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ObamaNation See other ObamaNation Articles Title: ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ Review: A Compelling Heist Thriller for the Climate Crisis Era ‘How to Blow Up a Pipeline’ Review: A Compelling Heist Thriller for the Climate Crisis Era Climate scientists and activists have repeatedly said that we’re past the stage of sounding the alarm: Deadly floods, record heatwaves and other extreme weather occurrences are now part of our reality. In the face of this evidence, most governments have moved glacially to pass urgent legislation. And the condemnation of protesters who hurled tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” in London’s National Gallery last fall reveals that a majority of people still care more about property than human lives. (Almost lost in that debate about tactics was a critical detail: The painting was protected by glass, and no real damage had been done.) In this atmosphere, Daniel Goldhaber’s tense and entertaining How to Blow Up a Pipeline is an accessible wake-up call. Despite its daring premise and provocative title, the film won’t teach you the mechanics of making or detonating a bomb. It functions more as a plea to the Global North — the wealthiest countries in the world and those currently shielded from the worst of climate disaster — to pay attention. Goldhaber’s film, which he wrote with Ariela Barer and Jordan Sjol based on Andreas Malm’s 2021 nonfiction book of the same name, opens in the near future. It’s December 2023 and roughly 56 hours before a group of environmentalists will convene to blow up a pipeline at a Texas oil refinery. Their preparation is fed to us in flashes: Xotchil (Barer), a young woman whose mom died in a heat wave, slashes the tire of a luxury car and leaves an explanatory note about the climate crisis; her best friend Theo (Sasha Lane), who developed cancer from living near a chemical plant, destroys her phone in the parking lot of a church where she’s just attended her support group meeting; Theo’s girlfriend Alisha (Jayme Lawson) creates an alibi by tampering with security camera metadata at the house she cleans; Rowan (Kristine Forseth) and Logan (Lukas Gage), a nomadic couple, rage one last time at a nondescript night club; Michael (Forrest Goodluck), a young indigenous man sick of watching white developers encroach on his land, and Shawn (Marcus Scribner), a disillusioned campus activist, separately pack bomb-making materials; Dwayne (Jake Weary), a working-class Texan trying to protect his property from greedy developers, sits down for dinner with his wife and children. The set-up is deft but broad, which is also the best way to describe this loosely allegorical film. Each character represents an archetype in the current crisis, from the disillusioned activists to the young person whose health becomes the collateral damage of environmental malfeasance. While these stories are relatable and well-acted by a sturdy cast of exciting talent, they lack the potency of depth. How to Blow Up a Pipeline is skillfully executed — it hits all the right beats as a genre film, especially when it comes to ratcheting up the tension — but suffers from the same narrative limitations as Goldhaber’s equally compelling debut feature Cam. That film, written by Goldhaber, Issa Mazzei and Isabelle Link-Levy, plunges viewers into the world of camgirls. Madeline Brewer plays Alice, a camgirl aspiring to ascend into the top 50 of her website’s rank. The film avoids condescending pitfalls and exploiting its protagonist by initially focusing on the quotidian aspects of her work — brainstorming ideas for her shows, keeping up with clients and collaborating with other women in her field. But as Cam gets more twisted and inches into Black Mirror horror territory, Alice’s inner life slowly falls out of view and her character development is shortchanged for nail-biting action. Full credits Poster Comment: Yeah, that's just what we need, a DIY manual for already unhinged/delusional leftists. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Esso (#0)
Dedicated to Joe and all of his moronic supporters. "“Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings - that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.” ~ Gautama Siddhartha — The Buddha |
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