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'Volcanically funny and seriously scary!'
Bowling For Columbine receives favourable reviews.
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Arthur J Pais
Don't tell Michael Moore that his film Bowling For Columbine is perfectly timed because of the sniper attacks in Washington D C area that have killed over half a dozen people.
"You could open this film in any given week in America," he was quoted in Variety as saying, "and it would be timely." In fact, he thinks it is even more timely in the context of war threats over Iraq. For, he believes that American streak for violence has continually led to violent interference in world affairs.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) has not shied from shooting down Michael Moore's anti-gun documentary Bowling For Columbine, claiming he knows nothing
about the relevance of guns. But audiences in New York and Los Angeles warmly embraced the film. In three days, the film grossed $200,000 and distributor MGM-United Artists will add about three dozen screens this weekend. If the film continues to do well in other cities, there surely will be more expansions, and it could end up in about 750 theaters.
The NRA may discover some interesting things about guns and violence in Moore's film. Though he portrays gun merchants in awful light, he also points out that Canada has more guns per person than America. And yet violent incidents and death toll in that country are much lower. Is there something
inherent in American culture that makes them prone to violence? He asks Americans to examine their phobias and fears.
The film, which received a standing ovation of over 12 minutes at Cannes where it won a top award, apart from an enthusiastic reception at the Toronto International Film Festival, was made for less than $1 million. Some industry observers say they would not be surprised if it makes $5 million in America and substantially more abroad. It is grippingly made, has a strong point of view and plenty of wit. Reviews have been favourable, too.
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"Disturbing, infuriating and often very funny," wrote A O Scott in his review for The New York Times. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone found the film "volcanically funny and seriously scary".
While several distributors have shied away from 9/11, which is perceived to be anti-American or critical of America, MGM/UA had no hesitation in giving Bowling For Columbine a red carpet treatment. There are going to be bigger and more advertisements for the film in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, The Trials Of Henry Kissinger, a blistering attack on the Nobel Prize winner who is treated as a war criminal in the film, enjoys an excellent run in specialised theaters in a handful of cities. It may expand to dozens of cities in the coming weeks.
External Link
Sniper shootings
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