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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Lessons learned from events in Ferguson, Mo. Auction to benefit Boys & Girls Club 40th annual Ski Swap starts Saturday Learn about the latest Apple operating system Rotary Clubs pitch in to rebuild the Weed Libary Education In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school Student beats the odds AHS students form ribbon for AIDS awareness Kiwanis, Lions team up to help Nature Center Teacher's Tips: College not the end-all for every student Environment ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Don't like weather where you are? 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Auction to benefit Boys & Girls Club ... 40th annual Ski Swap starts Saturday ... Longtime Ashland New Plays Festival artistic director is retiring ... Auction to benefit Boys & Girls Club ... 40th annual Ski Swap starts Saturday ... MOVIE REVIEW 'Citizenfour' is a matter-of-fact bore By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News Citizenfour Documentary 114 min Rated R   The best thing about “Citizenfour” is its title. It conveys a chilling anonymity, reminiscent of, say, “1984”or “Brave New World.” And in truth, the story of Edward Snowden — the NSA whistle-blower (or traitor, depending on how he is viewed) — would have made a fine fictionalized feature, akin to the “Bourne” films or “Three Days of the Condor.”The recipe is certainly there. But as a documentary, it seems particularly drained of intensity. Most of the film takes place in a claustrophobic Hong Kong hotel room where Snowden meets investigative journalist Glen Greenwald, journalist and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, and Guardian correspondent Ewen MacAskill. They spend more than a week recording Snowden’s story about how the NSA voraciously vacuumed up millions of telephone calls worldwide, eavesdropped on world leaders, while reading communications on Facebook, Google and YouTube. The revelations are astonishing in their depth and breadth, and Snowden delivers these facts in almost a monotone. And though there is embedded in every conversation he has with this group an element of paranoia (is the room or telephone bugged?), that tension is not conveyed through the film. The consequences for Snowden could be severe, which he acknowledges; but again, that reality doesn’t become evident in his affect (he now is living in exile in Russia, unable to return to America and is, in effect, a man without a country). Underlying all that Snowden is saying is the fact that freedom of speech and action are crushed if citizens believe that all they say and do are subject to surveillance by the government. It is the strength and the weakness of all totalitarian governments. But the essence of that fact seems too matter-of-factly presented, much of it offered in too hurried a fashion, and outrage is surprisingly absent. What is most gripping about “Citizenfour” is the setup. Director Poitras is contacted by Snowden, who uses the alias Citizenfour, and it is only after three months of guarded emails, some encrypted, that she agrees to meet him in Hong Kong along with Greenwald. And so she begins to document his incredible and credible story. Of course, documentary films can, when attempting a narrative arc, seem clinical in their execution; for some audiences, they are too dry as information is layered on. To Poitras’ credit, she uses no talking heads. Michael Moore has concluded, through his use of voice-overs, that information can be delivered and a story told while also engaging the audience. That is not the case in “Citizenfour.”       By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Nov. 28, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2014 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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