Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics (A Hollywood film supports Dubya's

[Doc91678]

Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics (A Hollywood film supports Dubya's policies)​

Thomas Lifson
American Thinker ^
12/16/2012


What if Hollywood made a high profile movie that carried an implicit message supporting George W. Bush's War on Terror policies and made Barack Obama look naïve? What if the movie were made by an acclaimed director, and was really, really good?

Why, you'd have the amusing opportunity to read up on the critical reaction To Kathryn Bigelow's new blockbuster film, Zero Dark Thirty.

I confess that when I learned that Hollywood was to enjoy very broad cooperation from the intelligence community for the production, I assumed that the Obama Administration would get a free pass, a semi-hagiographic treatment of the bold president ordering the raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden.

Kyle Smith, writing in the New York Post, explains how the closely detailed film treats the subject, and why President Obama is not happy with the outcome:

"After seeing it, I can report that it is a clear vindication for the Bush administration's view of the War on Terror. Moreover, "ZD30" subtly presents President Obama and by extension the entire Democratic establishment and its supporters in the media as hindering the effort to find bin Laden by politicizing harsh interrogation techniques and striking a pose against them that was naive at best."

Since the film is based on unpublished interviews with primary sources, it is unusually difficult to fact-check. But as information about the reality behind the story emerges, so far "ZD30" is standing up factually and is consistent with relevant statements by former CIA Director Leon Panetta and lawmakers with access to classified information about the raid.

Smith lays out how the film carefully depicts the actual context within which useful, actionable information is developed.


(Excerpt)

Read more at
Blog: Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics

 

[CrazedScotsman]

I saw a commercial on this film and have to say, it don't look all that interesting to me. I want to see it and see the story, but it just looked like a "Made for TV" movie, so I don't know. I'll wait and talk to some friends who will see it and find out if it's worth going to the movies for or wait for it to hit the video store.

Then again, I waited for "The Hurt Locker" and wished I had saw it at the theater. That is an excellent movie.

 

[OKTexas]

Damn, now I'm going to have to see the damn thing. I hadn't planned to. Hollywood doing anything factually accurate now days is so rare.

 

[Doc91678]

I saw a commercial on this film and have to say, it don't look all that interesting to me. I want to see it and see the story, but it just looked like a "Made for TV" movie, so I don't know. I'll wait and talk to some friends who will see it and find out if it's worth going to the movies for or wait for it to hit the video store.

Then again, I waited for "The Hurt Locker" and wished I had saw it at the theater. That is an excellent movie.

Scotty, I know you're 'thrifty' most Scotsmen are. Don't depend on others to make decisions, even as trifling as a cine. Make your own decisions based upon your own thoughts.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics

BUSTED!!!!​

"A trio of Senate leaders have condemned the Kathryn Bigelow movie "Zero Dark Thirty," calling elements of its dramatization of the Osama bin Laden manhunt “grossly inaccurate and misleading.”

In a letter to Sony Pictures chief Michael Lynton signed by the senators — Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) — the three stated:

"We write to express our deep disappointment with the movie 'Zero Dark Thirty.' We believe the film is grossly inaccurate and misleading in its suggestion that torture resulted in information that led to the location of Usama bin Laden," wrote the senators, all of whom are members of the Senate Intelligence Committee."

.

.

.

.

*

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1ivoWW1-4U]The interrogator, Pt. 1 - YouTube[/ame]
*
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0iaNMRjkno]The interrogator, Pt. 2 - YouTube[/ame]​

 

[g5000]

The movie in no way vindicates torture. In fact, it goes out of its way to be ambiguous about the results it did or did not achieve.

.

 

[rightwinger]

Spoiler Alert:
'
'
'
'
'



Osama bin Laden gets killed in the end

 

[Sallow]

You guys may not have been around for this..

But the Obama administration gave a good amount of credit to George W. Bush for the effort to catch Osama Bin Laden.

I didn't agree with that.

George W. Bush let Osama Bin Laden slip away in Tora Bora..and then broke up the Unit hunting for him.

He also wasn't much liked by the CIA.

 

[mjollnir]

Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics (A Hollywood film supports Dubya's policies)​

Thomas Lifson
American Thinker ^
12/16/2012


What if Hollywood made a high profile movie that carried an implicit message supporting George W. Bush's War on Terror policies and made Barack Obama look naïve? What if the movie were made by an acclaimed director, and was really, really good?

Why, you'd have the amusing opportunity to read up on the critical reaction To Kathryn Bigelow's new blockbuster film, Zero Dark Thirty.

I confess that when I learned that Hollywood was to enjoy very broad cooperation from the intelligence community for the production, I assumed that the Obama Administration would get a free pass, a semi-hagiographic treatment of the bold president ordering the raid in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden.

Kyle Smith, writing in the New York Post, explains how the closely detailed film treats the subject, and why President Obama is not happy with the outcome:

"After seeing it, I can report that it is a clear vindication for the Bush administration's view of the War on Terror. Moreover, "ZD30" subtly presents President Obama and by extension the entire Democratic establishment and its supporters in the media as hindering the effort to find bin Laden by politicizing harsh interrogation techniques and striking a pose against them that was naive at best."

Since the film is based on unpublished interviews with primary sources, it is unusually difficult to fact-check. But as information about the reality behind the story emerges, so far "ZD30" is standing up factually and is consistent with relevant statements by former CIA Director Leon Panetta and lawmakers with access to classified information about the raid.

Smith lays out how the film carefully depicts the actual context within which useful, actionable information is developed.


(Excerpt)

Read more at
Blog: Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics

The actual link didn't show any liberal critics being 'confounded'.

 

[Avorysuds]

Yay for the Bush Obama war on terror!!! Bush was Hitler and Obama is a Demi-God for the same war, yay! I'm an idiot progressive who supports every policy I once hated under Bush, every single one of them, in fact I can’t think of a single repeal but understand many of the worst most hated policies have been expanded upon by the beautiful caring war loving Obama! Yay!

Yay war movies! Yay!

 

[Avorysuds]

I wonder if Obama will be leading the war on terror longer than Bush did.... Hmmm... what a great President Obama turned out to be, made the Democrat party a bigger war party than Dems and Dems FUCKIN LOVE IT! Who saw that comming?

 

[Mr. Shaman]

I'm an idiot progressive who supports every policy I once hated under Bush....

Bullshit.​

 

[Avorysuds]

Did I miss something for the boards clown?

This message is hidden because Mr. Shaman is on your ignore list.

 

[waltky]

Senators an' CIA not too happy with interrogation scene...

Senators condemn interrogation scenes in 'Zero Dark Thirty'
December 19th, 2012 - Three U.S. senators say the new film about the Osama bin Laden raid is "grossly inaccurate and misleading" in how it depicts CIA interrogations as torture and have called on the studio distributing "Zero Dark Thirty" to publicly state the movie is not based on fact.

In a bipartisan letter to Sony Pictures Entertainment on Wednesday, Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin and Republican Sen. John McCain said they were deeply disappointed in the film. "Zero Dark Thirty is factually inaccurate, and we believe that you have an obligation to state that the role of torture in the hunt for Osama bin Laden is not based on the facts, but rather part of the films fictional narrative," the senators wrote. The beginning of the movie depicts harrowing scenes of a suspected terrorist being interrogated at a secret CIA prison overseas using controversial harsh interrogation techniques including waterboarding, which simulates drowning. The suggestion in the film is those coercive techniques aided in identifying the courier who eventually led to bin Laden's hideout.

The senators' letter cites the recently completed nearly four-year review by the Senate Intelligence Committee of the CIA's interrogation and detention program, which includes details on the bin Laden operation. Although the report is classified, the letter to Sony includes a reference to a previous statement by Feinstein and Levin based on that review. "The CIA did not learn about the existence of the (Osama bin Laden) courier from detainees subjected to coercive interrogation techniques. ... Instead, the CIA learned of the existence of the courier, his true name and location through means unrelated to the CIA detention and interrogation program." The senators are concerned that people seeing the movie will think it represents fact and that torture will be accepted as an effective way of gathering intelligence. "The film therefore has the potential to shape American public opinion in a disturbing and misleading manner," the letter states.

The senators said "Zero Dark Thirty "was "perpetuating the myth that torture is effective" and maintained Sony has a "social and moral obligation to get the facts right." Filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal issued a statement saying the film condenses 10 years of intelligence work into a 2 1/2-hour film. "We depicted a variety of controversial practices and intelligence methods that were used in the name of finding bin Laden. The film shows that no single method was necessarily responsible for solving the manhunt, nor can any single scene taken in isolation fairly capture the totality of efforts the film dramatizes," their statement said. "One thing is clear: the single greatest factor in finding the world's most dangerous man was the hard work and dedication of the intelligence professionals who spent years working on this global effort. We encourage people to see the film before characterizing it." "Zero Dark Thirty" opened in theaters on Wednesday.

Source

See also:

CIA challenges accuracy of 'Zero Dark Thirty'
December 21st, 2012 - The CIA joined on Friday the chorus of those challenging the accuracy of a new movie on the Osama bin Laden raid that suggests that harsh interrogation techniques used on suspected terrorists helped the agency find the man considered behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States.

In an unusual move, the acting director of the CIA , Michael Morell, issued a statement to employees on Friday that emphasized that "Zero Dark Thirty" is not a historically accurate film. Of particular concern are the harrowing scenes at the beginning of the movie that depict a suspected terrorist being interrogated at a secret CIA prison overseas with waterboarding and other so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. The suggestion in the movie is that those coercive techniques aided in identifying the courier who eventually led to the compound in Pakistan where bin Laden was living.

Morell acknowledged that the interrogations played a role but said that they were not as important as the movie implied. "That impression is false," Morell said. There were multiple streams of intelligence, according to Morell. "Some came from detainees subjected to enhanced techniques, but there were many other sources as well." Morell also criticized the film for implying that just a few individuals were responsible for the successful operation when in fact hundreds were involved. He also took exception to the "liberties" the filmmakers took in depicting CIA officers, especially ones who had died. "We cannot allow a Hollywood film to cloud our memory of them," he said.

Morell acknowledged the agency had interacted with the filmmakers but said the movie is a "dramatization, not a realistic portrayal of the facts ... we do not control the final product." Morell's comments followed objections earlier in the week from Sens. Dianne Feinstein, Carl Levin and John McCain, who called on Sony Pictures Entertainment to publicly state that the movie is not based on fact. " 'Zero Dark Thirty' is factually inaccurate, and we believe that you have an obligation to state that the role of torture in the hunt for Osama bin Laden is not based on the facts, but rather part of the films fictional narrative," the senators wrote.

In response to the senators' criticism, filmmakers Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal said the film condenses 10 years of intelligence work into a 2 1/2-hour film. "We depicted a variety of controversial practices and intelligence methods that were used in the name of finding bin Laden. The film shows that no single method was necessarily responsible for solving the manhunt, nor can any single scene taken in isolation fairly capture the totality of efforts the film dramatizes," their statement said. "We encourage people to see the film before characterizing it." "Zero Dark Thirty" opened in theaters on Wednesday.

CIA challenges accuracy of 'Zero Dark Thirty' – CNN Security Clearance - CNN.com Blogs

 

[waltky]

Senate grillin' the CIA over Zero Dark Thirty...

Senators press CIA for information on 'Zero Dark Thirty'
January 3rd, 2013 - The Senate Intelligence Committee wants to know exactly what the CIA told the makers of a controversial movie about the hunt for Osama bin Laden that might have contributed to the film's suggestion that the harsh interrogation of a suspected terrorist helped find the al Qaeda leader.

A bipartisan group of senior senators said in a statement Thursday that they had written two letters to CIA Acting Director Michael Morell asking for all information and documents the agency provided to the makers of "Zero Dark Thirty." They also want Morell to provide proof for comments he made saying that harsh interrogations played a role in finding bin Laden. Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin and Republican Sen. John McCain said they are concerned that the CIA may have provided information that might have misled the movie's director Kathryn Bigelow and its writer Mark Boal. Morell and other CIA officers met with the filmmakers shortly after the May 2011 raid.

The movie begins with harrowing scenes that depict a suspected terrorist being interrogated at a secret CIA prison overseas with waterboarding, one of the so-called enhanced interrogation techniques. The suggestion in the movie is that those coercive techniques aided in identifying the courier who led the CIA to the compound in Pakistan where bin Laden was living. In the first letter to Morell on December 19, the senators wrote, "The CIA cannot be held accountable for how the Agency and its activities are portrayed in film, but we are nonetheless concerned, given the CIA's cooperation with the filmmakers and the narrative's consistency with past public misstatements by former senior CIA officials, that the filmmakers could have been misled by information they were provided by the CIA."

They cited a recently released four-year study of the CIA's interrogation and detention program by the Intelligence Committee that concluded that the CIA did not learn about the existence of the courier from any terrorist subjected to coercive interrogation techniques. The senators asked for the CIA to provide all information that it gave to the filmmakers and all records related to CIA discussions about the cooperation provided to them. The second letter from the senators is dated December 31 and is in response to a statement about the movie that Morell sent to CIA employees on December 21.

In that statement, Morell acknowledged that enhanced interrogation techniques played a role in finding bin Laden, but he also said they were not as important as the movie implied. "That impression is false," Morell said. There were multiple streams of intelligence, according to Morell. "Some came from detainees subjected to enhanced techniques, but there were many other sources as well." The senators have asked Morell to provide to the Intelligence Committee with specifics about what information was gathered from harsh interrogations that assisted in the bin Laden operation.

MORE

See also:

Anti-Fracking Film Produced with Abu Dhabi Oil Money
January 4, 2013 – “Promised Land,” the anti-fracking film written and produced by Hollywood stars Matt Damon and John Krasinski, was made in part by a production company owned by the government of Arab oil emirate Abu Dhabi – a state in direct competition with American oil and gas producers.

The film is financed in part by Image Nation Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Media which is owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, one of 13 Arab emirates that makes up the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and serves as that country’s capitol. Abu Dhabi media was created by the Abu Dhabi government in 2007 with $27.3 million as part of that country’s effort to diversify its economy into new markets such as media production. The film’s Abu Dhabi connection is significant, because the UAE is the world’s third largest oil exporter, according to 2011 figures from the U.S. Energy Information Agency. The country also holds the 7th largest proven reserves of crude oil and natural gas in the world. The UAE was ranked 17th in the world in natural gas production in 2010, according to EIA.

That the UAE is a major natural gas and oil producer puts it in direct competition with U.S. natural gas producers, who have seen a revolution in production with the increased use of fracking – an old process that has found new uses as technology has made it possible to drill new wells and open up gas reserves that were once thought inaccessible. As fracking has found wider use, especially in the U.S., natural gas production has soared, bringing new jobs and economic opportunity to many American communities and weakening the hold that states such as the UAE once had on oil and gas production and global prices. The film tells the story of Steve Butler (Damon), a natural gas company salesman, as he travels to an impoverished Pennsylvania town trying to acquire drilling rights from local landowners and environmentalist Dustin Noble (Krasinksi), who is intent on stopping him.

While the film focuses on the battle between Damon and Krasinski for the hearts and minds of poor, rural Pennsylvanians – culminating in a town vote on whether to allow Damon’s gas company to develop the farmland that sits atop large natural gas reserves – underlying the decision is a debate on the economic benefits of fracking. Those economic benefits, promised by Damon’s gas company salesman, are weighed against the supposed economic costs of hydraulic fracturing – fracking – the process used by gas companies to break the shale rock formations that contain the gas reserves. Krasinski’s character presents a host of supposed environmental consequences the town will be faced with if it allows fracking to occur, including so-called flaming water, contaminated ground water, and sick livestock.

Those supposed consequences have all been debunked as either lacking in evidence or not resulting from fracking. In one scene, Krasinski’s character demonstrates to a fifth grade classroom how fracking can allegedly result in flaming water – a phenomenon that happens when water is infused with methane and then somehow set alight. In the film, Krasinski’s character tries to show the children how dangerous flaming water can be by pretending to set the class’ pet turtle on fire.

In reality, flaming water is not produced by fracking as Colorado regulators found when they investigated so-called flaming wells documented in the anti-fracking documentary Gasland. Colorado Department of Natural Resources scientists found that the methane in the wells was a natural occurrence, not a byproduct of fracking. In another scene from the film, town supervisor Gerry Richards states that fracking can cause natural gas to seep into groundwater – a claim that has been debunked by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, who has said publicly that there is no evidence of groundwater contamination from fracking. “In no case have we made a definitive determination that the fracking process has caused chemicals to enter groundwater,” Jackson told Fox News in April 2012.

http://cnsnews.com/news/article/anti-fracking-film-produced-abu-dhabi-oil-money

 

[NYcarbineer]

The movie is historical fiction.

If you went to a real school, you should know what the term 'historical fiction' means.

 

[Sarah G]

Spoiler Alert:
'
'
'
'
'



Osama bin Laden gets killed in the end

Crap. I guess I don't have to see it now.

 

[Politico]

So it was accurate and truthful. I think the reason it confuses the Liberals is pretty clear.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Zero Dark Thirty confounding liberal film critics (A Hollywood film supports Dubya's policies)

.....And, as usual.....60 Minutes.....​

....SLAPS THE SHIT....​

.....outta such fantasies!!!!!!​

 

[LadyGunSlinger]

I'm sick of war..I won't be seeing it. I don't care which IDIOTIC WORTHLESS PRESIDENT it vindicates.