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| Home Front: Culture Wars |
| Moore gets a dose of his own |
| 2004-06-05 |
| In his controversial films, Michael Moore has been the David taking down corporate Goliaths. But now, a local David wants to take down Moore. Twin Cities filmmaker Mike Wilson’s upcoming "Michael Moore Hates America" details his unsuccessful attempts to interview Moore, the director who won an Oscar two years ago for "Bowling for Columbine." Moore’s earlier film, "Roger and Me," detailed his own failed attempts to interview General Motors honcho Roger Smith. Wilson says his documentary tries to point out the biases behind Moore films such as "Bowling" and the highly anticipated "Fahrenheit 9/11," which will be released June 25 and which Wilson has not seen. He says it’s not only a response to Moore but also to others who have added to "the shrillness that has engulfed the American conversation." At least three months before its release, the film has catapulted Wilson into national prominence. When an item about "Michael Moore Hates America" appeared on a showbiz Web site earlier this week, Wilson says, he was contacted by nine distributors who want to help book the documentary into theaters. Wilson says two things persuaded him to make his first film. One was "Bowling," in which Moore tells the story of a Flint, Mich., schoolgirl killed with a handgun, an incident Moore implied occurred because the assailant’s mother was distracted from having to work two jobs as a result of changes in Michigan welfare laws. "He left out a lot of stuff that was widely reported in the media at the time," says Wilson, 28, who says death threats have persuaded him not to reveal where in the Twin Cities he lives or works as a marketing writer. "But the real reason that bothered me is my mom worked two jobs when I was a kid, and it was like a personal slap to her to say you can’t work two jobs and raise your children properly. My mom worked really hard, and she taught us right from wrong." The final straw was Moore’s 2003 Oscar acceptance speech, in which he characterized the war in Iraq and President Bush as "fictional." The remarks drew a mix of applause and jeers from the tuxedo-clad crowd. "Afterwards, I was saying to Chris Johnson, who’s a producer of the movie, ’I guess I don’t need to make my Michael Moore movie because he already made a jackass of himself.’ " But Wilson decided to go ahead with the project, conducting dozens of interviews. None of them with Moore, despite "at least 50" attempts. Moore did not return Pioneer Press phone calls seeking comment for this story. "The closest I got was I did run into him at the (University of Minnesota) when he was on his book tour, and he started screaming at me," says Wilson. The screaming began when Wilson mentioned the title of his film in the middle of asking a question. "It was quite a sight — 7,000 Michael Moore fans, just booing me." Wilson will finish "Michael Moore Hates America" by August. "The interviews are mostly shot, but we are actually kind of right-heavy now," says the director, who describes himself as a Libertarian who voted for Bush. "We’ve talked to a lot of people who don’t like Michael Moore, but I’d like to talk to some more who do." The budget for the film is $200,000, some of it supplied by Seattle-based entrepreneur Brian Cartmell, who stumbled upon Wilson’s Web site, www.michaelmoorehatesamerica .com, which spoofs "Roger and Me." By comparison, "Fahrenheit 9/11" cost $6 million. Wilson says he expects to make an announcement next week about when the film will be released, but it definitely will be after Moore has his say with "Fahrenheit 9/11," a documentary about Bush’s response to the events of Sept. 11. "What I’m out to influence is how people perceive what he’s telling them. I just want them to know documentary makers are inherently dishonest. They walk into something with a point of view," Wilson says. He doesn’t exclude himself from that charge. "I’m being very honest," he says. "I’m manipulating (audiences) with this film." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 I have to admire greedy, money-grubbing, for-profit, capitalist and multi-millionaire Michael Moore, INC. for identifying a niche market of marxist/leninist, anti-captitalist, anti-corporatist, anti-trade, anti-democratic, anti-rich and anti-consumerist SLACKERS, and developing DEFECTIVE products designed to suck up the proceeds of the SLACKERS' government checks for the sole purpose of maximizing Michael Moore, INC's profits. |
| Posted by: Garrison 2004-06-05 8:44:48 AM |