[some_guy282]

I think so. The End of Suburbia wasn't a bad film by any means, but personally I think A Crude Awakening is a much more comprehensive film looking at the global oil situation, and it doesn't pull any punches the way End of Suburbia did.

Savinar's segments are used very effectively in the film. For instance in one clip Congressman Bartlet talks about his Prius, and how he could go 500 miles in it even if gasoline went to $10 a gallon. The film then cuts to Matt who says that even if you could wave a magic wand and make all the cars in the US hybrids, in 5 to 7 years we'd be consuming just as much oil as we are today because demand increases every single year.

In the end the film leaves the viewer with the sense that we are going to be facing serious problems in the near future, and that there are no simple solutions.

[AlCzervik]

I got mine hot off the press yesterday and watched it this morning. I hate to have to compare it to End of Suburbia, but it is the best way to explain what this movie offers that others don't. First, this movie is much more focused on global impact and employs many more international experts than EOS. I also like that it really drives home the point that population is ultimately the underlying problem when it comes to fossil fuel depletion.

The best part of the movie was the historical focus. The producers show Baku, Lake Maracaibo, and McCamey, Texas in their heyday, then they smack you over the head with the current situation in the form of abandoned fields and rigs, and it just makes you want to puke.

The experts in this movie absolutely beat the piss out of the official line on reserve numbers.

In terms of the players, we get the usual dose of Simmons and Campbell. It was refreshing to see Roscoe Bartlett and Matt Savinar weigh in with their insight. Matt's value to this movie is cutting through the bullshit when this movie flirts with possible techno-fixes (nice work explaining that "solving" peak oil is like colonizing pluto, not landing on the moon). For the most part, David Goodstein is the star in this movie the way Kunstler is in EOS. He gets an A- for his performance. He is crystal clear in explaining the facts in layman's terms, yet he has this look of horror on his face the entire time that almost has more impact on the viewer than the substance of what he is saying. He goes a little awry when discussing how he thinks a space type program for energy could save us, but you get the idea he doesn't really believe this when he then breaks down the numbers for nukes and biomass, although he does leave a glimpse of hope on the solar issue. In the end, at least we don't get the New Urbanism mantra from EOS and the movie pretty much tells you it's over for hydrocarbon man.

The production of this movie is incredible. It's even crisper than EOS. My only beef is that it really seemed long, although I realize it is about the same time length as EOS. I just think the producers could have shaved off ten or twenty minutes cutting out all of the cool shots of deserts, obscene energy infrasturcture, Saudis in flowing robes, and giving us the schlocky '50's/60's era U.S. petroleum commercials that we saw in EOS. My point is, I felt like I gave birth after this movie, so I think the unitiated might turn this thing off halfway in or have to take it in small doses. Oh yeah, and the classical music track in the background gets annoying after a while.

Anyway, this was well worth the $40 and a great educational resource for peak oil newbies and experts alike, although I should note there is nothing that earth shattering for anyone following peak oil issues the last few years.

[DantesPeak]

This was shown on the Sundance Channel, and yes, it was very good. In fact it is an excellent movie to initiate the curious about PO.

While to the PO aware, some scenes may seem long and drawn out, chilling scenes of vast rusting oil fields and equipment around the world drive home the message that the era of easy oil has already passed by.

I'm not sure if and when it will be shown again on Sundance, but if so, I will try to place a reminder here.

[Transient]

I've read and heard a lot of positive stuff about this docu. Any word as to when it's available in the uk?

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('killJOY', 'T')he distributors of this film have been absolutely irresponsible in getting it out.

The only place I know to buy it is on Matt Savinar's site.

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('some_guy282', '
')In the end the film leaves the viewer with the sense that we are going to be facing serious problems in the near future, and that there are no simple solutions.

[Newsseeker]

Thanks for all of the feedback.

[killJOY]

I've JUST finished reviewing parts of "Crude Impact" -- NOT to be confused with "Crude Awakening "-- to show parts to my classroom.

Boy, does Crude Impact suck. What an innocuous, vapid, boring film it is.

I can't wait for Crude AWAKENING to come out!

[MattSavinar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('killJOY', 'T')he distributors of this film have been absolutely irresponsible in getting it out.

The only place I know to buy it is on Matt Savinar's site.

[MattSavinar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('killJOY', 'T')he distributors of this film have been absolutely irresponsible in getting it out.

The only place I know to buy it is on Matt Savinar's site.

[Zentric]

Is it even nearly true what was said in the movie - the energy content of the natural gas needed to create a barrel of oil from tar sand exceeds the energy content of that barrel of oil?

[seahorse]

I just watched the movie (ordered and received from LATOC). My favorite is still "End of Suburbia." However, Crude Awakening was better on lack of alternatives to oil.

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattSavinar', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('killJOY', 'T')he distributors of this film have been absolutely irresponsible in getting it out.

The only place I know to buy it is on Matt Savinar's site.

[Newsseeker]

Matt?

[Valdemar]

I saw it recently and I do think it is far better than Suburbia or Crude Impact. It not only addresses the issue in a simple way, but goes into the impact on society and helps highlight how we got to where we are and why oil disappearing will lead to warfare and famine.

It also doesn't have that sickly saccharine ending of Crude Impact.

[MattSavinar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '
')
Why is it so expensive?

[PrairieMule]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MattSavinar', '
')net flix has it, at least that's what I read. Have never used net flix myself so I don't know.

[killJOY]

Just received mine from Matt's store. Slapped in at lunchtime yesterday and watched.

My immediate impression: there's nothing more to say.

Really, it's all been said & said. But that's from my jaded, over-informed perspective.

What about as a source of information to the uninitiated? It's good.

"End of Suburbia" has already tread that ground, however. The makers of "EOS" need to be very proud of themselves. They have set a template toward which other films will be judged.

I will say, "Crude Awakening" is much better than the limp, ponderous, overly-long "Crude Impact" (it's a shame their names are so similar). It illustrates, perhaps, the differences between an American (moralistic, politically-correct, prescriptive, happy-happy-joy-joy) point of view and a Canadian/European view (more objective, give-a-fuck-what-you-think- of-me, figure-it-out-yourself) point of view.

I agree that the high point of "Crude Awakening" is the "McCamey Texas now/ Baku now/ Maracaibo now/ segment: brilliant. Of the category "a picture is worth a thousand words."

The filmmakers have adopted "End of Suburbia"'s technique of swapping interviews, contemporary footage with archival 40s, 50s, 60s footage with ironic effect. It works, but I kept thinking "It's been done."

It was nice to see other faces: Professor Goodstein, etc. Simmons and Campbell make welcome appearances. The "cast" seems more professionally-oriented than EOS, and the focus is definitely more oil-based.

As a doomer-in-spite-of-himself, I was slightly disappointed, but as I say, that may be a flaw in my perspective, not the film itself. I'm going to watch it again this weekend with select Doomer Friends. I'll post here again my "second thoughts."

This is definitely going to be shown in my classroom, in spite of the redundancies with "End of Suburbia." It's the right length (1:20; I'll have to figure out a way to cut off five minutes) unlike the perpetual motion machine of "Crude Impact."

I have to hand it to the filmmakers for not succumbing to "Crude Impacts" tempation to offer feel-good panaceas at the end. No "messages" like, "Put in CFLs and feel good about your consciousness!"

Three stars out of four.

[dinopello]

It's tough to put yourself in the mindset of who really should be watching this, which is the lesser informed. I think it was on par with EOS, although I miss Kunstler. There were some good old clips in both, although the footage of the abandoned oil provinces in Crude Awakening was compelling. I would have to watch it again but one complaint is that the interviewees didn't have their titles/roles shown on the screen much if at all while being interviewed. I may have missed it though.

I bought 3 copies of EOS and lend them out. I would do the same with this.

[MattSavinar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Dukat_Reloaded', 'I') am currently downloading this movie off http://conspiracycentral.net:6969/