3 documentaries and 1 "Real Life" dramedy

I've been on a bit of a documentary kick lately which, if I am honest, has really been more of an exercise in confirmation bias, but enjoyable non-the-less.


It started back in February with the DVD release of The Business of Being Born, produced by Ricki Lake. This was a look at the problems with maternity care in America and what part the option of home birth can and does play in the equation. The topic of medical intervention in birth is such a polarizing issue, so I was happy to see Ricki stick to her guns without being overly dogmatic. This is obviously a pet issue for me and I am happy there is a film out there I can recommend to women exploring their options. (There are a few F-bombs in this. Women in labor say the darndest things!)


Just this last week PBS aired King Corn as part of their Independent Lens programing and I really enjoyed it. I knew that high fructose corn syrup is bad for me, I have been alarmed for some time by our casual use of genetically modified foods, and I knew that cows in America are being fed a diet that they were never designed to eat, but I had no idea that what all this means is that the carbon in my DNA is made 75% or more from corn! This Documentary follows two college friends from back east as they farm one acre of corn and the mountains of the corn farmed in Iowa to almost every product on the shelves of our groceries stores and restaurant menus. The tone is non-assuming and theses guys treat all that they interview with respect and interest. It has made me wish I hadn't returned The Omnivores Dilemma to the library unread.

The last of the three I actually paid to see in the theaters because it is not often that these films come to theaters and it is a topic I want to support financially. Ben Stein(Bueller, Bueller....) makes the case that scientists in America in favor of the theory of intelligent design are being blacklisted and ostracized by the scientific community and calls for more academic freedom. The film is laced with funny corny clips and makes it's points with intelligence and humor. However, while I think the topic is relevant, it does in the end revert to the Hitler name-calling that seems to be so fashionable these days. I do forgive Ben though because I can see the temptation in drawing the line from Darwinism to eugenics to Hitler and Ben is Jewish, so all the pieces are there for the parallel. The interview at the end with Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, alone is worth the rental. While opponents of intelligent design have plenty of room to poke holes in this film, Dawkins doesn't do much for their cause either. If you are a part of the choir this film is preaching to, you'll definitely enjoy it.


Finally, I just want to plug for Dan in Real Life. I know, I know, it's not really real life, but it was really really funny. We liked it a lot. This was one that Chuck and I could both laugh out loud with. I love when that happens! And Juliette Binoche is finally a woman worth fighting over. I loved her too.