The Dark Side of Christmas Shopping

Hmmm.....I had decided NEVER to use another poll again, but I thought it would go well with this entry.

As a movie-hip person, it is unusual for me to be informed of a film I don't know about unless it comes from my friends and fellow film connoisseurs Moviezzz, Bilge Ebiri and Joe Scott.
But, my sister Lale Lovell from Colorado sent me a postcard for the new documentary  film by Morgan Spurlock (he is producer, not director) entitled "What Would Jesus Buy?"
The film is about the over commercialization of Christmas, and how it can have an adverse effect of folks who need to get out of debt.
The premise of the film is that it follows the Rev. Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they visit places like the Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark.
I checked on the IMDB and the film is showing at a fair number of movie theaters nationally, though mostly in larger markets. I was shocked to see that it is actually showing at a multi-plex in Virginia Beach. But mostly, it is showing in art houses like The Canal Place Cinema in New Orleans and The Magnolia in Dallas.
"WWJB" is also the subject of an article in the current issue of "Filmmaker" magazine.
Spurlock is originally from Beckley, West Virginia, which is relatively close to my hometown of  Roanoke, Va.  He first gained fame with  his documentary "Supper Size Me!"
I still think about that film whenever I eat fast food, which has been more than it should recently due to a very hectic lifestyle. Sadly, there are some towns like South Boston, Va., and Yanceyville, NC, where there are very few choices for eating out. And, conversely, in places like Woodstock, Va., Eden, NC or Spurlock's hometown, there are few places to shop besides Wal-Mart.

Tags: What Would Jesus Buy

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