Review: Control Room is the Hillary Clinton of documentaries, in short, people will either love it or hate it simply because of the controversial topic it covers.  In many ways it's like a Michael Moore film, taking a specific stance about a subject, but unlike Moore, Control Room is infinitely more serious than the biting satire Moore fans are used to. I don’t think this is a bad thing because ultimately it should manage to persuade more viewers, instead of merely being divisive. What Control Room does well is present a day in the life account of a media outlet most no very little about. There are no ratings, no numbers, no award sheets, just stories and personalities. In other word, its not a list of why Al Jazeera is great, but rather a detailed portrait, if you choose to like it than you’ll understand why, if you don’t, well at least you know more about them then before. Following in this vein, some of the best portions of Control Room focus on the interactions between the U.S. Military’s spokesman and the reporters from Al Jazeera. IT is the perfect example of how the U.S. perceives the Middle Eastern News Network and it shows how perceptions change through interaction. I’m not saying it’s beautiful or that the two sides really ever come to be “friends,” but the both learn each other’s role and to accept it. Of course, Control Room isn’t as driven and focused as I’m leading you to believe. There are times, especially half way through, where Al Jazeera takes a back seat to the general media’s problems with the Iraq War. Though these investigations are both noteworthy and interesting, they detract from the main focus and tends to slow the overall pace of the film. There may also be some issues with the camerawork that may be distracting to audiences new to the rougher feel of documentaries. It isn’t entirely bad, but can be a bit too shaky at times and make the overall film seem cheaply made. However, the editing quality and ability to use eye opening shots more than make up for these minor issues and will certainly only add to viewers’ experiences. If you had to recommend this to friends and family, you might want to be aware of that person’s specific political views. It’s not that I think a conservative can’t appreciate this film, nor that all liberals will love it, but like Hillary Clinton (or George Bush for that matter), you must be aware of preconceived notions. If you can move past them, you’ll find an elaborate portrait of a media company intent on biting everyone (governments, militant groups and general citizens) until someone listens to their message to “wake up.” Review by Matthew Abshire Informative: 4- unprecedented access to the media world in general during the Iraq war, but at times contradicts or muddles its message. Entertainment: 3- definitely an interesting (though arguably biased) look at Al Jazeera, though some may be bored by the sidequests the film takes. Technical: 4- camera movements are shaky at times and the informative slides feel simple, but great editing helps weave a comprehensive argument Overall: 4- Hopefully many viewers will feel like the U.S. military’s spokesperson from this documentary, who goes from being justifiably hostile towards Al Jazeera to understanding the larger issues he’s involved in.
 
Format: DVD Year: 2004 Running Time: 83 Min Distributor: Lions Gate Producer: Hani Salama and Rosadel Varela Director: Jehane Noujaim Date Reviewed: 11-2-2007 Story: This documentary peers into the controversial and often dangerous operations of the 7-year-old Al Jazeera news network. Although it often enrages its own people, the news outlet has become the most accepted informational resource in the Arab community. Filmmaker Jehane Noujaim gains extraordinary access to Al Jazeera journalists and examines the risks they confront on a daily basis (NetFlix).