only the dead see the end of war HBO

[wdmso]

Originally Posted by scottw

Originally Posted by wdmso
only the dead see the end of war HBO

A must watch

This Documentary Shows How Iraq really was and the development of current day Isis .. and debunks the narrative that Iraq was ever as stable as some would have us believe

Quote:
Originally Posted by wdmso View Post
There was no political statement made at any point .. by anyone ...

not sure why you would think there was one ?


Originally Posted by scottw View Post

"and debunks the narrative that Iraq was ever as stable as some would have us believe"

QUOTE=wdmso;1097912]

That was my statement.. All the Documentary does is support what I have expressed

so just to sum things up on this movie....it's a "must watch" because it supports your political take on the Iraq war and it's aftermath....the movie maker didn't create it as a political statement......the reviews I've cited didn't review it as a political statement but rather as a crappy movie full of gratuitous violence and obnoxious narration

seems consistent throughout the reviews... another example- "Having been on the ground for years reporting for Time magazine, Ware has amassed a huge body of video, but it’s clear from “Only the Dead” that he and his co-director Bill Guttentag had no idea how to shape it into a cohesive documentary. They have opted, unfortunately, to thread it together with some hammy, overwrought narration by Ware himself. Ware seems to be honestly trying to express the horror and confusion of Iraq at the peak of the fighting, but relying on turgid, fundamentally meaningless pronouncements about “the recesses in our souls we never knew we had” has the effect of trivializing the people Ware has filmed.

Struggling for a narrative throughline, Ware focuses on the rise of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the ruthless leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, while at the same time, using his own experience as a framing device. But the film offers too little in the way of context to work as a study of al-Zarqawi—the main takeaway seems to be that he was a really, really bad dude, which is not exactly revelatory—and Ware never gives enough of himself for the film to work as a personal story. In his narration, he comes off as grim and slightly pompous, constantly going on about the darkness he discovered in his own soul but never exposing that darkness in an honest, revealing way. The effect is worsened by a portentously pounding score."


(though if you read the TIME review, the author reads all sorts of support for his obvious political bias from it)

.....I'm not sure how many thumbs Siskel and Ebert would give it but it sounds like it would only and has only been enjoyed or celebrated by those looking to support a political view through a movie where "There was no political statement made at any point .. by anyone ..."....seems odd...no? [/QUOTE]

so just to sum things up on this movie....it's a "must watch" because it supports your political take on the Iraq war and it's aftermath.

No it supports what I experienced when I was there As an Infantry Platoon Sgt .. actually looking for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, IED makers the elections .. it has nothing to do with how I politically wish to view past events in iraq I dont blame Bush or Obama for the rise of ISIS because they were alway there in one form or another in the middle east

It seem your the one trying very very hard to be political

[scottw]

Originally Posted by wdmso

It seem your the one trying very very hard to be political

like the movie...I've yet to make a political claim about it....beyond suggesting the reviews were evaluating it's cinematic quality rather than it's political message...or not

however....


Originally Posted by wdmso
only the dead see the end of war HBO

"All the Documentary does is support what I have expressed that Iraq was never Stable and All the Obama haters on one hand love to claim Iraq was stable ... but because He pulled us out it it magical became unstable and created the ISIS problem... you cant have it both ways , the Documentary just shows what politicians wont say .. that stability was manufactured... The boots on the ground would not share the narrative that Iraq was stable


the sources of instability are fundamentally political."

[scottw]

this was my favorite from TIME where the author states there's not much political in the film...then immediately launches into a political diatribe about the film...hilarious...."



"There’s not much in the way of politics in the film, but Ware’s anguished attempts to reckon with his Iraq experiences contrast starkly with America’s failure to do the same. To this day, the size and scale of the catastrophe of that war, which took the lives of some 4,500 Americans and well over 100,000 Iraqis, still seems unappreciated here. And far too often, the direct line from Zarqawi and the Iraq war to Syria and ISIS’s caliphate is willfully ignored, as is the degree to which America’s failures in Iraq still undercut its reputation and strength abroad. What becomes clear as you watch the film, though, is how silly, craven, and narcissistic it is for would-be leaders to bray for new wars when they haven’t the slightest clue what war actually means for those who have to fight it, and those who have to endure it.

[wdmso]

Originally Posted by scottw

this was my favorite from TIME where the author states there's not much political in the film...then immediately launches into a political diatribe about the film...hilarious...."



"There’s not much in the way of politics in the film, but Ware’s anguished attempts to reckon with his Iraq experiences contrast starkly with America’s failure to do the same. To this day, the size and scale of the catastrophe of that war, which took the lives of some 4,500 Americans and well over 100,000 Iraqis, still seems unappreciated here. And far too often, the direct line from Zarqawi and the Iraq war to Syria and ISIS’s caliphate is willfully ignored, as is the degree to which America’s failures in Iraq still undercut its reputation and strength abroad. What becomes clear as you watch the film, though, is how silly, craven, and narcissistic it is for would-be leaders to bray for new wars when they haven’t the slightest clue what war actually means for those who have to fight it, and those who have to endure it.

You have a lot to say about a film you haven't watched? But insist what was said in an interview.. is whats in the film.. now that being objective

Seeing you enjoy reviews

Reality from an unbiased lens
9/10
Author: jmswarner from Canton, OH
22 March 2016
Fantastic story telling by Michael Ware in this gripping doc that portrays the harsh realities of war in a sense that is rarely attempted, let alone achieved. Kudos to the job of capturing the raw emotion from the soldiers' before, during and after conflicts where they are fighting for their lives. They are moments that 95% of the civilian population have never witnessed. The film could of been a tad shorter, as I felt there were a few unnecessary scenes. But overall, the pace and narration were spot on for the most part. This documentary is definitely not meant for the faint of heart, but, if you are interested in REALITY then this film is meant for you.

[scottw]

[QUOTE=wdmso;1098072]You have a lot to say about a film you haven't watched? .. now that being objective ....



I cited Salon, Variety and Time reviews as reasons I wouldn't watch it..that seems to me to be extraordinarily objective...I don't honestly know what Rush Limbaugh thought of the film (Bryan could probably tell you) and I don't know who jmswarner from Canton, OH is, but I wouldn't watch based on that review either, sounds like he got off on the violence and reality a little

hey, isn't this the guy that came under a lot of criticism for narrating a movie that was sent to him where US Soldiers were stalked and shot by snipers and then ran it on CNN?