Must See 24 Movies of 2013 (July-December)

Way back in the way back when, The Firewall brought you the Must See 18 Movies of 2013 (January-June),if you haven't seen that yet,then you can find it here:
http://throughthefirewall.blogspot.de/2013/01/must-see-18-movies-of-2013-january-june.html
and I know that so many of you have based what movies you have watched this year solely on that list alone! Therefore,it would be irresponsible,with July fast approaching, to leave you all without a clue of what is to come and giving you a push in the right direction of what to see. With that said, The Firewall presents to you the Must See 24 Movies of 2013 (July-December).

July

Despicable Me 2
Why? Did anybody who saw the first movie not enjoy it? Despicable Me was a real winner,I saw it because of the draw of Steve Carell and he did not disappoint! Judging by the trailer, Despicable Me 2 will have plenty of funny moments to offer, and with Al Pacino lending his voice to one of the characters,how can it fail?
Starring:Ken Jeong,Steve Carell,Russell Brand Kristen Wiig and Steve Coogan.

Pacific Rim
Why? Alien attack...giant robots...combined with a trailer that looks freakin' kewl!
Starring:Charlie Hunnam,Idris Elba and Charlie Day.

August

The Conjuring
Why? From the director who has brought us two of the best horror movies of the last 10 years (Saw and Dead Silence) and one which was pretty good (Insidious),I can't think of a reason not to see this movie. Over the last few years I've become quite a fan of good horror movies and a fan of Patrick Wilson who, recently, doesn't seem to be shying away from horror roles so I'm excited to see how this one turns out.
Starring:Vera Farmiga,Patrick Wilson and Lili Taylor.

Prince Avalanche
Why? While the trailer is short and doesn't quite blow me away, Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch are two of my favourite actors and there is no chance that I'm missing the opportunity to see them both in the same film.The fact that it's the same director as Pineapple Express is,also,a pretty strong selling point.
Starring:Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch

Ain't Them Bodies Saints
Why? This one looks like it will be a powerful movie but won't be to everyone's taste, but it stars two of the most talented and under-rated actors in recent memory in Casey Affleck and Ben Foster. I can't be sure that I'll end up being completely satisfied by the movie but I am confident that the acting side of the movie will not  let me down.
Starring:Rooney Mara,Casey Affleck and Ben Foster.

Kick-Ass 2
Why? The first Kick-Ass is a great movie and there is,understandably, a lot of excitement about the sequel. The idea of replacing one great acting veteran (Nicolas Cage) for another (Jim Carrey) was a terrific casting choice,although I would have loved to have seen them together.
Starring:Chloe Grace Moretz,Jim Carrey,Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

We're The Millers
Why? No-one in this movie particularly sells this comedy to me,despite the obvious comic abilities of Ed Helms and Jason Sudeikis. What does sell it to me is the idea itself,it's fresh,it's interesting and I think it will be funny and worth a watch.
Starring:Jennifer Aniston,Jason Sudeikis and Ed Helms.

September

The World's End
Why? I am a huge fan of the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost/Edgar Wright team, they have given us two truly great modern comedies in Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz. I don't know if The World's End signals the end of that team but with the host of British talent that they usually bring with them, there is no doubt that I want a front row seat to this one!
Starring:Simon Pegg,Nick Frost,Martin Freeman,Rosamund Pike,Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan.

Insidious:Chapter 2
Why? I enjoyed the first Insidious,despite the fact that I only remember there being one particularly scary moment. I like the combination of Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson and the trailer doesn't make me not want to watch it so I'll be waiting for it.
Starring:Patrick Wilson,Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins.

Prisoners
Why? I know Prisoners doesn't come out until September but I'm shocked that it took me researching to write this post to find out about this movie. The good thing is, now that I know about it, Prisoners is now one of the movies which I am most looking forward to seeing on this list. It has a great cast and a great story. I hope that I am alone in not hearing about this movie and that it will get the attention that it looks like it's going to deserve.
Starring:Hugh Jackman,Jake Gyllenhaal,Terrence Howard,Paul Dano and Viola Davis.

October

Out Of The Furnace
Why? I didn't have to know anything about this movie other than Christian Bale,Casey Affleck and Woody Harrelson. I'm looking forward to seeing a trailer or at least a movie poster for this one.
Starring:Christian Bale,Woody Harrelson,Casey Affleck,Zoe Saldana,Willem Defoe and Forest Whitaker.

2 Guns
Why? Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg...I'm not sure I've ever needed any more than that!
Starring:Mark Wahlberg,Denzel Washington and Paula Patton.

Sin City 2
Why? It's been 8 years since the success of Sin City, I think everyone is excited to find out how the story will continue with its all star cast.
Starring:Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Bruce Willis,Josh Brolin,Jessica Alba,Mickey Rourke,Eva Green,Juno Temple,Rosario Dawson and Ray Liotta.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2
Why? I can't for the life of me remember how I came to find out about and watch Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs but I'm glad I did. The best compliment I can pay this movie is that there are a lot of big, bad ass sequels coming out in the next 6 months, and there are few that I am looking forward to seeing more than Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2.
Starring:Anna Faris,Bill Hader,Neil Patrick Harris,Andy Samberg,Terry Crews,James Caan and Will Forte.

Runner,Runner
Why? With the run that Ben Affleck has been on lately, I would say that he is really hitting his stride as far as making quality movies go and even though he's not directing this one,I'm still looking forward to seeing Affleck and Timberlake share a screen.
Starring:Gemma Arterton,Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake.

Thor:The Dark World
Why? It's Thor! Come on! 
Starring:Chris Hemsworth,Natalie Portman,Tom Hiddleston,Kat Dennings and Anthony Hopkins.

November

Captain Phillips
Why? Based on the trailer, Captain Phillips looks like it is going to be another great performance by Tom Hanks, which is what everyone has come to expect from him and what he delivers every time and that is why this is a must-see!
Starring:Tom Hanks,Catherine Keener and Christopher Stadulis.

Oldboy
Why? Although I have not yet seen the much praised original Oldboy,it will be interesting (for better or for worse) to see how the American version compares. With Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin starring, my expectations are understandably high.
Starring:Samuel L. Jackson,Josh Brolin and Elizabeth Olsen.

Last Vegas
Why? what might look, to some, like another movie to cash in on the popularity of The Hangover genre of movies,to me looks like a great chance to see some iconic actors like you've never seen them before! Last Vegas,if nothing else, looks like a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Starring:Morgan Freeman,Robert DeNiro,Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline.

December

The Wolf Of Wall Street
Why? Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese!
Starring:Leonardo DiCaprio,Jon Favreau,Spike Jonze,Rob Reiner,Jonah Hill,Cristin Milioti and Matthew McConaughey.

The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug
Why? I really enjoyed the first Hobbit movie which came out last year.I would go as far as to say that I preferred it to the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy which surprised me. So,I'm looking forward to seeing if it can keep my interest or if they peaked with the first film.
Starring:Ian McKellen,Martin Freeman,Cate Blanchett,Hugo Weaving,Elijah Wood,Christopher Lee,Evangeline Lilly,Andy Serkis and Billy Connolly.

American Hustle
Why? While I'm not a particularly big fan of Jennifer Lawrence,this true story of a con artist sounds interesting and is backed up by a great cast and a great director.Plus,I'll watch pretty much anything with Christian Bale's name on it!
Starring:Jennifer Lawrence,Bradley Cooper,Amy Adams.Christian Bale,Jeremy Renner and Robert DeNiro.

Anchorman:The Legend Continues
Why?“He had a voice that could make a wolverine purr and suits so fine they made Sinatra look like a hobo.” 
Starring:Steve Carell,Will Ferrell,Paul Rudd,Vince Vaughn,Christina Applegate,David Koechner and, according to IMDb, a treasure trove of other awesome people.

The Monuments Men
Why? If it was just George Clooney's name on this then I don't think The Monument's Men would be on this list, not from the description alone anyway.Once again, with not much other information available,it's the cast that are selling it to me.
Starring:Matt Damon,George Clooney,John Goodman,Cate Blanchett and Bill Murray.

Thanks for reading.I'll be returning to this post and leaving mini reviews of the movies as I see them.

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The Great Gatsby (Movie Review)

Welcome to The Firewall's movie review of The Great Gatsby. Based on the 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald novel of the same name and written as a screenplay by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, The Great Gatsby is a romantic drama and tells the story of a mysterious and eccentric millionaire who's passionate and obsessive love for a married woman controls his life.
The Great Gatsby reunites director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge,Australia) and Leonardo DiCaprio (do I really need to give examples?) for the first time since William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet back in 1996 and also stars Joel Edgerton,Tobey Maguire,Carey Mulligan and Isla Fisher.
Set on Long Island in the summer of 1922, we are introduced to Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) who is suffering from depression and alcoholism,telling a therapist about his encounter with the elusive Jay Gatsby. When urged to write down his thoughts and experiences we are taken into Nick Carraway's past as he moves to Long Island and discovers the extravagant world of the super rich.
Before seeing this movie all I knew about it was who was in it,I had seen the trailer above and I knew that it had received mixed reviews. I haven't read the book so I won't be able to compare the two for you but within the first five minutes I had been completely drawn in to the movie.
I would not be able to pick out one actor who did a bad job in The Great Gatsby.Tobey Maguire (Spider-man,Brothers) did a great job as the naive and inexperienced Nick Carraway,Joel Edgerton (Warrior) plays the jealous and unfaithful Tom Buchanan,who is the husband of the charming but vulnerable Daisy,played by Carey Mulligan (Drive). The smaller parts in the movie were instrumental in bringing this story to life and Isla Fisher,Jason Clarke and Elizabeth Debicki certainly earned their place in this cast. However, once again, the man who stole the show was Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, and I think I won't be alone when I say I was not surprised by this. DiCaprio has been exceptional in every role he has taken on since the beginning of his movie career. I haven't seen anything before The Basketball Diaries in 1995 but have seen almost everything since I wouldn't be able to tell you a DiCaprio movie where he hasn't shone as an incredible actor.I keep waiting for him to slip up,only because I don't believe there are any actors out there with long lasting careers who don't have films that they would rather keep hidden, but so far, in my opinion, Leonardo DiCaprio doesn't only play his roles perfectly,he chooses the perfect roles as well. OK, Leo love fest over.
The small issue I had with this movie was the editing, they did quite a poor job in certain parts of the movie where the dialogue obviously doesn't match the scene taking place,and instead of covering up these problems,they've just been left there in plain sight,so you're watching the actor's mouth but it is so far off the words you're hearing but that really is a small issue which only occurs a few times in the over two hour duration of the movie.
Specifically,what I loved about The Great Gatsby was how fantastic it looked, the way the scenes were put together, the colours and the action taking place were an absolutely pleasure to look at. Also, the criticism I heard of the music not matching the era the movie was set in, while certainly accurate, is not a criticism I can repeat here. I loved the mix of old meets new, and the music of today together with that party atmosphere was a perfect match and any other way of going about it would have taken away from the feel and impact of those scenes, I'm considering buying the soundtrack because I was so impressed with it during the movie, but I'm sure that's a matter of taste.
I have certainly waffled on for long enough here and I think it's quite clear just how I feel about The Great Gatsby. It was a pleasure to watch and though it is more than two hours long,I completely lost track of time,I thought there was an hour left when there was actually only twenty minutes or so,but I would suggest that's a sign of enjoyment more than anything else.The Great Gatsby is the type of movie that doesn't come along very often but you are always happy when they do and I would suggest that Baz Luhrmann was the perfect director to take on this project. Maybe it is a case of loving it or hating it but I loved it and judging by IMDb's rating of 7,5 and having made over $130 million at the box office in the two weeks since its release,I am not the only one who walked away feeling they had just seen something special.
The Great Gatsby gets The Firewall rating of SEE IT NOW!

Thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment saying what you thought of the movie or the review.
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Rolling Stone Apologises To "Conspiracy Theorists"

In a recent article for the upcoming issue of Rolling Stone magazine, writer Matt Taibbi has issued an apology to "conspiracy theorists" from the skeptics.He writes:

"Conspiracy theorists of the world, believers in the hidden hands of the Rothschilds and the Masons and the Illuminati, we skeptics owe you an apology. You were right. The players may be a little different, but your basic premise is correct: The world is a rigged game. We found this out in recent months, when a series of related corruption stories spilled out of the financial sector, suggesting the world's largest banks may be fixing the prices of, well, just about everything."

It appears that the Libor scandal and a new ISDAfix investigation has forced Matt Taibi to realise that there truly are a small number of people who control the world's money. With that control they can manipulate interest rates and prices for their own personal gain. I'm not going to go into these scandals, Matt Taibi has written an excellent article which I would recommend reading. You can find it here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/everything-is-rigged-the-biggest-financial-scandal-yet-20130425

What I did want to say is that once you realise that these people control money and can do whatever they want,without any real consequences, it is not a giant leap to understanding the direction that these "conspiracy theorists" are coming from regarding other topics. 
By the way, although the term "conspiracy theorist" is grammatically accurate since a conspiracy is "a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful"and those who create theories about that subject are surely theorists.,the reason I'm using quote marks around it is because I believe that the term is used by the media so that anyone who asks the wrong questions or was looking for the truth of a story could be dismissed and have their reputation damaged by this term. 
Anyway, it is now clear that money can be controlled and manipulated. You,also,don't have to Google very hard to find out that the majority of media is owned by a handful of powerful people. This means that if you want to get your facts from television and newspapers, chances are you're only hearing and reading what the people who control these organizations want you to know, and more importantly can quite easily hide what they don't want you to know. It's common sense to think that these powerful companies are owned by people, people with beliefs and agendas of their own, they're not going to have something put out by their company that they don't like or agree with.
With this knowledge, it is not a giant leap to wonder if the government is serving the people or are they serving the super rich? After all,those who run to be presidents and prime ministers need a lot of funding, where does that funding come from? Former Governor Jesse Ventura has stated that he believes those running for President should have to declare who gave them the money, after all,I don't believe that these people give out thousands and millions of dollars without expecting something in return. I don't understand why the information is kept secret.
The point I'm trying,and probably failing, to make is that the biggest industries in the world are controlled and manipulated by the super rich, and their aim is to maintain and grow their level of control and wealth. I don't feel like I'm saying anything that doesn't make sense. I understand that when theories come out regarding tragedies and loss of life people get defensive and couldn't imagine anyone having such a complete disregard for human life that they would kill people for their own selfish reasons but you have to understand how profitable war is for the companies involved. You can surely understand when something makes people so much money, they're all for it! So, can you comprehend wars being started by the rich and powerful for reasons other than to free a repressed country? War leads to loss of human life on a massive scale, and if that is possible then surely anything on a smaller scale is possible as well.
The aim of this article is to tell people who dismiss conspiracy theories because they go against the official version of everts. There are many things that the government has done and tried to cover up. It's  just about finding alternative ways to get information and asking questions when something doesn't feel right. I believe that there are a large number of conspiracy theories that are true and accurate (I'm not including the belief that Elvis Lives!) and to prove my point here's an infowars.com link which states 33 conspiracy theories that ended up being true.
http://www.infowars.com/33-conspiracy-theories-that-turned-out-to-be-true-what-every-person-should-know/
There's a lot of stuff that the people in the highest positions would rather have kept secret, but thanks to alternative media and dedicated journalists, it gets out, let's stop playing angry birds for a little while and get informed!

Thanks for reading.

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and check out the other stories on The Firewall while you're here.

The Boston Bombings:Just 2 Unanswered Questions.

I was really hoping to have an easy post to write regarding the Boston bombings which took place on 15th April 2013. I,like many,have been keeping up to date with the latest information,ideas and theories and it has proved extremely challenging to make sense of what has come out. Mainstream media is pushing the side of the story that the Tsarnaev brothers masterminded and carried out the bombings, and alternative media sites are pushing that the government was definitely involved in this and that the Tsarnaevs are just "patsy's". I have been trying to get off the fence and fall one way or the other into what I believe is really going on, but the truth is, I'm sitting here unconvinced either way because I haven't found any reporting of the story or unanswered questions which isn't biased.
It's a shame, I love a good solid "conspiracy theory" and I will go along with it for as long as it makes sense,but while there are plenty of theories which have come out to do with every part of this case, I hadn't found the special ingredient which committed me to it.
What I have found is that for the most part I have been able to go along with the official story. The Tsarnaev brothers who had been questioned by the FBI in the past,either due to their feelings about American politics or their religious beliefs, planted two bombs at the Boston marathon which exploded causing three deaths and a huge number of injuries. The suspects stay in the city of Boston because they have more bombs and wish to cause more damage, when their photos are splashed over the news they panic,end up in a shoot out with police which kills the older brother but the younger brother escapes and is later found hiding in a boat where police shoot at him and launch flash grenades,the brother finally complies with police orders,climbs out of the boat and is put under arrest. In the hospital the younger brother can't speak because while in the boat he tried to commit suicide by shooting himself in the throat....WAIT...what? Hang on a second, I can't go along with that!
Here is my problem, and indeed the three questions I need answered. 

Why and When did Dzhokhar Tsarnaev get shot in the throat?
Let's start with...Why? 
He shot himself in the throat to kill himself right? Like they do in NO suicide attempt I've ever heard of real or fictional. Who as a way of committing suicide shoots themselves in the throat? I mean, really? Maybe the wording has been misunderstood, maybe, by "throat" they actually mean the part under his chin, I wouldn't consider that to be the throat, but it makes more sense than the alternative option. It would be a mystery then how he remained alive,but hey, I'm sure it has happened in the past, just a freak occurrence. Tried to kill himself, failed, that's it.

Now,when?
In the boat obviously...just before his capture...back against the wall (or the floor in this instance) BAM! Gunshot to throat! Here are my problems with this scenario, if I have just shot myself in throat...I'm not going anywhere,I'm not moving,I imagine I would be pretty out of it. A hungry lion could have been in that boat with me, I'm done...but no! According to the image below Dzhokhar is climbing out of the boat, unassisted to hand himself over to police. He must have wanted to hand himself over so badly! On the back of a suicide attempt which came about because he feared capture by police ,which is the very thing that after the suicide attempt has failed he is somehow summoning superhuman strength to do! It makes no sense to me, if I have just tried to kill myself,why would I care if they kill me for not getting out of the boat?

I am letting a few things slide when I say that those are the only two questions I need answered. I'm letting slide that every relative of the Tsarnaev brothers who has been spoken to has said that the brothers were set up by the FBI, and the aunt who has said that the naked man who was seen being arrested was actually the older brother Tamerlan, the one who had been reportedly killed in the shootout with police. Maybe in their grief the family are confused and looking for someone to blame.
http://www.infowars.com/tsarnaev-aunt-claims-naked-man-in-video-is-tamerlan/

I'm letting slide that the bombs used were more sophisticated than what you may just find on google and meant that the brothers must have had help in creating them.Maybe they did have training, that doesn't mean the American government trained them.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/apr/16/ex-bin-laden-hunter-boston-bombing-sophisticated/?page=all

I'm letting slide that Tamerlan was apparently hit by the car being driven by his brother while speeding away,even though that they are not trying to charge the younger brother with that crime,and this eyewitness claims that the brother was hit by a police car!

The final thing that I'm letting slide is that no video footage has been released which proves beyond reasonable doubt that the Tsarnaev brothers planted these bombs, there must have been cameras and CCTV all over the place,and yet, no concrete evidence. A convincing eyewitness who was injured in the attack who claimed to have looked the younger brother in the eyes when he put the backpack on the ground and helped the FBI to identify the suspects is the main reason that I can let that go.
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/bombing-victim-pictured-legs-blown-helped-id-suspe/nXRn7/

I'll keep checking to see what comes out next,it seems that The Boston Bombing "conspiracy" is a popular one. I think that more people are becoming suspicious of their government and don't trust the official story, which is good when it causes you to ask questions and demand answers. You shouldn't believe something just because you hear it from a well spoken, attractive person on the news. If you're interested, research, find   out all you can, use different sources than just the mainstream. When you've heard both sides of the story, then make up your mind.
I'll finish with this, you know how kids play that game where they ask you "why?" and even when you give an answer,they ask you "why?" again. That is annoying for an adult (for one of many reasons), because it forces the adult to come up with an answer when they might not have it. Well, that's how the people should be with their government, always asking questions! In most instances, if the authorities don't have the answers,then there is either something wrong, or they're not doing their job right.The people deserve to know either way.

Thanks for reading.

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The Firewall's 100 Favourite Movies (Video)

For those of you who saw the list of The Firewall's 100 Favourite Movies Ever a few weeks ago and thought to themselves "if only this list was in video format,maybe squeezed into being about 6 minutes long with awesome music,then this list would be better"...WELL,dreams do come true and yours has come true right now.
Here is the first of The Firewall's lists to make it onto youtube,but probably won't be the last. Check it out!

Here is the link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1eIdZaYgCc

I would like to thank the band Black Corsair for letting me use their bad ass tunes in the video. Black Corsair are a four-piece from London whose time is coming! If you have ears that can receive and appreciate good music, this is the band for you!The songs I used of theirs are called Black Heart and Turn,Tail & Run. I recommend checking out their Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/BlackCorsairOfficial?fref=ts.

Here is the official video for Black Heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqc6j9Bslog

If you would like to download their music then you can download them here:
https://soundcloud.com/blackcorsairofficial

Have I hit my limit of promotion in this post yet? No? Well then, I guess you better check out the other stories and stuff on The Firewall that you may not have seen and Like The Firewall on Facebook here:
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Thanks for watching and reading!

The Boston Bombs and Civilian Casualties.

Unless you are deaf,dumb and blind, you have recently heard about the bomb's that went off in Boston.The latest numbers are that 3 are dead and more than 100 have been injured. This is a tragedy, any loss of innocent life is a tragedy, and I have said that for a particular reason. Minutes after the explosions were on the news,there were people taking to their facebook and twitter sending their condolences and prayers to the victims, which they have every right to and I would never criticize that. However, why do we ignore the deaths of innocent civilians from violence in other countries? Just because the Boston bombings make news headlines and was on American soil does that make it any more tragic than the loss of life in Iraq?  I am talking about Iraq particularly not because the civilian death toll has been especially bad compared to other wars, because it hasn't, I'm using it as an example because it is the most recent. America and its allies have been involved in a war since 2003, and I would say that the public in those allied countries have been able to pick and choose what information they want to take in from what was going on in Iraq. The reason they were able to do that is because the majority are not directly affected by it, the families of the soldiers are not the majority.The majority have not had to live in fear that a car bomb would go off or a drone strike would destroy their town. The fact is that, according to iraqbodycount.org, there were over 4500 civilian deaths from violence in 2012 alone! Also, it puts the civilian death toll since the beginning of the Iraq war at between 112,000 and 122,000! The difference between those casualties and casualties from violence in the U.K and America is that I have to look up that information. It's not a headline on the news and I haven't been given the option of live feed in the aftermath of this violence, and what I don't like about this is that whether it means to or not, it makes one more important than the other. I can certainly think of reasons why civilian deaths in Iraq are not as widely reported, if people hear about it too much then they might start thinking about whether more harm than good has been done there but I'm not here to talk about the government and media. I just want people to think about how they feel about all loss of innocent life, not just the loss that occurs in english speaking countries. Do we ignore those deaths because we don't know how to deal with that information? Do we ignore it because it happened during a war? It will be interesting to find out who planted these bombs and what new information comes out of Boston but it is so important to remember that tragedies are happening all over the world, we are all inhabitants of this earth and I just hope people start to do some research and find out what else is going on out there. While naivety may be bliss, knowledge is power!
My thoughts and prayers go out to all the innocent people and their families who have been caught in the crossfire over the years. 
I'll leave you with a quote from comedian Patton Oswalt speaking after the Boston bombs went off. He wrote:

"This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."

Be the good! Stand up against the evil!

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The Firewall's Favourite 31 Documentaries.

Hey everybody! I thought that I would put together a list of The Firewall's favourite 31 documentaries. If any of these documentaries get watched by just one person,then I have not done a very good job.Anyway,they're all great,watch them all! Enjoy!

31)6 Days to Air:The Making Of South Park
Summary:The viewer is taken inside the offices where one of the most loved and successful animated T.V shows of all time is made. That T.V show is South Park. We get to witness the process that goes into making each episode of South Park and it is one which is truly entertaining and a must-see for all fans of Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Director:Arthur Bradford
Year:2011
Running Time:42 mins
IMdb Rating:7,6

30)Capturing The Friedmans
Summary:Capturing The Friedmans is about a seemingly typical, upper-middle class Jewish family whose world is instantly transformed when the father and his youngest song are arrested and charged with shocking and horrible crimes.
Director:Andrew Jarecki
Year:2003
Running Time:107 mins
IMDb Rating:7,9

29)The Doors:When You're Strange
Summary:As a massive fan of The Doors,I'm happy whenever something new comes out where I'm able to see footage I haven't seen and hear stories I haven't heard.So,When You're Strange was always going to be a winner with rare and unseen archive footage.Narrated by Johnny Depp.
Director:Tom DiCillo
Year:2010
Running Time:86 mins
IMDb Rating:7,6

28)Food Inc
Summary:Food Inc tells you everything you feared about mass produced food products. Even though this documentary is focused on the American food industry,it will no doubt make the rest of the world have a rethink about what they buy and what they eat.
Director:Robert Kenner
Year:2008
Running Time:94 mins
IMDb Rating:7,8

27)Into The Abyss
Summary:A documentary which focuses on a crime committed by Michael Perry who was sentenced to death.It gives you the arguments on both sides and lets the viewer make up their own mind about what they think about the death penalty.
Director:Werner Herzog
Year:2011
Running Time:107 mins
IMDb Rating:7,3

26)The Fog Of War:Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
Summary:A very interesting documentary about a very important man in American history. The man is Robert McNamara who is the longest serving Secretary of Defense in US history. He talks about the lessons he learned about modern warfare.
Director:Errol Morris
Year:2003
Running Time:95 mins
IMDb Rating:8,2

25)Foo Fighters:Back and Forth
Summary:A detailed and fascinating look at the history of one of the world's biggest bands! 
Director:James Moll
Year:2011
Running Time:150 mins
IMDb Rating:8,1

24)The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Summary:A look into the troubled life of cult artist Daniel Johnston,a hugely creative and eccentric individual who has battled with manic depression from an early age.
Director:Jeff Feuerzeig
Year:2005
Running Time:110 mins
IMDb Rating:7,8

23)March Of The Penguins
Summary:A look at the annual journey of emperor penguins as they march to their traditional breeding ground.Narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Director:Luc Jacquet
Year:2005
Running Time:80 mins
IMDb Rating:7,7

22)Cropsey
Summary:Two filmmakers investigate the disappearances of five children in their hometown and try to find out more about the man linked to their abduction.
Director:Barbara Brancaccio,Joshua Zeman
Year:2009
Running Time:84 mins
IMDb Rating:6,5

21)Kurt and Courtney
Summary:An deeper look into the life and death of rockstar Kurt Cobain,his relationship with Courtney Love and the alternative theory about how he died.
Director:Nick Broomfield
Year:1998
Running Time:95 mins
Year:6,2

20)Woody Allen:A Documentary
Summary:A rare insight into the body of work of legendary comedian,musician,actor,writer and filmmaker Woody Allen.
Director:Robert B. Weide
Year:2012
Running Time:113 mins
IMDb Rating:7,5

19)Grizzly Man
Summary:The second Werner Herzog documentary to make it onto this list and it is the touching story of grizzy bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard who were killed by the bears that they had dedicated their lives to protecting.
Director:Werner Herzog
Year:2005
Running Time:103 mins
IMDb Rating:7,8

18)Dig!
Summary:A look at the friendship which turned to rivalry between two rising bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols.
Director:Ondi Timoner
Year:2004
Running Time:107 mins
IMDb Rating:7,7

17)Catfish
Summary:A documentation of a blossoming internet relationship.Sound innocent enough right? Well,there was a mystery in this particular relationship just waiting to be discovered! There is plenty of controversy about whether this is a real documentary or not,but while the makers are still saying that it's all true,it has to be on this list!
Director:Henry Joost,Ariel Schulman
Year:2010
Running Time:87 mins
IMDb Rating:7,0

16)Exit Through The Gift Shop
Summary:The tale of how a man who set out to befriend infamous graffiti artist Banksy,and then ended up making quite the name for himself in the underground art community.
Director:Banksy
Year:2010
Length:87 mins
Running Time:8,0

15)This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Summary:An exposé about the American movie ratings board.
Director:Kirby Dick
Year:2006
Running Time:98 mins
IMDb Rating:7,5

14)Dogtown and Z Boys
Summary:A look into the Zephyr skate team who revolutionalised skateboarding in the 70's and made skateboarding what it is today.Narrated by Sean Penn.
Director:Stacy Peralta
Year:2001
Running Time:91 mins
IMDb Rating:7,5

13)Bret Hart - The Best There Is,The Best There Was,The Best There Ever Will Be
Summary:A behind the scenes look into one of the greatest wrestling superstars of all time.A career which saw its fair share of highs,lows,tragedy and controversy,this is a must see for wrestling fans of the 80's and 90's.
Director:Kevin Dunn
Year:2005
Running Time:
IMDb Rating:8,2

12)The Bridge
Summary:A truly moving documentary about the Golden Gate Bridge which is the most popular suicide destination in the world.This is one that will stay with you for a long time after you watch it.
Director:Eric Steel
Year:2006
Running Time:94 mins
IMDb Rating:7,3

11)Marley
Summary:A look into the life and legacy of legendary musician Bob Marley.
Director:Kevin Macdonald
Year:2012
Running Time:144 mins
IMDb Rating:7,8

10)Tyson
Summary:Take a journey inside the mind of one of the best and most controversial boxers of all time. 
Director:James Toback
Year:2008
Running Time:90 mins
IMDb Rating:7,5

9)Earthlings
Summary:A brutal depiction of the way humans treat animals.It covers Animal shelters,the food industry,clothing,entertainment and scientific research.It draws parallels between sexism,racism and specieism and evokes a response,one way or another,from everyone who sees it.Very difficult to watch but is better to see it than to live in ignorance.Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix.
Director:Shaun Monson
Year:2005
Running Time:95 mins
IMDb Rating:8,4

8)Don't Look Back
Summary:A documentary covering Bob Dylan's eventful 1965 tour of England. 
Director:D.A. Pennebaker
Year:1967
Running Time:96 mins
IMDb Rating:7,8

7)9/11:Press For Truth
Summary:Out of the grieving thousands affected by the tragedy of 9/11,a small group of activist families emerge to demand answers about what really happened that day.
Director:Ray Nowosielski
Year:2006
Running Time:125 mins
IMDb Rating:7,7

6)American:The Bill Hicks Story



Summary:A documentary about a comedic icon.Bill Hicks was an outspoken comedian who wore his heart on his sleeve,he said what he meant and he meant what he said! A true great who was taken far too soon!
Director:Matt Harlock,Paul Thomas
Year:2009
Running Time:102 mins
IMDb Rating:7,7

5)No Direction Home
Summary:A chronicling of the evolution of 60's Bob Dylan,with in depth information about his early life and influences.The second documentary on this list with Bob Dylan as the subject but he is one of the most influential and mysterious artists that there has ever been.
Director:Martin Scorsese
Year:2005 
Running Time:208 mins
IMDb Rating:8,4

4)The Tillman Story
Summary:The story of Pat Tillman,the NFL superstar who rejected millions of dollars in order to go and fight for his country.When he died he was used by the media and portrayed as a hero,but when his grieving family started asking questions, a different version of events started to reveal itself.Narrated by Josh Brolin.
Director:Amir Bar-Lev
Year:2010
Running Time:94 mins
IMDb Rating:7,6

3)Waco:A New Revelation
Summary:In 1993, a stand off began between a community of branch dividian christians and the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco and Firearms. Fifty days later the stand off  would end violently with a fire and a massive loss of life. The government claimed that the branch davidians started the fire and the government wouldn't lie to the public...would they?
Director:Jason Van Vleet
Year:1999
Running Time:109 mins
IMDb Rating:6,4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SFDD5xLIbw




2)The War You Don't See
Summary:A fascinating insight into the role of the media in reporting about war.How most media outlets can't risk giving information that the government doesn't want the public to know otherwise they could be completely cut off from any information at all.
Director:Alan Lowery,John Pilger
Year:2010
Running Time:97 mins
IMDb Rating:8,1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ah20IAyYxg


1)Zeitgeist/Zeitgeist:Addendum/Zeitgeist:Moving Forward
Summary:This may seem like cheating but I believe that,although these documentaries are seperated,they belong together.If you're going to watch the first one,you will have to watch the other two as well.These documentaries present an uncommon perspectives on well known social issues and events. If you are not a free thinking person then these are not for you,but if you are willing to go into them with an open mind then you will not come away from them disappointed.
Director:Peter Joseph
Year:2007/2008/2011
Running Time:118 mins/123 mins/161 mins
IMDb Rating:8,3/8,3/8,1

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