"Bush's Brain" DVD in stores this Tuesday. It's Rove-riffic.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Amazon's review (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002V7SMA/qid%3D1097341277/sr%3D11-1/ref%3Dsr%5F11%5F1/102-3350457-5286506):

"A late bloomer among the rich harvest of political documentaries released in 2004, Bush's Brain is potently revealing yet maddeningly pedestrian in its attack on Karl Rove, the powerful presidential advisor nicknamed "Bush's Brain" for serving in effect as co-president in the George W. Bush administration. Slapped together for the sake of an expedient pre-election release, the film makes a convincing case (while offering no tangible proof) that Rove conducts ruthlessly effective Republican campaigns on the belief that "the ends justify the means." Based on the book by James C. Moore and James Slater (both featured prominently in abundant talking-head interviews), the film lacks the coherent structure that would've made it truly effective, assumes considerable foreknowledge on the part of the viewer, and regrettably includes a tear-jerking, non sequitur digression about the grieving family of a beloved Marine who was killed in Iraq. But the film's shattering allegations and heartbreaking testimonies suggest, in no uncertain terms, that Rove is pulling the Presidential strings, remaining virtually untouchable while winning elections by any means necessary. As a fascinating study of alleged corruption and unchecked ambition, Bush's Brain is anything but balanced, but it's an important film that invites viewers to draw their own conclusions. --Jeff Shannon"

DVD Verdict's review (http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/bushsbrain.php):

Alright…Republicans, you will not find this film very interesting. You might as well click on the Reviews option near the top of this screen, and find a diatribe on the latest action release, because this film cannot possibly appeal to you if you support George W. Bush and the "War on Terrorism." Although the film doesn't attack Bush so much as it attacks Rove, it does make the President look like a puppet. According to this film, Bush is the equivalent of Scott Evil, just working for his nefarious evil genius "father" Rove. Run from this flick, Republicans; and sleep soundly thinking George W. Bush is the captain of his own ship. But let's be real here! Does anyone on either side think any modern day President operates without advisors? I loved certain things Reagan did, but his foreign policy was designed by a brilliant team of advisors the American people did not elect, or even know about in most cases. Bill Clinton balanced the budget, but was it him or a team of economic advisors? You can't make me believe that great men or leaders exist in a vacuum with no guidance or advice from anyone save the voices in their own head.

Now, to speak to the Democrats. Does it surprise you that campaigns are partisan and all about making the other guy look as bad as you can? What Bush's Brain offers you is an insider's tour of how Karl Rove has coached Junior to follow in his father's footsteps. George Bush the elder is, and always has been, a moral and balanced guy. He actually fired Rove from his campaigns. But for over thirty years, from a botched bid for Congress all the way to the White House, this political advisor has backed the younger Bush. Rove has hornswaggled and bamboozled every opponent the two have come across, and taught Bush and the Republicans how to fight fast and dirty. This film outlines their strategy, and gives you examples of how they use the media and the FBI to get anything they want or need to win an election. They follow the Vince Lombardi mantra of "Winning isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing" to its Machiavellian extreme. Still believe those "Swiftboat Veterans" operated independently? This film will have you saying, "Not a chance in hell!"

Bush's Brain does a great job of running through this man's life, detailing how he got to be the political advisor often called the "co-President." Karl Rove keeps a purposefully low profile, but continually has his finger on (or perhaps his entire arm shoved up) George W. Bush. It's a documentary that you can believe more readily than Moore's treatise on the subject. The filmmakers definitely do a fine job of playing all the pathos to keep you engaged. It's quick and funny. About the only thing I saw wrong with the film was a brief interlude near the end where they detail a casualty of the Iraq war through the story of Fred Pokorney. As moving as that is, it has little to do with the real subject of the film. More horrifying are the allegations that Rove saw the Iraq war as little more than a marketing device to improve Bush's approval ratings. They aptly point out the fallacy of Bush's "I am a WAR President!" claim, when he and his entire team of consultants (Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rice) are not veterans.

The film comes in full screen, and was shot on digital cameras. Not much to gripe about picture-wise. It's sparkling new, and has no artifacts or authoring problems. The basic sound mix appears in a Dolby 2.0 format. They've done a good job with the film, and I can't cite it for any technical gaffes other than the inherent bad quality of some of the news clips.