No closed captioning
Added 12/2/2008
On behalf of hearing-impaired people I give this DVD a big ZERO. It is a totally useless product to us. Thanks for nothing Docurama! Heck, Docurama captions about virtually none of their DVD releases.
Al Franken, you should use your clout to twist their arms.
Meanwhile, don't buy Docurama releases and vote thumbs down!
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I used to think highly of Al Franken
Added 2/2/2008
This video makes Al Franken out to be a bumbling loser. His "Liars" book was great! What happened here? Does Al Franken really endorse this documentary? The producers have done him a major disservice!!!!
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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A tireless liberal with a brilliant sense of humor.
Added 10/13/2007
I chuckled through this entire documentary - which was simply a couple cameras following him around on his book tours, during the launch of Air America, at debates with Ann Coulter, and interspersed with archival footage of his Saturday Night Live days. But beyond his comedic genius, is his concern for justice. He not only defends the middle class, but the poor as well, from the endless propaganda of those who are serving power and privilege - Bush, Cheney, Rush, Sean Hannity, Neal Boortz and others.
I also appreciate his emotional honesty. When he's angry, it's a righteous indignation. And he doesn't mask his sorrow when speaking about the loss of his father, or facing the re-election of Bush in 2004.
Few people in politics or show business will let a camera into their lives during such vulnerable moments. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ
Franken's book Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot was a desperately needed counter-shot to the PR machine that is Limbaugh. And his tireless touring for that book, and the books that have followed, have lifted the spirits of many liberals who were feeling isolated by the Wizards of our corporate media Oz. Manufacturing Consent - Noam Chomsky and the Media Franken has also endured all sorts of challenges, endless flak from the right-wing lynch mob, the near collapse of Air America, the loss of his friend Paul Wellstone, criticism from centrist liberals who think he's too radical, criticism from radicals who think he's too liberal, among other trials and tribulations. But Al is indefatigable. It seems as though he has an inner "Stuart Smalley" reassuring him that he is "good enough, and smart enough, and that people like him."
I like him, and I liked "God Spoke" a lot, and how it ended on the promising note of his campaign for Senate in Minnesota. It would be great if he won, he could lighten things up a bit among all those corporate suits pretending to be the people's representatives.
Hostile Takeover: How Big Money and Corruption Conquered Our Government--And How We Take It Back
If he doesn't win, he'll no doubt rebound with another book of truth and jokes, or another radio program, or any number of things that this dedicated public citizen can apply himself to.
In the meantime, I'm going to send him a donation for his current campaign. It's the least I can do for all the laughs and all the insight he has provided me.
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Great until the end, but that's not his fault
Added 8/4/2007
As a big fan of Al Franken & Air America (I still listen every day), this was a great look into how he changed from simply a comedian to a real viable candidate for Senate. The end was sad, but then I cried for a week after the last presidential election & now we see the results. Truth needs to win out at least sometimes!! Personally, this proves that comedians would make GREAT government employees - Lewis Black for ANYTHING!!
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I'm being a bit generous.
Added 5/14/2007
In my rating system, this should be 3 and 1/2, stars, but I gave it four because I think Franken is a necessary counterbalance to the propagandists he debunks. It's a bit shallow and feels more like an extended campaign ad for his (I hope successful) Senate bid.
The Buddy Hackett joke was the high point for me, but his deconstruction Brit Hume's lying abuse of statistics for some high-schoolers is a wonderful illustration of why an educated electorate is necessary for a functioning democracy.
A political aside: as a non-American, I have no trouble in recognizing that the invasion of Iraq is "the supreme war crime", as unprovoked wars of aggression were described by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, and am always amused and a little dismayed at how this fact is always outside the acceptable limits of opposition to the current Occupation, even among "liberal" Americans like Franken. Political expediency, I suppose.
Franken's fans will enjoy this light-weight documentary and get a few chuckles from it. It's a user-friendly introduction to the man for those who don't know him. People who don't understand the term "oxymoron", particularly as it applies to Fox News, will hate it and those looking for an in-depth examination of Franken's politics, the nature of his Senate run or the travails of Air America radio will find nothing of substance.
2 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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