Carbon Nation Movie Review ..

Carbon Nation is a feature length documentary about climate change solutions. Even if you doubt the severity of the impact of climate change or just don’t buy it at all, this is a compelling and relevant film that illustrates how solutions to climate change also address other social, economic, and national security issues. Carbon Nation is an optimistic discovery of what people are already doing, what we as a nation could be doing, and what the world needs to do to prevent the impending climate crisis.

We already have the technology to combat most of the worst-case scenarios of climate change, and it is very good business as well. We meet a host of entertaining and endearing characters along the way, including entrepreneurs, visionaries, scientists, business, and the everyday man, all making a difference and working towards solving climate change.

Carbon Nation is one of the strangest documentaries I have watched in a long time because most documentaries are capable of challenging the way I think, but Carbon Nation really doesn’t even test anything I believe in. Yes, for those of you out there reading this, I am one of those mentioned in the synopsis that “don’t buy it at all”, but even I found it compelling to watch the film because the previews tried to make it out to be a film about living a better life, cutting costs, and finding ways to be environmentally savvy.

I thought it was a nice change by director Peter Byck to find varied collections of individuals to “educate” the unbelievers on the “crisis” of climate change. It’s even nicer to find that they weren’t people living in trees and dancing through the woods either, but we actually see spokespersons for large corporations, the military, and entrepreneurs stating that a low-carbon economy is good for business. This adds a sense of credibility to the movement when it is a shrinking concern of many people throughout the world.

The problem with Carbon Nation isn’t so much the fact that I completely disagree with nearly everything in it, but the fact of the matter is that this is a documentary that has to be critically looked at. The first thing we should look at is whether or not there is any artistic value to this film that would warrant your hard earned money. The fact of the matter is that this would have made a great series on network television, but it simply can’t stand up against other films in this genre.

This is a serious problem when we have a series of individuals making statements like “the sea ice cap is almost gone”, “We’re looking at a World War II level of mobilization,”, and generally making doomsday predictions without contradiction. When compared to a fantastic documentary, for this case we will choose The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters (2007), which is a documentary about competitive play of the original Donkey Kong arcade, Carbon Nation can’t compare. In what world does a gorilla throwing barrels rate as a more intense experience that detailing the destruction of the world? I can hear the moans already because this is just a case of me not “buying into climate change”, right?

Let’s take a look at the film Food, INC (2008). I went into this film with a view like that of Carbon Nation, but to my surprise, it challenged a lot of things I thought I understood and believed in. The problem with Carbon Nation is that it is almost a synopsis of the movement since the phrase “Global Warming” was dropped. So despite my views on climate change, this is an insightful documentary, but it is a film lacking in all power, inspiration, and artistic value.

This is one film that many who are already involved or “believing” of the climate change movement will probably enjoy. The problem with this is that the film is geared towards those that don’t buy into the hype that is climate change and the impending end of the world, and those that are strong believers of the movement will find this documentary good, but redundant since it offers nothing new to the fading movement. The major issue with the film is that it deserves to be on television as a regular miniseries, but I can’t see it lasting too long because most people would get depressed with the underlying message of “change before the word ends”.

A famous comedian, George Carlin, once said that “there is nothing wrong with the planet. Nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine. The People are f*****. … The planet is fine. Compared to the people, the planet is doing great.” Sure I don’t believe in climate change, other than the fact that climate change is a naturally occurring phenomenon that have been going on for billions of years, but I do believe in powerful, inspirational, and artistic documentaries, and Carbon Nation is not one of them.

Carbon Nation Movie Trailer

The Tillman Story Movie Review …

It is rare that a documentary actually presents itself eloquently, without all the pomp and circumstance typically used to further the agenda of the documentarian. The Tillman Story is an eloquent tale of a brave American who paid the heaviest cost for doing what he believed was right.

By now everyone is probably familiar with the story of Pat Tillman, millionaire football player who in the wake of September 11th gave up his promising career to join the Army Rangers. Instantly Tillman became the patriot of patriots, an illustration of the zeal and fear Americans felt in the aftermath of such devastation. But as we learn in The Tillman Story, that is only a small morsel in the complicated life of Pat Tillman, the man.

As much as The Tillman Story was about the life of Pat, it was also about the cover up and lies surrounding his death. Even as friends and family celebrates his heroic life and untimely death, political and military spin machines were working overtime to keep the truth under wraps.

First the government’s version was that he was killed while leading a charge up a hill. Pretty believable I guess considering we are fighting a war, but the military powers that be couldn’t even strain their brains to come up with an ending slightly less cliché than a chiseled face Ranger charging a hill. This official story was the perfect gift that Tillman refused to give them while he was alive.

That’s right, Tillman refused to allow his service to become a marketing tool and in fact Pat went out of his way to ensure that his name would not be used for propaganda. In his death however, he became the military’s and the Bush administration’s greatest dream and biggest nightmare.

But for the courage of Pat’s mother Dannie, The Tillman Story would have never been told. Without the courage of determination of Dannie, we may have never known the truth about Pat’s death. When their ‘charging up the hill’ scenario didn’t appropriately describe what little evidence there was of Pat’s murder, the story was changed yet again.

This time we learned that Pat was leading a small team on a recon mission in the hills of Afghanistan when the gunfire came at him from below. Those shots weren’t from the Taliban, al Qaeda or any other boogeyman. No, they were from the other half of Pat Tillman’s platoon. Doing what training dictated, Tillman tossed a smoke grenade, which temporarily stopped the shooting. Temporary being the operative word here because as his own platoon continued towards him and began shooting yet again.

Eyewitness accounts in The Tillman Story reveal that after being wounded, Pat yelled his identity out to the gunfire, “I’m Pat f*cking Tillman” he cried to deaf ears. Shot upon shot was fired until Pat Tillman was no longer a determined Ranger but the poster boy for a war in which he did not believe.

It’s not so infuriating that Tillman died due to friendly fire; it’s a chaotic environment where brave soldiers face life and death experiences every day. What is so maddening, so unbelievably callous is the revelation in The Tillman Story that not only did the government lie to the Tillman family about how he died, but that it took more than a month to reveal the truth—he fell victim to American bullets fired by his own platoon members—and finally that no soldier would be charged for his murder.

The Tillman Story forces viewers to examine the so-called ‘wisdoms’ that are beyond question. By the end of The Tillman Story you realize that it doesn’t matter what race, religion or socioeconomic class you belong to when you’re needed to further a political agenda. Pat Tillman’s status as a professional football player, all-American hero didn’t stop the military and the Bush administration from sullying his memory after all he gave.

What’s most engaging about The Tillman Story is how resilient Dannie Tillman proved to be. As much as the military and the government wanted her to simply “go away and let it go”, she refused and her strength is what ultimately leads to the telling of The Tillman Story.

Regardless of how you feel about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan The Tillman Story forces the watcher to reexamine truths commonly held as self-evident. When under fire for lying—as the Valerie Plame story revealed all too clearly—the government will blacken the name, soil the image, and even mock the religious beliefs of anyone trying to stop the spin.

The most revealing and perhaps most eloquent scene in The Tillman Story was his memorial service. Politician upon politician and military official upon official made their way to the podium and praised Tillman’s actions and proclaimed with such certainty that Pat was in heaven where he belonged.

Enraged yet again by how little the government could be bothered to know and learn about his brother, Richard Tillman stepped up to the podium with a cold beer in his hand and promptly told the audience, “He’s not with God. He’s f*cking dead. He’s not religious. Thanks for your thoughts, but he’s f*cking dead.” It was poignant and pragmatic, and perhaps the only way Richard knew how lash out at those using his brother’s name and courageous service.

The Tillman Story is a breath of fresh air, although the air is dank and tense and followed by a deep dark cloud. What should have just been another young life cut short by a corrupt administration’s desire for war, turned into the crusade of a lifetime to find out the truth.

Oh and in case you’re curious The Tillman Story is rated R due to the strong language and plentiful use of the F-word. Yet another way to ensure the masses remain ignorant about the life and legacy of Pat Tillman and The Tillman Story.

The Tillman Story Movie Trailer

Waiting for Superman Movie Review…

“Either kids are getting stupider every year, or something is wrong in the education system.” Geoffrey Canada

Waiting for ‘Superman’ is a searing documentary following five kids seeking to achieve their educational dreams. This documentary highlights one glaring fact that many choose to ignore: the American public school system is broken. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) hammers this fact home in Waiting for ‘Superman’.

As a product of the American public school system I can attest that as Washington, D.C. chancellor of schools Michelle Rhee points out, the current educational system in this country works for the bureaucracy and the teachers, but not for the schoolchildren. That truism is hardly apparent throughout Waiting for ‘Superman’, as the filmmaker seems to believe that public charter schools are the ‘superman’ for which America’s kids should be waiting.

Waiting for ‘Superman’ does make a good case for charter schools, which unlike public school counterparts may hire teachers not associated with unions and create the school’s curriculum and other educational standards. Rather than relying on the same teaching methods and curricula that worked a half century ago, Waiting for ‘Superman’ points out that charter schools can attempt and master new methods more conducive to the learning process.

It is the process of gaining admission to a charter school that was the most jarring and unbelievably cruel aspect of Waiting for ‘Superman’. We sit around, just like the Blacks, Esparzas, and Hills, waiting with nail-biting tension for the school lottery to begin. You see, since these charter schools have already proven how successful they can be, they have more applicants than available seats.

So we watch these children and the families that want better for them, cross their fingers and pray to their gods that the ball or slip of paper or ticket stub that’s called next, matches what they hold in their anxious hands. As awful as watching that scene in Waiting for ‘Superman’ was, what’s more awful is that this is the only chance America’s urban youth in places like Los Angeles, the Bronx and Washington, D.C. have at getting a better education. If their number isn’t called, these children will have to make due in public schools with out of date textbooks, more special needs students than special needs teachers, guaranteed jobs for unsuccessful teachers and skyrocketing dropout rates.

Some public school atrocities are covered in detail in Waiting for ‘Superman’, others however barely receive a passing mention. We see a few moments of teachers in an actual classroom, but very little footage showing how teachers cope with disruptive students or how they confront students with learning disabilities. In an interview with Eric Hanushek, we learn that it is the quality of the teaching most crucial in the success of a school, however that still doesn’t take into account individual teachers’ impact on students.

Although at times oversimplified, Waiting for ‘Superman’ is a good starting point for a new discussion on ways to improve our failing educational system. We cannot, as Guggenheim and Bill Gates suggest, rely only on charter school and private schools for the success of our nation. What about the families unable to afford private school tuition or the determined and eager students who aren’t lucky enough to hit the charter school lottery?

The fact is that charter schools have about the same success rate as other public schools, but some charter schools have succeeded beyond what anyone could have imagined. Waiting for ‘Superman’ suggests that charter schools are the answer to fix the growing problems in our school system, but how is a highly-selective process for a few seats going to fix widespread ignorance? Charter schools only help a few, while the masses continue to receive a substandard education.

The families in Waiting for ‘Superman’ are deeply involved in making sure their children receive a quality education—another important factor missing for millions of schoolchildren across the country. Charter schools are only a viable option for students with parents at least somewhat involved in their child’s education. Waiting for ‘Superman’ simply forgets about the single parents working multiple jobs, the teen parents who simply don’t understand what parenting involves, the non-English speaking parents, and parents who have drug and alcohol addictions that render them useless to their child’s educational aspirations.

I’ll admit that I am one of those people who believe that teacher’s unions should shoulder much of the blame for where the American public school system finds itself. I understand the importance of unions, but one symptom Waiting for ‘Superman’ does correctly diagnose is teacher responsibility. Sure the much-touted Finnish school system has unionized teachers with tenure, but they don’t have a skyrocketing dropout rate and an unwillingness to make any sacrifices. The Finnish system also has social programs in place to ensure parents are involved such as universal daycare and healthcare.

Educators should be applauded, but we should also ask ourselves; exactly from whom are teacher’s unions being protected? The children? It’s no mistake that as teacher’s unions have experienced greater power, educational results have gotten more and more grim.

Although Waiting for ‘Superman’ is a simplification of the problems in the public school system, it does pinpoint some of the most glaring obstacles to finding a solution. Charter schools may not be the end all and be all of educational progress, but they are certainly a step in the right direction.

Waiting for Superman movie trailer

When Sicko was made in 2007, nearly 50 million Americans were without health insurance and those with insurance usually get screwed by the policies of health insurance providers. These horror stories are told through interviews with victims of America’s health care system.

Moore interviews individuals that worked for insurance companies, families and individuals with insurance who were denied care, and many other important players in the health care industry.

Those of you not familiar with the ins and outs of the health care system in America should consider yourselves lucky, and take a cold hard look at the information presented in Sicko. The interviews with a man forced to choose which fingers he could afford to keep will have you flabbergasted and devastated at the same time. The facts are presented with biting sarcasm and unabashed wit, something smart asses the world over can appreciate.

The main focus of Sicko is profit-based health care compared to universal medical care as provided by Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. To prove his point that American medical care is flawed, Moore talks to Canadians about their personal experiences in Canadian clinics and hospitals. Not to surprisingly Canadians are far more satisfied with government-run health care than their American counterparts.

The recent political landscape of this country has made Sicko more relevant than at the time of its release. Many of the arguments given as to why America “isn’t ready” for universal health care, or why “it won’t work” are debunked through facts as well as anecdotal evidence. Despite Moore’s in-your-face style of presenting his point of view, you can’t argue with American citizens going bankrupt because of medical expenses.

Since the popular response to requests for universal health care in America are inevitably met with jokes about the French and European “welfare states”, Moore simplifies his arguments with pesky little facts about infant mortality rates and life expectancy, only to find that these “welfare states” outshine America in practically every category.

What has often made Michael Moore’s documentaries worth watching is his inability to be less than genuine with his audience. This point shines through when Moore rounds up a group of Ground Zero volunteers who fell ill from helping and were subsequently denied insurance coverage. The group of volunteers pile into a ferry and get shuffled off to Cuba of all places, where they are able to get good, free health care!

Say what you will about Moore’s tactics, but something is very wrong when Fidel Castro understands what the American government does not.

If your mouth fell open in shock just now, it should. Whatever your political ideology it is clear that Sicko’s portrayal of the broken for-profit health care system in America is spot-on.

What I enjoyed most about Sicko is that Moore isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel. He takes a real problem—health care in America—and shows through stats and stories why it’s a problem and what our international brothers and sisters are doing at home. Sicko also does something that very few political figures have been willing: admit that European nations might be on to something with health care for all.

Moore’s basic argument in Sicko is that in the “greatest country in the world” people should not be dying because they cannot afford to see a doctor. People should not be forced into debt because they have medical problems and our government allows a system where you don’t get help if you can’t pay.

The politicians, insurance companies and pharmaceutical industries make billions of dollars by denying coverage to people who pay their premiums every month, and Sicko reminds you of that fact at every opportunity.

Sicko works well because the stories presented are true, and more importantly appalling. Americans need to see what is happening in this country to the uninsured and the underinsured, so they can understand how easily this can happen to them. As fun as it may be to make jokes at the expense of other nations, it’s important to acknowledge when someone else is doing right by their citizens.

Sicko asks an important question: who are we? Are we the greatest country on earth, able to achieve the greatest of feats based solely on the fortitude of the people? Or are we a nation that sanctions profits before people at every level of government?

Whether you’ve made up your mind already about universal health care or even the new health care reform bill, Sicko provides an in-depth look at health care around the world. And when has America ever been too smart to recognize a good idea, even if the idea is French?

Decide for yourself if Sicko is worth seeing. Watch the trailer.

The red light district in Calcutta is known for its misery, drug dealing, alcohol, poverty and of course prostitution. In such a place, with no chance for any contraception, “work accidents” happen. These “accidents” have to live there, clean in the shacks (cannot call these homes), exit the room when their mothers are “working”, put up with abuse and absolutely zero chance for an education and a life out of there. The kids who are around the age of ten are heading for the same lives as their mothers and grandmothers. The girls are forced into prostitution the moment they hit puberty, we don’t find out about the boys, but they seem to share a similar destiny.

Among all these people, some of the kids are brilliant and would deserve another chance.

This is what Zana Briski (the creator, also a photographer) thinks too. She’s been there for a while, trying to take pictures of the people who live in that miserable area. Of course, being “white” and carrying a camera, doesn’t help with her blending in. Anyway, while doing her job, she is drawn to the kids. The brothels in Calcutta are filled with children. They are naughty, and smart and smile, even if their lives don’t quite qualify for the “funniest lives award”.

She gives them cameras and guides them to photograph. The new materials help her in the job, while the kids start learning about photography. They learn to comment on a photo, understand what makes one beautiful and all kinds of technical details.

You can imagine how fascinated the little ones are and how they “work” to get the best pictures they can. Some of them says something that just breaks your heart “we like to take photos more than we like to work”. They have to clean, wash dishes, carry water and put up with cursing and beatings. This is their escape from their sinister lives. Imagine it or not, these little photographers develop nicely and some get absolutely amazing pictures. They can see the beauty in the misery surrounding them and their pictures are (some) absolutely remarkable.

One of them, Avijit (a boy), shows so much talent he wins an Amsterdam trip. Getting him the papers and then a passport is an extreme experience, because of the huge bureaucracy and the fact he is a prostitute’s child. Briski starts preparation to get papers and health documents for all “her” kids, in her desperate attempt to get them to boarding schools so that they can get an education.

Some of these kids are not allowed to leave home, some are taken back by the parents, some leave the boarding school to return home. One runs from home to the school and few are still there, trying to learn and change their destiny.

The documentary speaks of a world that gives no chance to these kids. Most of them might be dead now or with years of being “on the line”, and few might have gone through some years in school. Only very few can become something else than “meat” in the red lights district.

It’s a sad and yet remarkable documentary about humanity and second chances. And misery taken to an extreme. It will leave you with tears in your eyes, but it’s definitely worth watching and recommending.

Grey’s Anatomy

Mark Murray works for Microsoft. His wife, Melinda, has tried for 8 years to have a baby. All the fertility treatments, plus a very complicated pregnancy were paid off from his employee health plan. The medical bills totaled between 1/2 and 1 million dollars. Microsoft covered it all.