Maril Crabtree

Time and distance have somewhat softened the pain of 2008's financial crash. This movie brings back the pain, but as if looking through the wrong end of a telescope lens. There's a curious detachment here, and I'm not sure if the director was going for that, but I found it a relief. I could watch what happened without being fully engaged. Ordinarily, this would be a minus for me, but in this movie it was a plus. The movie creates many metaphors - some of which border on cliche - but for the most part the movie held my attention all the way through, and I've been known to quit watching lots of movies in the middle. Kevin Spacey for once gets to play "the good guy" whose ethical framework is stretched to the max. And the ending of the movie was a perfect metaphor in many ways.

This book is a fascinating "must-read" account of what could (and likely will) happen in the not-so-distant future regarding climate change. Using a variety of characters and unusual characterizations of inanimate objects and even ideas themselves, Robinson's thorough look at the planet's possible future is mesmerizing. One of the best things, however, is that, unlike the recent movie "Don't Look Up" and countless other dystopian vehicles, Robinson insists on giving the reader hope. All is not lost; there is still time for human innovation and technology and a shift in cultural thinking to reverse the trend. In other words, it's still up to us, more than ever, to create a viable, livable future. We have the ingenuity and creativity; all it takes is the WILL to dedicate ourselves to the task.