Michael Moore is an interesting guy. He is the most successful left-wing activist in the US although coming only from a highschool background. He is from Flint, MI and used to edit a paper there until he made the famous documentary Roger and Me in 1989.
In this movie he shows the downfall of his hometown from the car capital of the world to the worst place to live in the US (according to Money Magazine) I couldn't find the list of worst places online but you 'll find it in the movie. He criticised General Motors for laying of thousands of workers while earning record profits.
Until now Moore has continued to show and attack aberrations in society. During a tour through the country promoting his book "Downsize this!" he made a new film: The Big One. In this movie, he addresses a variety of issues leading to the climax of the film when Moore interviewed Nike CEO Phil Knight. He was trying to convince him to stop producing shoes in Indonesia with child labor and instead to open a shoe factory in Flint.
In 2003 Moore received an Oscar for his documentary "Bowling for Columbine". His reception speech made news world wide because he attacked President Bush in it.
Bowling for Columbine is a large scale assault on the gun lobby in the US headed by Charlton Heston.
Moore's style is to use a mix of compassion and humor. He shows compassion for the victims and ridicules the people he deems responsible. However, he never makes fun of them directly. Instead he trys to let them make fools out of themselves on their own.
His new movie Fahrenheit 9/11 is competing at the Festival in Cannes right now. It has been very well received there.
This one is said to be aimed at unsure voters of the US. Moore is trying to convince them to vote Bush out of office. Apparently Moore is showing connections of Bush's clan to Saudi princes and the Bin Laden family. Furthermore he is reporting that Bush spent half of his time as president on vacation till 9/11.
Anyway, Moore is an interesting guy because he might be decisive on who will lead the US for the next four years.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I'm curious to watch the new movie Fahrenheit 911. Apparently Disney refused to let Miramax from distributing the movie in US. But the rights have been sold to foreign companies. So we non-americans might get a chance to watch the documentary!
I personally think Michael Moore is a little daffy. And his tactics, including scene selections in movies, to be ethically questionable.
But he is very effective at getting his message across. And at times can be quite convincing.
My favorite scene in Bowling for Columbine: where Charleton Heston agreed to the interview with Moore, expecting Moore to give him softball Qs. Instead, Moore asks really tough, probative questions. Heston waffles, eventually feebly stands and leaves the room. Moore follows throughout the Heston compound. Leaves picture of shooting victim at doorstep in last frame of scene.
!!
Tom, you are right. Sometimes, his scene selections don't feel right.
In Bowling for Columbine, I didn't like the part when he asked Police men if they could arrest someone because of the polution. No meaningful answer could have been given.
The movie started with a blast, however. A bank giving away free rifles... that is just ridiculous.
Actually, Moore very frequenly lies. There was some question as to whether "Bowling" was even a documentary, since it violated so many of the genre's conventions. For example, he takes interviews, and cuts them so that they're out of context to make his point. But w/ no explanation. The Heston interview was like that.
Also, in "Bowling", he claimed that the NRA had a conference two weeks after Columbine. Wrong. It was a year & two weeks later, and in a different city alltogether. Also, when Moore walks out of the bank w/ the rifle, he doesn't explain that this was weeks later, after he passed his gun background check. Also, Disney didn't refuse to distribute the movie (as Moore claims), the decision that Disney wouldn't promote it itself was made well over a year ago (in a meeting w/ Moore). Moore tried to capitalize on it in his own twisted way to promote his film, and make himself lots of money.
Bottom line: Michale Moore is an asshole.
Dear anonymous,
I respect your opinion. I know that Michael Moore gives very one sided comments.
I have heard about all the claimed falsehoods of his Bowling for Columbine. Moore responded to them on his website.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/wackoattacko/The background check supposedly took ten minutes, he still claims that the Heston speech was held ten days after the shooting. (Question: Why would Heston attack the Denver mayor in his speech for telling him not to come here if the convention had been held in a different city?) Maybe Heston's speech in the 2002 convention was similar. That one would probably have been in another city as well. The gun lobby holds annual conferences. So maybe, you mixed them up by accident?
Moore talks about Disney here.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?messageDate=2004-05-07He says that Disney didn't want the movie over a year ago, before seeing any footage. But he also said that they continued to give him money to make the movie...
Well, about publicity stunts? Do you really believe that a movie with that kind of explosive material in it (being true or false) would need that?
It would have all the publicity it needs when it it opens.
Post a Comment