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Movies / On DVD / Bush's Brain
Bush's Brain

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Bush's Brain (2004)

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Reviews Counted:18

Fresh:11

Rotten:7

Average Rating:6.2/10

Consensus: Most of the evidence is more circumstantial than conclusive, but it's still a disturbing portrait of misuse of political power.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 80 mins

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

Theatrical Release:Aug 27, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: Not to be mistaken for an exploration of the 43rd US President's gray matter, BUSH'S BRAIN takes a look at the shadowy figure of the man behind George. W. Bush's rise to the Oval Office. Karl Rove... Not to be mistaken for an exploration of the 43rd US President's gray matter, BUSH'S BRAIN takes a look at the shadowy figure of the man behind George. W. Bush's rise to the Oval Office. Karl Rove may be an unfamiliar name to many, but to the Bush family he is an invaluable political ally who has worked in a carefully disguised capacity for many years. Rove ghosted his way through Bush Sr.'s presidency with such silent ease that a mention of his name would have been met with indifferent shrugs and feverish head scratching. His attempt to pull off the same trick twice when Bush Jr. was elected almost came to fruition, until the publication of James Moore and Wayne Slater's startling exposé of Rove in their 2003 book, also titled BUSH'S BRAIN. Filmmakers Michael Shoob and Joseph Mealey quickly picked up the baton from Moore and Slater, producing this damning filmic indictment of Rove and the Bush presidency. From political cover-ups, to an uncanny ability to manipulate facts and figures, the directors leave no stone unturned as they dig up the dirt on the little-known political aide. A scary, thoughtful film, BUSH'S BRAIN paints a worrying picture of Bush Jr.'s presidency, positing the believable theory that all has not been as it seems behind the walls of the White House. [More]

Starring: George W. Bush, Karl Rove

Starring: George W. Bush, Karl Rove

Director: Joseph Mealey, Michael Paradies Shoob

Director: Joseph Mealey, Michael Paradies Shoob
Producer: Joseph Mealey, Michael Paradies Shoob

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Oct 12, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Bush's Brain

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1 - 18 (sorted by date)
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The accusations are alarming and juicy enough to strike up a watchable combo of fear and gall.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
10/01/04
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
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This unapologetically partisan documentary is designed to inflame Bush opponents, and it ought to succeed like a bucket of gasoline tossed on a bonfire.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
09/23/04
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Enlightening and frightening.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
09/17/04
Jonathan Curiel
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
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Littered with sloppy accusations and one-sided arguments, Bush's Brain, like so many political documentaries of late, is transparently manipulative.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
09/16/04
Allison Benedikt
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune
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They succeed in presenting a compelling series of dots, to use the current parlance, but they don't succeed in connecting them.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/10/04
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post
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Downright chilling.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
09/10/04
Michael O'Sullivan
Michael O'Sullivan
Washington Post
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Propaganda? You bet. But a scary and persuasive case is made.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
09/03/04
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
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Simplicity may be appealing, but it has its limits.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
09/02/04
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
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Examines Rove's rise to power within the context of politics-as-usual. Such perspective adds power to the movie's punch.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/01/04
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
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I'm not sure that depicting Rove as a demonic Wizard of Oz does much more than stir righteous indignation among the already indignant.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/29/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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One of the better political documentaries flooding into theaters after Fahrenheit 9/11 and before the election.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
08/27/04
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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The movie feels like a rush job and at times its tactics are as suspect as those attributed to its subject.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
08/26/04
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
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This politically damning profile chronicles the rise to power of Karl Rove, the brilliant, nerdy chief aide to President Bush.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
08/26/04
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
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Some believe that the evil genius behind our unelected maximum leader is Dick Cheney. The filmmakers argue that it's 'co-president' Rove (installed, we learn, in Hillary Clinton's old office).

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
08/24/04
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
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It's a competent examination of an important subject, but in a year that has been filled with stunning political documentaries with high production values, it suffers from an overreliance on talking heads.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
08/20/04
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
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By turns darkly comical, seriously scary and purposefully incendiary.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/19/04
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
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Mealey and Shoob's film is a little too 'Inside Baseball' as it takes a deep dive into arcane Texas politics as discussed by a series of talking heads. Yet what they say -- and much of it is hard to refute -- is devastating stuff.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/19/04
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
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Lacking the narrative thrust and cinematic power of Fahrenheit 9/11, it will not dent President George W. Bush's executive armor as deeply as the Michael Moore documentary did.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
08/19/04
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
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