Plastic Paradise (2013)

Director: Angela Sun
Run time: 57 min.
Call Number: TD427.P62 P53

"The film begins with a disturbing image of a dead bird being cut open, as plastic objects are removed from its stomach. This leads into a brief history of plastic, which (in contrast to natural materials) never really decomposes. Anyone who has visited a beach has encountered plastic residue, but viewers may not realize the extent of the problem. The centerpiece of the film is a journey that Sun takes to the Midway Atoll, best known as the site of a famous battle during World War II. The large island in the Pacific has become a massive garbage dump that Sun’s camera explores. The enormous amount of waste has proved deadly to the large population of albatrosses that are one of the island’s primary residents."
—Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter 

Ivory Tower (2014)

Director: Andrew Rossi
Run time: 90 min.
Call number: LB2342 .I96 2014

"Is a college education worth it? Is the college model broken? Are online courses any good? Do state universities pimp their party reputations to attract out-of-state students? Are college presidents paid too much? Are adjunct professors paid too little? Can Cooper Union remain free?

These are just a few of the questions and topics raised in “Ivory Tower,” an earnest, articulate, and agenda-heavy documentary from CNN Films and writer-director Andrew Rossi (“Page One: Inside the New York Times”). They’re all worth discussing and with any luck the film will fire up conversations within academia and without."
—Ty Burr, Boston Globe