Hoaxed (2019) User Reviews

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

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.

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 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.

One side or the other.

[j_walsten · 1/10 · 9 October 2020]

You can choose to see either the image or hear the sound, but if so you will just understand one... That would describe this documentary pretty good. We can continue with this BS and just interpret one ideology down to the fraction but if so we will miss out on the bigger picture and we will lose our minds.

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.

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

A standing ovation

[michelvec · 8/10 · 7 May 2019]

Thanks Mike Cernovich for this tremendous effort. The documentary feels a bit unstructured. More of a commentary, instead of a documentary. I found it a bit too preachy and paranoid at times, and it has an insider feel to it as in preaching to the choir sort of thing instead of transmitting a message to everyone.

HOWEVER, it was really refreshing seeing 2 of my heroes: Stefan Molyneux and Jordan Peterson. The subject matter is something we don't talk about enough and should (and will) be a part of popular and intelectual culture on how extremely irresponsible and damaging to society the media has been for the last 30 to 40 years. This movie should be the first grinding stone to expose the corporations and individuals accountable for this intolerable disaster they have created around te world.

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.

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 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?

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.

Incredibly mediocre movie w/ no new information

[mymouthonvacation · 1/10 · 7 December 2020]

Spends 40 minutes on black lives matter and attempts to white wash the group. Defends Pizzagate conspiracy theorizing by saying, well, these emails were weird, so that explains why I did what I did. There's one okay point that the movie makes where it says corporate media loves war, but literally everyone has made that point, so do you really get credit for that?

Trash

[mikemarucut · 1/10 · 3 November 2020]

Don't watch this trash "documentary". Lies, lies, lies by this idiot.

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.

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.

The Truth Hurts

[czaverdinos · 8/10 · 6 February 2019]

Since the beginning of civilization, leaders & governments have always tried to control the population. In the age of mass communication, the media used to be the gatekeepers of what society was to think, was to believe, was to behave and so on. In the age of social media and internet, the lie has been exposed. Nevertheless, the gatekeeper of media and establishment, will do anything to remain in power. Where lies become truth and truth become lies. Mike Cernovich exposes this lie. How for years, the main stream media have controlled a population through manipulation and lies. In the name of power.

(ARCHIVE REVIEW) It's not wrong, but it goes the wrong way about it

[TheVictoriousV · 5/10 · 26 November 2020]

In the Kickstarter video for his next documentary, Mike Cernovich explains that there are two (2) definitions of the "fake news" moniker. One is presented by the mainstream news media, in reference to the uprising of conspiracy theory websites that are labeled insane and paranoid just because they report on stuff like slaves on Mars and liberal pedo-basements underneath restaurants without basements. The other is presented by the alternative media, claiming that the mainstream media simply labels anything that contradicts their left-wing narrative "fake news".

So of course, the campaign would imply that Big Bad Mike is now gonna cut through the BS, look at what's actually going on, and give us the real scoop without a shred of bias. He will do this, we learn, in a documentary film titled Hoaxed: The Media's War on Truth, which will be a "full-frontal assault on fake media" that exposes all the evil baddies who operate the strings behind the scenes, "causing wars and destroying this entire planet". I take solace in knowing we're currently on the path of least hysteria.

Production-wise there is a night and day difference between this movie and Silenced, which was largely shot on a phone and didn't have any clear leading man the way this movie does. But of course, it's not all Cernovich all the time.

Hoaxed features interviews with all sorts of right-leaning social critics, not-remotely-fake journalists, a few leftists who have their own issues with the media, the Google memo guy, and people who got kicked off Twitter for not following the rules, proving (I guess) that Orwell's nightmare is alive and well even as the bad guys no longer occupy the White House. We see Peterson, we see McGinnes, we see Southern; you name 'em, Mike's got 'em. Alex Jones is there too; another story altogether.

Like, seriously, guys. Is it REALLY free expression and "journalism" when you can't even pull conspiracies out of your ass about dead children - the ones not trapped on Mars or kidnapped by Deep State pizza parlors - without being booted from YouTube and Facebook? Again, Mike, great picks all around!

Is it unfair to take points off what is technically a well-produced movie (I fancy how its presentation takes cues from film noir and science fiction) for things like this? Maybe, but consider that this a film with a thesis; one that ostensibly gives a voice to the honest, truth-speaking good guys. Including certain people in such a documentary will prove to be a bit of a foot-bullet, especially since problems with the media is not exclusively a right-wing concern. I, too, want more honesty. I just wouldn't go to Pizzagaters for that sort of thing.

Funny, too, that the same people hailing Cernovich as a hero for "outing" Hollywood celebrities as pedophiles "because Twitter jokes" are suspiciously hush-hush about his date rape tweets and criminal charges that actually CORRESPOND with that which was tweeted (EDIT: I should add, for clarity, that Cernovich hasn't been proven guilty in spite of the Twitter feed - exactly like James Gunn). Remind me, between this and the director of Death of a Nation, is alternative journalism winning yet?

A must watch!

[isaacsteward-01741 · 10/10 · 1 February 2019]

This is a balanced and fair look at news media and what happens out there in the interest of promoting ideology rather than reporting facts. Excellent work on this film and you will not find a better doc on this topic right now.

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.

Brilliantly done. Eye-opening. Frightening.

[texasredhead-14580 · 9/10 · 8 June 2019]

Whatever your political persuasion, I strongly recommend giving this documentary a watch.

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.

Opens your eyes to the propaganda in mainstream news

[arielgracianodidimus-22-911035 · 10/10 · 30 January 2019]

This movie doesn't hold back on revealing the lies that mainstream news have spread and truth that they have skewed or cover up, this movie is both entertaining and Informative, but you'll never know that because mainstream news will (ironically) call this movie a propaganda