[kerosene]

Well what it did was introduce some ideas and concepts for the average people. In a "You better get used to this stuff" manner.

The evil people of Saudi and the nice Royal leaders... It was very uncritical all the reasons for the crisis were "not our fault" situations: the storm, the tanker accident, the saudi attacks.

Not mentioning of dollar's role in oil trade for example. Russia's price tag would be pretty fat (in dollars) if US economy would have been cripled for a year thus driving the dollar into gutter.

I think for staying on the very topic of oil crisis for 2 hours it actually evaded many issues pretty well. As for the "fake documentary" style - I think it would be impossible to feed as much info in a drama format. Also some things were super silly like people freezing in their homes but cars still going around. Many basic functions can be maintained with way less energy - dying economy is the big problem.

Not a single mentioning how the oil price affected the world - US only.

Interresting to see if there will be more fiction propaganda coming up. I think it very well might be a trend that they start to set the tone and themes for the coming times.

just my thoughts,

H

[Russian_Cowboy]

What amazes me is that all the American movies always have a happyend. Even those where the end is not supposed to be happy. Another amazing thing is why the Americans believe that Russia has unexhaustable oil reserves. For what I know, almost 90% of all the oil reserves in Russia are being produced. Of the remaining 10%, about one half cannot be produced at profit due to the high taxes, absence of infrastructure, or miniscule size of the oilfields. The only rescue might be if more natural gas (Russia's primary mineral resource) is extracted and converted into gasoline or diesel fuel in situ. Apart from the state-owned Gazprom, some private companies in Russia do produce gas, but they cannot export it by law and have to use it for generating electricity for their needs. I am not sure why they are not converting this natural gas into liquid fuels. The zeolite catalyst-based technology has been around for many years.

[MattSavinar]

I did nto see the film as I don't own a television.

However, from what has been described I think the "message" of this movie was twofold:

1. Things will get better
2. There is always extra oil somewhere

So when people start to wake up, their preprogramming (on some, perhaps subconscious level) will kick in.

What do you think a pastor at one of these hyper oil dependent, suburban "mega-churches", especially those located in the Deep South on SouthWest is going to tell his congregation when the sh-t is not only hitting the fan but people are picking it up and flinging it at each other?

As he's had the same programming, he is likely to tell them something that will jibe with their programming, such as:

"Turn to the book of Genesis. The Moses and the Isrealites were led through the harsh desert for 40 years before they were given the land of milk and honey. . . "

He can then analogize that to our current situation, making the following substitutions:

1. "George W. Bush" for Moses
2. "Jeb Bush" for Aaron who, as Moses' brother, succeded Moses as
leaders of the Israelites
3. "Americans" for Israellites
4. "Gays/Abortionists/Leftists" for Phillistines
5. "War on Terror" for "40 years in the desert"
6. "Mid East/Russian Oil" for land of milk and honey.

The narrative goes:

Bush led America through a decades long "war on terror" against islamo-fascists until finally America had control over the oil riches located in the Middle East.

A less reactionary pastor might make some differern substitutions. Perhaps substituting "new energy source" for "land of milk and honey" while analogizing our decades long dependence on middle east oil as to the 40 years in the desert.

See how simple that is?

Matt

[SupplyConcerns]

That seems right on, Mr. Savinar. And I didn't even realize it was you writing. I think one thing that will help stave off ridiculous scapegoating of leftists is to infuse American politics with a forgotten but powerful ideal: anti-federalism. Both leftists and well-meaning conservatives can get behind the notion that our government is too centralized and authoritarian to serve democracy and the American people.

[savethehumans]

Like I said in another thread on this topic, it's no use saying "at least people will start thinking about life without oil." The government/media/corporate PTB would love nothing more than that. It's gonna be the basis for their pro-resource wars propaganda! Do this, or suburbia dies! (Oh, horrors! )

"Day After Tomorrow" did roughly the same kind of harm to the need to get the word out about global warming and climate change.

Trusting the mainstream ANYTHING to get these messages across is the ultimate fool's errand.

I'll stick to watching LOST on TV. At least we see the survivors cobbling together shelters from plane debris, bamboo, and leaves--a far more useful survival tactic than anything a Disaster Movie will ever show!

[Zentric]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SupplyConcerns', 'I') think one thing that will help stave off ridiculous scapegoating of leftists is to infuse American politics with a forgotten but powerful ideal: anti-federalism.

[mefistofeles]

that it was made for people unfamiliar with the idea of peakoil. Of course I thought it was funny that China outbid the US for the tankers, with a huge pile of US dollars.

Even though the ending made use of a deus ex machina that made everything right I thought the docudrama was quite good. It showed the "normals" that peak oil was possible and would have a devastating impact on their lives.

However I think the scenario presented in the docudrama was much too rosy.

If the US had a major oil shock food production would be a major issue, since so much of our food is trucked to supermarkets. How would we be able to move all of that food out of the field if oil supplies were curtailed? In fact its quite possible much ofthe food would literally rot in the fields.

Of course how would we plant and harvest crops without fuel for tractors, trucks and pertrochemicals to make fertilizers and insecticides?

Then of course cities like LA would have major problems. Since LA only has two days worth of food, much of being transported by truck, again starvation could be an issue.

However as our economy collapses its probably not unrealistic to assume that the currency would collapse as well. How would we even buy oil from the Russians or Saudis if the dollar collapsed?

Overall although the movie has too many holes for people like us I think its a great film for the general public.

I have to disagree with some reviewers about the "fairy tale" ending. Yes the ending was obviously contrived but I think it actually makes the film much more effective. To me the ending implies yes peak oil is coming but we can do something about it, which makes oil storm even scarier.

Ironically the idea that we could actually do something to address peakoil in is much scarier than the idea that peakoil is unsolvable. Although I strongly believe that our policy makers and the "normals" will fail miserably when peak oil arrives I still hold the remote hope that we the people can change things.

A few weeks ago I even saw W speaking at a biodiesel plant . Perhaps there is some small ray of light that will guide us when peak oil arrives.

[peaknik]

Someone knows if this movie is available for download? I can't remember now, but I've heard about a website that lists TV shows for download as bittorrents...

Any idea for us non US TV viewers?

[Revi]

I thought that Oil Storm was very plausible. Perhaps it will be a good intro to the concept of oil being scarce for the average person. The full reality could be too much for most people. I found it to be a very realistic scenario. It may not happen this winter, but it could happen soon.

[Tanada]

Watched the whole thing last night, it was kind of a sad attempt IMO. They had Gasoline zooming up out of controll for the loss of just 10% of supply. I beleive prices would do a rapid climb, but the bulk of the SPR would be availible to make up the 10% loss. Drawing 2 mbd from the SPR would give you almost a year to get the huricane damage to the oil terminal repaired and imports back in place, that is in reallity what the SPR was designed to do.

Also if the price jumps upward to $8.00 per gallon all long haul trucking will cease and desist because it will be a major money looser. Short haul trucking will get a great deal more expensive. None of the auto companies will keep building SUV's and gas guzzlers for long because even executives in their ivory towers can read that kind of writing on the wall.

No way in hell does the Oil Czar get to cancel farm subsidies, the budget is a congressional function and no farm state senator or congressman will allow such a deal. California alone has enough representatives to kill any such attempt, and a lot of their economy is deasert farm driven.

The statement about shifting oil tankers from Houston to California was just plain stupid, the pipeline network would not allow the bulk of such oil to cross the rockies. You would end up with gas in CA and WA and OR at $2.00 per gallon while it was $8.00 in the country east of the rockies. That might save a good chunk of the American economy, but it would be pollitically unacceptible.

People freezing to death in Boston must be stubborn fools, why didn't the ambulance EMT move in with her mother or vice versa so that their combined income would pay for the heating oil? Same thing for most of the others predicted to die, you pull into your family unit when the crunch comes or you suffer for it, the vast majority will swallow their pride and move back home or move mom/dad/grandpa in with them. How evil are you to let your mother freeze to death because you don't want her to live with you?

[jeturcotte]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Revi', 'I') thought that Oil Storm was very plausible. Perhaps it will be a good intro to the concept of oil being scarce for the average person. The full reality could be too much for most people. I found it to be a very realistic scenario. It may not happen this winter, but it could happen soon.

[MD]

It served no useful purpose to the American Public.
Concerns of giving terrorists ideas are foolish, they need no help in dreaming up scenarios.
The Hollywood Ending is the most damaging aspect.

Net=Empty

[bgawk]

Greetings! I am a new member here because of watching the Oil Storm movie last nite and finding your forum and comments through google.
Peak Oil looks like an incredible site! Revi's comment is true for me! "Perhaps it will be a good intro to the concept of oil being scarce for the average person." And I might add another comment.
When I was younger I read a story about the interconnectedness of events. A traffic jam helped cause a pilot to be late for a flight which helped cause a plane to crash which helped cause...
This movie really showed how all of the issues which are occurring today are interconnected. Americans take far too many things for granted.
Companies and individuals and instititutions and countries and cities live too far on the edge without any margin for error. Events can trigger far reaching consequences which may seem incomprehensible at the time but are more easily understood if you simply realize everything and everyone is connected to everything and everyone else!

[lowem]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('bgawk', 'G')reetings! I am a new member here because of watching the Oil Storm movie last nite and finding your forum and comments through google ...

[Revi]

I give talks on oil depletion and have found that the average person who doesn't inhabit this site has almost no idea of where their oil comes from. They don't even think it could get scarce or remember the 70's when gas lines were common. Oil Storm at least got the idea into their heads that the dead animal juice could get scarce in the near future. Whether they will do anything about it is another matter. Probably not.

It was put out by Fox, so I wonder if it is a prelude to some kind of shortage event. Maybe this was the way of telling us that it's possible, so it's not such a shock when it happens.

I certainly think what they talked about in the movie, a 2 million barrel shortage compounded by all sorts of unforseen events, is a very real possibility in the near future. Just the 2 million barrel per day shortfall could happen anytime soon. When King Fahd dies there could be problems, Venezuela could sell our oil to the Chinese, or the North Sea oil that comes over to the Northeast US could be cut due to depletion. Any of these events could cut part of our supply, and there are about 20 other possibilities that could be even worse in the near future.

Maybe it'll creep into the common conciousness that there could be problems. Just a few people may connect the dots and realize that their present lives are extremely vulnerable to events like those depicted in the movie. They may make some lifestyle changes that help them when shortages come. Or they may not.

[Leanan]

An AP article this morning implies that "Oil Storm" may have caused this morning's price spike:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')n Vienna, PVM Oil Associates noted that — for the first time — heating oil cost more at this time of year than unleaded gasoline, a development that runs “sharply against seasonable patterns.”

“The recent jump of oil prices has largely been defying market fundamentals, with barely any new bullish factors emerging during the last two weeks,” PVM said. “In actual fact, U.S. inventory data has shown distillates stocks rising by 2.7 million barrels in the last two weeks.”

PVM said traders appear less focused on “what is” and more on “what could be in the future.”

That U.S. refineries are already running close to the maximum and Sunday’s airing of the U.S. television docudrama “Oil Storm” depicting the scenario of $150-a-barrel crude due to a hurricane paralyzing Gulf production and terrorism hitting Saudi Arabia, “might ... raise the fear premium in oil traders’ heads,” it said.

[MaterialExcess]

I don't have cable (don't really watch much TV either) so I did not see the movie. Sounds like I did not miss much. It would be nice if a major network would broadcast The End of Suburbia. That will never happen though.

[Tanada]

One more thing, did anyone else notice that at the end of the film gasoline was about $4.29 and crude was about $77.00 and 'things returned to normal'?

How many long haul trucker you think will still be on the road at $4.29 a gallon for deisel fuel? How many airlines will be in the air with jet fuel anywhere near $4.00 per gallon?

Hardly what we currently think of as normal!

[Leanan]

Yeah, I noticed that. $4 a gallon was a happy ending?

Are they trying to soften us up, or what?

Maybe that's the real point of it. Polls show voters are most unhappy about gas prices. They don't want Congress or the president messing around with social security, Terri Schiavo, or the senate rules on filibusters. They want something done about gas prices.

Perhaps this movie is supposed to make us feel lucky that gas is "only" $2 a gallon...

[ubercrap]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'Y')eah, I noticed that. $4 a gallon was a happy ending?

Are they trying to soften us up, or what?

Maybe that's the real point of it. Polls show voters are most unhappy about gas prices. They don't want Congress or the president messing around with social security, Terri Schiavo, or the senate rules on filibusters. They want something done about gas prices.

Perhaps this movie is supposed to make us feel lucky that gas is "only" $2 a gallon...