RIFLE RANGE BOY

Richard Jewell (2019) Director: Clint Eastwood The press and the print media are often referred to as the 'Fourth Estate' or 'Fourth Power' for a reason. It is supposed to act as an extension of the arms of governance after the legislation, execution and the judiciary branch of Government of rule via indirect public influence.  It traditionally played the role of the eye of the public to create a check and balance system of the ruling Government. Over the years, we have noticed that it is no longer working towards the well-being of the common man, but rather have the welfare of the financiers at heart. With financiers having vested interest in how a piece of particular news should be presented, the truth is somehow lost in the rabble-rousing. The same message can be displayed by different stations leaving totally different impressions on the public. So, leave to the public to assess what is right and which is fake, you say. History has proven time and again that...

Sensitive topic - Readers' discretion advised A Mosque in Munich (2010) Author: Ian Johnson When 9-11 attacks came about, investigations traced the perpetrators of sleeper cells spending a time of their lifetimes in Germany. These terrorist group did not spring up just before attacks on the American soil. They, in fact, have a very long past, going as far back as the Bolshevik revolution. When Communist Soviet took over the predominantly Muslim lands in the Caucasus, collectively known as Western Turkestan, the area was filled with adrenaline-filled Muslim fighters who wanted to liberate their lands from their godless rulers. They were collectively known as the Prometheans, the mythical Greek hero who defied Zeus to save humanity. This golden opportunity was grasped by Wehrmacht, the unified WW2 German Army to aid in their attack of Russia. As is common knowledge, many Muslim scholars, including the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, soar at the thought of the collapse of the O...

The Looming Tower (2018) Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' suggests the best way to win a war against your enemy is when they (the enemy) do not realise that they are not at war. "Know your enemy know your environment" he added. Despite this knowledge, the mighty Ming Dynasty fell to the lowly Manchus. Twenty years ago, two then Colonels in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Qiao Lang and Wang Xiansui published a book named 'Unrestricted Warfare'. Here these two officers outlined ways to overcome a mighty force like the USA. It seems that the CIA also got hold of this book and was reading material for their trainees. In a gist, it proposes trapping the country into indebtedness, economically and militarily. Cost of waging a traditional war may prove too costly, money-wise, and annihilation of the planet as we know it.  Probably the other enemies of the USA have also got hold this knowledge. With the widespread of information on the net, nothing is sacr...

Tashkent Files (2019) It was 1966. India had just won a war with Pakistan after marching into Lahore with their tanks a year earlier. With his slogan 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kishan' (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer), Lal Bahadur Shastri, tried to instil nationalism and boost food production. He remains one of the most liked and cleanest PM. He shares his birthdate with MK Gandhi, but only a few remember. He goes to Tashkent (then in Soviet Russia, now Uzbekistan) to sign a declaration of peace with Pakistan with a clean bill of health but returns in a body bag. Just hours prior to sudden breathlessness in the wee of hours of the morning, he had called home.  A national leader's death, a man of his stature, would typically require pre-set protocols to be followed. Unfortunately, in spite of his family's request for a post mortem, it was not done. Their insistence that Shashtri had skin discolouration and there were cuts over his neck area which were passed off as usual...

The Mattei Affair (Italian, Il Caso Mattei; 1972) Heard about this guy through Hussain Najadi's autobiography. Enrico Mattei, a self made entrepreneur from a humble beginning. He started working in tannery industry at the age of 15 only to climb the social ladder to be a threat to the Anglo-American oil cartel. His path crossed with Najadi when both were trying to get Kuwait's oil industry going. Unlike Najadi who missed an ill-fated flight to cheat death in 1963, Mattei succumbed to one. This offering is an Italian documentary trying to outline the events leading to his untimely death. Foul play has always been suggested. Even the journalist who tried to investigate his death mysteriously disappeared and was never found. Enrico Mattei Growing up in WW2 Italy, he became Mussolini's Fascist party inactive member. He later became a Christian Democrat and a nationalist. He tried to sell the idea of mining methane gas in Northern Italy. Even though initially ridicu...