Reviews (DVD Only) – Page 9 – Public Intelligence Blog

2009/12/072009/12/07

Review (Guest) DVD: I.O.U.S.A. DVD on US Bankruptcy

5 Star, America (Founders, Current Situation), Banks, Fed, Money, & Concentrated Wealth, Complexity & Catastrophe, Congress (Failure, Reform), Country/Regional, Culture, Research, Democracy, Economics, Education (General), Executive (Partisan Failure, Reform), Impeachment & Treason, Intelligence (Public), Power (Pathologies & Utilization), Priorities, Public Administration, Reviews (DVD Only)

David Walker (Peter G. Peterson Foundation), Bob Bixby (Concord Coalition) Director: Patrick Creadon

Product Description: America is on the brink of a financial meltdown. I.O.U.S.A. boldly examines the rapidly growing national debt and its consequences for the United States. Burdened with an ever-expanding government and military, increased international competition, overextended entitlement programs, and debts to foreign countries that are becoming impossible to honor, America must mend its spendthrift ways or face an economic disaster of epic proportions. Over 125 minutes of bonus materials, including exclusive interviews with Warren Buffett, Alan Greenspan and others.

Phi Beta Iota: Walker was Comptroller General and briefed Senate in 2007 on bankruptcy. He resigned in the 9th year of a 15 year term. Peterson, his sponsor, is the author of Running on Empty–How the Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our Future and What Americans Can Do About I.

5 stars an outstanding and informative film, April 22, 2009

By Matthew G. Sherwin

I.O.U.S.A. educates people about the very real and very dangerous financial problems our government is facing. The producers of the film pull no punches here and they don't sugar-coat it; and that was the right thing to do. The way Americans live today is essentially “living for the moment” without thinking of the importance of saving money for a rainy day; and the film goes into great, great detail highlighting that the American government does the same. I will tell you just some of the points made by this movie; although it will seem as if I've given it all away I assure you that I haven't.
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2009/10/312009/10/31

Review DVD: The Ugly Truth

Reviews (DVD Only)

Best Public Orgasm Acting; Best Pair Acting, Charming in Every War

October 31, 2009

Gerard Butler, Katherine Heigl

This is one of four movies I caught to and from Europe. Of them all, this one was so charming that I watched it three times, the second two on background while reading.

Right up front, this movie makes movie history with best public orgasm acting, directing, and screenplay, but mostly acting. Phenomenal. It buries the previous champion (IMHO), Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally.

Katherine Heigl deserves a great deal more respect in billing. If she was the supporting actress then she's earned an Oscar in my view. I first encountered her in Love Comes Softly but not to remember as an actress. That DVD earned a very good review and for a Christian values film, was pretty phenomenal.

I have not seen any of her other movies, a few listed below that I might pick up, but I have the feeling she is ready to move out of the “chick flick” genre and up to the full enchilada.

Wish Upon a Star
Love's Enduring Promise
My Father the Hero with Gérard Depardieu
Side Effects
27 Dresses (Full Screen Edition)

2009/10/312009/10/31

Review DVD: Answer Man

Reviews (DVD Only)

Low-key, probing, phenomenal, a definite must see

October 31, 2009

Jeff Daniels, Lauren Graham

This is one of four films I caught on this last trip to Europe, so I am surprised it is listed as “pre-release” but glad that Amazon allows reviews.

This is a mix of low-key romance and deeper torment played without pathos.

Jeff Daniels is an author whose book about conversations with God is a national best seller to the point that he is tired of being mobbed and has become a recluse with severe back pain.

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2009/10/312009/10/31

Review DVD: The Proposal

Reviews (DVD Only)

Not What I Expected and Glad to Watch on United

October 31, 2009

Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds

I would not have selected this movie on my own, and that would have been my loss. On my way over to Europe it was the only one of the movies that was even passingly attractive, so I let it happen.

This is a fine romantic comedy. Sandra Bulluck is one of my favorite actresses and I end with some of the other moview I have really liked that feature her.

In a nut-shell, she plays a boss clearly related to Satan, and while Ryan Reynolds is her hapless assistant who becomes valuable when she suddenly needs a husband.

Betty White and Mary Steenburgen come into play at the very end of the movie.

2009/10/312009/10/31

Review DVD: State of Play

Media, Misinformation & Propaganda, Reviews (DVD Only)

Heroism and Curiosty from Behind a Desk

October 31, 2009

Russell Crowe

This review is primarily for the folks that follow my stuff, which includes, apart from all the non-fiction books, great DVDs for serious people with little patience for most idiocy.

I watched this on a flight to Europe and it was fully satisfying.

In this genre see also:
Conspiracy Theory (Keepcase)
The Pelican Brief (Snap Case)

2009/07/032009/12/04

Review DVD: Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan

5 Star, Culture, DVD - Light, Reviews (DVD Only)

Riveting, Inspiring, Absorbing, Provoking, Just a GREAT All-Around Gift, November 7, 2008

Tadanobu Asano

I was going to multi-task as a I usually do, watching a DVD while reading a book (Constitutional History of Secession)–that idea lasted less than 30 seconds.

From the very first visual this movie grabbed me. This was so good that I spent a third of the time standing up in front of the TV (in part to read the subtitles but in part because this is what I do when a movie really grabs me intellectually and spiritually), and a third leaning forward ffrom the sofa in the fireplace room.

The movie ENDS with battle scenes. The build-up is spectacular on all fronts–cinematography, casting, script, acting–there is not a single bit of this movie that is not five-star wake up and smell the roses GREAT.

I am sitting here thinking of what else to say, just shaking my head. At every level, from personal loyalty to personal strength to family ties to blood brothers to brave in battle to the nuances of corruption, I had a RIVETING good time with this movie. I was ABSORBED.

A few other DVDs I admire as much as this one, but each a slightly different kind of absorbtion. This movie (above) is epic in every sense of the word. The first DVD, is an alterantive view of Tibet which is on the other side of China from Mongolia, but in my view equally important as Mongolia, both autonomous cultural zones.
Tibet – Cry of the Snow Lion
Gladiator (Widescreen Edition)
Henry V
Braveheart (Special Collector's Edition)
Lawrence of Arabia (Collector's Edition, 2 discs) – DVD
The Last Samurai (Full Screen Edition)
We Were Soldiers (Widescreen Edition)
The Snow Walker
A Man Called Horse

2009/07/032009/12/04

Review:DVD: Behind Every Terrorist There Is a Bush

5 Star, Impeachment & Treason, Reviews (DVD Only)

Superior Intellect, Comedy, Probing, Provocative, Fun, June 6, 2009

Ken Jenkins

This DVD costs $20 at PeaceProject.com, and less if you buy more copies, which I recommend. This is a superior fun consciousness raising device and a wonderful gift. It can also be used to provoke the mentally challenged.

I received my copy from Carol Brouillet when we were together at an event, and watched it this morning. It is a mix of comedy, poetry, and serious presentations, e.g. by Webster Tarpley, Ian Woods, and others, the latter presenting 27 9/11 anomalies, this bit ALONE is worth the price of the DVD.

I cannot emphasize too greatly the importance and seriousness of this DVD. Everyone associated with it is intelligent, non-violent, and attentive. This is a call to arms–pots and pans and voices, not guns–throughout this DVD, the truth is recognized as the moral force that it is.

PLEASE buy this DVD and share it with others. Taking responsibility for what we have allowed to be done “in our name” and with our complicit silence in the streets is the only way we can partially overcome the shame, the dishonor, of letting a nakedly amoral vice president and a village idiot lead the world to trillion dollar chaos.

For those attracted to this line of inquiry, I have created an annotated bibliography with hot links to over 500 non-fictions books and some DVDs that more or less are a citizen's primer on what is wrong with our out of control federal government, and what need to know to fix it. See the comment for the URL.