| |
MOVIE REVIEW FOR ...
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connell, Kathy Bates, John Cleese; Released: 2008
What if a giant, booming voice called out from the sky and told us that the cumulative human "ecological footprint" is slowly destroying the planet? And what if the voice further explained that this is not a matter of us using the wrong technologies, but rather is due to inherent flaws in human nature—-greed, callousness, and a general disregard for the concerns of future generations and especially for other species?
Now, in reality, many of the more sensitive humans on the planet have already heard this voice, figuratively speaking, and have been working to convince others that radical change is necessary for our continued prosperity here on planet Earth.
But right now, Grinning Planet is not here to pat environmentalists, biodiversity experts, and other do-gooders on the back; we're here to review The Day the Earth Stood Still, a 2008 remake of the 1951 classic.
In this movie, the cautionary voice is not booming out of the sky, but instead belongs to Klaatu, a "visitor" played by Keanu Reeves. He has come to Earth to hold discussions with world leaders, to inform us that humans are choking the life out of the planet, and that this must change.
Of course, small humans in big positions are not necessarily inclined to sit down and talk turkey with an opinionated alien, so fascination at Klaatu's appearance is quickly trumped by fear and firearms. The quick trigger on the order to ammo-up is perhaps a little over-stereotyped, given the wondrous appearance of the great glowing globe of light in Central Park and the obviously advanced creature that emerges from it. But such behavior is not out of the question from a species whose leaders still insist we can only have peace through war.
Anyway, to go further into the plot of The Day the Earth Stood Still would not be fair to prospective viewers. It's not so much that there are a lot of surprises in the plot, but just letting it wash over you with minimal foreknowledge yields a surprisingly emotional impact.
There are indeed a number of dangerous (and worsening) problems that actually do threaten the health of the planet (and us)—for instance, climate disruption, desertification, drought, and agricultural failure; dysregulation of ocean systems; the potential for nuclear war; global chemical toxification and the likelihood of biotechnology and/or nanotechnology running amok at some point. It is generally acknowledged by biologists that, even without any of the more catastrophic of these things happening, humans are well on the way to causing a "Sixth Great Extinction" of other species. But we have largely ignored scientists' increasingly urgent warnings about the need to focus on these problems, and to examine ourselves and our duty as the highest order of life on the planet. The Day the Earth Stood Still serves up a powerful reminder that there are consequences to willful ignorance and inaction.
The fact that the film is not subtle about its message only makes clearer the parallel between this movie world and our real one. But this is not a preachy film. Klaatu delivers no fist-pounding speeches; instead he offers only softly stated facts, leaving it for the human hearers to do the logical thing—or not.
This remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still is well acted, spices things up with some cool special effects, and offers plot-action that keeps your eyes on the screen. It's worth seeing for everyone—whether you're an eco-freak, or a human of any of the other freaky flavors.
|
Check out The Day the Earth Stood Still at
Amazon.com
|
Or search
Amazon.com for more...
|
Liner notes for 'The Day the Earth Stood Still':
Categories: Sci-Fi, Environmental.
Directed by Scott Derrickson.
Runtime: 103 min
FREE AUDIO CLIPS
Grinning Planet also has audio . . .
 |
 |
|
CATEGORY: HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT — 10.JAN.2015
Uprising
Cancer—Environmental Factors and Genetics vs. Plain Ol' Bad Luck —
A new study has found that 22 types of cancer are the result of sheer bad luck, blaming the cancers largely on random mistakes in tissue-specific stem cells and stating that the cancers arise in a manner unrelated to genetic or environmental factors. Julia Brody of the Silent Spring Institute offers a countering opinion, noting that a different team looked at exactly the same data and concluded that only 10% of cancers were attributable to random bad luck.
Go to page |
Download/listen
12:28
Original Show Pub Date: 07.Jan.2015 ~~ Original story title: The Science of Health: Silent Spring Inst. Cautions Against New Cancer Study
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT — 16.DEC.2014
Radio EcoShock
Catastrophic Failure of the Planet—Satire or SITREP? —
Joseph D'Lacey writes eco-apocalyptic/horror fiction as a way of exploring the way in which the human condition is broken. Here he discusses his fictional post-apocalypse books, which include the Black Dawn series, which extrapolates from our real-life era when corporations are literally sucking the earth dry of its high quality resources; and Meat, where a combination of powerful corporations and organized religion completely control the food supply, with living standards for animal welfare and human rights falling by the wayside. ~~ Then Stanford's Mary Kang explains the data on leaking methane from abandoned gas wells. ~~ A clip from the fictional show "The Newsroom" has an EPA scientist going non-linear, predicting absolute climate doom, with no possibility of escape. Real-life climate scientist Michael Mann gives his take on our climate prospects.
Go to page |
Download/listen
1:00:00
Original Show Pub Date: 10.Dec.2014 ~~ Original story title: Eco Horror ... Is "The Newsroom" Climate Doom for Real?
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT, SPECIES — 23.OCT.2014
Resistance Radio
Has Capitalism Captured the Environmental Movement? —
Tom Butler of the Northeast Wilderness Trust talks with Derrick Jensen about the problematic trend among mainstream environmental groups trying to steer capitalism in a better direction. The problem with that approach is that capitalists, when push comes to shove, will always prioritize corporate profits over natural preservation. Even more troubling is the shift in the framing of environmental issues, where the comfort, convenience, and continuation of modern life is a given, and any sacrifice along those lines to preserve species or protect the biosphere is not even up for discussion.
Download/listen
50:59
Original Show Pub Date: 19.Oct.2014
MORE
Get more audio clips on environmnental issues (and many more topics) in Grinning Planet's biweekly
downloadable audio news feed.
|
| |
 |
 |
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
|
|
|
Hey, we don't pick
the Google ads! – GP
|
| |
| CLICKS ON OUR ADS AND PURCHASES VIA OUR AMAZON LINKS HELP SUPPORT THIS FREE SITE... THANKS! |
|
|
|
|
