The 11th Hour

Thursday, September 6, 2007 7:20pm Arclight Cinemas - Theatre 3 1 large popcorn with butter, 1 small sprite and 1 water Jessica and Lydia (AKA Siskel and Ebert) saw The 11th Hour- a documentary produced by Leo DiCaprio about the alarming effects of global warming on the planet and the need for humans to take action now. Movie's logline - Turn mankind's darkest hour into it's finest Scariest fact: "It's 11:59 and 59 seconds. Take action now!" This is what we thought of it:

Lydia: I loved it! Beautiful Planet Earth like images of our majestic planet, sea to shining sea type stuff all set to the haunting swoons of Sigur Ros. Through interviews with scientists, scholars and spiritual leaders, the movie illustrates the interconnectedness between humans and nature and therefore, the negative effect human industrialization has had on the planet in the last 200 years. Our detachment from nature has created a void we have filled with consumer goods. Consumer goods produced in our current disposable, consumption society have ravaged the natural resources of the planet. The earth has incredible self healing capabilities (fish can purify the water, the sun can power our industry, trees can stop flooding), but we have cut down the trees, and pumped chemicals into the ocean that killed the fish. Natural disasters we see around the world today are the canaries in the coal mine of what is to come. But the future is not bleak, we have the technology and capability to create a society that runs on clean, renewable energy but the government has not created taxes or incentives for it to flourish. Once fossil fuels are taxed and clean energy programs are subsidized we will have the beginning of the new era. The movie shows the amazing architecture, design and technology that is to come (all the technology we were promised in the Jetson's is finally possible!)

If you want to scare yourself into action go see the movie. http://11thhouraction.com/

Jessica: Not to be the downer here, but I was not as enthusiastic as Lyd. She failed to mention she has had a crush on Leo since The Titanic and is thus, very biased. My opnion...

CONS: It was less of an entertaining documentary and more of a composite of scientists talking...which was interesting...but more of a lecture, not a full-on movie experience. PRO/CON: That being said, though, another reason it was difficult to watch was that it really hammers home the point that the problems facing us now are very real, big and scary. And that can be hard to hear. Though the scientific community has confirmed again and again that humans are contributing to global warming, I think we all still secretly want to believe the pseudo-science that seems to be everywhere telling us global warming is a "hoax" or not as bad as everyone is predicting. Why wouldn't you want to believe that? It's better than hearing that human kind is going to die out--and it requires less of us, too.

So when you hear the scientists that Leo interviews say, "For all the talk of 'Save the Earth', it's actually not the Earth that needs to be saved. Earth will eventually even itself back out again...it's humans that will need to be saved because we won't be able to live on Earth anymore....", you may want to duck out of the movie theatre and promptly stick your head in some sand. And we all know how well that technique works at solving problems...
PROS: Finally...the most interesting point of the movie, to me, was this...we all have that friend, family member or co-worker who refuse to do anything for the environement. They say, "They've been talking about global warming for years. It's alarmist, it's not as bad as they say, etc., etc., etc.". And THAT is their reason not to recycle or get solar energy at their house or buy CFL's. But the truth is, even if you don't believe in global warming...there are a billion reasons to be supporting the green movement which are all illustrated in the film. Don't we WANT more research on electric and hybrid cars, if not for the global warming factor, for the fact that our air is dirtier than ever and it causes more and more children to have asthma each year? Or for the fact that it would reduce our reliance on foreign oil and bring more jobs to the U.S.? Don't we WANT companies to stop dumping their gross crud into our oceans...again if not for the sake of global warming, then because everyone enjoys a day at a clean beach and because you don't want you kid swimming in oceans with toxicity levels that rival power plants or running in the sand and getting a syringe in the foot? There are a ton more examples in the film of how being green can not only help us reverse the effects of global warming, but how it can help our nation's health, economy and safety. So, at the end of the day, I would still recommend this film....there are worse ways to spend $11....and then after you see it, you can sound even smarter as you talk to your defiantly "non-green" friends and family and explain there are a LOT of reasons to be doing things the green way...whether you "believe in" global warming or not.


...And so went the discussion as Jessica and Lydia had dinner and drinks after the movie...
9:30 - midnight
Magnolia - back patio
1 Goat Cheese Salad, 1 Arugula Salad and lots of wine...