'Eating Animals', is a documentary co-produced and narrated by Natalie Portman that chronicles the obstacles that several farmers across the country have in holding on to the traditions of individual farming in light of the predominant industry farming such as Tyson, Perdue, etc. Now know this...I adore beef, pork, chicken but the movie brought home to me two major facts that might actually change (baby steps!!) the way I either a) purchase meats and/or b) reduce the amount of meat I consume. Why? Well, like all good documentaries, 'Eating Animals' enlightened and educated me. Sure, I already knew that if confronted with images and knowledge of the living conditions, antibiotic use, and callous deaths, of these respective animals, I would cringe. But the movie brings up a good point-I might SAY that's inhumane, but by continuing to buy and eat then I am COMPLICIT regarding the problem. Sure, the movie paints 'big corporation' as evil (I don't subscribe to broad brush labeling), but it does drive home the fact that local farmers love their animals even though they know that the end result is that the animals they care for must serve as food. It's the process that should be indicted. I wish the movie would have delved a bit further into the many different, important topics it brings up, but, nonetheless, it educated me to a point that I went and purchased grilled 'chicken' from one of the companies spotlighted in the movie. As always, that's what I look for in a quality documentary.

I am a man of many appetites. I like a good steak. I like a nice piece of chicken and all the delicacies the food meat world offers. I must admit I hardly ever stop and think of the journey of the meat on my plate. In Eating Animals you are taking on a historical perspective of the evolution of food meat production. They compare the historical traditional methods of raising animals. Which today you would classify as cage free raised foods to the large scale industrial farms. In the film they showcase large production houses that main focus is to produce high amount of animal food products. There you discover the use of harsh conditions for the animal. Like hormone injections, genetic modification and intense production schedules with tough housing conditions and large amount of waste. Some of the scenes really bring to light the complexity of producing enough food for the increasing worldwide demand. This movie will make you think and become more aware of all that goes into bringing that $.99 hamburger special on the menu. I don't think I was discourage from consuming meats but definitely made aware of a complex issue. Overall a good quality film that sheds light to a global issue. Dr Wilson Triviño

People need to be stop being ignorant to the food they put in their bodies and how that "food" is created, how animals are treated, etc. The days of playing dumb need to end. If you watch this film and others like it and continue supporting factory farms, you have no soul

'EATING ANIMALS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)A feature-length documentary adapted from the critically acclaimed 2009 novel, of the same name (which was also a New York Times best-seller), by Jonathan Safran Foer. The film examines what has happened to our food industry in the last 40-years, as we've transitioned from traditional farming to huge industrial farms. The book was written as an effort for Foer to decide whether his newborn child should eat meat or not. The film was written and directed by Christopher Dillon Quinn, and it's narrated and produced by Oscar winning actress (and filmmaker) Natalie Portman. The documentary had it's world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last September, where it received a standing ovation. I saw it at a film festival in Portland, followed by a Q&A with the director there. I definitely had severely mixed feelings about the film. The movie examines what has happened to our food industry over the last forty years, as it's transitioned from traditional farming to massive factory farms. The filmmakers interview multiple farmers, and question them on how this change has affected them (many have been left in financial ruins). It also shows us (through undercover footage primarily) the horrific treatment of animals as a result. Portman also beautifully narrates the film, throughout, as well. I saw the movie with a group of vegan 'animal rights' activist friends, and they were pretty upset by the overall message of the film. They feel that it promotes the myth of 'humanely' raised meat and dairy, and it encourages a transition back to more traditional farming, rather than veganism. I didn't feel that was the overall message (from my biased point of view) when I first watched it, but I can definitely see why they feel that way. I still saw it as a movie which primarily promotes veganism. There's a lot of important educational information in it, including lots of animal abuse footage, and it definitely (without a doubt) paints factory farming in a very negative and horrific light. The film has a lot of flaws still though (obviously), and it's certainly far from a great movie.