where: CINE ARTS @ PLEASANT HILL in Pleasant Hill, CA
when: Sunday, June 28th, 2009
show: 2:30 pm
auditorium: 3
seat: 4th row, 9th column
This documentary film from Robert Kenner is an eye-opening look at the food industry and how it was reshaped by McDonald's into specialized food conglomerates who have the government's blessing to conduct laissez-faire practices to maximize profits at the expense of consumer health, worker safety, farmers' livelihood, and the environment. Genetically-modified foods (GMO) and anti-biotic resistant E. coli are some of the issues touched on in this film; the deplorably inhumane treatment of livestock is also shown.
prediction: This documentary is a very strong contender for an Oscar.
noteworthy scenes: 1.) Hatchlings in incubator trays being put in conveyor belts to be sorted and stamped; 2.) Growth hormone fed chickens that never see the sunlight from the day they hatch to the day they are slaughtered less than seven weeks later--these chickens cannot even walk and a lot of them die after taking just a few steps! 3.) Cows force-fed corn and standing around in knee-deep manure just teeming with a super-strain of E. coli--these cows are so weak they either crawl or are fork-lifted to their slaughter! 4.) Consumer health advocates being stymied by bureaucratic red-tape; 5.) The ubiquitous corn; 6.) The run-offs from farms and slaughterhouses contaminating rivers; and 7.) Pretty much every scene is noteworthy. Bear in mind that what you see in this movie is not some Third World country but the good ol' U S of A!
audience reaction: As I waited in the lobby for the next movie on my list, I overheard an Oriental man telling his friends to go see this movie.
recommendation: If you eat fast-food and/or shop at a grocery store, this is a MUST SEE!
spoiler alert! This movie presents the purported "good side" of Wal-Marts.
fyi: I remember back when someone gave my father a big catfish (as big as an adult's leg) as a present. My brother, my sisters and I wanted to keep it as a pet. So we put it in a baby bathtub. Every now and then it would jump out of the too-small-for-it tub and onto the floor. Finally, it got so weak that the only humane thing to do was to put it out of its misery AND SERVE IT AT DINNER! My siblings and I couldn't eat what once was our pet; we just sat there at the table looking at it. Only my dad and our housemaid ate the pet. From that day on, I couldn't force myself to eat something that I saw back when it was still alive. My point is, I could never live on a farm--I'd just starve to death.
Two corrupt practices by Big Business that put farmers in a quandary are shown here: 1.) They talk farmers to raise livestock for them, enticing the farmers with incentives; but, as soon as the farmers sign-on, they are forced into doing "up-grades" or lose the contract and are forced deeper and deeper into debt (they are in debt for at least half a million but typically only make $18,000 per year). 2.) They talk some farmers into planting their patented GMO plants so that neighboring farmers who are into natural, organic farming are sued for patent infringement when the GMO laden pollen land on the organic farm and/or are sued for patent tampering when said organic farmers try to save their plants from GMO contamination! The corrupt, unscrupulous audacity of Big Business knows no bounds!
It is worth buying a copy of this film for future reference. It is also in paperback by the same title.
word of advice: I don't know about you, but the God that I worship is "The God of All The Living." (Mark 12:27) This means that God is not just the God of human beings but of all living things, as well. What I am saying is that we should show reverence for all life, especially those that we depend on for sustenance.
tidbits: The line at the box office was about fifty-five yards long and it was hot at the time! Inside, as I waited in line at the concession counter, I turned to my right to get some bulk candy. When I finished, I turned and found out that two idiots cut ahead in line! I will never make the same mistake again: I'll have my soda rung up first THEN decide to add something else to my purchase before I pay for it, and I'll take my sweet time doing it. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! (Snort)
On my way home, I stopped at the Wendy's on Redwood Street here in Vallejo for a burger--I guess I was too hungry to remember what I just saw! My bad ....
