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Movies / On DVD / War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death
War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death

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War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death (2008)

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Reviews Counted:17

Fresh:15

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 73 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to... War Made Easy reaches into the Orwellian memory hole to expose a 50-year pattern of government deception and media spin that has dragged the United States into one war after another from Vietnam to Iraq. Narrated by actor and activist Sean Penn, the film exhumes remarkable archival footage of official distortion and exaggeration from LBJ to George W. Bush, revealing in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations.

War Made Easy gives special attention to parallels between the Vietnam war and the war in Iraq. Guided by media critic Norman Solomon’s meticulous research and tough-minded analysis, the film presents disturbing examples of propaganda and media complicity from the present alongside rare footage of political leaders and leading journalists from the past, including Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, dissident Senator Wayne Morse, and news correspondents Walter Cronkite and Morley Safer.

Norman Solomon’s work has been praised by the Los Angeles Times as “brutally persuasive” and essential “for those who would like greater context with their bitter morning coffee.” This film now offers a chance to see that context on the screen. --© Official Site
[More]

Starring: Norman Solomon

Starring: Norman Solomon

Director: Loretta Alper, Jeremy Earp

Director: Loretta Alper, Jeremy Earp
Producer: Loretta Alper
Composer: Leigh Phillips, John Van Eps
Studio: Media Education Foundation

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep...

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1 - 17 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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makes its timely arguments with passion and conviction.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
03/24/08
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's too top heavy and just not clean.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/17/08
Matthew Nestel
Matthew Nestel
Boxoffice Magazine

A hard-hitting documentary against the madness of war and the failure of journalists to speak truth to power.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
03/15/08
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Conventional and one-sided.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment 3 Comments
03/14/08
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post

At only 73 minutes, the documentary is nowhere as detailed as Solomon's invaluable book but see it anyway, and don't get fooled again.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/14/08
Ken Fox
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Penetrating study of how the news media allowed themselves to be used as war propagandists in the run-up to the war in Iraq.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
03/14/08
Louis Proyect
Louis Proyect
rec.arts.movies.reviews

War Made Easy: How Presidents & Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death is a depressing look at political manipulation and news media compliance.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
03/14/08
Jeannette Catsoulis
Jeannette Catsoulis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Killing for peace cleverly compared to fornicating for virginity.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
03/12/08
Kam Williams
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze

The doc is sobering, straightforward, and a bit drab, but to the participants' credit, it's also an entirely nonpartisan endeavor.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment 1 Comment
03/11/08
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Village Voice

War Made Easy contributes a significant argument and does a good enough job in a limited way.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
02/07/08
Eric Monder
Eric Monder
Film Journal International

The arguments seem worth considering and the film makes for provocative viewing.

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
02/04/08
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

If you're a news junkie, you'll find nothing new: if not, this nicely-edited and eminently watchable doc will open your eyes.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
01/24/08
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

No distractions, no theatrics, no colorful personalities, just an efficiently produced documentary with a simple, direct and compelling argument.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
01/10/08
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Makes a strong case that when it comes to military action, the American public has been deceived by presidents from Lyndon Johnson on down the line to the current occupant of the White House.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment 1 Comment
11/20/07
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

War Made Easy is an engrossing bit of finger-pointing, ushering in another fascinating shade to the world's current woes, not to mention a devastating portrait of fallacy that grows stronger by the gunshot.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
10/18/07
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
eFilmCritic.com

While the film is intensely skeptical of the power elite, it has a refreshing faith in democracy.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
10/04/07
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Overlapping with other recent docus, pic nonetheless presents a stimulating argument.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/22/07
Dennis Harvey
Dennis Harvey
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 17 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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