Gasland

After being offered a large sum of money in exchange for allowing an energy company to drill on his land in Pennsylvania, documentarian Josh Fox decided to drive to the Dimock Township nearby and interview families that have experienced the effects of contaminated water due to chemicals used in the "fracking" process of drilling for natural gas. It's there Fox makes a shocking discovery, documenting a number of residents' flammable tap water and hearing harrowing stores of how the contaminated water has impacted their livestock and their rapidly declining health. Fox then undertakes a cross-country drive to other parts of the United States that have experienced the negative effects of drilling and the truth will startle and upset many viewers of this award-winning documentary. Although the facts are compelling in this Sundance hit, it's difficult to not comment on the documentary's lack of compassion and objectivity, which unfortunately takes away from the film's disturbing subject matter. Like all of Michael Moore's docs, Fox's Gasland thrives on confirmation bias, making one-sided judgments against the energy companies by showing footage of executives declining interviews, while never passing judgment on the residents/interviewees who risked their health for free Satellite T.V., keep dozens of frozen birds and get excited by the smell of burnt arm hair when lighting the methane pouring from their taps. Despite the fact that Gasland thoroughly examines and unearths a perplexing, thought-provoking environmental issue that will only worsen with time, its bloated runtime of 111 minutes will make less eco-friendly viewers not give a flying frack. Gasland may raise awareness and create much discussion in regards to the toxic fracking process, but it may be difficult for many to take a documentary with the tagline "Can you light your water on fire?" that seriously.