Dismissive Reviews at the End of the World.

I don't as a rule like to call out fellow DVD reviewers, knowing it's an often thankless (okay, fairly easy) job and that we all have our own tastes and takes, but this one in Video Business magazine really bugged me. (VB is a trade magazine for those of us who work in the video retail/etailer/rental biz and the "product" reviews tend to still skew toward "the guy who runs a video store.") I'm sure the reviewer is a fine fellow, but I've seen this sort of slightly reactionary sniffy dismissiveness from him before. But something about Ed Hulse's review of Werner Herzog's new documentary Encounters at the End of the World particularly irked me. (My own review of the film will appear here soon, when the DVD officially arrives on Nov 18.)  It's not a hugely negative review but, well, here, you read it first:

German filmmaker Werner Herzog takes an absorbing but bleak look at life in Antarctica. He arrives at the U.S.-run McMurdo Station, which looks to him like “an ugly mining town filled with construction sites.” He appears genuinely upset that the residents seem to prefer bowling alleys and yoga classes to nature’s majesties. Herzog doesn’t hesitate to offer his views, and when shown a truly massive iceberg, he wonders how fast it’ll melt due to global warming. Despite questionable pronouncements, Encounters succeeds because Herzog manages to capture many great moments with his colorful interview subjects, members of perhaps the hardiest community on Earth.

Shelf Talk: This one will appeal to environmentalists, global-warming alarmists and Herzog devotees—dedicated groups but not exactly the constituencies one looks to for big DVD sales. Encounters is strictly a niche item.

There you have it. This outstanding, beautiful, rewarding documentary will only appeal to that small group of nutjobs who believe in that goofiness called (using hands to make quotes in the air) "global warming" and those weirdos who like Werner Herzog docs, like Grizzly Man, which only shows on Animal Planet channel every week. And those stinky, poor enviros who don't usually drop out of their trees long enough to rent a movie. I think "global warming alarmists" particularly sticks in my craw. Alarmists like 99% of the world's scientists -- isn't it accepted as fact at this point? 

As one who lets my political bent sometimes slip into my reviews - but I'll admit it and am always trying to be fair and open minded -- I've tried to give this guy a pass before. But he's writing for a major publication, and has a wider audience than he seems to realize.  It's rather stunning, actually.

Anyway, wait for my less dismissive review in a couple of weeks.