2. Super Size Me
By far the most entertaining (and by this I mean that it takes a page from Michael Moore's clever editing and agenda-driven narrative) documentary on this list, Super Size Me is a film that has crossed over from being a somewhat biased critical examination of our fast-food habits to a film with almost iconic pop-culture status.
The movie poster featuring writer and director Morgan Spurlock with his mouth stuffed full of french fries is as recognizable as the growling lion of MGM for a certain generation of moviegoers.
While certainly pointed in its intent and at times somewhat forced to the point of disingenuousness, the film is still very funny, very telling and absolutely worth a watch. Many of the points Spurlock makes about our eating habits and the rise of obesity in our country -- two-thirds of American adults and a third of our children are overweight or obese -- have been echoed in more recent films, such as HBO's Weight of the Nation, which doesn't make the list but is worth watching if you have ever wondered why so many people in your office eat that leftover birthday cake in the break room for breakfast.
1. Food, Inc.
This Oscar-winning film, combined with Jonathan Safran Foer's wonderful, incredibly enlightening and funny Eating Animals, turned my older brother into a vegetarian.
It will make you mad, sad, hungry, confused and concerned. Mostly, though, it will make you think.
Rich in characters and broad in its message, Food, Inc. examines the food and farm industry equivalent of the military-industrial complex. Our supply of food is closely monitored, and oversight is internally controlled and vastly archaic. The film highlights the illusion of choice that we have as consumers when we shop in a supermarket, and it reveals the depth of manipulation taken with food products in an attempt to maximize profits at the expense of nutrition and scientific research.
Recently, finely textured beef, otherwise known as "pink slime," has been making media waves, and if you want to know how it's made, what's in it and why it's used, then look no further than this engaging film.
A warning is due, however, that watching this film will make you look at what you are eating in an entirely different way, for better or for worse. Fortunately, learning new things isn't always terrible for you, unlike some of the topics that are discussed in this movie.
What could be better?
Pop some popcorn, crack open a bottle of wine or beer and lose yourself in the lives of others. There's nothing wrong with a little perspective.
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