Entertainment in a Glance

Review :
So how will the world end? Fire? Ice? Or a gradual, institutional erosion of our core values, until society crumbles into paranoia and ruthless self-interest? Even before the financial and environmental news became soul-crushing, pop culture was awash in apocalyptica. But over the past half-decade, the damage wrought by terrorism, counterterrorism, and weather catastrophes has created a heightened sense of urgency. So more and more books and movies are attempting to explain how we got here and where we're going.

Anne Sundberg and Ricki Stern's The End Of America adapts Naomi Wolf's book, which compares the historical progression of fascism to what's happened in the United States during the Bush administration. Citing secret prisons, Blackwater, the president's right to declare anyone an "enemy combatant," and surveillance programs that target American citizens, Wolf argues that for much of the past eight years, we've been living in a fascist state, by historical definition. The documentary version of The End Of America cuts between a Wolf speaking engagement and interviews with sympathetic parties, and because Wolf tends to come off as condescending, this movie will probably appeal most to those who want to nod along with her, not those who prefer spirited, thoughtful debate. Still, a lot of The End Of America's points are persuasive—especially when Sundberg and Stern interview journalists and activists who've been detained at airports or thrown in jail, just for opposing the tactics in the Bush/Cheney war on terror.