[Review] Bowling for Columbine

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 5:42 pm

Out FUCKING STANDING. Everyone in the universe should watch this movie. If my admiration and praise for Roger & Me was a little muted, it is completely over the top for this work of brilliance.

I still don't care much for the "show up and badger hapless celebrities/PR people" thing, as the other parts of the film are far more effective, but even THAT displeasure was muted by the fact that he actually gets something meaningful done as a result of one of these encounters.

I've heard in the past year that Moore fudged some facts in this film, but that doesn't bother me much, because the only facts that matter in this movie can't be fudged. They're right there in front of you, for you to see for yourself, and end up going, "WTF is wrong with this place."

Four stars.

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 7:20 pm

http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html

I guess I should check it out, if it makes all that not matter.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 8:07 pm

It DOES make all that not matter. What the fuck difference does it make if he spliced together Heston's speech a little "pointedly"? It's not a documentary about Charlton Heston's speeches.

And, shocking to me, it's not even a documentary about gun control (which I though it was, just an anti-gun rant). What it is is far more important and insightful.

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 8:50 pm

I didn't find that he proved any of his points in that film. He seemed on the way to making some good points about how lax gun law in other countries leads to about 1/10 the deaths we have, like in Canada, and seemed about to correlate that in a meaningful way with media sensationalism, but then, almost as if he were afraid to attack the vehicle with which he planned on targeting an audience, he immediately segues to a sob story about a small child who was left home alone all day. Which would have been a great critique of current welfare practices and the poverty Americans turn their backs on, but then he immediately, as if afraid he couldn't do that issue justice either, had to ambush Heston. If this were a college paper, he would've gotten a D for not following his hypothesis up to their conclusions, faulty research, no cohesive argument and a general lack of focus.

Basically, a movie for the intellectually lazy populace who prefers soundbites and rampant pontificating to a well thought-out discourse on both sides of an argument.

There's a Calvin & Hobbs strip that illustrrates this point perfectly, but I haven't been able to find it online :(

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sat Jul 31, 2004 9:11 pm

pinback wrote:It DOES make all that not matter. What the fuck difference does it make if he spliced together Heston's speech a little "pointedly"? It's not a documentary about Charlton Heston's speeches.

And, shocking to me, it's not even a documentary about gun control (which I though it was, just an anti-gun rant). What it is is far more important and insightful.

It's not even a documentary.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:50 am

Vitriola wrote:Basically, a movie for the intellectually lazy populace who prefers soundbites and rampant pontificating to a well thought-out discourse on both sides of an argument.

Thanks, love you too.

I don't believe he was trying to "prove any points" in the film. He brought up a number of points, and did it well, but even at the end, he was going around asking people, "Why is it like this?" One gets the sense that even he can't pinpoint it. But he does offer a lot of evidence for a few things to ruminate about. (Or rampantly pontificate about, if that's your thing.)

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:51 am

Worm wrote:It's not even a documentary.

How do you figure?

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 12:15 pm

pinback wrote:
Worm wrote:It's not even a documentary.
How do you figure?

Well, because it's like considering Dateline a documentary.

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 12:20 pm

I don't get your point. Documentary does not mean "unbiased reporting of factual events."

Keza · Post by **Keza** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 1:12 pm

Worm wrote:http://www.hardylaw.net/Truth_About_Bowling.html

I guess I should check it out, if it makes all that not matter.

Worm, why must you ruin EVERYTHING, without exception? ;-)

bruce · Post by **bruce** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:03 pm

Keza wrote:Worm, why must you ruin EVERYTHING, without exception? ;-)

Worm has a girlfriend! Worm has a girlfriend!

Bruce

Keza · Post by **Keza** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 3:05 pm

Worm · Post by **Worm** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:25 pm

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 5:47 pm

^__________________^

Vitriola · Post by **Vitriola** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 5:48 pm

Newton?

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 6:01 pm

hehahehaehea

Lysander · Post by **Lysander** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 9:40 pm

i dont like this thread

Ice Cream Jonsey · Post by **Ice Cream Jonsey** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 12:22 am

pinback wrote:I hate Caltrops

Caltrops HATES YOU, bitch.

AArdvark · Post by **AArdvark** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:27 am

Sorry, don't pay to watch movies that send mrssages like that. the Varkster is fully capapble of making up his own mind about gun control and politics.

Hey, if we change it from GUNS to ROBOTS we could merge this thread and the I, Robot thread.

THE
HOW MANY PEOPLE
HAVE OWNED A GUN
AND NEVER KILLED AHYONE
RAISE YOUR HAND
AARDVARK

pinback · Post by **pinback** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 8:01 am

AArdvark wrote:Sorry, don't pay to watch movies that send mrssages like that. the Varkster is fully capapble of making up his own mind about gun control and politics.

The movie is not about gun control and politics.