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Reviews
Life and Debt (2001)
the foibles of globalization
This documentary perfectly captures the largely-ignored downside to globalization and the subsequent domination of the world economy by the U.S. and Western Europe. Namely, that undeveloped and developing countries continue to get poorer at the expense of the rich. This documentary presents the human side for discussions about the impact of multinational corporations on human rights abuses, price fixing in order to drive local competition into failure, environmental destruction as the result of World Bank-mandated "structural adjustments," etc. This is a must see for anyone who thinks that globalization is the only way for developing countries to compete with the rest of the world, and for anyone wanting to know the reasons behind all of those protests.
Dancer in the Dark (2000)
not-quite-successful melodrama
It's refreshing to see a different type of movie generating so much publicity, especially as Hollywood Studios have decided to cookie-cutter our options down to bite-size morsels. However, innovation is not sufficient to make a great film (see, for example, "Time Code"). Mr. von Trier tries his best to evoke the most drastic emotions from his audience in this campy melodrama. Yet, he comes up short in his quest, especially in comparison with another movie centered on the examination of persons spiraling downward: "Requiem for a Dream."