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SURVIVING PROGRESSMovie Reviews
Documentary about the question of whether progress puts our civilization at risk by serving immediate needs without regard for the future. Cast:Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall, David Suzuki, Margaret AtwoodDirector:Mathieu Roy, Harold CrooksRelease Date:April 6, 2012DVD Release:September 25, 2012From:First RunLength:1 hr 26 min
Surviving Progress played in key cities to good reviews. • Michael O'Sullivan wrote in the Washington Post, "...a powerful but pessimistic documentary look at the corner we humans seem to be painting ourselves into, economically, ecologically and otherwise." • And Mark Jenkins called the film for NPR, "...provocative if scattershot..." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the world has financed an unsustainable growth rate by essentially encouraging whole nations to take out unpayable mortgages on their own futures.... tells the truth."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 05/04/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (10 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...while 'Surviving Progress' puts forth a lot of general advice (stop the deforestation of the Amazon), it offers little in terms of real, practical, graspable solutions."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 04/06/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "We have heard most of these arguments before... But the cumulative power of so many great minds envisioning our potential self-destruction is undeniable."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 158 words, 04/06/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Both brainy and light on its feet, bristling with provocative insights and probing questions... feels like it's expanding your mind while you're watching it."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 04/20/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...the world has financed an unsustainable growth rate by essentially encouraging whole nations to take out unpayable mortgages on their own futures.... tells the truth."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 607 words, 05/04/12
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...lets viewers know that there will be no easy answers to the questions it's posing... leaves some of the world's most agile minds at a loss for an answer."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 04/04/12
Greg Quill, Toronto Star: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...economically crafted, exquisitely argued essay makes its disquieting case without hysteria or prejudice, without irony or jingoism, and with just a soupçon of self-loathing."(See all of Greg Quill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 12/01/11
Stephen Cole, Toronto Globe & Mail: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Though often fascinating and beautiful to look at, 'Surviving Progress' falls into the adapting-a-book-into-a-movie trap. Trying to do too much too fast."(See all of Stephen Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 604 words, 12/02/11
Andrew Parker, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The many topics the 86-minute film tries to cover would be better served by a miniseries or longer film. But this is an admirable and timely film..."(See all of Andrew Parker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 98 words, 12/01/11
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a powerful but pessimistic documentary look at the corner we humans seem to be painting ourselves into, economically, ecologically and otherwise."(See all of Michael O'Sullivan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 502 words, 04/20/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "A wake-up call of epic significance, one of those documentaries that everybody should see... a remarkably cogent, albeit remarkably alarming, film."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 299 words, 05/18/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...accessible, visually striking and lucidly reasoned... captures humanizing clashes that illustrate the challenges of finding a balance that serves all parties."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 278 words, 05/11/12
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...more like a sampler of several important films than a self-contained, coherent analysis.... the cumulative effect of this temperate Canadian production is a shrug."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 313 words, 06/08/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Ernest Hardy, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...lets viewers know that there will be no easy answers to the questions it's posing... leaves some of the world's most agile minds at a loss for an answer."(See all of Ernest Hardy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 193 words, 04/04/12
Gerald Peary, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...a one-note complaint about how mankind has gone wrong... nothing new here beyond what every conscientious liberal already knows is wrong with the world."(See all of Gerald Peary's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 111 words, 05/17/12
Cynthia Fuchs, Pop Matters: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...makes a case for a 'moral' progress, one that will curtail the machines. It's one of those 'pretty to think so' arguments, but it's also pretty convincing."(See all of Cynthia Fuchs's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 861 words, 04/09/12
Andrew Parker, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The many topics the 86-minute film tries to cover would be better served by a miniseries or longer film. But this is an admirable and timely film..."(See all of Andrew Parker's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 98 words, 12/01/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...while 'Surviving Progress' puts forth a lot of general advice (stop the deforestation of the Amazon), it offers little in terms of real, practical, graspable solutions."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 04/06/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a provocative if scattershot documentary.... Environmental degradation is the film's primary concern... the movie does allow a range of opinion on some subjects."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 535 words, 04/05/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Both brainy and light on its feet, bristling with provocative insights and probing questions... feels like it's expanding your mind while you're watching it."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 04/20/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Dennis Harvey, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "...overpopulation, pollution, consumption, global warming, industrial development and more... does a remarkable job weaving together these and many other big ideas..."(See all of Dennis Harvey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 647 words, 02/20/12
Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...takes on more than it can comfortably handle, veering haphazardly from subject to subject... But it certainly provides plenty of food for thought along the way."(See all of Frank Scheck's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 352 words, 04/06/12
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "Both brainy and light on its feet, bristling with provocative insights and probing questions... feels like it's expanding your mind while you're watching it."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 612 words, 04/20/12
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...while 'Surviving Progress' puts forth a lot of general advice (stop the deforestation of the Amazon), it offers little in terms of real, practical, graspable solutions."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 606 words, 04/06/12
17.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Surviving Progress's reviews are separated by an average 17.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Surviving Progress (23 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Surviving Progress's reviews cover 24.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,902 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 430 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 51.2 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Surviving Progress's reviews on average broke 51.2 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Surviving Progress's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Surviving Progress (23 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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