Avatar & Enviro-Films: Sunday's Oscar Battle Unfolds

Sunday is Hollywood’s biggest night of the year: Academy Award time! 

Here are a few of the films with an environmental message to watch out for:

• Avatar: With 9 nominations, Avatar is one of my favorite movies this year – especially after seeing it with in IMAX 3D.  This film had an entertaining storyline (although many moviegoers complain they’ve “seen it before”), incredible special effects & was overall fun to watch.  Although critics claim Avatar is “Global Warming Propaganda”, the threat of humans attempt to pillage Pandora for natural resources does sound familiar… Is it that bad to have a pro-environmental message in entertainment?  So many movies do have themes – Political, war, history, (insert any theme here).  Plus, this isn’t something that Pocahontas, the Day After Tomorrow or Erin Brockovich haven’t done before.  Another cool factor of Avatar: They found mini-flying dragons in Indonesia.
• The Cove: Up for Best Documentary Feature, this film about Dolphins in Japan covers both character traits and the Japanese’s brutal slaughter of these animals.  This film uncovers the (other) dangerous side of hunting: it’s mislabeled for whale meat but the Dolphin ‘meat’ has toxic levels of mercury.  The good news: Since the film’s release, Taiji, Japan has been releasing Dolphins.
• Food, Inc.: Also up for Best Documentary Feature, this expose shows the hidden side of US’s food supply – between agriculture, practices, ingredients and corporate practices.  Given our recent number of food-related stories, the link from environmental practices to what we’re eating is very interrelated.

What movies are you rooting for to win an Oscar?  Does an eco-twist influence your picks?

Posted by Julie