Customer Reviews

30 Days: The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I teach a class in Current Events and we use 30 Days episodes as an educational, informative, inspirational, and motivational media presentation in the classroom. It ranks # 1 among the students who are continually asking for more and anxiously waiting (as am I) the arrival of season 2 of this premier program.

"30 Days: The Complete Second Season" is good for people wanting to learn about the issues covered here; and this two DVD set may be useful for teachers discussing these topics with their students in the classroom. However, I think that people were nicer to each other than they would have been because they knew they were being filmed; and these people were carefully screened before being selected for each episode so this is much more controlled than if Morgan Spurlock had just picked anybody at random in real life for these tough situations.

Here is a breakdown of the six episodes in this two DVD set:

"Immigration." We meet a man whose family came to the USA legally in 1957 when Castro took over; he is a member of the Minute Men who patrol parts of the border between Mexico and the United States to catch and return people trying to enter our country illegally. Wow, how this guy has to control his temper when Spurlock and the others hook him up with a family of mostly illegal immigrants. The man must work as a day laborer; share a cramped living space with the family and forfeit his American identity papers for 30 days. Things heat up pretty quickly! Will the two sides reach a consensus on the issue?

"Outsourcing." We meet a guy (who lost his job as a computer programmer to a person in India); and he travels to India to live with a family there for 30 days. He must apply for work in a telemarketing call center which the Indians feel is very good work; he must live with them as they do; and he must understand their culture. The things we learn along the way are rather surprising and I don't want to spoil them for you; but suffice it to say that it's not all that easy over there despite the fact that it's "raining jobs."

"Atheist & Christian." I didn't know that Atheists were so hated; but according to Spurlock they are. We meet an atheist, a lady from the Midwest who goes to live with a very religious Christian family in Texas--for 30 days. Will the family convert her or will she change their ways of thought? This episode is rather bland compared to some of the others in that everyone behaved themselves with grace and maturity. On the bright side, all of the people in this episode had class.

"New Age." An overstressed salesman fights with others in his line of work; he fights with his girlfriend; he fights with his ex-wife and more. Watch what happens when he embraces a controversial new age lifestyle for 30 days. We learn that "new age" treatments are actually ancient with many of them originating thousands of years ago. Unfortunately, his girlfriend feels jealous of his female life coach; and he realizes that he may not be able to complete the 30 days if his girlfriend can't get comfortable. No plot spoilers here, folks--watch and find out!

"Pro-Life, Pro-Choice." This is a hot, hot issue and quite a whopper of an episode for most people. Watch what transpires when Spurlock and his team transport a vehemently pro-choice woman to live with others in a Christian group home for expectant mothers and/or women who have given birth but who have nowhere to go. Naturally, the pro-choice woman asks a lot of questions that her Christian hosts have to answer and when she's getting ready to leave one of her hosts admits that she was trying at times! She probably finds them to be difficult, too. Watch this one for powerful issues and verbal, public confrontations that are provocative, to say the least.

"Jail." Morgan Spurlock puts himself in jail for 30 days. Morgan must live in jail with no special privileges for 30 days; he must serve 72 hours of solitary confinement and he has to work in the kitchen. He must shower with nothing but a very skimpy curtain to cover the shower stall; and he is given this really thin "mattress" and told to find his own cell which, of course, he has to share with two or three other men. We see how jail affects people both for good and for worse; you'll learn a lot about jail and the potential treatment options for recovering drug addicts.

The two DVD set comes with an optional running commentary on two episodes, "Immigration" and "Jail."

Overall, this is a great two DVD set to have if you want to become better educated about these issues; it also makes a great tool for teachers to use as part of in-class instruction. This is rather well done but it does suffer from a few tough flaws to beat; people know they are being filmed and that could easily change their behavior. In addition, Spurlock very carefully screened the people for these experiences so the environment was much controlled than it could have been in "real life." Therefore, I give this four stars.

I use this series in EFL classrooms in Japan. I was very disappointed to see that Season 2 does not come with any subtitles and even though the package claims to have CC there is none. The Season 1 DVD had English subtitles so I wonder why this very useful feature was not included this time around.

Like most Spurlock's endeavors, this series' first season creates a familiar setting most of us can relate to. Whether it's an issue (sexuality, drinking, religion, minimum wages, etc.) within our own lives, or our family or friends, Spurlock delivers an honest viewpoint about the concerns of our day. I am looking forward to the 2nd season of this series.

He goes places I want to know more about, but sure don't want to visit. Thanks for doing it for me. I really love Morgan Spurlock.

Great for those new to outsourcing or for knowledgable viewers who want to analyze the economic and emotional impact of the phenomenon. I will use it for my high school students and as a resource for corporate professionals whom I train.

this is the type of programming we need to see more of. i have no doubt that this format can handle a sustained run with imaginative and relevant concepts. on season 2 i was very impressed with the (funded) look at outsourcing abroad. kudos and respect to everyone involved in getting this series on the air. the spirit of open exchange generally hold up in the series and i really believe this show is helping to bridge gaps in understanding. i'm happy to know that it has received recognition from various groups for this reason.

Morgan Spurlock has done it again with this second season (and season one) of 30 DAYS. These shows put the real in "realality" TV. It opens the eyes of people who are set in their own beliefs and then is able to open their minds to a new way of thinking. Spurlock should be the one that everyone ought to be watching . . . It can make you a better person by opening up your eyes while learning about other people's lives through "walking in their shows" method. A MUST SEE! For Everyone.

I have placed an order for this and now it's delayed until next year??? It was originally scheduled to be released Dec 2007. What happened??? The first season was excellent and I saw Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden? Can't wait to see what Morgan does next.

Very poignant subject matter. It may not be the most popular show on television but it definitely represents reality television that is WORTH watching. While most shows choose the lighter side of reality and the shock factor provided by "Story Editors" (i.e. The Real World, Flavor of Love), 30 Days offers education and entertainment while maintaining the enthralling Documentary feel. The jail episode was especially intriguing and glad to see they depicted it on the box art!

Look forward to Season 3.