I had the pleasure of being one of the National Post’s feuding film buffs this week. I was the token "lefty" in a lively panel discussion about Al Gore’s new film An Inconvenient Truth.
Part of our debate was published in yesterday's newspaper. Here’s some of what I said:
Everyone should see this film. Global warming is one of the most serious issues facing humanity in this century. That is not alarmist or extremist. It's scientific fact. Gore gets that point across very effectively in this film. (Who knew a PowerPoint presentation could be so captivating?) Before I saw the movie, I was worried his presence would have a polarizing effect on the audience and make it easy to dismiss global warming as a "liberal" issue. Fortunately, the film explains the dangers of global warming in a non-partisan way. My only complaint is that the overall tone of the film is so stark that it's easy to leave the theatre feeling overwhelmed and powerless, despite the list of "things you can do" spliced in with the credits. If the film's creators are hoping to jolt the public and our political leaders into action, I'm not sure they will succeed. Fear and shame are not positive motivators.
You can read the rest of my thoughts along with the entire debate in the National Post for free here.
Bonus material: Read the juicy bits that didn’t make it into the newspaper here (also free).
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