Forks Over Knives
Can Food Be Medicine?
Shocking at times and tempting at others, Forks Over Knives directed by Lee Fulkerson is a documentary worth experiencing once.
Forks Over Knives makes the bold claim that our world is sick––plagued with chronic illnesses, cocktails of medication, and high rates of obesity. The cure is different from what you might think: a deviation from animal-based food and a leap toward plant-based food instead.
Not just that, but director Lee Fulkerson believes that what is making us so sick is all the meat we consume. His surprising claim is substantiated by a handful of doctors he interviews and learns from, two in particular. Dr. Esselsytn, a surgeon, and Dr. Campbell, a nutritional scientist at Cornell University, conducted a study together that rocked the plant-based community. They explored the relationship between diet and degenerative diseases and some cancers that plague people in modern society, mainly those who eat a Western diet.
Their findings show that eating green prevents these sicknesses. In fact, the documentary claims that these diseases can not only be prevented but perhaps reversed by consuming more plants and less meat.
Forks Over Knives caught the CinemaBlend team by surprise, but we're glad we watched.
Key Features
- A series of doctors are interviewed
- Directed, written, and narrated by Lee Fulkerson
- Rated PG; runtime of 90 minutes
Food, Inc.
You'll Never Look At Dinner The Same
Food, Inc. puts a magnifying glass up to the food industry like never before. Prepare to be surprised––and maybe horrified––at the way the food we consume each and every day is produced.
Food, Inc. gets under your skin and stays there.
The documentary spotlights the food industry we indulge in every single day, but perhaps don't think about all that often. Food, Inc. uncovers that most of the food we consume comes from a small pool of mega-corporations that don't have the health of consumers in mind.
To frame the narrative, director Robert Kenner interviews an array of activists, farmers, lobbyists, and even CEOs to shape his story and reveal his truth about the food industry. The eco-doc is narrated by experts such as Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation.
Epic and sprawling, Food, Inc. can be a tough watch at times, but that's not all. Kenner makes it clear that there is hope, and the food industry isn't broken beyond repair; but we, the consumers, must seek to find hope amidst the chaos.
Key Features
- Nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards
- Directed by Robert Kenner
- Rated PG; runtime of 94 minutes
Baseball: The Boxed Set
Sprawling And Masterful Work
Ken Burns' long-running documentary about baseball throughout the years might have ended in 2010, but its message still remains powerful to this very day.
Director Ken Burns, who also directed The Central Park Five, is no stranger to expert storytelling. His documentary Baseball (1994-2010) is certainly no exception.
Spanning over nearly two decades and ripe with nostalgia, social awareness, and impressive attention to detail, Baseball is a testament to American life and how baseball has shaped society more than we might've previously thought.
Each installment of the documentary series is split into an inning. There are ten in total. Each inning covers a decade of time in which baseball has shaped America. Together, all ten installments cover the life of baseball and its intricacies inside the sport and radiating out.
Themes about race, business, management, and much more are covered in each installment or inning.
This documentary series is informational and illuminating at times, and touching and emotionally charged always.
History lovers will find a sanctuary and the perfectly bingeable show here.
Key Features
- Directed by Ken Burns
- Initially broadcasted by PBS
- Not Rated; run time of 1380 minutes
The Vietnam War: A Film
There Is No Single Truth In War
Another Ken Burns classic, The Vietnam War's tagline is "there is no single truth in war." War can be a difficult topic to cover, but Burns handles the intensity of the war with total elegance.
Whether you lived through the Vietnam War or not, The Vietnam War is a comprehensive testimony of the events of the war and the complicated nature of war itself.
Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, the docuseries is split into 10 parts, totaling 18 hours of nonstop intensity. The documentary is molded by accounts of 80 people who were in some way involved in the war––from American veterans and protestors to soldiers and civilians from North and South Vietnam. In addition to heart-stopping interviews and stories, the series uses archival footage, photos, broadcasts, audio recordings to offer an up-close-and-personal viewpoint of the events of the war.
The stories shared are bone-chilling, haunting, and exceptionally poignant to relate to. In addition to the incredible storytelling and organization facilitated by Burns, the soundtrack is also something to behold. Famous composers like Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross dazzle with a score you won't soon forget, plus popular songs from the time of the war also shape the narrative.
Overall, The Vietnam War is sprawling, comprehensive, and a beautiful testimony to the messiness of the war. Like the slogan says, there is no single truth in war.
Key Features
- Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
- Nominated for four Primetime Emmys
- Rated MA; runtime of 18 hours
