wavecat13

If you have been wanting to watch a documentary that covers the global history of the oil business, from its origins in the hills of Pennsylvania and Ohio, up to its role in the Middle East, Europe, Indonesia, and elsewhere, then this is what you want to watch. There are profiles of some of the leading characters in the business, and chats with some contemporary oil men. Not a lot of historians or analysts were consulted, this all comes from the excellent work of Daniel Yergin, whose book the series is based on, and he is interviewed quite a bit.

This was released in 1992, so naturally some of it is outdated, especially the final section, which looks forward and speculates about the future. Well, Russia did not become the next Middle East, in terms of it being exploited by international oil companies and so forth. But the historical sections are as fascinating as ever, and they are very well illustrated with historical video and shots of derricks and other oil equipment. Yergin wrote another book that analyzed the global energy industry; that too is now past its prime, but "The Prize" is still essential reading and viewing.

This one is over the top--a long, loony tale, purportedly connected to the true story of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and that great American invention, perhaps our most significant contribution to la cuisine du monde: the dry, crunchy breakfast cereal meant to be consumed with milk and sugar. According to this yarn, it was originally intended as a therapeutic food for those with digestive difficulties.

The film is entertaining and wacky, but not at all credible. For some reason I liked this a lot when I saw it back in the 90s, it struck me as wacky but smartly done, while today some of it is pretty cringeworthy and other sections suffer from hammy acting and foolish writing. I guess I am giving it a 7 for sentimental. Based on a novel by T. C. Boyle.

It is hard to compare this with anything else. The first section focuses on a Coptic Church group that got heavily into marijuana in South Florida in the 1970s. A couple of them ended up doing long stretches in prison. The other main segment deals with boat smugglers in the Everglades, guys that were forced into the cannabis trade when the government took away their fishing licenses. Some pretty wild characters take the stage here, seemingly speaking openly about their sometimes sordid lives. If you like hearing "war stories" of the drug trade, this should catch your attention. It deserves to be a cult classic.