“Truth is only treason in the empire of lies.” (10/10)
Directed by Oliver Stone

Watching Snowden will be a life-changing experience for just about anyone who cares about civil liberty… around the world as well as on (and inside) our own US doorsteps. [The next day I placed these pimple band-aids over the camera lenses on my two computers… even though I have never configured or used my cameras. I’m also thinking about storing my smart phone in the microwave oven when not in use, and regularly sweeping my cat’s whiskers for listening devices.] The constant underlying theme that I take away from Snowden: the snooping capabilities being applied to anyone and everyone can literally pick pepper out of gnat feces… from a distance of, like, say, Jupiter.

Stone is brilliant in laying out how unbridled high-tech spying along with the military’s super weapons, that we KNOW about—chiefly Hellfire-missile-equipped drones—, is used to basically to murder men, women, and children in any of the 156 countries (staging from the 700+ American military bases) where we have a military presence around the world. Check this photo collage below, I superimposed the prestrike still and the poststrike still from this YouTube video on an American flag.[1]

About the Movie

I do want to get into the details of the horrific attacks that unlimited surveillance sets up in conjunction with terminally corrupt government. But let me begin my review in a more standard way, namely by listing what’s so special to me about this once-in-a-lifetime film: Continue reading →

Modern morality comedy in candid setting ___ 8.5/10

Don Jon is another Netflix pic that panned out nicely.

[Who goes out to the movies anymore? Last time yours truly took in the silver screen up close and personal was to watch Atlas Shrugged III. To make it an official night at the cineplex I ordered a MEDIUM cola and MEDIUM popcorn… then walked away, I think it was, $12 poorer! Yikes! They need to surround the concession stands with yellow tape as a crime scene.]

But back to the movie at hand. The IMDb blurb says, “A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.” So I expected it to be on the frank, perhaps even raw, side, but I’ve always liked Gordon-Levitt’s movies where he’s an actor—since Brick (2005), The Lookout (2007), and especially (500) Days of Summer (2009)—and this one he also writes and directs. So I put my offensiveness meter on standby and gave Don Jon a fair shake, so to speak.:) Not the kind of movie to watch with one’s parents… or one’s kids. Continue reading →