I have to admit at the top of this interview that I'm a rampant liberal. I'm all for universal health care as an option for people who need it (if you think there's no money for it, re-think the places we're inappropriately spending money now), I think harmful greed needs to be kept in check to ensure that corporations don't abuse their workers, I think money needs to be taken out of politics and I think there are politicians in America whose highest priority is to see the current president fail and whose second or third priorities are to actually vote for or create legislation that could advance America.
Hmmm, might I like the latest Michael Moore film? "Capitalism: A Love Story" is a call to action. Moore has a beef with the way capitalism has run roughshod over hopes, dreams and lives in America. Does he have a legitimate gripe? Yes, but these are some of the shakier waters Moore has delved into in yet. Capitalism is the reason most people choose to live in the good 'ol U.S. of A., how can you rail against it? Moore makes some good points: - Ronald Reagan appointed the CEO of Merrill Lynch to the Secretary of Treasury, sparking the beginning of the marriage of business and politics - Businesses are taking life insurance policies out on their employees and are naming THEMSELVES the beneficiary. Companies are starting to make money if you die. A little something called "Dead Peasants". - The richest 1% of America makes more money than the bottom 95%. This inequality creates instability in the country.
Moore methodically tells fifty or so quality, involving stories to back up his case that the financial status quo in the U.S. needs repair. But it's the percentage inequality that resonates most with me. When a country doesn't care for its most downtrodden, the downtrodden get desperate. That's memorably shown in this film, too.
Over the course of reviewing Moore's films for a decade now, I've often stated that he's created his own genre, infusing himself into the documentary template. Even more than in "Sicko", Moore's takes an on-screen back seat. The footage, the stories, carry the day. Moore has only a couple of scenes where he does his routine antics, and they are carried out with full knowledge that everyone is on to him. The result is hilarious.
One of the things that struck me most about "Sicko" was the British Parliament member who said people in Europe keep the government in check, and in America, the government keeps people in check. That theory is further expanded upon here. Moore is trying everything to bust through American sit-on-your-hands apathy and crying out for action! These guys are outnumbered, and if more people who felt they got a bad slice of American pie stood up, the voices would be deafening. "Capitalism" shows a microcosm of this in the story of Chicago's Republic Windows and Doors, firing its entire unionized workforce of over 250 people, giving them only three days notice, and failing to pay legally required vacation and severance pay. This was a compelling story when it happened and is still compelling today. It made national news, it caused national reaction, but these reactive moments are few and far between. (Moore probably wisely leaves out Gov. Rod Blagojevich's role in helping the Republic workers. Although he was instrumental in bringing their plight to media attention, he later turned douchebag).
The highlight of the movie is an eye-opening bit of previously-lost film in which Franklin Delano Roosevelt lays out a proposal called the "Second Bill of Rights" for America. This would provide, for all Americans, a living wage, a home, medical care, and education and freedom from monopolies. Coming out of WWII, this was an excellent course for the country that was never followed through due to FDR's health. Never has a president handled war and the economy as deftly as FDR, hearing his never-realized vision told directly to camera was a haunting and sad moment.
Making the media rounds recently, Michael Moore often told the story of Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine. You know what he did with the vaccine once he created it? HE GAVE IT AWAY. It was better to help people survive than to make money. That concept seems lone gone in the world brought to light in "Capitalism: A Love Story". We must be in the part of the love story where the Titanic sinks. I hope we make it to the part where we throw the expensive diamond in the ocean.
Hmmm, might I like the latest Michael Moore film? "Capitalism: A Love Story" is a call to action. Moore has a beef with the way capitalism has run roughshod over hopes, dreams and lives in America. Does he have a legitimate gripe? Yes, but these are some of the shakier waters Moore has delved into in yet. Capitalism is the reason most people choose to live in the good 'ol U.S. of A., how can you rail against it? Moore makes some good points: - Ronald Reagan appointed the CEO of Merrill Lynch to the Secretary of Treasury, sparking the beginning of the marriage of business and politics - Businesses are taking life insurance policies out on their employees and are naming THEMSELVES the beneficiary. Companies are starting to make money if you die. A little something called "Dead Peasants". - The richest 1% of America makes more money than the bottom 95%. This inequality creates instability in the country.
Moore methodically tells fifty or so quality, involving stories to back up his case that the financial status quo in the U.S. needs repair. But it's the percentage inequality that resonates most with me. When a country doesn't care for its most downtrodden, the downtrodden get desperate. That's memorably shown in this film, too.
Over the course of reviewing Moore's films for a decade now, I've often stated that he's created his own genre, infusing himself into the documentary template. Even more than in "Sicko", Moore's takes an on-screen back seat. The footage, the stories, carry the day. Moore has only a couple of scenes where he does his routine antics, and they are carried out with full knowledge that everyone is on to him. The result is hilarious.
One of the things that struck me most about "Sicko" was the British Parliament member who said people in Europe keep the government in check, and in America, the government keeps people in check. That theory is further expanded upon here. Moore is trying everything to bust through American sit-on-your-hands apathy and crying out for action! These guys are outnumbered, and if more people who felt they got a bad slice of American pie stood up, the voices would be deafening. "Capitalism" shows a microcosm of this in the story of Chicago's Republic Windows and Doors, firing its entire unionized workforce of over 250 people, giving them only three days notice, and failing to pay legally required vacation and severance pay. This was a compelling story when it happened and is still compelling today. It made national news, it caused national reaction, but these reactive moments are few and far between. (Moore probably wisely leaves out Gov. Rod Blagojevich's role in helping the Republic workers. Although he was instrumental in bringing their plight to media attention, he later turned douchebag).
The highlight of the movie is an eye-opening bit of previously-lost film in which Franklin Delano Roosevelt lays out a proposal called the "Second Bill of Rights" for America. This would provide, for all Americans, a living wage, a home, medical care, and education and freedom from monopolies. Coming out of WWII, this was an excellent course for the country that was never followed through due to FDR's health. Never has a president handled war and the economy as deftly as FDR, hearing his never-realized vision told directly to camera was a haunting and sad moment.
Making the media rounds recently, Michael Moore often told the story of Jonas Salk, inventor of the polio vaccine. You know what he did with the vaccine once he created it? HE GAVE IT AWAY. It was better to help people survive than to make money. That concept seems lone gone in the world brought to light in "Capitalism: A Love Story". We must be in the part of the love story where the Titanic sinks. I hope we make it to the part where we throw the expensive diamond in the ocean.