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Horns and Halos (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted: 28
Fresh: 23
Rotten:5
Average Rating: 6.7/10
Synopsis: When J.H. Hatfield published a biography of George W. Bush entitled FORTUNATE SON in 1999, it looked set to become a best seller. Not afraid to detail the past indiscretions of the President,... When J.H. Hatfield published a biography of George W. Bush entitled FORTUNATE SON in 1999, it looked set to become a best seller. Not afraid to detail the past indiscretions of the President, Hatfield alleged that Bush had been arrested for cocaine possession back in 1972. Publishers St. Martins Press got cold feet when they discovered Hatfield was a former felon, and immediately withdrew the publication from the shelves. Arguments raged as to whether or not the Bush administration was the real force behind the decision to drop the book, but one fact remained for sure: FORTUNATE SON was out of circulation. The tiny Soft Skull Press decided to relaunch Hatfield's tome, but struggled to make any headway towards getting the book into stores. A last throw of the dice for Soft Skull came at the 2001 Book Expo of America, where the company decided to reveal the source for much of Hatfield's information--namely Karl Rove, a close political confidant of George W. Bush. A media frenzy ensued, and the book wound up back in publication. But further sinister events were to unfold, leaving many vital questions about the Bush administration unanswered. These events are expertly detailed in HORNS AND HALOS, a moving documentary from directors Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky (HALF-COCKED). Speaking to many key players involved in the case, they create a detailed study, and point to some frighteningly bleak implications for the publishing world as a result of Hatfield's experiences. [More]
Director: Suki Hawley, Michael Galinsky
Director: Suki Hawley, Michael Galinsky
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Reviews for Horns and Halos
An acute demonstration of the failure today of traditional media to give us a story in its entirety...
Interesting, but in an era of truly great documentaries no more than that.
If this was just a documentary about the book, it wouldn't be nearly as effective - it works because of the human-interest aspects of the story.
To their credit, Hawley and Galinsky show that there are plenty of horns and halos to go around.
Filling but ultimately not terribly substantive. A summary abridgment of the scandal and fallout over Fortunate Son that doesn't draw any lasting conclusions of its own or, indeed, ask its watchers to do too much heavy mental lifting either.
Effective in presenting its portraits of these two men, Hatfield so depressed, Hicks so optimistic, but it's not successful at getting to the bottom of the cocaine charges.
Horns and Halos benefits from serendipity but also reminds us of our own responsibility to question what is told as the truth.
It questions whether we really live in a world that can be divided neatly into black hats and white hats. And anyway, it wonders, is the guy in the black hat always wrong?
A thoughtful and surprisingly affecting portrait of a screwed-up man who dared to mess with some powerful people, seen through the eyes of the idealistic kid who chooses to champion his ultimately losing cause.
It suggests the wide-ranging effects of media manipulation, from the kind of reporting that is done by the supposedly liberal media ... to the intimate and ultimately tragic heartache of maverick individuals like Hatfield and Hicks.
A fine effort, an interesting topic, some intriguing characters and a sad ending. Certainly the big finish wasn't something Galinsky and Hawley could have planned for... but part of being a good documentarian is being there when the rope snaps.
There aren't many conclusive answers in the film, but there is an interesting story of pointed personalities, courage, tragedy and the little guys vs. the big guys.
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