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PiotrxxxDenmark
Reviews
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)
The genocide begins
Costner has made yet another depiction of the conquering of the native's America - and this part 1 gives us a lot of different viewpoints. From naive and well intentioned settlers to hardened criminals and ruthless businessmen, who created the genocidal proces that lead to the distinction of a whole native culture and the exploitation of nature, wild life etc.
The acting is rather okay, the editing could be better and the script is a bit jumpy - but the overall impression is a saga, that hopefully will teach us some history and make us realise what the so called God's own country was founded on.
Actually we still continue to dominate and exploit, scheme and destroy, if there's a profit held out for us ... and the tragedy is immense.
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
This is for the director's cut (313 min version)
The cinema edition was quite a mess; entertaining but lacked a lot of background and coherence. The director's cut version close several gaps and adds more action, and the result is one of Scott's most epic movies.
While it's unnecessary to sum up the storyline, it's necessary for all fans of Scott and movies from the age of crusades to watch the long version. It's not perfect, it's not Scott's best movie - but it's a hell of a trip through the conflicts at that time. And it depicts the muslims in quite a fair and historical suitable way. All in all it's a must watch - and it can easily stand a repeat or two.
Hammarskjöld (2023)
History writing of huge importance
The story of Dag carries the story of Congo, which needs to be told in our present times. The western backed coup and our crimes to the people of Congo were to become significant for the way the western powers for a century have conducted mafia methods to gain and consolidate any sort of capital to rule the globe. Today we can look at huge line of historic and present crimes, and we can look at a huge line of fingerpointing at leaders from countries that does not submit to the western regime.
Congo today is even worse off than the post-Lumumba era; Rwanda-backed rebels are choking the congolese people - and even western editorials ask the western powers to act. But our powers are in business with the proxy wars on Russia, Iran/Syria and China ... so the congolese people will have to be patient. Meanwhile perhaps it's not impossible to do business with the M23 and affiliates. After all, business is business.
JFK: What the Doctors Saw (2023)
Answers off
Why are we not being told the truth by the US authorities? Because that would open up Pandoras Box - and integrated lies would be exposed. The illusion of a shining democracy on the hill would be revealed ... and the american exceptionalism would erode. No more nice Uncle Sam.
A deep state able to obfuscate that USA was founded on european imperialism and a genocide ... and crafted on the basis of slavery and exploitation of working poors ... should be able to hide away the truth behind the killing of one of its presidents. It's all done for the greater good - and on a consensus of the people being an abstract for further exploitation. Business is big, business is bulldozing.
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015)
Important questions
Is this documentary depicting the massive NED-investments in a westernised Ukraine and how Tech Camps at e.g. The US Embassy in Kiev inspired internet activists who would fight for western values? Does it mention that Janukovitj didn't commit a crime when he paused the EU-agreement? Does it explore his actual reasons for that? Does it describe his dislike of the russian and EU pressure? Does it question the claim that he was pro-russian? Does it investigate the Right Sector involvement in the sniper shooting affair in Kiev, which was blamed on Janukovitj? Does it point out the Nuland/Pyatt evidence of US involvement in the coup? Does it mention Poroshenko and other oligarchs financing the Maidan camping and western advert-firms marketing the protests in the world media? Does it describe that most of the southeastern population in Ukraine was against the overthrow of Janukovitj? Is the murderous fire in Odessa, which killed +50 anti-Maidan activists, while radical right forces praised Bandera, mentioned? Do we hear about the C-14 and the other streetbands?
Just asking. Most western documentaries does not - and therefore many people are seriously poor informed on the events, that exploded the east/west conflict with Ukraine as the epicenter.
Finally, I will ask all viewers to take a good long look at 07:40 in the movie. This activist says that Ukraine wants to be part of the civilised world, meaning having a close relation to Russia would be turning to the jungle. Pure ethnocentrism, colported as the ambition of freedom by this Netflix-production.
Watch Ukraine on fire, The hidden truth about Ukraine 1+2, Ukrainian agony, Roses have thorns and The masks of revolution. They are alla available on various streaming sites and youtube.
The Other Side (2024)
The Other Side still overall portrayed as the Dark Side
This documentary reveals to some extend the situation for the separatists in Donbas - and it actually gives some nuance to the motives that Russia had for the 2014 intervention and the special military operation/invasion in 2022. It touches on the NATO-enlargement, which is a historical fact that is usually ignored in the West ... and it reports the Kiev-governments bombings on the separatist territory since 2014; bombings and killings we never hear of in the West.
On several occasions the interviewing/journalism in depth is rather poor; Lanagan is often more interested in the russian aggressions in Ukraine than the Kiev-governments aggressions i Donbas. He never pursuits the story of a population that the coup/revolution in 2014 ignored and damned as russian agents while attacking and subordinating them. All this is well documented, but Lanagans curiosity isn't really there. In that perspective, he might as well could have stayed home in safe London.
Lanagan also gets a possibility to investigate the other side of the Bucha story - which was called a genocide by the Kiev-government and by western powers (until they realised that massacres/warcrimes was a more realistic accusation), but he avoids this by proposing that it's not safe to talk further on ... and then he clings on to the western narrative. That is not quality journalism, but epistemological information control according to Lanagan's ideological narrative.
The best in this documentary is the depiction of the frontlines, Lanagan visits - and some political diversity (which Lanagan notoriously calls 'cracks') amongst the Donbas fighters. Lanagan touches briefly on this, but he's not reflecting on the historical view he's offered from 'the other side' ... and most notably he is not interested in the reasons for the civil uprise in eastern Ukraine after the coup in Kiev, 2014. Why, I don't know ... but it could be caused by his western cultivation which urges him to believe and enforce that 'the other side' mostly is dark. Whatever, these projections/prejudgments and the bias surely kicks down the quality ... but still I recommend everyone to watch it; it is far better and more informative than most of the western input on the matter.
Godfather of Harlem (2019)
Criminal heart handling
Season 2 episode 7 is a real heartbreaker - and Whitaker stands out as an extremely competent character, overshadowing any dubious take in the show. The latter is by all means entertaining and thrilling; raw and in constant motion but eventually zooming in on depths of relations and significant action. Thatch gives a rather polished representation of Malcolm X, but seen from our story's point of view the character works as a representation of radical pragmatism ... and thereby providing a subtle projection of his measuring Bumpy as a (truely) oxymoronic human being.
Do not avoid inhaling this show, white gangsta.
The Punisher (2017)
Raw meat of existence
I'm not a huge fan of Marvell, but sometimes they hit the mark.
And this one is the best and most violent, ruthless and vicious actionthriller-show ever made. Bernthal is authentic, the misery is in his (and our) face while the pace of the storybuilding is fine varying. And I simply love the musical backdrop, which holds the same gripping standards as some of the best seasons of TWD.
Season 1 is the most thrilling, but season 2 is more ruthless - and depicts how his life unfolds after the extreme retaliative excesses in season 1. Just get in the seat and follow Bernthal in his descent to Hell (and the heaven beyond). Do not abstain.
Reacher (2022)
Genre security
After watching season 1 and 2 with only few breaks, I have to express my fine experience. Paper thin and scratched story about drifting, loving, killing, thrilling and going the long way.
They are very lucky, our friends - and Perhaps we have never before seen a hero avoiding that many bullets, taking that many punches, throwing that many back. Somewhere in between The Punisher (not as sick) and Terminal list (a bit more action loaded).
The big guy-theme kept me from watching the show until now, and as must appear I got quite positively surprised, even by some of the dialogue (Reacher sometimes makes real sense).
I considered to give it a 9'er, but the genre doesn't add up to that.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
Worry our ass about the growth-religion
This movie is rather sentimental, but it gives a plain view on the matter at stake. Here we have some people living on and off the land, in harmony with the laws of nature ... and in comes the growth parties from Europe with all their artificial competition and a complete lack of respect for nature.
And of course the na(t)ive part, the one who does not suppress nature but comes along with it, is being slaughtered and forced into the calculating numbness of the 'rich man's world'. The growth paradise, which today is clearly overconsuming our ressources and destroying the planet's diversity and ecosystems. What a bender, and we just don't really care. We are numb. And sentimental. No Wakantanka here.
Power Book IV: Force (2022)
Tommy the dummy, so yummie
This is not a high quality drama, but it's gangster locomotion that works. Tommy's character and his dubious choices, often driven by sudden impulse, and his violent integrity is second to none.
Taking on Chicago is a primitive proces, showing us the strange mix of humanity and hellish cynicism that Tommy probably never will get integrated ... and the course of his life seems to spiral down into ever worsening circumstances. Self destruction par excellence.
Power as a show sort of killed itself in the end, actually got a bit boring - but Force revitalises the spirit from the first three seasons. By far the best offspring among the Power Books.
The Walking Dead (2010)
Episode one is almost worth it all
The sound, the simplicity, the light, the locations, the play, the low pace. It's all perfectly balanced and closing in on its viewer.
The show until now (episode 15, season 11) has been dissociating a couple of times, but overall it's quite engaging, quite brutal and quite relentless. Violence and commitment, power and resolvement. Trust and control.
I usually dislike zombie-products, but for this one I'm willing to let the phenomena pass.
Taboo (2017)
Hardening Hardy
The first season leaves a strong impression of the british colonial empire entering the verge of loosing its might. Delaney (Hardy) challenges the empires class-structure and his actions exposes the great flaws in the historical (and most religious) worship of private property.
The North Water (2021)
Beautiful beasts
A thoughtful, brutal and non-sentimental journey into the minds of man - and the insanity of capitalism. O'Connell's sublime talent for expressing the complexity of his character is a gift.
JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass (2021)
Sad but true
Sad it is that a crime in this scale never has been sufficiently solved, but true it is that a succesful coup often is uncovered a long time after - if ever.
Stone had to do this movie - and there is more to present. This is a case that has to be solved, has to be written into the US history, if this land ever shall overcome itself. Founded on violence, baptised in blood and still reproducing both.
Adolf Hitler: The Greatest Story Never Told (2013)
Yet another heavily biased, but valuable, tribute to the writing of history
This documentary does not provide much truth about Adolf Hitler or the 20th century's world wars; it adds some absolutely valuable (political and economic) information to our knowledge on these topics, especially how the dominant, politcal/economical forces of Europe and the US to a large extend supported Hitler and nazism as part of the ongoing exploitation of human and nature.