Hoaxed (2019) User Reviews

0 out of 3 found this helpful.

[SteverB · 8/10 · 28 October 2019]

I just finished watching this film and am a little blown away by it. It will be hard to trust anything from mainstream media anymore after seeing how deceptive and manipulative they can be. I thought I knew where and from who fake news originated, but it turns out, "it's coming from inside the house!" America, and I assume most of the world is in a mess right now, and it's difficult to know who to trust to tell us about it. See this film, it's like being released from The Matrix!

The other curious thing I noticed here on IMDb are in the reviews for this film. Most of the reviews are reasonable with only a few nutbars contributing. On many, many, many reviews, the little line that tells you who's voted on each review as to whether it was helpful or not reads, "0 out of 3 found this helpful." There are SO many of these it almost leads me to believe that IMDb has a glitch of some sort, but that's probably not the case. No, there are still some people that want to do what they can to keep people from accessing information they don't agree with. The "Helpful" rating is a small, rather pathetic attempt to do this, and apparently there are three people (or one person with three accounts) who has spent a very long time downvoting reviews. And for what? Watch the film, decide for yourself.

Very Surprised

[silversurfer-98560 · 8/10 · 1 February 2019]

I am not a fan of Alex Jones or Mike Cernovich, but this was presented very well. It spoke to the truth of fake news and media that have been caught countless times but have never owned up to it. How they attack anyone that speaks contrary to their political agenda. When it is said that fake news is the enemy of the people, it is true. Journalists and fake news media betrayed the American people when they broke the trust and let political agendas distort the facts.

Very good

[brummieman · 8/10 · 29 October 2019]

There should be some form of accountability for the big news corporations making money by creating false stories regardless of the impact this has on peoples lives. This documentary is a step in the right direction, anyone rating this low must surely work for the media. This documentary is not taking sides with any political side but rather questioning the ethics and values of popular news channels through the years. Its educational.

A two-hour documentary that you didn't want to end

[Fozzywig · 10/10 · 29 January 2019]

As someone who has been fascinated with 'Yellow Journalism' and 'Fake News' for a while. I can tell you that this masterful piece will reach you, no matter your level of understanding or your political affiliation, Bush, Trump, Clinton, Obama, or your preferred news source NYT, CNN, Fox.

This isn't a film to convince you to 'take a side,' it is one that should convince you to seek truth. Lies have been told on both sides. As a photographer who has gone to protests, I can attest to the fact that there are such things as professional protesters, that there are many who don't even know why they are there, and so many, who will do just about anything for the camera.

Technically, this documentary is beautiful, the cinematography is stellar, and even the transitions feel like carefully chosen accents to move the story along.

For families, I will say that there's some swearing in it, but that is real life.

There is only one truth, and morality is key.

Nothing conservatives don't already know but..

[davedroid07 · 29 January 2019]

I will give credit for this documentary ending on a positive note of calling for peace & unity. I also give credit to Cernovich for covering the 'Pizza Gate' investigation. At the end of the day it doesn't matter where you are on the political spectrum, there needs to be a return to basic fact checking & critical thinking. This documentary covers the issue of 'fake news' broadly, and the motivations of the main stream media and how long this has been going on for ie: Operation Mockingbird. My only irk is it does not go into enough depth on the issues it covers

Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free

[imanamerican-70499 · 10/10 · 27 January 2019]

This film makes a very compelling case that all people, regardless of ideology, are victims of fake news. This is a cinematic masterpiece that will transcend time. I honestly didn't expect this from Cernovich. I expected it would be good but this documentary blew me away. I'm uncomfortable calling it a documentary because the pace, editing, visuals, and attention to detail feels like a cinematic experience. The film is two hours long but somehow holds my attention throughout. I'm on my second viewing and I am noticing the very meaningful scores, shots, edits, and images chosen for each scene. Brilliant.

In summary, a diverse cast people, from all walks of life, dissect the anatomy and strategy of fake news through historical and contemporary examples. The message the film leaves you with is one etched on the building behind Prof. Alberto Martinez:

Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free

Preaching to the converted but i'm not comfortable with the narative

[samyoung-82648 · 7/10 · 5 February 2019]

Firstly, I have independently observed many of the findings in this documentary. The mainstream media is collectively deceitful. Their goal is not to inform but to generate malice and to enslave people's thinking.

I happen to be a huge fan of Cassie Jaye and Jordan Peterson. Both of them were under utilised in this video. I can confirm that the Australian media savaged Cassie Jaye in a most heinous manner. I public raised objections when it happened, however, in Australia, we have adopted the US mainstream media's propagandist techniques with open arms. Cassie was doomed for challenging feminism.

I also found the Black Lives Matter section to be wonderful. The BLM rep seems like a wonderful human being. I too would love to see him have more representation in the media, but, I know exactly why the entire media industry will not give him a voice.

On the flip side, this documentary distracted viewers with 1984 style imagery. There were some comments that I questioned. In the same way "The Vice" feels like Democratic propaganda, this video feels like Republican propaganda. The anti Islam message written on a guest speaker's face was left unchallenged without any Islamic representation. This whole "1984" propaganda tone made me feel very uncomfortable. Propaganda is the thing that made me distrust the mainstream media. Why use it to influence me here?

This documentary is absolutely worth watching. However, its propagandist techniques (through 1984 style imagery) make me uncomfortable to recommend this to friends. I want to educate with facts, not via distractions. I say this in spite of agreeing with most of what was said. In other words, I'm not against the message, but I was uncomfortable with the delivery method and the one-sidedness at times.

The focus of this documentary should have been less about races/political parties and instead, it should have been built around who benefits and why. A presenter partially talked about how most of the media is strongly left (and I agree) - but this should have been the premise - and it should have been backed with fact. Otherwise, this is just more fake news ... out of one cave and into the next.

Summary: Excellent examples, poor use of propaganda as if the facts aren't enough by themselves, not enough myth-busting (eg. is everyone who is white really a white supremacist?). 7/10 for bravery and good research. 3 Marks lost for loss of focus and use of propaganda imagery.

Biased right wing propaganda

[nfnhbnw · 1/10 · 25 July 2020]

You'd like to think that a documentary that proposes to tackle the very important issue surrounding 'fake news' would look at a variety of non partisan sources, use empirical evidence, and analyse the implications of fake news on society, politics, how technology has been manipulated to create echo chambers, and algorithms exploited through the use of trolls, bots and ranking manipulation etc. This however, does none of these.

What it does do is try to legitimise the fringe opinions of several high profile right wing commentators, many of whom have been de-platformed and discredited under hate speech laws for the things they have said. These self titled 'journalists' and 'truth seekers' then continue to paint themselves as the victims, devoid of any sense of accountability for their own spreading of 'fake news' and hate speech, justifying their right to say what they want, apparently without accountability. This then continues with a series of massively oversimplified takes on partisan issues, cherry picking events and evidence that seeks to reinforce this narrative of fringe conservative speakers as the victims.

It's very slickly produced and to many people without the time or context to step back and contextualise it in actual facts, it's a seductive simplification of many serious complex issues. It's just ironic that a documentary about 'fake news' ultimately ends up weaving so many mistruths and part truths together to tell its story it's devoid of any credibility or authenticity.

Fair critique of the news

[adam-25266 · 8/10 · 13 February 2019]

I went to the NYC premiere, and in advance of that I was expecting that it would be biased, and slanted in a way that I wouldn't feel comfortable - and if that occurred I would have left the showing. I've supported great journalism for years which has covered everything from Agri, seeds, climate change, FDA, carcinogens in everyday household and cosmetic products, etc., and one of my mentors is also top journo - so i certainly don't mind being challenged and re-evaluating things as new info reveals itself. I've always held a grudge about the lies that got us into Iraq war, but have difficulty explaining that to people. I have a great memory, most others don't The movie documented that elegantly, as they also did with the media devices that may be contributing to our continued presence in syria. I actually saw the movie twice. Once at the premiere, and then asked my sister and her husband and my wife to watch it. I was very interested in their thoughts so beforehand i didn't give them any info that might affect their opinion, i just said 'watch this'. They enjoyed it - in that its production quality is high and the narrative is at a good pace and kept interesting. They also thought it was great open critique of the media and news. I recommend it

Nothing new

[srusing · 7/10 · 15 April 2020]

Even the allegory of the cave story made an appearance. Pretty good and thanks for making films from a conservative perspective, but lacked depth and originality. A shallow review of the major media controversies since 2016. In sum: what the average alt right activist would produce if you gave them $250,000 to make a film, average substance with a mediocre delivery.

This is not a documentary so much as an indoctrination

[lserewicz · 1/10 · 16 April 2020]

A documentary attempts to inform its audience by an indepth analysis. This only on provides one view. Usually, a documentary looks at new evidence or from a new perspective to give an insight, but this only rehashes events without providing an insight. Finally, the film misleads or deceives its audience in several scenes as there are alternative explication for events that the film only presents in one way. For example, in the preview clip the Black Lives Matter leader Hawk Newsome looks surprised about a news story he had not seen about an African American shooting up a church with white people. The reason he is surprised is not because the news was suppressed or hidden. However, the film makes the scene appear that way as if only white on black violence is what interests the media. What the film makers do not do, which is why the film is dishonest and is more an indoctrination than a documentary, is explain what happened two weeks before it or a week after that shooting. On 24 September 2017 the Burnette Chapel shooting occurred. Emanuel Kidega Samson shot 9 people killing 1 and wounding 8. The motive of revenge for Charleston Church shooting was not learned until 29 September in an AP story as well as a NY Times story published on 30 September. Two weeks before on 10 September had been the Plano Shooting with 9 Killed. Then on the 1 October 2017 was the Las Vegas shooting which is the largest mass murder in US history with 59 deaths and 413 more hit by bullets. This was a global story. Then a month later on 5 November was the Sutherland Springs shooting with 26 killed and 20 wounded. This was also a global story with some of the last part of the chase caught on film. It is clear that a shooting with 1 person killed is going to be overshadowed by larger events with greater bounty counts. This is *not* the media failing to cover the story it is that the story is not that high of priority given the sheer scale of carnage from the other shootings. America has so many shootings, there were 38 people alone shot in Chicago the weekend of 24 September with 3 killed, that an event in Tennessee with only 1 is not going to get much wider exposure. Does the film give you any of that context? No. Yet it sets up the BLM leader as if they have been mislead since they had not heard of an event that was swamped by shootings that attracted global media attention for weeks and national media attention for months?

Everything They Told You Is A Lie

[smisanthropy · 10/10 · 4 February 2019]

Hoaxed is a glimpse of what actual "fair and balanced" reporting might look like in a world where the media isn't out to declare winners and losers, spreading lies and ruining lives on the left, right, and center. The cast of characters is entertaining and varied, with representation across the political spectrum. Interviewees are given the opportunity to speak in their own voice, so you see who they actually are, not who the media wants you to see.

On the technical side, this is a hugely impressive documentary, especially for the budget. It looks like a million bucks- or several. Your snobbiest film buddy will be impressed.

Rhetorically, this film is meant to be persuasive to consumers of mainstream media, so be sure to share it with the Fox News and CNN-watchers in your life.

Good documentary but spoilt slightly by having a right wing bias

[RIK-22 · 7/10 · 15 April 2019]

I think this was a very good documentary it certain raised a key issue of the last 30 years. American news and to some degree all news, is subject to bias and an agenda. However, I do think American news has gone onto become more extreme in this area than other countries. When everything is about money/ratings/power then unfortunately corruption will inevitably enter the equation.

However, there were some issues, from my point of view:

The unnecessary criticism of Communism and promotion of Capitalism as a fair or better system was presented from a very bias standpoint, without any counter view. Stalin (as one example) was a ruthless dictator who tried to control the media, as all autocratic regimes tend to do, so I don't see this a relevant to fake news in any way. Just as many deaths have been attributed to right wing political systems as well as left ones.

No country is purely Capitalist, you wouldn't need elections, governments or laws, if you were Capitalist. In fact, all successful developed countries are a mix of Democracy, Socialism and Capitalism.

Picking, quite rightly, on CNN was good, but then why not also criticise Fox News, who, IMO, are an even more extreme promoter of fake news and right-wing propaganda. I recently saw a documentary about Trump supporters saying that CNN is nonsense and propaganda, which is fair enough, but then ruined their point of view, but saying they get their facts from Fox News!

The last point, which I would have liked mentioned is that there is also a personal responsibility, people should always question the information they receive. People should try to educate themselves about issues and not just accept what individuals or the news are saying.

Anyway, I was glad to see this subject matter out in the open and enjoyed watching it.

Unfortunately, this film is a propaganda piece about propaganda

[Josh-Sykes · 1/10 · 1 June 2019]

The gaslighting in this film is extraordinary, but is less surprising when one understands that Cernovich is a regular host of InfoWars, and he was personally responsible for promoting the Pizzagate nonsense.

The mechanism for control of the masses revealed

[bhap-09679 · 3 February 2019]

There is no left or right there is only freedom and tyranny. Truth and lies. This movie spells it out for everyone. It may be a hard pill to swallow but knowing the truth in the end will liberate you mind. Time to leave the matrix.

The best documentary I have ever seen

[jan-fredrik · 10/10 · 3 February 2019]

I had very high expectations for this movie, as I had seen a lot of great reviews for it. It still exceeded my expectations and I can truly say this is the best documentary I have ever seen.

The most powerful scene is the ending by the philosopher Stefan Molyneux's enactment of Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

It looks like a $10 million budget documentary, but was made by a tiny fraction of that. This says a lot about the passion of this great team. This is touched by God.

A balanced and fair condemnation of fake news coming from the media

[michael-18363 · 10/10 · 3 February 2019]

As someone who consumes a lot of media from Youtube and Twitter, there wasn't much revelatory information for me in this documentary (although I know many people to whom it would all seem unbelievable). What is new is the polished way the team are able to present an array of undeniable evidence from sources that are all over the political spectrum in one cohesive package.

The most memorable moment of the film comes when the directors subvert our expectations of two seemingly stereotypical BLM activists in a thoughtful and illuminating way, teaching us all the lesson that if we do away with the filter of the mainstream news and start interacting with each other as fellow citizens, there's a real chance common ground can be found.

Overall, it was an enjoyable film that will either confirm much of what you already knew or suspected, or, if you're a consumer of mainstream news sources, may just call in to question everything you ever thought you knew.

Great documentary

[danddye · 7/10 · 11 April 2020]

Makes you realize what most of us are already thinking... we have been lied to our whole lives by the people who are supposed to bring us the truth.

Poor attempt to "uncover the truth"

[saull28 · 2/10 · 24 April 2020]

While being biased and dishonest themselves, but from the "Right" side. The Message was We're against violence, Fascism/Communism/Nazism, Cop-killing, but, conservative/republican hate-speech is OK, it's part of free-speech, should not be censored. The whole documentary is a Right-Wing/conservative/republican propaganda machine, this guy hid everything that his group he defends, did wrong in the past. Truth should not be biased, for it to remain truth. And Don't Take Authority as Truth, but Truth as Authority.

I DARE YOU TO WATCH THE ENTIRE DOCUMENTARY

[wise-40311 · 10/10 · 5 October 2019]

Don't believe the garbage that it's a right wing documentary, it's a direct attack to shadowy secret communist who are enslaving everyone on a daily basis. Stop being a mind slave and wake up to these elitist globalist. Dare you to watch every minute.

Nothing New

[goldenturtlene · 6/10 · 21 April 2019]

I agree with most of the documentary but I learned nothing new that I haven't already heard a million times.

There were a lot of unnecessary scenes like animations of TV screens and Alex Jones jumping around and things like that.

I got bored watching the documentary and the only reason I watched to the end was that I had paied fir it.

It was neither worth my time, nor my money and I wouldn't recommend this documentary .

Hoaxed indeed.

[sgeorge-31167 · 1/10 · 20 July 2019]

The film is utterly useless and completely one sided, never exploring the cottage industry of right-wing fake news that doesn't simply get facts wrong or Report with bias but invents entire narratives to serve its political ends.

why are amazon banning this?

[moonshine-08133 · 9/10 · 14 April 2020]

This documentary has never been more relevant in our troubled times but for sOmE ReAsOn amazon has removed it from it prime app

This is NOT a good documentary!

[garethathomas · 3/10 · 6 February 2019]

Unfortunately, although the theme of fake news is a serious issue. This documentary, however good its intentions, resorts to the same tactics as those using fake news to attack either the right or the left. Much better documentaries are out there.

Finally! A honest documentary about our media!

[JustUs2001 · 10/10 · 13 April 2022]

Excellent movie depicting the true state of our leftist media here in the US. As we can see through the other reviews posted here many of our radical leftists have difficulty excepting facts and then resort Soliá name calling and feelings.