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Originally Posted by Jason1
I like Michael Moore, so Im guessing I wouldnt like this film.
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Well, as my review stated, its more than just a Michael Moore bash. Its takes all documentaries to task, including itself. It shows the arrogance in stating that anything can be considered "truth" when it is filtered through an editing and directing process.
Penn Gillette has a great intreview where he states that all documentaries become a lie once the camera is turned on, as one man with his own pre-disposed beliefs and bias' is controlling what is being filmed. The question is, how much of a lie are you willing to tell?
Also, liking Michael Moore shouldn't prevent you from watching a film that criticizes him, as he is far from beyond criticism. I have watched almost all of Moore's films, and I think he is a horrific individual with a severe narcissistic personality disorder. I don't like what he does, but I recognize that he is brilliant at it. This film kind of takes that position. Its about the loss of public discourse and how the polarization created by people like Moore has ground the market of ideas to a halt. Besides, how dedicated to your personal political and social beliefs can you be if you won't watch anything that contradicts them? If you can watch the criticism without automatically dismissing it, and it survives an internal debate of reason with the critic's points, then you know you truly believe in your ideals and they aren't just lies that you have carefully protected.
You can be a Moore fan, and still enjoy this movie. You might just stop liking him if you see it, and that might be more frightening than anything to the true believers. But this takes the documentary to task more that Moore. Wilson just uses Moore as his main example of the bad documentary, which he should.
On a side note, I'm still shocked by the amount of people who still love Moore's films even though it has been proven that he misleads his audience at every turn, which is basically a HUGE insult to their intelligence. I'll never understand the "ends justify the means" argument of many modern "muchraking" journalists or their followers.