Review of Go Further (2003) by Curtis W — 27 Jan 2004

Dairy products are full of blood and puss. There. That's out of the way. That's the main message of this documentary, chronicling Woody and his Dairy Pranksters (I just coined that term here) as they ride their bikes and ride in bio-diesel-powered bus down the West Coast and Woody spreads his pro-environmental message at universities.

Along the way, they meet Ken Kesey and see the original Further bus - overgrown in the brush and rusting away. They meet a dude named Earthquake who has a worm farm and a video of a giant wave. They meet an organic farmer. They meet another foods activist who says corporations are taking control of the food supply and consumers have no freedom. They check out a demonstrators training camp, where people learn to rappel on billboards and stay on station during a treesit or road block while cops and journalists are hasseling them. A guy named Steve overcomes his tobacco addiction, but can't quite give up junk food. Another dude is busted up after falling off his bike. But he keeps riding.

They eat spirulina and eat chocolate avoacado cake, made by their own raw food chef. They practice yoga. They wear hemp clothes.

Steve talks to some kids who have been up for several days on meth. One is huffing fumes from an air can - like you'd use to blow dust off film or computer parts. They sell them at Staples, the girl says. I had no idea. And that's a good thing.

Woody says he's quit smoking pot. But his brother Brett is still a pothead.

The crew also meets the Real Goods catalog guy, who plugs his low-flow shower heads and flourescent lights, saying if every house in California had those, they could shut down 100 of the 1,000 power plants in the state.

They visit some milk cows and show the abnormally enlarged udders, which are so distended and irritated that the cows are bleeding and infected. That's where the blood and puss in the milk comes from.

This movie was a real eye opener for me, as I had been a bit of a green activist in college. Those days are long gone, though in my own, unconscious way I manage by not driving a car. It's not enough. I don't do much dairy (except for ice cream and cheese). I eat junk food (M&Ms). I like red meat when I can get it. I'm not eating organic, though if given the opportunity and if it were more convenient - like if I lived in a town with a natural foods co-op - I probably would.