Very similar to a Michael Moore documentary, except instead of starring a fat blubbering moron, it features the sensible Chomsky. The linguist has a way with words (surprising!) that allows him to express things that I agree with, but never could have come up with on my own. i.e., the bit about the phrase "conspiracy theory" being used to discourage institutional analysis. Lacklusterly edited and made. Has a stale late 1970s aesthetic, but it was made in...'91?

A pretty good, broad introduction to Noam Chomsky and his relationship with the media. Watch it if you can't quite stomach listening to his speeches or reading his books. Then, listen to his speeches and read his books.

Ultimately a very educational and interesting film which condenses much of Chomsky's work on this issue but it's a little too long and unbalanced in places. It's a particularly strong documentary for its content but not so much as a film.

While the details may seem dated, as I watched this film in 2010, the ideas put forward seem eminently reasonable, and sadly expected. He explores how media reinforces the status quo, and excludes messages that are contradictory to the national narrative. His position is deep, nuanced, and begs viewers to consider it themselves, and create their own political identity, whilst challenging the viewpoints being fed to them. I found myself just a little inspired, and who doesn't want to be inspired?

Chomsky has some interesting ideas but he's so annoyingly egotistical.

I'm sympathetic to a lot of what Chomsky says, perhaps the majority of it, but that doesn't mean I'm wholly taken with this presentation of his thoughts. The film runs quite long, and starts repeating itself after a while. It starts to feel like you're listening to the same statements about the ineffectuality of the American media over and over again, and I found myself wanting concrete examples of this happening in practice rather than footage of Chomsky debating people who think he's crazy.

It's an activistic documentary that, while setting some precedent for Paradise Lost, also portrays a man and his politics with breadth, style and clarity. Ably transplanting Chomsky's (and Ed Herman's) media propaganda model to film with stirring results while simultaneously expanding upon a character portrait of Noam himself -- either dispensing wisdom, discussing his life or palming off disingenuous critics -- Achbar and Wintonick craft a credible, accomplished image of a humane hero.

Kind of misses Chomsky's entire point of removing himself as a public figure and letting his work stand as the thing you should pay attention to.

Fascinating portrait of the man and his beef with the world as we know it. Arguably it's guilty of the same eight-minutes-and-a-commercial crime of diluting Dr. Chomsky's message, but what the hell. Gripping from start to finish

Gurt shite.

Interesting, but not obvious whether it's a film about Chomsky or about Chomsky's ideas. Would be better if it knew what it was.

For those unaware of Chomsky's contribution to world affairs, linguistics and academia a great place to start. For those who know all that consider it 'A Primer in Intellectual Self-Defence'.

Rambling and unfocused documentary. Lots of wondrous bits, surrounded by a lot of dreck.