Documentary Movie Reviews
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Bowling for Columbine (2002)
Rate:
10
Viewed:
7/04, 5/08
5/08:
I revisited Bowling for Columbine for the second time, and it's still a compelling documentary just like
Roger & Me and Fahrenheit 9/11.
It's impossible to stop the film any time. Dry humor is littered throughout, and hard-to-believe moments come and hit
me. Since Charlton Heston had recently passed away, I've been thinking how his reputation was ruined by his involvement with
the NRA. The way he was ambushed in this leaves me with a sour taste, thinking the scene shouldn't have been included.
Regardless, it's still an outstanding documentary. Michael Moore tackles the issues, despite the fact that he's a member of the
NRA, with an open mind and searches for answers before coming up with none just like the two bikers in
Easy Rider. Hate
him or not, Michael Moore has guts and makes people talk about the issues. Yet nobody does anything.
Why is Canada a better place than the United States? Why does Kmart sell guns and ammunition? Why does the media promote fear? Why are there
so many cover-ups? Why have the corporations escaped unscathed? Are the people afraid of the truth? Why are there many
gun-related deaths? Why is there a prevalence of school shootings? Answers to those questions may seem simple, but
it's been complex and complicated. By the way, here's the transcript of Michael Moore's Academy Award acceptance speech:
"Thank you very much. On behalf of our producers Kathleen Glynn and Michael Donovan from Canada, I'd like to thank the Academy
for this. I've invited my fellow documentary nominees on the stage with us, and we would like to—they are here in
solidarity with me because we like nonfiction. We like nonfiction, and we live in fictitious times.
We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious president. We live in a time where
we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons, whether it's the fictition of duct tape or the fictitious of orange
alerts. We are against this war, Mr. Bush! Shame on you, Mr. Bush! Shame on you! And any time you've got the Pope and the Dixie
Chicks against you, your time is up! Thank you very much."
All in all, Bowling for Columbine is a moving, brilliant piece of work.