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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

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 73 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:2007

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
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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

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Release:

Mar 25, 2008

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • 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.
  • Narrated by actor Sean Penn, and based on the acclaimed book by Norman Solomon, the film exhumes five decades of remarkable archival footage to reveal in stunning detail how the American news media have uncritically disseminated and glamorized the pro-war messages of successive presidential administrations. The film gives special attention to parallels between the Vietnam war and the war in Iraq, setting government spin and media collusion from the present alongside virtually identical patterns from the past.
  • Source: Ryko Distribution
  •  
     
     
     

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

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    1 - 17 (sorted by date)
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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
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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
     
     
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