It's all about the recession this weekend At the Movies, as Rolling Stone movie critic Peter Travers falls for Michael Moore's scathing look at Wall Street, Capitalism: A Love Story. In his documentaries, Moore has already taken on the issues of the auto industry (Roger & Me), guns (Bowling for Columbine), the Bush era (Fahrenheit 911) and health care (Sicko), but never before has Moore hit his topic more on the head. Whether he's stringing yellow police tape around Wall Street like it was a major crime scene or confronting those whose actions spiraled into the recession, Moore pulls no punches, all while making an entertaining film. Moore has always been a filmmaker of the people, so his cameras also focus on those who were hurt most by the recession: the lower classes. "You'll be laughing with tears in your eyes," Travers says of Capitalism.
From a film about the recession to a movie that it was made for about five cents, only a dozen or so cinemas around the country will be able to see another Travers-recommended film, Paranormal Activity.
Shot in the style of Blair Witch Project and seemingly lifting its plotline from Ghost Hunters, Paranormal focuses on a couple who believe their house is haunted, so they roll their video cameras at night to horrifying results. Paramount is unleashing this terrifying beast as a limited release (mostly college towns, no NYC), however the movie's official Website has an option for people who want to see PA to "demand" the film come to their local cinemas. If Paranormal isn't in your 'hood, Travers recommends you click that Demand feature, and fast. This movie reportedly frightened Steven Spielberg to the point he was afraid to be left alone in a room. And that's the dude who made Jaws, a film that prevented a whole generation of potential swimmers from ever going in the ocean.
And then there's the dreaded Scum Bucket. Studios are becoming more and more reluctant to screen stinkers to critics, so Travers has to assign Scum based on trailer alone. Starring Bruce Willis and the worst wig in Hollywood history, the futuristic Surrogates is headed to the Bucket, as is the sci-fi horror show Pandorum. And then there's the remake of Fame. To Travers, the one thing more terrifying than Paranormal Activity is the prospect of having to see Fame, so you'll have to form your own opinion about a film we're calling Performance Arts High School Musical.
Read This Week's Reviews:
• Capitalism: A Love Story
Plus: Read Matt Taibbi's story on how Goldman Sachs has engineered every major market manipulation since the Great Depression and watch him break down his findings in our exclusive video.
>>>Watch every episode of our weekly Peter Travers video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Friday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don't have iTunes, download it here.]
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Jay | October 12, 2009 4:17 AM
The personal attacks on Moore are really useless, old, boring.
I'm going to see the movie again and then buy the DVD you fucking right-wing sacks of shit.
I'll purchase an extra symbolic copy for you jerk offs.
I guess calling people names that you hate does sorta feel good.
~Fuck you right-wing, know-nothing, idiotic, heartless sacks of shit.~
Jennifer | October 10, 2009 9:23 PM
Another movie that is coming out that offers a clean alternative is ‘’Paranormal.’’ Below is some additional information about this new thriller!!
Paranormal, the latest supernatural thriller from Cross Shadow Productions, (the
creators of the Dove.org approved, best-selling BMG releases: Pray and Pray 2:
The Woods) will be available in stores nationwide January 26th 2010. The 2009 Mrs. America is starring in it.
See more information and trailers at:
www.ParanormalTheMovie.com
Following the success of family-friendly suspense/thriller The Exorcism of Emily
Rose (Sony Pictures), comes a riveting supernatural thriller in the vein of the hit
SyFy television series, Ghost Hunters and Frank Peretti's House (Roadside
Attractions / Lionsgate).
Paranormal follows best-selling, self-made novelist Greg Evans struggling through the worst case of writer's block in his award-winning career. In a desperate search for
inspiration, Greg quickly finds himself immersed in a world he is not prepared to face.
Turning to a group of paranormal investigators, Greg and the ghost hunting team search for proof and answers, yet are unaware they are about to have an experience of a
lifetime! None will leave the way they came. Paranormal will peel back the supernatural curtain to reveal how The TRUTH will EXPOSE the darkness!
Flagstaff | October 5, 2009 11:06 PM
This movie should get 10 stars.
It's truly a horror/sci-fi film - you honestly cannot believe what you're watching is reality.
But wake up America, this IS the reality.
The sad part is, those stingy, staunch and BLIND right-wing nut jobs are the ones who NEED to see this film and won't.
I've challenged all my Republican friends and Moore bashers to see this film - even offered to pay for their movie tickets. They're too in denial to see the movie, huh? And so are some of you.
WAKE UP | October 4, 2009 2:55 AM
Some people are just dumb fucks, bear with me and I will explain. Who gives a fuck what Micheal Moore does to add humor to his films, who gives a fuck what he looks like, who gives a fuck about his personality,WHO THE FUCK CARES HOW MANY BURGERS HE EATS, ALL YOU DUMB FUCKS, LOOK AT THE SUBJECT AND INFORM YOURSELVES. Seriously, the thing about Moore is that at least he makes you look at the subject, everyone's so busy with there own problems that there like fuck, i cant do anything about this so what the fuck do i care, and because of that reasoning,NOTHING THE FUCK GETS DONE. Think about it, if one man (Gandhi) can change the course of the world by not eating, think of what thousands of people could do, just by being aware of whats going on around them instead of worrying what happens next on Big Brother. We control the Government people, not the other way around. hell we could change the way the system worked just by not putting money in the bank for a week until all companies made there financial ledgers available to public in layman terms so that we could understand what is happening to OUR money.Seriously we have no clue where its going, i mean they give us some messed up little reports that there "building a solid foundation so that employment opportunities can begin to blossom" or shit like that, and in the end all i see is us poor suckers losing more and more jobs. Now I'm not saying everyone's a dumb fuck, there are some people who are aware and do try and change things, and these people i respect, or even those of u who go the extra mile of not just picking up the news and reading it, but who actually research some stuff on your own, i must say power to u guys, keep it up. BUT TO YOU OTHER DUMB FUCKS WHO DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHATS HAPPENING OR ARE JUST REPEATING THE IDEA OF OTHERS, INFORM yourselves and then form conclusions, or u irrelevant mother fuckers WHO ARE GOING MICHEAL MOORES WRONG BECAUSE WE DON'T LIKE HIM,LEARN DUMB FUCKS LEARN AND THEN TALK. Ohhhh, and Illusion 888 i understand where you are coming from, but think about it, how would it be any better if instead of having to wait for your sons operation, you had to give up hope because you knew u couldn't pay, or you could pay but u would have to borrow, or sell your house to pay for it, and the next time your son gets sick, what can you do? You have nothing else to give up. I get that people would do anything for family to see your loved ones get better and quickly, and the pain you must feel seeing your son sick, but he does get treated without you having to go through desperate measures to foot the medical bill, and im not saying its perfect, far from it, but we don't live in a perfect world man, as much as i wish it, we have a high demand for doctors and very few actual doctors to fit the demand, as much is i to wished they would grow on trees they don't, and so all i can say man is if u can come up with a better solution, im all ears, hell I'll even help you, but what im saying is in a fucked up world, we should be happy we have some hope that they will get treated, its more then most families have. Overall, people, if we keep sitting on the couch watching late night porn and going "Wow the world is fucked up" and we never do anything to change it, nothings going to happen and we can blame it all we want on politicians, but we should understand, its our fault this shit happens, cause we obviously don't want to change it.
Michael | September 30, 2009 12:50 PM
In regards to the person commenting on Canadian Health care I am from California but became a Canadian and have lived here since 1969 i have NEVER had to wait for Healthcare and have always received the most compassionate
and friendly care whenever I needed it. The Radio Show Wait Time garbage was a political scheme.
Concur | September 28, 2009 8:43 PM
The banks and politicians have and will continue to collude to take our money through scheme after scheme. While I agree with this assertion, it isn't because of Moore. If I were to get my information from him, I'd be rather ignorant of the issues, and probably look in the wrong direction for the solution to this issue. As another commenter wrote: he is a populist.
Rigorous understanding of history, sociology, philosophy and economics is what will guide one to the right solution to this problem. Entitled lazy populist mobs and fear mongering statists will not.
Dmitry K. | September 28, 2009 2:03 PM
Ok, so here's the lowdown, before jumping to dry conclusion:
1) In this picture, Michael Moore is REALLY MAKING A FOOL OUT OF HIMSELF!
Putting yellow crime scene tape around NYSE and standing in front of AIG building with the money bag is plain stupid, no matter how you slice it. Yes, he is populist, not academic, however, even a media person must make constructive argument to generate interest from a normal thinking human being.
Moreover, by acting this way he is actually alienating his would be supporters. NY Times and New Yorker magazine - not exactly bastions of conservative power - are not generous in their reviews of the film.
2) For the love of God, when will we ever learn to take things seriously?
This means NOT fast tracking through mortgage applications, before signing your name for a hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt.
Or actually going to the library or Google to learn SPECIFIC things about financial instruments, interest rates, economic bubbles and so on, as opposed to getting your knowledge from dumbed down CNN reports.
If even half of us did that, trust me, the world would be a BETTER PLACE. Confiscating AIG's executive bonus will not do, trust me.
dlt | September 27, 2009 12:48 PM
I haven't seen the film; hence, I haven't made a comment at that site. However, I think the film is about where Michael Moore came from, which is where most people came from, and reside.
Illusion 888 | September 27, 2009 11:30 AM
Where I lived in Canada instead of giving the traffic report in the morning they gave the hospital waiting line report. I presently have a son that had an appointment to be operated on Monday September 14. He arrived at the hospital that morning and spent the entire day in a hospital bed waiting to be operated on. At around 5 pm he was told to go home and come back but at a different hospital on September 24. This was also cancel and after bypassing the answering machines he finally was told to show up on the October 24. It’s not rare to have to wait several months. You will be told you are not alone or that there are others waiting” or "you are young you'll make it" and if you are hold that you have to give a chance to the younger ones".
This is no scare tactic its reality. Check it out for your self it's very simple just call a hospital in Montreal and try to get any kind of appointments. Tell them that your wife is 4 months pregnant and you absolutly need to have a basic normal examination. You will be amaze of the answer the answering machine will give you. I hope that when Michael More need health care he moves to Canada or much better to the real Cuba. Certainly not the medical tourist hospital or Hospital only for the elite he dishonestly shows in is socialist health care infomercial. The only place you will get fast treatment in Canada is at an animal hospital.
DBess | September 27, 2009 11:19 AM
I understand that the fact that a movie belongs to a certain genre turns you away from it and makes you biased (I couldn't see "Fame" because I don't drag myself into theaters to see those kinds of movies, either). I also appreciate the attention given to Moore, who is at least saying something about the mess we're in, whether he's affected by it or not. But dissing a sci-fi flick with a concept just because of a stupid wig?!I don't even care about Bruce Willis, and I'm standing up for him. We all know the wig is terrible, but can you get over it and see the dang movie, which, as far as I know, does not revolve around the blonde piece of carpet?
Buzz of the Orient | September 26, 2009 3:32 AM
Okay, I didn't see the movie, but I have really enjoyed MM's previous ones, especially Sicko (since I'm a Canadian who has to laugh at some of the scare tactics used in the health care debate about that horrible ogre, "socialism".) Actually, his latest brings to mind the quotation from a Woody Guthrie song (and that could have been a few generations ago): “Yes, as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; Some will rob you with a six-gun, And some with a fountain pen."
Unreal | September 25, 2009 5:42 PM
Its almosy laughable to hear people still get fooled into believing Michael Moore is a hypocrite or hates America. He seemed to be right on with his critique of GM and was dead on about the lies and propaganda that were used to start the bullshit war in Iraq. When will people wake up?
dlt | September 25, 2009 4:09 PM
Three Kings: Will Rogers, Woody Guthrie and Michael Moore
With the money Moore has earned he could easily hobnob w/ the invisible rich, the selfish (republicans). He could just do nothing, get fatter, compete w/ his fellow one percenters. But no. Why? Because he (of course) gives a damn
Huh | September 25, 2009 1:59 PM
He's knocking the Willis movie because the studio is hiding it from critics. Seems reasonable to me. If the studio that made it thinks critics will hammer it, what are we to think?
Scott | September 25, 2009 12:50 PM
if Michael Moore claims to believe in spreading the wealth maybe he should donate his fortune to displaced auto workers.
what a hypocrit.
PigDog | September 25, 2009 12:26 PM
I would laugh at Moore's movies if so many people didn't view them as factual accounts. Moore is not a film maker, he's a propagandist. He grossly manipulates film & tv footage to make his point. His movies are as blatant as the Nazi propaganda films of the 1930's.
K | September 25, 2009 11:58 AM
Capitalism is what makes Moore's film possible!! Wait... can we see it for free? No..... ohhh Contradiction!
Liz | September 25, 2009 10:58 AM
I don't blame you for wanting to see Fame, the trailer looks really awful, and the original is unwatchable. I think the wig on Willis looks awful as well. I agree with the person above me though - there should be more reasons to place it in the scumbucket.
dlt | September 25, 2009 9:31 AM
Michael Moore, from somewhere near Detroit, rocks like Lester Bangs
Ben | September 25, 2009 5:25 AM
This fat f*ck still getting publicity? CAPITALISM MEANS HE GETS MROE BURGERS THAN EVERYONE ELSE so why is he complaining, he obviousely eats more than others
Kevin | September 24, 2009 11:18 PM
I can't believe that you go see the other dreck out there and won't see Fame, which might have some breakthrough performances in it, at least.
Czikk | September 24, 2009 10:58 PM
I can entirely understand not wanting to see Fame, so I will side with you on that. But Travers, the only thing you highlight as "wrong" with Surrogates is Willis' haircut. Is there anything else? Yes, it is No Country For Old Men worthy, but you saw that movie, didn't you? And loved it, as I recall. Seriously, watch it, and give us a verdict, because I will be pretty disappointed if I watch it and find out a minor aesthetic concern (only observed in the context of a trailer, I remind you) blinded you from an enjoyable film.