Snowden documentary wins big at the Oscars, Oliver Stone-directed biopic set for Christmas release

Shawn Knight

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citizenfour awarded oscar documentary snowden nsa oliver stone edward snowden glenn greenwald citizenfour oscar academy awards nsa documentary lindsay mills

Obvious privacy concerns aside, the story surrounding NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden continues to captivate audiences. Citizenfour – Laura Poitras’ documentary on the subject – took home hardware for best documentary feature during the 87th Academy Awards on Sunday evening.

Joining Poitras on stage to accept the award was editor Mathilde Bonnefoy, producer Dirk Wilutzky, journalist Glenn Greenwald and surprisingly enough, Edward Snowden’s girlfriend, Lindsay Mills.

After the fact, Snowden said he was extremely reluctant when Poitras first asked if she could film his encounters but is grateful that he allowed her to persuade him. The result, Snowden continued, is a brave and brilliant film that deserves the honor and recognition it has received.

citizenfour awarded oscar documentary snowden nsa oliver stone edward snowden glenn greenwald citizenfour oscar academy awards nsa documentary lindsay mills

In related news, it has come to light that Oliver Stone will direct a biopic of the NSA whistleblower. The lead role in Snowden will be played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt who will be working alongside the likes of Timothy Olyphant, Rhys Ifans and Joely Richardson.

If the recent Golden Globe win is any indication, moviegoers will likely flock to theaters in anticipation of seeing this fascinating tale play out on the big screen.

The film is expected to hit theaters on Christmas Day of this year which just so happens to be one of the industry’s busiest days of the year.

As Slashfilm notes, it’ll be going up against stiff competition including Will Smith’s NFL movie Concussion as well as Alejandro González Iñárritu and Leonardo DiCaprio’s frontier saga The Revenant. Star Wars: The Force Awakens will also be in its second week at that time.

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This is the first one ever, for the main character still being alive and not make the stage to pick up the Oscar.

The last one on my memory was Heath Ledger, who was a legend for hitting a hearse before the Oscar fella.

Just look at them long faces, and shiver...
 
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I've been using free Ghostery to help block trackers from my browser. It makes you relize everything we do on websites is been tracked and sold.

Snowden is a true patriot!
 
Snowden is a true patriot! for our enemies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Now I fixed it...
 
Snowden is our hero whether you want him to be or not. He has brought together so many people, concentrated on one thing, privacy, that no one else could have ever done.

One thing I wonder though. Why is there only one Edward Snowden?
 
Snowden is our hero whether you want him to be or not. He has brought together so many people, concentrated on one thing, privacy, that no one else could have ever done.

One thing I wonder though. Why is there only one Edward Snowden?

Because of the too many brainwashed sheep bootlickers tools in USA...just look at the comments above.
 
Snowden is our hero whether you want him to be or not. He has brought together so many people, concentrated on one thing, privacy, that no one else could have ever done.

One thing I wonder though. Why is there only one Edward Snowden?

Because of the too many brainwashed sheep bootlickers tools in USA...just look at the comments above.

Or, maybe they don't want to take after a crook that fled to Russia which, by the way, is currently running roughshod over Ukraine.

But, you'll remember that he stood up privacy the next time you click the "Agree" button on the EULA for some software.
 
Snowden is a true patriot!
Maybe, maybe not! I appreciate what Snoden did. But did we really need a movie, that probably doesn't shed light on the whole story? Movies have a tendency to twist facts to make for a better viewing. I'm not sure this is one I want to watch.

Twist facts? You're being very nice to Oliver Stone. His movie about JFK was 50% conspiracy theory and 50% straight-up fiction (or lies, if you prefer that word). You can bet the Snowden movie will be low on facts and high on whatever Stone wants us to believe.


Snowden is our hero whether you want him to be or not.
You need to go read a certain book by Joseph Campbell about heroes. That word used to mean more than a GoPro model and a video game about guitars.... but I guess that depends on what generation you belong to.
 
Or, maybe they don't want to take after a crook that fled to Russia which, by the way, is currently running roughshod over Ukraine.

At some point we're going to have to learn to accept that our government is more corrupt and more evil then Russia. Rule #1 to whistle blowing, don't bite the hand that grants you asylum. Snowden is not going to say anything bad about Russia. He doesn't condone what Russia does, Russia is just his tool to protect him from the terrorists running the United States Government.

Hypocrisy is just... awesome. I mean this nation, from the sheep at the bottom, to the wolves at the top, our level of hypocrisy is astounding. History will really look back and see us for the fools we are.
 
At some point we're going to have to learn to accept that our government is more corrupt and more evil then Russia. Rule #1 to whistle blowing, don't bite the hand that grants you asylum. Snowden is not going to say anything bad about Russia. He doesn't condone what Russia does, Russia is just his tool to protect him from the terrorists running the United States Government.

Hypocrisy is just... awesome. I mean this nation, from the sheep at the bottom, to the wolves at the top, our level of hypocrisy is astounding. History will really look back and see us for the fools we are.

No, our government is not more corrupt or evil than Russia. Snowden won't badmouth Russia because Russia would kill him on the spot. Straight up. Ask Viktor Litveneko. Oh wait, Russia killed him off by poisoning him...while he lived in the UK, so you're not going to get many answers from that guy.

And terrorists running the United States government? Look, I'm no Obama fan, but this is just stupid hyperbole.
 
I rarely get into discussions of this nature because the Emotional Quotient is often low but if anyone thinks the documentary is without hard political leanings lives in La-La Land. Oh, wait, that would be Hollywood.
 
Why is there only one Edward Snowden?
Because people, like myself are unwilling to give up the lives they have forged for the sake of bringing privacy awareness to our front yard. People are selfish, I believe Snowden performed a selfless act when he shed light on all the NSA did. No matter what people say, I believe he is a hero, without his sacrifice the world would have kept pushing the issue back, until it was too late. Snowden is my hero.
 
This is the first one ever, for the main character still being alive and not make the stage to pick up the Oscar.

The last one on my memory was Heath Ledger, who was a legend for hitting a hearse before the Oscar fella.

Just look at them long faces, and shiver...


Actually George C. Scott did not pick up his for his role in "Patton" and had refused it in advance saying he didn't believe is such awards ....
 
Some 200+ years ago there were some 14 other so called "Traitors" to the crown are are now held in the highest regard. History will make it's own determination about Edward but from the reactions of those outside of government, it appears that history will be kind to him.
 
Snowden is our hero whether you want him to be or not. He has brought together so many people, concentrated on one thing, privacy, that no one else could have ever done.

One thing I wonder though. Why is there only one Edward Snowden?

Because of the too many brainwashed sheep bootlickers tools in USA...just look at the comments above.

Or, maybe they don't want to take after a crook that fled to Russia which, by the way, is currently running roughshod over Ukraine.

But, you'll remember that he stood up privacy the next time you click the "Agree" button on the EULA for some software.


Unfortunately Russians didn't started this mess, US+its cronies did, mainly because they want their 'pivot to Asia' strategy to work, to limit China/Russia influence in the region, and broader control over the natural resources (read to ensure they get their unfair cut of the pie), as well as continue the hegemonic imperialism alive for another century.

Where Putin went wrong is thinking that a) EU will be more rationalized and choose a more 'independent' approach whereby giving priority to its own economic interests over other's imperialistic ones; b) he should have annexed whole of Ukraine (a former 'province' of Russia) and killed the whole imperialistic goose for good.

(I would suggest to have a look at Propaganda and Empire: The manipulation of British public opinion, 1880-1960, by John MacKenzie for conceptual clarity).

Anyway, Snowden's revelations has at least shed some light on how everything we do is tracked, and how ignorant we have become when it comes to protecting our privacy.
 
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Snowden is our hero whether you want him to be or not. He has brought together so many people, concentrated on one thing, privacy, that no one else could have ever done.

So nobody else privy to the information he leaked could have ever leaked it? This was the one guy in the whole USG with the intelligence, resources, access, and skills to get the job done? The Jason Bourne of system administrators? Right.

One thing I wonder though. Why is there only one Edward Snowden?

Most people enjoy their ability to move freely about the globe relative to techs with a penchant for treason.

At some point we're going to have to learn to accept that our government is more corrupt and more evil then Russia. Rule #1 to whistle blowing, don't bite the hand that grants you asylum. Snowden is not going to say anything bad about Russia. He doesn't condone what Russia does, Russia is just his tool to protect him from the terrorists running the United States Government.

Hypocrisy is just... awesome. I mean this nation, from the sheep at the bottom, to the wolves at the top, our level of hypocrisy is astounding. History will really look back and see us for the fools we are.

No, our government is not more corrupt or evil than Russia. Snowden won't badmouth Russia because Russia would kill him on the spot. Straight up. Ask Viktor Litveneko. Oh wait, Russia killed him off by poisoning him...while he lived in the UK, so you're not going to get many answers from that guy.

Has Putin opened Russia's borders to every third worlder willing to cross it? Does the Russian government refuse to properly identify Russia's adversaries? Does Russia sign into law massive pieces of legislation without reading them? Do Russian officials blame filmmakers for embassy attacks carried out by established enemies of the state? Does Russia spy on more or less of the world than the USG? Has any Russian official ever been caught on tape stating that the Russian people are too dumb and gullible to detect the deliberate hoodwinking they're about to experience?

If you think the United States Government is less corrupt than Russia, you might as well be patched into the Matrix as free DLC.
 
So nobody else privy to the information he leaked could have ever leaked it? This was the one guy in the whole USG with the intelligence, resources, access, and skills to get the job done? The Jason Bourne of system administrators? Right.



Most people enjoy their ability to move freely about the globe relative to techs with a penchant for treason.



Has Putin opened Russia's borders to every third worlder willing to cross it? Does the Russian government refuse to properly identify Russia's adversaries? Does Russia sign into law massive pieces of legislation without reading them? Do Russian officials blame filmmakers for embassy attacks carried out by established enemies of the state? Does Russia spy on more or less of the world than the USG? Has any Russian official ever been caught on tape stating that the Russian people are too dumb and gullible to detect the deliberate hoodwinking they're about to experience?

If you think the United States Government is less corrupt than Russia, you might as well be patched into the Matrix as free DLC.

davislane, I agree on every point you make in your questions*, but that does not speak to the corruption of the United States as a whole. The Obama administration itself is definitely corrupt, but that does not speak of the entire nation. There are some corrupt members of Congress, but not all of Congress is corrupt. And I may not agree with a lot of decisions by the Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court is not corrupt. And there are various state and local governments, some of which are corrupt (like Detroit and Chicago). The person I responded to was making an accusation that the, all else being equal, the United States the country is more corrupt than Russia. Even with all of the problems we have, we are always free to elect new representation and reform the government. You try to pull that stuff in Russia and you're liable to have your assets seized and thrown in jail (the former CEO of Gazprom), be harassed and beaten in public and thrown in jail (***** Riot), or just assassinated on foreign soil (Litvinenko as mentioned above). Now, you tell me where the examples of such things happening in the United States have occurred.

*save the spy question. Russia, which ran the Stasi in East Germany and the KGB in the Russia proper, are masters of spying and they spy on any country that is contrary or in support of its interests. The only difference is that it kills those who it thinks are betraying whereas we allow our traitors to escape to enemy nations or pay for their transsexual hormone therapy.
 
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Unfortunately Russians didn't started this mess, US+its cronies did, mainly because they want their 'pivot to Asia' strategy to work, to limit China/Russia influence in the region, and broader control over the natural resources (read to ensure they get their unfair cut of the pie), as well as continue the hegemonic imperialism alive for another century.

Where Putin went wrong is thinking that a) EU will be more rationalized and choose a more 'independent' approach whereby giving priority to its own economic interests over other's imperialistic ones; b) he should have annexed whole of Ukraine (a former 'province' of Russia) and killed the whole imperialistic goose for good.

(I would suggest to have a look at Propaganda and Empire: The manipulation of British public opinion, 1880-1960, by John MacKenzie for conceptual clarity).

Anyway, Snowden's revelations has at least shed some light on how everything we do is tracked, and how ignorant we have become when it comes to protecting our privacy.

The new favorite of "non-interventionists" and "isolationists" (but I repeat myself) is that the United States somehow forced Russia to invade Ukraine...though no exact reasoning is given as to how this were. And if this is somehow a proxy war being fought on behalf of the United States by Ukraine, we sure are going about it the wrong way because we have yet to still provide any weaponry to or provide any kind of support for Ukraine as it fights against Russia.
 
This is the first one ever, for the main character still being alive and not make the stage to pick up the Oscar.

The last one on my memory was Heath Ledger, who was a legend for hitting a hearse before the Oscar fella.

Just look at them long faces, and shiver...

Surely Eddie Redmayne picking up his Best Actor Oscar on Sunday, playing Stephen Hawking, was the most recent example of this happening? And that's pretty recent.
 
Without going too much into debate about imperialistic ambitions and its consequences, the goal (for now) seems to be is to weaken Russia, first economically and then militarily to the extent that it no longer remains an obstacle in empire's future objectives. The more appropriate question would have been, why US actually started this whole mess in which it stand no chance of enforcing its will beyond a certain point (despite all the help from Nazis it brought into power in Ukraine provides)?

I suspect it started because China/Russia/India/Brazil/SA (rightly) decided to step away from $$$ financing, which they have been doing for ages (e.g. by keeping $ reserves, doing all transactions in $$ etc.). I believe it is absolutely correct path to take in future, they took the first step by establishing a bank to help do just that (again a correct decision). Also they are pushing for second appropriate step as well,ie. creating a basket of currencies to deal at international institutions (ie. IMF/WB etc.). Add in to this equation the US desire to control all sources of energy (and corridors through which it is transported).

Now you may ask why this matter? Again the devil is in the details, by doing everything in $$$ the rest of world is in fact financing all the imperialistic (mis)adventures of empire and its so called 'allies' (ie. it allows Federal Reserve to print $$$ with impunity, knowing everyone wants them) and ignoring all the basic economic principles.

All empires who rise must fall one day, it is a fact of life, an eventuality which becomes history. But here today, empire of our age and past european empires has locked arms "in efforts to save what can be saved in the ex-colonial lands throughout the Greater Middle East, Africa, and Asia" to continue their hegemony in near future at least, and eliminate any threat which can stop them from achieving their goals.

To sum it up, a quote from Arno J. Mayer, emeritus professor of history at Princeton University:

"Though largely subliminal, the greater the sense and fear of imperial decay and decline, the greater the national hubris and arrogance of power which cuts across party lines."

Anyway, this is not the forum and place to indulge in this debate. So I wash my hands of this after giving this brief background.
 
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