When I saw the trailer for a film called ‘Greed Lying Bastards‘ on Peter Sinclair’s Crock of the Week, my first thought that this was a joke mash-up. But the truth is, it’s no hoax; and I can’t wait to see it — preferably on the big screen (and then, too, see it scheduled on major television channels for wider couch potato voter viewing).
Paraphrasing slightly from the blog at greedylingbastards[dot]com*:
‘Greedy Lying Bastards’ is an award-winning documentary that relentlessly uncovers a trail of environmental destruction, illness and death, and investigates the reason behind stalled efforts to tackle climate change despite consensus in the scientific community that it is not only a reality but also a growing problem that is placing us on the brink of disaster.
The film details the people and organisations who cast doubt on both climate science and the claims that human behaviour has no effect on greenhouse gases. Filmmaker Craig Rosebraugh documents the impact of an industry that has continually:
+ put profits before people
+ waged a campaign of lies designed to thwart measures to combat climate change
+ used its clout to minimise infringing regulations
+ undermined the political process across the entire planet.
I’m not normally one to encourage the use of emotive epithets, but in this case I’ll make an exception. Pass it on (please!).
Addendum 05Jan2022
* It looks like greedylingbastards[dot]com has been taken over by an online betting shop.
(Ironic, much?)
(H/T to Beaton for ‘?RandomRaiding!‘ this post, which prompted me to check its links!)
Wibble 
Yes, but when it is being released? I’m waiting….
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According to greedylyingbastards.com [1] the ‘Official Selection and World Premiere’ occurs ‘October 18-28, 2012’ in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco and Stanford University. In answer to your question, for the purposes of those of the potential US audience who are near those locales, I read that as ‘now’.
I have been unable to find any information about any other releases that might be of more relevance (ie DVD, blu-ray, digital) (and would welcome the same!)
Meanwhile, Filmdates.co.uk claims that it was screened in the UK in May 2012. If true, I’m sorry I missed it — but am unsurprised that I’ve only just heard about the film; the BBC (as one example of the mass media being in denial of the urgent need for action on climate change) is currently locked in a cycle of “we must report every last detail about the scumbag-who-was-venerated Jimmy Saville so that we can appear to be whiter than white even though we weren’t”[2], to the exclusion of reporting on things that people really ought to be informed about. Such as the release of a film with such an intriguing title.
More information: the Guardian’s Environment blog has this to say of the film.
[1] a badly-designed website IMO, because I have to suggest that you click on ‘screenings’ from the home page menu, or, as I have done, laboriously copy-type the information from the ‘screenings’ page on the website, as I am unable to give you a simple link
[2] a media lunacy event that makes me wonder how many more highly esteemed nutcases lurk within the global establishment; people who will only be outed in the event of their deaths, which, for our purposes, will be far too late, for everyone.
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Great sympathy with your views on BBC and the film itself (having now watched the trailer). Don’t see how the film could have been released in the UK months before USA?
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Agreed, that does seem strange. Dunno?
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Pao Alto could not be a World premier (unless in the same sense than US is home to the World Series in Baseball)… “Hi” to all my friends in the US ;-)
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I agree with you. I believe that many USAns think of their nation as ‘the world’. (Just because I think those who do are deluded in this regard doesn’t make me like them any the less…) “Hi” to all my friends in the US ;)
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PBS America broadcast a 108-minute programme recently (link below) providing a detailed biography of both Romney and Obama. It was truly fascinating to see how Romney has treated gaining political office as a marketing exercise – tailoring his message to what he thinks will sell in the marketplace of idea[ological prisoner]s (that is most of the GOP)… I was particularly disgusted by the hypocrisy of bringing in Romneycare in Massachusetts and then doing all he can to prevent Obama doing the same at Federal level… I also find it very hard to see Obama as anything other than having been warn down by GOP intransigence and hypocrisy so much that he now admits a bipartisan approach will not work.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice-2012/
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Err… ok, Martin, thanks for that (though I don’t see how it has any bearing at all upon a new documentary film called ‘Greedy Lying Bastards’ that hopes to raise awareness in a voting public blind to what lies in store for our poor beleaguered planet).
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sorry, I just saw the image of Romney and went off on one…
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LOL! Perfectly understandable. Unfortunately I’m unable to choose which frame of the clip is shown in the still-before-the-play (and if the makers deliberately chose this image so as to grab onto the coat-tails of the current farce that is the American presidential election then your comment suggests to me that they made a poor choice…)
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If Romney wasn’t one of them, his image wouldn’t have been chosen.
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Perhaps you’re right.
Q: How can you tell when a politician is lying?
A:
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A general FYI. The film (Greedy Lying Bastards) had its Worldwide Premier in Palo Alto, California last Friday, 19 October 2012, at the United Nations Association Film Festival, http://www.unaff.org/2012/f_greedy.html. The San Jose Mercury wrote a fairly fragmented article here (“Daryl Hannah turns heads at Palo Alto premiere of eco-documentary” – San Jose Mercury News http://bit.ly/UEngTf).
The film didn’t exactly get a lot of media coverage, but in our environment here in the US, with the nation teetering on the edge of a fascist plutocracy it’s not that surprising. This is not a film that endears itself to the folks who have all the money and influence. No, I’m not a Leftist Socialist Communist Alinsky-ite, although I’ve been called that and many worse things in the last 5 years.
Anywayyyyyy…. I’ve been poking around and have asked via comment when the screenings will be happening, but currently have not response. I suppose my next step will be to call the press contacts to see if I can get any additional information. I’ve pushed a couple of people for more info, but still no ‘joy’.
If I do get anything I’ll post it on one of my blogs and try to remember to post it over here as well as a follow up.
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Thanks very much for the heads-up, td (I hope you don’t mind me calling you that?).
I’ve tried to find out more, too: I’ve been in touch with Dogwoof (my own main source of documentaries that inspire change) to ask them if it will be possible to acquire the DVD from them. I’ve also dropped a line to the film’s director, Craig Rosebraugh, hoping for more information.
I for one would certainly be very grateful, if you do find out more, if you would pop back here with an update!
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Did a review of it myself, in case you aren’t up to date about it being out now. Probably a good idea to catch it before it folds up due to a lack of sales….
“Movie Review: ‘Greedy Lying Bastards’ – Global Warming Skeptics Indicted, or Epic Advocacy Failure?” http://ow.ly/iPn6u
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As with many other films deserving of more attention, I have no illusions that this one has any chance of becoming a blockbuster. The ‘free’ market has ever favoured snake oil salesmen; there’s always more profit in promoting a reassuring lie than an inconvenient truth.
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And as specifically as you can detail it, what is snake oil about the climate assessments of skeptic scientists, and what proof do you have to support the premise of “Greedy Lying Bastards” that they are paid to lie about their assessments. The movie, in case you haven’t noticed it, failed to deliver on any proof of it.
And, you’re welcome, if you were not aware of the movie’s release date. Seems the “td” commenter from last October did not follow through on a comment here about it being out, so you might want to let him know about it if you haven’t already.
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Again, I feel obliged to comment that the USA isn’t the whole world, however much USAns might believe that’s the case. No thanks to you are warranted: a brief search suggests that the film isn’t showing anywhere near me; nor can I find any information about where I might obtain a DVD.
This ‘choice’ thingy the free market fundamentalists keep whittering on about doesn’t exist if what you want isn’t on offer.
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A couple of years on, I find (from the official website) that Greedy Lying Bastards is available on DVD…
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here via the ?RandomThingy how did this turn out?
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Well, I bought the DVD, and watched it – eight years ago, and… I’ve forgotten what it was like. So, ‘memorable’ is probably not a word that applies, and even though ‘add to the must-rewatch pile’ doesn’t either I’ll watch it again shortly and get back to you.
Thanks for the ?RandomRaid! BTW: your visit enabled me to fix a problem with this post :)
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I am curious to know how the video has aged given the current world’s dispositions.
Super glad my visit helped fix something
~B
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