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Review: Dirty Energy (2012)
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Mark Leeper
Feb 4, 2013, 11:35:25 AM2/4/13
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DIRTY ENERGY
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is deemed the
United States's worst oil disaster, almost twenty times
greater than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Uncapped for
three months, the efforts to well spewed an estimated
53,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Virtually every
aspect of the attempts to stanch the flow and make
reparations have been called into question. DIRTY
ENERGY looks at the victims of the disaster and
presents a bewildering litany of injustices and
inappropriate action. Writer/producer/director Bryan
D. Hopkins reports on the damage and collects
interviews with the victims of the disaster. While
missing fair representation of British Petroleum, the
unrepaired ravages of the disaster are shocking and
underscore the need for effective regulation of the
petroleum industry. Rating: low +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling on behalf of
British Petroleum (BP) had a gusher that caused an explosion
killing eleven workers. BP found itself unable to cap the
wellhead, which spewed every day at least 53,000 barrels of crude
oil up into the Gulf of Mexico. BP promised to control to stop the
flow and to repair the damage done to the people and the
environment. DIRTY ENERGY looks at how far short of the promise BP
fell and how little of BP's obligation has been fulfilled.
From the beginning BP's strategy was allegedly more cover up than
clean up. Rather than collecting the oil the cleanup people made
heavy use of dispersants to spread the released oil more thinly but
more widely to be absorbed by more sea life and ending in our food
supply. Wild life, fishing, tourism, business, health, and more
are victims of the spill and Hopkins goes from one to another
assessing the damage done, frighteningly and comprehensively.
Interviewees compare the results of this oil spill with that of the
Exxon Valdez and compare the size of this disaster with that of
Hurricane Katrina.
Issue is taken with the degree of power that BP was given during
the time of the cleanup. Effectively BP could close the beaches to
people who would want to see that the cleanup was being completed
properly. Sadly the only people with anything like the facilities
to attack the problems being faced were those with the most to gain
by a cover-up. Slicks would be found and reported only to be gone
the next day due to overnight use of dispersants to hide the
problem.
The film hits again and again on what great earthy people the
victims of the oil spill are and what a great life they had taken
away from them by the oil spill and its aftermath. I suppose that
adds texture to the film, but even if the people were not earthy
and did not love what they did, there would have been just as much
of an injustice done to them. It is not surprising that Hopkins
was unable to get representatives and allies of BP on camera to
present their point of view about the disaster. What is missing is
evidence that Hopkins even tried. A few instances of where BP was
invited to respond and declined would have gone a long way to
convince the viewer that Hopkins was at least attempting to present
a balanced viewpoint.
Occasionally stylistic choices are questionable. Some of the shots
of the disaster are shown with an annoying effect of shaking the
image as if it is being lost to satellite interference. This seems
like grating and obvious manipulation. Other touches are canny and
clever. Beside the closing credits is a list of congressmen who
have accepted large PAC donations from the gas and oil industry,
the amount, their states and their political parties. (One
political party seems very heavily to dominate the list.)
The film ends in a lament that the oil and gas industry are so
politically powerful and calls on the viewer to get involved. It
might not be a bad idea. I rate DIRTY ENERGY a low +2 on the -4 to
+4 scale or 7/10. DIRTY ENERGY is currently available on DVD and
Video on Demand distributed by Cinema Libre.
Film Credits: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071449/>
What others are saying:
<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dirty_energy/>
(a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
CAPSULE: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is deemed the
United States's worst oil disaster, almost twenty times
greater than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Uncapped for
three months, the efforts to well spewed an estimated
53,000 barrels of crude oil per day. Virtually every
aspect of the attempts to stanch the flow and make
reparations have been called into question. DIRTY
ENERGY looks at the victims of the disaster and
presents a bewildering litany of injustices and
inappropriate action. Writer/producer/director Bryan
D. Hopkins reports on the damage and collects
interviews with the victims of the disaster. While
missing fair representation of British Petroleum, the
unrepaired ravages of the disaster are shocking and
underscore the need for effective regulation of the
petroleum industry. Rating: low +2 (-4 to +4) or 7/10
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling on behalf of
British Petroleum (BP) had a gusher that caused an explosion
killing eleven workers. BP found itself unable to cap the
wellhead, which spewed every day at least 53,000 barrels of crude
oil up into the Gulf of Mexico. BP promised to control to stop the
flow and to repair the damage done to the people and the
environment. DIRTY ENERGY looks at how far short of the promise BP
fell and how little of BP's obligation has been fulfilled.
From the beginning BP's strategy was allegedly more cover up than
clean up. Rather than collecting the oil the cleanup people made
heavy use of dispersants to spread the released oil more thinly but
more widely to be absorbed by more sea life and ending in our food
supply. Wild life, fishing, tourism, business, health, and more
are victims of the spill and Hopkins goes from one to another
assessing the damage done, frighteningly and comprehensively.
Interviewees compare the results of this oil spill with that of the
Exxon Valdez and compare the size of this disaster with that of
Hurricane Katrina.
Issue is taken with the degree of power that BP was given during
the time of the cleanup. Effectively BP could close the beaches to
people who would want to see that the cleanup was being completed
properly. Sadly the only people with anything like the facilities
to attack the problems being faced were those with the most to gain
by a cover-up. Slicks would be found and reported only to be gone
the next day due to overnight use of dispersants to hide the
problem.
The film hits again and again on what great earthy people the
victims of the oil spill are and what a great life they had taken
away from them by the oil spill and its aftermath. I suppose that
adds texture to the film, but even if the people were not earthy
and did not love what they did, there would have been just as much
of an injustice done to them. It is not surprising that Hopkins
was unable to get representatives and allies of BP on camera to
present their point of view about the disaster. What is missing is
evidence that Hopkins even tried. A few instances of where BP was
invited to respond and declined would have gone a long way to
convince the viewer that Hopkins was at least attempting to present
a balanced viewpoint.
Occasionally stylistic choices are questionable. Some of the shots
of the disaster are shown with an annoying effect of shaking the
image as if it is being lost to satellite interference. This seems
like grating and obvious manipulation. Other touches are canny and
clever. Beside the closing credits is a list of congressmen who
have accepted large PAC donations from the gas and oil industry,
the amount, their states and their political parties. (One
political party seems very heavily to dominate the list.)
The film ends in a lament that the oil and gas industry are so
politically powerful and calls on the viewer to get involved. It
might not be a bad idea. I rate DIRTY ENERGY a low +2 on the -4 to
+4 scale or 7/10. DIRTY ENERGY is currently available on DVD and
Video on Demand distributed by Cinema Libre.
Film Credits: <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2071449/>
What others are saying:
<http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dirty_energy/>
RichA
Feb 4, 2013, 8:11:16 PM2/4/13
to
On Feb 4, 11:35 am, Mark Leeper <mlee...@optonline.net> wrote:
> DIRTY ENERGY
> (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
> DIRTY ENERGY
> (a film review by Mark R. Leeper)
> The film ends in a lament that the oil and gas industry are so
> politically powerful and calls on the viewer to get involved. It
> might not be a bad idea.
Enviro-Marxism. Enjoy the $0.70/kWh "green" energy.
> politically powerful and calls on the viewer to get involved. It
> might not be a bad idea.
ccarp...@vlslive.net
Mar 7, 2013, 12:32:44 PM3/7/13
to
On Monday, February 4, 2013 8:11:16 PM UTC-5, RichA wrote:
> On Feb 4, 11:35 am, Mark Leeper <mlee...@optonline.net> wrote: > DIRTY ENERGY > (a film review by Mark R. Leeper) > The film ends in a lament that the oil and gas industry are so > politically powerful and calls on the viewer to get involved. It > might not be a bad idea. Enviro-Marxism. Enjoy the $0.70/kWh "green" energy.
Enjoy your water which someday on this planey will be more like hydrochloric acid.
> On Feb 4, 11:35 am, Mark Leeper <mlee...@optonline.net> wrote: > DIRTY ENERGY > (a film review by Mark R. Leeper) > The film ends in a lament that the oil and gas industry are so > politically powerful and calls on the viewer to get involved. It > might not be a bad idea. Enviro-Marxism. Enjoy the $0.70/kWh "green" energy.
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