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Sunday, June 25, 2006

Why MUNICH Missed


I wrote a review of the movie MUNICH. It was longer than I expected. Therefore, I have posted it on my personal Web site. Please, take the time to read it. You can then return here to post a comment. Thank you. "Why MUNICH Missed," the review.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

GORE'S TRUTH IS INCONVENIENT


Paramount Classics and Participant Productions present AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, directed by Davis Guggenheim, featuring former Vice President Al Gore. The documentary was released 24 May and is distributed by Paramount Classics. The running time is one hour, 40 min. The widest release since opening has been only 122 theaters.

Yet, in limited release as of Thursday, 8 June, the film is taking in about $134,000 a day. The total gross is $2,478,370, according to Box Office Mojo. The opening weekend gross was only $281,000, a pittance by feature film standards, but not bad for a documentary.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH is not a story of despair but a rallying cry to protect the one planet we all share, a message Gore has been expounding for decades. Critics generally agree that Gore's persuasive argument is one whereby we can no longer afford to view global warming as a political issue - rather, it is the biggest moral challenge facing our global civilization. The Earth is, after all, the only home we have.

The majority of critics have given it high marks, and it was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Read full reviews at ROTTEN TOMATOES.

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, gave TRUTH two thumbs up when he wrote:


"When I said I was going to a press screening of 'An Inconvenient Truth,' a friend said, 'Al Gore talking about the environment! Bor...ing!' This is not a boring film. The director, Davis Guggenheim, uses words, images and Gore's concise litany of facts to build a film that is fascinating and relentless. In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to."

Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer wrote:

"Gore might not be anybody's idea of a pitchman, but here he's matched with the right topic, one for which he demonstrates real passion. He's charming, intelligent, professorial and one might even say … presidential. In fact, more than one observer has commented that if this Al Gore had been more visible during the 2000 election there may have been a different outcome."

Words and phrases that keep repeating in the reviews I read? "Intelligently presented, warm, insightful, informative, enlightening, surprisingly entertaining, well-reasoned, highly polished, mandatory viewing, frightening, and well-rehearsed."

According to director Davis Guggenheim, "Al Gore strips his presentations of politics, laying out the facts for the audience to draw their own conclusions in a charming, funny and engaging style, and by the end has everyone on the edge of their seats, gripped by his haunting message."

The promo for Gore's book of the same title, which was released to co-inside with the movie, states in part, "Destined to become a classic, this accessible, entertaining, and thorough book is a unique reference for anyone who wants more information about global warming as well a guidebook for those who want to join the fight."

Mimi's comment: Global warming is real! It is caused by humans simply going about everyday activities, even the simple act of a mammal exhaling, and we are mammals, emits carbon dioxide (CO2), the most detrimental of the greenhouse gases (GHG). See GHG Chart on Wikipedia. The warming is escalating as the population escalates, and as humans burn more and more fossil fuels, i.e., coal and oil, causing more build up of CO2 and other GHG.

Bottom line about this film? As Owen Gleiberman asks in Entertainment Weekly, "AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH can't, of course, reveal a future that is still up to us, but by the time you're done watching, the real question is, Which way on God's green earth would you want to err?"

Comments anyone? Have you seen this documentary?

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

NETFLIX ROADSHOW

Online movie rental-service Netflix will screen 10 classics this August at locations made famous by the films. The Netflix Rolling Roadshow, a coast-to-coast promotional tour, begins 2 August at New York's Coney Island with the 1979 gang movie, THE WARRIORS.

Some of the stops include Dyersville, Iowa, in a baseball field surrounded by cornstalks for FIELD OF DREAMS; Martha's Vineyard, Mass., for the now 'old war horse' JAWS; Northbrook, Illinois, for FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF; and so it goes all the way to San Francisco's Alcatraz Island for ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ.

Other activities related to the films will be held in association with the tour, such as raft floating in the ocean during JAWS. Some directors and cast members may attend some of the screenings. For instance, Director Kevin Smith and cast members are expected to be on hand for CLERKS at a Quick Stop in Leonardo, N.J.

More locations and movies on the tour at: NETFLIX

A READER TAKES ISSUE

I received a comment by e-mail from Voloras in France regarding my post 10 May, "CARDINALS SAY IGNORANCE FUELS 'DA VINCI CODE'.

I have answered on my "Boggling the Mind" blog. Click the link under LINKS at right to read my answer.