maryindie Reviews

Michael Moore Hates America (2004)

Opportunist finds niche for self

[8 November 2007]

Michael Wilson has a thesis and pretends he doesn't. The thesis is in the title. He sets out to prove it, locating people happy to get attention slamming Moore like Maysles and puts out the film just in time to cash in on the release of Sicko. Wilson figures his own deceptive practices can be excused by admitting them, but when you're out to slam someone else for doing the same thing, one should practice what one preaches. Moore should have granted the interview; the film would then have lasted about 10 minutes. There's nothing unique here that hasn't been done to death on numerous "Moore-watching" boards or the earlier film "Fahrenhype 911". This is about someone making a name for himself off Moore's career.

It's helpful that the film again reminds Moore to be more careful about errors and improve. But the film is not a work of note, just a work feeding off the creativity of others, namely that of Fahrenhype 911 and Moore. Wilson puts the spotlight on himself by showing us his family photos at the beginning and portraying himself as intrepid reporter on the beat throughout while complaining that Moore is making films about himself.

Manufacturing Dissent (2007)

Another parasite film hits the stores

[8 November 2007]

Strategically timed with the DVD release of "Sicko", as is the other Moore-stalking film, "Michael Moore Hates America", a wannabe documentary maker cashes in, again using the same "Fahrenhype 911" rehash and Albert Maysles ax-grinding as Michael Wilson's film used.

It's good for people to remind Moore of any factual errors he needs to improve on, which can be done in an article. As to the film's refrain about Moore's film not being a "documentary", Moore has said repeatedly he is not a fan of documentaries, does not watch them and is not trying to make them. People keep putting his films in the documentary category and they win prizes there.

So aspiring directors Caine and Melnyk, as with Michael Wilson, latch on to him playing "gotcha" to make themselves famous. Melnyk has the camera focus on herself intermittently as she plays "investigative journalist on the phone taking notes", then puts forth the message in her film that Moore's including himself in his films is bad film-making. Sour grapes abound from film people interviewed, at least one of whom defames him personally. As with "Michael Moore Hates America", the crew follow Moore from place to place for interviews.

One would think that the fact Moore was himself making a film (Sicko) the past two years might have entered their minds as a reason he might have been busy, but they take their complaints in with them to his public appearances to paint him as a hypocrite. Moore has brought this on himself to a degree by his "Roger and Me" film's style of following Roger for an interview, but in that case it was to try to bring attention to a problem affecting other people. This new crop of directors following Moore are all about manufacturing images for themselves to no particular end since the topic has already been handled in full by Fahrenhype 911 previously.