Rating: 
Summary: Great video
Review: Although I'm sure Professor Chomsky isn't too thrilled, this video is a great chance to not only learn about the media, but also a little about Noam Chomsky himself. Despite the recent happenings in East Timor, it is important to see this video to learn about why it has taken over twenty years for it to get attention. In this video, we get learn that one of the main reasons East Timor made it into the spotlight was because of the grassroots effort of people we meet in this video. This is not only an informative video, but an inspiring one. When asked about his own life's work and dedication, Chomsky responds by recognizing the all the people who work for change, and shows us how important it is to be able to "look in the mirror" at ourselves every morning
Rating:
Summary: As depressing as it is important
Review: Americans would like to think that freedom of the press means something. After viewing this rather remarkable video, you may wonder what exactly it DOES mean. Yes we can print the truth, but do we. Take a listen to the nightly news for a couple of weeks and see how many times the newscasters say "according to official sources." Aren't these highly payed, powerfully backed "reporters" supposed to rely on their ability to "dig" up the news? Noam Chomsky makes some startling revelations concerning the National News Media that will give most people pause to think. Chomsky speaks deeply on the topics he covers and does so even in the face of those who try to shoot him down. It's great seeing him keep his cool while some of his opponents are practically pulling their hair out. It's also amazing to see someone fail to understand his argument about the difference between defending what a person says and defending that person's right to say it. This is some great stuff and when you realize that ALL the major media in the U.S. is owned by 9 multi-national companies, his words will give you the creeps. This is a must see for all who think they're getting the straight dope.
Rating: 
Summary: Looks like it's up to us to connect the dots...
Review: At one point during this film, Chomsky claims that if any of our hallowed leaders were actually questioned closely and deeply and at length, thus revealing the true chains of reasons lying behind his/her actions, eventually they would say things which any normal American would consider absolutely insane. This is Chomsky's main point, and it's a brilliant way of framing it because it addresses all his concerns at once: it's the nature of the news media to compress vastly complex relationships, many of them "secret" or "hidden", into bite-sized morsels palatable to a mass audience; the footnotes, the addenda, the "true history" of any of the "facts" stated in the mass media is at worst suppressed and at best glossed over. There's no conspiracy, no shadow government, no overt collusion; this state of affairs is structural, but it works conveniently to serve the interests of massive corporations. Chomsky's method is at once simple and commonsense: Present a case as a paradigm (a much-publicized human rights abuse by a government, for instance), present a comparable foil to that paradigm (another documented human rights abuse from a different country), and take note of the disparity in treatment both by our government and by media coverage numbers. The reason for the disparity? We should make up our own minds about it, but Chomsky claims that research will reveal that US corporate interests were either not at stake in the latter case or we were supporting the regime because they were friendly to US business interests."Manufacturing Consent" is a thought-provoking, well-edited and constructed documentary, and an excellent intro to this media-marginalized and very much despised political dissenter (who also happens to be one of the most important American intellectuals of the 20th century).
Rating: 
Summary: More Depth, Please!
Review: Avram Noam Chomsky was born in 1928, the son of Jewish parents who worked as Hebrew language teachers. Young Noam showed promise in the brains department, devouring huge stacks of books and learning languages at an extremely young age. He went to the University of Pennsylvania after high school, where he eventually earned a doctoral degree in 1955 in the field of linguistics. Quickly snapped up by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Chomsky went on to develop a larger theory of language that soon won him worldwide acclaim, leading some people to refer to him as the "Einstein of Linguistics." Still residing at MIT to this day, Chomsky is perhaps better known as one of the preeminent social critics of American foreign policy and the American corporate media systems. The author of literally dozens of books on linguistics and contemporary social problems, Chomsky continues to make his rounds on the lecture circuit in an effort to awaken citizens to the dangers present in the power structures of the United States. "Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media" represents the efforts of three documentary filmmakers to condense Chomsky's ideas about the media and the structures of American power into a nearly three hour visual presentation. The title of the film, according to Chomsky, comes from a phrase coined by Walter Lippmann, an early twentieth century public intellectual who feared the American public to such an extent that he argued for the implementation of specific methods to control and shape public opinion. This, says Chomsky, leads us to our present predicament, a situation where elites in American society acquire control of media through corporate institutions in order to manage the flow of information to the public. In other words, propaganda supporting elite activities is the name of the game at the New York Times, ABC, NBC, CNN, CBS, The Washington Post, and other primary forces in the news business. Secondary or tertiary news outlets simply take their cues from these trendsetters, often running stories only after the national elite media decide that they are stories. Moreover, the media systems filter out dissident opinions through various techniques. One of these methods is "concision," or giving limited airtime or column space to a specific story in order to control the parameters of that story. Chomsky claims concision keeps people like him out of the news because only allowing a person to make comments within a two-minute period does not let new ideas get through. If a person should get on the air and claim that the government bears primary responsibility for the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, for example, the audience would want to know a lot of facts about such an alien idea. According to Chomsky, this rarely happens. Instead, the short time allotted to guests on a news show serve only to reinforce already accepted propagandistic platitudes that ultimately support elite positions. "Concision" keeps new ideas out and stymies debate regarding accepted ideas. There are several more points to Chomsky's theory in the film, along with a test case concerning the Indonesian invasion of East Timor in the 1970s presented in an effort to prove the propaganda model. I am leaving a ton of stuff out here, but since I also believe that the media promotes elite interests, the whole thing ultimately boils down to what type of news system we should have. The good professor supports alternative/small press media as a balance to the huge corporate news systems, and I agree with this conclusion too. For far too long, big East Coast interests have controlled what the majority of the population eats, thinks, wears, and discusses. There is simply no geographical balance. The recent blackout in New York City had absolutely no bearing on my life out here in the wilds of the Midwest, but there it was on every news channel on television and prominently displayed in my local newspaper. Chomsky argues that alternative media will lead to a greater, freer dialogue about important issues. The professor claims the alternative press might even lead to a complete overthrow of capitalism and its replacement with anarcho-syndicalism, a belief system that posits self-management, direct democracy, and working class solidarity. This political system sounds like communism, doesn't it? Well, I really don't think Chomsky is a communist, but I simply don't trust anarcho-syndicalism. At one point in the documentary, the professor avers that there are no perfect solutions to our problems and that we should all at least try his theory. One presumes that if we don't like it, all we need to do is say so, right? Wrong. Revolutions don't work that way. Replacing one political system with another tends to be quite messy, and telling the new masters that you just don't think you can go along with them always seems to lead to the behavior we saw in Stalinist Russia. Chomsky's promise that his new order will be open to different ideas doesn't satisfy this cynic. I am not ready for a cure that might be worse than the disease. Overall, "Manufacturing Consent" left me unsatisfied. In an attempt to cover as much ground as possible, the filmmakers never provided as much depth to Chomsky's theories as I would have liked. Obviously, I could buy the book and see for myself exactly what the professor's arguments are, but you would think a nearly three hour documentary could provide a better presentation of this man's beliefs. As for the DVD, the picture and sound are good and there are several lengthy extras consisting of debates Chomsky had with Michel Foucault and William Buckley. Noam Chomsky comes across as an accessible, likeable guy who really cares about social problems, and I agree with most of what he is saying. I just disagree with his vision of a post-capitalist world.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Introduction To Important Alternative Views
Review: Chomsky is a man of fact, reason, and simplicity. This documentary highlights some of the basic ideas of his important books about the domination of the media by indoctrination, the elites who own them, and how this affects the average person's access to information about the world and thus his view of his community and its relationship to outsidce societies.
This is a great film if you're becoming disaffected with our current political situation and looking for a way out of the mess we're in.
Rating: 
Summary: conspiracies, conspiracies, conspiracies
Review: Chomsky, as usual, makes paralells where none exist. He leaps across entire mountains claiming one has to do with the other. But what Chomsky and his followers fail to comprehend about government is that it's as likely to uniformly keep a secret as much as the average office. The real reason why the U.S. media never tells you what's going on in the world outside of U.S. interests is that it's comprised of morons who have the attention span and intelligence of your average poodle. Dan Rather will not inform you of East Timor because he doesn't even know where it is. Do you really think the "evil" U.S. government is keeping the media silent? If the government were capable of the kinds of censorship that Chomsky continues to describe, then how come so many media outlets are openly critical of the government--and even more ironic--how come the government hasn't killed Chomskey? He's living proof his contentions are false. If I were president of this "evil" empire, I'd have them all secretly killed. According to Chomsky, that's what government does. But if it is, it's doing a lousy job. Keep in mind, Chomsky is the same man who still insists the Soviet Union was an open and free society without any opression or government controlled media. Think about that while watching this film.
Rating:
Summary: An Eye Opener
Review: Despite the previous reviewer's remarks, not once in this film does Noam Chomsky argue that the media suppreses certain news items at the behest of the goverment. Instead, he argues that the national media, as part of the elite corporate power structure, has certain vested interests in not reporting on potentially embarrasing events where the U.S. government is heavily involved on the wrong side. Places like East Timor in the late 1970s, for example. There is no conspiracy theory here. Chomsky is very clear on that. Rather, it's simply a case of people and corporations in power seeking to maintain their hold on power. That's it. Chomsky is an advocate of full, democratic participation in all aspects of American life, and that's the case he presents in this film. It's a wonderful educational tool. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST SEE FOR FREE THINKERS
Review: Enter the fasinating world of media dissection with Noam Chomsky. This thought provoking film should provide the intellectual enzymes to help viewers digest the current crisis in Kosovo and the media's treatment of cuurent events.
Rating: 
Summary: For Chomsky Groupies Only
Review: Having failed to deliver the theory of human language performance he promised 40 years ago, Chomsky cut his academic ties and now devotes himself to being the pop hero of the young Luddite movement. There are tens, and perhaps thousands of young disaffected youths out there who haven't read much history, have barely experienced any, but who have a tremendous need to believe that (1) the world doesn't have to be as terrible as they perceive it and (2) it's their parent's fault. What Chomsky provides for these children is the reassurance that this is so. He also provides the academic gloss that lends validity to their beliefs without having to actually think or consider other points of view. (The typical Chomskyite's library is rather small, and rarely contains anything to the right of, say, Che Guevera.) You can see these kids on TV every time there's a major conference of world leaders anywhere on the globe. What are they protesting? Ask a dozen protestors, and get a dozen answers. The world bank. Fascism. War. Famine. Whatever. If it's bad, they're against it, and the leaders are responsible. Oddly enough, Chomsky and his acolytes are never seen protesting slavery in Africa, slaughter in Rwanda, torture in Iran, execution of petty criminals in China or the repression of homosexuals in Cuba. This may lead the cynical to wonder if Chomsky's real agenda actually has anything to do with human rights, and if the children who follow him aren't unlike the those who followed the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Watch and learn.
Rating:
Summary: It gave me a new perspective
Review: I am about to buy this movie. My cousin told me I had to watch the movie. I did. It is very insightful, i cannot believe how controlled the media is by the government. It gave me a whole new perspective on how the media and government work; i saw how decieving and evil the government and media can be. The people know only what "the man" wants you to know.
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