Political Media Review

In 2001, Hollywood actor and hemp activist Woody Harrelson and a group of friends set out on a tour of the West Coast to raise awareness about sustainable living. Traveling in a bio-fueled bus and on bicycles, Harrelson and his entourage headed down the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping at university campuses to promote natural, organic living.

The film begins with a dark and serious tone of each episode that sets the stage for a thrilling account of political power. The narrator begins each episode reciting “Instead of giving us dreams, politicians promise to keep us safe from nightmares”.

Several media outlets offer an array of facts and stories about the on-going current events between the Israelis & Palestinians but what is usually ignored is the true nature of this conflict.

The documentary Examined Life grounds philosophy in real world issues. Through a series of brief interviews with some of today’s most provocative thinkers, the film addresses issues of ethics, morals, citizenship, democracy, disability, sexuality, consumerism, social contract theory, revolution, and human vulnerability and interdependency.

Winged Migration (2001) is a visually stunning “documentary-adventure” that follows several communities of birds on their seasonal migratory journeys. Although the migrations are set to music and the flapping of the birds’ wings can be heard in many scenes, the film is primarily a visual experience. There is very little narration in Winged Migration, which for the most part is shot from the perspective of the migrating birds.

Michael Moore’s latest documentary is a critique of capitalism- in mainstream theaters- pretty big deal. “Capitalism: A Love Story” starts off comparing the US to the Roman Empire- a fairly easy task. In addition to other commentary, the documentary seems to be focused on the anti-capitalist stance of various Catholic priests, the consequences of the housing crisis, corporate bailouts and, finally, some alternatives in the form of worker-run workplaces.

Beyond Elections takes on a huge topic – the future of democracy in the Americas. The documentary by Sílvia Leindecker and Michael Fox ably traverses the complexities of this broad question, relying predominantly on the voices of the people to explore how we define democracy, its nature and limitations in the Americas and efforts to expand it.