By Lindsey Bahr
The Oscar -nominated documentary " Food, Inc " helped change the way many consumers think about the systems behind the things we eat.
But in the 16 years since it came out, new problems have arisen and old problems got worse, magnified in part by shortages during the pandemic. They're given a spotlight in a sequel, " Food, Inc 2," arriving in theaters and on digital in April.
The filmmakers are going one step further, too: The activist media company Participant, and producers River Road and Magnolia Pictures, are launching a multi-faceted campaign to raise awareness about farm workers rights, corporate consolidation and ultra-processed foods.
The campaign, announced Thursday, is in partnership with: The Open Markets Institute, a non-profit that "uses research and journalism to expose the dangers of monopolization"; The Coalition of Immokalee Workers, supporting the rights of farmworkers; And FoodFight USA, the nonpartisan movement started by entrepreneurs Todd Wagner and Lori McCreary with a goal of "cleaning up" the American food supply, which they estimate is 70% ultra-processed foods.
In October, California became the first state to ban four chemicals from processed food and drinks sold in California by 2027. The chemicals — red dye no. 3, potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil and propyl paraben — are still used in popular products like Peeps, the popular marshmallow chicks most associated with Easter. The chemical has been linked to cancer and has been banned from makeup for more than 30 years.
"The passing of the California Food Safety Act and the subsequent introduction of similar bills in five additional states illustrate the timeliness of (the) documentary," Wagner said in a statement. "People are beginning to recognize how tainted the U.S. food supply is and that many of the chemicals in our food are banned in other countries."
All four chemicals are already banned in foods in the European Union.
David Linde the CEO of Participant noted that the company's campaign for the first "Food, Inc" "supported the first major piece of food safety legislation since the 1930s" referring to the Food Safety Modernization Act, which Barack Obama signed into law in 2011. Linde said the company is proud to to "continue the critical work of galvanizing change in the food industry."
"Food, Inc 2," directed by Robert Kenner and Melissa Robledo and produced by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, will play in select theaters on April 9 before its digital release on April 12.
Lindsey Bahr is an AP film writer
Review: Director James Watkins’ “Speak No Evil”
Quick. Has there ever been a horror film set in a country home with a decent cell signal?
Nope, and there's no signal at Paddy and Ciara's house, either, deep in the English countryside. Soon, that land line will be cut, too, but we're getting ahead of ourselves.
Paddy and Ciara are that fun-but-somewhat-odd British couple whom Louise and Ben, early in "Speak No Evil," meet on their idyllic Tuscan family holiday. Americans based in London, Louise and Ben are at loose ends, with both job and relationship issues. And so, when the new acquaintances write to invite them for a country weekend, they decide to go.
After all, how bad could it be?
Don't answer that. There are many such moments in the first two-thirds of "Speak No Evil," a Hollywood remake of the 2022 Danish film, here starring a deeply menacing James McAvoy. Moments where Louise and Ben, out of mere politeness and social convention, act against their instincts, which tell them something is wrong – very wrong.
Director James Watkins and especially his excellent troupe of actors, adult and children alike, do a nice job of building the tension, slowly but surely. Until all bloody hell breaks loose, of course. And then, in its third act, "Speak No Evil" becomes an entertaining but routine horror flick, with predictable results.
But for a while, it's a way more intelligent film. And the jumpy moments work — I'll confess to literally springing out of my seat when someone uneventfully turned on a power drill.
We begin in stunning Tuscany, where Louise (Mackenzie Davis, in the film's most accessible and empathetic performance) and Ben (Scoot McNairy, all nerves and insecurity) are vacationing with 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler). At the pool, they... Read More