Everyone needs to see this documentary — a truly eye-opening look at what really goes into the “food” we eat every day, how it has come to this, and the effects it has on us as consumers, workers, and a society.

Essentially, over the years, ignited by the fast food industry in the 50s, almost all our food — even “fresh produce” — has become byproducts and patented intellectual property of giant corporations, engineered for efficiency and economy at the cost of our health and well-being. And the agencies in our government that are supposed to be regulating these industries are often powerless to prosecute because those multinational corps lobby for laws in their favor (Google veggie libel laws) and staff those agencies with their own employees, who act in the interest of the food industry. These companies leverage their bottomless pockets and abuse their government connections to squeeze every last cent from contracted farmers and food industry workers. They go unpunished when children die from E. coli contamination resulting from unsafe processing practices.

It’s all very frustrating.

But, in our own backyards, there are still old-fashioned farmers, producing honest crops and livestock without technology and genetic engineering. Desire for natural food is rising — retail giants like Walmart are stocking organic products because of consumer demand, not because it’s the cheapest. People are voting with their dollars. But it’s definitely an uphill battle. And the slopes are greased with Washington’s red tape.

Here’s the trailer:

You may be able to catch it on TV. It’s available on DVD, download, and Netflix.

My first glimpse of Inception was in the midst of trite and tedious trailers shown before a movie months ago. It stood out from the first shot, and i said: “now that is why you go to the movies!”

Walking out of the IMAX theater after seeing it, i thought the same thing. Really one of the most amazing movie-going experiences i’ve ever had. Visually stunning, clever cast, flawless special effects, cinematic action and technique that up until now you could only dream of. It seemed to have a little something for everybody. At the most basic level it’s a heist flick — a gang of specialists hired to get something. But what they specialize in — stealing ideas from someone’s mind while they dream — is what sets this story apart. There’s so many layers, literally and figuratively — there’s a lot going on. Interestingly the unique plot itself is almost inconsequential, just a vehicle to propel and expose the characters and their relationships and conflicts. I feel like i followed pretty well, but it seems that a second viewing would solidify and clarify some points in my mind. But i also like that many blanks were left to be filled in by the audience. So almost paradoxically it satisfied everything i’d want to see in a film, but left me wanting more.

Decades of summer blockbuster, super hero, sci-fi, and kung-fu flicks, and even visual effects groundbreaker The Matrix could not match the zero-gravity fight scene in the middle of Inception. It wasn’t that the special effects hadn’t been good enough, or the budgets too small, or the action and stunts too limited. They just weren’t high-concept enough, and didn’t have a story able to carry and justify such a visually awe-inspiring scene. Worth the price of admission.

I got to the Airbus IMAX theater at about 9:00 for the 10:30 show, and there were already nine people in line. By 10:10 when they opened the doors, the line had become a mass of at least 300 people filling the entire lower lobby of the Air & Space museum for this sold-out show. It was a great feeling to be at the front of that crowd, to get to choose my seat before them all. Aside from one incredibly obnoxious guy trying to steal a seat from one of my friends, the crowd was great. But the film was so mesmerizing that the audience was in awed silence the whole time.

A simple measure of a “good” film is whether you’re talking about it when you’re walking out of the theater. Inception will have you thinking about and discussing its many layers for quite some time, and probably leave you itching for a second viewing as soon as possible.

I guess it’s sort of a classic comic book irony, but i think it’s almost cheap that Bruce’s parents were killed by his future nemesis, in both this and the ’89 version. The Batman hero therefore being created by the villain.

So i was a bit disappointed with Batman. Obviously, a comparison is in order between this and Dark Knight, both being the Joker flicks. So i’m eager to watch Nolan’s version again with Burton’s rendition fresh in my mind. This was far more comic-booky than i remembered. Long shadows and sinister lighting, steam and smoke, air so thick you can cut it with a knife. Trench coats, fedoras, and pinstripes. Nicholson’s Joker is a joke after Ledger’s masterpiece portrayal — more silly Riddler than mastermind of anarchy. But it seems the point was more Dick Tracy than Bourne Identity. The original was trying to be true to the comic book, where the modern version gives a glimpse of what a real-life millionaire-by-day/crime-fighter-by-night might be like in today’s world.

It looked remarkably 80s — very dated. The wardrobe, the lighting, the film stock, the cars. It all looks like a backlot. Everything has a “pale blue moonlight”. This was still the age where the medium left its signature all over the final product, before the look could be created entirely in post. Nowadays films can look or not look like literally anything the director can imagine (think 300) — they don’t actually even have to have been shot on film. But in a way it works, because this Gotham wasn’t ultra-modern, but almost retro — a big metro from the past, now grimy, gray, run down with crime. The reporters write stories on typewriters, and research on microfilm. Photographers snap with manual focus SLRs and look at big white-bordered prints. They call each other on rotary phones and watch tube TVs in wooden boxes. The guns sound like they were sampled from an old western. But remarkably, it was presented in HD, i assume rescanned from film, and looked great for its age.

But man, that iconic theme. Timeless. To this day it’s instantly recognizable as The Batman Soundtrack. The pop songs included are drastically 80s.

So many classic lines, most delivered by the Jack Nicholson. Some truly terribly special effects (note the opening shot of Batman walking in from the rooftop). Interestingly, the plot tends to stand on its own, tying up all loose ends — Batman “creates” Joker, and it’s revealed that Joker “created” Batman. In Nolan’s Gotham, events are more organic, less tidy.

I think we’ve all seen the horrible rewind shot of Robin splashing in Poison Ivy’s pool. Well i spotted another use here, in the shot where the Batmobile stops in front of Batman, but it looks much better.

Now to watch Dark Knight, and maybe Batman Begins, with a critical eye.

Somehow i’ve never seen The Fugitive before.

The thing that stood out most about this film was how many familiar faces were in it. Most under-the-radar of whom is probably Laverne Scott Caldwell who played Rose on Lost.

What is there to say? Harrison Ford is Harrison Ford: smart, resourceful, and in trouble. Tommy Lee Jones is Tommy Lee Jones: an old cop with a country accent that just wants to go home.

I remember from a class at Full Sail the instructor using The Fugitive as an example of protagonist and antagonist vs hero and villain. Protagonist is the character that changes and the antagonist is the character that doesn’t. Harrison Ford was actually the antagonist: in the beginning: “i didn’t kill my wife”, in the end: “i didn’t kill my wife.” Tommy Lee Jones’ marshal character was therefore the protagonist. I have no idea if that’s “correct”, but for some reason that’s one of those little things that i remember.

Interesting that all the dramatic shots i remember from trailers (jumping from the waterfall) were in the first 20 minutes or so. Drawn out fights between hero and villain for the conclusion bore me. But i like being thrust into a mystery with the hero.

The story fell into the same sequel rut as many other recent action blockbuster sequels. The first movies were interesting and involving because we as viewers are thrust into the mystery or conflict with the hero and we become involved with their success. The sequels then remove that part of the equation and multiply the explosions and bling, and add extra characters and meaningless sponsorships that we have no reason to care about. No thanks.

Meanwhile, i can’t wait to check out Inception.