Some people are an inspiration, and Virginia McKenna, OBE, is one of them. An award-winning actress, she has dedicated her life to animal rights after co-starring with her late husband, Bill Travers, in the classic film, BORN FREE. The experience changed them both, and their attachment to the animals that they met eventually became the… Read More »
THE CORE
Somewhere in THE CORE there is a neat-o flick trying to get out. Unfortunately, its stymied by cliché characters and a series of hackneyed action-adventure plot points that all but kill any joy we might have found in the otherwise fun concept and occasional burst of crisp dialogue. The premise is that the Earths outer core,… Read More »
HAPPY FEET
When it comes to moviedom, penguins are as close as it gets to a sure thing, hit-wise. This is something irresistible about this unlikely bird and the way it’s so easy to anthropomorphize its sturdy waddle and formal wear. To his credit, George Miller, director, co-author, and conceiver of the story as a whole, doesn’t… Read More »
Taggart Siegel on QUEEN OF THE SUN: WHAT ARE THE BEES TELLING US?
Taggart Siegel’s decision to make his documentary about the decline of the bee population had a profound effect he hadn’t planned on. After spending three years investigating the phenomenon of colony collapse disorder by talking to, among others, beekeepers who use biodynamic principles, he succumbed to the metaphysical appeal of the insects and became a beekeeper himself.… Read More »
Jessica Yu Announces the LAST CALL AT THE OASIS
Jessica Yu sees no reason why a documentary can’t be informative, terrifying, and beautiful all at the same time. LAST CALL AT THE OASIS is certainly proof that she can realize her vision. When I spoke with her on May 1, 2012, the first thing I wanted to know was why she would want to… Read More »
Mark Lewis Warns Us About CANE TOADS: THE CONQUEST
This is Mark Lewis’ second documentary about the eponymous amphibian. His previous one, CANE TOADS: AN UNNATURAL HISTORY was his tribute to the triumph of nature over the folly of humankind, in this case, importing cane toads from South America to Australia where they failed to eradicate a crop-eating beetle. Instead, they multiplied and migrated… Read More »
Jacques Perrin Follows A WINGED MIGRATION
Few have had as varied and rich a career as Jacques Perrin, whose resume includes appearing in and co-producing the classic political thriller Z for Costa-Gavras, making an extended cameo in the French potboiler THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, and making fascinating films in homage to the natural world. His MICROCOSMOS took the world by storm… Read More »
The MANUFACTURED LANDSCAPES of Edward Burtynsky & Jennifer Baichwal
Edward Burtynsky has been taking photographs of the changing landscape of planet earth for decades. His enigmatic, haunting photos of the impact of industrialization on the planet, and on the people living on it, have been exquisitely translated to film by Jennifer Baichwal. When I talked with them on June 30, 2007, accomplishing that transmutation, including… Read More »