Saw An Inconvenient Truth last night at the best movie theatre ever, The Arclight in Hollywood.
Okay, so I'll cop to being a huge Al Gore groupie. But even I had some trepidation, reinforced by several reviewers, that the film was going to be a one-sided leftie snorglefest.
It's not. And here's a couple of other things it isn't:
1) It isn't a film about global warming. It is a film about Al Gore traveling the world trying to get his message out about global warming via this slide show. If you can't distinguish between the two, then yes, you are going to walk out of this movie second-guessing how the science should have been presented.
2) It isn't a big sloppy valentine to Al Gore.
In a kind of replay of the 2000 election, some reveiwers refuse to take Gore or the filmakers at their word about anything, not even his own personal feelings, and have approached the off-stage footage of Gore as if it's some kind of Machievellian campaign manuever. They take issue with scenes of Gore looking overly "somber" in airports and limos like he's presenting some kind of false image of himself.
Jesus Christ, can't the man go through airport security looking dour without it being a pose?!
Also, the film quite rightly touches on Gore's reasons for taking on the issue of global warming. And the skeptical little reviewers are quite welcome to believe them or not. You can believe that his sister's death had absolutely nothing to do with his reexamination of his political stances, but for pete's sake grant the guy that his heart is in the right place on this one issue, willya? He is Al Gore, after all, and there are more lucrative gigs available to him than schlepping to China to explain CO2 emissions to a roomful of sullen-looking students.
What the film is, is stunning, and frightening. And yes, you do realize that we have been complacent too long, and we have let our leaders slide for too long. But, as Al points out, we were able to reverse the growth of the hole in our ozone layer by passing legislation and making changes to our lifestyles, and we can do the same again with global warming.
It's not too late, he says. But it may soon be.
8 comments:
I never go to LA, but I'm planning a trip eventually just to sample the Arclight. That way when people go on and on and on about it, I roll my eyes and dismiss it as overrated from experience rather just by spite and jealousy as I do now.
Hi, it's your non-politically in-tuned sister again... but Al Gore rocks, and here's why:
http://www.traditionalmountaineering.org/Photos_Al%20Gore.htm
I have the same ice ax as he does too.
Zebigleb: You're blog's in French, asshole. What's up with that?
Pops: I agree that any theatre can do assigned seats, and ushers to enforce the no chatting rule, and no commercials, and comfy chairs, and lots o leg room. But what's really brilliant is that you can eat and drink in their cafe and keep an eye on the huge airport-like sign over your head that tells you when your movie has been opened for seating. After being forced to attend the Hell's Googleplex spawn theatre near my house for too many years, I am now only too happy to schlep over the hill to get plowed and see a movie in peace.
Although I don't live in Riverside.
Sis: One thing I can say for our family, our priorities are never, ever out of order.
I don't like things that frighten me that I can't do anything about....
Is it me or are the word verification tests for posting getting harder...
Bro,
1) you can do something
2) it's you
1) No you can't, not really, Money rules. Save a few lives maybe, design the newest computer maybe, but you can't change people with money getting more money.
2) Okay this time it was twelve letters including one with an oomlot.
Cool show on called "China Rises", one episode followed a lawyer trying to go after factories that were polluting (as in decimating) entire rivers and other areas. A lot about their out of control enviromental policies which is usually in the hands of the local authorities.
ChinaLB: If you'd seen the movie, you would know that Gore was not saying that China is doing a better job at controlling emissions than us. He is saying they have higher emissions standards than us, which is true, and which is a genuine shame on this country.
Bro: Gore uses an example in the movie about the hole in the ozone, and how people became really concerned, and how lawmakers started passing regulations about aerosol cans, etc. And we reversed what could have been a huge environmental disaster. It's a good point.
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