Michael Moore's critics strike back

CBC News ^ | 5/21/04 | CBC News

[wagglebee]

CANNES - Not everyone in France is in love with Michael Moore.

The controversial documentary filmmaker has been the darling of the Cannes Film Festival so far, but there are those who aren't enamoured with his latest film, Fahrenheit 9/11.

Jean-Luc Godard, the legendary French director who helped to launch the New Wave movement in the 1960s, had harsh words for Moore this week. Godard's latest film, Notre Musique, premiered on Monday, the same day as Fahrenheit 9/11. Later in the week, Godard lashed out at Moore at a press conference, calling him "halfway intelligent."

Godard, who hadn't seen Fahrenheit 9/11, compared it unfavourably to the work of American documentarian Frederick Wiseman. "It's like two different worlds," Godard said.

Moore's film criticizes U.S. President George W. Bush's handling of the Sept. 11 attacks, and also highlights the links between Bush's family and the family of Osama bin Laden. But Godard said Moore's film was an ineffectual piece of work.

"He's not even hurting Bush," Godard said. "He's helping him in an underground way. Bush is either less stupid than he looks or so stupid you can't change him."

Godard went on to say that the Flint, Mich.-born director lacks subtlety. "Moore doesn't distinguish between text and image," Godard argued. "He doesn't know what he's doing."

In the United States, meanwhile, publishing house ReganBooks announced plans this week to release an anti-Moore book called Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man. The book comes from authors Jason Clarke and David T. Hardy, the web agitators who run mooreexposed.com and moorelies.com, sites which are aimed at discrediting Moore's books and movies.

ReganBooks says the new volume presents a "scathing case" against Moore "that will expose the misrepresentations and hypocrisy that have been characteristic of Moore's career."

"Post-war filmmakers gave us the documentary, Rob Reiner gave us the mockumentary and Moore initiated a third genre, the crockumentary."

The book will land on store shelves in July. ReganBooks is the same publisher responsible for the trade paperback version of Moore's own Stupid White Men.

[KangarooJacqui]

If the French are criticizing you and the Canadians are reporting it, you are really a sorry piece of sh*t.

True, but in this particular case you don't really need the Froggies and the Canucks pointing out the self-evident, surely?

[FormerACLUmember]

"Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man" Okay, I can go with "Big," "Fat," "Stupid," and "White," but "Man"? Methinks not.

"Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Overrated Porcine Hypocrite Psychopath Deceitful Fecal-Mass Traitor Mega-Omnivore"

[KangarooJacqui]

"Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Overrated Porcine Hypocrite Psychopath Deceitful Fecal-Mass Traitor Mega-Omnivore"

Hmmm, doesn't scan as well as the first...

It also probably wouldn't fit on the bumper sticker/t-shirt/coffee mug...

[tdscpa]

Moore is so stupid, liberals think he is brilliant.

[FormerACLUmember]

"Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Overrated Porcine Hypocrite Psychopath Deceitful Fecal-Mass Traitor Mega-Omnivore" Hmmm, doesn't scan as well as the first... It also probably wouldn't fit on the bumper sticker/t-shirt/coffee mug...

Ah, but Moore drinks from a BIG cup!

[bpjam]

In order for Moore to actually get anybody to see his work, he must (like Al Franken) mention some big name conservative. I like their idea of just openly mocking him. Might as well use his identity to help sell books.

Of course, it would help more if he were actually famous like Rush or Fox News.

[A CA Guy]

That should be the line of the month, congratulations.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

I kind of agree that the title is a bit on the amateurish side, but then again, who expected an anti-Moore polemic to be argued with Churchillian eloquence?

I just hope they can find some of the employees he axed from "TV Nation" for scab labor. I'm sure they'll have all sorts of interesting facts to divulge about 'Jabba the nut.'

[sharktrager]

Godard is a fraud who has been exposed. The fact that he is attacking Moore is just a sign of how pathetic he is. The attack comes because he feels Moore stole his thunder. He is like the Blackwell of the movie industry. Having been proved to have no worth himself, he instead seeks attention by mocking others.

Like Blackwell, the targets may deserve the scorn, but it is a pity it comes from someone who's opinion is worthless.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

I never really got the whold "cinema verite" school of film-making.

Though I enjoy existentialist dramas-especially those of Bunuel-I can't seem to enjoy most of the garbage the French try to fob off on us as "genuine" art.

For me, Truffaut, Goddard, et. al., have never really made a film worth spending your hard earned money on.

If I were to suggest a great for-ign filmmaker I would point to Jaffar Panahi, or Kaigai, the director of "Farewell my Concubine."

[sharktrager]

The problem with most film as art is that it is more concerned with proving it is artistic than it is with doing something artistic.

There seems to be a desire to create "impressionistic": film, probably due to the idea of impressionistic art. But they seem to forget that art works because of what we see in it, and film has to at least lead us by the hand.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

True.

You don't have to remind me of how pretentious the art of "studying" film can become.

I spent an entire semester in Film 1 at Brooklyn College, where we received a clinic in making long, boring films. The ones by War-Wong Kei were probably the most tedious things I've watched in my entire life.

[sauropod]

I always refer to Liberalism as an infantile disorder.

[sauropod]

""He's not even hurting Bush," Godard said. "He's helping him in an underground way. Bush is either less stupid than he looks or so stupid you can't change him."

Talk about damning with faint praise.

[Republic_of_Secession.]

Michael Moore is now so thoroughly discredited. Even among quite a number of those who might otherwise have been sympathetic to his message. I think Moore -contrary to the image he tries to cultivate- is just only interested in making as much money as he can & damn the facts or even how he comes off. He has out Capitalized his supposed Capitalist opponents laughing all the way to the bank.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

In the United States, meanwhile, publishing house ReganBooks announced plans this week to release an anti-Moore book called Michael Moore Is A Big Fat Stupid White Man.

... which -- surprise, surprise! -- isn't listed for sale on Amazon.com, as of today (5/22).

[olde north church]

"But speaking here in my capacity as a polished, sophisticated European as well, it seems to me the laugh here is on the polished, sophisticated Europeans. They think Americans are fat, vulgar, greedy, stupid, ambitious and ignorant and so on. And they've taken as their own, as their representative American, someone who actually embodies all of those qualities." - Christopher Hitchens
I have always found Mr. Hitchens interesting, although I don't always agree with his politics. He has a refreshing intellectual honesty that is in extremely short supply on the left and he makes no apologies for his politics. He doens't haven't to resort to a match of intellectual "Twister" to make his point.
It's unfortunate he has become a man without a political country. His hatred for President Clinton was well documented and his support for President Bush's overall plans for the war on terror has resulted in his disowning by the psycho Leftist's who have taken control of the Democratic party.

[Jon Alvarez]

LOL--good stuff, for sure. We invite you to join our efforts vs Moore at http://www.pabaah.com

It is very bad when the frogs diss your America-bashing. haha

[NYC GOP Chick]

Well, yeah, but he's not exactly enamored of Moore, either:

Godard lashed out at Moore at a press conference, calling him "halfway intelligent."

Oh, and I'm going to see the Who tonight!!! :D :D :D

[Senator Pardek]

Give us the set list (again)!