NMR: Who's hungry?

Here are a pair of food and drink documentaries that I recently caught through Netflix's Instant Viewing:

Food Inc.: This is yet another documentary that attempts to expose the harsh realities of how our food is prepared. What makes this one a step above most is that it doesn't resort to gross-out visuals of animal cruelty to get its point across. Instead, it delivers a well-reasoned argument that everyone should pay attention to. Sadly, they also point out how helpless the public is in trying to get any of these practices changed or stopped. This documentary is actually up for an Oscar this year and I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up winning. At times, the subject matter can be a little difficult to swallow (no pun intended), but it's a well made film worth checking out. Rating: ****

Beer Wars: Here, the focus is on the smaller craft beers and their struggle to compete against the big giants (Bud, Miller, and Coors). As someone who enjoys tipping one back from time to time, the subject matter certainly engaged me. I was also surprised to see how many of the beers referenced in the film I knew and/or have drank. Despite the engaging topic, the film has two major negatives against it. First, it's apparent the woman who made the film is more knowledgable about beer than she is about making films. The film just came off looking amateurish at times. The other problem is that it heavily focused on the founder of Dogfish Head beer and I've never enjoyed any of their brews. It made me tough to sympathize or root for him as he told his story. Still, if you're at all interested in beer, this is a short little film that will likely hold your attention, even if it doesn't necessarily tell you anything that you didn't already know. Rating: ***