Rating: 
Summary: Some moderation, please
Review: I get the feeling from reading through some of these reviews (both negative and positive) that they were left without the writer ever seeing Bowling for Columbine. Many of the 5-star reviews simply support gun control, which I didn't feel was the focus of this movie. One the other hand, many of the 1-star reviews are somewhere along the lines of "Michael Moore is a fat pinko who is working for the Soviet Controlled United Nations. He made Charlton Heston look like a jack@ss, boo hoo." or "This movie is full of bias and socialist propaganda, just check out Rush Limbaugh's page on it". The bottom line is that there is misleading info in this movie.
The tally of gun deaths, which lists America's gun violence as dozens of times higher than other countries is not based on a per capita measure, it is based on overall numbers. After the adjustment, France, Japan, Germany, Canada, etc. end up having only about eleven times more gun death then we do (at most). Does this statistical issue make a world of difference? I don't think so, but apparently a few right-wing writers do.
All the sites I have seen go into the errors in Bowling For Columbine have made the argument that the Lockheed Martin plant depicted in the movie does not actually make missiles for the military. Lockheed Martin's website disagrees, however. If the plant did not make these missiles, would the PR guy in the film discuss the purpose of these missiles? I think not. The most ironic part of this argument is that there is a large metal rocket in the background of the PR Guy and Moore's bit which has "United States AIR FORCE" written on it.
I can go on and on about the issues I have with the "Bowling for Columbine lies" pages, but after addressing a few of my problems, I would only like to add that every one of those pages I have seen is more than 50% "The implication of this scene is..." followed by some interpretation I just could not fathom getting from the movie. The bottom line is that Bowling For Columbine is about the culture of fear in America, and how many mentalities may be noble, but nonetheless dangerous. It is an excellent compilation of witty and interesting insights to a problem Americans cannot ignore. I choose to give it 4 stars instead of 5 because the film doesn't seem to flow (to me), it just seems like a collection of different pieces centered around one ultimate idea.
Rating: 
Summary: One star is too generous
Review: I don't know what to say, but this was a complete waste of my two hours. There was absolutely no point to this "documentary". Moore has offered his audience nothing new to the gun debate. Moore ,whom I enjoyed on T.V. nation, has really lost his focus. What was the whole point of him going to missile manufacturer? How's that revelant to the debate? Was it cool to pick on a guy who is suffering from Alzheimers? Heston may be the figure head of an organisation that is odious to the far left wing, but he is still a human being and deserves some respect and compassion.
I belive Moore is just using his position to get rich! All I ever see him doing now is railing against white males. Does he actually have any solutions? Anybody can pick apart an administration, or the ills of society. It is something quite different to actually propose solutions.
Rating: 
Summary: Thought provoking documentary about violence in the U.S.
Review: If you are willing to accept the challenge to not only think but do some soul searching about the violence in America, this documentary is for you. It is an extremely important topic, as about 12,000 people die in incidents involving guns each year in the U.S. This compares with countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan and Germany with only 100 or 200 deaths each year. "Bowling for Columbine" has received many foreign awards and its message seems to be thrust at Americans as a world opinion statement. America has a violent culture. It may seem unpatriotic to entertain the same idea in the U.S., but it is exactly this type of soul searching that is going to prevent future Columbine type incidents. Or even worse, a repeat of the 6 year old student that shot another 6 year old student in Flint, Michigan, Michael Moore's hometown. In both situations, Charlton Heston came to both Columbine and Flint just weeks after these horrifying incidents to preach about the right to bear arms. Young lives are worth the work in soul searching. Maybe some of the answers point to the collective "us." Maybe it is more than O.K. to own the fact that we are the ones generating a violent culture out of fear. And if we stop being driven by fear blindly by those that would manipulate us, we break the cycle. This is an extremely important step to take, which makes this an extremely important documentary.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: On my list of quality films, this one rates pretty high. Even if you think you know it all about gun-related issues, this documentary is bound to teach you something. My husband and I were on opposite ends of the issue for years. I'm glad we watched this movie together. We both felt like we understood the various issues much better, and we grew closer in our beliefs as a result. I recommend this movie for people who are: open-minded, curious, interested in learning, and tolerant. I do not recommend this movie for people who are: close-minded, intolerant, stupid, or raised by their television.
Rating:
Summary: Well Done- 4.5 Stars
Review: This documentary of Michael Moore's search for answers to the Columbine massacre takes a hard look at the gun culture in the United States. While the arguments Moore presents are not backed up with enough solid evidence to make it a true scientific study, he does make a few undeniable points on the United States culture. The questions raised in this film are far more important than the facts given.Being a Canadian, I think his comparison between the United States and Canada is a little misleading. Canada is not a utopia of friendly and safe people, but then again, I can't remember the last time I locked my door. Overall, this film is probably as biased as the people it is meant to criticize, but you cannot deny that Moore has a point, which is important to all Americans to understand. From an international perspective, I feel a lot of other countries will misinterpret much of this movie to maximize the faults of the US. I feel that a country which can recognize its own faults (however unwillingly) is better off than one living in a falsely perceived utopia. At least this film will force the US government and citizens to do something they have not done in quite sometime. Think. Perhaps one day other countries will follow Michael Moore's example.
Rating:
Summary: True no matter how you look at it
Review: No matter what side you are on there is no getting around the facts that were presented by Michael Moore in this film. He examined all possibilities and out of all the people he interviewed...those who are supposed to be educated and held in the lime-light (Dick Clark, Charlten Heston) and those who are seen as morally dispicable (Marilyn Manson), the "morally dispicable" Manson is the only one who said anything that made sense. When asked by Moore what Manson would say to the children of Columbine his response was "Nothing, I would have listened to them, no one did that." When the people we applaude are seen racing away from an interview because they can't handle the heat and the man we are supposed to blame for the downfall of our moral society is the one answering the tough questions and answering them beautifully, we need to question what we believe based on fact and what we believe because we are brainwashed to believe it. Moore's film was an amazing tribute to the poor people of this country whom have been forgotten or pushed aside by their government, the poor people of other countries who have suffered at the hands of America, the children and families affected by Columbine and the shooting in Flint. It was an eye opener for all of those who think our government is perfect, our stars are perfect, our media cares, that people like Marilyn Manson are to blame for our youth shooting each other. The majority of shooting stems from the top-dogs...our government. Right or wrong...no matter how you feel about war or killing...our children see what is considered patriotic in America and if they kill it is in reflection of that type of patriotism.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful filmmaking
Review: I'll take a step back from the obvious political agenda in this film. It's been covered up and down 100 times.
The thing that makes this film so strong is the editing. When Moore goes from images of war and horror with "It's a Wonderful World" in the backdrop to the surveillance video of Columbine in a matter of minutes it hits you like a ton of bricks. You may even shed a tear when the images of the Twin Towers being hit are presented.
And you probably won't feel too good about this country and where it's heading because while it presents the argument up front the solution is buried well beyond Moore's shovel or even worse yet unobtainable at this point in our country's history.
Rating:
Summary: Full of emotion
Review: While I dont agree with all of Moore's theories, he does put out a good documentary. He shows the fear that Americans feel and their love for guns. The film is both funny and sad at the same time. The movie makes you think and is interesting to watch.
Rating:
Summary: This movie isn't only about gun control
Review: It is also about asking the question "What makes the United States such a violent and fearful nation?".The most eye-opening
sequence in the movie(at least for me)is when Micheal goes to
Canada.He interviews people and discovers that Canadians don't
lock their doors.He goes house to house in Toronto and opens door after door.People seem more relaxed about things up there.
This movie is frequently funny,moving,and thought-provoking.
Some other reviews are quick to denounce this movie.But to me
this just proves how great this movie is.It deserves all the
awards it received!
Rating:
Summary: W would hate this film! That's good enough for me!!!
Review: This is a great DOCUMENTARY that has all the conservative's diapers in an uproar!!! It won an Oscar (probably deserved a couple more) which the right-wing would like to take away (maybe Issa will 'sponsor' another recall?). There's nothing better than watching a conservative whine like a stuck pig! Buy, rent or however, WATCH this film!!! It stimulates dialog - another thing Bush and Rush hate!!! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! Plus you may find out (spoiler) it's not about gun grabbing!
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