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| Movie Review: Food, Inc. Alternate Title: You Are What You Eat and It is Killing
You
Story: Some films make me think.
Some films make me angry. Some films make me barf. This first rate documentary
managed to do all three. Directed and written by Robert Kenner
along with writers Elise Pearlstein and Kim
Roberts we get another solid indictment of the nation's out
of control food industry.
Some of the issues have been touched upon in
other work such as Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollen
but this film goes deeper into the far reaching power of the multi-national
conglomerates that have ever so menacingly taken over what we eat.
In a most engaging manner the film shows how
outbreaks of E-coli occur and how the food we eat becomes contaminated.
In the giant processing plants that are owned by a handful of companies
these poor animals stand in their own excrement for their entire lives
and are fed diets that nature did not intend for them to eat. The FDA
and the USDA have been castrated and are run by the same people who
used to work for or lobby for the giant conglomerates. The c0mpanies
cited in the film refused to comment and include the big bad Tyson,
Monsanto, Purdue and BPI. You can go to the film's website for an in
depth look at the issues, things you can do and more. http://www.foodincmovie.com/about-the-film.php
While the film is enraging it is also optimistic
about the ability of people to do something about the issue. We
all have three big chances every day to fight back: breakfast, lunch,
and dinner. We finally overpowered the tobacco companies and we can
do the same to these giant conglomerates who are killing us. Eat food
grown locally, if at all possible. Eat food in season. Eat meat and
poultry that is organic and demand that your local food distributor
sell products you want to buy. Even big bad Walmart changed their ways
and now sells organic items and milk that does not have chemicals. We
can overpower these giant corporations . We have a fighting chance.
Power to the people.
Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eKYyD14d_0 Trivia: Did you know that - It is illegal to show
photos of the tremendous animal feeding operations. It is illegal to
question the safety of food from large companies. Enacted in 13 states,
agricultural disparagement laws, often referred to as “veggie
libel laws,” make it illegal to question the safety of a food
product without sound science to back up any suspicion. Supreme Court
Justice Clarence Thomas, who once served as a lawyer for Monsanto, wrote
the Supreme Court opinion making it legal for Monsanto to patent its
genetically modified soybeans as “intellectual property.”
This made it illegal for farmers to harvest seeds from one year’s
crop to use for the next year’s, a practice that had been in place
for centuries. Government subsidies may be making you fat. The subsidies
that corn growers get from the Government make the unhealthy foods that
we eat cheaper to buy than the healthy stuff. Companies spend billions
to convince you their food is natural. Do not believe it. Read the labels.
Predilection: I like documentary films. Critters: The only animals not destined to be food
on your table are a dog and a cat.
Food: Duh.
Blatant Product Placement: Not applicable in a documentary
but many labels are shown.
Opening Titles: A very clever use of packaging labels
to introduce us to the people responsible in the making of this film.
Theater Audience: Crowded. The guy in my row had
some food with him but shortly after the movie began - I heard a crumpling
of a bag as he put his food away. This film is an appetite suppressant.
Squirm Scale: Some parts are very squirmy indeed.
Drift Factor: I paid attention throughout.
Tissue Usage: It is hard not to tear up when the
mother of a two year old, who died of e-coli seven years ago appears
on camera.
Oscar Worthy: Yes
Big Screen or Rental: Either - but do see it.
Length: 100 minutes
LOBO HOWLS: 8
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