Pages tagged “michael moore”

Director: Michael Moore
Writer: Michael Moore
Cinematographer: Christoph Vitt
Starring: Michael Moore
Studio/Running Time: Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company, 113 min.

When Michael Moore announced in 2004 that his next feature would focus on the health industry, he read from a Pfizer memo instructing its employees on what to do if approached by a “bearded, heavyset man wearing rumpled clothing and holding a microphone.” It seems that Pfizer expected Moore to use the same-film-different-industry formula he’s employed for the past decade and come at them through his typically embarrassing interviews and forced confrontations. If only they were so lucky.

SiCKO begins with the disclaimer that it’s not about Americans who lack health insurance. This turns out to be false, not due to Moore’s focus but instead because of the film’s message: The group of people without adequate coverage is a lot larger than we thought. SiCKO’s first half comprises a series of vignettes that illustrate - through various, tragic cases of actual people - each level where healthcare can be denied. These people, all nominally insured, have their lives wrecked by a system created not to help them but rather to make money denying them the aid they need. This segues smoothly into the film’s second half, an exploration of alternative healthcare systems beginning with the obvious choice of Canada but continuing on to Britain, France, and finally, in Moore’s typically dramatic fashion, Cuba. Although the film still contains Moore’s trademark pandering voice-over and questionable fact-checking, SiCKO displays the same technical skill as his last two films, and there is certainly no denying his mastery of the documentary form.

Since its premiere at Cannes, SiCKO has repeatedly been called Moore’s most “mature” film to date. Whether this is true is questionable, since the trip to Cuba is perhaps Moore’s greatest - and likewise most immature - stunt yet, but in any case, this claim misses the point. By lacking confrontation, SiCKO shines the spotlight where it should be - on the individuals Moore wishes to help rather than those he attacks. For the first time, the targets of Moore's film need not fear the bearded, heavyset man; instead they should be worried about his audience.

Due to favorable reactions from critics, confirmed by a 90 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Michael Moore’s SiCKO will open one week early in New York City on June 22. Fans around the country won’t be left in the dark (or in the small, flickering light of a bootleg on their laptops). Sneak previews are scheduled for Saturday, June 23 in over 30 cities.

Check back this Friday for Paste’s own review of SiCKO, to help you decide whether or not you want to make one of Saturday’s sneak previews at the following theaters:

Los Angeles
Pacific ArcLight Cinemas, Hollywood, Calif.
AMC Santa Monica 7, Santa Monica, Calif.
Edwards University Town Center 6, Irvine, Calif.
Pacific Galleria Stadium 16, Sherman Oaks, Calif.

Chicago
AMC River East 21, Chicago, Ill.
Landmark Century Centre, Chicago, Ill.

Philadelphia
Ritz East, Philadelphia, Penn.
Ritz Voorhees, Voorhees, N.J.

San Francisco
Century 9 San Francisco Centre, San Francisco, Calif.
AMC Bay Street 16, Emeryville, Calif.

Boston
LCE Boston Common, Boston, Mass.
Landmark Kendall Square, Cambridge, Mass.
NA Showcase Cinemas Randolph, Randolph, Mass.

Dallas
Angelika Film Center & Café, Dallas, Texas

Washington D.C.
Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema, Bethesda, Md.
AMC LCE Georgetown Theatre, Washington, D.C.

Detroit
Uptown Birmingham 8, Birmingham, Mich.

Atlanta
Landmark Midtown Cinema 8, Atlanta, Ga.

Houston
Edwards Greenway Palace Stadium 24, Houston, Texas.

Seattle - Tacoma
AMC Pacific Place Theatre 11, Seattle, Wash,

Tampa - St. Petersburg
Regal Hollywood 20-Sarasota, Sarasota, Fla.

Minneapolis - St. Paul
Landmark Lagoon Theater, Minneapolis, Minn.

Cleveland
Cedar Lee 6, Cleveland Heights, Ohio

Miami
AMC Sunset 24 Theatres, South Miami, Fla.
Regal South Beach 18, Miami Beach, Fla.

Denver
Landmark Mayan 3, Denver, Col.

Phoenix
Harkins Cine Capri/North Scottsdale 101, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Sacramento
Century Stadium 14, Sacramento, Calif.

Pittsburgh
AMC LCE Waterfront Theatre, West Homestead, Penn.

St. Louis
Landmark Plaza Frontenac 6, Frontenac, Mo.

Portland
Regal Fox Tower 10, Portland, Oreg.

Baltimore
Muvico Egyptian 24, Hanover, Md.

San Diego
AMC Mission Valley 20, San Diego, Calif.
Landmark La Jolla Village Cinemas 4, La Jolla, Calif.

Indianapolis
Landmark Keystone Art Cinema, Indianapolis, Ind.

Kansas City
AMC Studio 27, Olathe, Kansas

Milwaukee
Landmark Oriental 3, Milwaukee, Wis.

Columbus
AMC Lennox Town Center 24, Columbus, Ohio

Albany
Regal Crossgates Stadium 18, Guilderland, N.Y

Albuquerque
Century Rio 24-Albuquerque, Albuquerque, NM

Las Vegas
Century Orleans 18, Las Vegas, NV

Austin
Regal Arbor Cinemas @ Great Hills, Austin, Texas

Flint
NCG Trillium Cinema, Grand Blanc, Mich.

Related links:
MichaelMoore.com
SiCKO on MichaelMoore.com
SiCKO on IMDB