Culture

Idolized in ancient Norse mythology as the protector god, Thor battles evil ogres and a giant serpent bent on destroying mankind. It's the quintessential fight for survival that culminates in a final showdown between good and evil. But was the rise and fall of the hero Thor ancient code for something greater? Today, new discoveries unlock the hidden truth behind the Norse god of Thunder. Able to wield thunder from his hammer, Thor was the most revered of the Norse gods, from fending humanity from the giants that brought calamity, to his pursuit of the Midgard Serpent. Though, his fate is told to sealed during Ragnarok, it is actually the invasion of Christianity that proves far more damning to this mighty god.

Dawkins opines that the moral framework of religions is warped, and argues against the religious indoctrination of children. He discusses specifically the idea of religion seen as a virus in the sense of a meme. He begins by explaining how a child is genetically programmed to believe without questioning the word of authority figures, especially parents – the evolutionary imperative being that no child would survive by adopting a sceptical attitude towards everything their elders said. But this same imperative, he claims, leaves children open to infection by religion.

Nascar: The IMAX Experience, literally transports auto racing fans and other spectators into the driver's seat to experience all the heart-pounding thrills and intense drama of the unpredictable action on the track. This groundbreaking film also goes behind the scenes to uncover the science, technology and teamwork that fuel America's most popular spectator sport.

In February 2009, Michael Moore issued an appeal to people who worked for Wall Street or in the financial industry to share first hand information, requesting, 'Be a hero and help me expose the biggest swindle in American history'. He uncovers the social costs of corporate interests pursuing profits at the expense of the public good.

From director Amy Berg: 'Just a year and a half ago, after spending over four years on the same story for CNN and CBS before that, a paedophile priest named Oliver O'Grady decided he would participate in the film I wanted to make. It became Deliver Us From Evil -- the story from inside the sickest mind possible, the secrets that were meant to stay in the private files and crypts of the Roman Catholic Church, and the blind trust in those they perceived as God's messengers that left families with no faith and children with no innocence. After filming for a week and a half, the then defrocked priest mentioned he might need to move to Canada after this film comes public. Seeing the pain, corruption and missed opportunities to provide ministry to those in need was truly a tragic story to watch and the loss was more devastating than I ever imagined. It was so difficult to be so close to such a horror story that in the priest's words "never should have happened.".

In 1985, two adventurous young mountaineers, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, set off to climb the treacherous west face of the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes. They were experienced climbers, and climbed "Alpine-style," climbing the mountain in "one great push," without setting up ropes or base camps ahead of time. After dealing with a snowstorm and some dangerous climbing over powder formations, they reached the summit (about 21,000 feet) on the third day. The climb down proved to be far more difficult. Simpson fell and broke his leg badly. Yates decided to try to lower Simpson down the mountain, one 300-foot section of rope at a time. The climbers had run out of gas to melt snow, so they couldn't risk stopping as night came, and a violent snowstorm began. Their plodding, painful journey hit a snag when Yates inadvertently lowered Simpson over the edge of a cliff. In the storm, the men couldn't hear each other's cries, and, Yates, uncertain as to Simpson's position, and gradually sliding down the slope himself, decided to cut the rope that connected them, sending Simpson plummeting to certain death. Miraculously, Simpson survived the fall, and was faced with the prospect of getting off the mountain alone with no food, no water, and a broken leg. In Touching the Void, filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September) tells their story, based on Simpson's book, using contemporary interviews with the two men, and a reenactment of their climb and descent, featuring Brendan Mackey as Simpson and Nicholas Aaron as Yates