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[seb_n]

Indeed, havent heard from him for years, however after a quick youtube search it does appear as though he has something coming out reasonably soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RYV04G0tHc

 

[Parch]

A bit too sensationalistic and sarcastic, but he did open up a few eyes in a country that was always too nationalistic and in denial of their problems. I think it's helped Americans become a little more open minded and skeptical instead of just flag waving patriots.

He's also exposed a lot of Americans who hate and attack him for bringing up issues they don't want to hear. Completely dismissing what he's done is pretty shallow minded too, but there's always going to be the fingers in the ears LA LA LA people who don't want to face reality.

 

[Wigdogger]

Indeed, havent heard from him for years, however after a quick youtube search it does appear as though he has something coming out reasonably soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RYV04G0tHc

I've always admired his intentions, but boy, this one looks pretty directionless. Almost like a parody of himself at this point.

Honestly, his message is no different than many other socialists and progressives, but he has a bigger megaphone (sometimes literally) to deliver that message. He really had to re-evaluate his methods, though, after Fahrenheit 9/11 failed to achieve its goal — removing GWB from office.

I've always felt that his guerrilla spirit was purest in things like Roger & Me or The Awful Truth (his TV show). Bowling for Columbine also really failed to galvanize anyone outside of the left, and stuff like Sicko was almost so muted that it didn't reach enough people — not that Big Pharma would let the message resonate, anyway.

History will vindicate a lot of what he's saying (unfettered capitalism and greed, universal health care, gun control, endless wars, no social compact), but we are all so close to it now that it's easy for folks to get hung up on a bit of his method.

Frankly, socialism has been so battered that you need someone like him to broadcast twice as loud to cut through all of the right-wing horseshit and centrist rhetoric. Left concepts are radical for the U.S., so of course many are going to view him as a bleeding-heart, opportunist, fraud, etc. A little bit of character sabotage goes along way to devaluing the core tenets of his message.

The guy ain't perfect, but his mission is one that is important.

 

[danwarb]

Unfortunately he has none. Multinational corporations with huge influence in the US are still raking it in at the expense of the middle east and public. Gun violence and mass shooting as bad as ever. Tax law is still all fucked up.

Documentaries don't change the world.

 

[Mohonky]

I never got the impression Moore was impartial enough. He obviously had some good points butI get the impression it was 'create theory first' then set about proving it.

If you already have an agenda you can't really be subjective and give a fair viewpoint.

 

[noshten]

I never got the impression Moore was impartial enough. He obviously had some good points butI get the impression it was 'create theory first' then set about proving it.

If you already have an agenda you can't really be subjective and give a fair viewpoint.

You've just discribed every documentary not based enitrely around factual science.

 

[Mesousa]

If you watch any kind of media in this country you would have heard of him when the country was having a wank over that terrible sniper film when he went on twitter and called snipers cowards because his uncle was killed by one during world war II.

 

[minor effort]

Roger & Me is stil the best documentary he's produced. It's his most focused, clear, and personal documentary.

I do remember TV Nation, his old show back in the 90s being enjoyable. My memories of it are a little hazy now, but it was a sort of proto-Daily Show. It doesn't hurt that the 90s version of Michael Moore was a far less grating presence than he became during the 00s.

 

[RevengeOfDoh]

Roger & Me is stil the best documentary he's produced. It's his most focused, clear, and personal documentary.

I do remember TV Nation, his old show back in the 90s being enjoyable. My memories of it are a little hazy now, but it was a sort of proto-Daily Show. It doesn't hurt that the 90s version of Michael Moore was a far less grating presence than he became during the 00s.

I remember watching TV Nation when I was younger and even then, I realized that this fat dude was sticking it to the fat cats that were screwing things up. It put a face on anonymous shitbag business people. 20 years later, we get show's like Undercover Bosses. Gotta love it.

 

[RibMan]

No, not anymore at least. He had decent intentions but he lost his message and influence when he became more cartoonish.

Yep. He has extremely little influence (if any at all) in the US. He became a joke once he became 'that guy invited on a talk show who then screams at the host(s)'. He's seen as more of an opportunist now, and whatever respect and adoration he commanded is long gone.

I don't know him and will likely never know him, but I never got the vibe that he was a man who actually cared about improving society and or the human condition. He just seemed like a documentary director who could edit creepy low-pitch music to match creepy vignetted shots. Also, it goes without saying, but he made a lot of enemies in the apparel industry once he started 'caring' about overseas labor in factories. It's very very difficult to have influence in America when multi-billion dollar companies dislike you.

 

[Fuchsdh]

You've just discribed every documentary not based enitrely around factual science.

Not really. Ideally, you can approach a documentary interested in finding out more and crafting the point you want to make after you’ve learned what you can—or, you just try and stay out of it as much as possible and give a more neutral story to people.

Other documentaries simply start with a scenario—“what happens when I do this? Follow these people?”—and draw meaning from implicit connections later (Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control is probably the first example that pops into my head.)

Whether or not most or any people can conjure up that level of impartiality for something akin to the political issues Michael Moore talks about, I suppose, is up for debate.

 

[Shard]

Unfortunately he has none. Multinational corporations with huge influence in the US are still raking it in at the expense of the middle east and public. Gun violence and mass shooting as bad as ever. Tax law is still all fucked up.

Documentaries don't change the world.

They can and have changed the world some of the time. For example Sea World is pretty much doomed after that documentary about them came out.

 

[NYR]

Looking back, Moore lost it when he made myself the center of his movies - no one is going to fall for it ever again, he'll never get as many people on film as before. That is why his most recent movie was filmed in secret without him on screen that much.

Further, his Oscar speech, even though history has shown him to be right, was not very timely. That hurt him.

And of course, Fahrenheit 9/11 was a bunch of horseshit, read like a conspiracy theory from a tinfoil hat wearing basement dweller looking back at it, it is pretty funny how if it was made out to be a truther inside job movie, it likely would be more accepted today (even though that is wrong too).

 

[To Far Away Times]

Considering he invents facts and intentionally misleads viewers, his movies are pretty much worthless.

 

[Dr.Acula]

He just premiered Where to Invade Next a few days ago.

 

[mario_O]

Love everything he does, don't know about the U.S but he gets a lot of respect in Europe. Fahrenheit 9/11 was fantastic.

 

[demon]

He just premiered Where to Invade Next a few days ago.

he gone lost his damn mind.

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

At least all his antics inspired this classic

 

[Machine]

I'm from Flint, Michigan and my older brothers were actually high school classmates of Moore. I used like him. His first show, TV Nation, was quite good as was Roger & Me. But somewhere along the way, he lost me. His ambush interview of a nearly senile Charleton Heston in Bowling and his egregious edit of Heston's speeches (http://www.hardylaw.net/Bowlingtranscript.html) made me lose any remaining respect I had for him.

 

[BioHazard]

He's been quiet lately, but he has a new film coming out. Where to Invade Next?

 

[JCX]

He hasn't been super relevant since Bush left, really.

 

[TwEE-N-Toast]

And of course, Fahrenheit 9/11 was a bunch of horseshit, read like a conspiracy theory from a tinfoil hat wearing basement dweller looking back at it, it is pretty funny how if it was made out to be a truther inside job movie, it likely would be more accepted today (even though that is wrong too).

I haven't watched Fahrenheit 9/11 since it came out, so it's not really fresh in my mind, but do Americans see the movie as a some sort of Truther thing now?

 

[minor effort]

I'm from Flint, Michigan and my older brothers were actually high school classmates of Moore. I used like him. His first show, TV Nation, was quite good as was Roger & Me. But somewhere along the way, he lost me. His ambush interview of a nearly senile Charleton Heston in Bowling and his egregious edit of Heston's speeches (http://www.hardylaw.net/Bowlingtranscript.html) made me lose any remaining respect I had for him.

Heston was still NRA president at the time of the interview, wasn't he? I'd be a bit more sympathetic of him being ambushed if he had already retired and moved on to private life.

As for the edits, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[DoktorEvil]

Looking back, Moore lost it when he made myself the center of his movies - no one is going to fall for it ever again, he'll never get as many people on film as before. That is why his most recent movie was filmed in secret without him on screen that much.

Further, his Oscar speech, even though history has shown him to be right, was not very timely. That hurt him.

And of course, Fahrenheit 9/11 was a bunch of horseshit, read like a conspiracy theory from a tinfoil hat wearing basement dweller looking back at it, it is pretty funny how if it was made out to be a truther inside job movie, it likely would be more accepted today (even though that is wrong too).

Post Bowling For Columbine, I think he realized how financially successful docu-films were becoming and became more about distorting the truth and creating false narratives.

He also doesn't have Dubya to use as a punching bag anymore, so no wonder he's been silent.

 

[timetokill]

He was always a blowhard, but it eventually became clear that he was distorting things for his shock-value antics and he sort of Flanderized himself. Add in the fact that like many other loud progressives at the time, Obama's inauguration meant losing the attention of people who just wanted "their" guy in the White House and weren't really interested in hearing criticism when it's their guy.

 

[The Albatross]

Moore really isn't relevant anymore because his anti-Republican movies only go so far when Republicans aren't really in power. If a Republican is elected president in 2016, then he'll become more relevant.

When he says or does something it's still usually picked up by the news/pop culture, his appearances at award shows and social gatherings are still typically noted by someone, but he's not nearly as relevant as he was in the 2000s... the height of his relevance, probably.

 

[RevengeOfDoh]

I'm from Flint, Michigan and my older brothers were actually high school classmates of Moore. I used like him. His first show, TV Nation, was quite good as was Roger & Me. But somewhere along the way, he lost me. His ambush interview of a nearly senile Charleton Heston in Bowling and his egregious edit of Heston's speeches (http://www.hardylaw.net/Bowlingtranscript.html) made me lose any remaining respect I had for him.

Someone already mentioned that Heston was still representing the NRA in an official fashion at the time. Moore "ambushing" him left a bad taste in my mouth, but the NRA propping him up like a puppet is even worse. Whether Moore knew that Heston was senile is irrelevant in my eyes when Moore's intention was to show that the emperor had no clothes; both literally and figuratively...or maybe Heston was actually that good of an actor...

Some may say that Moore could've shown more respect, but where's the respect from the NRA when all they were doing was inciting the ramblings of an old man with his half of his wits left.

 

[Meier]

I think the way media is consumed and the constant news cycle made him a little less relevant. I'm sure if he came out with a really good documentary again that he'd get back in the spotlight, but he's really been a non-entity for quite awhile. Not sure he'll ever be particularly influential again.

 

[emalord]

Someone already mentioned that Heston was still representing the NRA in an official fashion at the time. Moore "ambushing" him left a bad taste in my mouth, but the NRA propping him up like a puppet is even worse. Whether Moore knew that Heston was senile is irrelevant in my eyes when Moore's intention was to show that the emperor had no clothes; both literally and figuratively...or maybe Heston was actually that good of an actor...

Some may say that Moore could've shown more respect, but where's the respect from the NRA when all they were doing was inciting the ramblings of an old man with his half of his wits left.

Imho Heston in that interview partially confirmed that the NRA is sort of a legalized branch of the KKK
Yep, he probably did not expect Moore to attack him (" Hi I'm a member of the NRA too, Hello Mr, Heston") but he really said those words and clearly that was his vision of the heart of America

 

[knkng]

It's funny this thread should pop up. I always really loved Bowling for Columbine, but haven't seen it in about 10 years. So about 4 days ago I decided to pop it in and sit back for some informative entertainment.

And...wow. It was just a hodgepodge of messages, loosely stapled together under the umbrella of Columbine. Most of the information about Columbine was completely wrong, although I suppose there was no way for him to know this at the time. But still, it's incredibly ironic since so much of the movie is about media sensationalism. His particular focus on the girl saying "they killed the black kid because he was black" almost made me fall out of my chair. What was he even trying to get at here? Or was it just a nicely provocative line to highlight? (I would wager so)

Overall it was just this whirlwind of gun control, media scare tactics, racism, and failure of government with no clear point other than "Hey, look at all this bad stuff!" I'll definitely give it to him, though, he certainly can make some incredibly memorable moments ("What a Wonderful World" and "Happiness is a Warm Gun" are two scenes that really stuck with me over the years). I guess at the very least you could say he opened peoples eyes to topics they would normally not consider, so I'd say it's still overall a good thing.

 

[ShowDog]

No one will change their mind after watching a present-day Moore flick. Maybe he brings his audience validation, but ultimately he is a failure as a filmmaker campaigning for reform.

 

[Zultan]

He's a dick. You should rewatch the part between him and Heston. If I recall, Heston doesn't know who he is, and Moore is an absolute dick the whole time while Heston was being friendly.

 

[Forgive Me]

frankly im more disappointed in how marilyn manson didnt end up being the sane and thoughtful person that bowling for columbine might lead an impressionable youth to believe!

 

[Gentleman Jack]

He just premiered Where to Invade Next a few days ago.

Haha what the hell? Looks like obnoxious self parody. The synopses are not encouraging.

 

[biggersmaller]

He has never been truly influential in the way some like Black Fish has been. He is simply a very liberal (if unethical) documentarian. His films are fun to watch if taken more as feature-length political cartoons than a honest analysis of facts. This goes all the way back to Roger and Me, still my favorite film of his.

No, not anymore at least. He had decent intentions but he lost his message and influence when he became more cartoonish.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

I'm too lazy to go back and quote someone, but Michael Moore is not the Liberal Ann Couture. Good god, man.