Tuesday, January 31, 2006

The Loose Cannon's -- List Of Must See Media





















Rethink Afghanistan

By Brave New Films

The war in Afghanistan is increasing the likelihood that American civilians will be killed in a future terrorist attack.

Part One focuses on what military escalation will achieve in Afghanistan. Part Two looks at how the war could further destabilize a nuclear-armed Pakistan. Watch part two in its entirety online for free, or watch the trailer. Part Three focuses on the staggering costs of the war, which could easily exceed $1 trillion. Part Four examines the civilian casualties caused by recent U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan. Part Five questions the assumption that war can liberate Afghan women. Part 6 of Rethink Afghanistan, Security, brings you three former high-ranking CIA agents to explain why. There is no "victory" to be won in Afghanistan. It is the most important video about U.S. Security today. Watch each part or the whole series in its entirety online for free.

Click the link above or visit Rethinkafghanistan.com

Watch the Trailer




Ten Trillion and Counting

PBS Frontline Presents
with Forrest Sawyer

All of the federal government's efforts to stem the tide of the financial meltdown have added hundreds of billions of dollars to an already staggering national debt, a sum that is expected to double over the next 10 years to more than $23 trillion. In Ten Trillion and Counting,FRONTLINE traces the politics behind this mounting debt and investigates what some say is a looming crisis that makes the current financial situation pale in comparison.






An Inconvenient Truth

Director-producer Davis Guggenheim (HBO's "Deadwood") captures former Vice President Al Gore in the midst of waging a passionate campaign -- not for the White House, but for the environment. Laying out the facts of global warming without getting political, Gore makes a sobering impression on the audiences who hear his message, urging them to act "boldly, quickly and wisely" … before it's too late to act at all.
Releases on DVD Nov 21, 2006





Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006)

Who Killed the Electric Car? is a 2006 documentary film that explores the creation, limited commercialization, and subsequent destruction of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the 1990s. The film explores the roles of automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the US government, the Californian government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and consumers in limiting the development and adoption of this technology.

It was released on DVD to the home video market on November 14, 2006 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. -Wikipedia




Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006)

Private contractors are getting rich while everybody else is suffering: This is the point director Robert Greenwald makes -- passionately -- in this 2006 documentary. Using whistleblower testimony, firsthand accounts, financial records and classified documents, Greenwald levels charges of greed, corruption and incompetence against private contractors and shows the subsequent devastating effect on Americans and Iraqis.





The Lost Year in Iraq

Today, as America looks for an exit strategy, FRONTLINE examines the initial, critical decisions of the U.S.-led regime in Baghdad in The Lost Year in Iraq. From the same team that produced Rumsfeld's War, The Torture Question and The Dark Side, the film is based on more than 30 interviews, most of them with the officials charged with building a new and democratic Iraq.

Click here to watch the full Frontline special "The Lost Year in Iraq"

Watch the introduction below.




The Man Who Knew

When the Twin Towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001, among the thousands killed was the one man who may have known more about Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda than any other person in America: John O'Neill. The former head of the FBI's flagship antiterrorism unit in New York City, O'Neill had investigated the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Africa and the USS Cole in Yemen. For six years, he led the fight to track down and prosecute Al Qaeda operatives throughout the world. But his flamboyant, James Bond style and obsession with Osama bin Laden made him a controversial figure inside the buttoned-down world of the FBI. Just two weeks before Sept. 11, O'Neill left the bureau for a job in the private sector -- as head of security at the World Trade Center. He died there after rushing back into the burning towers to aid in the rescue efforts.


Click here to watch the full Frontline special "The Man Who Knew" online

Watch the introduction below.




Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (2005)

Producer, director and activist Robert Greenwald takes aim at the corporate giant that's come to symbolize big business in America: Wal-Mart. Blasting the box-store Goliath for allegedly paying substandard wages, skimping on employee health benefits and eviscerating communities, this hard-hitting, emotional documentary profiles the struggle of everyday folks from around the country who've committed themselves to fighting the mega-retailer.





Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005)

Based on the book of the same name by Peter Elkin, director Alex Gibney's documentary takes a behind-the-scenes look at the powerful energy company whose downfall forever changed the landscape of the business world. With a blend of fascinating footage, fast-paced interviews and a wealth of information, this film is a serious lesson in the potential trappings of dishonesty and unethical behavior dogging corporate America today.
Starring: Peter Coyote, Gray Davis, More
Director: Alex Gibney





Super Size Me (2004)

Two out of three Americans are overweight or obese, but where does personal responsibility end and corporate responsibility take over? On the heels of recent lawsuits against McDonald's, director Morgan Spurlock takes a hilarious and often terrifying look at the effects of fast food on the human body. Spurlock spends a month of eating nothing but McDonald's food, ordering everything on the menu at least once and "super-sizing" his order if asked.

Starring: Morgan Spurlock, Bridget Bennett, More
Director: Morgan Spurlock




The Corporation (2004)

Director: Jennifer Abbott, More
This documentary charts the spectacular rise of corporations as a dramatic, pervasive presence in our lives. Filmmakers March Achbar and Jennifer Abbott present a timely, entertaining critique of global conglomerates as they chronicle the origins of corporations, as well as their inner workings, controversial impacts and possible futures. The pros and cons are weighed via interviews with social critics such as Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore.





Frontline: Is Wal-Mart Good for America?

Director: Rick Young
Starring: Hedrick Smith, Edna Bonacich, More

This PBS series dares to pose a question: Is one of America's biggest corporations actually ruining the economy? Marching across the nation, the big-box chain brings jobs and much-needed retail options to many towns. But, as a major purveyor of goods, the company's also hacked away at manufacturing jobs stateside, since the bulk of its products are made in China. Here, "Frontline" examines two cities profoundly affected by the Wal-Mart movement.

Click here to watch this program online


Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism (2004)

Finally, a no-holds-barred documentary on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, which has been criticized in some quarters as running a "race to the bottom" in television news. Offering an in-depth look at the dangers of burgeoning corporations that take control of the public's right to know, the film explores Murdoch's ever-expanding media empire and its impact on society. Media experts such as Jeff Cohen and Bob McChesney are interviewed.
Starring: Jeff Cohen, Bob McChesney, More
Director: Robert Greenwald





With God on Our Side - the Rise of the Religious Right in America 2004

This provocative but balanced documentary begins by providing the historical context necessary to understand President Bush's evangelical agenda - exploring the five-decade political education of conservative Christians. Then it zeroes in on Bush himself with a religious biography - from his mid-life crisis involving excessive drinking and a failing business, to his pivotal meeting with a cross-carrying evangelist, and finally to the skillful embrace of 'born-again' imagery that helped elect him president. (Hollywood Reporter)

Directors: David Van Taylor - Calvin Skaggs
Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES

Blue Vinyl (2002)

In this sardonic but sobering exposé, activist filmmakers Judith Helfand and Daniel B. Gold reveal the potentially toxic effects of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is used in everything from cars to water mains to toys. Armed with a piece of blue vinyl siding, Helfand and Gold head to Louisiana -- America's vinyl-manufacturing capital -- and to Italy, where bigwigs from a PVC-producing company stand accused of manslaughter in a landmark case.
Starring: Brett Adam
Director: Daniel B. Gold,





Roger and Me (1989)

In this blistering, satirical documentary, ex-journalist Michael Moore gives a personal account of the tough times in his hometown of Flint, Mich., after the General Motors plant was closed in the mid-1980s. The film revolves around Moore's dogged attempts to gain an interview with Roger Smith, the elusive and well-insulated head of GM and the man responsible for massive layoffs that eliminated more than 30,000 jobs and left the town destitute.

Starring: Michael Moore, Roger B. Smith, More
Director: Michael Moore
Genre: Documentary