Bowling for Columbine
Aug 22nd 2003, 2:05 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 80
Bowling for Columbine
Just saw this on DVD last night what a fabulous flick
I shoulda kept it for another night.
If you haven't seen go rent it !
Hilarious,factual and saddening all at the same time.
Beautiful !
I shoulda kept it for another night.
If you haven't seen go rent it !
Hilarious,factual and saddening all at the same time.
Beautiful !
Sep 1st 2003, 2:20 am
#2
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 80
Bump...
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Sep 1st 2003, 3:09 am
#3
Here we go Pittsburgh!
Joined: Aug 2002
Location: Pittsburgh PA, USA
Posts: 581
Re: Bump...
Originally posted by Daltrey
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Someone on the group recommended 'They' and it was so crap I can't remember what it was about, except it was quite similar to 'Darkness Falls'.
Sam.
Sep 1st 2003, 3:22 am
#4
100% Pure
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Fort Worth, TX.
Posts: 1,185
Originally posted by Daltrey
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Sep 1st 2003, 10:14 am
#5
Wurzel turned redneck
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Columbia, SC (was Bristol, Wessex)
Posts: 363
Re: Bump...
Originally posted by Daltrey
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Someone has had to have seen this by now?
Sep 1st 2003, 10:32 am
#6
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 80
Funny guy
Yeah,I did see the movie They,well actually I watched
10 minutes of it it was so bad I never finished it.
Here's another review for you then mate.
"For anyone who cares about the future of America, it's required viewing."
-- Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
"As the national media become more sedate and incurious, this country desperately needs a gadfly like Moore. Indeed, we need more like him."
-- Jeffrey Westhoff, NORTHWEST HERALD (CRYSTAL LAKE, IL)
"Michael Moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining, self-aggrandizing, politically motivated documentary-making, and he’s got as potent a topic as ever here."
-- Brian Webster, APOLLO GUIDE
"It could change America, not only because it is full of necessary discussion points, but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment."
-- Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK CRITIC
"Quando Tiros em Columbine acerta o alvo (com o perdão do trocadilho), não há como negar o brilhantismo da argumentação de seu diretor."
-- Pablo Villaca, CINEMA EM CENA
"I suggest that you give it a shot. It should fuel some interesting conversation."
-- John Venable, SUPERCALA.COM
"...sheds light on the darkest corner of America’s soul – and the man with the torch is the unlikely figure of a shuffling, bespectacled and overweight and underpaid filmmaker in baggy jeans."
-- Urban Cinefile Critics, URBAN CINEFILE
"..."Bowling for Columbine� remains a disquieting and thought-provoking film..."
-- Tony Toscano, TALKING PICTURES
"For the most part, it's a work of incendiary genius, steering clear of knee-jerk reactions and quick solutions."
-- Tor Thorsen, REEL.COM
"Hardly an objective documentary, but it's great cinematic polemic...love Moore or loathe him, you've got to admire...the intensity with which he's willing to express his convictions."
-- Frank Swietek, ONE GUY'S OPINION
"It is a film that will have people walking out halfway through, will encourage others to stand up and applaud, and will, undoubtedly, leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come."
-- Steven Snyder, ZERTINET MOVIES
"Stuffed to the brim with ideas, American instigator Michael Moore’s film is a rambling examination of American gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition."
-- Brent Simon, ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
"The film's strength isn't in its details, but in the larger picture it paints - of a culture in conflict with itself, with the thin veneer of nationalism that covers our deepest, media-soaked fears."
-- Gabriel Shanks, COZZI FAN TUTTI CELLULOID MUSINGS
"The most bold and socially important film to hit theaters this year."
-- Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR
"No one goes unindicted here, which is probably for the best. And if you're not nearly moved to tears by a couple of scenes, you've got ice water in your veins."
-- Jeff Vice, DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY
"Even if the world doesn't see things the way [Michael Moore] does, his questions are worth asking.… and Bowling for Columbine benefits from his iconoclastic zeal."
-- Rob Vaux, FLIPSIDE MOVIE EMPORIUM
"With 'Bowling for Columbine,' Michael Moore gives us the perfect starting point for a national conversation about guns, violence, and fear."
-- Betty Jo Tucker, REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS
"A thought-provoking picture."
-- Lawrence Toppman, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
"Where Bowling for Columbine is at its most valuable is in its examination of America's culture of fear as a root cause of gun violence."
-- Luke Y. Thompson, DALLAS OBSERVER
"Very very good"
-- Stefan Birgir Stefansson, SBS.IS
"If, as the old saying goes, the role of the journalist is to 'comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,' then in Bowling For Columbine, Moore fulfils the requirements beyond all previous measure."
-- Jim Slotek, JAM! MOVIES
"'Moore is like a progressive bull in a china shop, a provocateur crashing into ideas and special-interest groups as he slaps together his own brand of liberalism.'"
-- David Lee Simmons, GAMBIT WEEKLY (NEW ORLEANS, LA)
"Glib, satirical documentary that fudges facts, makes facile points and engages in the cinematic equivalent of tabloid journalism."
-- Shlomo Schwartzberg, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE
"Moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought. Better still, he does all of this, and more, while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of Jonathan Swift."
-- Joe Leydon, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
"It's unnerving, stimulating, likely to provoke anger and sorrow on both political sides -- and, above all, it's extremely funny."
-- Michael Wilmington, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"[Moore's] better at fingering problems than finding solutions. But though he only scratches the surface, at least he provides a strong itch to explore more."
-- Bruce Westbrook, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
"Even those who would like to dismiss the film outright should find much to mull and debate."
-- Chris Vognar, DALLAS MORNING NEWS
"Anything that coaxes us into thinking about why we are the way we are, even as imperfectly as Bowling for Columbine does, is an energizing change of pace."
-- Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"This volcanically funny and seriously scary look at America's obsession with guns is meant to shake us up good. And it does."
-- Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
"There is simply no doubt that this film asks the right questions at the right time in the history of our country."
-- Susan Stark, DETROIT NEWS
"I hope the movie is widely seen and debated with appropriate ferocity and thoughtfulness."
-- A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES
"We need [Moore's] noisy, cocky energy, his passion and class consciousness; we need his shticks, we need his stones."
-- Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"All in all, Mr. Moore has given us a lot to think about in Bowling for Columbine, and he has entertained us royally in the process."
-- Andrew Sarris, NEW YORK OBSERVER
"At its best, which occurs often, Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine rekindles the muckraking, soul-searching spirit of the 'Are we a sick society?' journalism of the 1960s."
-- Steven Rosen, DENVER POST
"Michael Moore's latest documentary about America's thirst for violence is his best film yet..."
-- Dennis Schwartz, OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS
Moore's latest documentary about America's thirst for violence is his best film yet..."
-- Dennis Schwartz, OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS
"This vital film has all of the street-smart urgency of Moore's best work and precious little of the smug self-indulgence that has so often led us fellow lefties to roll our eyes in embarrassment."
-- Steve Schneider, ORLANDO WEEKLY
"Moore sees a nation that extols the glories of 'family values' while millions line up to see 'Jackass: The Movie'..."
-- James Sanford, KALAMAZOO GAZETTE
"...the most stunning film of the year."
-- Paul Salfen, SUPERCALA.COM
"Michael Moore clearly and convincingly expresses his rage at the way fear, violence and the ignorance they both breed are whittling away this country’s soul."
-- Nick Rogers, STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER (SPRINGFIELD, IL)
"Michael Moore's documentary on America, guns and bowling is infuriating, uneven and unfair -- and a riveting, don't-miss social critique."
-- James Rocchi, NETFLIX
"Bowling for Columbine isn't just a highly recommended accomplishment; it deserves to be required viewing...One of the year's biggest entertainments, and one of its most thought-provoking."
-- Dustin Putman, THEMOVIEBOY.COM
"Moore is simply holding a giant mirror up to the US, and those offended by the film are really taking issue with themselves, which is pretty damn funny."
-- Jon Popick, PLANET SICK-BOY
--
10 minutes of it it was so bad I never finished it.
Here's another review for you then mate.
"For anyone who cares about the future of America, it's required viewing."
-- Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
"As the national media become more sedate and incurious, this country desperately needs a gadfly like Moore. Indeed, we need more like him."
-- Jeffrey Westhoff, NORTHWEST HERALD (CRYSTAL LAKE, IL)
"Michael Moore has perfected the art of highly entertaining, self-aggrandizing, politically motivated documentary-making, and he’s got as potent a topic as ever here."
-- Brian Webster, APOLLO GUIDE
"It could change America, not only because it is full of necessary discussion points, but because it is so accessible that it makes complex politics understandable to viewers looking for nothing but energetic entertainment."
-- Ian Waldron-Mantgani, UK CRITIC
"Quando Tiros em Columbine acerta o alvo (com o perdão do trocadilho), não há como negar o brilhantismo da argumentação de seu diretor."
-- Pablo Villaca, CINEMA EM CENA
"I suggest that you give it a shot. It should fuel some interesting conversation."
-- John Venable, SUPERCALA.COM
"...sheds light on the darkest corner of America’s soul – and the man with the torch is the unlikely figure of a shuffling, bespectacled and overweight and underpaid filmmaker in baggy jeans."
-- Urban Cinefile Critics, URBAN CINEFILE
"..."Bowling for Columbine� remains a disquieting and thought-provoking film..."
-- Tony Toscano, TALKING PICTURES
"For the most part, it's a work of incendiary genius, steering clear of knee-jerk reactions and quick solutions."
-- Tor Thorsen, REEL.COM
"Hardly an objective documentary, but it's great cinematic polemic...love Moore or loathe him, you've got to admire...the intensity with which he's willing to express his convictions."
-- Frank Swietek, ONE GUY'S OPINION
"It is a film that will have people walking out halfway through, will encourage others to stand up and applaud, and will, undoubtedly, leave both camps engaged in a ferocious debate for years to come."
-- Steven Snyder, ZERTINET MOVIES
"Stuffed to the brim with ideas, American instigator Michael Moore’s film is a rambling examination of American gun culture that uses his usual modus operandi of crucifixion through juxtaposition."
-- Brent Simon, ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
"The film's strength isn't in its details, but in the larger picture it paints - of a culture in conflict with itself, with the thin veneer of nationalism that covers our deepest, media-soaked fears."
-- Gabriel Shanks, COZZI FAN TUTTI CELLULOID MUSINGS
"The most bold and socially important film to hit theaters this year."
-- Phil Villarreal, ARIZONA DAILY STAR
"No one goes unindicted here, which is probably for the best. And if you're not nearly moved to tears by a couple of scenes, you've got ice water in your veins."
-- Jeff Vice, DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY
"Even if the world doesn't see things the way [Michael Moore] does, his questions are worth asking.… and Bowling for Columbine benefits from his iconoclastic zeal."
-- Rob Vaux, FLIPSIDE MOVIE EMPORIUM
"With 'Bowling for Columbine,' Michael Moore gives us the perfect starting point for a national conversation about guns, violence, and fear."
-- Betty Jo Tucker, REELTALK MOVIE REVIEWS
"A thought-provoking picture."
-- Lawrence Toppman, CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
"Where Bowling for Columbine is at its most valuable is in its examination of America's culture of fear as a root cause of gun violence."
-- Luke Y. Thompson, DALLAS OBSERVER
"Very very good"
-- Stefan Birgir Stefansson, SBS.IS
"If, as the old saying goes, the role of the journalist is to 'comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable,' then in Bowling For Columbine, Moore fulfils the requirements beyond all previous measure."
-- Jim Slotek, JAM! MOVIES
"'Moore is like a progressive bull in a china shop, a provocateur crashing into ideas and special-interest groups as he slaps together his own brand of liberalism.'"
-- David Lee Simmons, GAMBIT WEEKLY (NEW ORLEANS, LA)
"Glib, satirical documentary that fudges facts, makes facile points and engages in the cinematic equivalent of tabloid journalism."
-- Shlomo Schwartzberg, BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE
"Moore provides an invaluable service by sparking debate and encouraging thought. Better still, he does all of this, and more, while remaining one of the most savagely hilarious social critics this side of Jonathan Swift."
-- Joe Leydon, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
"It's unnerving, stimulating, likely to provoke anger and sorrow on both political sides -- and, above all, it's extremely funny."
-- Michael Wilmington, CHICAGO TRIBUNE
"[Moore's] better at fingering problems than finding solutions. But though he only scratches the surface, at least he provides a strong itch to explore more."
-- Bruce Westbrook, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
"Even those who would like to dismiss the film outright should find much to mull and debate."
-- Chris Vognar, DALLAS MORNING NEWS
"Anything that coaxes us into thinking about why we are the way we are, even as imperfectly as Bowling for Columbine does, is an energizing change of pace."
-- Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"This volcanically funny and seriously scary look at America's obsession with guns is meant to shake us up good. And it does."
-- Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
"There is simply no doubt that this film asks the right questions at the right time in the history of our country."
-- Susan Stark, DETROIT NEWS
"I hope the movie is widely seen and debated with appropriate ferocity and thoughtfulness."
-- A.O. Scott, NEW YORK TIMES
"We need [Moore's] noisy, cocky energy, his passion and class consciousness; we need his shticks, we need his stones."
-- Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
"All in all, Mr. Moore has given us a lot to think about in Bowling for Columbine, and he has entertained us royally in the process."
-- Andrew Sarris, NEW YORK OBSERVER
"At its best, which occurs often, Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine rekindles the muckraking, soul-searching spirit of the 'Are we a sick society?' journalism of the 1960s."
-- Steven Rosen, DENVER POST
"Michael Moore's latest documentary about America's thirst for violence is his best film yet..."
-- Dennis Schwartz, OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS
Moore's latest documentary about America's thirst for violence is his best film yet..."
-- Dennis Schwartz, OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS
"This vital film has all of the street-smart urgency of Moore's best work and precious little of the smug self-indulgence that has so often led us fellow lefties to roll our eyes in embarrassment."
-- Steve Schneider, ORLANDO WEEKLY
"Moore sees a nation that extols the glories of 'family values' while millions line up to see 'Jackass: The Movie'..."
-- James Sanford, KALAMAZOO GAZETTE
"...the most stunning film of the year."
-- Paul Salfen, SUPERCALA.COM
"Michael Moore clearly and convincingly expresses his rage at the way fear, violence and the ignorance they both breed are whittling away this country’s soul."
-- Nick Rogers, STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER (SPRINGFIELD, IL)
"Michael Moore's documentary on America, guns and bowling is infuriating, uneven and unfair -- and a riveting, don't-miss social critique."
-- James Rocchi, NETFLIX
"Bowling for Columbine isn't just a highly recommended accomplishment; it deserves to be required viewing...One of the year's biggest entertainments, and one of its most thought-provoking."
-- Dustin Putman, THEMOVIEBOY.COM
"Moore is simply holding a giant mirror up to the US, and those offended by the film are really taking issue with themselves, which is pretty damn funny."
-- Jon Popick, PLANET SICK-BOY
--
Sep 1st 2003, 3:12 pm
#8
British/Irish(ish) Duncs
Joined: Jan 2003
Location: Cambridge MA, via Mississippi and Belfast Northern Ireland.
Posts: 700
Originally posted by britmoving
http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html
Interesting site.....
http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html
Interesting site.....
We have just had the pleasure of Mr Moore in Belfast on a family holiday. On the trip he managed to fit in some speeches in West Belfast to tell people how their 800 years of British oppression would come to an end if they kept up their struggle blah blah, he made crass and insensitive remarks about the IRA's 'war' and was just innaccurate about lots of other items. I wouldnt trust a word he said he anymore.
A report of his visit: Asked if he would support the immediate decommissioning of paramilitary weapons he said: “Absolutely. Both sides should immediately decommission their weapons and the British forces should leave this country immediately, that would go a long way to solving the problem.�
Ok Troops out thatsounds like a solution if youre an idiot.
I am a liberal mostly but twats like him will have me joining the NRA and the Republican party before long!
Mind you i would still watch the movie because its funny but god dont think its a documentary.
regards,
Duncan
Last edited by Duncs; Sep 1st 2003 at 3:52 pm.
Sep 1st 2003, 8:00 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 80
splitting hairs
Documentary or not it still is a fantastic movie from
a social perspective and while I am not surprised
that Mr.Moore may have twisted some story lines to make his points I doubt he has twisted them as much
as that web link article suggests,I think it's called editing.
In fact I am quite surprised that Mr.Heston is defended
quite so much considering his racist views which he
spouses at the end of the movie and the obvious
racial tone of his Denver speech when he mentions Denver's
mayor(who is african-American) asking him not to come
and saying that "we" meaning his white gun toting brothers
are already here.
Nonetheless a thought provoking movie.
a social perspective and while I am not surprised
that Mr.Moore may have twisted some story lines to make his points I doubt he has twisted them as much
as that web link article suggests,I think it's called editing.
In fact I am quite surprised that Mr.Heston is defended
quite so much considering his racist views which he
spouses at the end of the movie and the obvious
racial tone of his Denver speech when he mentions Denver's
mayor(who is african-American) asking him not to come
and saying that "we" meaning his white gun toting brothers
are already here.
Nonetheless a thought provoking movie.
Sep 1st 2003, 8:06 pm
#10
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 16
Well, there is more to it than just editing. It's called distortion of "facts" (or untruths, perhaps!) 
Still, I am pretty "in the middle" politics wise but there is no doubt Moore made up an awful lot of untruths into a crafty little movie....
http://www.moorewatch.com is also interesting.....
Still, I am pretty "in the middle" politics wise but there is no doubt Moore made up an awful lot of untruths into a crafty little movie....
http://www.moorewatch.com is also interesting.....
Sep 1st 2003, 8:32 pm
#11
Corpsicle
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 648
Re: Bowling for Columbine
Originally posted by Daltrey
factual
factual
I used to actually enjoy watching his show that BBC2 used to show in the mid-ninties, just before his ego took off and he became a media-attention whore mouthpiece.
Sep 1st 2003, 9:32 pm
#12
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 80
True enough
How dare he make a movie addressing the gun culture
and fear in America?
Everyone knows there a no guns in America
and certainly no one gets shot.
Where would he get these ideas from?
Ludicrous really.
and fear in America?
Everyone knows there a no guns in America
and certainly no one gets shot.
Where would he get these ideas from?
Ludicrous really.
Sep 1st 2003, 11:21 pm
#13
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,113
The strong American gun lobby would do anything to discredit Moore.
Charlton "My cold dead hands" Heston and his gun buddies have a lot to answer for.
Charlton "My cold dead hands" Heston and his gun buddies have a lot to answer for.
Sep 1st 2003, 11:46 pm
#14
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Arizona
Posts: 3,113
A few gun facts I stole from another site
1)
In 1996, 2 people were murdered by handguns in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 106 in Canada, 213 in Germany, and 9,390 in the United States. [FBI Uniform Crime Report]
2)
Every two years, more Americans die of gunshot than there were American soldiers killed during the entire Vietnam War [National Center for Health Statistics, Department of Defense Almanac].
3)
Total firearm crimes in 2000 (in the US): 341,831
Murder with Firearms in 2000 (in the US): 10,179
Robberies with Firearms in 2000 (in the US): 166,807
....
Murder with Firearms in 1995 (in the US): 14,686
Murder with Firearms in 1996 (in Canada): 140
1)
In 1996, 2 people were murdered by handguns in New Zealand, 15 in Japan, 106 in Canada, 213 in Germany, and 9,390 in the United States. [FBI Uniform Crime Report]
2)
Every two years, more Americans die of gunshot than there were American soldiers killed during the entire Vietnam War [National Center for Health Statistics, Department of Defense Almanac].
3)
Total firearm crimes in 2000 (in the US): 341,831
Murder with Firearms in 2000 (in the US): 10,179
Robberies with Firearms in 2000 (in the US): 166,807
....
Murder with Firearms in 1995 (in the US): 14,686
Murder with Firearms in 1996 (in Canada): 140
Sep 4th 2003, 5:37 pm
#15
Corpsicle
Joined: Oct 2002
Location: NYC
Posts: 648
URL to Article
Moore alters "Bowling" DVD in response to criticism (9/2)
By Brendan Nyhan
In the newly-released DVD version of his Academy Award-winning documentary "Bowling for Columbine," filmmaker Michael Moore has altered a caption that he fictitiously inserted into a 1988 Bush-Quayle campaign commercial -- one of a number of misstatements and deceptive arguments we criticized when the film was released last year. Ironically, on the same day the DVD was released, Moore issued a libel threat against his critics on MSNBC's "Buchanan & Press," saying, "Every fact in the film is true. Absolutely every fact in the film is true. And anybody who says otherwise is committing an act of libel."
While we were among the first to call Moore on the inaccuracies in his film, most notably the alteration of the Bush-Quayle ad and his misleading presentation of US aid to Afghanistan in a timeline sequence, we were far from the only ones. Dan Lyons of Forbes Magazine also revealed several important lies or distortions, including the fact that the scene during which Moore receives a gun at a bank was staged. And David Hardy, an Arizona lawyer specializing in gun issues who has worked for the National Rifle Association, has compiled a voluminous list of allegations, including Moore's heavy and misleading editing of NRA President Charlton Heston's speech in Denver after the Columbine massacre.
Moore has generally refused to concede error in response to critics, in one case writing an angry email to Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert denouncing several charges as "Internet crap" and "not true." In subsequent correspondence for Ebert's online column, Moore wrote, "if I state something as a fact, I need the viewers to trust that those facts are correct."
While promoting the DVD release, he was asked about the charges by guest co-host Jerry Nachman during a August 19 appearance on "Buchanan & Press." Moore then attacked Hardy while accusing critics of libel:
NACHMAN: Michael, I want to start with what your critics chiefly say. And that is, while you criticize President Bush for being a fictitious president, as you called him, winning in a fictitious election, a lot of your critics say that your documentary should have been more like an Oliver Stone movie because of the liberties you took with chronology and facts in both "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Columbine." You've heard that criticism, I'm sure.
MOORE: Well, yes. No, the NRA and some gun nut Web sites have really come after...
NACHMAN: Well, it's not...
MOORE: ... the film.
NACHMAN: ... it's not just gun nuts. I mean it's people who have tried to lay out a chronology of what you said happened...
MOORE: Like who?
NACHMAN: ... when it happened...
MOORE: Like who has done this...
NACHMAN: Well...
MOORE: ... that is not a conservative right-winger that has a vested interest in wanting to attack me instead of debating me on the issues I'm raising?
NACHMAN: This guy...
MOORE: Every fact in the film is true. Absolutely every fact in the film is true. And anybody who says otherwise is committing an act of libel.
However, the release of Moore's DVD proves otherwise. As we first documented, when "Bowling for Columbine" was released in theaters, it featured a 1988 Bush-Quayle ad called "Revolving Doors" (Real Player video), which criticized a prison furlough program in operation when Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts. Though Horton was furloughed under the program in question, the ad did not explicitly mention him, unlike the more famous ad aired by the National Security Political Action Committee, which had close ties to Bush media advisor Roger Ailes.
But because this part of "Bowling" attempted to show how portrayals of black men are used to promote fear in the public, Moore apparently inserted the caption "Willie Horton released. Then kills again." into the ad, using a text style nearly identical to the ad's original captions. A casual viewer would assume that the text was part of the original ad. The fictitious caption more directly connecting Bush to Horton is used to back up Moore's statement, which runs over the sequence, that "whether you're a psychotic killer or running for president of the United States, the one thing you can always count on is white America's fear of the black man."
However, according to the archived video of the ad linked above, media reports and interviews with a high-level Dukakis official and political experts, the caption did not appear in the original ad. Moreover, it was incorrect -- Horton raped a woman while on furlough, but he did not commit murder.
In a tacit acknowledgment that the caption was both phony and factually incorrect, Moore has altered the text in the DVD version. The caption now reads "Willie Horton released. Then rapes a woman." Clearly, every fact in the film was not true, and critics who pointed the alteration of the Horton ad (among other things) were not committing libel.
Moreover, Moore's correction doesn't make the insertion of text that wasn't in the original ad any more excusable. And he has conspicuously failed to correct the rest of the film's distortions and inaccuracies. While it is too late for the Oscar voters he deceived, Moore still owes it to the public to set the record straight.
Addendum:
The DVD also contains further proof of Moore's tendency to stretch and distort the facts. Hardy has criticized Moore for claiming that the plaque at the US Air Force Academy near a B-52 on display "proudly proclaims that the plane killed Vietnamese people on Christmas Eve of 1972. It was the largest bombing campaign of the Vietnam War." This phrasing insinuates that the plaque praises the bombing of civilians. It actually says the B-52 "shot down a MIG northeast of Hanoi" on that date. The plaque does celebrate "the men and women of the Strategic Air Command who flew and maintained the B-52D throughout its 26 year history in the command," including "Aircraft 55,003, with over 15,000 flying hours," which presumably included bombing runs over Vietnam such as the one on Christmas Eve, but it does not "proudly" proclaim that it was used to kill Vietnamese civilians. According to Ebert, Moore's response to this criticism was as follows: "I was making a point about the carpet bombing of Vietnam during the 1972 Christmas offensive. I did not say exactly what the plaque said but was paraphrasing."
The DVD captures Moore exaggerating this still further, saying during a speech at the University of Denver on February 26, 2003 that the B-52 participated in the massive Christmas Eve bombing campaign. "And they've got a plaque on there proudly proclaiming that this bomber, this B-52, killed thousands upon thousands of Vietnamese -- innocent civilians." In both cases, his representation of the plaque is extremely dishonest.
Update 9/2 5:12 PM EST: A number of readers have written in to point out that Moore's statement is a tautology -- that is, it is correct by definition to say "Every fact in the film is true." However, in context, he implies that all of his factual claims are true -- asserting they are facts -- and attacks critics of those claims with a charge of libel. As such, we stand by the post as written.
By Brendan Nyhan
In the newly-released DVD version of his Academy Award-winning documentary "Bowling for Columbine," filmmaker Michael Moore has altered a caption that he fictitiously inserted into a 1988 Bush-Quayle campaign commercial -- one of a number of misstatements and deceptive arguments we criticized when the film was released last year. Ironically, on the same day the DVD was released, Moore issued a libel threat against his critics on MSNBC's "Buchanan & Press," saying, "Every fact in the film is true. Absolutely every fact in the film is true. And anybody who says otherwise is committing an act of libel."
While we were among the first to call Moore on the inaccuracies in his film, most notably the alteration of the Bush-Quayle ad and his misleading presentation of US aid to Afghanistan in a timeline sequence, we were far from the only ones. Dan Lyons of Forbes Magazine also revealed several important lies or distortions, including the fact that the scene during which Moore receives a gun at a bank was staged. And David Hardy, an Arizona lawyer specializing in gun issues who has worked for the National Rifle Association, has compiled a voluminous list of allegations, including Moore's heavy and misleading editing of NRA President Charlton Heston's speech in Denver after the Columbine massacre.
Moore has generally refused to concede error in response to critics, in one case writing an angry email to Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert denouncing several charges as "Internet crap" and "not true." In subsequent correspondence for Ebert's online column, Moore wrote, "if I state something as a fact, I need the viewers to trust that those facts are correct."
While promoting the DVD release, he was asked about the charges by guest co-host Jerry Nachman during a August 19 appearance on "Buchanan & Press." Moore then attacked Hardy while accusing critics of libel:
NACHMAN: Michael, I want to start with what your critics chiefly say. And that is, while you criticize President Bush for being a fictitious president, as you called him, winning in a fictitious election, a lot of your critics say that your documentary should have been more like an Oliver Stone movie because of the liberties you took with chronology and facts in both "Roger and Me" and "Bowling for Columbine." You've heard that criticism, I'm sure.
MOORE: Well, yes. No, the NRA and some gun nut Web sites have really come after...
NACHMAN: Well, it's not...
MOORE: ... the film.
NACHMAN: ... it's not just gun nuts. I mean it's people who have tried to lay out a chronology of what you said happened...
MOORE: Like who?
NACHMAN: ... when it happened...
MOORE: Like who has done this...
NACHMAN: Well...
MOORE: ... that is not a conservative right-winger that has a vested interest in wanting to attack me instead of debating me on the issues I'm raising?
NACHMAN: This guy...
MOORE: Every fact in the film is true. Absolutely every fact in the film is true. And anybody who says otherwise is committing an act of libel.
However, the release of Moore's DVD proves otherwise. As we first documented, when "Bowling for Columbine" was released in theaters, it featured a 1988 Bush-Quayle ad called "Revolving Doors" (Real Player video), which criticized a prison furlough program in operation when Michael Dukakis was governor of Massachusetts. Though Horton was furloughed under the program in question, the ad did not explicitly mention him, unlike the more famous ad aired by the National Security Political Action Committee, which had close ties to Bush media advisor Roger Ailes.
But because this part of "Bowling" attempted to show how portrayals of black men are used to promote fear in the public, Moore apparently inserted the caption "Willie Horton released. Then kills again." into the ad, using a text style nearly identical to the ad's original captions. A casual viewer would assume that the text was part of the original ad. The fictitious caption more directly connecting Bush to Horton is used to back up Moore's statement, which runs over the sequence, that "whether you're a psychotic killer or running for president of the United States, the one thing you can always count on is white America's fear of the black man."
However, according to the archived video of the ad linked above, media reports and interviews with a high-level Dukakis official and political experts, the caption did not appear in the original ad. Moreover, it was incorrect -- Horton raped a woman while on furlough, but he did not commit murder.
In a tacit acknowledgment that the caption was both phony and factually incorrect, Moore has altered the text in the DVD version. The caption now reads "Willie Horton released. Then rapes a woman." Clearly, every fact in the film was not true, and critics who pointed the alteration of the Horton ad (among other things) were not committing libel.
Moreover, Moore's correction doesn't make the insertion of text that wasn't in the original ad any more excusable. And he has conspicuously failed to correct the rest of the film's distortions and inaccuracies. While it is too late for the Oscar voters he deceived, Moore still owes it to the public to set the record straight.
Addendum:
The DVD also contains further proof of Moore's tendency to stretch and distort the facts. Hardy has criticized Moore for claiming that the plaque at the US Air Force Academy near a B-52 on display "proudly proclaims that the plane killed Vietnamese people on Christmas Eve of 1972. It was the largest bombing campaign of the Vietnam War." This phrasing insinuates that the plaque praises the bombing of civilians. It actually says the B-52 "shot down a MIG northeast of Hanoi" on that date. The plaque does celebrate "the men and women of the Strategic Air Command who flew and maintained the B-52D throughout its 26 year history in the command," including "Aircraft 55,003, with over 15,000 flying hours," which presumably included bombing runs over Vietnam such as the one on Christmas Eve, but it does not "proudly" proclaim that it was used to kill Vietnamese civilians. According to Ebert, Moore's response to this criticism was as follows: "I was making a point about the carpet bombing of Vietnam during the 1972 Christmas offensive. I did not say exactly what the plaque said but was paraphrasing."
The DVD captures Moore exaggerating this still further, saying during a speech at the University of Denver on February 26, 2003 that the B-52 participated in the massive Christmas Eve bombing campaign. "And they've got a plaque on there proudly proclaiming that this bomber, this B-52, killed thousands upon thousands of Vietnamese -- innocent civilians." In both cases, his representation of the plaque is extremely dishonest.
Update 9/2 5:12 PM EST: A number of readers have written in to point out that Moore's statement is a tautology -- that is, it is correct by definition to say "Every fact in the film is true." However, in context, he implies that all of his factual claims are true -- asserting they are facts -- and attacks critics of those claims with a charge of libel. As such, we stand by the post as written.