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Category:    Home > Reviews > Documentary > Political > Comedy > Michael Moore Collection - Limited Edition (MGM)

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


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