Z/Web

Director: Michael Moore

A surprisingly excellent film. It’s very entertaining, and not all doom and gloom, and though Moore’s idiotic display at the Oscars last year made me dislike him, he’s still an excellent filmmaker and humorist. I didn’t find much to disagree with in the film, which is of course how Moore works, but then I’m a centrist on the gun issue anyway. I thought his main point was that gun violence is unique to the USA because of the fear our news media instills in us — something I agree with completely. The scenes in the film in which Moore and a friend go to South Central L.A., infamous for shootings, and discover an ordinary neighborhood, reminded me of my recent first visit to L.A. where I was suprised at how not a war zone everything was, and my visit a couple years ago to New York City where I found the city to be friendly and helpful, not the horrible crime-ridden mess one hears about on TV. Unfortunately the bigger question — why the media insists on selling fear isn’t answered. Obviously it’s for ratings, but why don’t other countries exploit that? Moore also never really attempts to explain the Columbine shooting, something I’d like to see explored. There is a brief segment with South Park creator Matt Stone who grew up in Littleton which is enlightning, but after that the issue’s dropped and the focus is more on guns. Moore also weighs heavily on the whole war issue, emphasizing things like Littleton’s biggest employer is the world’s largest defense contractor, etc. Of course there’s no direct correlation but Moore tries to include one by implying that it’s obvious (parents make big weapons at the plant so it’s “natural” the kids feel it’s okay to have guns). At lot of the stuff is just emotional resonance and has no logic value, but that’s typical of Moore’s documentaries. This is entertainment, not education. He does span a wide area in this film, tackling everything from racial issues to cultural differences between the U.S. and Canada. I’m not sure I learned anything per se, but it did make me think, which isn’t a bad thing. A fun film, but treat it as entertainment propaganda and don’t take it too seriously. Remember, it’s only one side of the issue. That said, I again don’t have much to disagree with, especially his comments about the news media.