji Kamiyama
Manufacturer: Manga Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

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Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 07 (Episodes 24-26)
Ergo Proxy, Vol. 4: Wrong Way Home
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 05 (Episodes 17-20)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Volume 2
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, 2nd GIG, Volume 03 (Episodes 9-12)

ASIN: B000PWQPAC
Release Date: 2007-07-03

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Sweet!.......2007-06-12

Every instalment of this series leaves me in awe. It was great to see all the familiar faces and hear some new tunes from Yoko Kano.

True to the Series.......2007-06-11

Delving into a detailed universe..........2007-05-28

Solid State Society is hopefully a sign of what is to come in the world of Ghost in the Shell. After Stand Alone Complex's 2nd GIG, I was definitely left with a slightly bitter aftertaste. The pacing of the 2nd GIG felt uneven and the story felt more convoluted than tastefully complex, creating an adequate but not perfect addition to the GitS series. However, Solid State Society takes the best from the Stand Alone Complex series and in little under two hours presents a story as rich in detail and as lovingly complex as the series preceding it.

A huge plus of the movie is that instead of feeling like an overstretched episode, it feels more like a long arc of quality episodes stringed together while still feeling cinematic in its presentation. Solid State Society gives us everything we expect in a GitS story: a sci-fi universe that draws you in but never overwhelms, continuity in character development, rich and intelligent dialogue and plot that almost seems plausible down the road, and of course, some light philosophy and shades of grey. Even if you aren't an anime or a strict sci-fi fan, you might just enjoy this one.

Another Star in the GitS Series.......2007-05-17

This series just keeps getting better. Unlike the abysmal Cowboy Bebop movie that killed the franchise, Ghost in the Shell in all it's incarnations are well-thought out, engaging, topical, and state-of-the-art animation. Solid State Society is no different. It's all the little things that matter to the animation team from deep character development to the smallest of drawn detail.

Although I've only seen the Japanese DVD version, I assume the usual cast of American voice actors will be along for the State-side release (and in a way, I prefer them... the Japanese Motoko, while I'm told sounds like a traditional "sexy mama" voice is pretty darn husky), so the production value should be spot on.

Don't listen to that guy from San Francisco. I love the Tachikomas. If fact I bought the model and put one together myself. It's sitting here on my desk keeping my Talosian figurine company. My wife has the big plush version sitting on her desk as well. Hee Hee.

Much better than the serials .......2007-05-17

I assume that Production I.G. finally got tired of padding screen time with trite exposition and inane one-off subplots that contribute nothing to the story, as this film does away with all these things that so plagued its made-for-TV predecessors. The production values are nowhere near the levels of the last GITS theatrical release, but the story is at least as focused and drives straight ahead throughout. Taken at a distance, the plot seems somewhat derivative--there are child abductions (just like in "Innocence") and a mysterious computer network based consciousness known as the "Puppet Master" (sounds a lot like "Puppeteer") driving people to kill themselves ("Innocence" again), but the similarities are fairly inconsequential once you actually get into the story.

There are also far fewer squeaky voiced robots pontificating tediously, which is always a plus. Those kinds of things work OK in the sidebars of comic books, but translated into film... Ugh... I often felt as though the viewer's intelligence was being insulted by the television serials, but never felt that way at any point in this more streamlined offering (though the music is often intensely silly). Kudos to the writers for growing up. Boo for Bandai's delays and choice of cover art--it's not 1988 anymore, kids. Put the airbrushes down.

Pumping Iron (25th Anniversary Special Edition)

Average customer rating:

Ripple (Ripped) Effects
The movie that changed it all..
Pumping Iron Redux
Great movie!
Good Documentary on Body Building Competitions

Pumping Iron (25th Anniversary Special Edition)
Starring: Robbie Robinson (IV) , Marianne Claire , Victoria Ferrigno , Serge Nubret , and Franco Columbu
Director: George Butler (II) , and Robert Fiore
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding : The Bible of Bodybuilding, Fully Updated and Revised
Arnold: The Education of a Bodybuilder
The Bodybuilder's Nutrition Book
Hercules in New York
Jay Cutler - Ripped to Shreds

ASIN: B0000C3I6U
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Amazon.com essential video

Arnold Schwarzenegger works the crowds, plots strategies for defeating multiple opponents, shares his parents' values with the press, and inspires legions of admirers with his resolute optimism about the future. And all of this long before he decided to run for governor of California, in 1977's hit documentary, Pumping Iron. Larger than life, though not necessarily larger than his rivals for the Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia bodybuilding titles (especially a young Lou Ferrigno, hot on Arnold's competitive trail but much less interesting), Schwarzenegger still comes across, at age 28, as a consummate politician, smart, likable, and crafty about exploiting others' psychological weaknesses. The film still feels redundant (there's only so much beefcake the human eye will tolerate), but the emotional dramas--the unrewarded hard work, the unanswered hopes--are compelling. Complete with a revealing 2003 interview with Schwarzenegger and a reunion of the film's bodybuilders and director. --Tom Keogh

Description

In 1977, an independent documentary movie shone a light on the world of bodybuilding, becoming a huge box office hit and creating an international sensation. It launched one man's multi-million dollar career and changed the world of bodybuilding and physical exercise forever: PUMPING IRON. Starring five-time Mr. Olympia, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the movie followed the 28-year old bodybuilder as he competed for his 6th title.

DVD Features:
Biographies
Documentary
Interviews
Outtakes
Photo gallery

Customer Reviews:

Ripple (Ripped) Effects.......2007-06-12

Now thirty years after it was released, 'Pumping Iron,' a breakthrough documentary, has changed much in our culture with ripple effects that are still pumping through today. Seeming an obscure project, the film put bodybuilding on the map and made it respectable. The format of the film is used in documentaries and "reality tv" even today. The focal point is the Mr. Olympia title, the pinnacle achievement for male bodybuilders, but the drama captures Arnold Schwarzenegger just before he plans retirement. Add to that a rising rival in Lou Ferringo, and you have yourself a contest. Interviewing the participants and unveiling their motivations and thoughts gives the whole presentation more meat and development. 'Pumping Iron' made bodybuilding into a mainstream and formidable franchise.

Featuring grueling training sessions, and the indespensible interviews by key players, the whole spectacle has much more meaning. Knowing that mental aspects are crucial to success in sports, Schwarzenegger proves that it is no less removed from bodybuilding than from any other sport. Seeing supporting roles by dedicated players like Mike Katz gives the whole enterprise a greater scope and respectability. (It is doubtful that the repurcussions of health clubs, and, Arnold's reign at the box office and over a state described as the "fifth largest world economy" would be possible--to name but a few influencial developments.)

'Pumping Iron' is still a motivation powerhouse, especially seeing all the primitive equipment the contestants used; all of which has significantly improved much since then.

The movie that changed it all.........2007-05-24

I just saw this DVD twice this weekend. I saw pumping iron when I was little and remember clips but not much. I bought this video last week and I love it. All the extras were great. Interview with Arnold and his bio and the hours of footage that didn't make it into the movie. Questions that people have been asking for years about Arnold and that time frame were answered by arnold himself. The movie showed how they trained then. how the body building world was back then. Arnold in his prime and Lou Ferrigno in his younger days. They even had a reunion with some of the old bodybuilders from the movie which was great. I can't recommed this movie enough for all who are into body building. plus watching this movie gives me great motivation to keep going at it in the gym. While i know i will never get as big as this guys ( not like I want to.) but it still inspires me...

Pumping Iron Redux.......2007-05-13

This is a great second version of Pumping Iron because of the comments and interviews with Governor Arnold at the end of the movie. Great for those who have followed the bodybuilding scene since the '60's.

Great movie!.......2007-05-08

Being an avid weightlifter and hearing great things about this movie, I decided to purchase it here on Amazon. I thought the movie was great and it really went behind the scenes of the whole bodybuilding scene. Overall, I thought the movie is great, and without a doubt in the Top 5 for bodybuilding movies. It was cool to see how competitive these athletes were, and to see the turmoil between Arnold and Ferrigno. However, beware, the movie was made in the 70's so it will take you back a bit into how bodybuilding was back in the day. The clothes, music, and gyms were definitely some of the highlights in the movie.

Good Documentary on Body Building Competitions.......2007-04-24

No dazzling special effects or advanced story plot here. Just a good look into the training/competing aspects of body building.

Its cool to see Arnold before he was a huge movie star and see some of the old-time body builders with him. To me, he was not the star of the show. I really liked Lou Ferrigno is this documentary. It was good to see a few "nice guys" in the sport and to see the real bond between him and his father.

Its funny though. All the bad reviews refer to Arnold as "Governor". Seems like some people let their political views cloud all parts of their life(including how they view films that were made 30 yrs ago!). Get a life, you extremist hacks.

Average customer rating:

Maxed Out
Sign of the times...
Great DVD to go with the book
Movie failed to turn the corner on the debt problem
People need to wake up to what's going on out there

Maxed Out
Director: James D. Scurlock
Manufacturer: Magnolia
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

In Debt We Trust
Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders
Breach (Widescreen Edition)
Jesus Camp
Fast Food Nation

ASIN: B000OU081M
Release Date: 2007-06-05

Amazon.com

In Maxed Out, author/director James D. Scurlock (Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders) takes on America's debt crisis. Consequently, he touches on related issues like race, corporate malfeasance, and political subterfuge. Scurlock's multi-media approach incorporates statistics, news excerpts, and interviews, but it's rarely dull (comedy bits from Louis CK and tunes from Queen and Coldplay don't hurt). Speakers include economic professors, debt collectors, pawn brokers, investigative reporters, beleaguered consumers, and even Robin Leach (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous). Instead of New York and Los Angeles, he concentrates on mid-size cities, like Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, and Seattle. Plenty of small towns also come into play. Though he never presses the point himself, Scurlock allows his subjects to note the similarities between the credit industry and the drug trade (others use such incendiary terms as "rape"). One thing he neglects to mention, however, is pride. If house payments are ruining your life, selling that property may be the only solution. In most cases, however, it's hard not to feel for those individuals who didn't know what they were getting into before they signed their lives away. For some viewers, this will be a dispiriting documentary--three subjects recount the suicides of relatives who found their debt too much to bear--but in explaining exactly how lenders and creditors make money, Maxed Out can help others to avoid some of their most egregious practices. In other words, debt may be a downer, but knowledge is power. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Customer Reviews:

Maxed Out.......2007-07-03

1. Dee Hock believed the organization he created, Visa International would save the world by "allowing spontaneous interconnection into an equitable, enduring, twenty-first-century society in harmony with the human spirit and biosphere". The credit card has shackled individuals, imposed uniformity, destroyed value at an unprecedented rate, and, so far at least, has replaced neither the pound, the yen, nor the dollar. "Hock's company has arguably been the most powerful force behind a massive redistribution of wealth that has left this country less equal than at any time since the Great depression. Hock sought to save the planet from a rigid, hierarchical, oppressive, and bureaucratic organization.
2. Hock worked his way into a job with Seafirst Bank in Seattle, Washington. Seafirst become a licensee of the BankAmericard, the first bank-issued credit card, a job no one wanted. Consumer credit was left to the loan sharks and pawnbrokers. "In Hock's eyes, Bank of America was not just bigness but management charts, uniform standards, titles, stupidity." The BankAmericard licensees were losing vast sums of money to credit card fraud and primitive technology and manual accounting practices. Shareholders want the problems fixed. In response to pressure, Hock reacted by creating an advisory committee (of bank members) called the Visa International which would become the most ubiquitous organization in the history of capitalism. The idea was to issue credit cards quickly, Visa would exist not for profit and exist to create a world of tangible currency replacing paper money with trillions of electronic transactions moving through the mainframe. "Visa would become the ultimate store of value" In practice it has become nothing more than a massive marketing campaign and an electronic swich that routed money from the bank of the payer to the bank of the payee. Hock remain dedicated to technology that would allow small transaction on a grand scale, hoping someday that this technology would empower the masses and give them freedom. Freedom to no longer be forced to interact with nosy, judgmental bankers! Credit cards had created a new currency and a new money supply. The bankers knew Credit cards was about selling a single product, debt.
3. Banks were in the practice of borrowing money from individuals and lend that money to corporations. Consumer lending was not consider profitable because the small loans were time-consuming and the applicants financial situations poor and probable that they would be unable to repay the loans. Consumer credit speculation and poor lending practices had caused massive bank failures in the 1920 and 1930s. Extending credit to credit poor borrowers was "a noose with which to hang himself financially" and generally considered to be an immoral practice. Banks knew that if you give a consumer credit they will probably use it. Banks learned this lesson, in the 1920, when American had overextended themselves buying products of the industrial revolution on credit.
4. Credit cards demand is a function of the supply of available credit. The more credit the bank supplies the more demand are created. The more people begin to depend on credit the more they need to keep accumulating credit, higher and higher credit limits; new credit to payoff old credit; mountains of credit. No other product creates this type of cycle. Credit card is the only product that its price changes: the charge, penalty fees, interest - combine to create a new price for the product or service - terms and conditions change. The Visa has become a natural monopoly.
5. Walter Wriston, Citigroup Center guru, was the "first modern banker to realize that his job was not to teach customers how to save but how to spend as much as possible." In 1970s, Wriston was promising shareholders 15 percent annual increases in profits-just before a perfect economic storm of inflation, war, and technology bust ravaged the economy. Wriston believed countries can't go broke. Wriston was financing less-developed countries old debt replacing it with new debt, the reverse pyramid scheme. Larger and larger liabilities were being piled on top of the original debt. "Eventually the amount of new cash needed to service the old debt and new debt becomes too burdensome and the whole thing collapses beneath its weight. The only exception is where the player prints the currency with which the game is played, which makes the United States government unique among debtors." Wriston set out to conquer the middle class with Credit card debt and interest fees. "There was something seductive-addictive, even-about instant credit." "Wriston meanwhile, laid out his own vison of the promise land-a land in which millions of customers charged all of their purchases to a Citibank credit card and paid high, unregulated interest rates and fees for privilege." Millions of BankAmericard customers were sent letters explaining that their new visa card would soon be arriving: visa logo and name of bank on the front of the card. Wriston sensed opportunity, signed up to be a Visa bank, and sent out millions of Citibank Visa cards to his competitors customers before the replacement cards from their own banks arrived. Wriston preempted his competitors by a couple of weeks and they never recovered. When it came to easy credit, the average customer was lazy and lovestruck.
6. "In 1996, Americans charged a record $1 trillion on the Visa cards." In 2004, with foreclosures, bankrupticies, and defaults all at higher levels than during the Great Depression, President Bush awarded Wriston the Presidential Medal of Freedom."

Sign of the times..........2007-07-01

They forgot a quite significant definition:

RESPONSIBLE

Main Entry: re·spon·si·ble

Pronunciation: ri-'spän(t)-s&-b&l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Anglo-French responsable, from respuns

1 a : liable to be called on to answer b (1) : liable to be called to account as the primary cause, motive, or agent (2) : being the cause or explanation c : liable to legal review or in case of fault to penalties

2 a : able to answer for one's conduct and obligations : TRUSTWORTHY b : able to choose for oneself between right and wrong

3 : marked by or involving responsibility or accountability

Man, it's just so easy to blame everything on someone else these days, e.g fast food for being fat, big tobacco for cancer, blaming banks for uncontrolled spending. Jeeez.

I can just about guarantee if "these poor people were given a second chance with bankruptcy being an option" 85% would end up in the same damn boat all over again.

Great DVD to go with the book.......2007-06-30

I think this DVD makes more sense if you've also read the book. It could be watched on it's own, but it is a bit choppy. It is a great look into debt and how it affects people. I think he may have tried to fit too much into this one DVD, but overall it's a great look at this problem. Everyone with a credit card should see this!

Movie failed to turn the corner on the debt problem.......2007-06-28

Full disclosure: My family and I are fans of, and practioners of, Dave Ramsey's The Financial Peace Planner: A step-by step guide to restoring your family's financial health. As people who have used his guidance to successfully get out of debt, we were expecting a lot from this movie because he's in it and he endorsed it.

Yes, it is tragic that credit card companies take advantage of people and this movie clearly spells out how and why they do it. However, the film failed to turn the corner on the other part of the debt problem--people who just buy too much STUFF they can't afford.

The most heartbreaking story in the film, in my opinion, was the 50+ year-old woman who was losing her home due to debt caused by paycheck loan overuse and the unexpected death of her spouse. Her home appeared to be filled virtually from top to bottom with expensive collector plates, which she had to sell off one by one to get cash.

And what was the 40-year-old developmentally disabled man doing with a credit card if he couldn't even sign his name? Who was using the credit card on his 'behalf?' What were they buying?

I wish the movie had focused more on how a credit score is developed--people wouldn't be so anxious to have a high credit score if they knew what goes into the calculations. It was also enlightening to learn how college campus areas are a breeding ground for student credit card debt.

Other reviewers have commented on the political nature of the movie and I agree: Blaming George Bush because you can't continue to bankrupt yourself away from your credit card debt is wrong. Blame the credit card companies for your high interest rate and fees if you want, but the only person who can solve your debt problem is YOU.

At the end, the movie even managed to get Dave Ramsey to look like a hypocrite--his debt-elimination message is vitally important for people to hear, but at the end, they included a shot of him doing an advertisement for an expensive mattress. (If you're in debt, the last thing you need to buy is a $3,000 mattress!) Yes, I know he needs to do his advertising spots for his radio program, but it just left a bad taste in my mouth because it seemed deliberately included to undercut his message of personal responsibility.

People need to wake up to what's going on out there.......2007-06-26

Yeah- people have the choice for the most part as to what debt they're getting in to and yeah, the big bad meanie corporations are going after you with everything they've got, but people need to wake up to what's going on. Watch this documentary and get this book: How to Take Advantage of the People Who Are Trying to Take Advantage of You: 50 Ways to Capitalize on the System

By the way- these guys need to get over the political aspects of it. Bush didn't cause Americans to go into $9000 of debt (though his ridiculously high budgets don't make for a good example).

Average customer rating:

Why We Fight
interesting documentary; not just another Bush basher
More of the Same
we didn't listen
Follows the beaten path but insightful

Why We Fight
Starring: John McCain , Susan Eisenhower , Richard Perle , Gore Vidal , and Charles Lewis (VI)
Director: Eugene Jarecki
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers
An Inconvenient Truth
Who Killed the Electric Car?
The Fog of War - Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Terrorstorm - A History of Government Sponsored Terrorism

ASIN: B000FBH3W2
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Amazon.com

Fans of Oliver Stone's J.F.K. will recognize the opening moments of writer-director Eugene Jarecki's Why We Fight, in which outgoing President Dwight Eisenhower warns of the pernicious and growing influence of what he called the "military-industrial complex." But Stone's movie, which uses the same footage, was a work of fiction. While those who disagree with the decidedly leftist point of view in this documentary will probably consider it the product of paranoid liberal fantasy as well, there's enough credible material, much of it supplied by the targets of Jarecki's criticisms, to make Eisenhower look like a prophet and everyone else uneasy about the dark confluence of politics, money, and war that controls the country's fortunes. The message here is that while there may be some who sincerely believe that America's various military engagements (in Iraq, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, and elsewhere) since World War II are the product of our God-given duty to spread freedom and halt the influence of evil ideologies around the world, the real reason we fight is that war is good business. This is hardly a bulletin; anyone who is surprised by allegations that politicians pander to defense contractors, or that Vice President Dick Cheney helped secure huge deals for Halliburton, the company he formerly headed, simply hasn't been paying attention (Politicians lie? How shocking!). In fact, the principal drawback to Jarecki's film is simply that there's nothing particularly revelatory or compelling about it. Only when he takes a personal approach does he go beyond the obvious; the story of a retired New York policeman and former Vietnam veteran whose son died in the World Trade Center, who wanted revenge, but who became seriously disillusioned when Bush admitted that the war in Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, adds some much needed human interest. Still, Why We Fight, which includes a director's audio commentary track and a few other bonus features, serves as a grim reminder that the world's most powerful nation has strayed far from the principles of our founding fathers, a development that does not bode well for America's future. --Sam Graham

Description

Why We Fight is the provocative new documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (The Trials of Henry Kissinger) and winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival.

Named after the series of short films by legendary director Frank Capra that explored America's reasons for entering World War II, Why We Fight surveys a half-century of military conflicts, asking how - and answering why - a nation of, by and for the people has become the savings-and-loan of a government system whose survival depends on an Orwellian state of constant war.

The Why We Fight DVD features interviews and observations by a "who's who" of military and Washington insiders including Senator John McCain, Gore Vidal, and Dan Rather. Beginning with President Dwight D. Eisenhower's prescient 1961 speech warning of the rise of the "military industrial complex," Why We Fight moves far beyond the headlines of various American military operations to the deeper questions of why America seemingly is always at war. What are the forces - political, economic, and ideological - that drive us to clash against an ever-changing enemy? Just why does America fight? Unforgettable, powerful and at times disturbing, Why We Fight on DVD will challenge viewers long after the last fade-out.

Customer Reviews:

Why We Fight.......2007-07-01

The film was well written and brought a lot of issues to the forefront, of which I had either never known or never thought about. It was scarey to see President Eisenhower fortell the future as to how our goverment would become almost non-democratic and very close to a dictatorship.
If all Americans would see this film, maybe they would become more aware of the facts of issues facing them in the present. It's obvious we have not learned from the past.

interesting documentary; not just another Bush basher.......2007-06-27

I found this documentary to be absorbing, though not riveting. It
covered a long period of time, back to the Eisenhower administration
and his famous speech warning of the danger of an uncontrolled Military
Industrial complex. Worthwhile for those interested in American history.

More of the Same .......2007-06-23

The basic premise of the film is that the post-WWII militarization of the United States has created a collusion among the Pentagon, private defense industry, Congress, and think-tanks that has led to political corruption and profiteering among other things. While the film does make some good points, there is nothing here that is original or even very insightful. What starts out as a documentary with terrific potential ends as a diatribe about the evils of the Bush administration and the "real" motives for invading Iraq.

The director is clearly trying to reach out to his core audience of people who want to reaffirm their hatred for the Bush administration and impressionable young people who do not keep up with politics or current events so that they too can one day recite the anti-war, anti-Bush talking points. While I am not a supporter of the Bush administration in any way or an advocate for the Iraq war, a documentary needs to present all the facts and nuances so that the audience can decide for itself. Clearly, this film does not add anything to the national discourse about America's role in the world. Its only saving grace is that it does remind us of Eisenhower's prophetic words of the great dangers of a military industrial complex to a democratic nation.

we didn't listen.......2007-06-13

In his farewell address to the nation on January 17, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower warned the country about the "disastrous rise of misplaced power" and the "grave implications" of the military-industrial complex. Today our country has 700 military bases in 60 countries, and in any given year will conduct "operations" of some sort in 170 countries. This documentary purports to show the breadth and depth of American militarism, that, for example, it is by no means limited to one president or administration. Instead, it's a thinly veiled and very effective attack on Bush and the Iraq war, which is important in its own right (not to mention an easy target). But the film could have accomplished so much more if it had fulfilled its promise to cast a broader net, as Andrew Bacevich does in The New American Militarism and Stephen Kinzer does in Overthrow. George Washington and James Madison both issued strident warnings about standing armies. Watching Halliburton's war-profiteering and the interview with the director of the Baghdad morgue in this film filled me with anger and sadness at how little our governments have heeded their words, whether in the Iraq disaster or all the way back to Eisenhower who as a general experienced the real human toll of war.

Follows the beaten path but insightful.......2007-06-12

After the all that we know about the debacle that is the Iraq war, this documentary does not reveal any shocking truths. It blames the 'military industrial war machine' for un-necessary wars, but any informed citizen knows that already, and as the documentary suggests, knows we are powerless to do anything about it. Even though the documentary repeats the same reasons that are fortunately mainstream now with this unpopular war, it does offer some insight into the history and the beginnings of the `profit greedy machine' that drives American wars.

Average customer rating:

Well done all around
Wickedly Entertaining, Shocking
Long, Repetitive and Biased
Works on computer only
Excellent

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Starring: Peter Coyote , Reverend James Nutter , Bill Clinton , Lou L. Pai , and Colin Whitehead
Director: Alex Gibney
Manufacturer: Magnolia
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( E ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

The Corporation
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Good Night, and Good Luck (Widescreen Edition)
Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
Why We Fight

ASIN: B000C3L2IO
Release Date: 2006-01-17

Amazon.com

One of the greatest scandals in American corporate history is chronicled in the riveting documentary Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Based on the bestselling book by Fortune magazine reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkin, and directed by Alex Gibney (who also produced The Trials of Henry Kissinger), the film is an epic morality tale, drawing upon a wealth of insider interviews and archival material to show how Enron, once the nation's seventh largest corporate entity, essentially faked its bookkeeping to report profits that never existed. The corrupt and closely-guarded mismanagement by Enron executives (including Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling, later placed on criminal trial) is revealed through such heinous concepts as "Hypothetical Future Value" (a way of reaping fortunes based on false profit projections) and the use of offshore "shell" companies to hide the massive losses that eventually toppled the company (along with the venerable Arthur Anderson accounting firm) and left 20,000 employees jobless. As a maddening portrait of hubris and white-collar crime, Enron transcends political and corporate boundaries by showing how smart and powerful men grew blinded by greed and brought ruin upon themselves, along with thousands of otherwise innocent victims. For better and worse, it's a perfect double-feature with eye-opening 2004 documentary The Corporation. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, a multidimensional study of one of the biggest business scandals in American history. The chronicle takes a look at one of the greatest corporate disasters in history, in which top executives from the 7th largest company in this country walked away with over one billion dollars, leaving investors and employees with nothing. The film features insider accounts and rare corporate audio and video tapes that reveal colossal personal excesses of the Enron hierarchy and the utter moral vacuum that posed as corporate philosophy. The human drama that unfolds within Enron's walls resembles a Greek tragedy and produces a domino effect that could shape the face of our economy and ethical code for years to come.

DVD Features:

Available Audio Tracks: English (Unknown Format)
Commentary by: writer-director Alex Gibney (Unknown Format)
Deleted scenes
"The Making of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" featuring research footage and exclusive interviews with writer-director Alex Gibney and investigative journalist Bethany McLean
Enron company skits
Enron commercial
Where are they now?: updates on the executives, traders, and whistleblowers
A gallery of Enron cartoons
The original Fortune magazine articles