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I'd rushed to see this at a special Fathom screening event, and impressed enough to already see it a second time. The Fathom event wasn't as well thought-out as it should have been. I was surprised that the theater wasn't particularly full, and I later was told that Fathom is often pretty lax on that score. For instance, I hadn't realized until it was pointed out to me that my own theaters didn't even have any advance posters up. And although it was fun to have a live Q&A, it was diluted by having the two stars - I think it would have been more interesting with just Edward Snowden himself and Oliver Stone.
The movie itself was good. It's not as dazzling as JFK, but Stone does a terrific job of telling a complex story, particularly showing how Snowden evolved from being an America-always-right conservative to gradually have a rude awakening of what was going on at the CIA/NSA that shocked him into his "whistle-blowing." It begins with the secret meeting with journalists in Hong Kong, and then starts back at the beginning with Snowden's military service, which he was forced to abandon after breaking his legs.
For me, I was sorry that Stone chooses to make Snowden's romance with his girlfriend central to the story, and I would have preferred to treat it more as a heist movie or thriller, but I can understand the thinking behind it: Stone probably figured that people know the basics that were in the news, and he preferred to try to convey Snowden as a person. The actors maybe aren't "star quality," but it does a good job of showing the trajectory and there were certainly things I didn't know. Well worth seeing, even if not as good as the Poitras "Citizenfour" documentary. And I was interested to see that it's playing widely at a lot of theaters.
I saw the movie last night, Snowden had it made with a great job with lots of money living in Hawaii, i still dont get why he chose to throw it all away to tell us something we already knew that being the government has the capacity to spy on us. I found the movie to be a bit of a bore.
How did you manage to sit through the movie without learning anything...from appearances? "Government has the capacity to spy on us"? That is so weak, I'll simply have to move on rather than endeavor to explain the width and depth of the grab-it-all global surveillance on everybody with a cell phone. In the US, the internet must be included in the grab-it-all scheme. This movie focused more on cell phone abuse.
Snowden is ok with targeted surveillance of proven threats, most of us are. His opposition is to grabbing everybody's data.....all of it, all of the time.
The Hawaiian position was created for him. It was an attempt to integrate the multiple and diversified platforms of data gathered via mass grab-it-all, global surveillance. At the time of his departure, he had more data available than is humanly imaginable.
Stone made the decision to turn the movie into a love story. We can only speculate upon his rational for that decision.
Without Snowdens CIA background, I think it is unlikely that he could have enlightened us as to the darkness of the path that our government has chosen. Many other whistleblowers tried to use official paths to air their grievances. Most of them did little more than destroy their careers and allow Snowden to know that official paths simply would not work.
Personally I believe it is far too late to "work for change". I would recommend either embracing it and simply having faith that our omniscient, omnipotent government will never fail us. Or buckle up the seatbelt and prepare for the failure of a very large empire that has sown the seeds of its own destruction. Medicare has 36 trillion in unfunded liabilities. That seed, by itself, is an almost insurmountable obstacle to longevity. We are toast. Washington is broke.
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Originally Posted by jambo101
I saw the movie last night, Snowden had it made with a great job with lots of money living in Hawaii, i still dont get why he chose to throw it all away to tell us something we already knew that being the government has the capacity to spy on us. I found the movie to be a bit of a bore.
I feel so close minded about this movie. For a left wing liberal like myself that's tough to admit. I just cannot contribute to anything that rewards in any way a traitor. Yes, I look at him like a traitor.
I hate the Patriot Act and violations of the 4th amendment but I live with them and vote for change.
ColoGuy i cant believe that the governments capacity to spy on every aspect of our lives is breaking news to you,i certainly didnt need Snowdens revelations to confirm this fact,which makes me wonder what was his point,and by default the point of the movie.
ColoGuy i cant believe that the governments capacity to spy on every aspect of our lives is breaking news to you,i certainly didnt need Snowdens revelations to confirm this fact,which makes me wonder what was his point,and by default the point of the movie.
It certainly is news to some, considering how many people don't go beyond tabloid stuff. And ColoGuy is right that Snowden learned the lesson from previous attempts at whistle-blowing, and was brave enough to be willing to give it up in order to ensure that it would actually become headlines. I think the previous attempts barely made the news. But Snowden was impossible to ignore, and, as it turned out, impossible to discredit. I don't think he can rationally be considered a traitor unless you want to apply that same term to anyone who fought against the existing government - going all the way back to 1776. Even Benjamin Franklin cleverly acknowledged that potentially all those who considered themselves patriots would hang.
His father was a Coast Guard Admiral prior to becoming an FBI Special Agent. Snowden is not the problem. The problem is that our government has become synonymous with the Dark Side.
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Originally Posted by Bernski
In my humble opinion, Snowden was okay. I wished to learn more on what in his upbringing forced him to divulge NSA spy secrets.
His father was a Coast Guard Admiral prior to becoming an FBI Special Agent. Snowden is not the problem. The problem is that our government has become synonymous with the Dark Side.
That's a funny analogy, considering that in the movie, Snowden mentions that Star Wars was seminal for him.
Somehow missed that. How many Hollywood movies focus on the theme of a band of courageous rebels taking on the evil, corrupted establishment against seemingly insurmountable odds?
People love this theme. Then somehow forget the lesson on the drive home. A nation of sheep that loves to watch lions.
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Originally Posted by Clarallel
That's a funny analogy, considering that in the movie, Snowden mentions that Star Wars was seminal for him.
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