The truth is out there

A movie of Al Gore giving a 90-minute PowerPoint presentation doesn't exactly sound like the most exciting thing to do on a Friday night, but "An Inconvenient Truth," Gore's global warming awareness doc, is probably the most important and worthwhile film you can see this summer.\nUnlike Michael Moore's films, which rely heavily on visuals and clever editing, "Truth" sticks to the cold hard facts as well as the man who passionately delivers them. This film basically puts you into the room with Gore as he delivers his multimedia lecture on the dangers of global warming, a subject to which he has devoted a great deal of his life.\nWhile Gore is ultimately the star, the most persuasive element of "Truth" is the data itself. The core of the movie has the ex-next president presenting chart after chart of years of scientific research that pretty much all come to the same conclusion: that bad things are going to happen. In fact these bad things are already happening; the rise in natural disasters, floods, draughts and exotic diseases such as SARS and West Nile Virus, as well the destruction of ecosystems and numerous species can all be attributed to global warming. Worse yet, if the ice caps continue to melt at the current rate, many areas throughout the globe with populations in the hundreds of millions will be under water. \nSadly, the most sobering truth of this whole fiasco is that us humans are to blame, and inexplicably, our leaders continue to do nothing about it. The U.S. (big surprise!) is dead last in regulating the Carbon Dioxide emissions that cause global warming, and somehow many Hummer-driving politicians continue to deny that the problem exists even in the face of massive and irrefutable scientific data. In one humorous scene, Gore likens our denial of the global warming problem to the tobacco industry's denial that cigarettes could damage your health. \nWhile most of the film centers on the argument at hand, director David Guggenheim does insert several segments that deal with the personal side of Gore's environmental fight, and while I don't really care that Gore had a pony growing up, these bits do break up the monotony of the presentation scenes and give us some insight on why Gore is so passionate about the topic. In fact, I couldn't help but think that if the public were a little more aware of Gore's passion back in 2000, things would be a lot different today.\nOverall, "An Inconvenient Truth" does exactly what it sets out to do: be persuasive. I actually felt kind of bad driving home in my GM-made car. Gore, although still a little stiff and dorky, is genuine and engaging, even sneaking in a couple of one-liners about the current administration. So, instead of seeing another disposable summer blockbuster, do yourself a favor and go hear what Al has to say, it most likely will be beneficial to all of our futures.