My Initial Thoughts
My hope is that you are
adventurous enough to set aside the blockbusters and feel-good
comedies in order to challenge yourself to become
an informed citizen and consumer. In the process, bring a few people
along with you on your journey. The future depends on what we think
and do today! I've enjoyed the following movies that created great conversation
points and stirred up some old-fashioned self-reflection. Don't make that
excuse of how it's too hard to find these movies. There are PLENTY of
online rental possibilities. Ignorance is not an excuse!
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The Future of Food Released in
2007, The Future Of Food offers an in-depth investigation
into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented,
genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery
store shelves for the past decade.
I liked this food documentary since it combines elements
discussed in other movies, and although it's a little out of date
(you'll need to research current stats) it is an easy intro to these
topics AND showed the upside (the growing popularity of organic and
local farming) so it's not all doom and gloom.
Watch it online at Hulu.com:
http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food
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WALMART: The High Cost of Low Price
There is a great
documentary that exposes the evil underbelly of Walmart by detailing the
following: the negative financial impact on the communities where stores
are set up, unsafe conditions in the store parking lots that cost
shoppers their lives, general disregard of workers in the U.S.,
deplorable treatment of workers of color and those wanting to unionize
by store management , poor conditions of Chinese laborers that make the
“low cost” products.The film dives into the deeply personal
stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to
fight a goliath. A working mother is forced to turn to public
assistance to provide healthcare for her two small children. A
Missouri family loses its business after Wal-Mart is given over $2
million to open its doors down the road. A mayor struggles to equip
his first responders after Wal-Mart pulls out and relocates just
outside the city limits. A community in California unites, takes on
the giant, and wins!
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King Corn
Engrossing and eye-opening, KING CORN is a fun and crusading journey
into the digestive tract of our fast food nation where one
ultra-industrial, pesticide-laden, heavily-subsidized commodity
dominates the food pyramid from top to bottom - corn.
Fueled by curiosity and a dash of naiveté, college buddies Ian
Cheney and Curt Ellis return to their ancestral home of Greene, Iowa
to figure out how a modest kernel conquered America. With the help
of some real farmers, oodles of fertilizer and government aid, and
some genetically modified seeds, the friends manage to grow one acre
of corn. Along the way, they unlock the hilarious absurdities and
scary but hidden truths about America's modern food system.
UPDATE:
The Corn Refiners Association, an industry group that represents
some of America's leading manufacturers of high-fructose corn syrup,
recently launched a $25 million PR campaign to save the good name of
their trademark product. The campaign's main claim seems to be that
corn syrup is "fine in moderation." But haven't we heard that
somewhere before?
Go to KingCorn.net to see the
explanation, but check out their
spoof on
YouTube.
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The
Corporation
Since the late 18th century
American legal decision, that the business corporation organizational
model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political
and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth
psychological examination of the organization model through various case
studies.
What the study illustrates is that in the its behavior, this
type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive
psychopath without conscience. Furthermore, we see the profound threat
this psychopath has for our world and our future, but also how the
people with courage, intelligence and determination can do to stop it. |
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The
11th Hour
This is not a portrait of a
planet in crisis, but the offering of hope and solutions. Scientists and
environmental advocates paint a portrait for a radically new and
exciting future in which humanity seeks not to dominate the earth's life
systems, but to mimic them and coexist. This movie calls for a future
now within our grasp that is both sustainable and healthier. |
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F**k
This challenging and provocative documentary takes a look on all sides
of the infamous F-word. Its taboo, obscene and controversial, yet
somehow seems to permeate every single aspect of our culture-from
Hollywood, to the schoolyard to the Senate floor in Washington D.C. It's
the word at the very center of the debate on Free Speech - and everyone
seems to have an opinion.
It examines how the word is impacting our
world today through interviews, film and television clips, music, and
original animation. |
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This
Film is Not Yet Rated
An independent documentary film about the
Motion Picture Association of America's rating system and its effect on
American culture, directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt.
I don't want to say too much but it's remarkable what they do in this
film! |
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