The Big One

To the delight of many and disdain of many more comes the new Michael Moore film, Capitalism: A Love Story.

I am clearly of the generation that has been influenced by Michael Moore as a filmmaker, and I have admired many of his films and TV shows.  I know he is ludicrously vilified by the right, and defended by his legions of fans who revere their working-class hero.  While I will generally agree with his politics, I might cringe at how he can sometimes deal from a stacked deck in his rhetoric and movies.

I suggest watching the intriguing documentary Manufacturing Dissent, made by two Canadian filmmakers supporting Moore who ended up finding many exaggerations or contrivances in his films that they documented.  They eventually meet Michael Moore in person, and judiciously appraise his good intentions but dubious credibility in some of the complex issues he has adopted.  

And now, amidst a nonsensical chorus of socialism threats that have no root in reality, Moore wades in with another polemic on class titled as a questioning of capitalism itself, and thus free enterprise, freedom, yadda yadda death panels.  Like it or not, I fear that Moore faithfully preaches to his choir while providing desperate fodder for the numbnuts who went and saw An American Carol opening weekend.

But if you want to see a seriously amazing trailer for a documentary, check out The Cove.