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Food Inc.
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Magnolia Home Entertainment/Magnet Review written by and copyright: Ethan C. Stevenson (13th December 2009). |
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The Film
 Just where does our food come from? It’s not often that one probably thinks about that question, but it worth pondering. Before watching “Food Inc.” I would have simply said that most of my food comes from Safeway (or from whatever fast food drive thru I just exited) and moved on; I really didn’t care where it came from, as long as it tasted good. After watching “Food Inc.” I’ve realized that answer isn’t so simple, and that not caring about how our food is produced, as long as it’s tasty and “fresh” is exactly what not to do; my previous disposition is exactly what the “big boys” in the food industry want. Upton Sinclair sought to create regulation for food (particularly meat) production with his book “The Jungle” in 1906. One hundred and three years later, documentarian Robert Kenner is seeking the deregulation of the food market, as unlike Sinclair’s time, where the market was a free for all without any sort of oversight, today, backed by Government mandate, 4 mega corporations control everything and anything that we eat from the supermarket. The food is full of preservatives and chemicals, which, although they make the greens stay green and the dairy unsoured, are woefully harmful to our bodies. The American people are being fed a pack of lies, in the form of an idealized vision of how our food is produced, that is far removed from the truth. Supermarkets run rampant with displays that showcase the American farmer, a man on a tractor tending to his field of whatever, as the provider of the produce that they stock. Picturesque wheat fields, cows eating in green pastures and happy farm animals in wide-open spaces are plastered on the sides of food boxes, milk cartons and other packaging. The isles and isles of products in these markets make consumers believe that they have an over abundance of choice in what they eat, but the reality is that over half of what one can buy in any particular market is made of corn, corn byproducts and high fructose corn syrup. Perceptively “high” food prices push consumers towards artificial alternatives and fast food; early in the film a shopper looks at a head of lettuce and exclaims that she can by two cheeseburgers for the same price. “Food Inc.” also looks at the actual production of much of what we eat. The production of beef and chicken has become more of an assembly-line process than a natural, free flowing one. It’s all part of the faster, better, cheaper mentality that permeates to the very core of the American ideal of immediate gratification. Animals are jacked up on hormones to make them bigger, more suitable for consumption. They are amped up to produce larger qualities of their byproducts, faster. There is little sanitation, even less suitable control. The industry has become a self-sustaining monster, supported by lobbyists and big business, which cannot be tamed, and as a result we, the people, are unknowingly forced to continually introduce harmful toxins and unnatural byproducts into our system. The film is anchored by outstanding interviews with experts, including Michael Pollan, a professor of Science and Environmental Journalism at UC Berkley and author of “The Omnivore’s Dilema: A Natural History of Four Meals”, and investigative journalist and author of “Fast Food Nation”, Eric Schlosser (who also receives credit as a co-producer on “Food Inc.”). These men, among many others, help answer the question posed at the beginning of the film, of how the market was able to become the horrid monster that is has become. Unfortunately (and somewhat fortunately), in the same fashion as Michael Moore, Morgan Spurlock and so many other modern documentary filmmakers, Robert Kenner often favors sensationalism over a reasoned presentation of all the key facts, his arguments are rather one sided, and at times Kenner goes for the entertainment factor, rather than just presenting the case before viewers in a cut and dry textbook sort of way. Kenner undoubtedly has a talent for filmmaking, but as documentaries are supposed to be non-fiction pieces that are impartial, it’s worth noting that parts of “Food Inc.” are structured more like something out of a fiction-based counterpart and not a documentary. There is some humor infused into the film, and the story of a mother who lost her young son to E. Coli after he are a bad hamburger is tragic, and packs more emotional punch than most dramas out there today. That would be the only downside to the film and the Mooreian style, which it adheres to; at times it’s entirely manipulative. However, this modern style isn’t altogether a bad thing, as “Food Inc.” is entirely, captivatingly, watchable, largely because it doesn’t read like a thesis paper. Also, the modern sensibility of these filmmakers presents viewers with exceptional production values which makes the 90 or so minute journey all the more luxurious. So, for as much as I insist that everyone who can get his or her hands on a copy of this film, I do realize that the film is flawed, and I caution those viewers who hunt down “Food Inc.” to be mindful that what is presented in the film may not be 100% reality. But, at the end of the day, I do think that probably 90% of the film is true and unmanipulated. It’s got a message entirely worth listening to and most importantly, “Food Inc.” is a film that I think everyone should see at least once simply because it makes the viewer think. “Food Inc.” is an eye opening, well crafted, often shocking and ultimately informative documentary. I wouldn’t say that this is something that I see a lot of rewatchability in (unlike, say, most nature documentaries, which usually are best served by a second, third or fourth viewing, in time), but “Food Inc.” is definitely a film that I suggest one seeks out to at least rent and watch once.
Video
“Food Inc.” is presented in VC-1 encoded 1080p 24/fps 1.78:1 widescreen, with an average bitrate of around 22 Mbps. Typical of a documentary of this nature, the film is cobbled together from a multitude of sources, including both film (8mm, 16mm and 35mm) and video (both standard-definition and high-definition). The results then are less than perfect, especially the upconverted standard-definition footage sprinkled throughout, but mostly the films flaws are inherent to the source material and not a fault of the Blu-ray transfer. Also, while low resolution stock footage is definitely noticeable and a somewhat common, a good majority of the film is comprised of newly shot high definition video, which is crisp and clear. Colors are particularly rich, which was not something I expected. For the most part detail is good (in the newly shot material anyway), and the film has a nice depth to the image, without being too bright or too dark; instead contrast is just stable and clean. “Food Inc.” is perhaps not a visual powerhouse, as it is made up mostly of intimate interviews, graphs and diagrams, but the locations captured in many of the exteriors are vibrant and lush. All in all this is a nice looking documentary, but it’s far from the most visually arresting production I’ve ever seen. On the technical side of things, this Blu-ray is stable and trouble-free. Even though the disc is single layered, I see no problems with compression. There are no noticeable bouts of artifacts or any signs of banding present. It also looks like Magnolia has laid off the DNR and edge enhancement buttons, resulting in a picture that thankfully hasn’t been tinkered with.
Audio
I’m not so sure that a small and to the point documentary like “Food Inc.” really needs the latest high resolution, lossless mix on the market but nonetheless it gets one, in the form of an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (48kHz/24-bit). Mostly, the soundtrack is just a bunch of dialogue from the interviews and narration, and not much else. As expected then, rear speakers are nearly silent throughout, bass gets little to no activity and there isn’t much variance in range or dynamics. However, speech is clear and intelligible and that is thanks in large part to the lossless delivery. An understated score by Mark Adler adds nice ambience to the film and like the dialog, it sees a boost in high-definition. Otherwise, “Food Inc.” isn’t a particularly special disc when it comes to sound. Includes optional English for the hearing impaired and Spanish subtitles.
Extras
Magnolia provides a decent enough supplemental package on “Food Inc.” but it’s nothing particularly exceptional. Although I would have liked to see something relating to the actual production of the film somewhere on the disc, I can look past the oversight towards a copious amount of deleted scenes, which anchor an otherwise plain set of extras. Also included is a collection of celebrity PSA's, an excerpt from a news report, two animated promos, and a couple of text-based features, BD-Live connectivity, the film's theatrical trailer, and a gallery of bonus trailers. Video is presented in a mix of standard-definition and high-definition, noted below: After watching the feature documentary, I suggest hitting up the 8 deleted scenes included in the special features on this disc. Although it’s easy to see why the approximately 35 minutes of footage was cut from the film (largely due to time and slightly redundancy in a few areas), each deletion is worth checking out. Viewers can choose between the “Play All” option or by picking each scene individually from the menu. All video in this section is presented in 16x9-enhanced MPEG-2 encoded 480i standard-definition. They include: - “Cheapness Comes at a Price” 7 minutes 44 seconds. - “There’s No Place Called Away” 5 minutes 30 seconds. - “Honoring the Pigness of the Pig” 4 minutes 5 seconds. - “It Could Happen Again” 3 minutes 46 seconds. - “Smells Like Money” 5 minutes 12 seconds. - “It’s in the Grass” 2 minutes 41 seconds. - “Designing the Perfect Pork Chop” 5 minutes 3 seconds. - “We’re in an Epidemic Now” 3 minutes 38 seconds. Less worthwhile are a series of celebrity public service announcements. As with the deleted scenes, a “Play All” option is included. All video in this section is presented in black and white (with splashes of color) window-boxed MPEG-2 encoded 480i standard-definition. They include: - “Child Nutrition Act” 1 minute 2 seconds. - “Ingredients” 1 minute 2 seconds. - Alyssa Milano. 1 minute 2 seconds. - John Salley. 1 minute 2 seconds. - Anthony LaPaglia and Gia Carides. 1 minute 2 seconds. - Martin Sheen. 1 minute 2 seconds. - Kelly Preston. 1 minute 2 seconds. Next, an excerpt from ABC Nightly News, titled “You Are What You Eat: Food with Integrity” is included. It focuses on Chipotle Mexican Grill, the burrito giant that strives to provide clean, healthy food to its customers. Presented in 1.33:1 framed, MPEG-2 encoded 480i standard-definition. 7 minutes 21 seconds. Next up is the mouthful “The Amazing Food Detective and Snacktown Smackdown: Stay Active and Eat Healthy.” Kaiser Permanente presents this short animated promo, broken down into two parts and aimed squarely at kids, about eating right. Presented in 1.33:1 framed, MPEG-2 encoded 480i standard definition. 3 minutes 5 seconds. A menu marked “Resources” provides a neat sort of bibliography, chronicling the films many sources for the numerous facts. Each of the 19 sources also includes a web address for further investigation. “Food Inc. – The Book” is a one-page text document, which gives a short summary about the book and includes a link to the books website. The film's theatrical trailer is also included. Presented in 1080p high-definition with 5.1 DTS-HD MA. 2 minutes 12 seconds. Like most of Magnolia’s recent Blu-ray releases “Food Inc.” is BD-Live enabled, but contains no exclusive content. When I clicked the link it gave me a message to check back later for updates. As the disc has been on the street for over a month as of this writing, I doubt the distributor plans on offering any web-based extras for this title. The disc also includes a standard bookmarking feature. Finally, a trio of pre-menu bonus trailers and one promo spot are included: - “The Answer Man” presented in 1080p high definition with 2.0 DTS-HD MA. 2 minutes 28 seconds. - “Is Anybody There?” presented in 2.35:1 framed 1080p high definition with 2.0 DTS-HD MA. 2 minutes 14 seconds. - “The Great Buck Howard” presented in 1080p high definition with 5.1 DTS-HD MA. 2 minutes 32 seconds. - "HDNET" promo. Presented in 1080i with 2.0 Dolby Digital. 1 minute 2 seconds.
Overall
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