Happened across this Help Wanted ad from Dragon # 19 and it gave me a chuckle:





I wonder what became of all those 'recent photographs'...?

I would like to thank Aneoth for pointing out that I seriously goofed the title on my latest classified listing.

From a "Freudian" point of view whatever could it mean that I typed Michael Moore instead of Michael Moorcock?

Have I been watching too much American political stuff or am I reluctant to type the word "cock" in an eBay listing...  

jasonw1239 wrote:whatever could it mean that I typed Michael Moore instead of Michael Moorcock?

The icy, strange landscape reflected off the tragic hero's glasses as he contemplated his wretchedness. "By the great demon of Hostess Ho-Hos, I doth a spy an army come yonder from the bowels of hell." Onward drove the formless mass of the enemy, til their screams became manifest. "Your films are condescending & pedantic!" shouted one harpie-like voice. "Film critics!" thought the hero with a thousand belly folds. "Who could have sent them?" He brandished his weapon, a mighty hero sandwich, battering the onslaught. One by one, they fell twitching & screaming to the ground before the power of turkey on rye with extra mayo. Lo, into view waddled a awesome hulking presence. "Ah, my ancient enemy doth reveal himself at long last!" The dimly-lit shape from beyond advanced slug-like into view with a shouted challenge: "It is I, Rush, your ultimate nemesis. The time here at WABC is 4:51." The glimmer of oxycontin madness shone in the creature's eyes as it brandished its own arsenal, hurling great wads of hot lasagna at our hero. Thus was the final battle joined.

jasonw1239 wrote:I would like to thank Aneoth for pointing out that I seriously goofed the title on my latest classified listing.

From a "Freudian" point of view whatever could it mean that I typed Michael Moore instead of Michael Moorcock?

Have I been watching too much American political stuff or am I reluctant to type the word "cock" in an eBay listing...  

What...you won't type out "cock" and yet you're willing to type out "Michael Moore?"

jasonw1239 wrote:
What can I say? My politics are probably somewhere to the left of Michael Moore's.  
After all, he is a lifetime member of the NRA, and us Canadian liberals are all about long-term plans of gun confiscation and world domination by the United Nations.  

(just kidding about some of this).

I hate the guy, because he has probably about as much talent as Ken Burns, and could really be a respected documentarian. Instead he's pissed it all away to make highly partisan, very suspect Opinion-films (I hate to call them documentaries because the content is so obviously faked and contrived to make a point.....HIS point) that are actually getting worse and worse..he's even made a docu-drama called "Captain Mike Across America" (I think he changed the name after disastrous screenings of this vanity project) that is due to come out soon. It's all about......himself.    

When a docu-director starts turning the camera around to make HIMSELF the subject, he's lost it.  He should just start guest starring on reality shows like "Celebrity Big Brother" and hang it up.  Whatever happened to funny stuff like "Roger and Me" or his TV show "The Awful Truth" (both of which admittedly had some funny bits).  His last few movies have been absolute embarrasments...Farenheit 9/11 may have been his low point as MM has actually gone on record saying it should be classified as an "opinion piece" rather than a documentary (when confronted with several inaccuracies in the "facts" of this film).

To top it off the man is exactly two cheeseburgers away from a massive coronary.  He makes me look healthy. Last photos I saw of him he must be pushing 400 lbs. Dammit man mix in a salad every once in awhile!

Mike B.

FormCritic wrote:Moore's documentary, Roger and Me, was brilliant and poignant.  It was a story that did not need exageration or falsification.  Moore manipulates the topic by being selective in his images...but the personal stories he tells are real and evocative.

Moore's recent work is just sad.  Like many around the world, he completely loses his objectivity and his composure when discussing George Bush.  In that mindset, fabrications and mischaracterizations can seem appropriate because of their intensity of feeling about the topic.

His most recent films have been rather embarrassing to him and painful to watch...like seeing a gifted artist stumble about in the throws of alchoholism or drug addiction.

This is why Ken Burns stuff is so great. I don't know much about the man or his politics and don't care.  He just makes great stuff (Civil War, Baseball, The War) that is probably a little syrupy and sentimental but brings a larger historic idea to a large amount of people that would otherwise not be interested, and manages to break down this larger idea to great individuals or individual moments.

In contrast, Moore at this point is pretty much preaching to his cult of followers, and there doesn't seem to be much objectivity or historical relevance in his works.  He's admitted the awful Fahrenheit 9/11 was an attempt to manipulate the 2004 election; in the last few films instead of being a gadfly he's become more and more of a presence in FRONT of the camera instead of behind it, and this can be seen in the lowering of quality of such films.  I think MM started buying into his own publicity and status among the left, and that's when the train wreck started.   This latest film "Captain Mike Across America" is all about himself on tour in 2004...WTF?  Who wants to watch that crap? He really needs to have someone sit him down and screen "Roger and Me" again so he can get this train back on the tracks.  Mark's sum up is pretty dead on....

Honestly, I have no idea what the guy is going to do when Bush is out of office....he may take in a buffet lunch at Panchos and end it all!  

Mike B.

FormCritic wrote:Moore's documentary, Roger and Me, was brilliant and poignant.  It was a story that did not need exageration or falsification.  Moore manipulates the topic by being selective in his images...but the personal stories he tells are real and evocative.

I agree - his best work and all the better because of his direct involvement in the issue (well, the town at issue).  I wonder if there are two leagues of good  artists; those that produce great work if it is direct and personal, and a those who can do that AND produce great films or books or music which goes beyond their personal experience.  For example, I am always a little disappointed when a band that make a great first album, goes on to produce a second one 18 months later, filled with songs about the misery of being a successful band on the road    

There are a few good drama-documentaries out now about the war on terror/Iraq (although of course controversial).  e.g. Taxi to the Dark Side has just opened here to great reviews, I might pop along over the next few days and see if Peter Bradshaw knows good from bad...

http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/C ... 50,00.html

red_bus wrote:
There are a few good drama-documentaries out now about the war on terror/Iraq (although of course controversial).  e.g. Taxi to the Dark Side has just opened here to great reviews, I might pop along over the next few days and see if Peter Bradshaw knows good from bad...

http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/C ... 50,00.html

The documentary sounds interesting, but it will fail miserably in the US while undoubtedly making lots of money overseas (surprise).  The track record for films about the war on terror/Iraq in the US is startling:  Not only are they miserable failures, they are RECORD BREAKING miserable failures.  Some of the movies aren't even making back HALF the money spent on a typical throw away release. De Palma's Redacted didn't even make a million dollars back ($600,000). Not even A MILLION DOLLARS. Think about that. Lions for Lambs is the big "winner" with 15 million, about as much as it cost Tom Cruise to get dressed everyday to star in this bomb, or as much as the new Adam Sandler movie is going to make in the first hour it's out.   I am really shocked anyone in Hollywood is even greenlighting these anymore.  Times are tough, people want to be entertained, and they don't want to spend their money to be preached at.

A great movie about the events in Iraq will be made someday...just not when the wounds and emotions are still so fresh.  Give it a decade at least.  Those great directors trying to make a masterpiece are going to come up empty....especially since ALL the Iraqi war movies so far have been anti-American, anti-war, anti-military, and anti-interesting.  Wake me when it's over. Maybe then we'll have a movie the caliber of Apocalypse Now or The Deer Hunter....neither of which might have been particularly ACCURATE, but sure were entertaining as all hell.

Mike B.

You might well be right about distance being important to making a good film Mike, I know I was quite disappointed by Rendition last year, despite its 'sting in the tail' plot device (no spoilers here !!)

Michael Winterbottom (who I rate, go see his film, Code 46, for subtle sci-fi) directed The Road to Guantanamo which came out in 2006.  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Guantanamo

That is a good documentary...  except that the main protagonists come across as uncinvincing in their explanation of why they were in Afghanistan.  In coming down really hard only on one side on the debate, instead of making a more even handed piece, the whole film suffers.