Change Your Image
sanjeev-sarpal
Reviews
The Shock Doctrine (2009)
Outstanding!
After watching this film with a few friends (one of which was a former World bank employee), we had a rather mixed and somewhat heated conversation in the cinema bar. The film is basically a summary of the book, which talks about the ideas of Milton Friedman and how they have been used to influence world affairs. However, for those of you who may find the film 'superficial' I would recommend the book, as there is much more detail. Regarding the objectivity of the film, I don't believe that it's anti-American or anti-capitalistic (as my world bank friend remarked). Quite the contrary, it is very balanced and in my opinion Klein does not point a finger at a company without first presenting the facts. I think what a lot of pro-capitalists probably find annoying about Klein is that she brings the whole idea of multinational dirty dealings and currents affairs into the spotlight. After all, Halliburton, Shell, BP, the World bank etc. are far from angels when it comes to making money! I for one, commend the producers of this film and Mrs. Klein for a job well done!
Le système Poutine (2007)
Hide your children, Putin is coming !
From the outset, this film portrayed Putin as a threat to humanity and freedom. However, the film nicely showed Putin rise to power from ranks within the KGB until he replaced Boris Yeltsin as leader. The are graphics images of the barbaric war in Chechnya, and how Putin's used the Chechen cause to further his own political aspirations. The are several interviews with the so called exiled 'Oligargs' who portray themselves are victims of Putin's crackdown on corruption. Needless to say, they didn't really have much to say about how they made their fortunes after the collapse of Russia, and their Mafia connections. I must say, that I had to laugh when I saw footage of Dick Cheney in a press conference talking about freedom and totalitarianism. After looking at the US under the Bush regime, and the war in Iraq and Afghanistan I would say that I found it very hard to agree with him ! I would recommend this film to everybody, but would also advise that you read up on the 'true' events of Russia and Mr. Putin in order to get balance of opinions, as this film is very much a crusade against the 'next Stalin'.
Chavez: Inside the Coup (2003)
Outstanding!!!
I've been impressed with Chavez's stance against globalisation for sometime now, but it wasn't until I saw the film at the Amsterdam documentary international film festival that I realize what he has really achieved. This film tells the story of coup/conspiracy by Venezuela's elite, the oil companies and oil loving corrupt western governments, to remove democratically elected president Chavez, and return Venezuela back to a brutal dictatorship. This film is must for anyone who believes in freedom and justice, and is also a lesson to the rest of world ! I commend the people of Venezuela for taking matter into their own hands, and saving their country from the likes of Halliburton and the Bush regime.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
OK, but a poor contender to the musical
Having seen the original musical in London, the film was rather disappointing. The songs were cut and pasted, and characters lacked the passion of the original cast - although the final scene with the Phantom was better than the original. The 'beauty' of the musical was the use of and style of English, which was rather poorly portrayed in the film. My advice to anyone who has seen the musical is not to bother with the film, as you will be disappointed. However, just analyzing it as a film, I would say that it that it was a good film, but in truth they should have left it alone, as it the musical (in my opinion) was a masterpiece.
JB.
Casino Royale (2006)
Absolutely terrible as a Bond film!
As a James Bond fan I was eager to see the latest release. However, from the outset the film reminded me of an Americanised super hero, such as XXX. The scripting was very poorly put together, as it began with Bond's first mission and then we where catapulted into the 21st century (M mentioned that, "since 9/11 ...."). The poor attention to detail, excessive violence and absolutely ridiculous events were akin to an episode of 24. Also, there was no music anywhere in the film (which was original Bond film makers style), and most regrettably no appearances of 'R' and his hilarious gadgets.
In summary, my message to makers of this film - Daniel Craig does not fit the part of James Bond!
My advice if you're a James fan, is don't waste your money on seeing this film!
Jarhead (2005)
The poor Iraqi people
After reading the reviews of this film, I decided to watch this film last night. However, it only re-enforced what I already though about the 'honourable US marine core'. The film was packed full of crude language from the start, and packed full of scenes of vulgar behaviour. It's true to say that these people are recruited from the garbage of US society, given some training (including brain washing), and then issued with guns. The thought of this frightening, especially for the poor people of Iraq, who are no doubt on the receiving end of 'payback', as one marine called it.
I think that the most shocking scene of the film was the Marines watching 'Apocalypse now', and humming along with Wagner's 'ride of the Valkyries'. I suppose, most of them were too illiterate to realize what they were actually doing, as Wagner's music was the official music of the 3rd Reich, promoting a mixture of homosexuality and white supremacy - it was interesting to watch the black soldiers. Watching them cheer as a Vietnamese village was destroyed, and the people murdered was sickening, and not really something that any normal person would cheer about. Although, I wonder if members of Al-Qaeda watching the attack on the WTC, would do the same. Perhaps both parties are the same type of people ?
I commend the producers of this film (as it should be a wake up call to the US public), and thank god that I live in Europe and never have to meet people like this.
Sex Traffic (2004)
Truly shocking, but very true
I came across this film while flicking through the TV channels one late evening. Funnily enough, my wife and I thought that we might have a night of romance before watching this film. However, after nearly thirty minutes of watching the terror unleashed on the women in this film, any thoughts of sex quickly disappeared from our minds. The film portrayed the truly tragic story of young east European women sold into the sex trade. After living in England for many years, there were some chilling reminders for me, such as the brothel in a normal residential street, and the east European gangs that operate in London's underground stations - all of which I have seen with my own eyes! Perhaps the most terrifying detail in this film was the level of sophistication of the gangs, resident in almost every European country, with far reaching contacts in the community. I would advise everyone to watch this film, as it is chilling reminder of the level of double standards in this world, and how corporations in war torn countries operate with total impunity, under the premise of "we're helping them with their reconstruction".