Everything else is just made up
One of the great things about having a blog like this is knowing that there are people all over the world accessing the content. So whenever a writer or filmmaker reaches out to me, I’m always happy to help them spread the word. Such is the case with this post. A filmmaker/musician from Osaka, Japan, [...]
Review of Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer written and directed by Alex Gibney Rating ***** This film came out around the same time as the documentary The Inside Job. In many ways this film is a prequil to that documentary, because before Eliot Spitzer resigned from office he was well on his way [...]
I don’t think anyone watching the Dateline episode The Mystery on Halloween Night could conclude other than an innocent person was convicted of a crime he did not commit. If the judge currently deliberating on Ryan Ferguson’s fate doesn’t overturn his conviction, it will be a miscarriage of justice of monumental proportions. The only thing I [...]
Review of Exit Through the Gift Shop written & directed by Bansky Rating *** 1/2 What is it that makes one work of art worth thousands of dollars and another similar work of art worth almost nothing? That is a question that has been addressed on this site a number of times. First there was [...]
A review of Casino Jack written and directed by Alex Gibney Review ***** In my most recent review of the documentary Gasland, I commented that it was a must see film. The same can be said about this film, especially right now. If you want to know what’s going on behind the scenes in Washington with [...]
A review of Gasland written and directed by Josh Fox Rating ***** Remember a while back how outraged we all were over the BP oil spill in the Gulf? What if I were to tell you that there is a much more damaging environmental catastrophe occurring right now in the U.S. that dwarfs the BP [...]
A review of Inside Job written and Directed by Charles Ferguson Rating ***** Over the past couple of years I’ve started but never finished several books about the financial meltdown. I had the best intentions, as did the authors who wrote the books. But everytime I got to the section on credit default swaps, derivatives, [...]
Review of Chow Down Directed by Julia Grayer and Gage Johnston Rating *** 1/2 I just got back from grocery shopping today. I spent $140 for groceries for two people. While that’s a little higher than normal, the one thing different about this trip to the grocery store is that I returned with not a [...]
Forks Over Knives written and directed by Lee Fulkerson rating *** 1/2 I first got tuned in to eating less meat as a way to better health after reading Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma and the documentary that followed called Food, Inc. Michael’s book was an eye opener. The topic of his book, however, was more [...]
This film has been on my radar screen for a while. I knew I wanted to see it when I first heard about it. Then I saw a 20/20 or Dateline episode about the film and put the actual film on the back-burner. Now that I’ve seen it, I’m thinking it should have gotten a best documentary Oscar nod. It was that good.
First there was the book Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan which warned about the dangers of the industrialization of our food. Then there was the documentary Food, Inc., which covered many of the same topics. The meat we eat is contaminated with hormones. The animals are given food that are not a part of their natural diet. Most of the vegetables and fruits we eat are contaminated with pesticides and herbicides. What’s left? Surely there can’t be anything wrong with the water we drink, right? Well, you need to watch this movie to find out the answer.
What happened next is even more ridiculous. They threatened to bring charges against Tommy’s son and wife if Tommy didn’t agree to a plea deal. Just say your guilty, Tommy. We won’t charge anyone else but you, and you won’t have to go to jail. Now anyone with any common sense could look at the facts of the case and see that this was a case of entrapment. But this was the federal government. Going up against the government, with their unlimited resources, would have been risky and so expensive that it could have wiped Tommy out for good. Not to mention that his son and wife would have fallen victim to the same injustice system.
This documentary on our current education system is an eye opener on a number of grounds. The filmmakers back up their claims about our deteriorating education system with plenty of statistics to show that we are failing in just about every measurable category. You may wonder what happens to the millions of drop-outs and under-educated students that are put out into society. The answer is that they’re present in every work environment. Incompetence is everywhere. The good news is that it’s never too late to turn things around.
In every case of wrongful conviction that I have come across, there are a number of common elements. They are, in no particular order, incompetent police work, prosecutorial misconduct, untruthful or deceptive testimony, and a jury system that assumes all defendants are guilty until proven innocent. This case has all of the above.
