I scribbled a list of my top documentaries for my parents while we were visiting this past weekend. The list didn't include my favorite ones (Murderball, Born into Brothels, and soon The Ordinary Radicals); just the ones that I think are the most important. Here's the list in alpha order:
8 comments:
I must be cool.
I've seen all of these.
Yup. I'm cool.
Indeed, you are so cool. Too cool.
What is your list of top documentaries--favorites or most important?
hmm... the wal-mart documentary didn't do it for me. there was no attempt to represent that the reason wal-mart is so successful is not because of a nefarious plan to do ill to its workers but because the market system rewards a company that caters to the consumers.
it would have been a much better documentary if instead of saying "wal-mart" for each accusation it pointed the finger at every big company that benefits from the free market system.
Thanks so much for the kind words! I hope we live up to the Top Docs billing when the film comes out in theaters September 4th.
Warmly,
~jamie moffett
director
The Ordinary Radicals
Who killed the Electric Car was pretty dang good!
I liked "Loose Change 911" better than Fahrenheit 911.
I think Micheal Moore asks some good questions but his personality really turns people off and keeps him from being taken seriously.
Oh, and Jeff, do you have a good response to the arguments made that Al Gore made a whole bunch of mistakes in "An Inconvenient Truth"? Someone claimed that the other day so they could get on an anti-global-warming soapbox with me the other day.
Thanks. I like the guy just because he put the words "sustainability" and "global warming" in the average Americans home.
That's a big accomplishment in my book no matter how many faults.
It's great to hear from all of you. I'll comment on the movies in the order you mentioned them.
(1) Wal-Mart. I hear you, Wishydig. This is definitely bigger than just Wal-Mart. That is also my father-in-law's main objection, though he did appreciate Frontline's analysis on PBS--Wal-Mart. He's a small business owner.
However, I did like this (micro) paired with The Corporation (macro). And lawsuits have subsequently forced Wal-Mart to pay millions of dollars in class action lawsuits for making employees work through lunches and break times. Each dollar spent at Wal-Mart and similar behaving corporations is a vote for more of the same, a vote of approval for that business model.
So while I don't think Wal-Mart is the only broken cog in the machine, I did feel this was a good look at the beast, a starting point.
That said, a family-friend worked for years as a greeter at Wal-Mart and loved it. And that was pretty savvy of them to hire Adam Werbach.
No person is completely evil or good. And it's fair to say that no company does only evil or only good. I really appreciate how Patagonia puts both the good and the bad on the table--Footprint Chronicles. Though I can only afford this merchandise once a year at Patagonia.com/sale.
Yes, you point to the bigger issue—the free market system.
(2) The Ordinary Radicals. I’ve been following the OR blog and watching the clips. I cannot wait to see this one. Charissa and I really wanted to make it to the first stop of the Jesus for President tour at Mars Hill, but we couldn’t find people to carpool with us. A disappointment.
(3) Who Killed the Electric Car. Can you believe I actually haven’t seen this one yet? It’s a classic. Everyone has seen it. Everyone except me. It’s on my list. I’ve talked with a number of people about it, and heard a lot of good things, even from a semi-hardcore truck restorer.
(4) Loose Change 911. I haven’t seen this one, but the website reminds me of In Plane Site (another film I haven’t seen, but have been told about). I’m not much of a conspiracy theory person, but this is interesting. Utne ran a story along these lines—Towers of Babble.
(5) An Inconvenient Truth. This was the film I was expecting the most reaction against regarding its scientific accuracy. The reason I listed it is that I believe climate change is a significant issue, and of all the things I’ve read and seen on the topic (for example), in my opinion AIT is the best introduction; not the last word, but a pretty coherent first word.
This is a tricky subject from a scientific standpoint, because both sides claim virtual proof (including both theoretical and empirical data) that they are right and the other side is motivated by political and economic greed.
I don’t expect a conclusion on the matter any sooner than creationists and evolutionists are able to agree. You know, or until sea levels rise 10 feet or the planet goes into 1,000 years of the Reign of the Ice Queen.
At this point I believe human behavior and mass production are having a significant deleterious effect on the planet, and climate change is just one of these effects.
I understand about the environmental soapbox. I do that, and numerous others have stood tall on theirs as they looked down on me and my lowly intelligence. Those are the hardest and most important times to breathe and show genuine respect and love for the other person. Who knows what drives are pushing them. Probably a mix of fear and pride, the same ones battling in me.
Those times are when it’s good to learn from John Francis, as any American Airlines traveler would know (AmericanWay, July 15, 2008). I just read this line about his silence while flying to see my parents (no, I didn’t buy carbon offsets. please forgive me). “His vow of silence led Francis to a meaningful discovery: For most of his adult life, he had not been listening.” He says, “I only listened long enough to determine whether the speaker’s ideas matched my own” (p. 43).
It’s so hard for me to listen to people when I’ve already come to the conclusion that they’re wrong, biased, misinformed, prejudiced or pea-brained. But I’ll never hear the full description of the other side of the story if I don’t stop to listen. I’m saying things I should do, not what I actually do. I’m preaching to myself here.
I’m trying to learn to listen, ask questions, share an appropriate amount at the appropriate time. And then spout off about them behind their backs on my blogs! I think that’s what Jesus would do. Really though, Charissa is helping me lighten up.
This comment is long; it should have been a regular post. Thanks again for sharing! Peace, Jeff
Thanks for your thoughts Jeff. My complaint against the W-M documentary is mostly driven by my impression that many people who see it will feel perfectly safe and justified in hating and degrading the one business while completely unaware that they are consistently supporting hundreds or thousands of businesses every day that function on the very same model.
When we give a monster only one head we stop fighting too early. So I was really more than unimpressed with the message of the documentary. It upset me that the argument was made so simply and with no attempt to actually educate the viewer. Only to move. And towards what? An incomplete view with no suggestion for further action or inquiry.
Re: An Inconvenient Truth. I love your response Jeff. Because the point of learning and the point of study is not to shut down or disprove opposing views. I was not impressed with that documentary because it didn't convince me. And yet I came to it already convinced of every conclusion he reaches. Al Gore's an effective spokesmen but not much of a scientist. His arguments are specious but thin.
I disagree with Mr Gore when he says that this is a moral issue. It's a values issue. Some people value the industry that gives them a living and contributes specific conveniences to society. And they value that above allegiance to an environmental countdown that is still incompletely understood. But then what logical reason do I need to value the environment? Why do I choose to talk about my values with others?
If I get into a conversation with someone who insists that Gore's movie is full of errors I have to agree. It does. Errors in logic and errors in fact. And I can still keep talking because I'm not interested in defending his slideshow. I don't need to in order to speak honestly about why I value the environment and why I respect the values of the other. The film is a rhetorical device and it's expendable. My views are mine not Gore's. Even when we agree.
Sorry for the long comment.
I really appreciated these two lines, W, regarding Wal-Mart:
"When we give a monster only one head we stop fighting too early."
"An incomplete view with no suggestion for further action or inquiry."
Well, okay, and this one. "I love your response Jeff." More people should say things like that.
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