Fuel 2008

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: Thanks to an informative, buoyant tone and the director's own restless intelligence, the film preaches to the unconverted with passion, energy and graphics so clear that they would make Al Gore weep all over his PowerPoint. Read more

Aaron Hillis, Time Out: It's a slickly enjoyable production (if unfocused and bloated), and his bullet-point tips are persuasive; but dude, there are better ways to humanize these issues than crying on camera. Read more

Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: While Fuel takes persuasive swipes at the influence of oil-based energy companies over domestic and foreign policy, the film is more dazzling as an introduction to all kinds of clean energy alternatives many of us have never heard of. Read more

Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: One of the refreshing traits of this action-nudging documentary is Tickell's willingness to wrestle his own biases. Read more

Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times: Smartly animated interstitials, memorable archival material and a lively soundtrack round out the fast-paced proceedings. Read more

Brian Miller, L.A. Weekly: Those outside the bio-church aren't likely to drive (at less than $2 per gallon) to see it at their local theater. Read more

G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: A peppy, bouncy documentary that is watchable and informative, although Tickell's celebrity name-dropping at times detracts from the serious message. Read more

Brian Miller, Village Voice: There's not a single (even moderately) dissenting voice in Fuel; you're either on the biodiesel bandwagon or raping the planet. Read more