Michael Moore's

Fahrenheit 9/11
$14.95
Over the course of my many years on this earth, I have voted for more Republican candidates for president than Democrats. In the last four elections, however, my votes went to: Nader (twice), Kerry and then Obama. It's hard for me to imagine that history will not come to judge George W. Bush as our worst president ever.

Be that as it may, I doubt that there have been many worse documentary film makers than Michael Moore. To cite just one example from "Fahrenheit 9/11," there is a short clip where Bush appears to be standing in the midst of a bunch of fat cats, talking about his "base" (i.e., the "haves and have-mores"); this clip was plucked, misleadingly, from a massive fundraising event/dinner put on by the Catholic Church [in which both presidential candidates (Bush and Gore) were in attendance] and at which both were expected to poke fun at themselves for the purpose of giving these donors to Catholic charities something to laugh at. Moore's film cut made it look like Bush was SERIOUSLY pandering to this group. He did this throughout the "Fahrenheit" mockumentary, and I would recommend that you watch the rebuttal-film, "FahrenHYPE 9/11," to see just how extensively Moore's "end justifies the means" philosophy makes an absolute travesty of documentary filmmaking.

"FahrenHYPE" was hastily put together in only four months after Moore's picture came out, and it has its own over-the-top right wing political ax to grind, but it's quite straightforward with its message, and it doesn't use gimmickry and duplicity to push its pro (2004 pre-election) Iraq war agenda. If, however, you can get beyond having to watch some clips of the shrill Ann Coulter, and a few others, the film's real value--amounting to well over half its 80 minute length--consists in pointing out the many spliced, diced, and edited fabrications and distortions (lies, really) that Moore used to go after a president who so sorely lacked the intellectual heft, ecumenical breadth, and diplomatic skill for the job.

Michael Moore Limited Edition DVD Collector's Set (Bowling for Columbine / The Big One)
$29.98
"Bowling for Columbine"

The film starts by showing a North Country bank in Michigan where a depositor can get a free gun. [How much money is needed?] Michael Moore shows his sense of humor in these opening scenes. Can a dog commit a crime in Michigan? Moore is incorrect in claiming Gandhi "beat the British Empire", that statement is incomplete. One scene shows a student's interest in chemistry. Some live news scenes follow, but the film doesn't explain them. Recognize them? Then a short history of US political coups and massacres in foreign countries since WW II. Moore associates the terrorist bombing in Kosovo (no military objective) with the shootings at Columbine high school. Next we see Charlton Heston standing up for his right to travel peacefully to an NRA convention. Outside a small group protests the right of the NRA to peacefully assemble! (How un-American!) Moore shows the views of some students. What does this say about their Educational system? Next Moore interviews a singer; is any musician or actor a reliable source of wisdom? Bowling can be educational, according to these scenes. Moore's statistics are biased since it does not compare the rates of violent deaths. That frantic cartoon is not historically accurate, a mistake for any "documentary". Killer bees are in fact invading America, along with fire ants.

More scenes follow, they are either biased and racist, or, reflect the reality of an oppressed people. Who was blamed when blacks were scarce as in late 19th century American cities? Some people say crime rate was falling but the corporate media featured crimes in the TV news. Really true? A producer explains the rationale of the "Cops" TV show. Does it reinforce prejudice? The film shows a small town in Canada; it has few murders (like a similar small town in America). One good question is why the murder rate is lower in Canada. [But if it is just about the same as in America, why ask?] Small towns in America may have the same unlocked doors of small town Ontario. Creating fear is a well-known method for controlling a subject population.

Moore points out how bad economic conditions are reflected in a high homicide rate, but this is not "news" for the corporate media. Basically, it tells how poor people are oppressed by having a long commute. Maybe they need public housing located close to their job? The stunt at the chain store that sold bullets seems unfair, I wonder why that chain later suffered an economic setback? There is a final interview with Charlton Heston. Moore's question about the murder rates seems dishonest (look up these rates for yourself). The rate of violent deaths in Canada is similar to the USA. Given Canada's northern latitude it should be lower. Did Moore drag out the interview to cause Charlton Heston to leave for his next appointment? If so, was this honest? Moore is a skilled showman if he can make this collection of scenes into popular entertainment.

Documentaries lie on the continuum between news and fiction. Anything real, filmed as it happens, is "news"; except for sports, it is rare on TV. Fiction must appear plausible to be believed by the audience. Documentaries are "recreations of authenticated facts" like the nature films on TV. They are created and edited to portray a point of view. Their success depends on the number of consumers who pay, dollars not academic truths. The use of films for propaganda (a point of view) follows the use of newspapers, pamphlets, and books. Some are better than others, and age gracefully. Did Moore create scenes by splicing together separate events? Are speeches taken out of context? Are events portrayed without their background? Its all part of Show [me the money] Business, the art of getting people's money in return for telling a story. Does exploiting the Columbine massacre show poor taste by Michael Moore?

One Big Lie is that America has more gun violence than other countries. That is as true as saying America has more automobile deaths than other countries. America's rate of violent death (suicides and murders) falls behind France, Switzerland, etc., and Japan, but just ahead of Canada. Canada's crime rate was lower before 1977 when they banned handguns; now it approaches American rates. There is no mention of Mexico, Brazil, or Argentina, who have similar colonial and revolutionary pasts. Any research will reveal these facts, which are usually suppressed in the Corporate Media. If America was such a violent hell on earth there wouldn't be 3,000 illegal immigrants each day! They flee "gun free zones" like Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

Slacker Uprising
$9.95
First off: I'm a libertarian and I hated Bush and Kerry pretty evenly.

when I sat down to watch this dvd I had a pad of paper with me. I was going to write down each valid reason the movie gave to vote for Kerry over Bush. I could have used a post-it note.

The beauty of this documentary is that Bush won and so you can look at people's fear of 4 more years of Bush and see that they aren't valid. One lady said she had to vote for Kerry because Bush would take away her social security. Didn't happen. Eddie Vetter and another musician hinted that Bush would use the draft. Didn't happen. Al Gore won the popular vote. Irrelevant. They talked about how Bush is immoral while trying to get people to vote for a VP who had multiple affairs while his wife was suffering from cancer.

The complaints about the war and the national debt were the only valid arguments made against Bush. Of course using these two arguments to convince people to vote for Kerry is pointless.

The movie says Kerry lost by only 100,000 votes but he lost by over 3,000,000. But I guess if you were looking for accurate information you wouldn't watch a michael morre movie.

It's just sad to see people get fired up about how crappy government is and then put that momentum into supporting someone like Kerry. If you want something different you need to vote for someone different. Again, I was indifferent to either Bush or Kerry but as you watch the movie and listen to the idiotic Michael Moore drones with their che guevera t'shirts it makes you feel good that they failed.

on a side note: Is michael moore so fat that he demands special recliners on every stage for him to sit on?

The Awful Truth - The Complete DVD Set (Seasons 1 & 2)
$39.95
I am a big fan of Michael Moore so, I may be bias. I enjoyed the series and only wish to see more of his wit.