Sicko

[Johann]

My blood has received another excitement spike.

We got another hotbed topic receiving the Michael Moore treatment (The U.S. health care system/industry) and the right-wingers have come out swinging already.

This time it's over Michael defying an embargo with Cuba, which Oliver Stone did as well with his docs on Castro (he was fined over 6 thou for it).
Mike took ailing 9/11 rescue workers to Cuba to prove a point about how shitty the health care system is, and the U.S. government is investigating him.
He posted an open letter on his website to the government- how's that for not hiding anything?
Right fucking there he's being forthright.
Anybody else in the known universe would NEVER post an open letter, disclosing their views and intents if in fact they are being shady or manipulative. The right-wingers just hate what he does. He does have a punk quality to his M.O. but that's just what's fucking needed to get the point across.

Nobody fucking listens.
You can present it ad nauseum, calm, cool and collected and nobody will give a damn.
The government won't do jack shit.
You need a fucking firebrand of a message, you need an almost extreme provocation to get people to wake up.
Does anybody remember the story about Moore going all over the U.S., buying up bullet proof vests, and getting ready to fly over to Iraq and start handing them out to troops?
The Military got wind of it and immediately got on top of the vest issue.
That's the kind of work Michael Moore does.

In his letter he blasts the Bush Adminstration for abandoning ground zero workers who now have serious health issues and are getting NO HELP.
His point is that the health care system is a disgrace, if not to say DEADLY.

I can't wait for this film.
Moore is the fucking MAN.

I'm so sick of the pieces of shit who attack him over his methods. They don't see the core of what he's doing: shedding light on serious fucking matters that scream out for attention, that scream out for somebody to do something. Nobody else in the United States is doing what he's doing. He risks a lot to do what he does and he's willing to take the risk.
He knows the cause is worth it.
He's got balls.
He's doing what seems like a pipe dream- taking on evil in a supremely righteous way. He could just retire and live a very comfortable life with his millions. But no, he's still got that wonderful drive to do something worthwhile and he doesn't care about money. He doesn't have to anymore.
He just gets out there and gets it done, damn the torpedos. Fuckin'-A.
That's an American folks.
That's a man who's not content to just let this shit happen without a fight (or even just a LIGHT shone on it).

Corporations, politicians, greedheads:
There are people who know what you're doing and are sick to death of it.
Some people have had just about enough of your unconcious, psychopathic ways of conducting business.

Human beings are what it's about.
LIVING PEOPLE.
Your fellow man. Your fellow Americans.
You've forgotten that and you need to rot in hell for sliding into that slimy outlook.
You treat people like you treat endangered species and the environment, just a side-effect of doing business.
People like Michael Moore show you who you are and you just get meaner and dumber.
Good luck with that.

[oscar jubis]

It's illegal for Americans to travel to Cuba. Isn't that outrageous? Land of freedom, uh? Michael Moore is guilty. He'll probably be fined and the episode will generate even more publicity for the film. I predict Sicko will be released as scheduled in late June and make a ton of money for Moore and Weinstein.

[Johann]

I thought about it: why would he go to Cuba?
And then the answer came to me: it's a win-win.

Even if he figured the gov't would investigate him, the publicity is priceless.
Plus, the fines wouldn't exceed 75 thousand max- see the youtube clip down the frontpage of his website, the one where the reich-wing douchebag gets all excited: Moore Finally investigated! What a joke.
Finally investigated.
How about Finally investigating Bush and Cheney? Huh dipshit? How about that?
Fuck. The ignorance is still rampant.
What can you do.

I hope all the righties go to see it.
I know they want to, just so they can jibber-jabber about how Moore misleads.
Can you get past the presentation to see the issues, or are issues not as important as the "making of"?

[Johann]

The people who hate Michael Moore should be quite happy and shut the hell up.

Why?

Because his films don't actually change anything. I just read a news article where Moore says that he wonders what kind of film he should make to get any change gears rolling.

He says Flint Michigan is in far worse shape now then when he made Roger and Me.
Bowling For Columbine didn't do jack for stopping school shootings- look at Virginia Tech. When will the next one happen? And how many will die then?
Fahrenheit 9/11?
Bush got re-elected, and lots more people have died as a result.

So will SiCKO make an impact? Probably not
remember, all politicains are bought and sold, soulless fuck-ups that they are
The corporations and the pharm's make sure everyone's pockets are well-lined.

yee-hah.

Moore holds up a mirror and America says "We like it Mike! Let's throw some more coal on that raging fire!"

sad sad sad

So all you Moore haters out there, shut the fuck up. He ain't doing nothing except making films that don't affect any change whatsoever.

Which is just what you want.
Isn't it.

[cinemabon]

Michael Moore presented his case before the American public last night on David Letterman with a resounding huge round of applause after Moore explained why he ended up shooting part of his film in Canada. Evidently, the law states that no American can benefit from a business transaction that involves the country of Cuba. Since Moore shot part of his film there (because he took some 9/11 workers to Guantanamo and ended up in Havana for medical treatment, which then lead to the Bush Administration investigation), he is now subject to a law written to penalize importers of Cuban cigars! Ridiculous!

[oscar jubis]

Sicko is being released in the US and Canada on June 29th. It's opening in 19 theaters which is not unusual. The number of theatres showing will increase depending on level of interest, which is expected to be high. Early reviews are good. Moore is all over the news.

The reason for my post is to comment on where the film will be playing in the US on opening weekend, which I find a bit unusual.
5 screens in California
5 screens in New Jersey
2 in NYC
2 in Palm Beach, FLA
1 in Lakeland, FLA (near Tampa)
1 in a Kansas City suburb
1 in a Philadelphia suburb
1 in Evanston, Illinois (just north of Chicago, I think)
1 in Lexington, Kentucky

I find it odd that the film will be playing in 2 theaters in Palm Beach County and not in bigger markets to the south (Ft. Lauderdale and Miami). Why Lakeland and Lexington and not Atlanta or Dallas or Boston or Detroit or Seattle? Why 5 screens in New Jersey?

[cinemabon]

Pirates posted the entire film online last night. Those with Bit torrent have been downloading the entire film and transfering bootleg copies to DVD. Evidently, when Moore stashed a copy of the film in Canada (in case customs comfiscated it), someone copied the entire movie, according to advertising age.

see: http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9730397-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-5

[cinemabon]

I am not advocating piracy. However, take a look at this page:

http://thepiratebay.org/search/sicko/0/0/0

Users may download the entire movie free of charge. As I said, I am not advocating this site, nor did I use it.

Moore cannot be happy over this.

[Chris Knipp]

Just heard Michael Moore on Democracy Now interviewed by Amy Goodman. Would not agree with you, Johann, that his movies have no effect. He is dealing with big issues that don't change overnight. Nothing is going to change the Bowling for Columbine issues until the hold of the NRA is broken and until the US becomes a more peace-loving country. As for Fahrenheit 9/11, the republicans stole the election. As for Sicko, I think it's a good sign that Oprah Winfrey is getting behind the public health issue with Moore. She is more powerful than he is, and if she give the nod, things are going to happen. But one film does not change the world. This time it seems like there's a real organized campaign accompanying the film Sicko, and it comes at a good time, with presidential hopefuls starting to do serious campaigning, it has a more specific focus (the private medical insurance companies), and it has MoveOn.org and Oprah behind it.

For the Democracy Now Moore interview, go to www.democracynow.org and click on Watch Entire Show for June 18, 2007.

[Johann]

My comments were a total swipe at the Moore-bashers.

You are absolutely right that big issues don't change overnight but it's been 3 years since Fahrenheit, and still no impeachment, still no troop withdrawal, still a massive quagmire in the heart of the Muslim world.
Permanent war zone, just like Hunter S. prophecized.

I've been getting into heavy raps with a friend of mine over coffee recently about the Rothchilds and the Rockefellers and the Bushes. We call our raps "yankee sierra". I've learned a lot from my pal who thinks he's got a handle on what 's going on on the big canvas, if you know what I mean.

I don't wanna get into it too much here or the CIA will be visiting me very quickly.
You have an idea of what I'm driving at, don't ya Chris? *wink wink nudge nudge*

[Chris Knipp]

Don't think the CIA has time for us. I get that you were bashing the bashers. Sometimes you are more pessimistic than me though. I always think there's hope for these United States. And I might to say, look at Bush's current approval ratings--in the low to high 20's (21 to 29) depending on who you look at, and at an all-time low for him, with clear signs that the republicans are abandoning him and their presidential candidates will detach themselves from him when campaigning. He doesn't need to be impeached, a disruptive process nobody really wants to go through. He's dead.

[Johann]

I can be very pessimistic. I get in that angry zone where I just see callous greedy bullshit and I just rail...
Henry Rollins said something I'll never forget: If you aren't angry you are asleep at the wheel.

There's some serious skullduggery going on in the executive branch. My pal says it's almost like Star Wars: you got the evil empire building their Death Star, and there's us, the little rebel alliance on the fringes, trying to fight the dark side.

Down with the Sith!

[oscar jubis]

*I tend towards pessimism too but I think it's warranted.

*Nobody commented about Sicko's release schedule which I discussed in a previous post. I guess it doesn't matter since we'll all get to watch it eventually. Maybe?

*For what it's worth:
Variety reported that Sicko was released ahead of schedule in one theater in Manhattan's Upper West Side and sold out every single show.

[mouton]

SICKO
Written and Directed by Michael Moore

Tony Benn: If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help people.

Years ago, Michael Moore set out to produce a documentary about the American health care system and how that affects both those with and without insurance. In 1999 though, the Columbine shootings redirected his focus towards gun control and teenage violence. The health care project was put on hold and BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE was made and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary. Hollywood had found a new spokesman and Moore rode that wave for as long as he could. He was about to return to the health care project when the war in Iraq began. Again, Moore felt his efforts would be better put to use elsewhere. FARENHEIT 9/11, part expository documentary, part slander campaign to ensure George W. Bush would not be re-elected, became the highest grossing documentary of all time. He may have had notoriety like he had never known but he also had an increasing number of angry detractors. Moore’s success was inflating his ego and that ego was taking up more screen time than the subject matter itself in his films. Well, Mr. Moore has heard your complaints and has redirected his focus once again by removing it from himself and placing it back on the subject. Eight years after its original conception, Moore is finally ready to give us SICKO.

While Moore’s mug does still find its way into the action and his voice guides us along our tour of the world’s hospital waiting rooms, he is less invasive and more sympathetic in SICKO. In fact, we don’t even see him for the first third of the piece. Instead, real people with real horror stories of disappointment and struggle put a face to the bureaucracy. Having no insurance, Rick must make a decision between reattaching his middle finger ($60,000) or his ring finger ($12,000) after the tips are sliced off in a buzz saw accident as he cannot afford both. In her 50’s, Donna is forced to move in to her daughter’s storage room with her husband because their medical bills have far exceeded what their insurance will cover. The American people already know that their health care system does not work for everyone so SICKO ensures that people know the desperate realities of those that are left behind. Moore makes sure to get all his pills in a line by giving historical context to the deterioration of provided health care and establishes profit as the unsurprising devil. There have been so many stories of death and unnecessary suffering by this point in the film that the tears come naturally when you see the livelihood of real people being cast aside for profit expansion.

Yet through the tears, there is laughter to be had in SICKO and most of it is directed at Moore himself, as an American representative. Moore leaves the USA to explore whether socialized health care is as poor and pathetic as the American media and American Medical Association would have you believe. In Canada, he meets a hockey player who sliced several fingers off while playing and didn’t have to choose between having any one in particular reattached nor did he have to pay a cent for the operation. In England, he meets with a doctor who still earns a strong six-figure salary that affords him an Audi and a million-dollar home despite the government signing his checks. In France, he meets with a group of Americans who have relocated to France and are now enjoying social health benefits like 24-hour medical service that comes to your door. Moore seems as if in a constant state of shock and awe as he asks patients leaving hospitals what their bills cost. The response is always nothing but not before they have a good laugh at how ridiculous his question is.

When the initial urge to laugh has run its route, SICKO reminds us that we are laughing at how dire this situation has become. How else can one describe it when homeless patients, clearly without insurance, are dumped in front of shelters after being forced out of a hospital and forced into a cab? Moore still can’t resist a cheeky, sarcastic turn but his filmmaking is maturing. While past efforts struggled to maintain their objectivity, feeling at times like one man’s personal vendetta against the powers that be, SICKO is more like a rallying of the people, exposing many Americans’ selfish motivations to look out for themselves above all else as their ugliest problem. Instead of yelling incessantly at the Bush administration and the corporations that pull the strings, all Moore seems to be concerned with is how the American population is still allowing for a world where the weakest among them is left to die in the streets.

www.blacksheepreviews.blogspot.com

[mouton]

He has definitely held back. He's still there though. And he does get in everyone's face come the end of the film but he just seems less interested in his own image this time around.

Furthermore to what you were saying about his always being this way ... All I can respond is his poor mother.

[Chris Knipp]

Sorry I deleted my previous post to edit it. Here it is now. Your above response still holds. Yeah, well, we'll have to hear from his mom on what it was like having him as a kid.

Thanks for your early report and evaluation. I'm eager to see this and soon will. I'm not going to say you're wrong, but I'm reserving judgment about several remarks you make about Moore's 'maturity' or self-control.
Moore's success was inflating his ego and that ego was taking up more screen time than the subject matter itself in his films.
Moore still can't resist a cheeky, sarcastic turn but his filmmaking is maturing. While past efforts struggled to maintain their objectivity, feeling at times like one man�s personal vendetta against the powers that be, SICKO is more like a rallying of the people, exposing many Americans� I'm really glad to hear that he comes across that way, and this new movie is certainly helped by Moore's involving himself concurrently with the coming wave by various organizations to push for an American government health plan. The fact that presidential campaigns are already very active and Bush is very much a lame duck makes the delayed timing of Sicko actually very good timing.I'm not so sure as you are that Moore's big "ego" (as big as his body) really grew over time; I think he just sprang from his mother's womb that way, and it's essential to his fame and his power as a provocateur. His 1989 documentary first feature, Roger and Me, is as much about him as anything since. I don't think you can separate Moore's outrageous provocations and practical jokes and personal obtrusions from his accomplishments. I will be thinking about your remarks when I see Sicko to see if I feel he has held back more this time. In person, he seems as in-your-face as ever, and that's what makes him such an amazing public speaker. After Fahrenheit 9/11, which I was even more excited to see, I tend to feel more and more that Moore is just preaching to the converted; I'm not sure how much of a galvanizing effect he has.........but rallying the converted to action is a necessary role he may be particularly valuable for in this matter. Do you really feel that if he had been cool and reserved and kept himself more in the background, his previous documentaries would have been more effective with the public? Hubert Sauper, who made Darwin's Nightmare, never appears in that film. But does that mean it is restrained, or isn't dominated by his personality?

[Chris Knipp]

He has definitely held back. He's still there though. And he does get in everyone's face come the end of the film but he just seems less interested in his own image this time around. That sums it up pretty well. I'm just going to ponder whether it is a significant improvement when I see it. I'm encouraged by the fact that Moore seems involved with MoveOn and others to use his film as part of an ongoing campaign for a nationall health plan for all. In America.

You're in Canada, aren't you? How is the health plan in Canada from your point of view? Do you find Moore's representation of the Canadian health system in Sicko to be valid and informative? Or are there important things he leaves out? I just talked to someone from England with a skin problem. He said the National Health didn't cover a dermatologist for this particular problem; they would not send him to one; and he can't afford a private dermatologist. Every encounter anything like that?

I'm not trying to punch holes in national health systems. Anything would be better than what we've got here now. The word is the US ranks around 37th on health care, though it's the richest nation in the world. That discrepancy is absurd and disgusting.

[cinemabon]

Here, here, Chris.

[Chris Knipp]

Medtacritic score: 74.

Good, and some very favorable comments about this one in relation to his others, but I am (for the cause of better health care in the US) pretty disappointed that a few of the more major and prestigious US publications are not very positive about it, and some that are pretty positive are given quotes that are not encouraging: .
Barring a middle-class revolt, it's extremely unlikely that, whatever its virtues, universal healthcare could ever take hold in America. . . So says Peter Rainer writing as reviewer for the Christian Science Monitor. Is that because he represents a paper associated with a religious group that traditionally at least believed in not having recourse to any health care at all? (Such a gratuitous negative claim seems out of replace in a film review, but of course Moore is too visceral to allow coolness in critics, I guess. )

The Wall Street Journal, Slate, the NYTimes, Washington Post, Newsweek, Salon. The Village Voice, Chicago Reader, and The New Yorker all gave it fair but relatively lukewarm reviews (70). I might add that The Nation devotes only a few lines to it--after devoting almost absurd length to A Mighty Heart. Denby of the New Yorker gave it a terrible review (Metacritic: 40) saying in it Moore "scrapes bottom." Denby can be a big sourpuss, but such a dismissal makes me want to look at Moore's methods very carefully this time. If his jokes are as lame as Denby feels, then the cause is not well served by this movie. Have not seen it yet but will probably in a day or two. MoveOn has a big push to get people out to see it this weekend, as was done for Fahrenheit 9/11 before it.

[oscar jubis]

I don't like to watch popular movies on weekends for obvious reasons. And Sicko is indeed a popular movie. Chelsea and boyfriend went tonight (with a petition to establish universal health insurance in Florida) and report the large theater was practically sold out. I'm going Sunday with my stack of MoveOn "Sickened by Sicko?" fliers. I'm sure the theater will be packed. This time I won't complain about feeling crowded.

[Chris Knipp]

Good luck. It''s in multiple theaters in the Bay Area and will probably do very well here this weekend. In Berkeley the MoveOn liefleters will be busy I'm sure. One has already emailed me.

[oscar jubis]

SICKO (USA/2007)

Sicko aims to spread the message that the American Health system is inhumane and unfair. That it is driven exclusively by the profit motive, i.e. greed. That socialized medicine is a "no-brainer" and that we don't have it because we're too afraid or numbed to demand it. Michael Moore wants to communicate this in such a way that any middle-schooler (or the 65% of Americans who couldn't find England on a map) would understand it. He figures he needs to keep it simple, tug at our heart strings and tickle our funny bone. He does, and it works, perfectly.

Sicko is being criticized as simplistic by some critics who wish the film had a more ambitious agenda. The New Yorker's David Denby wants to know "how medical care in, say, Toronto might differ from that in a distant rural area", and "what part Cuban officials played in receiving the American patients?". Denby also wants Moore to stop playing dumb: "at every stop, he pulls the same silly stunt of pretending to be astonished that health care is free. How much do people pay here in France? Nothing? You’ve got to be kidding."

Jonathan Rosenbaum also raises similar issues: "Because he insists on delivering his message in such broad strokes, his picture of health care in Paris and London is so rosy that he can't even allow for the possibility that any patient in either city could ever receive less than perfect treatment. Nor does his view of things account for patients paying for care there (the only two times I stayed in a hospital overnight in London and Paris I paid for the privilege)."

There's remarkable agreement between these critics regarding Sicko's limitations or, perhaps, flaws. The difference is that Rosenbaum recognizes the film's merits and "cogent arguments" and proceeds to issue the film a 3-star rating, a "must see". On the other hand, Denby goes on a negative tangent and ends up naively and irresponsibly calling Sicko "almost superfluous". He states that "in the actual political world, the major Democratic Presidential candidates have already offered, or will soon offer, plans for reform." I think it will take much more than promises by candidates to fix this mess. It's going to take millions of determined Americans ready for a tough fight. Michael Moore's accessible and populist Sicko is built to recruit an outraged people's army. For our sake, I hope it succeeds.

[Chris Knipp]

Have still not seen it (maybe tomorrow--re-saw La Vie en Rose today); but completely agree with your responses to Denby. Saying Sicko is already passe' because all the candidates are for health reform borders on ridiculous. Good point that Moore wants to communicate to middle-schoolers. It may not be till they're voting age that we get a complete overhaul. I've been seen by doctors in Italy last fall and the year before; I didn't pay anything, and any medications cost a nominal fee. Did not have Rosenbaum's experience. But that isn't really the issue; the issue is if citizens of the countries get the care free of charge, not whether visiting Americans do. The issue isn't whether everyone in other countries gets top quality medical care or has to wait for it, but whether what the US has to offer is even a viable, let alone superior, alternative. It's obvious why our system falls short: it's manipulated by the health industry, HMO's and the insurance and drug companies, whose varous lobbies control Congress. This is what you mean when you say our system is driven "by the profit motive, i.e., greed." The irony is that we have the edge in many areas in methods and equipment, but are behind in attitudes, humanity of treatment, and availability. We can't deliver what we've got, or the way we do deliver, causes suffering. US medical care is the most expensive in the developed world by a wide margin, Germany next far below in a table I found, and Moore pointedly cites a 2000 WHO ranking of 190 nations in which US medical care comes in 37th and French 1st. It is obvious that we have fallen behind in many aspects of health care, right across the board. A June 18, 2007 LA Times article (http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-global18jun18,1,1444274.story?coll=la-headlines-health) tied in with Moor's film points out how and why in more detail. I am not sure if it's true as you say that "we're too afraid or numbed to demand it" (i.e., socialized medicine or single-payer health care as it's more neutrally called) -- for several reasons. I'm not sure that for most Americans "socialized medicine is a 'no-brainer'." Free enterprise is god here. I'm not sure a majority thinks another method is more practical. Moore's film should both buck up the courage of any timid souls and also point people to a more practical approach than our profit-based system. I'll be looking to see if I think Moore has succeeded that way.

[oscar jubis]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chris Knipp
I am not sure if it's true as you say that "we're too afraid or numbed to demand it" (i.e., socialized medicine or single-payer health care as it's more neutrally called) -- for several reasons. I'm not sure that for most Americans "socialized medicine is a 'no-brainer'."

I agree with everything you say in your post. I just want to clarify that the two sentences of mine you quote are not what I think is true or actual but two of the messages Sicko seeks to convey or two of its conclusions.

The health profiteers prefer to use "socialized medicine" rather than "single-payer health care" for obvious reasons. Moore recognizes this and makes a valiant effort to demystify the word "socialized", to remove its stigma.

[Chris Knipp]

Thanks for the clarification. I should withhold discussion till I've seen the movie, but of course the issues are clearly laid out by you and others and known to all of us, so I made come comments, but I get that those statements were Moore's, not yours. The "socialism" issue is a key one, perhaps really THE key one in any campaign to convert the majority of Americans to working intensively at the grassroots and national levels to push for a serious overhaul of the US health system. For you and me, Moore's politics are appealing and not far away from ours, regardless of his outrageous ways of expressing himself. But for a lot of Americans Moore may seem pretty extremely to the left. This in spite of the fact that according to various reports and on many issues, the US public is more to the left in its views than is acknowledged. Moore has been saying this for some years. I'm afraid he may make progressive or left viewpoints look wild when he expresses them, but I may be overlooking his down-to-earth populist image. He is a very effective public speaker--entertaining, clear, stunningly direct, and like I said, down-to-earth. Maybe if anybody can make socialized medicine appear to be a no-brainer, he can.

[Chris Knipp]

MICHAEL MOORE: SICKO (2007)

It's not about socialism: it's about humanity—and good sense—versus rapacious greed.

Review by Chris Knipp

Michael Moore's polemical documentary Sicko focuses on the heartless nature of the United States health system—it's inferior in that respect to those of Canada, England, France, even Cuba, he shows. Infant mortality is lower and the life span longer in those four countries and many others as well, compared to "the richest nation in the world." The problem with the American system is it's designed more to make money for the providers of care than to make itself available to everybody as tax-based government systems are.

Sicko is no more cool and unbiased than any of Moore's other documentaries. It's what he means it to be: effective fact-based agitprop. He doesn't present downsides to the non-US health care systems he looks at. But he still makes a strong case in showing in the first half what's wrong with the American system. A well-off Canadian Moore interviews says he's a conservative, but the national health service is an essential given. Can we ever get there? Moore is a provocateur; he also has the ability to speak with the down-to-earth populist voice of the ordinary man of good sense. His obesity may even help him with poor and working class people. Though it's a problem he's privately working on, it keeps him from looking like a sophisticated rich guy.

People tend to respond with scorn or loud applause to Moore's provocations and his methods. This time he's been accused of mindless absurdity for the way he keeps asking Canadian and then British patients and medical personnel what they pay or what they charge when under a government system the answer is always "nothing." These questions didn't seem excessive to me. Moore's point is that Americans are so traumatized by a system based on HMO, insurance company, and drug corporation greed that they simply can't believe the luck of countries where universal health care is granted with no questions asked. There's got to be a catch—the kind of hidden clause, rule, or exception that he's shown the Kaisers, Aetnas, Cignas, Humanas, and the rest in America dream up to make more money for their shareholders and bloated CEO's and allow a baby to die of a fever and a father to die without a bone marrow transplant from a brother. (These two tragedies both involve black people.) Anyone who sees Sicko will remember the man in England who lost most of the fingers on one hand and got them put back on for free, versus the American given the choice after a saw accident: sew back the end of your middle finger, $60,000; of your ring finger, $12.000. Having to rely on his own savings, he went for the ring finger.

Sicko goes further afield. Not only England but also France comes across as paradise compared to the injustices of the USA. Moore films a gathering of Americans who live and work in France to speak up about how generous their work weeks, vacations, maternity leaves and medical care are over there. One woman at the all-Yank Paris dinner says she feels guilty about the good life she can live just by virtue of working in France when her parents back home have struggled so hard and yet still have less. The government even provides in-home nannies; and people (again in Paris presumably) can get an "S.O.S." doctor who makes free house calls in a shiny little white car; Moore goes around with him one night.

Moore doesn't go into detail about the disadvantages of other systems than the American one. In response to some usual criticisms of government medicine, he shows an English doctor who lives well working for the National Health and a Parisian family that is comfortable and happy paying French taxes. What Sicko's' facts and arguments put across to the viewer is that in a world of modern health care where America ranks somewhere around 37th (the 2000 WHO report's estimate), government-sponsored universal medical treatment isn't about democracy, socialism, or capitalism. It's more about humanity—and good sense—versus rapacious greed.

Sicko shows how volunteer post-9/11 World Trade Center helpers suffering from respiratory and PTSS problems have been rejected by the US system and he takes them in a boat to Guantánamo after Congressional testimony stated the prisoners there get better treatment than some in the US. This is one of Moore's old practical joke gestures that leads into a visit to Cuba where the 9/11 volunteers actually get some free diagnoses and treatments, no questions asked. They enter a spectacular marble-lobbied hospital (the Cubans were obviously glad to show off the best of what they've got) and all they need to give is their names and dates of birth.

For some mainstream viewers, the Guantánamo trip or at least the Cuban one might be alienating. But then, there are the heroes of 9/11 along with Moore to validate the journey and say: See how bad US health care is? We have to go to Havana to get help! Medicare, it seems, may not save you with really serious health problems; even for minor ones, government payment of 80% of the bill isn't enough for poor people.

Having nothing more than that myself, this film left me feeling not only depressed but vaguely afraid. And Moore has inserted several key allusions to fear. In an interview the retired English socialist MP Tony Benn says a ruling class tends to control the poor through keeping them demoralized and scared. Later Moore himself generalizes that in France the government is afraid of the people, but in America the people are afraid of the government. Insofar as that's true, it helps explain why Europeans have social services Americans lack. Never having had medical insurance, I feel lucky to have had a lifetime of good health.

But with the technology and education and—yes—the health care system we have in the US—were it more available to all—luck shouldn't be so necessary to have gotten through. The system we have isn't right.

[Chris Knipp]

Notes.

The WHO report (http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html) ranks the US just above Slovenia, as Moore says, but Moore leaves out the fact that just below Slovenia is Cuba.

I came across a white suprematist website where the first post (http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php/sicko-new-michael-moore-documentary-395946.html) expressed shock at what Sicko taught him about US health care. . A sign of how the issues override politics.

The wide pirating of the film won't please Weinstein, but won't it presumably get the film a lot more viewers? Any views on that? It isn't great for box office figures, I guess. Or does it matter for that?

[Johann]

Thanks for all of the reviews.

I saw SiCKO a while ago and I'm completely in Moore's corner.
However I left the theatre feeling quite empty.
It totally feels as if he's preaching to the choir.

Will anything get done on this matter?
This is about control and profit.
As Moore said on the View, would you expect a firefighter to rake in tons of money for doing something so vitally required?
Should police departments all over America be making scads and scads of money for doing an essential service?
Why should the health care industry be about money first and foremost?

The point is that the whole idea of democracy means paying taxes for things exactly like universal health care.

Canada is painted pretty rosily in SiCKO, but it's not 100% awesome. We have bed and nurse shortages, we have longer wait times in major cities, and (having done security in a hospital before) I know first hand how emergency rooms and outpatients operate- it can be a zoo.

but our health care premiums ARE as low as they can be.
Everybody who lives in Canada is generally in agreement that our health care is a giant reason why we love our country.
Remember the scene mentioning Tommy Douglas?
He was voted GREATEST CANADIAN- even over Wayne Gretzky.
And that's saying something. Canadians worship hockey.
To have a non-skate-wearing person being the greatest Canadian is huge.
We are forever grateful to Tommy Douglas.

Moore speaks, but who listens?
Will there be any impact?
Any changes?
Should you hold your breath?
A lot of people have died because of how "things are run"
let's pray something gets done.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Johann
It totally feels as if he's preaching to the choir.
I couldn't possibly disagree more. Mr. Moore starts off by providing convincing evidence that the American system is deplorable. Vignette after vignette that dramatizes just how bad things have gotten. Do you think all this is shown for the benefit of those of us who have been quite aware for years that this system is unfair and based on profits for the few at the expense of the masses?
Then he travels to Canada, France and England assuming a know-nothing persona. This stance is designed to encourage populist identification. It's not for the benefit of those of us lucky to have traveled and witnessed the quality of life of the average Joe and Jane in these countries. The "choir" or the "converted" don't need to be convinced that it's possible to have a comfortable life while paying French taxes or working for the government-regulated British health system. The "choir" or the "converted" are not afraid of the word "socialized", used by the health profiteers to scare away "freedom-loving" Americans. Moore spends considerable time dispelling the myths and stigmas that have been used to keep the American public from demanding the health system we deserve.
Besides, Mr. Moore keeps the discourse at a basic level so that it's accessible and clear to those of limited education due to young age, lack of opportunity, or whatever.
A documentary made for the choir would spend some time dealing with implementation strategy, aspects of others systems that would be most applicable to America and aspects that could be problematic, different approaches to universal health care, potential problems that could arise at different stages of implementation, etc.


Moore speaks, but who listens?
Will there be any impact?
Any changes?
Moore has stated during interviews that we're "a nation of slow-learners". Those getting rich under the present system will put up a fight, old west style, to the death.

[Chris Knipp]

Then he travels to Canada, France and England assuming a know-nothing persona. This stance is designed to encourage populist identification. I definitely agree on that, Oscar. That was my reading.
A documentary made for the choir would spend some time dealing with implementation strategy, aspects of others systems that would be most applicable to America and aspects that could be problematic, different approaches to universal health care, potential problems that could arise at different stages of implementation, etc. I hope we get one of those too.
Those getting rich under the present system will put up a fight, old west style, to the death.And Those getting rich under the present system unfortunately as the movie points out with dollar-graphics over heads, includes principal members of the executive and legislative branches.

Good response, Oscar, but could you reply a bit more fully to Johann's final questions?


Moore speaks, but who listens?
Will there be any impact?
Any changes?
Can you say more about that?

I agree the movie is an outreach to the ordinary guy, but is the ordinary guy seeing it? My hope is this will have an impact on the next presidential campaign by educating the electyorate.

[oscar jubis]

Originally posted by Chris Knipp
And Those getting rich under the present system unfortunately as the movie points out with dollar-graphics over heads, includes principal members of the executive and legislative branches.
Unfortunately.


I agree the movie is an outreach to the ordinary guy, but is the ordinary guy seeing it? My hope is this will have an impact on the next presidential campaign by educating the electorate.
Let's hope it has an impact on the campaign. I don't know if the white supremacist to whom you provided a link is an "ordinary guy" but he certainly doesn't sing in the choir. He's a new convert, it seems. (I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd visit a white supremacist website. I have you to blame/thank for that).

Regarding Sicko's box office performance. This is an assessment from the best site I know (BoxOffice Mojo) written on Monday:
"The weekend saw the expansion of Sicko, director Michael Moore's first movie since Fahrenheit 9/11. The Lionsgate-distributed political documentary about medical care logged $4.5 million on around 550 screens at 441 sites, which was healthy by genre standards but anemic relative to Fahrenheit. Sicko's makers publicly set Moore's Bowling for Columbine as the box office goal for the $9 million picture's success—Bowling racked up $21.6 million by the end of its run."

Since that comment was posted, Sicko has further expanded to 628 theatres and continues to hold its place towards the bottom of the Top 10. Now, this is most important: Sicko is actually fighting for third place in admissions-per-screen with Live Free or Die Hard. This bodes well for Sicko's further expansion to more screens. Some of the theaters currently playing flash-in-the-pan Evan Almighty (over 3000!) in smaller markets will soon be showing Sicko soon. That's my prediction based on my experience with these issues and the daily box office numbers as reported by Box Office Mojo.

[Chris Knipp]

(I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd visit a white supremacist website. I have you to blame/thank for that). Don't blame me, blame Google. I looked up a pairing of ideas (I forget which, "Moore Sicko" + something, ) and came to the site. It's health to look at sites like this. Away from The Choir. We could talk to this guy. After all, the first two quotes in his signature are from Orwell and JFK. How alien is that?

It was amazing how convinced by the film the guy was. Glad you looked there. Interesting how the white supremacists re-sort the issues, but still continue to grant some of the film's basic premises about the weaknesses of our health system. This is a sign of Moore's ability as a communicator at the most basic gut level. And remember, white supremacists are outsiders too: Bush isn't going to consider them "my base" like he does the super-rich.

Hope the process you look for in the releases takes place. I think more important than the sheer numbers perhaps are the demographics of the releases. Maybe the Grand Lake (Oakland) release of Sicko is more important in the East Bay than the Berkeley one, because Berkeley is The Choir. Oakland is more of a cross section. The guy who owns the Grand Lake (the most classic old movie palace in the East Bay) is an activist.

[mouton]

Hey all ...

Great review work. The passion that comes out on this subject from those living in the system is disheartening while at the same time encouraging. Like most documentaries, SICKO will likely only be seen by those who are interested in the topic and not be enough of the population to encourage real change. After seeing it though, it's hard to imagine any American citizen not seeing through the lies.

Chris, you asked me a long ways back in this thread whether Moore's portrayal of the Canadian health care system was fair. In the film, I found the Canadian health care system to be presented as the bare minimum socialized system in comparison to England and France. Still, the point is to show it as better than the USA. I do not live in Windsor but here in Montreal, there is no way any one would wait a mere hour in an emergency waiting room. I have at times been there for six or seven hours. That being said, once treated, you have no bill to pay. This is great for the pocketbook but this means that some times waiting weeks for testing or procedures. In fact, I have chronic sinus problems and I have a CT scan scheduled for next week. I will pay nothing for it but scheduled it two months ago. My father had a mild heart attack last winter. When I went to visit him, his bed was in the emergency room as there were no private or semi-private rooms available. He spent three days there before being moved to a room. Others spent their time in the hallway. But again, he had no bill to pay. Canadians complain all the time about their health care system, about the waiting or about the overcrowded hospitals but I would rather deal with that than deciding between which finger to leave behind or worse yet, walking out of a hospital without receiving any treatment at all to accept death as my fate or that of a loved one because my insurance wouldn't cover it.
The only thing I worry about my insurance covering is my acupuncture or my massage therapy. Big difference ... not without its faults but big.

[Johann]

It's definitely a film that should give Americans a good shake, but when people leave the theatre have they got action on their minds? Outrage? They should.
They should be so appalled and shocked that they will mobilize some kind of revolt.

This state of affairs with regards to insurance companies and HMO's should turn your blood into lava.

What do you think of Hilary Clinton now?
I knew she was a barracuda before, now it's engraved in granite.
Flip-flopper? God what a phony woman. That forced smile (the smile hides the truth!), the money she rakes in! her and Bill must think they're the king and queen of the outcasted teens.

Hilary was all about health care not too long ago.
Now she's...what?
A money-grubbing barracuda who thinks she's "living history". Sorry Hilary. You're Living Greed

Moore is preaching to the choir for a few reasons.

1. the choir (me and many others) are the only ones who're gonna go and see his work with interest. Everybody with some semblance of conscience knows who Mike is and what he does.
The rest don't go near his films or books, because either they are part of the problem that he exposes and glaringly see themselves (and who would want that? STAY AWAY!) OR they are part of the ignorant public who don't go to the cinemas, the ones who couldn't care less, who do not have major USA issues on the brain.

2. If you didn't already have an inkling of how bad the United States health care system is then yes, you'll have a huge wake up call when you sit down to see Moore's latest. The choir already knows. If you saw TV NATION way back in the 90's then you knew. Oh, you didn't see TV Nation? Neither did anybody else- it was cancelled because nobody tuned in.
Yessir, "Friends" and "Seinfeld" was more important than exposing corruption and bullshit.

3. The right-wingers HATE Michael Moore. HATE HIM.
after Faherenheit (and how it shone a giant spotlight on some evil evil shit) there are some people who will never get over it, will never forgive Michael for his op-ed on all that is Holy in Washington and Iraq. The pain of the truth and exposure of all kinds of ugliness inspired a lot of resentment among many Americans (and others around the world).
With such a huge "us vs. them" division in the States, how can anything ever get better?
Fahrenheit should've kick-started a complete and total re-haul of priorities, values and leaders. It didn't.

Are Americans so fucking shallow that they'd rather leave things as they are then admit that a fat guy from Flint has actually got a fucking point and something should be done? I wonder.

[Chris Knipp]

(Mouton:)
The only thing I worry about my insurance covering is my acupuncture or my massage therapy. Big difference ... not without its faults but big. Thank you for your reply to my question. Do people always have to wait that long in Emergency in Montreal? Normally the wait varies according to time of day and time of week or seriousness of problems that come in ahead of you, wouldn't you say? What about acupuncture or massage--does anything cover that for you, ever?
(Johann:)
It's definitely a film that should give Americans a good shake, but when people leave the theatre have they got action on their minds? Outrage? They should.
They should be so appalled and shocked that they will mobilize some kind of revolt. I hope they will be so appalled and shocked that they will mobilize some kind of revolt too. First I hope they will try to inform themselves further, because Sicko leaves a lot of information to be found out by us and mobilizing a revolt requires that one be well informed, else it goes nowhere worthwhile.
the choir (me and many others) are the only ones who're gonna go and see his work with interest. Everybody with some semblance of conscience knows who Mike is and what he does.. . . If you didn't already have an inkling of how bad the United States health care system is then yes, you'll have a huge wake up call when you sit down to see Moore's latest. But we found the white supremacist guy was not the choir and he did go--somehow he got invited to a free screening, said he wouldn't have paid--and got his eyes opened and his mind blown. He had not had a clue, but after Sicko, he had a whole new set of perceptions, and as Oscar suggested, this is the kind of person the movie was made for. That's not to say The Choir won't go to see it, but it's not designed for them, rather for much less informed and undecided people.
OR they are part of the ignorant public who don't go to the cinemas. . .I don't think we can say that, Johann--there are plenty of indications that the ignorant public does go to the cinemas.
there are some people who will never get over it, will never forgive Michael for his op-ed on all that is Holy in Washington and IraqThe white supremacist thought that, but then he saw Sicko and changed his mind. Anybody can change his mind, and your granite block evil conservative is a closet liberal. The polls indicate that we as a nation are far more liberal than our government or our media suggest or assume.
Fahrenheit should've kick-started a complete and total re-haul of priorities, values and leaders. It didn't.The American political climate and Bush's approval rating have changed enormously since Fahrenheit 9/11. But as Oscar mentioned, "Moore has stated during interviews that we're "a nation of slow-learners".

[Johann]

I missed the whole "white supremacist guy" thing.

Americans may be slow learners (doesn't that mean that you have the perfect President to represent the people? He's a slow learner too- he's not "elite"- he's just like regular folks!) but they've/you've learned just how bad things are and still no 100 million man march. Still no galvanizing of patriots to take the country back from morons and greedheads.
How long will SiCKO be available to rent and buy on DVD before anything even remotely begins to change?

See, my pessimism rears it's ugly head again.

Slow learners? Fine. But once you learn what do you do?
There's no action. No deals, as Trump likes to say.
Cindy Sheehan tried action...look where it got her.
America showed the world where they stand and it leaves a lot to be desired.

What sadness descends on the barracades...
What hopelessness shrouds the barbed wire...

Best Nation in the World?
If you say so...

The ignorant public does go to the cinemas, but it's usually to see some mind-numbing crass commercialism,which they don't really watch anyway. They're too busy texting and thinking about their next purchase at the mall.

I'm generalizing, but there are many thoughts running through my head about who would go see a Moore film and why.
I have this overwhelming suspicion that those who go see it have precious reasons for purchasing their ticket. But what do I know?

I just see SiCKO being relegated to the dustbin of "Movies That Should've Changed Things".

If the kind of change we all know needs to come, it will be many many years from now, after many many many many more people have died and experienced first-hand what Moore shows in his film.
That's the conclusion I come to.
If people in America aren't dealing with the issue first-hand and it ain't in their face with it's evil they don't give a damn.
Is my TV program on? Is beer & food in the fridge?
Have I still got my low-paying job? No injuries yet?
Good. All is good.

[Chris Knipp]

I'm sorry you missed the white supremacist guy Johann. Here he is, and this is how he starts out:

http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php/sicko-new-michael-moore-documentary-395946.html


I just got home from a screening of "Sicko"...Michael Moore's new documentary. I was astounded by what I saw. I know that Moore has a habit of lying, and making stuff up, but there really wasn't a whole lot that he could make up in this video. He showed healthcare from France, Italy, Britain, Canada, USA and Cuba.

One particular lady paid $120/month for her medication up here, it cost 5 cents in Cuba. That same medication was $10 in Britain, and free in Italy, Canada and France. I was amazed how crappy our healthcare system is compared to the european countries. I mean they can walk into any hospital, or see any doctor, and it's FREE! $0! ZIP! NO PAYMENT NECESSARY! It goes on for eight paragraphs. He's a convert. His conclusion:
I'm kind of sick after watching this, and more than just a bit angry. Look at how much we're WASTING on our silly war for Israel, and IMAGINE how much healthcare we could provide for that kind of cash! This country's priorities are fubar.

According to "Michael Moore's Sicko" by Christopher Hayes, the lead article (http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070716/hayes) in the new issue of The Nation, when Moore was on Oprah recently she told her audience to see the film.
During Moore's recent appearance on her show, she was careful not to seem to be endorsing anything too radical, and Moore obliged by saying that healthcare wasn't a "partisan issue" and he was looking to reach across the aisle. Then Oprah turned to the audience and said she finally "got it" when in the film Moore points out that we don't charge for the services of firemen or think profit should have anything to do with firefighting. Then she told her audience to go out and see the film. She can make a book a bestseller, so no doubt she can make people see a movie. Hayes says, "Sicko is far, far less partisan than Fahrenheit, but much more ideological."

[Johann]

WOWZA.

Chris, where did you dig up that website?!
A website to promote the survival of the white race?
I'd laugh if it wasn't said seriously by the administrator.
I didn't know that you surfed those kinds of sites..
*Johann ducks*
Just kidding man.
HATE.
Alive and well on the internet.

Bizarro message board. I'd like to ask Talon IV (or whatever his handle is): if a black man saved your life would still hate blacks?
yes?
wow.
I found it downright hilarious that this guy talks about how socialized health care sounds pretty good in other countries, what with the next-to-no-cost prescriptions, high quality treatments and such.
Why should you be interested, O ye who wishes he was in a Hitler youth brigade? You have Nazi's running your country.
By your own life standards everything is running tickety-tock.

Socialized health care is bad- it would mean blacks would have access to the same health care as you, and would pay the same price as you. For the SAME CARE.
We are the same SPECIES, S.S. Clown.
We have the same bodies that are subject to the same injuries and ailments that a doctor can fix.

Light bulb moment...

[Chris Knipp]

Glad you took a look at it. As I mentioned, I found it via a Google search of Google + something, that's all. Nazism and white suprematism are "socialist" parties. Who knows? They could always let their hair grow, get black friends, and join a march for a single-payer health system with Michael Moore. They're welcome as far as I'm concerned. We need everybody to join in.

I don't think they're too fond of Bush, at this point. Who is?

To accomplish anything everybody has to compromise some of their principles.

[mouton]

Hey Chris ... waiting in emergency is similar here. You wait according to seriousness of your problem. I guess I've never been to emergency for anything truly serious. That being said, the people in SICKO that waited no time certainly didn't look like they had anything serious either. As for time of day, waiting is pretty common no matter what time according to the stories I've heard.

My insurance through my employer covers both acupuncture and massage ... as well as perscriptions and dental. The province of Quebec (where I live) also has a mandatory insurance plan for all who are not already covered through an existing plan.

It's nice not to have to think about money and medicine.

[Chris Knipp]

That sounds really good, mouton. I'm not really any expert on this, but it looks like all company offerings are steadily waning here in the US--as are retirement benefits--and we don't have any state programs corresponding to Quebec Province's "mandatory insurance plan for all who are not already covered through an existing plan." Things are just better and more secure up there in Canada where you love. We need a Tommy Douglas of our own.
Canadian viewers will spend much of the 113-minute running time giving silent thanks to Tommy Douglas, founder of our universal health-care program. Beyond that comfy feeling of self-congratulation, though, there are other reasons for Canucks to see this film. Moore's best work since Roger and Me, Sicko reminds us that the Flint, Mich.-born filmmaker has managed to bring passionate political discussion into the mainstream movieplex. . .[it concludes] everything about this angry and effective film will make you realize the greatness of Douglas's achievement.
--"What's on Winnepeg" (http://www.whatsonwinnipeg.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24887) article about Sicko by Alison Gillmor.