"Michael Moore doesn't like documentaries. That's why he doesn't make them." A documentary that looks to distinguish what's fact, fiction, legend, and otherwise as a camera crew trails Michael Moore as he tours with his film, Fahrenheit 9/11.
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Admirable film.
Absolutely Brilliant!
It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
This documentary was filled with a great deal of bias and half truths to spin a narrative that I can only assume is coming from an emotionally impelled hatred and bias. Logic was almost entirely lacking. I'm not a Moore fan myself or politically motivated in my analysis of this documentary but I suppose if I were somehow biased against Moore, a narrative of this type would simply be a conformation bias that would make me feel good and vindicated... all while lacking any real substance. Shameful imo.
how people will defend Michael Moore as if somehow showing he is dishonest is representative of the democrat party as a whole. I found this movie an honest look at Michael Moore and who the man really is, compared to what he sells himself to be. Sure, the filmmakers were probably a little miffed at Moore by the end of their film, but that was a result of Michael's mentality. He claims to support the little man, but offers little support for the crew of this film who ask time and again for a sit down interview. Michael is doing the same thing that he demonized Roger Smith for supposedly doing 20 years ago. On top of that his excuses are incredibly lame. "I can't interview with you until after the election, but then I have to sleep for 6 months,.. then we can do an interview." "Oh now, I can't do an interview because I am about to start my next movie, and it will be another years or so before I could possibly do an interview." (not exact quote mind you)You would expect someone like him to not only be supportive of those who admire him, but also a fellow documentary filmmaker.So yes a large part of this film is meant to show Moore's character, which seems to have more of the same qualities as the type of people he claims to be against as opposed to those he claims to defend. Apart from that it is not hard to find evidence of his factual inaccuracies in his films. It amazes me how people still defend his work only because he is outspoken and shares the same political views. A little research will bring up many things that show how dishonest his work is. Bottom line.. this is a film made by left winged filmmakers who are not making a documentary against democrats, but rather a dishonest filmmaker that ultimately would do more to harm the party he claims to represent rather than help it. I don't care how much I agreed with someone's view points, I would never support someone that was this dishonest, and in fact would be ashamed to have them be apart of my party.
The makers of MANUFACTURING DISSENT say that they began this documentary as fans of Michael Moore. Whether or not this is really true isn't really important. What IS important is that they bring up many issues concerning Michael Moore that he and his supporters simply won't honestly address. The biggest problem (and it's almost always ignored by the press) is that he makes so-called "documentaries"--yet in order to make his points, be often misrepresents and distorts the truth again and again. And, in essence, they aren't true documentaries, but are more like propaganda pieces because of the lies and fabrications. Now there's nothing wrong with making a propaganda piece--but don't call it a documentary or refuse to acknowledge the distortions. This IS Moore's m.o., though ironically, he himself refuses to discuss or explain his films unless it's to a friendly audience that doesn't in any way question his methods. The makers of this film try, again and again in vain, to talk with him just to ask some questions concerning his films. This is especially reasonable considering that Moore himself made a name for himself by ambushing people for his films--and here they won't let people with any questions come close to him....period. So a man who is "of the people" and a "champion of free speech" is, ironically, only interested in this when it comes to others, not himself.As to how well this documentary was made, it seemed pretty honest and straight forward. It tended to interview people on all ends of the political spectrum and even many of his supporters on the left acknowledged the way he plays fast and loose with the truth in his films or in his public comments. Some felt that the ends justified the means while others seemed angry at Moore for being more interested in self-aggrandizement than the issues he publicly champions. I know that there will be many who think the entire film is evil but the bottom line is that it asks good questions AND isn't just a one-sided piece. There were many different opinions concerning the man that were in the film. What's not to like about that?!
If you've heard somewhere that the documentary movie maker Michael Moore ("Fahrenheit 9/11", "Bowling for Columbine" etc.) isn't honest about the stuff he presents in his movies as "facts", then this is the documentary for you.Employing the same guerrilla tactics as Moore himself, documentarian Debbie Melnyk pretty much stalks Moore, in trying to get an extended interview with him for her documentary. She says from the outset that she is a fan of his documentaries but, perhaps acting like an unrequited lover, she goes over all the incidents/scandals of Moore's professional life-from his time as the editor of a left-wing magazine (before he tried his hand at making documentaries) to the footage he used out of context in "Fahrenheit 9/11".Melnyk has got good access to people who identify themselves as Moore's friends (or as ex-friends), which gives you a broader insight into his character than Melnyk alone].There is one telling scene in the movie where a critic of Moore says that it was possible for someone to be against certain US foreign policies but yet not be an apologist for certain South American or Central American dictators (which Moore is accused of being). This is the main fault of Melnyk's film, I think. In other words, in the same way as devotees of Moore will lap up his attacks on the right-wing in the US and disregard some of Moore's own 'sins', die-hard right-wingers will watch this documentary and consider it to demolish all of Moore's claims. Manufacturing Dissent seems, in essence, part of the right-wing 'backlash' against Moore, even though Melnyk may have initially intended to do a positive piece on him.There is a funny scene towards the end of the movie where Melnyk acts the infatutated school-girl with Moore despite there being friction between her and Moore over his evasiveness in agreeing to be interviewed by her.For people like myself, I think it is possible to agree with some of the assertions in this film yet not think Moore is total bunk.Many of Melnyk's bleatings are risibly half-baked.