I revisted Michael Moore’s classic Roger and Me to see how well it held up over time. I don’t think I’ve seen it in it’s entirety since it was released in 1989, although of course certain segments are permanently etched in my brain. I was blown away all over again and can’t wait to watch it again with commentary. This is a piece that has not only aged well, but is still relevant.

Of course now I can’t stop saying, “Pets or Meat?”

On an even bleaker note, I also watched John H. Smihula’s impressive recent film, Hidden in Plain Sight. This is a feature length piece that I hadn’t yet seen in it’s entirety, and I’m glad I finally got a chance to watch it. The film is focused on the School of the Americas Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation at Ft. Benning.*

Now might be a good time for a gratuitous link to the School of the Americas Watch site and a little bit of encouragement in case you haven’t made plans to attend the vigil in November.

Nigel Noble’s The Charcoal People. It’s bleak and stark and yet engrossing. It had never occurred to me just how industrial charcoal gets made. The product is incidental to the story, it frames the story about the people, the impact on the rainforest, the economy and on larger poverty issues in Latin America.

*disclaimer: I’m probably a little biased on this piece because of a close connection to some of the advisors to the project.