Category Archives: Blog
Turbo: The Snail Racing Energy Movie
My 7-year old son is thrilled with the trailers of Turbo (2013), set for release in July. It’s a racing movie about an underdog snail, nicknamed Turbo, who has unlikely dreams of being fast. Though the trailers only reveal some … Read More
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Tagged Back to the Future, cars, Incredible Hulk, nuclear, Snoop Dogg, Spider Man 2, Turbo
The Eyes of Texas
In an earlier post about Promised Land (2012), I noted that there was a University of Texas pennant on the wall in a way that is reminiscent of Written on the Wind (1956). Rock Hudson’s character in the latter presumably … Read More
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Tagged ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Promised Land, Rock Hudson, Shell, University of Texas, Written on the Wind
The Texas Oilman, Part 1
One of the recurring stereotypes in energy movies is that of the Texas Oilman. There are far too many Texas Oilman characters in movies and TV to list, but here’s a start: – Cary Grant, Boomtown (1940) – James Dean, … Read More
Gattaca’s Solar Power and Plug-In Electric Vehicles Mark the Future
Gattaca (1997), starring Uma Thurman, Jude Law, and Ethan Hawke, is a futuristic film set in the ‘not so distant future’ where your genetic profile determines the opportunities available to you for the rest of your life. Invalids (pronounced like … Read More
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Tagged electric vehicles, Ethan Hawke, future of energy, Gattaca, Jude Law, solar energy, Uma Thurman
Roger Ebert: A Tribute from Energy at the Movies
We wish to honor Roger Ebert, who died today after a recurrence of cancer, for his important impact on movies for the last 4+ decades. He was a movie fan, an important cultural critic who appreciated the societal value of … Read More
Water and Poverty in the Movies
One more comment on Louisiana Story… as I’ve noted before, images of women either washing clothes by hand without piped water and/or carrying buckets of water appear to be the international symbols for poverty. The movie Louisiana Story (1948), which captures some … Read More
1946 Shallow Water Oil Production in Louisiana
Following up the last post, I think it’s interesting that Louisiana Story (1948) and Thunder Bay (1953) are both about shallow water oil production in 1946 Louisiana. Louisiana Story was made in 1946 but released two years later, whereas Thunder … Read More
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Tagged blowout, Giant, Jimmy Stewart, Louisiana Story, oil, Rock Hudson, Thunder Bay, water, Written on the Wind
Where Oil, Water and Cajuns Mix: Louisiana Story
The Louisiana bayou setting in Beasts of the Southern Wild reminds me of a 1948 film, Louisiana Story. This movie is fascinating for a few reasons. And, despite its quirks, I really like it. The black-and-white movie is almost entirely … Read More
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Tagged Beasts of the Southern Wild, Humble Oil, Louisiana Story, offshore production, oil, Standard Oil, water pollution
Climate Change and Beasts of the Southern Wild
As mentioned in an earlier post, energy and water are connected. Climate change (induced mostly by the energy sector) makes this connection all the more apparent since global warming manifests itself primarily through distortions to the global water cycle, making … Read More
Nuclear Energy and The Hunt For Red October
The James Bond tribute at the Oscars got me thinking again about the different ways energy has appeared in Bond films (see my earlier posts here, here, and here), and subsequently, the archetypal Bond Sean Connery. One non-Bond Sean Connery … Read More
The Avengers and Nuclear Power
Sticking to a theme of Oscar movies that have energy in them, I thought I would quickly mention a few things from the Avengers (2012). The most prominent energy angle is the recurring appearance of nuclearesque energy throughout the movie. … Read More
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Tagged Back to the Future, China Syndrome, Iron Man, nuclear, Silkwood, super heroes, The Avengers
Hunger Games is a Hydroelectric Movie, Too
Following on our Jennifer Lawrence Oscar nominee theme, here’s a follow up to my earlier post regarding The Hunger Games. While The Hunger Games (2012) is primarily a coal movie because of the imagery from district 12 (a coal mining … Read More
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Tagged coal, hydroelectric, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscars, poverty, The Hunger Games, water, wealth
Hunger Games is a Coal Movie
With Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Silver Linings Playbook, it seems like an appropriate time to highlight the energy content of her other big 2012 hit The Hunger Games. It’s a coal movie. … Read More
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Tagged coal, Jennifer Lawrence, Oscars, poverty, The Hunger Games, water, wealth, women
Water Bottles and Guilt Trips
This comedy about a mother-son road trip starring Barbra Streisand (Joyce) and Seth Rogen (Andy) doesn’t feature energy, unless you count a discussion about rental car options and the gas expense for SUVs. However, there is a funny exchange regarding … Read More
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Tagged Barbra Streisand, Bottled Water, Energy-Water Nexus, Seth Rogen, The Guilt Trip
Skyfall IS an Energy Movie
Looks like we’re going to need a DeLorean and 1.21 gigawatts of power for this post to correct the mistake written earlier by Michael! As it turns out, Skyfall IS an energy movie – sort of. (link to Michael’s original Skyfall blog post here) … Read More
Quantum of Solace: An Energy and Water Film
Quantum of Solace (2008) is both an energy film and a water film. Oil makes an appearance when the CIA makes a deal with the bad guys to keep Bolivian oil flowing to the USA. Keep in mind that in … Read More
James Bond Saves the World from an Oil Crisis
In Never Say Never Again (1983) Sean Connery makes his triumphant return to the role he made famous (or was it the role that made him famous?) in a self-parody about coming out of retirement to save the day. What … Read More
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Tagged James Bond, national security, Never Say Never Again, nuclear, oil, Sean Connery, Terrorists
Skyfall: NOT an energy movie
While Skyfall (2012) is many things—a fun movie, a Bond thriller, and a blockbuster—it is not an energy movie. But, for me, it does raise the question of which Bond movies have energy or resource themes. And, in spirit of … Read More
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Tagged Daniel Craig, George Lazenby, James Bond, Never Say Never Again, oil, Oscars, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Skyfall, Tim Dalton, water
Elf – Santa’s magic sleigh runs on 1930s technology?
I watched Elf over the holidays and realized it features energy, too. As you may recall, “the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” But, what does Santa fall back on when the Christmas Cheer is … Read More
Promised Land and Made in America
One of the recurring elements of the movie Promised Land (2012) is the idea of “Made in America.” The main character (played by Matt Damon) is mocked by his business partner at one point for wearing his old beat-up boots … Read More
Indie Game: The Game Controller and the Power Line
My husband and I watched Indie Game a while back. As my gaming days ended with Zelda, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this unexpectedly touching film. I recommend it whether you are into gaming or not. One of the … Read More
The Promised Land: Texas Written On The Wall
One more interesting tidbit I noticed in The Promised Land (2012) (Matt Damon’s movie about fracking) was the touching scene where Frances McDormand’s character (a landman* securing lease rights for drilling) communicates with her teenage son in Houston via Skype. … Read More
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Tagged Fracking, Frances McDormand, landman, Matt Damon, oil, Promised Land, Rock Hudson, University of Texas, Written on the Wind
The Promised Land: Frac Fluids on Fire
One of the more visually entertaining scenes in Promised Land (2012) was when the environmental activist Dustin Noble (played by John Krasinski) visited a local school to discuss the risks that fracking poses to farms. Firstly, selecting the name of … Read More
An Energy Expert’s Review of “Promised Land”
I went to watch Promised Land (2013) last night. The movie is rich with energy content, and so I will be blogging about it over multiple entries in the coming days/weeks. But, I wanted to get a brief review and … Read More
Posted in Blog
Tagged corruption, environment, Fracking, George Clooney, landman, Matt Damon, national security, Natural Gas, oil, Promised Land, Syriana, transportation, women and energy
Promised Land Opens Friday
Promised Land is coming out this Friday January 4th. I’m looking forward to seeing it and am curious to see how accurate it is.
Posted in Blog
Tagged Energy, Fracking, John Krasinski, Matt Damon, Natural Gas, Opening, Promised Land
Turbo: The Snail Racing Energy Movie
