Super Size Me
Directed by Morgan Spurlock
By Erin Oke

Cut from the same cloth as recent documentary successes Bowling for Columbine and The Corporation, Super Size Me is a humour-laden look at the obesity trend in the U.S.A. and the culpability of the fast food industry. In the wake of a lawsuit aimed at McDonald's about the detrimental effect of eating their food, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock documents his own journey of eating nothing but McDonald's for one month. What starts out as a light-hearted experiment turns a bit scary once the diet starts wreaking serious havoc on Spurlock's health and wellbeing. Interspersed with Spurlock's personal observations are an impressive array of interviews with doctors and lawyers, lobbyists and nutritionists, Big Mac enthusiasts and vegan chefs.

Shot on video, the production is pretty bare bones. Aside from the filler footage of random fat people, which grows tiresome pretty quickly, the camera work is solid and the editing is fast and clever, chock full of the ironic juxtapositions that are a staple of this kind of documentary. The film attempts to cover a lot of ground, touching on the nutritional value of school lunch programs, the lack of physical education programs, the prevalence of weight loss surgery, the corporate lobby in Washington and much more. Although these interviews are packed with interesting facts and data, by far the most compelling aspect of this film is Spurlock's personal diet experience. He's an affable guy who approaches the project with curiosity and more than a little glee, which makes his health's downward spiral all the more affecting. Just watching his growing addiction to the food, wild mood swings and declining physical state makes the case against the McDiet far more eloquently than listening to the leading experts or even to Spurlock's own didactic final speech. (Alliance Atlantis)
The Rage in Placid Lake - Dir. by Tony McNamara
Australia's The Rage in Placid Lake is at once a sharp social satire and a quirky coming of age story that’s much more complex and interesting than the regular American teen fare. It stars musician Ben Lee in the role of Placid Lake, a bright and colourful perpetual misfit with hopelessly new-age parents (Miranda Richardson and Garry McDonald) who seal his fate early on when they send him to elementary school in a dress to challenge the other children's conventional views of sexuality. ...Read More
19 Months - Dir. by Randall Cole
Breakin’ All The Rules - Dir. by Daniel Taplitz
Coffee and Cigarettes - Dir. by Jim Jarmusch
Crimson Gold - Dir. by Jafar Panahi
Goldirocks - Dir. by Paula Tiberius
I’m Not Scared (Io Non Ho Paura) - Dir. by Gabriele Salvatores
Intermission - Dir. by John Crowley
Mayor of the Sunset Strip - Dir. by George Hickenlooper
New York Minute - Dir. by Dennie Gordon
Raising Helen - Dir. by Garry Marshall
Shrek 2 - Dir. by Adam Adamson, Kelly Ashbury and Conrad Vernon
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring - Dir. by Kim Ki-duk
The Delicate Art of Parking - Dir. by Trent Carlson
The Far Side of the Moon (La Face Cachée de la Lune) - Dir. by Robert Lepage
Troy - Dir. by Wolfgang Petersen
Van Helsing - Dir. by Stephen Sommers
Young Adam - Dir. by David Mackenzie
Grizzly Bear - Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC October 14
Before the release of 2009's Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear stood at a career watershed of sorts. Critical darlings without much mainstream success, they could very well have continued in the direction set with 2007's Friend EP and become perennial indie overachievers, in the vein of the Li... Full Review
Hostage Life - Centre Of The Universe
It's unfortunate the words "maturity" and "growth" are stigmas in the world of punk rock. They would be the perfect descriptors for Toronto, ON-based Hostage Life's tertiary release. Maintaining the adage that a band never realize their true potential until their third album, the quintet prove thems... Full Review
The Brütal Legend of Tim Schafer
Game designer Tim Schafer is not a well-known man, at least not to the mainstream. But like Buffy creator Joss Whedon, Schafer's a full-blown hero amongst the geek-pop set, his name synonymous with creative vision, critical acclaim, fervent fans and, alas, sub-par sales.... Read More
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the May 2004 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Comics  •  Point of View  •  Questionnaire  •  Timeline • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews • Music School --> N/A • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues