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The Ninth Gate Product: The Ninth Gate Discount. List Price: $9.98 Amazon Price: $7.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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Johnny Depp unlocks the gates to hell in Roman Polanski’s newest thriller. Depp stars as Dean Corso, an unscrupulous rare-book dealer who is hired to locate the last remaining copies of “The Nine Gate of the Shadow Kingdom,” a demonic manuscript that can summon the Devil. Corso becomes embroiled in a conspiracy involving murder, theft and satanic ritual, and ultimately finds himself confronting the devil incarnate.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2997 in DVD
• Brand: LION’S GATE ENTERTAINMENT
• Released on: 2007-05-22
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 133 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 0012236212850
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Marvelous…haunting
I approached this DVD with caution, never having seen the film before and noting its three-star review here, but I came away incredibly satisfied.

I partially blame the trailers for this film for the disappointment expressed in some of these reviews (the rest of the blame rests simply on the closed minds of today’s moviegoers). When I first saw the trailer I expected a terrifying occult film filled with demons and supernatural happenings. That would’ve been an easier film to make. What I saw, however, was so much better.

This is a slow-paced film, which moves along quietly, gracefully, and keeps you glued to the screen for its entirety. Cast performances are all wonderful, especially Depp, of course, who continues to choose the most interesting projects in film today. There are no grotesque demons and very few special effects. Polanski’s subtle touch creates images that etch themselves in your mind nonetheless. One example is the wheelchair-bound Baroness careening across the room to burst into her office (don’t want to spoil any more). Suffice it to say that certain images in this film are as terrifyingly memorable as Kubrick’s twins in THE SHINING, for example.

Although this film is not a “horror” film by any standards, I found myself genuinely scared throughout. Evil is always just around the corner. You never doubt its existence and you’re terrified of the moment when it may reveal itself.

The Prince of Darkness comes into his own
Empty your mind of all preconceived ideas about this film before viewing, and it will be a very worthwhile experience. It is not a horror film. It is definitely an occult film that takes a fresh look at the old theme of His Unholiness making an appearance on earth. The Ninth Gate has a superior cast who perform their parts well under the direction of a director with a worldwide reputation for genius, especially when it comes to depicting the darker matters of the mind. The film is what you would expect from such a combination of human talent. The strictly human characters display themselves in such a way that it becomes possible to read their minds and feel their motives. In so doing, the necessity of the one supernatural character becomes abundantly clear.

Johnny Depp plays Curso, a dealer in and locator of rare books who, as Balkan (Langella’s character) points out, is worthy of trust because his loyalty can be bought. Balkan pays the right price to have Depp travel from New York to Lisbon and Paris in search of the two other copies of a rare book Balkan has recently acquired–one that was supposedly co-authored by the Devil and one of his most loyal disciples, the latter of whom was burned at the stake in the 1600’s for his own loyalty. Balkan insists that he thinks only one copy of the book is genuine, and he wants to make sure his copy is the one.

It is obvious that Depp has no idea what he is getting himself into, but for all his cynical disregard of humanity, he becomes the “innocent” in this story, because he is the one person who becomes aware and admits early on that he has no idea what he has gotten into. Balkan says he obtained his copy of the book in a true sale from the owner just before the owner committed suicide. However, the former owner’s widow insists that the book is hers and becomes the first person trying to kill Curso in an effort to get it back–after the best of feminine wiles don’t get the job done. At this point Curso’s “guardian angel”, whom he calls Green Eyes, enters the picture in the guise of a wandering college student whose appearances at first inspire distrust and apprehension until she begins the rather pleasant habit of repeatedly saving Curso’s life.

The mysterious “keys” that will open the Ninth Gate and let the Devil break through are contained in the set of nine woodcuts within each book. The woodcuts each contain interesting jumbled adaptations of various images from the Tarot’s Major Arcana–combinations that give a clue to anyone familiar with the cards and their meanings that everyone’s traditional ideas regarding the occult were either dead wrong all along or they are about to undergo–forgive the expression–one hell of a change. Curso notes that there are significant variations in the woodcuts in each volume of the three existing copies of the book. Apparaently some were drawn by the Devil himself and some by his advocate.

Curso also notes that he is now being hounded not only by the avaricious widow and her hit man, but also by Balkan, who seems to know his every move, not to mention having knowledge about the violent deaths of the owners of the other two manuscripts. Finally it is revealed that Balkan and the widow are involved in a literal battle to the death to become the Master who controls the Ninth Gate and the group of Devil worshippers who are this century’s congregation of those who have been waiting for that Master since the book was first printed 350 years earlier.

There is humor throughout this film, providing necessary comic relief at some very tense moments. That humor is nowhere more evident than in the scene in which the widow (who has managed to temporarily regain Balkan’s copy of the book) is leading the gathering of pathetic self-styled Satanists in an even more pathetic, sterotypical black mass. The scene at its opening is so mundane, you want to groan. Then as it progresses, you realize that is part of the director’s intentional imagery to show how stupid the theories about conjuring up and dealing with Old Scratch have always been.

This guy is supposed to be the all powerful Prince of Darkness, right? This is the guy who can take your soul into hell for all eternity if you agree to the arrangement. And yet throughout history it is believed that if you draw a circle around a pentagram on the ground or floor and stand in it, then mutter a few incantations, the Devil will appear with his forked tail between his legs and do whatever you ask. This is the powerful adversary of the Almighty? Polanski has a very refreshing spin on that idea.

In The Ninth Gate we see Satan as a stronger contender–one perfectly capable of appointing his “chosen one” among men. Tired, evidently, of insulting requests to preside as Master of Ceremonies at orgies and to give individual megalomaniacs the power to rule the world, the Devil has decided to run the show himself and to confer the honors of being his Commander in Chief on a person who has proven himself a champion on the battlefield of mundane evil.

As for that “obscure” ending, we see Curso walking alone toward the last eerie combination of Tarot symbols–The Star (hope) imposed over the twin towers of The Moon (a card generally having to do with the deepest and sometimes most sinister elements of the occult). One tower is behind the other, giving the appearance of the two merging into one Tower (symbol of total destruction). Evidently the party games are over.

A richly textured, beautifully filmed and well-acted modern gothic tale. I highly recommend it.

One big adventure for Depp into the unknown
I watched this not knowing what was in store for me, and at the end of the movie, I was completely in awe of this powerful story. Johnny Depp’s acting is good, but his somewhat scrawny body and his aged looks just weren’t the reason why this movie kept me in my seat throughout. No doubt the story isn’t very realistic - its basically about the forces - mainly the evil forces - in life - greed, lust, power… and Johnny Depp plays an underhanded book dealer who is employed by Balkan (Langella) to go on a trip to Europe to research an ancient Satanic book’s authenticity. This entire movie is about Johnny Depp taking one long and life-threatening adventure tackling issues beyond what he normally avoids in real life.

Emmanuelle Seigner (and this is just some gossip for you - she’s Polanski’s wife in real-life!) plays the mysterious woman who appears to help Depp everytime he’s faced with a life-or-death situation, and this casts suspicion on her true identity - is she human or is she not? What is she? These are all the questions that Polanski poses to the viewer as you go through the film watching Depp go through his journey which seems to be like a cat-and-mouse chase between him and the greedy people who are after the book’s secrets. Seigner is completely mesmerising in her own right. She is very interesting to watch and so charismatic - and rightly so because Polanski filmed her in such a way that drenched her in an even deeper aura of mystery. Olin is good too, she is very convincing in a somewhat shallow role as an out-and-out money-grubbing chic French tramp who bites (literally).

There are certainly loads of questions left unanswered in the movie, but I think this is the intention of the director who wants you the viewer to make out the story how you want to see it. If you like a movie that features a great cast (albeit not your usual “teen heart-throb” Hollywood stars) shot in an European countryside backdrop, and a theme about the “dark forces” that leaves you thinking a bit - then you’re sure to enjoy watching this. This movie has good pace. There’s always something happening around the corner for Depp, and then there’s always the question of “Who exactly is that *girl*?” I loved this whole movie and would recommend it to the right person.

The Gallant Hours Product: The Gallant Hours Discount. List Price: $19.98 Amazon Price: $17.99 Click Here To See Amazon Sale Price Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available

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James Cagney is riveting as the legendary commander of South Pacific forces, Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey, in this extraordinary film that depicts his courageous actions during the Japanese war. 16×9

This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com’s standard return policy will apply.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1768 in DVD
• Released on: 2010-04-27
• Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
• Formats: NTSC, Black & White
• Running time: 116 minutes

A brilliant depiction of the price of leadership. . .
Basically, The Gallant Hours is an episodic biography of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey during the early days of the Second World War, specifically while he was the naval theater commander for the Guadalcanal campaign.

James Cagney is superb in this very unusual war film, which has no combat footage, relying instead on character development and the intensity of interpersonal relationships to tell its story.

Although Admiral Halsey (Cagney) is the central figure, the movie also closely follows the involvement of Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the Japanese theater commander, giving the viewer an interesting and enlightening counterpoint persective in the attitudes, concerns and approaches of the opposing leaders.

The most remarkable feature of The Gallant Hours is its willingness and effectiveness to show emotions seldom dealt with in military movies. One of these shows Halsey in the horrific dilemma of knowing that he is sending two close friends (Admirals Scott and Callaghan) to certain death, but being constrained by circumstance from any alternate course of action. In yet another sequence, Dennis Weaver gives a brilliant portrayal of a combat pilot dealing with the conflicting emotions of being relieved at having survived his mission and yet feeling both disgust and shame for what he is doing as he and his command “roll up a big score.”

For the individual who wants a serious treatment of the personal effects of warfare, without the usual rah-rah, flag-waving and stereotyped villification of opposing forces, The Gallant Hours is a sobering, not to be forgotten movie experience.

The masterful combination of taut direction, a superior cast, eerie soundtrack and a very unusual approach make this remarkable film a must for any military video library.

James Cagney as Rear Admiral “Bull” Halsey
“The Gallant Hours” is one of the more usual bio-pics of a military leader I have ever seen. This is a semi-documentary dramatization of the pivotal role that Rear Admiral William F. “Bull” Halsey, Jr. played as commander of U.S. naval operation in the South Pacific in bringing about the victory at Guadacanal. The framing device is Halsey’s retirement ceremony and the film begins with a moving choral arranged by Roger Wagner that tells us: “I knew a lad who went to sea / and left the shore behind him / I knew him well the lad was me / and now I cannot find him.” The hymn sets an almost religious tone for the film that seems rather strange given the events depicted and the approach of the director. Contrast this with the running bit about getting Admiral Halsey to take his shots.

The film is directed by U.S.N.R. Comdr. Robert Montgomery, the actor who served in the Navy during World War II but who is better remembered today as being the father of actress Elizabeth Montgomery. One of the most surprising things about this film is that is a war movie without any battle scenes. There are battles, but we hear about them rather than see them. Mostly “The Gallant Hours” is about Halsey’s command decisions and the way he worked with his subordinates (when the Chief of Staff of the admiral he replaces because he provides contrary views). There are many scenes that consist mainly of a subordinate bringing Halsey dispatches and him thoughtfully coming up with responses.

Halsey, as the cover art emphasizes, is James Cagney, in what would prove to be his second to last film before he retired from acting for twenty years. Having met with Halsey, Cagney was struck by how the navy man hardly made any extraneous gestures, and the actor made a point of excising all of his well-known mannerisms from the performance. Cagney’s presence is critical to the film because with it this 115-minute film would have been tedious. However, his presence allows Montgomery to focus on the decision making process during a war in more detail than any other film that comes to mind (”Command Decision” would be in the running, but this one has it beat). Clearly you can do a talking head war movie when the main talking head is James Cagney.

The film is as much about the duel between Halsey and his Japanese counterpart, Admiral Yamamoto (James T. Goto), which becomes not only a question of winning the battle to control Guadacanal but a personal attempt to kill each other. The Japanese commander is portrayed as a worthy opponent and there is as much attention to the aspects of his work as there is to that of Halsey. Biographical details abound in this documentary. Every time Halsey meets somebody a voice over tells us not only who they are but what is going to happen to them. The guy who is driving the jeep is an hour away from being short by a sniper and becoming a paraplegic for the rest of his life. A squad heads out on Guadacanal and we learn that only three of them are coming back. The details are such that I would have sworn this film was adapted from a book, but there is no book by that title or any other work cited as the source for this story.

The screenplay is by Frank D. Gilroy and Beirne Lay Jr. Lay was the co-author of “Twelve O’Clock High” and it is interesting that like the film version of that classic World War II novel there is a scene in which the central character waits out a pivotal moment alone in his office, living out the battle in his own mind. In case you are not sure what the moral of “The Gallant Hours” happens to be, Cagney reminds us with a voice over at the end: “There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.” Of course, “The Gallant Hours” pretty much disproves that point, at least with regards to the man at the top in the South Pacific.

One of the Greatest War Movies of All Time
There are no combat scenes - none. Yet the battle sequences are among the most powerful I can remember. Halsey, having bet the farm on his attack of a superior Japenese fleet, sits alone in his quarters waiting for the battle to begin, waiting for word from the Combat Information Center, while in the background disembodied radio chatter chronicles the preparations of war. Wow. Cagney’s face is all you need to see. Your tension increases with his. And then his transformation into a warrior leaves you unable to take a breath.
The black and white movie uses a narator to solve brilliantly some complex story telling problems, and background music is by a male chorus. And this stuff really works. Robert Montgomery, a competent actor in his own right, directed.
I have an old copy taken off the air 20 years ago that I am wearing out. I sure hope the DVD comes out soon.

Bill Wood

Electronic Cigarettes Starter Kit

CallaneticsEvolution Review. Compare & Purchase CallaneticsEvolution at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: $24.99 Amazon Price: $22.49 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

CallaneticsEvolution Description:

CallaneticsEvolution Body by Design Toning Program introduces new exercises and training techniques. This revolutionary fitness program features three different types of muscle pulsing and unique body alignment principles that work together allowing you to design the body you’ve always wanted. Also included in this DVD! Callanetics Concepts teaches you the principles of the Callanetics Method which include the pelvic floor muscles and body alignment. And, Callanetics To Go shows you how to incorporate Callanetics into your everyday life.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8121 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-09-06
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Format: NTSC
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 63 minutes

Customer Reviews:

Get ready to work.
For years I did the original Callenetics with my mother (10 years younger in 10 days). Back then I was a size four and with the help of the exercises I shrank to a size zero. 20 years later, and four kids later, I am out of shape and feeling it.
I purchased this DVD because of all the rave reviews. After receiving it, I put it in my DVD player and the thing didn’t play. I put in the computer and it said that the disc was blank. So, after receiving a replacement copy, I sat down first and reviewed how to do the different exercises.

Firstly, they look easy. I remember thinking that about the original Callenetics too. Reviewing the DVD I thought, well I’ll be able to do this with no problem. Boy was I ever wrong!

The warm up exercises go at a faster pace than the original warm-up do. This is actually a good thing because with out the accelerated pace my muscles don’t stretch as well. The underarm exercises are far more intense than I remember them being, with the change of position you get a workout nearly everywhere.

For the legs, I loved the change of leg position. I also love that you don’t need a couch to put your legs on, and I really felt the effects of these exercises right away. My legs have always been strong and muscular, even after gaining weight, so it was important to me that the exercises not be to… wimpy. I also liked that they incorporated the advanced behind and hip portion into the leg exercise, another combination exercise!

I noticed that another reviewer regretted the omission of the behind and hip exercises that had us on our knees. I can honestly say that I don’t miss them one bit. I always felt those in my knees even when I was younger and never felt comfortable doing them. The new behind and hip exercises also do not require a bar to work from (or couch, whatever). I find that the lay down position is very comfortable for me and I appreciate the change.

As for the stomach, these are torture. I was only able to do one set of these (which are the advanced exercises from the original version) before falling onto the floor. I had to modify and do what I could in this position and then reverted to the old way to finish them out. I have only done the exercises twice, but I hope to be strong enough to do the entire set of reps in another week or so.

Also included on the DVD are exercises to promote upper body strength, I do believe that this was missing from the original program and like that it can help give that more “cut” look to the back and arms. This program also allows for holding hand weights for many of the exercises to quicken the process.

Negatives:

The instructor often doesn’t tell you how many contractions to do. I’m not sure why, sometimes she says to do up to 75 and sometimes she doesn’t say anything.

The inner thigh exercises are lacking. Although some of the exercises work the inner thigh along with the leg, they don’t have nearly the impact that the inner thigh squeeze does, so I have added them to my workout.

The stomach exercises aren’t for everyone. These are the advanced exercises from Callan’s original program. I was able to do these when I was sixteen and in shape, but not any more. While I like that they are included, I think they should have the woman demonstrating beginner moves do the original stomach exercises for those of us with weak backs and stomachs.

I’m not sure if this is a negative, but I would have liked to see women of different levels and strengths doing the exercises rather than three women who obviously had been doing them for a while. Even though they had the older woman taking breaks and demonstrating alternate moves, it was obvious that she didn’t need to be doing the exercises this way.

Overall, this was a great buy for me. I started the exercises on Tuesday (today is Thursday) and am having my husband create a photo diary of my progress. Already there is a noticeable difference in my neck, behind, and upper stomach. It is exciting to see changes in my body almost immediately after doing the exercises. Yes, I am sore, but it is a good place to be as I work towards a better body with Callenetics.

A Great Addition to a Callanetics Collection
I’ve been doing Super Callanetics 2-3 times weekly for over a year and was getting burned out. Glad to see this new program, as it works the muscles very deeply and also contains some upper body strength and toning, which the original Callanetics programs lack. The day after I did this workout for the first time I couldn’t believe how sore I was! A couple more sessions and the soreness disappeared. The variety of “pulses” — traditional up and down, circular and rotational — let you choose your intensity levels. The DVD itself is well-chaptered and the instructor is very thorough and likeable. If you are new to Callanetics, start with the original by Callan herself, as her explanations of the principles behind the exercises are easier to grasp than on this new DVD. Once you have mastered the basic Callanetics one-hour program, Callanetics Evolution is a great addition to your workout.

New and Improved Model
In the 1980’s, I learned callanetics from the original book. Like many, my exercise lapsed over the years. Now, twenty five years later, I am working out three days a week with a beginner, intermediate and advanced student on the Callanetics Evolution DVD. The techniques are familiar but improved, and the results are FAST. My husband has already commented on my new and improved derriere! A beginner may avoid frustration and get more mileage by picking up a used copy of the Ten Years Younger book or DVD to perfect form before moving into the Evolution lane.

Review
“The CallaneticsEvolution exercises…add significant improvements to the traditional Callanetics Method with new exercises that incorporate the CallaneticsConcepts…This new addition to the Callanetics Collection offers a workout designed to align and integrate the body safely and more effectively.” –Tom Myers, Director of Kinesis,Inc.

How To Raise Credit Score

Food, Inc. Sale-$9.99! Compare & Purchase Food, Inc. at Amazon by clicking here! List Price: $26.98 Amazon Price: $9.99 Click Here To Purchase At Amazon!

Food, Inc. Description:

Food, Inc. lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing how our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the
livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Food, Inc. reveals surprising and often shocking truths about what we eat, how it’s produced and who we have become as a nation.

Q&A with Producer/Director Robert Kenner, Co-Producer/Food Expert Eric Schlosser, Food Expert Michael Pollan and Producer Elise Pearlstein

How did this film initially come about?
Kenner: Eric Schlosser and I had been wanting to do a documentary version of his book, Fast Food Nation.  And, for one reason or another, it didn’t happen. By the time Food, Inc. started to come together, we began talking and realized that all food has become like fast food, and all food is being created in the same manner as fast food.

How has fast food changed the food we buy at the supermarket?
Schlosser: The enormous buying power of the fast food industry helped to transform the entire food production system of the United States.  So even when you purchase food at the supermarket, you’re likely to be getting products that came from factories, feedlots and suppliers that emerged to serve the fast food chains.

How many years did it take to do this film and what were the challenges?
Kenner: From when Eric and I began talking, about 6 or 7 years.  The film itself about 2 ½ years.  It has taken a lot longer than we expected because we were denied access to so many places.

Pearlstein: When Robby brought me into the project, he was adamant about wanting to hear all sides of the story, but it was nearly impossible to gain access onto industrial farms and into large food corporations.  They just would not let us in.  It felt like it would have been easier to penetrate the Pentagon than to get into a company that makes breakfast cereal.  The legal challenges on this film were also unique.  We found it necessary to consult with a first amendment lawyer throughout the entire filming process.

Who or what influenced your film?
Kenner: This film was really influenced by Eric Schlosser and Fast Food Nation, but then as we were progressing and had actually gotten funding, it became very influenced as well by Michael Pollan and his book Omnivore’s Dilemma. 

And then, as we went out into the world, we became really incredibly influenced by a lot of the farmers we met.

What was the most surprising thing you learned?
Kenner: As we set out to find out how our food was made, I think the thing that really became most shocking is when we were talking to a woman, Barbara Kowalcyk, who had lost her son to eating a hamburger with E. coli, and she’s now dedicated her life to trying to make the food system safer. It’s the only way she can recover from the loss of her child. But when I asked her what she eats, she told me she couldn’t tell me because she would be sued if she answered.

Or we see Carol possibly losing her chicken farm … or we see Moe, a seed cleaner who’s just being sued for amounts that there’s no way he can pay, even though he’s not guilty of anything.  Then we realized there’s something going on out there that supersedes foods. Our rights are being denied in ways that I had never imagined. And it was scary and shocking. And that was my biggest surprise.

So, what does our current industrialized food system say about our values as a nation?
Pollan: It says we value cheap, fast and easy when it comes to food like so many other things, and we have lost any connection to where our food comes from.

Kenner: I met a cattle rancher and he said, you know, we used to be scared of the Soviet Union or we used to think we were so much better than the Soviet Union because we had many places to buy things.  And we had many choices.  We thought if we were ever taken over, we’d be dominated where we’d have to buy one thing from one company, and how that’s not the American way.  And he said you look around now, and there’s like one or two companies dominating everything in the food world. We’ve become what we were always terrified of.

And that just always haunted me – how could this happen in America?  It seems very un-American that we would be so dominated, and then so intimidated by the companies that are dominating this marketplace.

How has the revolving door relationship between giant food companies and Washington affected the food industry?
Pearlstein: We discovered that the food industry has managed to shape a lot of laws in their favor.  For example, massive factory farms are not considered real factories, so they are exempt from emissions standards that other factories face.  A surprising degree of regulation is voluntary, not mandatory, which ends up favoring the industry. 

What have been the consequences for the American consumer?
Kenner: Most American consumers think that we are being protected.  But that is not the case.  Right now the USDA does not have the authority to shut down a plant that is producing contaminated meat.  The FDA and the USDA have had their inspectors cut back.  And it’s for these companies now to self-police, and what we’ve found is, when there’s a financial interest involved, these companies would rather make the money and be sued than correct it.  Self-policing has really just been a miserable failure.  And I think that’s been really quite harmful to the American consumer and to the American worker. 

Pearlstein: The food industry has succeeded in keeping some very important information about their products hidden from consumers.  It’s outrageous that genetically modified foods don’t need to be labeled.  Today more than 70% of processed foods in the supermarket are genetically modified and we have absolutely no way of knowing.  Whatever your position, you should have the right to make informed choices, and we don’t.  Now the FDA is contemplating whether or not to label meat and milk from cloned cows.  It seems very basic that consumers should have the right to know if they’re eating a cloned steak.

Is it possible to feed a nation of millions without this kind of industrialized processing?
Pollan: Yes.  There are alternative ways of producing food that could improve Americans’ health.  Quality matters as much as quantity and yield is not the measure of a healthy food system.  Quantity improves a population’s health up to a point; after that, quality and diversity matters more.  And it’s wrong to assume that the industrialized food system is feeding everyone well or keeping the population healthy.  It’s failing on both counts.

There is a section of the film that reveals how illegal immigrants are the faceless workers that help to bring food to our tables.  Can you give us a profile of the average worker?
Schlosser: The typical farm worker is a young, Latino male who does not speak English and earns about $10,000 a year.  The typical meatpacking worker has a similar background but earns about twice that amount.  A very large proportion of the nation’s farm workers and meatpackers are illegal immigrants.

Why are there so many Spanish-speaking workers?
Kenner: The same thing that created obesity in this country, which is large productions of cheap corn, has put farmers out of work in foreign countries, whether it’s Mexico, Latin America or around the world.  And those farmers can no longer grow food and compete with the U.S.’ subsidized food.  So a lot of these farmers needed jobs and ended up coming into this country to work in our food production.

And they have been here for a number of years.  But what’s happened is that we’ve decided that it’s no longer in the best interests of this country to have them here.  But yet, these companies still need these people and they’re desperate, so they work out deals where they can have a few people arrested at a certain time so it doesn’t affect production. But it affects people’s lives.  And these people are being deported, put in jail and sent away, but yet, the companies can go on and it really doesn’t affect their assembly line.  And what happens is that they are replaced by other, desperate immigrant groups.

Could the American food industry exist without illegal immigrants?
Schlosser: The food industry would not only survive, but it would have a much more stable workforce.  We would have much less rural poverty.  And the annual food bill of the typical American family would barely increase.  Doubling the hourly wage of every farm worker in this country might add $50 at most to a family’s annual food bill.

What are scientists doing to our food and is it about helping food companies’ bottom line or about feeding a growing population?
Schlosser: Some scientists are trying to produce foods that are healthier, easier to grow, and better for the environment.  But most of the food scientists are trying to create things that will taste good and can be made cheaply without any regard to their social or environmental consequences.

I am not opposed to food science.  What matters is how that science is used … and for whose benefit.

Can a person eat a healthy diet from things they buy in the supermarket if they are not buying organic? If so, how?
Pollan: Yes, the supermarkets still carry real food.  The key is to shop the perimeter of the store and stay out of the middle where most of the processed food lurks.

How are low-income families impacted at the supermarket?
Kenner: Things are really stacked against low-income families in this country.  There is a definite desire of the food companies to sell more product to these people because they have less time, they’re working really hard and they have fewer hours in their day to cook.  And the fast food is very reasonably priced.  Coke is selling for less than water.  So when these things are happening, it’s easier for low-income families sometimes to just go in and have a quick meal if they don’t get home until 10 o’clock at night.  At the moment, our food is unfairly priced towards bad food.

And, in the same way that tobacco companies went after low-income people because they were heavy users, food companies are going after low-income people because they can market to them, they can make it look very appealing.

What can low-income families do to eat healthier?
Schlosser: As much as possible, they can avoid cheap, processed foods and fast foods.  It’s possible to eat well and inexpensively.  But it takes more time and effort to do so, and that’s not easy when you’re working two jobs and trying to just to keep your head above water.  The sad thing is that these cheap foods are ultimately much more expensive when you factor in the costs of all the health problems that come later.

Pollan: It’s possible to eat healthy food on a budget but it takes a greater investment of time.  If you are willing to cook and plan ahead, you can eat local, sustainable food on a budget.

If someone wanted to get involved and help change the system, what would you suggest they do?
Pearlstein: I hope people will want to be more engaged in the process of eating and shopping for food.  We have learned that there are a lot of different fronts to fight on this one, and people can see what most resonates with them.  Maybe it’s really just “voting with their forks” – eating less meat, buying different food, buying from companies they feel good about, going to farmers markets.

People can try to find a CSA – community supported agriculture – where you buy a share in a farm and get local food all year.  That really helps support farmers and you get fresh, seasonal food.  On the local political level, people can work on food access issues, like getting more markets into low income communities, getting better lunch programs in schools, trying to get sodas out of schools.  And on a national level, we’ve learned that reforming the Farm Bill would have a huge influence on our food system. It requires some education, but it is something we should care about.

What do you hope people take away from this film?
Schlosser: I hope it opens their eyes.

Kenner: That things can change in this country. It changed against the big tobacco companies.  We have to influence the government and readjust these scales back into the interests of the consumer.  We did it before, and we can do it again.

Pollan: A deeper knowledge of where their food comes from and a sense of outrage over how their food is being produced and a sense of hope and possibility of the alternatives springing up around the country.  Food, Inc. is the most important and powerful film about our food system in a generation.

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7 in DVD
• Brand: MAGNOLIA PICT HM ENT
• Released on: 2009-11-03
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish
• Dubbed in: Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Features

• ISBN13: 0876964002165
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Customer Reviews:

Essential viewing—you need to look under the veil
“Food, Inc.” does more than serve as an exposé on the United States food industry–it connects the dots between the nefarious, contemptuous business practices of multinational corporations and their best friends, the compromised government regulatory agencies such as the USDA, FDA, and EPA, who have in the past been led by folks well connected within the very industries they are supposed to regulate.

But let’s hold on a minute. Filmmaker Robert Kenner’s documentary could have been just a dour, paranoid investigative piece and still told the truth. Instead, Mr. Kenner has made a color, fast-paced, and well-documented account of the state of the food supply in our country; the unintended consequences of the efficiencies, short-cuts, and technological methods inherent in factory farming; the insidious insider relationship between the meat industry and the agencies that should be regulating it; and the health effects, including diabetes, of consuming processed foods and fast foods.

Naturally, the culprits behind the curtain (e.g., Smithfield, Monsanto, Perdue) would not appear on camera, not because they are cowards but precisely because they are so powerfully connected, and have legions of lawyers and enforcers (yes, like any bully, these outfits do use intimidation), and are moving to control free speech and criticism of their practices.

The counterbalance to the doom and gloom comes from interview with small farmers; with entrepreneurs in the organic food business; and with brave folks who have tried to make a stand against the food industry; and with those experts who are striving to be modern day Paul Reveres in the face of mass indifference.

Kenner uses photography and imagery to make his points, and he interlaces this film with scenes of amazing beauty and graphic cruelty. “Food, Inc.” is not an easy film to watch, and it should not be. Kenner uses the final frames to deliver some to-do’s for those who want to respond to the film not just in conversation but through action. As trite as it sounds, if you can only see one movie this year, go to this one. (When the negative review start cropping up for this movie, it would be interesting to see how many of those are from food industry insiders and their minions.)

A food monoculture
Robert Kenner’s movie is a perfect illustration of F. William Engdahl’s book `Seeds of Destruction’, which explains how international agribusinesses are trying to monopolize vertically and horizontally (and profit from) food production on a world scale.

The world’s food chain is built mainly on heavily subsidized and, therefore, cheap corn. In fact, all humans chew corn the whole day long from bread over meat (all animals are fed with corn) to deserts and drinks. Transnational corporations are even trying to learn fish to eat corn. Corn becomes nearly a food monoculture.
A particular transnational company even developed through genetic engineering highly efficient corn seed which it patented, thereby creating a nearly seed monopoly. Buyers cannot use the produce of the seeds as plant seed for future harvests. The company’s own inspection force controls with hawk eyes that its clients buy new genetically modified seed every year. Some of the company’s supporters and former directors occupy key positions in US governments and government administrations (FDA).

The movie shows the disastrous effects of intensive farming on animals, as well as the health and environmental risks of diminished standards at livestock farming and slaughtering houses.
Fortunately, some biological farmers show more respect for their animals and for their clients.

At the end of the movie, the makers give a perfect list of recommendations for those wishing to eat `healthy’ food.

This movie is a must see for all those who want to understand the world we live in.

This is the movie that the American public needs to see.
What can be more important than the food you eat? This is the movie that the American public needs to see. This movie deals with issues that each and every one of us faces every day–without even knowing it. Covering all sorts of food-related issues, from animal cruelty to the agricultural triumph of corn, this movie will leave you more informed than you were before, and will empower you to make a difference, at least in your own buying habits.

Take the time to watch. We’re all slaves to the food system–at least educate yourself to how it works.

Amazon.com
For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact. Director Robert Kenner explores the subject from all angles, talking to authors, advocates, farmers, and CEOs, like co-producer Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma), Gary Hirschberg (Stonyfield Farms), and Barbara Kowalcyk, who’s been lobbying for more rigorous standards since E. coli claimed the life of her two-year-old son. The filmmaker takes his camera into slaughterhouses and factory farms where chickens grow too fast to walk properly, cows eat feed pumped with toxic chemicals, and illegal immigrants risk life and limb to bring these products to market at an affordable cost. If eco-docs tends to preach to the converted, Kenner presents his findings in such an engaging fashion that Food, Inc. may well reach the very viewers who could benefit from it the most: harried workers who don’t have the time or income to read every book and eat non-genetically modified produce every day. Though he covers some of the same ground as Super-Size Me and King Corn, Food Inc. presents a broader picture of the problem, and if Kenner takes an understandably tough stance on particular politicians and corporations, he’s just as quick to praise those who are trying to be responsible–even Wal-Mart, which now carries organic products. That development may have more to do with economics than empathy, but the consumer still benefits, and every little bit counts. –Kathleen C. Fennessy

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