Eve of Destruction

Al Gore succeeded in ramming global warming into the frontal lobe of American consciousness, but he didn’t make it sexy. Fortunately, scraggly man Leonardo DiCaprio has stepped up to perform that all-important function. As co-producer and onscreen narrator of The 11th Hour (or Titanic 2, as we like to call it), DiCaprio serves as a serious-but-soulful blue-eyed guide taking us through the depths of the current environmental crisis to a brave new future of cheery possibilities. The documentary assiduously clues us in on the bad news, in case we were somehow unaware, then turns to an inspiring forum of deep thinkers, from Paul Hawken to Stephen Hawking, to contemplate the solutions and opportunities of a green world. (Oddly, nobody proposes paraphrasing Shakespeare: First, kill all the humans.) Neither a downer nor a guilt trip, The 11th Hour is a mind-opening ride in the company of a couple dozen brilliant optimists and one photogenic movie star.
Aug. 24-Sept. 1