Michael Moore DVD Collectors Set (Limited Edition)
Picture: Sound: Extras: Film:
The Big One B- B-
D B
Bowling for Columbine B+ B A- A
The name Michael Moore has
become so synonymous with various allegations in more recent years than
anything else. He has become a
household name that to some strikes a bad chord and to others inspires them to
get off their butt and act. Whatever
your opinion of Moore, one cannot deny his ability to create reactions and be a
prominent filmmaker. My friend said he
would probably go down as one of the century’s largest propagandists.
For a limited time
consumers can purchase Moore’s The Big
One (released through Miramax) and his Oscar winning Bowling For Columbine, which is a MGM title. Odd how sometimes companies pull some
strings to be released together. Also
included in this set is a brief little DVD on Moore’s more recent Fahrenheit 9/11, which is more like a
promo spot. The great thing about this
set is that you can quickly see just how strong Moore has become as a
storyteller and filmmaker between The
Big One and Bowling For Columbine. Now, for those that have seen Fahrenheit 9/11 you can also see how he
has even surpassed his finest achievement and one might even argue that this is
indeed his masterwork.
For a more detailed
analysis of Bowling for Columbine
please check out my review elsewhere on this site. As for The Big One,
this is a really funny film that asks the question in regards to downsizing
despite record profits. How can the
huge companies downsize when they are making huge amounts of profit? Wouldn’t growth mean you needed to keep
people or hire more? That is just the
beginning of Moore’s argument as he parades the country to find answers to his
countries. Of course this would almost
set the blueprint for Moore’s television show The Awful Truth, which ran two seasons and is also reviewed on this
site.
The picture and sound
quality are on par considering it’s a documentary. The audio is standard Dolby Digital Surround, which sounds pretty
good, but the picture is cropped from its original Academy Standard Flat 1.85 X
1 ratio. The Big One was shot on a Sony High Definition camera, but this
does not appear to be a High Definition transfer. Since framing is of less importance for a documentary this does
not make as much of a difference, but it still would have been nice to keep it
in its original ratio. As Michael might
say, ‘damn you Miramax!’ Well, he would
probably say Disney, after all we are living in fictitious times with a
fictitious president, like Mickey Mouse or something.
There are NO extras
besides the trailer for The Big One
and if you count the bonus DVD, which isn’t all that great, really this set
isn’t that spectacular unless you want to own both films anyway.
I certainly have much
respect for someone like Moore, who even with limited background, education, or
charisma has been able to seep into our mainstream and give the American people
something to think and talk about. He
is just as much a speaker as he is a filmmaker and he uses his films to not
just state his opinions, but also what is on the hearts and minds of the
people. Is he slanted? Not any more than any news station. He triggers us to think and to talk about
things that we might not normally question. Here is a guy that came from a poor
town with just a little bit of cleverness and ability to find out what is wrong
with America. He loves what American
stands for, but is certainly not a fan of where this country has ended up in
the past few years. Unlike most of us,
he is doing something about it and its working, otherwise his last two films
wouldn’t have made such a splash. Check
them out and try to have an open mind.
The link for the Bowling for Columbine review:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review.php?id=364&filter=4
- Nicholas Sheffo
