Category: Reviews (Books & DVD)

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Review (DVD): Green Zone (2010)

9-11 Truth Books & DVDs, Intelligence (Government/Secret), Iraq, Military & Pentagon Power, Reviews (DVD Only), Threats (Emerging & Perennial), War & Face of Battle
Amazon Page

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the Essence, Leaves Out a Lot, April 26, 2010

Matt Damon

I have mixed feelings about the movie, having read and reviewed most of the books on Dick Cheney's treason and our going into Iraq on the basis of 935 lies to the public and the United Nations, but on reflection it captures the essence:

1) The intelligence given to one and all was false

2) CIA was not at fault–CIA (not George “Slam Dunk” Tenet, himself guilty of treason)–got it right right from both the defector son in law and the line crossers that Charlie Allen demanded: kept the cook-books, disposed of all stocks, bluffing for regional power sake.

3) Bremer was a world-class idiot in disbanding the army and ending the Baath Party

4) DIA played along–the current US military leadership has lost all of its integrity (and Panetta is not much better than Tenet was, which really surprised me)–and was all too willing to kiss up while kicking down.

There is so much left out of this (Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Ahmed Chaliba Iranian agent of influence) that I was tempted to go with four stars but had to go with five–for what it set out to do, this movie is spectacular.

See all my non-fiction book reviews on Iraq via Phi Beta Iota, the Public Intelligence Blog.

If you like this movie, I also recommend all the 9-11 Truth Movement DVDs. What our government does in our name is nothing short of treason and a betrayal of the public trust.

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 See also Reviews on:

9-11 Truth Books & DVDs (26)

 Iraq (39)

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Review (DVD): The Book of Eli (2010)

5 Star, Civil Society, Complexity & Catastrophe, Complexity & Resilience, Culture, DVD - Light, Reviews (DVD Only)
Amazon Page
 
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, Worthy, Held My Attention to the End, April 26, 2010

I salute the other excellent reviews, this is primarily a short note for those who follow my reviews, including the sub-set, DVDs for intelligent people.

Definitely there. Sombre, thoughtful, and very worthwhile. See all my DVD reviews at Phi Beta Iota, the Public Intelligence Blog, under Reviews, DVD Only (bottom of second column). We're recovering from an attack that Word Press was not ready for, so it may be a week before we are clean and locked up against outside attack.

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Review (DVD): Five Minutes of Heaven (2009)

5 Star, Reviews (DVD Only), Terrorism & Jihad, Truth & Reconciliation
Amazon Page

5.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT Give Up in Early Part–The Ending is Riveting, April 26, 2010

Do NOT give up on this movie in the first third. I stayed with it because a very experienced global law enforcement officer with anti-terrorism experience told me the movie was worth seeing through to the end, and he was absolutely right.

This is a fine depiction of how gangs and religious and political conflicts get started, it is a superb depiction of the “collateral damage” that affects “bystanders” to the end of their days, and it ends absolutely brilliantly with a typically strong but never-the-less very moving closure by BOTH of the main actors.

Highly recommended to those who wish to think about cause and effect and the psychological dimensions of intra-community violence.

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Review (DVD): Edge of Darkness (2009)

5 Star, Culture, DVD - Light, Power (Pathologies & Utilization), Reviews (DVD Only)
Amazon Page

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended–An Intelligent Movie, April 26, 2010

Mel Gibson

I cannot improve on the lead review, this review is primarily for those who follow my reviews, and the sub-set within my reviews, DVDs for intelligent people.

This is certainly a top-notch film with great acting, what I liked about it was the depiction of one lone person's ability to get to the bottom of a government conspiracy against the public interest. While things happen that are arguably improbable for the average person, this film is both a revelation of just how much government can do that is NOT in the public interest (but assuredly at the public expense) and an inspiration on how possible it might be to stop such high crimes and misdemeanors by demanding integrity at all times.

Some oldies but goodies to make use of the excellent link feature that Amazon provides:
The Manchurian Candidate (Widescreen Edition)
The Pelican Brief (Snap Case)
Three Days of the Condor

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Review: Overcoming Corruption–The Essentials

4 Star, Corruption
Amazon Page

4.0 out of 5 stars Possibly a Seminal Work with Infinite Variations, April 26, 2010

Bertrand De Speville

This book was brought to my attention by a media article, “Tunku Abdul Aziz to give anti-corruption primer to PM, ministers,” in The Malaysian Insider of 26 April 2010 (today). I am in the process of getting a copy, and wish to note my high regard for the firm publishing the book in that they listed it on Amazon. If they were to offer it free online with no-cost translation Creative Commons license, this could help spread the work.

The book as distributed in Malaysia has a Foreword by Tunku Abdul Aziz, so I am inspired to imagine the translation of this book into multiple languages, each with a Foreword by an appropriate local leader–Spanish, Chinese, Russian, etcetera.

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Review (DVD): The Blind Side (2009)

5 Star, Civil Society, Consciousness & Social IQ, Culture, DVD - Light, Democracy, Reviews (DVD Only)
Amazon Page

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal on all fronts, April 26, 2010

This is a phenomenal piece of work that has joined a handful of DVDs that I watch repetively on background when doing light work in the office–others include De-Lovely: The Cole Porter Story; Beyond the Sea; and Joyeux Noel (Widescreen). Of course my youngest son–the athlete–and I also love the best of the best in football movies, including Remember the Titans (Director's Cut); Rudy (Special Edition); and Invincible, to name a few.

What sets this movie apart, in my view, are the nuanced facial expressions and the deep sincerity that the two main actors bring to the screen. I certainly regard the actor playing the hero of this film, the adopted son, to be in line for best supporting actor, or the other way around. Every time I watch this movie I find something I missed before, and I simply do not tire of that pleasure.

It troubles me that a movie as rich as this, telling a true story that is representative of what can be the best of America in a single individual doing the right thing for the right reasons, seems to bring little minds out of the crevices where they have been hiding. This is not a Christian movie, an anti-Christian movie, a bi-racial movie, or anything else. It is an American Story in the grandest possible manner. In no way does that excuse the continuing segregation and abuse of people of color, the really rotten education system for all, the two-party tyranny, the corruption of the US government at all levels–but in one small very real time and space, one family–one mother–got it right.

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