Review: ‘THE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD’ takes on The Right and how wrong they really are.

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in association with

JSenko Productions
and Cinco Dedos Peliculas

present

The Brainwashing of My Dad_PosterEveryday, I have the urge to block friends on Facebook. The vitriolic political rhetoric being thrown around in both “article” and meme form is more over the top than it has ever been. Thank the internet gods for Snopes. Now that we’re heavy into this circus of a presidential campaign, a new film could not be more timely. Director Jen Senko brings us her personal story in her doc THE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD.

Right-wing cable news and “conservative” talk radio attract older Americans like graying moths to an angry flame. But why would someone who was either apolitical or a Democrat in younger days become addicted to conservative talk shows in their twilight years? Filmmaker Jen Senko wondered how her WWII veteran and Kennedy Democrat father had been transformed into a Fox News fanatic, suddenly and inexplicably railing against minorities, homosexuals, poor people, and Democrats. Using her dad as an entertaining example, Senko pulls back the curtain to expose the tools and tricks of the wizards behind the right-wing media revolution. And in discovering what happened to him, Senko reveals the all-too-chilling bigger picture of what’s happening behind-the-scenes to influence our national discourse.

The Republican Noise Machine. Illustration by Bill Plympton.

The Republican Noise Machine.
Illustration by Bill Plympton.

Delving into this phenomenon in interviews with industry insiders, Senko illustrates how Right-wing media is used to manipulate conservatives. (Speaking of illustrations, the film features fantastic original art from the great Bill Plympton.) In memos and interviews, Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch openly admit how they use FOX News to turn people into sheeple for pure profit, and how the term “Liberal Media” was another product of the machine. “War on Christmas”? Yeah, that’s another doozy pumped out to infuriate for entertainment purposes.

Check out this clip from the film:

Clip #7: Language is Not Neutral from Cinco Dedos Peliculas on Vimeo.

Frank Luntz discusses his language techniques.

Frank Luntz discusses his language techniques.

But, it’s not just Senko’s father we’re privy to. Hundreds of people reached out to her to tell their story of how they “lost” family members to conservative radio. The film has a wonderful mix of informative visuals. The chronological breakdown of the industry is user guide friendly, with examples of each step in it’s creation. It is certainly beyond successful in it’s history lesson, though I fear it may be preaching to the choir. Democrats will adore this film, there is no doubt about it. Trying to get a viewing audience on the far right may prove just a difficult as trying to talk foreign policy with Donald Trump. (Too soon?)

The right-wing media boat pushing National Thought. Illustration by Bill Plympton.

The right-wing media boat pushing National Thought.
Illustration by Bill Plympton.

You can check out THE BRAINWASHING OF MY DAD today in theaters and on VOD and I highly recommend you do. A little knowledge is a powerful thing.

Directed by: JEN SENKO

Narrated by: JEN SENKO and MATTHEW MODINE 

Produced by: MATTHEW MODINE ADAM RACKOFF 

Featuring animation by Academy Award nominee BILL PLYMPTON 

 

Official Website: www.thebrainwashingofmydad.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebrainwashingofmydadmovie?ref=hl Twitter: @brainwashingdad

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_brainwashing_of_my_dad/

Opening Theatrically in New York (Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (Laemmle Music Hall) on Friday, March 18 and on VOD (iTunes, GOOGLE PLAY, VUDU and many more)

New & Returning to HBOGO – ‘X-Men’ ‘Young Frankenstein’ ‘The Great Gatsby’

hbogo-logo_featureIt’s that time again! Here’s the new stuff to HBO and what’s returning.

Name Expiring
12 Years a Slave 5/16/2015
A Good Woman n/a
About Time 7/31/2015 Returning
The Amazing Catfish 6/30/2015
Battle for Terra 5/31/2015 Returning
Before Night Falls 6/30/2015
Before Sunset 6/30/2015 Returning
Being Flynn 6/30/2015 Returning
Best In Show n/a
The Beverly Hillbillies 6/30/2015
Bogus 5/31/2015
Bull Durham 6/21/2015
Catch a Fire 10/31/2015
Class Act 8/31/2015 Returning
Contact 9/30/2015
The Cure n/a
De-Lovely 7/31/2015
Deck the Halls 7/31/2015
Desk Set 7/31/2015
Dirty War n/a
Doctor Zhivago 8/31/2015 Returning
Dolphin Tale 2 n/a
Emma n/a
Empire 5/31/2015
Ender’s Game 8/31/2015 Returning
Eye For An Eye 8/31/2015
Eyewitness 6/30/2015
Fellow Traveller n/a
The Fever n/a
Fflolkes n/a
For a Good Time, Call… 6/21/2015 Returning
The Great Gatsby 5/31/2015 Returning
He Got Game 6/21/2015
I Dreamed of Africa 7/31/2015 Returning
In & Out n/a
In the Mouth of Madness 6/30/2015 Returning
Jersey Boys n/a
King Kong 6/14/2015 Returning
Kuffs 6/30/2015
The Lake House 6/30/2015
The Last of the Blonde Bombshells 8/31/2015
Leap Year 6/27/2015 Returning
Life Is Beautiful n/a
Little Shop of Horrors 6/30/2015 Returning
Living Out Loud 5/31/2015 Returning
Love and a .45 n/a
Lovely & Amazing 6/30/2015
The Magnificent Seven 5/31/2015
Mary and Martha n/a
Mr Nice Guy 10/31/2015 Returning
Must Love Dogs 7/31/2015
Narrow Margin 7/31/2015 Returning
Next of Kin 6/30/2015 Returning
Night at the Museum n/a
Nothing to Lose 6/21/2015
Oh, God! 6/30/2015
Oh, God! Book II 6/30/2015
Oh, God! You Devil 6/30/2015
Once Around 5/31/2015
Picture This n/a
Pleasantville 9/30/2015 Returning
Prime 6/26/2015 Returning
The Producers: The Movie Musical n/a
Pure Luck 6/30/2015 Returning
Queen of the Damned 10/31/2015
Restraint 9/30/2015
The Return of the Musketeers n/a
Save the Last Dance 9/30/2015
Scary Movie 6/21/2015
Serial Mom n/a
Shout 6/30/2015 Returning
Star Trek: First Contact 6/30/2015 Returning
Stop! or My Mom Will Shoot 6/30/2015 Returning
The Story of Us 6/30/2015 Returning
Talk Radio n/a
Tequila Sunrise 6/21/2015
That Thing You Do! 8/31/2015
Hangover Part III 5/31/2015 Returning
Thelma & Louise 5/31/2015 Returning
The Trouble With Spies 6/30/2015
The Truth About Cats & Dogs 5/31/2015 Returning
Twilight Zone: The Movie 7/31/2015
Two of a Kind 6/30/2015
The Upside of Anger 6/30/2015 Returning
Uptown Girls 10/31/2015
Walk of Shame n/a Returning
White Oleander 6/30/2015
X-Men n/a
X-Men: Days of Future Past n/a
The Year of Living Dangerously 6/21/2015
Young Frankenstein 6/21/2015 Returning