Bowling for Columbine

While not as good as Roger and Me, it’s definitely worth seeing. I was really taken with the first half of the movie, and especially the way Moore moves through a wide range of topics quickly. At times, he’s overly heavy handed, but hey – that’s the guy’s style.

Most interesting in Moore’s explorations are his moments on the culture of fear in America. I feel like I’m really succeptible to the media’s influence. Even though I try not to watch the evening news as much… I recognize its influence on me. Bowling for Columbine definitely made me take a step back, and reassess how I’m approaching the world. I think I need to stop being so wary of everything.

There’s a lot of questions I have, after leaving the movie… but I don’t think I can really gather enough coherent thoughts right now. Besides – I’m not trying to slam the movie. It was a good documentary, and well worth your time. I strongly recommend you see this (or Roger and Me), if you haven’t seen anything by Michael Moore.

My favorite part of the movie was when Michael Moore was interviewing Marilyn Manson. They’re in this small ass closet of a dressing room, and Moore is on a couch talking to Manson, who’s about two feet away, on a metal folding chair.

Moore’s asking him that, if he was there… before the shootings at Columbine, what would he have said to those boys. Manson is leaning back in his chair, checking out his fingernails… and you’re thinking "Oh Jesus, this guy doesn’t care. He’s not even paying attention." And when Moore finishes his question, and asks what he would have said to those kids… Marilyn Manson looks directly at Moore and replies:

I wouldn’t have said a single word. I’d sit there and listen to them. Because that’s what they needed. And no one did that for them.