Movie Review: An Inconvenient Truth

[lazygood4nothinbum]

it is interesting how wrong thinking can be so embedded in our psyche that we could actually simply ignore truth in front of us and continue living lies.

for instance, and not picking on anyone as very few people realize, no one of serious mind really ever thought the earth was flat. i refer you to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth

now imagine how many other myths we live as realty.

"the more convinced you are that a certain point of view is right, the more determined you should be to find proofs that it is wrong" ~~ aleister crowley

 

[JB]

Nice review Laurence. I'm looking forward to seeing this film.

 

[d]

Hillary is a Lesbian!

i didn't know that!

 

[Nords]

i didn't know that!

If you were married to Bill Clinton, what would you do?

 

[d]

If you were married to Bill Clinton, what would you do?

keep score?

 

[cube_rat]

If you were married to Bill Clinton, what would you do?

Bump uglies in the oval office with Monica Lewinksky  

Seriously though, Hillary and Condelezza both need to come out of their closet!!!

 

[d]

Hillary and Condelezza

naw, say it ain't true -- if nothing else you'd think their politics would keep them apart

 

[Eagle43]

I havent seen the movie yet, but I've seen gore being interviewed on about 3200 shows.  My take is that he sincerely believes his story, he's telling what he thinks is a whole story, and his intention is to educate.

Baloney.  Al Gore has no sincere beliefs.  Remember his bs at the Democratic convention about his sister.  He was so sincere.  Forgot about the tobacco support he had given to the Tennessee farmers.  His intention is propaganda with a side exit to the Democratic nomination.  Bush is (may be) a bad president, but he saved us from Gore.  For that he should get the Nobel Prize.

Now I need to go turn my ac down. I'm hot!

 

[73ss454]

Hey Eagle, give Al Gore a break. If he didn't invent the internet we wouldn't have this forum.

 

[laurence]

Well, I see I touched a nerve.

BTW Alex, Al Gore talks about that issue of Arctic Ocean levels in the movie, too. It's funny to watch you throw as much garbage as you can at this movie, and you haven't even seen it. No need to find out for yourself, right? See the movie, then make up your mind. Wow, I'm not rooting for a Gore Presidency either, it's just a damn good movie.

Justin, I will gladly answer your questions, sorry I didn't get back sooner, we spent the day at the beach! Tori's wiped out from her first body surfing lessons - I swear this kid has no fear!

I saw both movies, and the best way I can describe it is Moore's film is to Gore's film an MTV "rockumentary" vs. a guest lecturer at your University. There are no catchy tunes or people being played "gotcha" with as their quote is cut off before the part that doesn't fit gets said, etc.

Has Gore formed an opinion and drawn a conclusion? Absolutely. Has he sensationalized it a bit and simplified some issues to make it flow better in a 90 minute movie? Very plainly. You can nitpick individual sentences here and there throughout the movie, disagree with individual events being attributed to it? Heck, I do. But I believe the overall message is very clear, coherent, and not hysterical or overhyped in any way. He makes one ( 1, uno) crack at the current administration very indirectly ( a joke about his grade school science teacher). The ending just leaves you with, "hey, check it out, learn more, decide what you want to do.".

Again, see the movie and make up your own mind. We have such a problem in this country of people only engaging in dialouge with those they already agree with. Even here on this board, which is probably the most moderate, even keel, deep thinking group of people I know, we see it.

 

[d]

see "Don't Believe the Hype
Al Gore is wrong. There's no "consensus" on global warming."
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008597
true, the author is not a politician, but a mere Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT, but perhaps worth reading anyway.

 

[Martha]

see "Don't Believe the Hype
Al Gore is wrong. There's no "consensus" on global warming."
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008597
true, the author is not a politician, but a mere Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Atmospheric Science at MIT, but perhaps worth reading anyway.

Mr. Lindzen apparently was also in the small minority of members (1.5%) disagreeing with the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change

 

[modhatter]

Wow, I'm surprised at all the negativity on this issue. It may be a very serious issue and I thought it would be met with more open mindedness from the people on this board. I think burying your head in the sand and not at least looking at the facts presented from both sides is just ignorant.

Gore is not lining his pockets with the proceeds of this movie, and even if he has his sights on the Presidency down the road, that does not deminish the merits of the movie. Gore has been a supporter of environmental issues for a considerable time, and way before he ran for President. He has also been a supporter of funding for the AIDS crises in Africa, again way before his presidential campaign.

I believe the poster who saw the movie said that evidence from both sides were provided.
Irregardless of whether it does or doesn't explore both sides, I think it every American has an obligation to see the movie. And that's my two cents.

 

[samclem]

I don't know if it is "negativity," just skepticism. I'm not surprised to see a lot of independent thought here.
Maybe the movie is entertaining, but I'm just have little faith that a movie intended for mass audiences is capable of impartially portraying a politcally contentious issue or that such a movie can fully and accurately describe a very complex scientific/technical subject. So, I'll probably not pay to see this movie, but might watch it if it comes on TV.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Thing is Sam, I dont see any "independent thought". I see some folks who didnt see the movie, and either saw "al gore" and screamed "agenda!" or already have their minds made up and arent interested in further factual modification of that made up mind.

The perspective on this issue is probably already fixed in each persons mind, largely in the absence of facts. Like a lot of other topics we discuss

By the way, wheres the politics in this, other than pressing some businesses to pollute less than they are now and they might not care much for that?

 

[samclem]

If the movie is just about "global warming: Is it happening and why" then I think it could be fairly free of politics. But when we jump to "what should be done about it" then we're into politics with both feet (as we should be). In the US, one political party was heavily in favor of the Kyoto treaty as a means of addressing the problem, the other party disagreed with this approach. Al Gore is no impartial observer, he's a politician (or, as now, he's either a candidate or will be pushing for one).

Laurence, did this movie happen to provide any suggested courses of action? Anything that we might have seen in a campaign speech before?

Reducing CO2 emissions is going to be very tough. CO2 isn't even properly termed a "pollutant" since it occurs naturaly in the air as a considerable fraction. More importantly, wheras the locals gain a better quality of life when they reduce emissions of sulfur, CO, nitrous oxide, soot, etc, they gain almost nothing from reducing CO2. It's the "tragedy of the commons" all over again, to revive an old eco-chant.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons

(edited for spelling and to add link)

 

[laurence]

Samclem, check out the website:

http://www.climatecrisis.net/

The movie ends with many things you can do to change the path we are on.


I can't say enough, please express your opinion, whether you differ with the movie or not, but please, AFTER you see the movie. If you have an article which refutes a particular point in the movie, brings doubt on the validity of a conclusion in the movie, I want to see it. What Bill Clinton did in the Oral office is completely irrelavent. I would especially like to plead with those who are adamant that global warming is a myth to see the movie. Michael Moore's movie stunk of political pandering and skewing of facts, there was none of that in this movie.

 

[KB]

Thanks for posting the link, Laurence.

 

[TromboneAl]

Someone who saw the movie: Did it mention that global warming is caused by overpopulation?

 

[dusk_to_dawn]

The movie ends with many things you can do to change the path we are on.

Laurence, now that you have seen the movie, what are you doing now to change the path we are on, and what changes are you planning to make in the future?

 

[Alex]

I say if you are serious about 'global warming', then change your own behaviors. Reduce your own impact on the earth- walk the walk. Limousine liberals like Al Gore and Laurie David are flying around in a private jets that are burning thousands of tons of fuel and are condemning people with families for driving SUV's! That is not my idea of 'walking the walk'. In fact, it stinks of hypocrisy.

 

[Nords]

That is not my idea of 'walking the walk'. In fact, it stinks of hypocrisy.

When I was working I used to commute 2000-3000 miles/year by bicycle. In ER we barely rack up the same mileage in our cars.

Our solar water heater is chugging away. Our photovoltaic array put our electric bill below $20 last month and will probably hit $13 this month. Our home has more insulation than ever and we haven't had to turn on the ceiling fans until June this year. Our yard has needed less water each year as we improve the drought-tolerant landscaping. I think we're stepping more lightly on the environment this year than ever before.

Aside from identifying stinking hypocrites, Alex, what are you doing?

 

[Alex]

What am I doing about global warming? I am doing nothing and have big plans to do more of nothing tommorrow. Nonetheless, I am 'walking the walk' because I don't believe that "Humans' are causing *global climate change. (* that is the Politically Correct phrase - that way when the earth starts to cool the 'greens' wont have to re-do all of their signs!)

But, I do recycle my garbage

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Well, now we have both the econazi side of things and the butthead side of things.

I suspect the reality is somewhere in the middle. A huge percentage of people are just going to bury their heads on pollution, and when our grandkids cant live on the planet...well...not their problem...

 

[modhatter]

Gore drives a hybred.

Check out Comedycentral.com and click on Al Gore tape.

Also a note of interest. Bank of America just announced that it will give any Bank Of America employee $3,000 towards purchasing a hybred car. Nice going B of A.