VIEWING what's REAL about the
FOOD INDUSTRY.
You be the judge.
image: berkshirecoop.org
Here is an extensive and diverse compilation of some...
past and recently shown FOOD DOCUMENTARY FILMS:
(The below mentioned DVD films have been revealed in alphabetical order)
BAD SEED:
The Truth About Our Food
[2006] ... Running time: 112 mins
* General Review Rating... 3.5 /5
Summary: This documentary exposes a vast conspiracy to contaminate and control the world's food supply through genetic engineering of food crops. Leading scientists, researchers and activists present the facts that you need to know about genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
The methods used to genetically engineer plants are imprecise and extremely dangerous. Eighty percent of food sold in North America already has ingredients made of GMOs that have not been adequately tested for safety. This program presents all the facts about this alarming controversy and features the best-known, most credible bio tech / agriculture authorities in the world today. --Amazon.com
Viewers ... had their say:
. Wow! what can I say....Too bad this documentary isn't in stores for everyone to see. This is for anyone who cares about where our food comes from. We have a right to know what we're eating. The fact that the government is trying to change the genetic structure of our food and then lies about it should be made known to the public. Other documentaries only cover the basics, the surface. This one really goes in depth to help make aware of the consequenses of eating genetically modified food. If we don't make a stand now, the government is going to make all crops with GEI, and we won't have a say. The way it is now in other parts of the world. --Keven W.
. I saw the feature length version of this film in the theater, then purchased this special edition. The special edition has extra interviews with various experts. It was really informative. As with the movie itself, you probably have to watch the extras twice to absorb all the information. --S.O. Smith
BLUE GOLD:
World Water Wars
[2008] ... Running Time: 90 mins
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
Summary: This award winning documentary directed by Sam Bozzo is based on the book BLUE GOLD: THE FIGHT TO STOP THE CORPORATE THEFT OF THE WORLD'S WATER by Maude Barlow and Tony Clark. The film examines the problems created by the privatization and commoditization of water. Contains 30 minutes of bonus material, including deleted scenes and an interview with the filmmaker. --Amazon.com
Viewers ... had their say:
. We can't live without water. You may have thought it was a human right. But certain corporations have been plotting to control the water supply on this planet for a while now, and have been moving into place around the globe. Now the World Bank has required certain governments to privatize their precious water supply -- make it a corporate commodity answerable only to stockholders -- as a condition to getting a loan. In some places it is now illegal to catch rainwater, because rain is being considered private property, including the United States. The evil of this worldwide corporate grab for control of your most precious resource is practically inconceivable, but it is happening. Blue Gold: World Water Wars is a landmark documentary that every school, library and church should own and show. Do you want the cost of your water to be controlled by private corporations and stockholders only interested in their bottom line? Do you want to give up your right to the water around you, including rain? It is time to get educated and get active. Start with this film. --K.Davis
EATING
3rd Edition
[2008] ... Running Time: 88 mins
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
Summary: This award-winning DVD covers a lot of ground very comprehensively - and now has subtitles in Spanish, French, German and English (for the deaf). Among the many highlights are interviews with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Neil Pinckney, Dr. Ruth Heidrich and Dr. Joseph Crowe. Dr. Crowe and Dr. Esselstyn are from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and know something about heart disease. These interviews will convince you that cardiovascular disease, the #1 killer in America today, can be reversed by making simple changes to your diet. What you will get is a virtual one-on-one consultation with some of the world's leading authorities on heart disease reversal. You will also hear from Dr. Heidrich who treated her breast cancer by simply changing her diet. The DVD also covers a wide-range of other health problems, including the reversal of adult-onset diabetes with diet. It also covers the impact of typical Western diets on the environment. The Eating DVD is used in hospitals and wellness clinics throughout the world to motivate people to change their diets and restore their health. -- Amazon.com
Viewers ... had their say:
. I have effortlessly lost 20lbs in just six weeks! Adopting this lifestyle can potentially make Bariatric and Gastric bypass surgery obsolete! Statistically, 1.5 million Americans die from heart disease annually. This DVD will definitely change that! As a practitioner of Herbology and Naturopathy, I have finally discovered THE most critical element in the healing process. Without question, A PLANT BASED DIET IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT IN ANY HEALING PROTOCOL. If you suffer from ANY degenerative disease (Heart disease, Diabetes, Cancer, etc.), you must first part company with the Standard American Diet (SAD) and secondly you must adopt a plant based diet, in order to conquer and overcome your condition. Using a plant based diet, the Gerson Clinic (World renown for its Cancer therapy) has successfully cured Diabetics, in just two weeks! This DVD has changed my life and it will definitely change yours. It is truly a life saver! Buy it and share it with family and friends. Michael Anderson's latest installment, "Healing Cancer from Inside Out", is equally as dynamic! I highly recommend it. I give them both, FIVE stars! "The greatest gift than one can give his fellow man, is the gift of health". Michael Anderson has given us just that! Bravo! --Julio C.
FOOD BEWARE:
The French Organic Revolution
[2008] ... Running time: 112 min.
* General Review Rating... 3.5 /5
Summary: Documentary filmmaker Jean-Paul Jaud sets out to discover if contemporary society can create a food supply that isn't littered with contaminants by exploring the current trend of organic, localized food production in France. The current generation is the very first in history that will grow up less healthy than the one that preceded it. Cancer and infertility rates are skyrocketing. Could it have something to do with our tainted food supplies? By paying a visit to a remote French village where the lunch menu is comprised entirely of organic, locally grown foods, Jaud highlights the ways in which some communities are shunning food industry giants to go back to the basics. A wide variety of interviews with everyone from researchers to schoolchildren reveal the deep flaws that exist within the food industry and raise thought-provoking questions about what can be done to correct them. ~ Jason Buchanan, -- All Movie Guide
Viewers ... had their say:
. There is a tremendous rise in disease which seem to be connected to factors in our environment while at the same time we are eating more healthy than ever before.
In "Food Beware" we go to a small French village and it is there that we learn that the mayor's wife has made the school lunch program both organic and locally grown. Not everyone agrees with this and we have a section of interviews in which we learn how the food industry is in ways related to the abuses that our bodies have suffered. Agriculture is big business with its own vested interests and when we think about it, we realize that this big business is ruled by the almighty dollar.
The film assumes that pesticides are what are causing cancer in children but it offers no proof. It is not only pesticides that cause cancer and this was unfortunately not stated.
What the film really does is to indict the viewer for raising children who are the first generation to eat less nutritious foods than their parents. It is a call for organic food and away from anything that has been tainted by pesticides. The film concentrates on children and we see how they eat.
I found the film to be way too long and entirely too repetitive but otherwise it is an eye opener. --Amos Lassen
[2009] ... Running Time: 91 mins
* General Review Rating... 3.5 /5
Summary: Documentary filmmaker Robert Kenner uses reports by Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser and The Omnivore's Dilemma author Michael Pollan as a springboard to exploring where the food we purchase at the grocery store really comes from, and what it means for the health of future generations.
By exposing the comfortable relationships between business and government, Kenner gradually shines light on the dark underbelly of the American food industry. The USDA and FDA are supposed to protect the public, so why is it that both government regulatory agencies have been complicit in allowing corporations to put profit ahead of consumer health, the American farmer, worker safety, and even the environment? As chicken breasts get bigger and tomatoes are genetically engineered not to go bad, 73,000 Americans fall ill from powerful new strains of E. coli every year, obesity levels are skyrocketing, and adult diabetes has reached epidemic proportions. Perhaps if the general public knew how corporations use exploited laws and subsidies to create powerful monopolies, the outrage would be enough to make us think more carefully about the food we put into our bodies. ~ Jason Buchanan, -- All Movie Guide
Viewers ... had their say:
. Eye opening. This movie was extremely eye opening for me. I have drastically changed the way I shop based on this very well made documentary. Although many of the facts in the film do not directly relate to Canada's food industry you can defiantly get impact that these large food companies are having on the environment and our diets. -- Thirdbeat
. Balanced and Factual. Food, Inc. examines exactly where our food comes from, how it is produced, processed, packaged and promoted. Eye-opening without being fear-mongering, this film shows the point of view of all the links in the chain of supply.-- pezliz
. I was left feeling hopeful and also cautious. Great food for thought. Preaching To The Converted. This documentary was good but it wasn't great. I felt as though there was much that could not be said because of the threat of legal action. The viewer is expected to read between lines and connect dots, but unless you are already aware of the issues in agriculture the dots and lines would not be obvious. A good attempt to educate but unfortunately it kind of misses the target audience. Still, I recommend that people watch it.-- Booswalia
FOOD MATTERS
(2008) ...Running time: 80 min.
* General Review Rating... 3.5 /5
Summary: This documentary examines the current state of America's food supply, and suggests that the over-industrialization of food production is making the nation sicker by the moment. The documentary analyzes the proliferation of chemical additives in "natural" foods, looks at the relationship between the lack of nutrients in the American diet and the nation's rising health care costs, and offers tips for system detoxification. ~ Carly Wray, All Movie Guide
Viewers ... had their say:
.You are what you eat! This is not a new concept and this film confirms that with lots of medical studies proof that if you eat right, your body can heal itself. Even though after sitting through this whole movie, you probably have to join and pay a small price to learn more on their website, I think it is a great concept and a great start to inform the general public that health care does not have to be expensive, and you don't HAVE to take drugs to get better. Start eating well, and drink lots of water! --unknown
FUTURE OF FOOD (THE)
[2004 and later released in 2008]
... 2 discs...
Running time: 88 mins each
* General Review Rating... 3.5 /5
... an update from their site:
In 2010 Lily Films plans to release an updated DVD edition of The Future of Food with information on key changes and legal challenges to genetically modified foods since 2004. Genetic engineering of food crops is as controversial today as ever, as many of the large agro corporations that use this technology position themselves as the answer to the world food crisis and further consolidate the seed supply. The Future of Food continues to be a key tool used by activists and educators who call for increased attention to this issue.
Summary: Farming was once one of the most common professions in America, but now the growing of food for America's dinner tables is primarily in the hands of a small number of large agricultural corporations. With deregulations placing less federal scrutiny on how crops are grown, and an increasing number of "agri-business" firms introducing genetically modified vegetables and grains, some experts have begun to question just what we are eating, and how it got that way. At a time when some firms have started seeking patents for new strains of modified seeds and plants, will there come a day when the growing of certain essential foodstuffs will be controlled by private corporations who own a "copyright" on, say, wheat or tomatoes? The Future of Food is a documentary which focuses on growing concerns over how our crops are produced, and how science is altering the foods we eat. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Viewers ... had their say:
. I gave this documentary four stars because of the importance in seeing this film. I would have given it five stars if the delivery of the technical information would have been better presented. The subject matter is compelling and disheartening but don't give up on this documentary because the ending is promising and gives the viewers a real chance to make a difference in this current situation. This film definitely does not have the humor of a Michael Moore film but it is almost as compelling and the subject matter is crucial to our future. --Rachel N.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD:
Panacea or Poison
[2005] ... Running time: 70 min.
* General Review Rating... 3.5 /5
Summary: As the global demand for food increases and modern technological breakthroughs give scientists the tools they need to create stronger, healthier crops, the predominance of genetically modified foods has sparked growing concern as to the potentially hazardous effects of playing with Mother Nature's perfection. As millions of health-conscious citizens around the world weigh the benefits of genetically modified foods against the blight of famine, the prospect of unwillingly taking part in a mass experiment in global nutrition has sparked outrage and anger. Now, viewers who wish to challenge the status quo can take in all the facts and make up their own minds about the manipulation of DNA and how it pertains to the foods they put into their bodies on a daily basis. ~ Jason Buchanan, --All Movie Guide
Viewers ... had their say:
. While this film is reasonably informative and covers the usual topics of concern associated with GM foods, including genetic drift, loss of diversity, and privatization, it feels a little choppy and repetitive. A far better film called "The Future of Food" was made a year earlier; that film is more factual and succinct, and also paints a detailed portrait of the incestuous relationship between Monsanto and the Bush administration. It is also no longer available -- makes you wonder! --E.Karasik
KILLER AT LARGE
[2009] ... Running time: 182 mins
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
(a very compelling documentary)
mini-Summary: Beyond the shocking medical statistics and newspaper headlines that one would expect, Killer at Large also examines the ethical and moral implications of the obesity epidemic with leaders of several world religions who sight scripture calling all believers to live healthful lives free of overindulgence and laziness, characteristics that are sadly becoming the norm.
The film goes on to expose the public policies that have been institutionalized by the government and their industrial paymasters who have worked to create an infrastructure that forces farmers to over-produce all the wrong kinds of foods for mass consumption. Add to that further policies that force the price of vegetables artificially high and the price of intensely processed food artificially low, making the poor uniquely positioned to suffer from the results of public policy on obesity. --Amazon.com (note: go to amazon.com to get much more detailed info on this film...it was very much worth the read!)
Viewers ... had their say:
. Bar none, an eye opening look, shocking really, at what are youth are up against. Thankfully we can help though. We can control our destiny by making better food choice for our children. Please watch this movie, rent it, buy it, borrow it. You will help change the course of our present future. -- R.Belley
SUPER SIZE ME
[2003] ... Running time: 100 mins
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
(My personal rating: also a 4 /5 ...
This was embaressingly my very first viewing of this type of documentary!
It has opened my mind enough to want to view much more
on the ugly truth about the amazing subject of Food!)
Summary: First-time director Morgan Spurlock takes a look at the subject of obesity in the United States, specifically zeroing in on the business and culture surrounding the nation's fast-food industry in this 2004 documentary. In addition to studying the marketing of fast food to American children and unsuccessfully attempting to gain an interview with McDonald's executives, Spurlock attempts to become one of his own subjects by documenting a one-month binge during which he survived only on items from the McDonald's menu, forcing himself to eat three meals a day and try every offering at least once. Super Size Me premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Viewers ... had their say:
. Amazing! This is a real eye opener. I knew that fast food was bad for you, I knew that the companies knew it too. But to see the way this film shows you exactly what is going on is disturbing. This may seem like an extreme movie, no one actually eats that way, but we are doing what he did but in a much slower way and our illness will just take longer to show up. It is absolutely crazy what his doctors visits revealed in such a short time!! A must see! Very entertaining! -- skylar22
SWEET MISERY:
A Poisoned World
[2004] ...Running Time: mins.
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
Summary: This documentary is a close examination into what some consider to be a "hoax": aspartame toxicity. This documentary attempts to look at what is definitively known about aspartame and discovers that the label "hoax" in this case is a dangerous misconception. This controversial documentary is sure to open eyes to the possible dangers of what lurks in our food. -- Amazon.com
Viewers ... had their say:
. This is a must see movie especially if you or someone you love are nutrasweet drinkers. I was, and I'm not now. I was appauled at how this dangerous substance was approved by the FDA in spite of the mounting evidence it caused brain tumors and other neurological problems. If you think everything approved by the FDA is safe, you need to see this movie... politics and big business are very powerful... education is power... empower yourself to take control of your health.-- D.Wright
SWEET REMEDY:
The World Reacts to an Adulterated Food Supply
[2006] ...Running Time: 134 mins.
* General Review Rating... 4 /5
Summary: While aspartame was the single focus in "Sweet Misery: A Poisoned World", "Sweet Remedy" demonstrates that a corrupt flagship regulatory agency has given birth to numerous toxins in our food supply. A closer examination of the U.S. corporate power structure unveils a two-fold approach to manipulating the public. First, by attempting to shape public opinion and, second, by affecting an individual's ability to discern PR from the truth. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent selling neuro-toxic food additives to the public. In the United States and through each nation within its global corporate grasp, maintaining a healthy mind and body is an act of civil disobedience. Ultimately, healing has become the path of resistance for informed individuals improving their health. We interview a host of MD's and Natural Health practitioners to gain the clearest possible perspective for a path to recovery. Perhaps the sweetest remedy this film offers is the hope provided by witnessing a variety of groups as they withstand the confusion, casualties and obstacles involved with taking control of their food and their health. --Amazon.com
Viewers ... had their say:
. Sweet Remedy is an informative, rather than an entertaining documentary. It drives home the argument that Aspartame, a chemical food sweetner, is linked to a large number of medical disorders, some at the very serious end of the scale, such as MS and brain tumours. The presentation is polemical in character: it doesn't attempt to provide all sides of the argument, but aggressively attacks the safety of this product. Sceptics will no doubt argue that the the evidence presented is, at best, anecdotal and not powerfully persuasive. But the doco does serve an important public purpose by giving voice to the concerns of those who have suffered serious illnesses and, after eliminating Aspartame from their diet, completely recovered, even in circumstances where conventional medicine could not provide the cure. This is a relatively low budget production with an important, potentially life saving message. --S. Borrow
Well, for now...
this is the end of the road.
Tune in for updates as more...
Food Documentaries are reviewed.
If I've missed a movie you've seen...
and it received very good ratings...
please do not hesitate to share it with us.
Help me keep this list as updated as possible...greatly appreciated.
Has any one of these films piqued your curiosity...
enough to make your 'MUST SEE' list this coming year???
Flavourful wishes, and happy viewing,
Foodessa
Comments or suggestions ... write me :o)
Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com
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