BoardChiri
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
Freaktana
A Major Disappointment
Breakinger
A Brilliant Conflict
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
violawil
From out here in Australia on the periphery of the US empire, this musical outing showed US audiences "split" about the War in Iraq & Afghanistan. A re-run of Vietnam (been there done that) - Deja Vu indeed. Especially for my generation who opposed the war in Vietnam and now the war in Iraq and Afghanistan (and Palestine) in Burma and the Congo, in Sudan/Darfur and West Papua....all wars ! The musicians and the tour made some opening some space for dialogue to begin about ending the war bringing the troops home.I wonder what others who have viewed the film now think with Barak Obama elected if the troops will come home, if like fellow Republican Nixon, Prez Bush will become a pariah for the rest of his life ?Peace now and then. Viola Wilkins Melbourne Australia
lastliberal
Can aging rockers renew their spirit and use their music to ignite America in a different war. From the song "Ohio" after Kent State, they travel across America with new music and a new war.Mike Cerre, who chronicled Vietnam and was embedded in Iraq travels with the band to report what happens.The title of this documentary is perfect as we have been here before and here we are again in the same mess as another president tries to show his manhood.But, can change occur if enough people rally in support of bringing our boys home? It is doubtful, and you risk pissing a lot of people off.Good documentary showing the feeling of people over this war and the music of CSNY.
chuck-reilly
The song remains the same for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. If you want to listen to a lethal dose of Bush bashing interspersed with some nice melodies, this movie has it all. There's no doubt that Neil Young is sincere is his efforts to protest the Iraq War and he's got plenty of company. Unfortunately, turning a CSNY concert into a protest rally wasn't what a lot of fans expected when they bought their tickets. To be fair, Young makes sure that the sour reactions of many fans are caught on film along with the rest of the festivities. He also plays up the notion that he has the utmost respect for our fighting men and women. Whether any of our service personnel would buy into this type of concert, however, is another matter. Since Young is a Canadian and was never subjected to the Selective Service Draft in the 1960's, he's been free to voice his opinion without any repercussions. It would've been far more courageous for this band (and Young) to play this material in front of our troops than an accommodating audience. As far as the music here, it's a pretty good performance if you can stomach the leftist nonsense. The boys can still harmonize even if a few of the high notes are missing. So far, the movie hasn't made an impact at the box office. That will happen when you alienate half of the viewing public from the start. For a one-sided favorable review of this film, one can always turn on MSNBC and Keith Olbermann. Since the film has made less than $100,000 nationally, Young and company need all the help they can get. To paraphrase Shakespeare, "these fellows doth protest too much."
wmjaho
In 2006, rock 'n roll icons Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young played a "Freedom of Speech" tour to protest the war in Iraq. The band that wrote Ohio, one of the most famous protest songs of the Vietnam era, decided that the country needed a wake-up call, some of the same spirit of protest and activism that once shook national policy and changed our nation forever. CSNY Déjà Vu is a documentary based on this tour.Being a rock star must be the ideal profession because you get all the girls when you're young and somehow you're never too old. David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young were an average of 62 years of age on the tour, but still audiences gave them license to "get down" on the stage, and generally applauded wildly with love and admiration. But don't expect the typical fawning fans of a concert movie. This is all about the tour, about why they hit the road, what they believe, and how fans, concertgoers and the American public reacted.Writer and ringleader Neil Young deserves tremendous credit for being candid and revealing. He quotes the glowing press reports of course, but also the negative ones and even the stinging mockery. He also shows both sides of the audience reaction, with the most antagonistic occurring in the southern (red) states, where many fans walked out of the concerts in disgust, coming for the music without realizing they were in for incessant politicizing, including a song entitled "Let's Impeach the President." And he even shows Stephen Stills falling off the stage, looking every bit like the fat old man that he has become. (Only Graham Nash really looks good. David Crosby looks like your uncle. And Neil Young just looks a little craggy, until he takes his hat off. Then he looks like his age as well.) It is fun and nostalgic to see the old footage interspersed, and to follow the band as they meet people, and introduce those that affected or were affected by the experience. CSNY Deja Vu is not a great movie by any means. There's not enough music to make it a concert film, and not enough action to pick up the slack. But there is nevertheless something admirable, even touching, about their breed of 60's style activism, their belief that people are dying needlessly, and their genuine heartfelt desire to make a difference. As they repeatedly demonstrated, they have profound respect for the servicemen overseas, but don't see continuing the war as the best answer. Agree or not, it strikes me as the sincerest form of patriotism.Sundance Moment Someone in the Q&A said that he had lost a brother in Iraq, and told Neil Young that "you have no idea what you're talking about." It was a tense moment in the very liberal Sundance crowd. I'm guessing that Young has dealt with this kind of thing dozens of times on the tour, and he chose to handle it by, essentially, backing down. "I think you're right," he said. "We're just trying to get people to talk about it." Well, that might be an easy answer, but I'm not sure it's honest. A song like "Let's Impeach the President" is something more than an invitation for dialogue, it's a political statement of the strongest kind. I respect the band's sincerity, but was disappointed they were something less than forthright when challenged.