Movie Reviews

A film review by Jim Bray - technofile.com

Watching this DVD made me angry. Not at President Bush, the United States or the war on Islamist terrorism.

It made me angry at the partisan mainstream media that has steadfastly refused to tell this side of the story. Angry that they?ve allowed their ideology to blind them to their professional obligation to offer all sides of a debate so the viewer/reader/listener can have all the facts at hand with which to make up his own mind about what?s true and what isn?t.

Where has CNN been on this story? Well, CNN snuggled up to Saddam Hussein for years, lying on behalf of his murderous regime and allowing people to die just so it could keep open its Baghdad bureau and have the perceived ratings advantage that would give them. CBS? NBC? ABC? PBS? CBC? BBC? All are blinded by their partisan hate and left wing bias and are refusing to tell you the truth, about Iraq, and about so much else.

Which makes it doubly important to watch this remarkable DVD, created not by a leading journalist interested in the truth but by an ordinary man frustrated by the dinosaur media?s stonewalling who decided to take the task upon himself.

That man is Brad Maaske, a California real estate broker. He is the co-writer, executive producer, co-creative director, producer and host. Though obviously not a professional pundit or media talking head, Maaske has nonetheless been responsible for crafting an extremely watchable and compelling film that blends footage from a variety of sources (including filmmaker Jano Rosebiani?s documentaries on Iraq) with expert punditry from such mainstream media-ignored bright lights as Victor Davis Hanson.

In WMD you?ll see how Saddam Hussein came to power, what life was like under his criminal regime, the atrocities committed against the Iraqi people and the horrors with which they lived while the United Nations and the rest of the world either turned a blind eye or actively cooperated with the regime as he diverted money from the UN Oil for Food program to finance his dreams of glory. You?ll also be reminded of why the US went after Saddam Hussein, with heart wrenching footage of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, the day that finally awoke the sleeping giant.

And you?ll even see some interviews of typical anti war protestors who are perhaps some of the biggest - and stupidest - hypocrites of all.

Bush?s war (their opinion, not mine) is illegal and immoral. And of course these are undoubtedly the same people who supported Bill Clinton?s non-UN-sponsored war in the Balkans, a war that has apparently now been shown to have been waged under false pretences or at least fought because of flawed intelligence.

But Clinton was their hero and so could do no wrong.

The mere fact that these people idolize a man whose true legacy is teaching pre-pubescent kids about oral sex, how to get away with lying and cheating, and "the politics of personal destruction" speaks volumes.

When I was finished watching this movie I felt emotionally exhausted, but I wanted to run out and show the DVD to all my friends, most of whom get their information from the same mainstream media that has so badly abdicated their responsibilities.

This is an important film, and I take off my hat to Mr. Maaske and his team. These people, who I will arbitrarily name as honorary members of the ?pajamahadeen,? the citizens? army that is reshaping the world of journalism, have done the work that's supposed to be done by the Dan Rathers of the world.

The DVD itself is pretty good. It?s offered in anamorphic widescreen, 16x9 TV compatible, and the picture quality is good. Audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 and it?s also very good with, surprisingly, nice use of the surround channels.

There are no extras, but none are necessary.

This is an important film. Watch it, balance it against what you?ve managed to get from the mainstream media or whatever other sources you can find, and make up your own mind.

A film review by Eric Meyerson - filmcritic.com

Central California real estate broker Brad Maaske, in his filmmaking debut, isn't afraid to admit that (Michael) Moore inspired him to get into an editing room and "find out the truth" about Saddam Hussein and the U.S. war in Iraq.  Weapon of Mass Destruction: The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein makes a powerful case against the world's negligence in failing to confront a tyrant who committed genocide in his own country.

WMD-The Murderous Reign of Saddam

A film by Brad Maaske and Jano Rosebiani
Now playing in theaters in the USA

"Rosebiani's emotionally moving sequence presents without comment a portrait of his fellow Kurdish victims. Footage of Ali Hassan al-Majeed, aka "Chemical Ali," detailing on camera his genocidal plans is truly chilling, as are eyewitness accounts of mass executions at Mahaweel camp, of prison torture in Kirkuk and of chemical bombings in Halabja. It strikes the viewer that the accumulated testimony is ideal for the prosecution now readying its case against Saddam in his upcoming trial."

Robert Koehler
Daily Variety - Hollywood

Clearly, if every voter in America saw this film, or even if it got the attention Michael Moore's fanatically anti-Bush movie received, there is little doubt who would win on November 2.

Dave Eberhart
NewsMax.com
Monday, Oct 18, 2004

New movie supports Iraq invasion
'WMD' includes shocking footage of Saddam's tortures, murders

Posted: October 11, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

A new movie supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq makes the case that a weapon of mass destruction was indeed found during the war ? and he's sitting in prison awaiting trial on war crimes charges.

"WMD ? The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein" is intended to remind Americans that Saddam Hussein was himself a weapon of mass destruction, responsible for the deaths of 1.3 million of his own people during his brutal 30 years of rule.

The documentary, set for theatrical release this week, is the first for Brad Maaske, a California businessman troubled by works like Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and the efforts of some uninformed Hollywood filmmakers.

In fact, in "WMD" Michael Moore gets the ambush interview treatment he often reserves for others. The filmmakers staked out his New York residence for days until he came out to meet the camera.

But the hard edge of "WMD" are eyewitness accounts and never-before-seen footage of chemical attacks, murders and torture leveled agains the Kurdish population of Iraq dating from Saddam Hussein's rise to power and spanning more than two decades.

Pivotal to Maaske's decision to develop "WMD" was his meeting with Jano Rosebiani, an award-winning Kurdish movie director who had documented the atrocities in his film "Mass Graves." Rosebiani had lost family members during "Anfal," Hussein's carefully orchestrated campaign of genocide targeting Kurds in northern Iraq from 1986 to 1988.

"When I saw Jano Rosebiani's film, it broke my heart," Maaske said. "I knew this was a story that had to be told, but until now, no one had stepped up to the plate to tell it."

Also important to the story are scenes from "Chemical Ali," a documentary by Kurdish filmmaker Kawa Akrawi, who assisted in the production of "WMD."

At least 182,000 Kurds in Iraq were murdered or are missing and presumed dead. Entire villages were razed. Authorities on Iraq estimate that 1.3 million people have died as a direct result of Hussein's acts of terror since 1979.

The movie includes moments of comic relief and powerful imagery from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

In the moving conclusion of "WMD," the townspeople of Exeter, Calif., gather on a high school football field for the memorial service of Army Spc. Daniel Unger, killed in action in Iraq.

For more information about "WMD ? The Murderous Reign of Saddam Hussein"

Web Site Link: Click Here

Posted on 10/07/2004 8:18:26 PM PDT by doug from upland

WMD:
THE MURDEROUS REIGN OF SADDAM HUSSEIN

Brad Maaske/Jano Rosebiani

Perhaps the most powerful and emotional film at the recent Liberty Film Festival in West Hollywood, California was WMD: THE MURDEROUS REIGN OF SADDAM HUSSEIN.

Filmmakers Brad Maaske and Kurdish/American Jano Rosebiani have provided the world with long overdue heart-wrenching visual evidence that millions of human beings were living a literal hell on earth. How ironic. Hell in the Cradle of Civilization.

Men, women, and children were beaten, tortured, gassed, imprisoned, and murdered in unspeakable ways. Tens of thousands simply disappeared and were never seen by their families again. Those who survived live with incomprehensible physical and/or mental anguish.

The death of innocents may total as high 1.3 million. While the United Nations supervised the notorious ?Oil for Food? program, criminals and thugs made millions of dollars. As many as 3 million children died because of lack of food, medicine, and medical care. The world did not do that. The United States did not do that. Saddam Hussein did that. He kept perhaps $10 billion dollars for himself while letting the children die.

Rosebiani provided footage from Iraq possessed by no other filmmaker in the world. The voiceovers were not even necessary. We could look into people?s eyes and souls and feel what they were saying.

Let the sanctions work? Let the sanctions work? Are you kidding? No one who watches this film will again tolerate those who tell them that the sanctions were working. Sorry, that is ludicrous and insulting.

God bless America and its allies. They are not the coerced or bribed as a particular disingenuous presidential candidate calls them. God bless those dedicated brave men and women who continue to confront evil in Iraq. Bribed and coerced? Not on your life. They are heroes.

There are no finer heroes in the world than the Americans who volunteered, left comfort at home, and risk their lives everyday so that others may enjoy the freedom that too many of us take for granted. They are in both military gear and civilian clothing.

After 12 years and 17 resolutions, Hussein was still playing games with the world. Victor Davis Hanson provided remarkable insight about the United Nations and why it is incapable of solving any of the world?s problems. Their goal appears to be little more than trying to attack, embarrass, and humiliate the United States. China is on the Security Council. Syria and Libya are on particular human rights committees. There is something very wrong with that picture.

Operation Iraqi Freedom indeed shocked and awed the world. In less than three weeks, Baghdad was taken. It was the greatest modern military marvel.

WMD contains a great deal of powerful footage from September 11, 2001. Only a short three years later, far too many Americans seem to have forgotten. They seem not to realize that we are in a world war that will likely continue for a very long time. It is almost painful to watch some of the man on the street interviews in which those who loathe our president are staggeringly ignorant of history and world affairs. For those who refer to our president as a Nazi, I ask you, what word is left for Hitler? What word do you use for the real Nazis?

If anyone did not shed a tear at the end of the film when the story of a soldier named Daniel Unger was told, they are without feelings. Unger was from Maaske?s hometown of Exeter, California. His heroic actions saved Iraqi lives but cost him his own. Unger?s parents are devastated but spoke on camera and exhibited a rare courage and pride for what their son had done. Knowing their son, they would have been shocked if he had been anything other than a hero.

WMD: THE MURDEROUS REIGN OF SADDAM HUSSEIN must be seen by those who question why we went to war in Iraq. It might not change the minds of the most rabid Bush haters who are filled with hate because of their political agenda, but it will change the hearts and minds of those who have hearts and minds.

Web site link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1238565/posts