Sunday, March 11, 2007

two excellent and crucial documentary films..

If u notice, it's been a long time I ever blogged about a movie I watch.. for these days I don't watch that many movies and also, those I've watched do not give that impetus to want to talk about it..

But here, I want to talk about two movies - incidentally both are documentaries from the U.S. One is yet to be released (although made last year) while another one was release in 2004.

On Friday, I watched An Inconvenient Truth at a special screening at KLPac thanks to free passes from Eyeris



Most people who heard of it know it as a movie with former US vice-president Al Gore in it, and yes, it's about global warming/climate changes. But you may wonder how would a movie about ecological and environment be that interesting?

That I urge you to watch it for yourself. I dare say this is the film that has the most impact on me for a long long time.. I think the other film that I remember having that much impact (if not more) was `The Passion of the Christ' a few years ago.

Here I quote a film critic: "If you see only one movie this year, make it An Inconvenient Truth. It may not be the year's best movie, or its most entertaining, but it's certainly the most terrifyingly crucial."

Another wrote: "You don't need to like Gore, or trust him, or even believe him to get a swift kick in the pants, one that'll scare the hell out of you..."

Yes, even though I know global warming is a truth and is happening.. what was shown in this movie will kinda jolt you and wake you up. Well, at least if you still need to live on earth..! There was so much scientific research and evidence in this movie but yet, the way it was presented had a good human angle to it so it's not dull, yet highly educational and informative.

I hardly knew about Al Gore besides he was the vice president to Clinton and a presidential candidate against George W.Bush in 2000. This movie is no doubt a campaign for raising awareness for global warming, something he had worked on since losing the presidency.. well, one could see it as a political campaign of sort for Gore, but still no one will look at it with skeptical eyes in the light of the truths about the perennial danger of the world climate and environment we are living in these days.. and it's great to see the passion and dedication Gore devotes to his cause.

Speaking of politics and American presidency, this brings me to a movie which I've wanted to watch since it won the Cannes Best Picture 2004 - the controversial but brilliant Fahrenheit 9/11.



I bought the original DVD from HK end of last year for I had difficulty finding an original copy here earlier.. it cost HK120 but it's worth every penny as it has many exclusive and extra features and scenes in this edition.

Michael Moore is a genius.. and if I've new found respect for Al Gore, watching Fahrenheit 9/11 just made me confirm my dislike for George W.Bush and detest him even more! It's pretty cool how Bush is like the main character in this movie with Moore being the narrator mainly.. but yet the idiot of a president never volunteers himself to be starring in this movie that digs up the ugly stuff of himself..

There is no denying that the researches behind this movie had been so thorough that if the facts presented were not accurate, Bush and his administration could have sued Moore already. But instead, Moore was able to expose and look at what really happened behind `The War Against Terror' propagated by Bush. And what I hated to see most was the Iraq war.. how innocent lives on both sides of the continents were sacrificed because of greed of someone in power. It was heart-wrenching watching loved-ones of those died in this unnecessary war - not just the Iraqi civilians but the American soldiers losing their lives for a so-called `war against terror'

This is so sad.. if I were American, I would be so angry and disillusioned.

Anyway, the movie, if you haven't already known talks on serious and grave topics but watchable thanks to Moore's witty satire treatment to it.

If I were Bush and watched this movie, I would be so so embarrassed. And I don't see how he would be able to run for another term. Might as well step down with a little dignity left than to lose a mile to the Democrats candidate.

So go watch An Inconvenient Truth' when it opens in cinema next week. And get a DVD of Fahrenheit if you've not already watched it.. these are movies that really worth the time as you learn something important as well as being engaging... as opposed to many blockbusters these days one watches purely for entertainment purpose - and sometimes, can be a waste of time and money!

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