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| Movie Review: No End in Sight Alternate Title: Apocalypse Ongoing
Story: How many ways can you
screw up a war? Stop! Don't even start to count the ways. This riveting
account by director, writer and producer Charles Ferguson*
(see bio below) is a history 101 lesson in what went wrong in Iraq (or
as Jon Stewart calls it 'Mess'Opatamia). This is NOT a Michael Moore
film. It is a chronological listing of what we did wrong and what happened
because of our missteps. Ferguson uses talking heads to tell his story.
They are not the usual left wingers (like me) you might see or hear.
These people are policy wonks, bureaucrats, soldiers, journalists and
career diplomats. It is a sobering story. The looming question of whether we should have
ever invaded is not covered in the film. It is a history lesson about
what went wrong after the invasion. The negligence, arrogance, incompetence,
ignorance and cronyism that were rampant speaks volumes. I would imagine that history will have our prestigious
military academies teaching what NOT to do when we go to war. For all
out there who care about our country and how we are projected around
the world I implore you to see this film. It is important. Director: * From Wikipedia: Charles H. Ferguson
co-founded Vermeer Technologies Inc., the original creator of Microsoft
FrontPage. Ferguson detailed his experiences from the company in his
1999 book, High St@kes, No Prisoners, including raising venture capital,
building the product, and finally selling it to Microsoft for $133 million
in 1996. His first film "No End in Sight: The American Occupation
of Iraq" won a special jury prize for documentaries at the 2007
Sundance Film Festival. He earned a B.A. in mathematics in 1978 from
the University of California, Berkeley and PhD in political science
in 1989 from MIT. He has consulted for the White House, served on the
Council of Foreign Relations, and is a member of the Brookings Institution.
Predilection: I hate this war.
Critters: There are some dogs running around but
nothing bad happens to them (on screen).
Opening Titles: Graphically pleasing graphics to
lead you into the film.
Visual Art: There is nothing visually exciting to
report about war.
Theater Audience: A packed audience of nodding and
gasping people.
Sappy Factor: You have to be kidding!
Squirm Scale: 10 - war sucks.
Drift Factor: No drifting for me.
Predictability Level: Sadly, I know where we are.
Tissue Usage: I wept for all of us.
Oscar Worthy: Why not?
Big Screen or Rental: Who knows if you will able
to see this film in a theater near you? There are plenty of films about
the Iraqi war (that gives you an idea about how long we have been there).
Try these: Iraq For Sale, Gunner Palace, The War Tapes, Iraq In
Fragments.
Length: 90 minutes
LOBO HOWLS: 8
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