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Michael
Moore’s Bowling For Columbine
is a whole different playing field.
Moore’s skills as a comic filmmaker are central to
the success of the film, which doesn’t document an event so
much as show Moore at work creating an event by making the
film. There are moments
of ‘straight” documentary goodness, such as Moore’s showing
us more footage from the school security cameras than we’ve
ever before had a chance to see. But the magic of this film is in the moments
that are real, yet created by Moore.
For instance,
Moore’s efforts at a sane conversation with Charlton Heston…
K-Mart’s reaction to Moore and two Columbine victims arriving
at their corporate headquarters… an animated history of guns
in America… Moore meeting with American Bandstand’s Dick
Clark… and Moore chatting about farming with the Nichols
brother who didn’t get imprisoned for the Oklahoma City bombing.
Moore is
a master pot stirrer. He
is a drama queen sans make-up like no other.
And he is one funny mofo.
There are issues on which he and I definitely disagree,
but his ability to get people talking is a gift to all the
world. And Bowling
to Columbine is a look at America that none of us can
afford to miss.
I promised
Moore that I would write about some issues he commented on
regarding the distribution of the film in Canada and America.
But after further investigation, I am not 100 percent
convinced at 1:23am on Sunday night that his perception is
100 percent fact. He
offered documentation, so I will try to take him up on it
this week. Because
if what he says is true, it is among the most offensive bits
of potential censorship in the history of film.
But if it is not, it would be hugely unfair to paint
anyone with the foul smelling paint that Moore slings quite
passionately.
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