SummaryMedia, politics and pop-culture. PROGRAMMING THE NATION? takes an encompassing look at the history of subliminal messaging in America. According to many authorities, since the late 1950s subliminal content has been tested and delivered through all forms of mass-media including Hollywood filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock and William Friedkin. Even our m... Read More
Directed By:Jeff Warrick
Written By:Jeff Warrick
Programming the Nation?
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
33
User score
Generally Favorable
6.3
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Unfavorable
33
10% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
40% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
50% Negative
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
Sep 22, 2011
70
Warrick finds subliminal messaging in political campaigns, military operations and even in the music played in big box stores. Warrick is also rightly concerned by the power of media conglomerates to manipulate the news.
Aug 19, 2011
60
This thought-provoking but overlong doc wins points for being all-inclusive.
Oct 27, 2011
50
Besides the fact that the film is flabby (way too much time is spent on history), its efforts to tie subliminal messaging to a vast array of political, media and pop cultural events turn the proceedings a little hazy (or a lot hazy, depending on your worldview).
Aug 15, 2011
38
A pseudo-investigative documentary shakily committed to the subject of subliminal messaging in America, but curiously indulgent about giving the singer of Queensryche time to spout off about whatever enters his head.
Aug 17, 2011
30
The results are irritating, occasionally educational, and frustratingly insight-free.
Aug 19, 2011
20
Fusty research, aging interviewees and decades-old advertising campaigns offer background to the uninitiated, but Mr. Warrick's muddled, undisciplined approach destroys even the possibility of a cogent overview.
Aug 16, 2011
20
This haphazard "exposé" only proves that hackery plus hot air [time] does not equal skillful muckraking.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.3
75% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
25% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Sep 14, 2011
8
This is a movie about the things going on around us that we're all somehow blissfully unaware of- all of us but Jeff Warrick and his crew of rabble-rousers (including Noam Chomsky and the lead singer of Queensryche). A collection of solid interviews pulls the thing together- it's an insightful little doc and Warrick's concern for the subject is readily apparent. A must-watch for anyone interested in the true nature of marketing.
Sep 12, 2011
7
The critics seem to be focusing solely on the film's visuals which, granted, are problematic. But beneath the scratchy surface is a film with conviction and an earnest drive to get to the truth, whether it exists or not. The discussions in the film are balanced and the interviews are thorough and diverse. I would have liked a bit more rage and indignation, and better production values, but ultimately this film proved educational and thought provoking. 7/10
Production Company:
- Digital Media Factory
- Ignite Productions
Release Date:Aug 19, 2011
Duration:1 h 45 m
Rating:TV-G
Tagline:Are we all brainwashed? Or, have we lost our minds? The History of Subliminal Messaging in America
