Anyone see Bowling for Columbine?

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weezergirl

Diamond Member
May 24, 2000
3,366
1
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my friend saw this and LOVED it. he said it was his favorite movie of the year and that it made you laugh, cry, sad, etc.

where is it playing in LA anyways?
 

thawolfman

Lifer
Dec 9, 2001
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Just saw Roger and Me in my Sociology class...that lady who was killing bunnies was crazy, and no, it was nothing like killing kittens :Q
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
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Originally posted by: thawolfman
Just saw Me & Roger in my Sociology class...that lady who was killing bunnies was crazy, and no, it was nothing like killing kittens :Q

lol, when she bashed its head in i was kinda shocked. BTW, it is amazing to see that place just 13 years ago. I go to school in Flint now and can honestly say it has gotten worse. The glass atrium thing that they built back then is now the University of Michigan Flint's cafe. Autoword is a pile of rubble.

There was a shot early in the film down Chevrolet ave. which is about 100ft from my college. It was amazing to see how everything looked when it was still somewhat clean. Driving down that road at night is a no-no nowadays.
 

pulse8

Lifer
May 3, 2000
20,860
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Originally posted by: weezergirl
my friend saw this and LOVED it. he said it was his favorite movie of the year and that it made you laugh, cry, sad, etc.

where is it playing in LA anyways?

It's playing in Los Feliz and at the theater on Cresant Heights and Sunset.
 

pulse8

Lifer
May 3, 2000
20,860
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Originally posted by: Aquaman
regardless of you gun control views I think the movie should be a good one to watch :D

Cheers,
Aquaman

That's pretty much how I feel about it. :)
 

iamWolverine

Senior member
May 20, 2001
763
0
76
Just saw the movie last night . . . and it was GREAT! It definitely
has the power to make you laugh, cry, and run the gamut of emotions
throughout.

If you are looking for where it's playing I was able to find listings
on www.moviefone.com, but I'm sure you'd
also be able to find them (or at least more info about the movie if you still
have questions) on it's main site here.

Don't think that this is simply a movie about "gun control," the questions Moore asks,
I think are much more far-reaching in their scope, and it's about time that we as
a country took some time to seriously consider the ways we live and relate with one
another. If we are so afraid or insecure in helping those around us in this country
how can we be expected to help the peoples of countries around the world, or do
we only do that as a PR cover for the billions of dollars corporations in the US make
off of those other countries? (sorry, some of my own take in there, not necessarily
Mr. Moore's.
 

Gnurb

Golden Member
Mar 6, 2001
1,042
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Great movie, just got home from seeing it. Had to drive more then an hour to a theater playing it, but it was well worth it :)
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
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Originally posted by: rgwalt
I don't know... I don't think I want to watch a film about gun control.

Ryan

normally i would wait for dvd, but this seemed interesting enough to jump:)

stick your head in the sand eh? ignorance is bliss. as others have said, the man is a card carrying member of the nra. although i didn't agree with him on all points, he does raise interesting questions and does it in an entertaining way at that. he points out canada with its 7 million guns in 10 million households and yet has low crime. what part of that sounds like gun grabbing? different racial mix in canada? no, they are diverse, they have high immigration, they have double our unemployment, they love violent video games etc.

very though provoking.

mr heston comes off very badly in this film. he's old and feeble, and obviously ignorant of the gun issue he so strongly supports:p go figure. so much for the powerful commanding moses figure he tries to portray.


no ones mentioned the hilarious animated bit that was probably done by the south park people. that bit was worth admission alone, had me in tears;)


94% on tomato meter:)
 

darren

Senior member
Feb 26, 2000
401
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i saw it.
whatever ur views are on guns - go see it -thought provoking enough, comedic enough...
 

esso

Banned
Oct 29, 2002
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I saw this last Saturday, and it was excellent. You go in thinking the movie is about gun control, but in fact it's not. I REPEAT (for some of you NRA hooligans in here), this movie does not bash our right to bear arms, and on more than one occasion, it says guns are not the problem.

You'll laugh during parts, but there are parts that are hard to watch too. I haven't cried watching a movie since I was a child, but watching parts of BFC brought me damn close.

Great film.
 

dolph

Diamond Member
Jan 18, 2001
3,981
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i saw it recently. it was ok, but it meandered. felt too long, wasn't very cohesive. all in all, i've spent $9.25 on worse things, but better things, too.
 

Sust

Senior member
Sep 1, 2001
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0
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I just saw it with my coworkers.
I must say that it was quite an eye opener. I've never seen things from so many different angles at once.
In addition, Mr. Moore covered almost every human emotion that he could evoke from the audience from disturbed to hilarious.

One of the central questions that I think the movie brought up is....hmm...
Oh wait, Im not supposed to give it away...
Well, am I the only one who felt that the movie's main question went ultimately unanswered?
Mr. Heston was quite unprepared for his interview in this movie. Many of the things he said were cliched and didnt really mean much of anything. He was definitely in a tight spot and he was not able to gracefully pull out. Must be that Alzheimer's kickin in I guess.

BTW, the bullet cartoon was very amusing. I also had to chuckle through most of the opening parts.

I think it's a must see. It stimulates quite a bit of thought about America as a whole and some of the funky issues that confront us now.
Well, at least it had that effect on me.
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
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I like Micheal Moore. I don't always agree with his opinions, but what he says & does makes people emotional enough to actually think about things, which I think is a dying art in this country.
Ah, well, that's definitely what we need more of...more emotionally driven thought and less logic and reason.
What's interesting is that Mr. Moore has been a member of the NRA for the past 20 years or so. His critisizm of gun control is based on the last several years of lobbying by the NRA and others. So maybe research a bit before thinking this guy is anti-gun, he's not.
While we certainly appreciate Moore's financial contribution to the National Rifle Assocation in the form of a life membership fee, Moore fundamentally opposes the entire stated premise and purpose of the organization, so why is he a member? It would be like joining the ACLU and opposing the organization's every position. Could it be so he can say for the cameras that he is a member, therefore, his detractors cannot say he is antigun? That's old hat.

It is true that 'Bowling for Columbine' isn't so much a 'gun control' mockumentary, the 'gun issue' is merely used in this film cleverly by Moore (this is the first and last time I will use 'clever' and 'Moore' in any proximity to each other) as a vessel through which Moore delivers his same old worn-out thesis, which can be summarized thusly:

"America is an evil racist blood-lusting country founded by a bunch of corrupt racist blood-lusting whites. The disturbing violent crime rate in the US is the result of the pervasive fear and hatred driven by racism. But, its not our fault really, its those evil greedy corporations that are to blame, they control the laws and the government and the media. That is how they want us, fearing and hating, because people buy things when they fear and hate. Its not too late, however, we can change. Unionize!

For more information about how to accomplish global peace and cure all of the world's ills, to which the racist corporate white America is a primary contributor, contact the AFC/CIO or Teamsters at (888) xxx-xxxx and request more information about organizing a union." [This message has been brought to you by the AFL/CIO and you local labor union. We now return you to your regularly scheduled and corporation corrupted programming.]
Mr. Heston was quite unprepared for his interview in this movie.
Of course, that's Moore's M.O. He is rather notorious for agreeing to conditions before an interview is granted, then completely ignoring the conditions to which he agreed when the camera is rolling. It's his stock and trade.

Remember, Moore is a classic demagouge. He knows what kind of 'image' and 'impact' he wants to make long before he ever sets-out to make it. The only way he can make the 'impact' he desires is to put people on the spot, by any means necessary, including deception and dishonesty.
 
Oct 16, 1999
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Emotionally driven thought? That's not what I was referring to but even that is better than the blind acceptance that is pervasive in this country. At least logic and reason have the potential to rear their ugly heads if someone is actually thinking, regardless of whatever drives them to do it.
 

Tominator

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,559
1
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Originally posted by: Thera
What's interesting is that Mr. Moore has been a member of the NRA for the past 20 years or so. His critisizm of gun control is based on the last several years of lobbying by the NRA and others. So maybe research a bit before thinking this guy is anti-gun, he's not.


I saw an interview about the film.

He is a Liberal trying to make a buck. Nothing more, nothing less.
 

smp

Diamond Member
Dec 6, 2000
5,215
0
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While we certainly appreciate Moore's financial contribution to the National Rifle Assocation in the form of a life membership fee, Moore fundamentally opposes the entire stated premise and purpose of the organization, so why is he a member? It would be like joining the ACLU and opposing the organization's every position. Could it be so he can say for the cameras that he is a member, therefore, his detractors cannot say he is antigun? That's old hat.

It is true that 'Bowling for Columbine' isn't so much a 'gun control' mockumentary, the 'gun issue' is merely used in this film cleverly by Moore (this is the first and last time I will use 'clever' and 'Moore' in any proximity to each other) as a vessel through which Moore delivers his same old worn-out thesis, which can be summarized thusly:

"America is an evil racist blood-lusting country founded by a bunch of corrupt racist blood-lusting whites. The disturbing violent crime rate in the US is the result of the pervasive fear and hatred driven by racism. But, its not our fault really, its those evil greedy corporations that are to blame, they control the laws and the government and the media. That is how they want us, fearing and hating, because people buy things when they fear and hate. Its not too late, however, we can change. Unionize!

For more information about how to accomplish global peace and cure all of the world's ills, to which the racist corporate white America is a primary contributor, contact the AFC/CIO or Teamsters at (888) xxx-xxxx and request more information about organizing a union." [This message has been brought to you by the AFL/CIO and you local labor union. We now return you to your regularly scheduled and corporation corrupted programming.]


Right on.
 

0roo0roo

No Lifer
Sep 21, 2002
64,795
84
91

I saw an interview about the film.

He is a Liberal trying to make a buck. Nothing more, nothing less.

lol, listen to yourself. i judge this film based upon an interview:p haha


and actually no, its not a gun control mockementary. it does however poke fun at the nra which richly deserves it. how you could defend the nra's behavior i don't know.


Quote

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Mr. Heston was quite unprepared for his interview in this movie.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, that's Moore's M.O. He is rather notorious for agreeing to conditions before an interview is granted, then completely ignoring the conditions to which he agreed when the camera is rolling. It's his stock and trade.

Remember, Moore is a classic demagouge. He knows what kind of 'image' and 'impact' he wants to make long before he ever sets-out to make it. The only way he can make the 'impact' he desires is to put people on the spot, by any means necessary, including deception and dishonesty.


aren't you kind. first of all he was interviewing the top dog of the nra. not some little guy that would or should need preperation on gun questions. 2nd of all he asked softball questions, seems he felt sorry for the old fart.

apparently the conditions was that he showed he was a member of the nra. condition met. whats your point:p
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,934
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aren't you kind.
Only where kindness is warranted, the truth always.
first of all he was interviewing the top dog of the nra. not some little guy that would or should need preperation on gun questions. 2nd of all he asked softball questions, seems he felt sorry for the old fart.
Heston is the President of the NRA, not its spokesperson. Heston is in no 'better' position to articulate the NRA's positions off-the-cuff without preparation than anyone else. Though, Heston has got to be better than Wayne Lapierre, that guy is less articulate than GWB and probably not as smart.

There are about a half-dozen policy experts that are authorized to represent the NRA's position, Moore's gotta go beat up on some feeble old man who is more of a celebrity figurehead than anything else. If Moore truly wanted a dialogue, his questions answered, why didn't Moore go ringing the buzzers of law professor David Kopel, or civil rights attorney Don Kates, Paul Blackman, or constitutional law attorney Stephen Halbrook (who has a 3-0 record arguing before the US Supreme Court)? Because Moore would get his ass handed to him, that's why, and that wouldn't make the 'impact' Moore wanted now would it?
 

phantom309

Platinum Member
Jan 30, 2002
2,065
1
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I agree that Moore is somewhat of a propagandist. So's Rush Limbaugh. Both of them have to appeal to huge numbers of idiots in order to get their bills paid and their message heard. But buried underneath all the stupid partisan bullsh1t, both of them have some very valid things to say. That's why it's important to USE YOUR BRAIN when you listen to them, and decide for yourself what the truth is.
 

weezergirl

Diamond Member
May 24, 2000
3,366
1
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just got back from seeing this movie. it was really good. i laughed so much and cried a lot too. and the heston interview was hilarious. and for the people trying to defend heston saying he's not the PR blah blah blah....it wasn't like moore was asking him tricky questions, even I could have answered better than heston. he was just a bumbling idiot (at least he came across as that in the film). it was scary and sad to see famous people act the way they do in the movie though.
 

PoPPeR

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2002
6,993
0
0
I love Michael Moore documentaries, or movies as I call them (maybe some of those movies today should be called documentaries on how to not make a movie). Half of our senior class went to see the documentary as part of extra credit, but I had planned on seeing it anyways. The cost of getting in was steep (9 bucks for a ton of high school students) but I enjoyed the film, as I enjoyed Roger and Me and some other of Michael Moore's works. The Walmart part was very touching, and my views on gun control has radically changed because of it
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
my biggest beef with Moore is his painfully stupid though process. How can you expect a corporation(GM) to keep plants open in a place where they are paying too much for labor? You people want a cheap car, GM helped, and then got crapped on. GM owes NOTHING to Flint. Why would they have any moral responsibility to support Flint after closing plants down?
 

tcsenter

Lifer
Sep 7, 2001
18,934
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my biggest beef with Moore is his painfully stupid though process. How can you expect a corporation(GM) to keep plants open in a place where they are paying too much for labor?
Not simply paying too much for labor, in terms of $$ per hour. GM is paying the same $$ per hour in all of these other plants to which Flint lost many jobs, mostly to Canada and southern US states. And contrary to the union's propaganda, Flint lost more manufacturing jobs to technology than to cheap foreign labor, on the order of 2 to 1.

And if you think this longshormen's resistance to technology is absurd, their militance has NOTHING on the bitter tooth and nail battle that Flint's bargaining units waged against GM's attempts to make plants more efficient, reduce costs, and raise productivity.

And that brings us to the true reason Flint is a festering sh-t hole today: if you're paying people top wages, you expect a level of productivity out of them that is at the very least nominally better than the dead could achieve. You also expect that something more than 60% of your workforce will show up on any given day, and of those who do show up, you expect that a majority of them should be sober. Apparently, the union felt these were "unreasonable" expectations.

Old Michael Moore always seems to 'forget' all these pesky little details.
 

DannyLove

Lifer
Oct 17, 2000
12,876
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just got back from watching it, and I have to say that it was entirely brilliant. The message was pretty straight forward, with soooo much truth involved. There were many little bits of humor which I found great (i especially found that bit on the cartoon of whites/blacks)

I recommend everyone to go see it, regardless of your view of gun control, maybe this can shade some light or darken it some more, but in the end, there is some truth. I'm very glad I saw this film. Made me think a lot on how f'cked up this world is. (and the sad part is, it's not getting any better)

danny~!