Michael Moore Takes Aim at U.S. Gun Culture

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/ ^ | Friday September 6 | Amran Abocar

[chasio649]

Michael Moore Takes Aim at U.S. Gun Culture By Amran Abocar

TORONTO (Reuters) - Americans may not like what they see in Michael Moore's film "Bowling for Columbine" which examines U.S. gun culture, but the director hopes moviegoers will leave the theater with more than just anger and try to better their society.

Moore's film, inspired by the 1999 Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado, will have its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It opens in New York and Los Angeles on Oct. 11.

"This ultimately isn't a film about guns (or) gun control. This is a film about the American psyche and the American ethic," Moore said at a press conference. "I'm much more concerned about the fact that we've just gone nuts as opposed to whether we've got too many gun nuts in America.

The film begins with a sequence on Moore opening an account in a bank, where his welcome gift as a new customer is a rifle, underlining the easy availability of arms.

That humor turns to horror as the viewer is treated to other, more chilling, images, including previously unseen footage from surveillance cameras that recorded teenagers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold on their bloody rampage through Columbine.

The film's title is a reference to Klebold and Harris's bowling outing before the shooting.

Moore's documentary made a triumphant visit to the Cannes film festival earlier this year where it received a special anniversary prize. It was the first documentary to show at the festival in 46 years.

"It's a film that cuts very close to the bone and it's an uncomfortable film for Americans," he said. "I love being an American. I'm trying to do this to try and make us better."

To help Americans become better, the director travels to Canada to understand why Canadians are not as trigger-happy as their American cousins.

There follow humorous scenes of Moore walking into people homes in Toronto to prove, he says, that Canada is so safe that people don't even lock their doors. About 60 percent of the doors he tries, open freely.

"We need to change our ethic and aspire to be more Canadian-like," he said. "The Canadian ethic is, 'We're all in the same boat.' Our ethic is, 'Every man for himself and to hell with you'."

The filmmaker, who produced and hosted the cult television programs "TV Nation" and "The Awful Truth," screened his feature documentary "Roger and Me" at the 1989 Toronto film festival.

The 27th Toronto International Film Festival runs Sept. 5 to Sept. 14.

[Cindy]

Speaking of guns, Michael Moore seems to be quite a loose cannon.

[Skwidd]

The film begins with a sequence on Moore opening an account in a bank, where his welcome gift as a new customer is a rifle, underlining the easy availability of arms.

When the hell has this ever happened?

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Who's Michael Moore and why should I care?

The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.

[wysiwyg]

Any mention of Moore is a suprememe waste of bandwidth, IMHO.

[watcher1]

The film begins with a sequence on Moore opening an account in a bank, where his welcome gift as a new customer is a rifle, underlining the easy availability of arms.

That's what the Founding Fathers wanted.
More crap from canuckistan

[RLK]

I understand American culture quite well without lessons from obsessional psychotics. The Columbine massacure was committed by two defiant spoiled brats who had needed to get the shit slapped out of them for some time. Failure to do that caused the deaths. Moore could benefit from the same kind of character guidance.

[GnL]

"I'm trying to do this to try and make us better."

Then start by shaving, losing 50 lbs, taking off that frickin' hat, and taking a flying leap.

[tet68]

"We need to change our ethic and aspire to be more Canadian-like,"

Hoser! Moving soon?

[PoorMuttly]

Michael is as marginalized as he needs to be.

[CARepubGal]

What bank is that and what opening balance would get me a nice gun? ;-) Sounds like a great gift if the gun comes with complimentary NRA safety classes. My guess is that MM is a lying fat sack of HorseHillary and deserves to be thrown on the dungheap of history. But what a great marketing tool!

[Morgan's Raider]

There follow humorous scenes of Moore walking into people homes in Toronto to prove, he says, that Canada is so safe that people don't even lock their doors. About 60 percent of the doors he tries, open freely.

Hey Mikey, c'mon down to Tennessee and try this stunt. Pleeeeze?

[Mulder]

bang

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The film begins with a sequence on Moore opening an account in a bank, where his welcome gift as a new customer is a rifle, underlining the easy availability of arms.

Where's the bank and how much do I need to open an account?

[basil]

Funny thing is, MM couldn't make a movie about a mass shooting at an NRA meeting, a gun show, or a shooting range--it wouldn't be believeable.

Will idiots like MM ever figure out that mass shootings only occur in "gun free" zones?

[Bogey78O]

I'm guessing this stunt was akin to Disney's creation of the Lemming myth. Hell, I never locked the doors in my middle-class surburban neighborhood till it was night time. Try doing that in the late daytime anywhere in an American suburb and probably half would open up.

[RLK]

The film begins with a sequence on Moore opening an account in a bank, where his welcome gift as a new customer is a rifle, underlining the easy availability of arms.

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The easy availability of arms is not the problem. The easy availability to practice psychosis aided by the ACLU and people such as Morre in his omission of the real problem is.

[Atchafalaya]

Used to be a bank in Colorado (I think) that would offer for a 3 or 5G certificate of deposit a Weatherby rifle up front and after 3 or 5 yrs you got your money back and kept the rifle as the interest.

[Dog Gone]

Moore's documentary made a triumphant visit to the Cannes film festival earlier this year where it received a special anniversary prize. It was the first documentary to show at the festival in 46 years.

BWAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!

It got a prize for showing up! How impressive!

[Texas_Jarhead]

F&$% him!!