MonsterPerfect Good idea lost in the noise

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Patience Watson One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Harhaluulo54 > Anarchists have illegal protest> Get surrounded by police officers> Anarchists try to murder these polices in numbers by driving a loader in the police lines > Police uses teargas > We anarchists are the victim here, this proves we live in corrupted police stateThis "documentary" does an amazing job capturing the mindset and intelligence of leftist activists. The terrible waste of potential is eating me up. This could have been the best documentary I have ever seen if it wasn't for the black'n white propaganda. In all fairness, if you just skip all the interviews, narration, subtitles and explanations - you get to see some absolutely incredible footage. The bad thing is those biased, pre-reasoned views. The most shocking part from the riots I ever saw was a video were these anarchists threw mollies in the police lines. Those burning police officers really will remain in my memories for the rest of my life. None of the brutality and evil these police went thru simply is not in this "documentary" because it mainly aims to make them look bad and anarchists to look good. I can never forgive these lies I saw in the film. Some reviewers here say they were in the anarchists side and that this film is therefore accurate. But these people only saw it from their own point of view back then and the viewer will now see it from their view too. It is very unfair and dishonest. It could be good natural documentary if it was narrated by David Attenborough and told in the names of natural behavior and not via political one-sided agendas. It could have been worthy even with a little bit of balance from other point of views. It would have been much better if every person that spoke in it had not said a word. I still recommend watching it, but beware, if you are well-informed, you will hate these people and if you are not well-informed, you will be misinformed.

evanston_dad An inspiring documentary about the Ukrainian people's uprising against an oppressive regime and their successful demands that the Ukraine join the European Union.Two years ago, my wife and I watched all of the Academy Award nominees for Best Documentary Feature before the big show. One of them was "The Square," about a similar situation in Egypt. Yet things ended badly in that film; the people fought to overthrow the regime in place but didn't have anything to replace it with, so they exchanged one bad set of leaders for another. In "Winter on Fire," a major difference is that the Ukrainian people were able to organize themselves into a de facto political party, with specific demands. Their ability to focus on a specific set of objectives is largely what made their effort successful, and the sheer joy of watching people unite and effect change for the greater good made me absolutely love the Ukrainian people and hope that Americans could do the same if faced with similar challenges.Grade: A

Randy Wein An excellent collection of video and comments are crafted into an elegant telling - without narration - of a grassroots struggle for dignity on the main square ("Maidan" in Ukrainian) in the capital. This violent but uplifting drama is easily the best of the Maidan documentaries released thus far. Don't miss it. This film raises two very misunderstood facts about the Ukrainian revolution.First, the "re-vo-lu-tion" was triggered not by the government's reversal about joining the EU but by the brutal dispersal on Nov. 30 of peaceful pro-EU demonstrators. The next day saw the "march of the millions" protesting the president's decision to assault a non- threatening group composed mostly of college students. "Euromaidan" lasted only 10 days. On December 1 a nation arose - again peacefully - and "strong men came out to declare that no one will ever hurt children in this country." Second, protesters did not "topple" the president. Victor Yanukovich was legally removed from office by vote of the national parliament (Rada) after he fled the country. He knew that he would face criminal charges for his actions, not to mention the mind-boggling level of corruption in his government.Because this story is told by the participants - through their words and images, with excellent subtitles - it will appear to some as "biased." But a "counter-balanced" documentary would be difficult. The chronology and video testimonies are incontrovertible, and gathering opposing perspectives will be difficult because participants are unavailable. Yanukovich and his cabinet ministers are internationally wanted criminals granted asylum in Russia after they stole hundreds of millions of dollars from the country they bankrupted (the reason the government was seeking aid from European Union). The Berkut ("eagles") also mostly fled to Russia, although some later were photographed participating in the Russian takeover of Crimea.The film's portrayal corresponds with my experience during a visit mid-January. People of all social and economic backgrounds were living cheerfully under democratically established rules, chief of which was a ban on all alcohol. The "Maidan Village" was described in a London newspaper under the headline, "Ukrainians Teach Their Leaders How to Govern." Present were people from all regions, including the Donbas and Crimea. More than one-third of the people on Maidan spoke Russian as their primary language. The myth of divisions over language and ethnicity are a concocted pretense for Kremlin attempts to regain control of region called "Little Russia" for more than a century before the birth of the Soviet Union. This documentary invites you to see and meet these ordinary people and experience their extraordinary story.

mar-hee A very interesting documentary, great footage with inspiring people fighting for a cause they believe in. The viewer is presented to an idealistic, but informative account of the uprising in Kiev, Ukraine. We follow the events through Euromaidan, following demonstrators in their revolt against Yanukovych. We also get a glimpse of the different types of protesters, their Ukrainian nationalism and pro-European sentiment. This, along with the documentary's footage, is what makes "Winter on Fire" great.Even though I would recommend this documentary, it's important to note that the documentary is very biased. We hear almost nothing about what's going on in the Ukrainian Parliament, it leaves out facts and generally paints a very one-sided picture. Either way, watch it.