Movie List

• L'Erreur Boreale (English title: "Forest Alert")
      Today I saw probably the most disturbing movie I've ever seen about the environment - disturbing because it confirms exactly what Tom talks about in some of his more philosophy oriented books. It documents what has been happening to Quebec's boreal forest over the past century. Yes, it's in French but has English subtitles. It's similar to the "Dying of the Trees" in that it involves investigative journalism, but the situation seems to be a lot worse further north because of the lower population. 96% of the province's forest is now managed by forestry companies that are essentially cultivating tree farms, complete with spraying for undesirable trees and developing trees that grow faster. The province also guaranteed the companies rights to managed the forests, and any reclamation costs of the forest to undo past damaged is now in the hands of the public. To add to this, the environmental reviews are now  being done by the forestry companies themselves and not the government.
      One thing that is really mind blowing is an interview where a company executive actually says "I don't know why people's rights should be so important."
      The situation is similar in other provinces, and Russia's boreal forest is now next on the list to become "liquidated" by some international corporations.
      I don't know whether the movie is available in the U.S. - it was produced by the National Film Board of Canada - but I'm going to try to get a copy to try to educate friends.
  (review by Geoff)
  
• If You Love This Planet
  This National Film Board of Canada movie features nuclear critic Helen Caldicott speaking out against nuclear weapons and related issues.  Scary. 
  For more information please visit Helen's web site at www.noradiation.org/caldicott
  
• Fly Away Home
  A nice story about restoring habitat using modern technology. Migratory flight paths can be reintroduced where before the creatures have been pushed out of it. I just watched the original segment from the television show "60 minutes" on the man called "Father Goose" that they made the movie after. It was a fairly accurate depiction from what I could tell. That story moved me to tears the first time I heard of it. Imagine, effecting a positive change back into nature - using technology for good.
  (review by David Groover)