Closed Captioned
Grades 10-12, College, Adult
Directed by Daniel B. Gold and Judith Helfand
DVD Purchase $295, Rent $95
, Rent $95
US Release Date: 2007
Copyright Date: 2006
DVD ISBN: 1-59458-705-1
VHS ISBN: 1-59458-704-3
Subjects
Activism
American Studies
Anthropology
Arctic Studies
Business Practices
Climate Change/Global Warming
Communication
Energy
Environment
Geography
Global Issues
Government
History
Human Rights
Humanities
Journalism
Marketing and Advertising
Media Literacy
Political Science
Renewable Energy
Science
Technology
Society
Social Justice
Social Psychology
Sociology
Sustainability
Awards and Festivals
Sundance Film Festival
South by Southwest Film Festival
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Hot Docs, Canadian International Documentary Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
Best Environmental Film, Southern Appalachian International Film Festival
Best of the Fest List, Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Documentary, Eckerd College Environmental Film Festival
Third Place, North American Assn for Environmental Education/Albert I Pierce Foundation Film & Video Festival
Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
Society for Visual Anthropology, American Anthropological Association, Film Festival
American Sociological Association's Annual Meeting Film/Video Screenings
Vermont International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
Ashland Independent Film Festival
Leeds International Film Festival
Bergen International Film Festival
Mendocino Film Festival
Maui Film Festival
BendFilm Festival
American Conservation Film Festival
Provincetown Film Festival
Traverse City Film Festival
Guelph International Film Festival
Cucalorus Film Festival
Fresno Film Festival
Tales from Planet Earth Film Festival
Silver Lake Film Festival's "Sustainable LA"
RiverRun International Film Festival
Israel Eco Cinema
Princeton Environmental Film Festival
Green Mountain Film Festival
Frozen River Film Festival
Examines the media strategies, on both sides, that have resulted in the US government's failure to take decisive action on global warming.
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"Downright euphoric in its sense of ordinary people doing their part for the planet." Robert Fuentes, Variety |
EVERYTHING'S COOL is a "toxic comedy" about the most dangerous chasm ever to emerge between scientific understanding and political action - Global Warming. The good news: America finally gets global warming; the chasm is closing and the debate is over. The bad news: the United States, the country that will determine the fate of the globe, must transform its fossil fuel based economy fast, (like in a minute).
While the industry funded naysayers sing what just might be their swan song of scientific doubt and deception, a group of self-appointed global warming messengers are on a life or death quest to find the iconic image, proper language, and points of leverage that will help the public go from understanding the urgency of the problem to creating the political will necessary to push for a new energy economy. Hold on -- this is bigger than changing your light bulbs.
EVERYTHING'S COOL features a renowned cast of scientists, journalists and activists including Step It Up's Bill McKibben, Pulitzer Prize winner Ross Gelbspan, The Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen, the "bad boys of environmentalism" Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus, and White House whistleblower Rick Piltz.
From the producers of the environmental cult classic Blue Vinyl.
Reviews
"EVERYTHING'S COOL can be downright euphoric in its sense of ordinary people doing their part for the planet."
Robert Fuentes, Variety
"This movie outrages and inspires. It's not about the science of climate change, rather it's about the politics. It's an upbeat critique, not only of the industrial-political complex confusing the public on climate change, but also of the environmental movement that fails to capture the hearts of the American public. EVERYTHING'S COOL provides reasons to be angry, but also provides counterbalancing inspirational examples of individual actions and local political successes."
Steven Roof, Associate Professor of Earth and Environmental Science, Hampshire College
"Outstanding...This is a truly revealing film, giving substantive examination of the lukewarm reception to an issue that calls for personal changes and sacrifices. It is filled with detailed information, presented with a quick pace and upbeat tone. This film is highly recommended due to its timely and cogent content and presentation."
Michael J. Coffta, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Educational Media Reviews Online
"EVERYTHING'S COOL tells the story of why the American people don't take the problem of climate change as seriously as they might. It lays out the deliberate obfuscation by those who profit from the status quo and the accidental obfuscation by scientists and the environmental movement who failed to speak the language of regular people. It is a story that should serve as a lesson to those of us who want to communicate the urgency of climate change in such a way that we ignite people's passions to make the dramatic changes necessary. It is a story Americans should see."
Cindy L. Parker MD, MPH, Co-Director, Program on Global Sustainability and Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
"The film is informational and also serves as a springboard for debates concerning the role of media, money, and government decision making. Classes in government, journalism, communications and environmental science can utilize this thought-provoking offering."
School Library Journal
"The new EVERYTHING'S COOL is the best movie I've ever seen about global warming for kids in junior high school."
The New York Sun
"With wit and passion, Gold and Helfand marshal a plethora of data and developments yet never lose their narrative thread...EVERYTHING'S COOL is chock full of pithy observations."
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"The doc is notable for continuing where An Inconvenient Truth left off, delving into the political censorship that has kept global warming a non-issue in the United States for so long, and doing so through a uniquely character-driven method that shows how foot soldiers like Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Ross Gelbspan and Weather Channel climate expert Heidi Cullen continue to fight the good fight against ghouls whose hands are in the pockets of the country's gas and oil companies."
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
"There are no CO2 graphs in EVERYTHING'S COOL. Instead, the film tells the fascinating story of the message itself...All of this alone makes for compelling documentary. But what really makes this film significant is its unique perspective on the surprising shift in public perception that has transformed global warming from a fringe issue to a mainstream concern in just the last two years...The result is a remarkable time capsule."
The Austin Chronicle
"A breezy polemic about the politics of global warming."
Stephen Holden, The New York Times
"If An Inconvenient Truth can be considered one bookend, then EVERYTHING'S COOL can definiely stand as the other. This is an important documentary, and, in many ways, a profile in courage."
Ashland Daily Tidings
"Provid[es] a viable argument from both sides in a quirky, witty fashion that makes learning about our screw-ups, well, kind of enjoyable."
**** Zack Haddad, FilmThreat.com
"EVERYTHING'S COOL has the same kind of dark yet perky voice [as Blue Vinyl"
Boston Globe
"Offers viewers an opportunity to meet the relatively unknown researchers, scientists, and activists who've helped shape public and political opinion on global warming for the better."
Mel Valentin, HollywoodBitchSlap.com
"All in all, EVERYTHING'S COOL lets you see that everything isn't and also how urgent this situation really is."
Rene Hill, The Royal Gazette
"[The filmmakers'] evident conviction that individual activism isn't futile is a refreshing alternative to the oppressive gloom of most documentaries on the subject of catastrophic climate change. They don't downplay the material's seriousness, but they know a spoonful of humor helps the message go down."
Time Out New York
"Move over Al Gore and Leonardo DiCaprio, the EVERYTHING'S COOL gang has got a 'hot' new documentary about global warming...Everything's Cool: A Toxic Comedy About Global Warming is a great film that does a lot to further public discourse about climate change. In addition to the above more serious stuff, there are a lot of funny moments, and some very inspirational ones as well."
GreenMuze.com
"EVERYTHING'S COOL has the goods to convert the staunchest skeptics, and that's the highest compliment that a global warming film can get."
Orion Magazine