From: Eric Baker
To: Sam Hallgren; Adam Kempenaar
Subject: Happiness is a Movie About Warm Guns
Lot of chatter about this one in the Feedback Forum, and I think it might be more fruitful to start with some of the arguments posed there. First, I agree with 'South of 8 Mile' that Moore is a better filmmaker than he is writer. But I like Sam's comment about seeing the movie over a month ago, and his memory of it being scarred by certain things. His critique of the film is blatantly honest and on-target, I believe it's just a matter of whether these things bother the viewer. Myself, it was the night of my grandmother's funeral, and maybe that clouded my judgment a little, plus there had to be bad air quality in the theater, because it got a little misty in there somewhere. The movie does ramble, seemingly from one subject to another, much like my missives on this site. But I was entertained by all of them, to go full circle to Adam's original question about Moore. Moore realizes his limitations, and I think it's healthy he sets a goal of merely amusing an audience. If he starts setting out with the expressed goal, rather than just a vague hope, of changing the hearts and minds of Americans with his movies, he's bound to be disappointed, not to mention his movies won't be as funny. It's true that the best segments in the movie are when Moore is riffing on the media, interviewing people from different cultures as to what the big differences are that explain America's disproportionate amount of gun violence. But I don't know if Moore can make a whole movie on just that subject. Sam points out that the most egregious breakdowns are when Moore starts crusading, first against K-Mart and then Charlton Heston. I see this as a part of Moore's psyche: he has achieved fame, starting with "Roger and Me" and including his books and website and TV appearances (whatever happened to "TV Nation?") with his little guy against the corporate "evildoers" (nod to Bush) mindset. And when all else fails, he's going to go back to what worked for him. And it's true he did stage the K-Mart stunt, and probably the interview with Heston, just to prop himself up and get good footage for his movies. Yet like Sam, and I gather 'South of 8 Mile', I have no problem with this behavior. For one thing, no one else is doing it. And by and large, it is a fascinating watch. But the main reason comes down to the question of exploitation that has come up in several Feedback Forum posts: these are people who are used to dealing with the media. In fact, they typically use the media to push an agenda for a product or cause they support, and now Moore is just turning the tables. I don't know if the Heston interview would have been included if not for his gaffe, but I think most people understand what he was trying to say, even though he said it with his foot in his mouth. The case isn't so simple when it is Terry Nichols' brother or the "Rabbits: pet or meat" lady. These people aren't used to TV cameras in their faces and to a certain extent audiences are laughing at their shortcomings. Still, I don't get the feeling Moore is exploiting them. I don't know how many people Moore had to interview before he got these choice cuts, but from my own journalism experience I would guess hours. And sometimes subjects just say great, uncoerced quotes on the record and you can't do anything but look up to the heavens and smile. At the very least, everyone in "Columbine" added something to the grand, messy picture Moore was painting. It's exploitation of another sort when Moore interstitially splices audio excerpts and video of the actual massacre, but man is it effective. At least for me, but I can't shake Sam's initial declaration that a conservative wouldn't sit through 5 minutes of this film. I have to think he is correct, mainly because Moore is so in-your-face, though I still maintain his movies are mainly humorous. I'd like to think I'd sit through a movie on tax cuts if it was done well; you have to do something with this subject matter otherwise you've got "The Sorrow and The Pity," and nobody wants that again. I think we're all in agreement about "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," I just don't know how much it's going to appeal to someone not familiar with Wilco's music. Jones certainly stays behind the camera, but I don't know that I'd call his portrayal objective, though it certainly is moreso than Moore's movie. And as Adam points out, I think that's a good thing. The documentarian obviously has a viewpoint, there's nothing wrong with letting the viewer know what that is. Finally, I have to mention that the DVD for "Glengarry Glen Ross," one of the greatest films of the 90s, finally came out, and if Adam doesn't already own it he has changed since he moved to Chicago. A-Always B-Be C-Closing. Always Be Closing.
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