As with every other Michael Moore movie I will probably boycott this one as well. Not that MM makes bad movies, I just don't like being intentionally jerked around at the tune of $8 a ticket. A few Associated Press journalists had this to say about the movie:
In many respects, Michael Moore's new movie, "Sicko," is like a trial for those who oversee health care in the United States. The industry — doctors, drug makers, hospitals, insurers — is charged with greed and putting personal interests above patients'. Moore heard from thousands of people who had maddening and heartbreaking brushes with this system.
As chief prosecutor, Moore lets them do most of the talking and weaves their stories into the film with wit, compassion and humor. But one aspect missing from the film is the defense. Do not expect to hear anyone speak well of the care they received in the U.S. On the other hand, patients and doctors from Canada, Britain, France and Cuba marvel at their health care.
...
The film concludes with a trip to Cuba where Moore seeks care for a group of workers who have experienced health problems after responding to 2001 terrorist attacks. They are greeted with open arms at a hospital in Havana and given what appears to be top-notch care that they could not get in the U.S. The question left for viewers to ponder is whether Cubans are given such red carpet treatment, too. Read more here.
Please let me know if you have seen it and what you thought of it. And, for the record, I wouldn't see a movie made by Bill O'Reilly either :)
As with every other Michael Moore movie I will probably boycott this one as well. Not that MM makes bad movies, I just don't like being intentionally jerked around at the tune of $8 a ticket. A few Associated Press journalists had this to say about the movie:
I've only watched part of one Moore movie ("Columbine"), and I was so turned off by the way he treated Charlton Heston in his own home that I vowed never to watch another of Moore's documentaries -- not that Heston and the NRA didn't have a big part in the events in the aftermath of Columbine (the issue of gun control, responsibility, legislation, etc.), but he was obviously ill even at that point, and Moore didn't show him much courtesy. I would never let anyone come to my home and treat me the way Moore treated Heston.
ReplyDeleteMy wife told me this morning that "Sicko" is actually being praised by folks on both ends of the political spectrum, but like you I have no intention of watching it.
I plan to see Sicko tomorrow, so I'll probably post something on my blog. I happen to like Michael Moore's movies (Surprised? Didn't think so!) and actually have most everything he's done on DVD. I can agree with Matt on the Heston thing to some extent. I think Moore had a point to make, following up to ask CH about his views and challenge his rhetoric, but Heston's frailty made Moore look like more of a bully than I think he intended to. Still, it was compelling footage and I think he made the right choice to include it in his film.
ReplyDeleteI recommend "Roger and Me" or "The Big One", two of Moore's older films, that are probably now less incendiary because their subject matter is older and more widely established.
And I don't think that Michael Moore and Bill O'Reilly are two sides of the same coin. Moore doesn't (imo) berate or shout over his opponents and I think he is MUCH less smug and self-effacing than O'Reilly could ever hope to be. Moore is a talented film-maker as well. On purely aesthetic grounds, his movies are well-constructed, visually intriguing and very entertaining, if the politics don't interfere with one's ability to appreciate the craftsmanship. :o)