Ondi Timoner's documentary, which showcases the controversial ideas of Danish academic Bjorn Lomborg about how to address the problem of climate change, might seem like a cinematic rejoinder to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. But Lomborg doesn't dispute that a major shift is occurring, or that humans are largely responsible. Rather, he questions both the alarmist manner in which the situation has been presented to the public and the solutions that have been proposed. Lomborg argues that we should take a dispassionate approach based on cost-benefit analyses rather than political correctness, and he discusses several alternative technologies he believes should be funded as opposed to more expensive emergency measures (advocated by others) that he believes would be either ineffectual or financially cripple society in other important areas. Although Lomborg's views have drawn fire—including a 2003 finding (later revoked) by the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty that accused him of distortion and fabrication of data—Timoner presents his views in a cogent, persuasive light, with Lomborg himself serving as an articulate and personable narrator. Cool It doesn't pretend to have all the answers, but does possess the virtue of trying to start a civil conversation based on reason rather than fear. Recommended. [Note: DVD extras include deleted scenes (15 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a thought-provoking documentary.] (F. Swietek)
Cool It
Lionsgate, 88 min., PG, DVD: $27.99, Mar. 29 Volume 26, Issue 3
Cool It
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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