Who are we and why do we behave the way that we do? Writer, director and producer Michael Moore has been trying to answer that question his entire filmmaking career. His latest film, Capitalism: A Love Story, investigates the powerful forces behind the calamitous predicament in which countless Americans are finding themselves: losing their homes, jobs and savings to foot the bill for past spending.
What is the price that America - and the rest of the world - pays for its love of capitalism?
From Middle America to the halls of power in Washington to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Moore takes filmgoers into uncharted territory as he tries to get to the heart of the matter.
Bio
Angie Coiro
Angie Coiro is host of "Live from the Left Coast with Angie Coiro" (formerly The Green Show on KKGN in San Francisco. Prior to that, she was the host of Mother Jones Radio on Air America Radio.
The program was broadcast every Sunday from 1-2pm EST until it was canceled on December 31, 2007 for financial reasons.
Michael Moore
Michael Moore is an Academy Award-winning American filmmaker, author and liberal political commentator. He is the director and producer of Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Sicko, three of the top five highest-grossing documentaries of all time.
In September 2008, he released his first free movie on the Internet, Slacker Uprising, documenting his personal crusade to encourage more Americans to vote in presidential elections. He has also written and starred in the TV shows "TV Nation" and "The Awful Truth."
Moore is a self-described liberal who has criticized globalization, large corporations, assault weapon ownership, the Iraq War, U.S. President George W. Bush and the American health care system in his written and cinematic works. In 2005, Time magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people.
Also in 2005, Moore started the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Traverse City, Michigan. In 2008, he closed his Manhattan office and moved it to Traverse City, where he is working on his new film.
I have to disagree with Moore on one point: "Sicko" is not "just a movie." It really should have been the "tipping point" that caused Americans to "rise up," like the insurance companies feared. It is to Americans' discredit that they did not.
Moore said that if work for him, you would be paid as an intern, you would have medical insurance with no deductible, paid pregnancy leave, as many sick days as you leave, as many personal days, etc. So apparently Moore will pay for this, which assumes two things: (1) that the business is producing lots of revenue, enough to support this, and (2) that Moore is a good, generous man who cares more about taking care of people than he does about money. Why do you have to abandon capitalism in order to have these results? Isn't the problem the absence of virtue, more than the system?
Granted, I have not analyzed Moore or his body of work, but if I may be so bold, it appears that he is using capitalism to attack capitalism. Moreover, this is not a good time while we are trying to rein in the FED.
Mr Moore is wrong about europe. I'm from Amsterdam Holland and I know that all newspapers here are controled by big corperations! Some names are Reuters ,TMG Thomson corp., also the tv here is total nwo propaganda. Some names are ProSiebenSat.MediaAG, PermiraKKR, Mecom. The real deal is the internet as long it's not controled by ...... ????
M Mr Moore is a great American.but he is just one man,he cannot be expected to work out solutions for the many abuses he highlights, that is for those who are suitably qualified to do. Why can it be so wrong to bring into the light of day injustice, what are people afraid of?
Michael Moore is an easy target for you cowards who dare not take on the big executives of whatever ilk. Here in England we watch in awe and would love him to take on our greedy execs and politicians and Religious nuts. The greedy execs drain the countries dry and take their ill gotten gains abroad to avoid tax. How come only the poor pay tax? Keep up the good work Michael. It's a wonder some greedy exec hasn't had him shot or blown up, to protect their riches!
Michael Moore--keep on keepin' on. Even when you say provocative statements, we can always put the time in that you do and check it out for ourselves if we disagree. There are always those who try to make a joke of the messenger when they don't want to do their own research...THANKS
Michael Moore may be on the left, but until we Americans realize our own hateful sins, and what we have done that has been purely hypocritical to our "values" of who we are supposed to be as a nation, then we will never learn how to be a great world leader. We should feel ashamed of how we have neglected our own American values for the sake of greed. We talk about other countries, and many of the smart Americans, understand the faults of this country; which will allow us to deal with them more intelligently. Unlike some Americans who would rather hide their heads in the sand. I am one who admit our hypocrisy here, which places me and others who are courageous enough to admit our faults, in a better position to make this country better and actually meet our core values. Are you brave enough to do that as well, or just hide behind criticism of Michael Moore...in this 21st century, the one's who are busy criticizing those on the left, will just simply not make it in this new global society.