Oz ... The critic

As the majority of us were absorbed this week reading the controversy surrounding the cartoons printed in the Danish newspaper, some of you may have missed the Academy award nominations. Now, I am not a frequent movie watcher, neither have I seen the majority of the movies nominated, but when I heard several nominations for The Constant Gardener, I thought I share my thoughts on this movie that I just watched.

Before you read on, I must warn you that I have been told that my movie recommendations stink. For this I remain apologetic because these same people who criticize my recommendations also watch Bollywood movies. Now, I will never recommend a Bollywood movie because I find them boring and predictable. If you have never seen a Bollywood movie, it can be summarized easily:

Parents are trying to force girl to marry rich evil guy probably called Raj
Girl finds other guy that she wants to marry during a scene where they chase each other around a tree
Parents disapprove of guy and father yells at girl during a thunderstorm
After a sing and dance, parents finally approve guy that girl likes.

Fortunately, The Constant Gardener has a lot more substance than a Bollywood movie. The plot evolves around an activist who uncovers a conspiracy involving clinical testing of a new drug on people in Africa, who are unaware that they are being use as test subjects.

My interest in this subject was sparked after watching this movie. I have learned a great deal about the unethical actions of huge corporations in third-world countries. It is unfortunate that a companies stock price is more important than fatality rates in a third-world country.