The dollar and the documentarian

I think it's safe to say that nowadays in America Michael Moore is a household name. From the early years of investigating questionable corporate behaviors, to the standing up for the little man era that was "The Awful Truth," and even an Academy Award-winning film on our nation's gun control policies, it was only a matter of time until Michael Moore found a truly opportunistic moment to lash out at the current presidency. \nWith "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore took it into his hands to not only expose the inner-workings of our government during what can be considered the greatest tragedy of our generation, but also as a chance to lash out at President George W. Bush for his supposed inability to run our country. Moore's recent documentary is fully-loaded with montage after montage of countless moments where President Bush can be seen fumbling about speeches, making up brand-new words or staring off into the distance dumbfounded. This all boils down to one simple goal for Moore: get rich while convincing America to vote for anyone but President Bush.\n"Fahrenheit 9/11" received critical acclaim prior to being released theatrically when Quentin Tarantino and other film industry notables awarded it the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival this past spring after beating out 17 other nominated films. Shortly before July 4, Moore's documentary was finally released to the American public and within almost three months would go on to become the most financially-successful documentary film ever by grossing over $110 million. And this, my friends, is where Moore's eyes are replaced with shiny green dollar signs.\nSince early September, as "Fahrenheit 9/11"'s theatrical run came to a close, Michael Moore has went all out to prove this isn't just any ordinary documentary film. In order to guarantee a DVD release almost a month before the 2004 presidential election, Moore decided to snub the possible Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary. While it is almost certain that Moore could easily walk away next March grasping yet another Oscar statue, he has instead decided that rather than take Best Documentary, he'll go straight for the top by submitting his film not only for Best Director but, most importantly, Best Picture. That's right, Michael Moore is confident enough, or as I like to say arrogant enough, to think he's a possible contender with other Oscar hopefuls as Michael Mann's "Collateral" and Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator."\nIf arrogance wasn't enough, Michael Moore even went on to announce one day prior to the anniversary of Sept. 11 that he would be re-releasing "Fahrenheit 9/11" back into theaters with "deleted scenes" and other important tidbits of information left out of the original version. What was his reasoning for this move? Why, to simply promote the forthcoming DVD release of the film! It makes perfect sense to re-release a movie two weeks prior to its DVD release because, hey, you can capitalize on those seeing it in theaters and those buying it on DVD, all while making sure Americans don't re-elect President Bush a month from now. At $8 a ticket and $20 a DVD, Michael Moore surely won't be complaining anytime soon or, better yet, at all for that matter.\nThe sad part about all of this is a once very credible source for documentary filmmaking has now been corrupted by the green portrait of Benjamin Franklin. For a simple $6 million investment, Michael Moore has gone on to see sheer profit tenfold. Not only has Moore become rich, but his documentary has also contaminated the minds of voters across the country. No longer does the public need to watch party conventions or political debates to see where our future leaders stand on topics. Instead all they need to say is, "Hey, I watched that Michael Moore movie, and it proves our current president is a bad man." There are no questions about who stands for what issues and policies, but rather the simple idea that if you vote for anyone other than George W. Bush you'll be saving our country from the next World War. \nAll of this boils down to a few simple questions: Will Michael Moore continue to make documentaries questioning the American political system? Of course! Will "Fahrenheit 9/11" go on to win Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture? Hopefully not! Will Moore's film have any validity whatsoever 20 to 30 years from now? Nope!\nJust remember that Michael Moore thinks Bush's war on Iraq and terrorism is one solely for the profits of blood and oil. It'll be Moore's depiction of this same profitable war which lands him the profits of those still buying tickets and the DVD release of "Fahrenheit 9/11"