No End in Sight

First Hit: This is a first rate picture because it gives the audience an idea of how our government bungled a bad decision and made it worse.

This film will show you that much of our most senior leadership was without experience and clueless.

The senior officers who had experience, and could have helped, weren’t listened to. The interviews by the people who were on the ground are revealing. I got the impression that our leadership thought they could point and click with a mouse on a computer and expect to have their results, their way. We have failed the people of Iraq and most of all we have failed ourselves morally, spiritually, and honestly.

I personally don’t believe we had any right or reason to be in Iraq. However this film isn’t so much about why we are in Iraq, it is about how we screwed it up and continue to make it worse. The images do not hold back.

The news conference quips by Rumsfeld show the arrogance, naivety, and ignorance of this former senior official.

The film points out we didn’t have, and still don’t have a plan despite what our government tells you. We’ve been in trouble since we got there and it isn’t looking any better.

Overall: Every official of every county, state, and federal government in this country needs to pull together to stop this madness. We owe Iraq and the Iraqi people an apology.

Manufactured Landscapes

First Hit: The opening scene was worth the price of admission and the rest of the film held up rather well.

The opening scene of this film gives you a window on one of the most labor intensive assembly lines that you will ever see. Row upon row upon row of people putting together things. The camera just moves on and on and on.

I was recently in Shenzhen China and what I notice was that the Chinese put people to work. Even if something could be automated, they put people to the task because it is their largest resource.

The rest of the film may not be as impressive as the opening shot but it was powerful in its own way. One example is watching people break up old circuit boards by hand for the minute parts and pieces of metal they can sell.

Another scene which stayed with me long after the film was over was of a woman putting together a breaker switch - unbelievable that she does this day in and day out. 

I didn't think the director was attempting to make any particular point, other than China pays people to do a lot of things we wouldn't normally pay people to do, and that the effects of this labor intensive environment along with how the environment handles the waste is pretty compelling.

Compelling us to think about what we are doing to our world.

Overall: It was definitely interesting.

Sicko

First Hit: Thank you. Despite turns towards the dramatics, Michael does us a favor. Everyone needs to see this and we need to change our healthcare system.

Despite the flair for the dramatics, this film brings up an important subject – health care in the United States.

It is shameful that even one of the families shown in the film goes through what they went through. The parents who moved in with the daughter was very really sad on two levels.

One that the health care system let them down while pushing them into bankruptcy, and two that the daughter was minimally supportive and didn’t even clean out the room where the parents were going to stay.

I cried off and on throughout this film, although the scenes about Cuba and Guantanamo Bay didn’t hit me like I think Michael wanted them to. It just seemed a little over done and dramatized.

However, the truth is this; the health care system in this country is in very bad shape and Michael opens the door for us to see how and why.

Overall, this is a must see and we need to begin to hold our government accountable. I want the same health care coverage that our congress men and women get. Don't we deserve it?