This is pretty much a cheerleader, promo piece. And I was once an Obama fan, and contributed heavily to his 2007-2008 campaign, enough to get invited to the inaugural. By 2011, I was disgusted and not only did I stop giving contributions, I quit the Democratic Party. But as for the film itself, it's little more than a long infomercial. I'm sorry I wasted my time.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Beyond Deception Strategy
(2015)
Pure, unadulterated propaganda, a hit piece
24 June 2018
This is pure, unvarnished propaganda. The sole purpose is to discredit the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks only to end apartheid in Israel/Palestine and to end the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, to end the injustices done to the Palestinian people for the past 70 years. This is an outrageously transparent smear piece that doesn't even attempt a semblance of balance. This is a PR smear piece presented as legitimate documentary. In other words, it's essentially a really, really long commercial.
A People Without a Land
(2014)
Barely better than mediocre
25 September 2016
Good photography, editing and presentation but the content can only be described as mediocre. With a caveat: As to the current circumstances and situation, it does a fairly good job, but much of the history is mere repetition of propaganda generated and perpetuated over the years. As an example, it states that the Israelis were attacked by the Arabs in 1948, after the declaration of statehood. However, it's exactly the opposite, it was the Zionist forces that began the takeover and ethnic cleansing of Palestine immediately following the UN Partition Resolution (Nov. 29, 1947), even going far beyond the lines designated in UN 181 (which ultimately resulted in armistice lines subsequently known either as the "1949 lines" or the "1967 lines"). The "war" as such didn't begin on May 15, 1948 (declaration of statehood) as evidenced by the fact that seizing territory by force of arms -- including massacres, pillaging, expulsions, rape and atrocities on civilian populations -- took place well before that date. Deir Yassin, the most widely known example, took place on April 9, 1948. Also, with few exceptions, the Arabs did not fight WITHIN the lines delineated in UN 181, they were actually under orders NOT to (the fighting within the lines was mostly with Palestinian irregulars, whose towns, villages and fields were threatened). The assertion that the Israelis were attacked on May 15, 1948 is a blatant falsehood generated as propaganda and reiterated ad nauseam over the years. When the Arab League forces attacked, they attacked within PALESTINIAN territory, in defense of that territory and its people. They did NOT attack what became known as "Israel" on May 15, 1948. In short, the Zionists were not the persecuted victims they portrayed themselves to be, quite the opposite. The producers would have done well to have this material fact checked, rather than recycling once more the old, tired and demonstrably false propaganda we've been exposed to over the years.
Disappointing
4 June 2016
After "Alice in Wonderland," which was delightful, I was very much looking forward to this production. Alas, only to be disappointed. This movie was what the word "lackluster" was made for. It pains me to say that. I love Lewis Carroll and I love Johnny Depp, but this represents the best work of neither. It's a waste of their talents, it's a waste of time and a waste of money. Indeed, I get the impression that even Johnny Depp recognized how weak this production was, and was only just punching the time clock to get it over and done with. Indeed, I really think this is the worst Johnny Depp performance ever. Most certainly the worst I've seen. So sad.
Beneath the Helmet
(2014)
Disgusting
23 May 2016
This is disgusting promotion of militarism, which would be bad enough if it was for the U.S. military, but it's much worse for a foreign military which actively recruits what are essentially mercenaries from all over the world, including, of course, so-called "dual citizens" (another disgusting concept because it's an obvious oxymoron).
In recent years, has the IDF been used for ANYTHING besides the occupation and oppression of the Palestinians? Sure, every once in a while, they'll lob some fire into Syria or Lebanon, but I'm guessing that at least 95% of all IDF activities are concentrated directly on the Palestinians. And that, my friends, speaks entire volumes about the nature of the occupation and the essential nature of the Zionist state called Israel.
This film shows precious little about IDF occupation activities, despite the fact that manning checkpoints, patrolling, tear-gassing demonstrators, protecting illegal settlements, etc. is really their primary purpose. Indeed, the ranks of Breaking the Silence are filled with ex-IDF who find it difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile their service with their morals and conscience.
In recent years, has the IDF been used for ANYTHING besides the occupation and oppression of the Palestinians? Sure, every once in a while, they'll lob some fire into Syria or Lebanon, but I'm guessing that at least 95% of all IDF activities are concentrated directly on the Palestinians. And that, my friends, speaks entire volumes about the nature of the occupation and the essential nature of the Zionist state called Israel.
This film shows precious little about IDF occupation activities, despite the fact that manning checkpoints, patrolling, tear-gassing demonstrators, protecting illegal settlements, etc. is really their primary purpose. Indeed, the ranks of Breaking the Silence are filled with ex-IDF who find it difficult, if not impossible, to reconcile their service with their morals and conscience.
Amelia
(2009)
Background info correction
27 July 2013
As a lover of vintage aircraft and aviation history, I enjoyed the movie for that reason alone. As far as I can tell, the movie pretty much held true to the known facts, for the most part. Some things were exaggerated, some understated, but basically factual, to the best of my knowledge. The vintage aircraft were amazingly beautiful. To me, anyway.
For most people this will seem like nitpicking, but speaking of facts, the original description by jotix100 had an error in it. Gene Vidal was a director of NorthEAST Airlines, not NorthWEST Airlines (Col. Lewis H. Brittin was the founder of Northwest). In doing a Google search to find the source of that error, I found about an equal number of references to Vidal via-a-vis Northeast and Northwest. It's apparent to me that "somebody, somewhere, sometime" made a transcription error that got perpetuated. It seems misinformation usually travels faster than actual facts.
For most people this will seem like nitpicking, but speaking of facts, the original description by jotix100 had an error in it. Gene Vidal was a director of NorthEAST Airlines, not NorthWEST Airlines (Col. Lewis H. Brittin was the founder of Northwest). In doing a Google search to find the source of that error, I found about an equal number of references to Vidal via-a-vis Northeast and Northwest. It's apparent to me that "somebody, somewhere, sometime" made a transcription error that got perpetuated. It seems misinformation usually travels faster than actual facts.
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