The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) have released an animated paradoy of Star Wars to address an important issue that is being developed and explored at the frontiers of science, most notably quantum physics. Find out with Psi Wars, an animated movie starring Oh Be One Kenobi, a scientific jedi who shares intriguing new research on psychic abilities and global consciousness with aspiring jedi.
Critics:
"They got it right - PSI Wars IS the Great Debate of our time. Nicely done IONS! " --William Arntz, Producer/Director, What the Bleep Do We Know!?
"Love it!" --Brian Johnson, Philosopher/CEO, Zaadz.com
"Entertaining and thought-provoking " --Kelly Carlson, speech language pathologist
"Very professional, clear, funny, elegant, easy to watch. I want to know more!" --Karin Shola von Daler,
psychotherapist, Denmark
A documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
With gasoline prices approaching $4/gallon, fossil fuel shortages, unrest in oil producing regions around the globe and mainstream consumer adoption and adoption of the hybrid electric car (more than 140,000 Prius'
sold this year), this story couldn't be more relevant or important.
The foremost goal in making this movie is to educate and enlighten
audiences with the story of this car, its place in history and in
the larger story of our car culture and how it enables our
continuing addiction to foreign oil. This is an important film with
an important message that not only calls to task the officials who
squelched the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate, but all of the other
accomplices, government, the car companies, Big Oil, even
Eco-darling Hydrogen as well as consumers, who turned their backs on
the car and embrace embracing instead the SUV. Our documentary
investigates the death and resurrection of the electric car, as well
as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in our
country's future; issues which affect everyone from progressive
liberals to the neo-conservative right.
Not really a movie or documentary, The Secret
is more of a video seminar, a presentation featuring a series of
authors, philosophers, doctors, quantum physicists, entrepreneurs,
and spiritual practitioners expounding on the powers of The Secret
(probably the most well-known of the presenters is Jack Canfield,
author of Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Success Principles).
What is The Secret, exactly? "That principle can be summed up in
three simple words: thoughts become things," proclaims writer Mike
Dooley, author of Notes from the Universe.
The 'secret' of obtaining anything you desire is discussed by
prominent physicists, authors and philosophers as being based in the
universal Law of Attraction. Fragments of ‘The Secret’ have been
found in oral traditions, literature, religions and philosophies
throughout the centuries. A number of the exceptional people who
discovered and understood its power went on to become regarded as
the greatest human beings who ever lived: Plato, Leonardo, Galileo
and Einstein. Beautiful in its simplicity, and mind-dazzling in its
ability to really work, The Secret reveals the mystery of the hidden
potential within us all. By unifying leading-edge scientific thought
with ancient wisdom and spirituality, the riveting, practical
knowledge will lead viewers to a greater understanding of how they
can become the masters of their own lives.Those looking for more on The Secret might want to check out the companion book by Rhonda Byrne.
Determined to find
the law that requires Americans to pay income tax, Aaron Russo (THE
ROSE, TRADING PLACES) sets out on a journey. Neither left- nor
right-wing, this startling examination exposes the systematic
erosion of civil liberties in America. Through interviews with US
Congressmen, a former IRS Commissioner, former IRS and FBI agents,
tax attorneys and authors, Russo connects the dots between money
creation, federal income tax, voter fraud, the national identity
card (becoming law in May 2008) and the implementation of radio
frequency identification (RFID) technology to track citizens. A
striking case about the evolving police state in America.
Set against the backdrop of the chaos and civil war that enveloped 1990s Sierra Leone, "Blood Diamond" is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories and their circumstances are as different as any can be until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond, the kind of stone that can transform a life...or end it.
Solomon, who has been taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields, finds the extraordinary gem and hides it at great risk, knowing if he is discovered, he will be killed instantly. But he also knows the diamond could not only provide the means to save his wife and daughters from a life as refugees but also help rescue his son, Dia, from an even worse fate as a child soldier. Archer, who has made his living trading diamonds for arms, learns of Solomon's hidden stone while in prison for smuggling. He knows a diamond like this is a once-in-a-lifetime find—valuable enough to be his ticket out of Africa and away from the cycle of violence and corruption in which he has been a willing player.
Enter Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an idealistic American journalist who is in Sierra Leone to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds, exposing the complicity of diamond industry leaders who have chosen profits over principles. Maddy seeks out Archer as a source for her article, but soon finds it is he who needs her even more. With Maddy's help, Archer and Solomon embark on a dangerous trek through rebel territory. Archer needs Solomon to find and recover the valuable pink diamond, but Solomon seeks something far more precious...his son.
Directed by Edward Zwick, the action drama "Blood Diamond" stars Academy Award nominee Leonardo DiCaprio ("The Aviator"), Academy Award winner Jennifer Connelly ("A Beautiful Mind") and Academy Award nominee Djimon Hounsou ("In America"). The screenplay was written by Charles Leavitt, from a story by Leavitt and C. Gaby Mitchell.
"Regardless of the war, the administration, or the various sophistries for expending human lives as a matter of government policy, profiteering from it universally offends all citizens, whether they are Republicans, Democrats, Independents, other parties or no shows."
Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers is the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war.
Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed and Uncovered) takes you inside the lives of soldiers, truck drivers, widows and children who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Iraq for Sale uncovers the connections between private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.
Brave New Films are both funded and distributed completely outside corporate America. Over 3000 people donated to make Iraq for Sale, and it is up to you to distribute it. Give copies to co-workers and organize a screening in your neighborhood. Get involved
Highly acclaimed searing examination of the Enron accounting scandal reveals the psychology of greed and corporate corruption that facilitated the company's rise to power and also its fall.
Considering Good Night and Good Luck is only the second time he’s stepped behind the camera, George Clooney has already marked his card as a director of real talent to watch. He also acts in this particular film, but generously leaves centre stage to the superb David Strathairn.
Set in the 1950s and based on true events, Strathairn plays news reporter Edward R. Murrow, who finds himself increasingly uncomfortable with the tactics used by Junior Senator Joseph McCarthy (of whom Clooney chooses to use real archive footage rather than getting an actor to play his role). The film finds McCarthy in the midst of his infamous crusade against communism, and Strathairn and Clooney lead the CBS news team who choose to report the other side of the story. Naturally, this ruffles more than a few feathers, and the film follows the investigation as it goes about stirring up a proverbial hornet’s nest.
The reason it works so well is its beautiful simplicity. Clooney shoots his film in black and white, with no flashy effects, no distractions, just a wise and worthwhile focus on telling a very good story in a very good way. Drawing quality performances not just from Strathairn but also from a strong supporting cast (including Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr and Patricia Clarkson), this is compelling, important movie making that leaves you thirsting for whatever Clooney elects to direct next. And if you’re in the mood to check out another piece of highly-charged movie making, albeit with Clooney in front of the camera this time, then Syriana makes an ideal companion piece.--Simon Brew
The Constant Gardener is the kind of thriller that hasn't been seen since the 1970s: Smart, politically complex, cinematically adventurous, genuinely thrilling and even heartbreaking. Mild diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Fiennes, The English Patient, Schindler's List) has a loose cannon of a wife named Tessa (Rachel Weisz, The Shape of Things, The Mummy), who's digging into the dirty doings of a major pharmaceutical company in Kenya. Her brutal murder forces Justin to continue her investigation down some deadly avenues.
This simple plot description doesn't capture the rich texture and slippery, sinuous movement of The Constant Gardener, superbly directed by Fernando Meirelles (Oscar-nominated for his first film, City of God). Shifting back and forth in time, the movie skillfully captures the engaging romance between Justin and Tessa (Fiennes shows considerably more chemistry with Weisz than he had with Jennifer Lopez in Maid in Manhattan) and builds a vivid, gripping, and all-too-justified paranoia. And on top of it all, the movie is beautiful, due to both its incredible shots of the African landscape (which at times is haunting and unearthly) and the gorgeous cinematography. Featuring an all-around excellent cast, including Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Pete Postlethwaite (In the Name of the Father), and Danny Huston (Silver City).--Bret Fetzer
Solidly built around a subtle yet commanding performance by Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda emerged as one of the most highly-praised dramas of 2004. In a role that demands his quietly riveting presence in nearly every scene, Cheadle plays real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in the Rwandan capital of Kigali who in 1994 saved 1,200 Rwandan "guests" from certain death during the genocidal clash between tribal Hutus, who slaughtered a million victims, and the horrified Tutsis, who found safe haven or died. Giving his best performance since his breakthrough role in Devil in a Blue Dress, Cheadle plays Rusesabagina as he really was during the ensuing chaos: "an expert in situational ethics" (as described by critic Roger Ebert), doing what he morally had to do, at great risk and potential sacrifice, with an understanding that wartime negotiations are largely a game of subterfuge, cooperation, and clever bribery. Aided by a United Nations official (Nick Nolte), he worked a saintly miracle, and director Terry George (Some Mother's Son) brings formidable social conscience to bear on a true story you won't soon forget. --Jeff Shannon, Amazon.com
A movie based on a PowerPoint presentation by a former presidential candidate may not sound exciting, but once AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH hits its stride viewers may be surprised how compelling the subject matter proves to be. While many high-ranking political figures continue to argue about global warming, Al Gore has plunged headlong into a serious wake-up call for the planet with a series of lectures about the problem. It's on one of these lectures that this movie from director Davis Guggenheim is based. Guggenheim breaks up Gore's delivery by illustrating his points with film footage, much of which features the former Democratic nominee exploring the globe as he examines the effects of global warming. Gore's speech is neatly divided between calm recitations of the facts about the issue and several stories of a personal nature. His skills as an orator are considerable, and it's hard not to be alarmed by most of what he has to say. Indeed, as Gore relates tales of melting polar icecaps, rising global temperatures, and the reluctance of political leaders to do something about the problem, the film takes on an air of hopelessness and doom, especially as no easy solutions are offered. Gore's advice is for individuals to take steps to reduce their own inadvertent poisoning of the atmosphere, and to persuade others to do likewise. It's a powerful message, and one that is likely to remain in non-cynical minds long after the film comes to a conclusion.
Based on actual events, this black comedy-drama stars Nicholas Cage as international arms smuggler Uri Orlov. The story follows Uri from his humble beginnings as a Soviet immigrant in 1970s Brooklyn and peaks with his involvement in selling off the stockpiled arsenal of post-Cold War Ukraine to among other top clients the sadistic African dictator Andre Baptiste, Sr. (Eamonn Walker). Jared Leto co-stars as Uri's little brother Vitaly, whose conscience and a burgeoning cocaine problem get in the way of business. Ethan Hawke is good as a sanctimonious Interpol agent with a vendetta against Uri, but the film's biggest dose of onscreen gravitas comes from Walker, whose Baptiste seethes with a heavy, serpent-like malevolence. Written and directed by Andrew Niccol, the film makes fine use of the brisk stream-of-consciousness narration style that Martin Scorcese brought to the true crime genre with 'Goodfellas' (1992), and a near constant flow of action and classic rock songs that ensure a speedy, riveting ride through three decades of global carnage. Cage, who coproduced, lets his patented oddball magnetism slowly change polarity, until viewers realise they've been led into a moral quagmire by falling for his self-delusory spiels about supply and demand, making this one of the bravest and most jet-black comedies of its decade.
After Welcome to Sarajevo and In This World, The Road to Guantánamo is Michael Winterbottom's most important film. Along with United 93, it's one of the most important films released by anyone in 2007. In the docudrama, which was produced for British television, Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross recount the travails of the Tipton Three, a trio of Britons detained for two years at Guantánamo Bay. How did these apolitical Muslims end up as suspected terrorists? The directors attempt to answer that question by inter-cutting interviews and news footage with recreations of their Kafka-esque journey. It starts with a trip to Pakistan for the wedding of Asif (Afran Usman). In short order, he's joined by Ruhel (Farhad Harun), Shafiq (Riz Ahmed), and Monir (Waqar Siddiqui). On a whim, they decide to visit Afghanistan: "One, for experience, and two, to help." It proves to be their undoing. First, they're caught in a bombing raid; then the Northern Alliance rounds them up as members of al-Qaeda. In the mêlée, Monir goes missing. The remaining three are shipped to Cuba, where US officials stop at nothing to coerce confessions. There's a hard-won happy ending, but it isn't easy to watch--Alan Parker's Ollie Stone-penned Midnight Express seems downright lyrical in comparison. Further, the acting is inconsistent and the character development is sketchy. Those flaws aside, The Road to Guantánamo is powerful and provocative stuff. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Syriana is an oil-based soap opera set against the world of global oil cartels. It is to the oil industry as Traffic was to the drug trade (no surprise, since writer/director Stephen Gaghan wrote the screenplay to Traffic): a sprawling attempt to portray the vast political, business, social, and personal implications of a societal addiction, in this case, oil. A major merger between two of the world’s largest oil companies reveals ethical dilemmas for the lawyer charged with making the deal (Jeffrey Wright), and major global implications beyond the obvious; a CIA operative (George Clooney) discovers the truth about his work, and the people he works for; a young oil broker (Matt Damon) encounters personal tragedy, then partners with an idealistic Gulf prince (Alexander Siddig) attempting to build a new economy for his people, only to find he’s opposed by powers far beyond his control. Meanwhile, disenfranchised Pakistani youths are lured into terrorism by a radical Islamic cleric. And that’s just the start. As in Traffic, in one way or another all of the characters’ fates are tied to each other, whether they realize it or not, though the connections are sometimes tenuous. While Syriana is basically a good film with timely resonance, it can’t quite seem to measure up to Gaghan’s ambitious vision and it very nearly collapses under the weight of its many storylines. Fortunately they are resolved skilfully enough to keep the film from going under in the end. To some viewers, Syriana will seem like an unfocused and over-loaded film that goes, all at once, everywhere and nowhere. Others will find it to be an important work earnestly exploring major issues. In either case, it’s a film that deserves to be taken seriously, and it’s likely to be one that will be talked about for a long time to come. --Dan Vancini
WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE is a feature length documentary that uncovers a retail giant's assault on families and American values.
The film dives into the deeply personal stories and everyday lives of families and communities struggling to fight a goliath. A working mother is forced to turn to public assistance to provide healthcare for her two small children. A Missouri family loses its business after Wal-Mart is given over $2 million to open its doors down the road. A mayor struggles to equip his first responders after Wal-Mart pulls out and relocates just outside the city limits. A community in California unites, takes on the giant, and wins!
Producer/Director Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films take you on an extraordinary journey that will change the way you think, feel -- and shop.
Featuring a huge cast of characters, the ambitious and breathtaking Traffic is a tapestry of three separate stories woven together by a common theme: the war on drugs. Bold in scope, it showcases Steven Soderbergh at the top of his game, directing a peerless ensemble cast in a gritty, multifaceted tale that will captivate you from beginning to end. Utilising the no-frills techniques of the Dogme 95 school, Soderbergh enhances his handheld filming with imaginative editing and film-stock manipulation that eerily captures the atmosphere of each location: a washed-out, grainy Mexico; a blue and chilly Ohio; a sleek, sun-dappled San Diego. But Traffic is more than a film school exercise. Soderbergh and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (adapting the British TV miniseries Traffik to the US) seamlessly weave the threads of each separate plotline into one solid tale, with the actions of one plot having quiet repercussions on the connected narratives. And if you needed more proof that Soderbergh takes unparalleled care with his actors, practically all the members of this cast turn in their best work ever, the standout being an Oscar-worthy Benecio Del Toro as the conflicted moral conscience of the film. Traffic registered eight Oscar nominations (winning four, including Best Director for Soderbergh). --Mark Englehart, Amazon.com
WHAT THE BLEEP DO WE KNOW?! is a new type of film. It is part documentary, part story, and part elaborate and inspiring visual effects and animations. The protagonist, Amanda, played by Marlee Matlin, finds herself in a fantastic Alice in Wonderland experience when her daily, uninspired life literally begins to unravel, revealing the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what we consider to be our normal, waking reality. The fourteen top scientists and mystics interviewed in documentary style serve as a modern day Greek Chorus. In an artful filmic dance, their ideas are woven together as a tapestry of truth. The thoughts and words of one member of the chorus blend into those of the next, adding further emphasis to the film’s underlying concept of the interconnectedness of all things.
THE CORPORATION is a well-organised and deeply fascinating documentary about the growing prominence of large global businesses, and the way that their decisions are impacting the world. The film shows how corporations have ballooned in size and power since the industrial revolution, and explains the laws and loopholes that allow them to remain nearly unaccountable for their actions. If they break a law, they are willing to admit guilt and pay the fine, because the profits outweigh the penalties. Therefore, they continue to cause serious environmental problems by dumping waste into rivers and oceans and by depleting natural resources, resulting in irreversible damage to the earth which also poses a serious threat to human life. Beyond environmental issues, the film shows how corporations exploit underpaid labourers in third world countries, violate basic human rights, make deals with foreign countries who are known enemies of the US, and in some instances perpetuate fascist regimes. Valuable, informative talking-head commentary comes from a diverse group including Ray Anderson, CEO of carpet manufacturer Interface; Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, former chairman of Royal Dutch Shell; Dr. Vandana Shiva, feminist and ecologist; Milton Friedman, Nobel prize-winning economist; Marc Barry, corporate spy; Joe Badaracco, professor of business ethics at Harvard; and activists Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Michael Moore. Providing useful references to major news stories that illustrate various corporate developments, and good information about how the system works, THE CORPORATION empowers viewers and shows them that they can realistically enact change. For that reason, this documentary makes real progress, encouraging viewers to take the world's future into their own hands and away from corporations whose sole interest is profit.
This film showcases Noam Chomsky, one of America's leading linguists and political dissidents. It also illustrates his message of how government and big media businesses cooperate to produce an effective propaganda machine in order to manipulate the opinions of the United States populous. The key example for this analysis is the simultaneous events of the massive coverage of the communist atrocities of Khmer Rouge regime of Cambodia and the suppression of news of the US supported Indonesian invasion and subjugation of East Timor.
Startling and powerful, Control Room is a documentary about the Arab television network Al-Jazeera's coverage of the U.S.-led Iraqi war, and conflicts that arose in managed perceptions of truth between that news media outlet and the American military. Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com) catches the frantic action at Al-Jazeera headquarters as President Bush stipulates his 48-hour, get-out-of-town warning to Saddam Hussein and sons, soon followed by the network's shocking footage of Iraqi civilians terrorized and killed by invading U.S. troops. Al-Jazeera's determination to show images and report details outside the Pentagon's carefully controlled information flow draws the wrath of American officials, who accuse it of being an al-Qaida propagandist. (The killing of an Al-Jazeera reporter in what appears to be a deliberately targeted air strike is horrifying.) Most fascinating is the way Control Room allows well-meaning, Western-educated, pro-democratic Arabs an opportunity to express views on Iraq as they see it--in an international context, and in a way most Americans never hear about. --Tom Keogh
The Fog of War, the movie that finally won Errol Morris the best documentary Oscar, is a spellbinder. Morris interviews Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, and finds a uniquely unsettling viewpoint on much of 20th-century American history. Employing a ton of archival material, including Lyndon B Johnson's fascinating taped conversations from the Oval Office, Morris probes the reasons behind the U.S. commitment to the Vietnam War--and finds a depressingly inconsistent policy. McNamara himself emerges as--well, not exactly apologetic, but clearly haunted by the what-ifs of Vietnam. He also mulls the bombing of Japan in World War II and the Cuban Missile Crisis, raising more questions than he answers. The Fog of War has the usual inexorable Morris momentum, aided by an uneasy Philip Glass score. This movie provides a glimpse inside government. It also encourages skepticism about same. --Robert Horton
Follows Andy and Mike, two members of The Yes Men, as they impersonate the World Trade Organisation in a bid to expose the hidden aspects of global free trade.
