Bowling For Columbine

If this doesn’t win an Oscar in March, I’ll be very surprised. Yes, it has flaws (but not as bad you might imagine - Moore goes to great length to avoid the usual “ban all guns!” rhetoric that this type of documentary can easily slip into), but it’s a stunning look into the psyche of the United States.

A particular highlight is the Matt Stone/Trey Parker history of America animated short halfway through the film, while the “What A Wonderful World” musical interlude presents a damning (although admittedly one-sided) view on American foreign policy through the past fifty years. There’s been some condemnation about the interview with Charlton Heston, but that took place a long time before Heston revealed that he may eventually have Alzheimer’s, plus he had ample time to prepare for the meeting, so he should have been ready for Moore’s questions.

What I like most about the film is that Moore doesn't present us with a simple solution to the problem, or even why it exists in the first place; what makes Windsor (in Canada)a place where people feel comfortable leaving their house unlocked, while a few miles away in Detroit, fear rules the city?