Rental movies from SYRCL's film fest reviewed; Five mini-reviews [2006]
Following are some mini-reviews by movie reviewer Chuck Jaffee of environmental and adventure films that were shown at SYRCL's recent film festival, which are now available for rent. The cost is $3.50 for each DVD for one week for members or $5 for nonmembers. SYRCL's office is at 216 Main St., Nevada City; hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Do not call to reserve. Visit online at wildandscenicfilmfestival.org.
"Buyer Be Fair": John de Graaf, speaking at the festival, complimented Nevada City by suggesting it is the kind of town that would be one of the first in the U.S. to declare itself a "fair trade" town. His film demonstrates what it means to set up a mechanism where the products we buy can provide fair wages and economic opportunity to disadvantaged farmers and artisans worldwide.
"Coastal Clash": Property rights vs. environmental protection. It's a sensitive confrontation, to say the least. What irks is the price of Pacific Coast real estate. It threatens, to a developing extent, to make access to the magnificence and respite of the California coast a privilege of the rich. Find out some interesting things about knowing the access laws and about seeing a beautiful coastline for activism.
"In Defense of the Biscuit": In Southwest Oregon, a timber company begins trampling another outpost of our dwindling wilderness. The civil disobedience that unfolds in this homegrown documentary slowly grows on you. By the end of the film, you feel the respect nourished by assertive, nonviolent activism. You feel a palpable connection with individual souls, and combined soul, and the need for more souls to join the effort.
"Kilowatt Ours": With its modest personal approach to activism, this documentary carries a sweeping environmental awareness theme. It starts at the mountain tops of West Virginia being leveled to mine coal, a very dirty and depleting source of energy. It drives past the distraction of nuclear powered thinking to the things we can do in our homes and businesses to consume energy more sustainably.
"The Lost People of Mountain Village": Funny comes in many forms. It can be fun to see environmentalists taking themselves too seriously. The satirical result of this deadpan mockumentary about luxury housing near Telluride, Colo., is an archeological dig at the culture of overconsumption.