The Botany of Desire
A plant's-eye view of the world
Genres
Overview
Featuring Michael Pollan and based on his best-selling book, this special takes viewers on an exploration of the human relationship with the plant world — seen from the plants' point of view. Narrated by Frances McDormand, the program shows how four familiar species — the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato — evolved to satisfy our yearnings for sweetness, beauty, intoxication.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Runtime
116 min
Release Date
2009-10-28
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
14
Vote Average
6.4
Frances McDormand
Narrator (voice)
Michael Pollan
Self
7.5
Microcosmos
A documentary of insect life in meadows and ponds, using incredible close-ups, slow motion, and time-lapse photography. It includes bees collecting nectar, ladybugs eating mites, snails mating, spiders wrapping their catch, a scarab beetle relentlessly pushing its ball of dung uphill, endless lines of caterpillars, an underwater spider creating an air bubble to live in, and a mosquito hatching.
1996-09-06 | fr
0.0
The Standard Deviants: The Really Big World of Astronomy, Part 2
In Astronomy Part 2, you will learn all about the planets, asteroids, comets, meteoroids, the layers of the sun, fusion, and more. The Standard Deviants make learning astronomy easier with their unique teaching style, which incorporates humor, mnemonics, and sophisticated computer graphics.
2000-12-12 | en
0.0
The Standard Deviants: The Really Big World of Astronomy, Part 1
This series also covers the essential concepts of astronomy: gravity, the light spectrum, Earth's magnetic field, the solar system, the sun, Kepler's Law, the universal law of gravitation, the Doppler Effect, and much more!
2007-08-28 | en
0.0
The Standard Deviants: The Gravity-Packed World of Physics, Parts 1&2
Physics is a system of models of nature according to which all phenomena are explained in terms of matter and force. Sound confusing? It doesn't have to be! Whether you need help with high school physics, need to review for a college physics class, or you're studying for the AP Physics Exam, this physics tutorial will help you understand the basics, such as Newton's Laws, the Law of Universal Gravitation, Kepler's Law and more.
2000-09-26 | en
7.0
An Inconvenient Truth
A documentary on Al Gore's campaign to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem worldwide.
2006-05-24 | en
7.1
Unrest
When Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down at 28 by a fever that leaves her bedridden, doctors tell her it’s "all in her head." Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families' stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot.
2017-10-20 | en
5.5
The Evolution Conspiracy
Unmasks fraudulent cover-ups, wild speculations, and deceitful myths that have been presented as the absolute "facts" of evolution. Should evolutionism, the foundational faith of eastern mystical thought, be taught in schools as science, when Creationism, the foundational belief of Judeo-Christianity, has been expelled?
1988-01-01 | en
10.0
A Question of Origins
Understanding mankind's true origin is essential in determining one's final destiny. This visually rich, full production presents conclusive evidence that the universe and all life were created. In addition, scientific foreknowledge found only in the Bible reveals that the God of the Bible is the Creator. A Question of Origins is essential viewing for anyone who has questions or doubts concerning the scientific accuracy of the Word of God. A great witnessing tool intended for our current generation.
1998-01-01 | en
7.5
George Clinton: Tales of Dr Funkenstein
Don Letts's hilarious and colourful profile of the godfather of funk, whose 50-year career has defined the genre. From his 1950s days running a doo-wop group out of the back of his barber store, through the madness of the monster Parliament/Funkadelic machine of the 70s to his late 90s hip-hop collaborations with Dre and Snoop, George Clinton has inspired generations of imitators. Contributors include Outkast's Andre 3000 and Macy Gray.
2006-10-27 | en
6.0
Pyramid
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2002-10-28 | en
7.5
The Organic Life
Sweat, sun, rain, tears, and green thumbs are all part of the challenge for a young couple attempting to become full-time organic farmers in this illuminating doc.
2013-10-01 | en
7.2
Destiny in Space
Travel alongside the astronauts as they deploy and repair the Hubble Space Telescope, soar above Venus and Mars, and find proof of new planets and the possibility of other life forming around distant stars.
1994-01-17 | en
6.5
Mission to Mir
This film shows how far we have come since the cold-war days of the 50s and 60s. Back then the Russians were our "enemies". And to them the Americans were their "enemies" who couldn't be trusted. Somewhere in all this a young girl in Oklahoma named Shannon set her sights on becoming one of those space explorers, even though she was told "girls can't do that." But she did.
1997-10-17 | en
0.0
The Polio Crusade
The film interweaves the personal accounts of polio survivors with the story of an ardent crusader who tirelessly fought on their behalf while scientists raced to eradicate this dreaded disease. Based in part on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Polio: An American Story by David Oshinsky, Features interviews with historians, scientists, polio survivors, and the only surviving scientist from the core research team that developed the Salk vaccine, Julius Youngner.
2009-02-02 | en
7.0
In The Womb
In The Womb is a 2005 National Geographic Channel documentary that focus on studying and showing the development of the embryo in the uterus. The show makes extensive use of Computer-generated imagery to recreate the real stages of the process.
2005-01-01 | en
7.2
Stem Cell Universe With Stephen Hawking
The use of embryonic stem cells has ignited fierce debate across the spiritual and political spectrum. But what if we could create manmade stem cells - or find super cells in adults that could forever replace embryonic cells and remove the controversy? Today, we are on the brink of a new era - an age where we may be able to cure our bodies of any illness. Stephen HAWKING has spent his life exploring the mysteries of the cosmos, now there is another universe that fascinates him - the one hidden inside our bodies - our own personal galaxies of cells.
2014-02-03 | en
7.0
Religulous
Commentator-comic Bill Maher plays devil's advocate with religion as he talks to believers about their faith. Traveling around the world, Maher examines the tenets of Christianity, Judaism and Islam and raises questions about homosexuality, proof of Christ's existence, Jewish Sabbath laws, violent Muslim extremists.
2008-10-01 | en
0.0
State of Bacon
State of Bacon tells the kinda real but mostly fake tale of an oddball group of characters leading up to the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. Bacon-enthusiasts, Governor Branstad, a bacon queen, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, members of PETA, and an envoy of Icelanders are not excluded from this bacon party and during the course of the film become intertwined with the organizers of the festival to show that bacon diplomacy is not dead.
2014-05-15 | en
7.5
Woodstock
An intimate look at the Woodstock Music & Art Festival held in Bethel, NY in 1969, from preparation through cleanup, with historic access to insiders, blistering concert footage, and portraits of the concertgoers; negative and positive aspects are shown, from drug use by performers to naked fans sliding in the mud, from the collapse of the fences by the unexpected hordes to the surreal arrival of National Guard helicopters with food and medical assistance for the impromptu city of 500,000.
1970-03-26 | en
7.3
We Feed the World
A documentary that exposes the shocking truths behind industrial food production and food wastage, focusing on fishing, livestock and crop farming. A must-see for anyone interested in the true cost of the food on their plate.
2005-09-10 | de