This is the most recent addition to a new wave of educational documentaries like "The Corporation" and "Fahrenheit 9/11." Its commentary is clear and unwavering as is the breathtaking cinematic style of this well crafted feature. The film manages to impose a powerful sense of how unsteady our world is as we rush toward an environmentally unsustainable future at lightning speed - while showing us the terrifying beauty in our pursuit of progress.

Truly a remarkable accomplishment which must be seen by all who care about the world we leave to our children. Bravo!

NB - this is also the only film (of 8) at Varsity theaters (Toronto) boasting a stick-on tag which reads... "To arrange group viewings please contact...." ... a further testament to the popularity and importance of this gem.

My bet... an academy award nomination for best documentary.

OB101

I have been an admirer of Edward Burtynsky's work for years, and it was such a pleasure to be able to see the man at work, thanks to Jennifer Baichwal's documentary. The severe beauty of the ship-breaking yard in Bangladesh, the stone quarry in Vermont, the enormous assembly plant in China, the beleaguered old neighbourhoods in Shanghai that are just waiting to be torn down: these landscapes are captured so well by the photographer and the filmmaker.

At times I thought of old TV documentaries on abandoned coal mines and plastic-mold factories; the sort of stuff I grew up watching. Burtynsky's work has the great value of pointing out how the industrial activity has only shifted to Asia, it has not stopped. The strangest scene for me was the computer scrap-yard somewhere in China--the waste had a threatening air about it, while the workers were very jovial.

Documentary director Jennifer Baichwal follows Edward Burtynsky as he photographs the industrial complex with an eye towards its vast otherworldly beauty. He films giant Chinese factories, the beautiful and deadly e-recycling, taking apart ships in Bangladesh, the Three Gorges Dam, the massive mounts of material that China accumulates, and various man-made environments.

There is a real beauty with the pictures that he takes. The movie works best when it tells the story behind the pictures. The e-recycling bit is shocking. The ship recycling is awe-inspiring. The Chinese factories are fascinating because the infrastructure is so gigantic for things that are as simple as little grommets or making something as simple as a clothes iron. This is worthwhile to watch once but it does feel repetitive at times.