

Chasing Ice Review
Glaciers melt and shit in Chasing Ice, a sobering documentary that puts global warming on full visual display. The movie is further proof that the Academy Awards misfired in their selection process for best documentary of 2012, as it is one of several great docs that failed to even garner a nomination.
Chasing Ice follows National Geographic photographer James Balog as he sets up a bunch of time lapse cameras at various locations around the world to document glacial change, because that's what National Geographic photographers do with their spare time, apparently.
The results are mind-blowing: glaciers receding at record pace, entire landscapes transforming and vanishing day by day.
As one of the people who believe in science, prefer to ignore the Michelle Bachmanns of the world and understand and embrace what common sense is, I know human-induced climate change is real. I'd say you don't have to be a genius, but Congressional Republicans suggest otherwise. Anyway, Chasing Ice shows the effects of global warming in a way that is hard to argue. Well, I'm sure those politicians will figure out a way...
Unlike the Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth, which did a terrific job of presenting straightforward data about climate change but didn't necessarily bring that data to life (it was a PowerPoint presentation, after all), Chasing Ice shrugs off numbers and just says, "Screw it, we will just show you."
As for the documentary itself, Chasing Ice is fast-paced, engaging and entertaining. Though it clearly has a message, it isn't preachy - it just lays Balog's footage out there for all to see. As a result, Chasing Ice is one of the best documentaries of 2012. And even if you don't believe in global warming, it's pretty. Oh, and shame on you.
Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.