GasHole back for encore showing!

GasHole is disturbing. Not Requiem for a Dream kind of disturbing, but more the kind of disturbing found in Fast Food Nation. It is a film that digs into the past of the gasoline industry and finds what some might not be too surprised to find – that alternatives to petroleum do exist, that it is possible to get more than quadruple the gas mileage that we are accustomed to getting, and that gas companies have known this for decades and have been very successful at covering it up. In some cases, claim GasHole directors Jeremy Wagener and Scott D. Roberts, the gas companies themselves have been responsible for innovative techniques that would be saving us billions as a country and keeping us safe from the danger of dependency on foreign oil. Not only do they make these claims, but they also have pretty good evidence to back it up.

While Wagener and Roberts have experience in filmmaking, GasHole is their first documentary. So don’t judge too harshly the sometimes-heavy hand of narrator Peter Gallagher and a couple of gimmicky fast cuts here and there. The message is still clear: the tyranny of oil could and should be ended, but it certainly won’t be unless the consumer finds a way to hold those with power (not only gas companies, but congress, too!) accountable for their cash flow driven actions.

And here’s the good news! GasHole was originally scheduled to be in St. Louis for just the past weekend (June 13-15), but because over 400 people turned out to see the film, the Hi-Pointe has decided to remain open (it’s currently in the midst of renovations with a grand-reopening possibility in the future) to show the film for one more weekend. So you can catch GasHole this weekend, June 20-22, at one of the 7 show times (Friday, 7:15 pm; Saturday & Sunday, 2:30, 4:45, 7:15 pm). Matinee and student tickets, $6.75, adult tickets, $8.75. The Hi-Pointe is located at 1001 McCausland Ave. For more info: gasholemovie.com, stlouisgreen.com.