Watch Programming the Nation? For Free

Don't Believe the Hype

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Remember those bumper stickers: "If You're Not Outraged, You're Not Paying Attention"? And "Apathy Is the Voice of Complicity"? This film isn't a shoulder-shaking wake-up call exactly, but rather a well-done survey of a critically-important issue/symptom that frequently gets overlooked or laughed-off.A quality documentary on this subject was long overdue. There's something for everyone here, I think. For those new to this subject; the large and impressive interview cast is a tour 'de force of heavyweight experts (including some of my personal heroes). Veteran students will glean new perspectives and useful insights- presented in a casual, entertaining, and highly-watchable style.The meta-issue at hand is our societies' misplaced priorities, IMO. Specifically, the vital questions regarding IF and HOW our priorities are _engineered_ somehow. I've watched many documentaries about the aberrant shenanigans going on behind the scenes, and I'm becoming increasingly disdainful of those who seek to profit from what translates into the slow-motion crashing of societies' foundational structures. That may be a bit of an overstatement, but if you disagree, I'd encourage you to continue questioning.A pinnacle example from the film is this quote from a leaked ad agency internal memo: "We're in the business of making women feel badly about themselves". Yikes! What a concise and shocking summary of one of the many abhorrent truths of our times! I'm standing and cheering for Jeff Warrick and his production team for their talent and vision! I'll be watching for their next project.I'd say this terrific film is required viewing for all of us in consumer culture, especially teenagers and parents with young children (PLEASE?!) "Evil will persist in the world as long as good people turn away and do nothing." Other highly-recommended programs about persuasion techniques: Parallax Pictures' "The Ad and the Ego", National Geographic's "Brain Games" (Oct. 2011), Douglass Rushkoff's "Merchants of Cool", and films by Adam Curtis including "The Century of the Self"

This movie won't shake your world or convince you that conspiracies are out there, but it does deliver a very grounded discussion on the topic of subliminal persuasion. The movie is meandering at times, and some bits feel self indulgent, but the topic is a fascinating one to see explored so thoroughly. Just like all good documentaries, you come away from this one looking at the world a little differently. The voice is not too charismatic or likable, but this is a documentary after all, and he's not nearly as obnoxious as Micheal Moore. The technical specs are solid, not spectacular. Strong interviews with a good balance of subjects. Track this one down.

I must say I really enjoyed this documentary and all of the insight it provided. Some parts seemed like unnecessary points that have been brought up long before, however I later came to appreciate this as part of the all encompassing material to an interesting topic. The film seems to bring up everything that has to do with subliminal messaging, from the obvious, to the not so obvious, to the what should be obvious but undetectable to our desensitized nature. Providing answers and raising new inquiries on the topic, the film educates while sparking our curiosity towards the main true question. Have we been programmed as a nation?