“I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” – Howard Beale, “Network”
Documentaries have for years done all they can to motivate people to action. They utilize empathy, emotion, logic and fear, and those frustrated enough to act are all just a little angry.
The Oscar nominated documentary “GasLand” and Monday night’s HBO premiere of “Gasland Part 2” appeal to all your senses, but these are angry films with a damn powerful reason to be pissed. As portrayed by Director Josh Fox, “fracking” is not merely irresponsible but a literally life threatening epidemic already spreading across our nation and posing imminent danger to millions around the world.
I write Howard Beale’s words because although as a movie critic I may question a handful of Fox’s choices as a filmmaker, I cannot lie about how deeply both his films moved me. The first informed me about the science and the dangers behind the oil and gas companies’ new method of extracting natural gas from right beneath American soil, and this new film exposed me to the contempt and corruption bred by both the corporations and the American government.
I’m not just mad as hell. I’m fucking furious. Continue reading “GasLand and Gasland Part 2”