When the film opened, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee came out against the film. Its spokesman Hussein Ibish said "The Siege is extremely offensive. It's beyond offensive. We're used to offensive, that's become a daily thing. This is actually dangerous." He thought it was "Insidious and incendiary" because it "reinforces stereotypes that lead to hate crimes." Ibish acknowledged that Arab terrorists did, in fact, bomb the World Trade Center in 1993, but said that Arab and Islamic groups are upset by "the very strong equation between Muslim religious practices and terrorism. ...[Thanks to this film] Every time someone goes through the Muslim ablution, the ritual washing of hands everybody does before they pray five times a day, that image is the announcement to the viewer of the presence of violence." Echoing such criticism the Council on American-Islamic Relations protested the insinuation that "Muslims have total disregard for human life." The groups were "faxing and calling news organizations on a regular basis" to voice their concerns.[5][6]

Director Edward Zwick had met with Arab Americans, who suggested that the story be changed to mirror the aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, when Arabs were immediately assumed responsible. This idea was rejected. Zwick noted that The Siege's villains also include members of the U.S. government, and dismissed the criticism, saying, "Anytime you talk about issues that touch on religion of any kind, you can anticipate this kind of reaction. Should we only present every group as paragons and monoliths of virtue? The movie inspires to engender this kind of dialogue. I happen to come from the school that thinks that movies should not only make you uncomfortable, they might make you think. ...You can anticipate any kind of reaction in these times in which sensitivity seems very high in the culture. I have a friend who says, if you've not offended somebody, you're a nobody. ...How does it feel to be a lightning rod? It gets the blood going. I think it's better than being universally ignored. In a culture where there seems to be so much to talk about, it's good to be talked about."[5]

"What the movie is most deeply about - it's about our own latent possibilities of repression, stereotyping and prejudice," says Zwick. "To see Americans rounded up in the streets, to see Americans put into stadiums, to see people held without habeas corpus - to have their rights violated in such a way is such a chilling and just terrifying thing to see - that is what one takes away, I believe, from this film."[7]

In a September 2007 interview, screenwriter Lawrence Wright attributed the film's failure at the box office to Muslim and Arab protests at theaters playing the film, but also claimed that it was the most rented movie in America after the September 11 attacks.[8]

While you might first think "Boyhood" would be a tad bit too long, clocking in as it does at 2 hours and 45 minutes, Linklater's nontraditional narrative moves so seamlessly and effortlessly that you quickly come to care for Mason and his family, almost as though you were the boy's uncle or aunt, and you soon become blissfully unaware of time's passage.

Suffice to say that we've never before seen a movie quite like this, in which young Coltrane literally grows up before our eyes from a cute and trusting first grader to a gawky and impatient adolescent, and finally emerging as an anxious young child-man who's leaving home for his freshman year in college.

Linklater initially devised and cast his unique yet unpretentious film in 2001-02, and then proceeded to patiently chronicle the story of Mason and his family in real time over a period of twelve consecutive years, with the same actors remaining with him throughout the entire process. Watching each of them age naturally on camera over the film's nearly three hours and a dozen years, without the use of latex makeup and digital effects, is nothing short of mesmerizing.

In addition to Coltrane as Mason, "Boyhood" also stars Patricia Arquette as his divorced mother Olivia, who struggles at times heroically to both find herself and raise her two children; Lorelei Linklater (the director's daughter) as his older sister Samantha; and Ethan Hawke as his sometimes self-absorbed father Mason, Sr., who left Olivia when his son was barely out of toddlerhood and started a new family, but who works doggedly and diligently to maintain a meaningful role in the lives of the children he left behind.

I very highly recommend "Boyhood." I'm actually surprised that Universal Studios didn't hold up this film's release until later this fall. Because in my honest opinion, this is most definitely an Oscar-caliber work by everyone involved, and may well be eventually recognized by future film critics and historians as one of this decade's truly innovative and magnificent films.

My nephew says seizing property is not as attractive any more since they can't sell it.

this is what I did mostly in film post production.  Compositing.  Exactly this kind of stuff.  Removing street lights and adding castles

It is interesting, tho, that an extensive poll of over 2000 people that was released today (sorry that I can't immediately recall the institute that conducted this one ... but, it is being widely reported even as I type) found that a large majority of ACA insured--those newly insured and those with previous insurance--were very satisfied with their ACA policies.  And--hold onto your seats--the satisfaction rate included a plurality of Republicans as well.  <Maybe that is why the Repubs are stretching so much to turn the corner?>

My parents are raving about it and I'm going to start it this week on Netflix.

Interested in you review.

The drumbeats have seemed to have fizzled.

The media was getting all hot and bothered about them... and then they leave the pages.

And the Republicans pushing for "action" seem to have faded from view as well. And that goes for those of the Democrats who began salivating.

And that goes for torturemaster Cheney - and his adorable daughter.

It is just so interesting that they whip up a frenzy - the pols and the media - and then it can just fade away.

We should learn from this lest we allow ourselves to be caught up in these scenarios.

Once again, I must credit Malcolm X with making me aware of the way the government and the media manipulate our sensibilities. At the time he was talking about one minute we were told to hate the Japanese and love the Chinese. Then we were told to hate the Chinese and love the Japanese.