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<TITLE>Review for "Who Killed the Electric Car?" - This week at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre</TITLE>
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<FONT FACE="Verdana"><B>This week at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre-<BR>
<BR>
</B><FONT COLOR="#800000"><H2>Who Killed the Electric Car? (PG)<BR>
</H2></FONT><B>Thursday & Friday, October 5 & 6<BR>
7:00 PM<BR>
Saturday & Sunday, October 7 & 8<BR>
4:45 & 7:00 PM<BR>
</B>$5/adult, $3/child 12 or younger<BR>
KFS pass good for Sunday movies<BR>
<U>Panel, featuring Dean Edwards, professor of Chemical and Mechanical Engineering at UI, following the 7PM show on Sunday.<BR>
</U><B>(See Review below)<BR>
</B><BR>
<B><BR>
Late Night Movie Series begins this week!<BR>
</B>October is scary movie month.<BR>
<FONT COLOR="#800000"><H2>Silence of the Lambs (R)<BR>
</H2></FONT><B>Saturday, October 7 at 10:00 PM<BR>
</B>All seats $3. Includes a free bag of popcorn!<BR>
<B>* * *<BR>
</B><BR>
<B>This week’s review-<BR>
</B><BR>
<FONT COLOR="#800000"><H2>Who Killed the Electric Car?<BR>
</H2></FONT><B><BR>
</B>Directed by Chris Paine; edited by Michael Kovalenko and Chris A. Peterson; narrated by Martin Sheen<BR>
Rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Revelations of big-business and government collusion may provoke shock, shock. <BR>
Running time: 1 hour, 32 minutes. <BR>
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<B><I><U>As reviewed by Manohla Dargis writing for the New York Times<BR>
<BR>
</U></I></B>Fast and furious, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" is, in brief, the sad tale of yet one more attempt by a heroic group of civic-minded souls to save the browning, warming planet. The story mostly unfolds during the 1990's, when a few automobile manufacturers, including General Motors, were prodded to pursue — only to sabotage covertly — a cleaner future. In 1990 the state's smog-busting California Air Resources Board adopted the Zero-Emission Vehicle mandate in a bid to force auto companies to produce exhaust-free vehicles. The idea was simple: we were choking to death on our own waste. The goals were seemingly modest: by 1998, 2 percent of all new cars sold in the biggest vehicle market in the country would be exhaust-free, making California's bumper-to-bumper lifestyle a touch less hellish.<BR>
<BR>
Given that some companies, including G.M., were already creating prototypes for electric cars that could be mass produced, the mandate didn't seem unfeasible or unreasonable. Electric cars have been around about as long as the automobile and, believe it or not, Phyllis Diller. Mr. Paine's résumé is peppered with Hollywood credits, which may explain why, in addition to the usual expert talking heads, he has tapped so many celebrities and pseudo-celebrities. <BR>
<BR>
Presumably Mr. Paine thinks audiences listen to the famous and almost famous, which is certainly the case with Ms. Diller, who delivers a nostalgic ode to the first electric vehicles while in front of an ornately framed painting of Bob Hope. Both the comedian and the filmmaker certainly know how to grab your attention. <BR>
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It's a story Mr. Paine tells with bite. In 1996 a Los Angeles newspaper reported that "the air board grew doubtful about the willingness of consumers to accept the cars, which carry steep price tags and have a limited travel range." Mr. Paine pushes beyond this ostensibly disinterested report, suggesting that one reason the board might have grown doubtful was because its chairman at the time, Alan C. Lloyd, had joined the California Fuel Cell Partnership. Established in 1999, this partnership is a joint effort of the federal and state agencies, fuel cell companies, car manufacturers like G.M. and energy peddlers like Exxon to explore the potential (note that word, potential) of vehicles powered by hydrogen-cell fuels.<BR>
<BR>
Why would a company like Exxon back a zero-emission vehicle technology that — according to some of the authorities interviewed in the film, like Joseph J. Romm, an assistant secretary in the Department of Energy during the Clinton administration and author of "The Hype About Hydrogen" — is a long way from real-life roadways? The answers may not surprise you, particularly if you are predisposed to watching a film titled "Who Killed the Electric Car?," but they're eye-and-vein-popping nonetheless. As Mr. Paine forcefully makes clear, the story of the electric car is greater than one zippy ride and the people who loved it. From the polar ice caps to Los Angeles, where many cars truly are to die for, it is a story as big as life, and just as urgent. <BR>
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<B><I><U>As reviewed by Sean Axmaker writing for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer<BR>
</U></I></B><BR>
There is an element of murder mystery and an edge of conspiracy thriller to Chris Paine's documentary about the rise and fall of General Motors' EV1 (Electric Vehicle 1), to date the quietest, most efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to the combustion-engine car. But the who (a familiar list of usual suspects) is not as aggravating as the why. <BR>
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Auto executives claim consumer demand wasn't there. Yet when GM recalled the EV1 with no explanation, the satisfied leasees (among them Mel Gibson, Tom Hanks and Peter Horton) offered to buy their vehicles outright (GM refused to sell and would only lease the cars). <BR>
Paine argues in "Who Killed the Electric Car?" that the electric car was never meant to be a viable option, merely an empty gesture in the face of California's new emissions regulations. His evidence is compelling, from an ad campaign so disastrous it looks designed to fail to a lease application more laborious than the citizenship process. <BR>
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The arguments are more vague and anecdotal when confronting the real cost in terms of fuel consumed and pollution created to produce the electricity for, say, a 60-mile trip. But his conspiracy theory seems all the more plausible in light of (public statements to the contrary) the automakers' systematic and secret destruction of the EV fleet, as if to eradicate any evidence of its success. <BR>
It may sound like a downer, but Paine turns it into a call for action. The lesson is that we can't count on any clean energy solution from either the industry or the government that doesn't involve a healthy profit for somebody, so the public is going to have to demand it. And perhaps create it as well.<BR>
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<B><I><U>As reviewed by Mick LaSalle writing for the San Francisco Chronicle<BR>
<BR>
</U></I></B>Less than 10 years ago, the electric car looked like the coming thing. General Motors had an attractive electric car on the road, and it seemed inevitable that these cars would get better, less expensive and more practical as time went on. California, responding to a pollution crisis, had a law on the books requiring that 2 percent of the state's vehicles be emissions free by 1998 and 10 percent by 2003. Everything was in place -- and then the electric car disappeared. <BR>
<BR>
"Who Killed the Electric Car?" is a balanced examination of the reasons for the electric car's disappearance, reasons that include corporate collusion and greed, governmental spinelessness and oil company propaganda -- but also consumer indifference and the limitations of the vehicles themselves. Rather than try to devise a conspiracy theory that lays the blame on one party's doorstep, director Chris Paine examines the issue from a number of sides. He makes a virtue of the issue's complexity, by structuring the film as though it were a murder mystery with a host of suspects. In fact, he gives enough evidence for the viewer to come away with an understanding of the situation that's different from his own. <BR>
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Put it this way: Do you really need a conspiracy theory to figure out why people, in 1997, didn't run out to buy a $35,000 car that could only go, at most, 120 miles without a charge and that took at least 45 minutes to charge? Do you need a conspiracy theory to explain why an automotive company wouldn't want to throw good money after bad by strenuously advertising it? As it stood, General Motors' EV1 was a great car to have as a second vehicle, for city driving. But most people who spend 35 grand on a new car want that car to be their primary vehicle. They don't want to have to buy yet another car to drive into the country for the weekend. <BR>
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Yet explaining why few people bought the electric car in the beginning doesn't completely explain why it disappeared. Anyone who has been around long enough has seen the pattern repeated with VCRs, computers, video cameras and DVD players and recorders: The first entries onto the market are expensive, imperfect and not always easy to use. But over time, usually over a fairly short time, the bugs are worked out, the technology becomes more practical and the prices plummet. This is exactly what did not happen with electric cars, and the fact that it didn't happen -- that little effort was expended to make it happen -- is where the film's investigation proves fruitful. <BR>
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Rather than try to comply with California's emissions timetable by investing further in electric car technology, the automobile companies made it their mission to overturn the law. GM halted its production of the EV1 and then -- as if to erase the electric car from memory -- refused to let leaseholders buy the cars. Instead, as the leases ran out, GM took the cars back and destroyed them. Meanwhile, oil companies ran ads claiming that the electric car was an environmental hazard. Later, they bought the rights to the electric car battery technology. <BR>
<BR>
"Who Killed the Electric Car?" makes a compelling case that the current discussion of hydrogen cell technology, as the successor to the internal combustion engine, is a way of keeping America hooked on gasoline for at least 20 more years. The hydrogen cell is decades away, while the electric car is close to being practical. The one bright spot is the popularity of hybrid vehicles. If there's a conspiracy against the Prius, someone forgot to tell the consumer.<BR>
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<BR>
<I>Film reviews researched and edited by Peter Haggart<BR>
</I><B>* * *<BR>
</B><FONT COLOR="#800000"><H2>Auditions<BR>
<BR>
</H2></FONT><B>If you missed auditions at the Kenworthy on Monday, then come to Pullman today!<BR>
</B><BR>
<B>Thursday, October 5th 3:30 – 5:30 in the Hecht Room at Neill Public Library</B>, 210 N. Grand Avenue, Pullman<BR>
<BR>
<I>Sirius Idaho Theatre</I> will hold auditions for a <B>staged reading of <I>The Oldest Profession</I></B> by Paula Vogel. This is an ensemble piece, with parts available for<B> five women, aged sixty-five and up</B>. No need to prepare a monologue, just show up and be prepared to read.<BR>
<BR>
Rehearsals and performances will be split between Pullman and Moscow. Rehearsals will be on Monday and Thursday afternoons, 3:30 – 5:30, throughout October and early November. <BR>
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Two special event performances are scheduled:<BR>
November 10th at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre and November 11th at the Gladish Little Theatre in Pullman.<BR>
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Scripts available for reading at BookPeople of Moscow and Brused Books of Pullman.<BR>
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For more information, contact: <BR>
Bev Wolff (509) 336-9664, <FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U>bevw@adelphia.net<BR>
</U></FONT>Terri Schmidt (208) 882-3837<BR>
<B>* * *<BR>
</B><BR>
<B>Coming in October to the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre...<BR>
</B><BR>
<FONT COLOR="#800000"><B>Introducing Kenworthy Late Night Films<BR>
</B></FONT><B>October is Scary Movie Month<BR>
</B>The series will run every Saturday at 10:00 PM<BR>
Admission is $3 and includes popcorn<BR>
See our website for more information, including titles, ratings and reviews.<BR>
<BR>
UI English Department presents<BR>
<B>Reading-Natasha Trethewey<BR>
</B>October 11, 7:30 PM<BR>
Free<BR>
<BR>
<B>Little Miss Sunshine (R)<BR>
</B>October 12-13, 7:00 PM<BR>
October 14-15, 4:30 & 7:00 PM<BR>
<BR>
Idaho Public Television presents<BR>
<B>Outdoor Idaho Palouse Paradise Premiere<BR>
</B>October 17, 7:00 PM<BR>
<B>Free<BR>
</B>Note from Idaho Public Television - <BR>
<I>The event is open to the public – we have sent out invitations and we are asking for RSVP’s to get a head count and track attendance. So, if you know of someone who would be interested have them <B>RSVP</B> to 885-1226 :>)<BR>
</I><BR>
<B>Quinceañera (R)<BR>
</B>October 19-20, 7:00 PM<BR>
October 21-22, 4:45 & 7:00 PM<BR>
<BR>
<B>Something Serious (not rated)<BR>
</B>A film by Nate Dail<BR>
October 24, 8:00 PM<BR>
$5/general admission<BR>
<BR>
<B>A Scanner Darkly (R)<BR>
</B>October 26-27, 7:00 PM<BR>
October 28-29, 4:35 & 7:00 PM<BR>
<BR>
<B>Coming in November:</B> Half Nelson; Factotum; This Film is Not Yet Rated<BR>
<BR>
Regular movie prices: $5/adult, $3/child 12 or younger<BR>
KFS series pass prices: $30/10 films, $75/30 films. KFS pass good only for Sunday movies.<BR>
<BR>
For more information on movies, events, rental rates, and/or to download a schedule, <BR>
visit our website at www.kenworthy.org or call 208-882-4127.<BR>
<B>* * *<BR>
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<I>Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre<BR>
</I>508 S. Main Street, Moscow, Idaho<BR>
</B>Sign up for this weekly email on events and movies at the Kenworthy by logging onto our website <BR>
<FONT COLOR="#0000FF"><U>http://www.kenworthy.org<BR>
<BR>
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PAMELA PALMER, <B>Volunteer<BR>
</B>Mailto:ppalmer@moscow.com<BR>
Film and Events Committee <BR>
Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre<BR>
<BR>
http://www.kenworthy.org<BR>
To speak with a KPAC staff member, <BR>
call (208) 882-4127<BR>
Mailto:kpac@moscow.com<BR>
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