i went to the movies tonight and saw an inconvenient truth, the new al gore movie about global warming. if you've read much about global warming you'll be fairly familiar with the bulk of the film, which isn't to say it isn't good or interesting. it was. at the same time, it was a little dry, and there were these parts that got into why al gore is so passionate about the environment and global warming that i sort of wish had been a bit longer. it was totally worth my $8, though.
leaving i saw two kids between the ages of 9 and 12 with their mom, and felt so sorry for them. what a crappy way for a kid to spend a friday night. nacho libre* came out today! what kid would rather see al gore than jack black?
like i was saying, the movie was pretty good. i liked how there was a big empashis on what you can actually do on an individual level to help reduce carbon emissions. i also liked the part that showed you how fast this is actually happening, because it's easy to think this is something that won't affect us for quite a while, when in reality the proverbial shit could hit the fan in the next couple of decades. however, i did not like the crowd i saw the movie with. it was the sort of smug, self-congratulatory hippy/yuppies that i want to punch. the kind of jerks that make all liberals look like assholes, the kind that makes me so ashamed of my hippy tendencies. the extra-loud laughing at al's lame jokes aimed at republicans, the clapping at the end, the way no one seemed upset by melissa ethridge's completely horrible theme song (with lyrics so obvious and banal it was painful. oh sure, incorporate the movie's title into the song! that's great.), and how everyone was just so full of rightousness it made me want to barf. everyone sat through all the credits like the film was so important we had to see who the caterer was. in a way i'm glad to know there are other people who feel the same way i do, who believe in deodorant sans aluminum and buying organic produce, but i get upset with the smugness of it all sometimes, and the movie theater felt very full of smug tonight.
the point the film made was a good one, but it's shit like this that makes me think only people who are already somewhat aware of the problem will see it. it's all very preaching-to-the-choir, which makes me sad. will anyone else see it other than people who respect al gore? do you think anyone who voted for bush or is for drilling for oil in alaska will see it? i doubt it, which is unfortunate because regardless of your politics, global warming is going to affect you. it's going to affect everyone. that kind of depresses me. the movie, it is not uplifting. it doesn't exactly make you want to die the same way say, sophie's choice or the weatherman does, but it does kind of make you feel overwhelmed.
*a movie i am totally and completely opposed to, by the way. i mean, it looks retarded, and the idea of jack black doing that bad accent makes me uncomfortable. i can't help but feel like this film isn't intentionally racist, but i kind of think a film like this should have been made by someone who is actually mexican.
an inconvenient truth:al gore:nacho libre:jack black
5 comments:
"i went to the movies tonight and saw an inconvenient truth, the new al gore movie about global warming."
doesn't that sound like the beginning of a really bad joke?
This movie has actually been getting a lot of good buzz -- maybe some people who SHOULD see it, will. (Heh.) I wish I taught some high school or community college class where I could get away with showing something like this just to open up discussion. I had a Minority Studies teacher back in the '70s -- I know, eons ago -- who did that sort of thing which was considered VERY controversial at the time -- and I will always regard him as one of the most influential teachers I ever had. He simply made this type of thing available (videos like "The Diary of Jane Pittman", books, current events) without commentary and afterwards would say, "So. What did you think about that?" It was a HUGE educational experience, just being exposed to and then talking about the issues. Probably wouldn't be allowed today due to fears of the school being sued. Sigh. ~Tonya
I agree on the point that we who know don't need to see this. I'm just fine doing my part and giving cash to the right people and ignoring the rest. What could the result be if I keep absorbing the bad news? Suicide? Shit. I live in Texas and it's hot as shit here. I still have dreams about Turkey Vultures picking the flesh off of ripe cow carcasses.
This movie is targeted at the oblivious.
roo
Aaron says..."spoken like a true portugese injun!"
I think you probably won't like nacho libre for the same reasons you don't like napolean dynamite. We're dumb, though, so we think it looks funny
Well, perhaps on the bright side- Gary and I saw Inconvenient Truth and came out of it talking about what we can do. They're all small things, but still: we're buying bikes to run short-distance errands, signing up for renewable energy through Seattle City Light, Gary turned down a full-time job that would've meant commuting to Bellingham 4 days a week (ok, the movie was more of a final nail in the coffin, but still-) and buying/registering for more energy efficient appliances, light bulbs what have you. So we were the choir being preached to, but it still made us take action where we hadn't really been motivated to do so before. So maybe it will do some good, even if all the politicians who could actually affect change on a larger scale will completely ignore it...
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