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Michael Moore sets out to examine the roots of the financial collapse of the late 2000s. In this outspoken documentary, Moore explores the negative impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans. The film shows how the wages, pensions and healthcare of America's working classes have been undermined in recent years as a result of a huge transfer of wealth to the financial elite, and offers a fierce critique of the conspicuous consumerism that lies at the heart of the American Dream.

Directed by: Michael Moore 

Running time: 122 minutes

Widescreen

Extras: A wide range of extra documentary material by Michael Moore

Subtitle option: English

A documentary that warns that the age of abundant oil is over. Taking a similar line to Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the premise behind this documentary is that we're all drinking in the last chance saloon. Featuring testimonies from the world's top experts, the film reaches an ominous yet logical conclusion — the Earth's oil supplies are peaking and a crisis of global proportions looms. Even more alarmingly, industrial societies don't have any plans on how to deal with the shortage, threatening the future of our post-industrial fossil fuel-addicted civilization with disaster. Unless western society re-invents its relation to energy needs, economic meltdown is inevitable.

Directed by: Basil Gelpke and Ray McCormack

Running time: 82 mins

Widescreen

Subtitle options: none

Extras: Interviews, “Petrostates” etc.

A fictional condemnation of fast-food consumerism based on the book Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. Through the stories of several individuals in one small town, the hypocrisy and big business mentality of the burger industry is laid bare: under-paid ranchers, exploted migrant workers working on the counters etc.

Directed by: Richard Linklater

Starring: Bruce Willis, Kris Kristofferson, Avril Lavigne, Ethan Hawke

Running Time: 108 mins

Widescreen

Subtitles: None

Extras: Interviews with director, author and cast

The accompanying book with the same title is available from Futurum:
Independent filmmaker Patrick Creadon details the enormous financial problems America is storing up for itself, as years of mismanagement and fiscal incompetence come home to roost. After years of ever-increasing spending on government and the military, over-generous welfare programmes, and runaway borrowing, Creadon argues that America faces an economic meltdown unless it adopts a sea-change in its approach to its finances. He cuts through the jargon to show where the problems have arisen, and, unusually for this type of film, offers plausible solutions for creating a fiscally sound future nation for future generations.

Directed by: Patrick Creadon

Running time: 85 mins

Widescreen

Extra: New updated international version, produced with the BBC

An acclaimed documentary team take a behind-the-scenes look at the internet industry, chronicling the turbulent development of New York based website govWorks.com (which still exists). The film follows in intimate detail the trials of partners Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman, best friends since childhood, as they progress from being rookies with just a business plan to assuming leadership of a nationally recognised organisation. What could go wrong? Everything. As the inhospitable economy of the year 2000 reduces high-flying dotcoms to bankruptcy, Tom & Kaleil struggle to save their company from a spectacular meltdown.

Starring:  Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman

Directed by: Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim

Running Time: 100 mins

Widescreen

Subtitles: None

Extras: Production notes, Biographies

A financial history of the world:
In ths beautifully shot documentary series Harvard professor Niall Ferguson explores the world of finance from the 14th century to the present day. Amongst many other subjects he looks at stock market crashes, inflationary meltdowns, runs on banks and sub-prime loans — terms which are never far from the headlines in today's world. This series provides the historical perspective needed to explain how finance rose to play such a terrifyingly dominant role in our lives.

Directed by: Adrian Pennink

Presented by: Niall Ferguson

Widescreen

Running time: 285 minutes

Subtitles: English

Hard-hitting documentary looking at the business practices of American retail giant Wal Mart. Interviewing current and former employees, director Robert Greenwald assembles evidence that demonstrates the ways in which the company is forcing small businesses to close and pursuing restrictive, anti-union employment policies.

Directed by: Robert Greenwald

Running time: 99 mins

Widescreen

Subtitle option: English

Extras: Robert Greenwald Interview; Victory for Queen's Market; Behind the Scenes; Film Notes etc.