K-walking: We're ALL broke
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Michael Moore's latest target is 'Capitalism' itself
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By John Anderson, Newsday
What's the difference between Michael Moore and Fox News? Both are fair and balanced. Or craven, manipulative demagogues. It just depends on whom you ask. And you're likely to get an argument either way.
As polarizing as the right's Ann Coulter or Glenn Beck, the filmmaking Moore has been the left's loudest voice and largest silhouette for about 20 years _ since "Roger & Me," his satiric assault on General Motors for the closing of auto plants in Flint, Mich. And those were lean times for liberals.
"He was rain in a dry desert," says documentarian Rick Caine, who, with his wife, Debbie Melnyk, made the Moore critique "Manufacturing Dissent." For that movie, Melnyk says, it was difficult getting anyone to talk about Moore, good or bad.
"Think about it," Caine said. "You had both houses of Congress controlled by the Republicans, no Democrats were really saying anything. He was the left's hero. But with Obama, those days are kind of over."
Or are they? Not if Moore has anything to say about it, and he's never at a loss for something to say. "Capitalism: A Love Story" is Moore's sixth theatrical documentary and a full-frontal assault on the right's golden calf itself _ free enterprise.
That Moore hasn't changed his style _ a style that has been quite profitable, thanks _ is apparent immediately, in the bloated analogies, the faux-avuncular voice-over, the attempt (replete with a roll of police tape) to declare Wall Street a crime scene. But what also seems clear is that, at 55, Moore has lost his timing.
It happens to comedians and home-run hitters and Moore has been a little of both: The financially well-upholstered anti-capitalist documentarian has made three of the five all-time top-grossing nonfiction films ("Bowling for Columbine," "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Sicko") and done so by making big, complicated political issues palatable through humor _ or, one might also say, making nonfiction comedies that exploit the resentments and fears of the left.
It took him a long time to find the formula: "Roger & Me," because it concerned Moore's hometown and its abandonment by General Motors, had a level of genuine pathos, something the filmmaker has tried to re-create in his other films, without much success. But it was followed by the lamentable fiction comedy "Canadian Bacon," which imagined a war against Canada, and then "The Big One" (1998), a chronicle of Moore's book tour in support of the 1996 "Downsize This!" during which he launched haphazard commentary on American economics and helped unionize a Borders bookstore.
Where Moore found his stride, though, was via the programs "TV Nation," a "60 Minutes" knockoff, and "The Awful Truth," which satirized corporations and politicians. This segued into "Bowling for Columbine" (2002), which is probably Moore's best film and a trenchant examination of firearms and gun violence in the United States. Inspired by the 1999 Colorado high school massacre, it ranged far and wide in surveying Americans' fascination with firearms and violence, and showed that Moore could be as ruthless as the National Rifle Association: His predatory interview with enfeebled NRA spokesman Charlton Heston put even Moore's supporters off, but the film became the highest-grossing doc of its time.
It was with his next movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11" (2004) _ still the top-grossing doc ever _ that Moore's propagandist credentials not only came into serious disrepute, but he began to be seen as a potential liability. An attack on the Bush reaction to 9/11 and the state of America, post-bin Laden, "Fahrenheit" was timed to tip the 2004 presidential election to John Kerry, but as usual, Moore was preaching to the converted.
Not only that, his film was seen as helping mobilize the right: In a well-publicized nose-tweaking, citizensunited.org erected a billboard on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood thanking Moore and other left-leaning entertainers for the re-election of George W. Bush.
"Fahrenheit's" problem wasn't just timing _ Moore, after all, never makes any Obama-like gestures across the aisle _ but it certainly didn't help. Likewise, "Sicko" (2007) _ if one wanted to effect change, wouldn't a film about the state of American health care be released right now? And wouldn't a film about the economic collapse of 2008 have been more timely in 2008?
"For 20 years," Moore says during "Capitalism," "I've been warning GM that this day would come." For America's self-appointed Cassandra, he's something less than prescient.
But Moore won't be moving to any socialist nations anytime soon. "What did 'Sicko' make?" asked Bingham Ray, who bought "Bowling for Columbine" for United Artists. "Thirty-six million dollars? His audience is out there."
And they'll likely have a love affair with "Capitalism," which tells them what they want to know. Although not necessarily when they needed to know it.
(c) 2009, Newsday. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
'Pandorum' pandemonium: Sci-fi film finally opening in theaters
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SAN FRANCISCO _ Time can move slowly in the movie world — just ask the cast of "Pandorum."
The sci-fi horror film opens Friday, seven months after members of the cast traveled to the WonderCon comic book/movie/pop culture convention to hype it. And the publicity didn't start until months after the movie was shot.
What everyone finally will see this weekend is how two astronauts (Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster) wake up in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. They can't remember anything. The pair soon discovers _ in "Alien" fashion _ there's more happening on the ship than they could imagine.
The sci-fi and horror genres are familiar worlds to Foster, who appeared in "30 Days of Night" and "X-Men: The Last Stand." He says it's not the genre but the script that attracted him to this movie.
"I can usually tell in a few pages if I want to be in a project. I knew with this one as soon as I read the first page. That whole idea about waking up and not knowing who you are seemed like something fun to do," Foster says.
As for the lag time between filming and the opening, it's familiar territory for Foster. The 29-year-old actor has seen plenty of movies take a long time to reach theaters during the 12 years he's been working.
Antje Traue, who plays the character Nadia, is in a brave new world with "Pandorum." Before the sci-fi chiller, Traue worked in small films in her home country of Germany. None of those movies involved the special effects, fan interest or the long delay to get released that she has dealt with in "Pandorum."
"I have never done a film in this genre before 'Pandorum.' Now I know what it means to be in such a movie because it is so focused and done in bits and pieces. It is not like a character piece where you go into your character and stay in your character," Traue says. "This kind of movie comes together in the editing room."
Because of the special effects, it took months after the filming before Traue got to see exactly what was happening in the movie. (But the film was not screened for critics in advance.)
(c) 2009, The Fresno Bee (Fresno, Calif.). Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
It’s easy to find ways to save money on food, and fun, too
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By Whitney Chaffin
Daily Kent Stater
I saved $179.28 by eating one free meal a day for a week.
Finding ways to budget money can be difficult, especially for a college student. I know first-hand what it’s like to be broke, so I decided to do an experiment. For one week, I tried to eat at least one free meal every day. I set a budget of $50 on my meal plan, and I didn’t allow myself to use any cash. Here’s my day-to-day account of what happened. I was surprised at how much free food I could find in just one week.
Day 1: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake, $2.99 Dasani
Free Meal: Hamburger, chips, 2 mini cupcakes
Cash: $0
The first free meal I received was a hamburger and chips from a TV2 cookout. Later that night, I got mini cupcakes from an upperclassman I work with. I was pumped about that because I was craving something sweet.
Day 2: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake, $2.99 Dasani
Free Meal: Banana, Hungry Howie’s small cheese pizza
Cash: $0
On Day Two, I started my morning off with a free banana from the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. I go there everyday to buy a protein shake, and because of how often I go there, the cashier gave me a free banana. That evening, I got a free Hungry Howie’s pizza from a promotional code on their billboard. I texted the number to Hungry Howie’s, and I picked up my free pizza. Although pizza isn’t in my regular diet, I was willing to cheat since it was a free meal.
Day 3: Meal Plan: $3.19 Einstein’s egg/cheese wrap, $6.00 Asian Jump, $2.99 Dasani
Free Meal: Taste of Kent samples
Cash: $0
On my third day, I went to the Taste of Kent at Risman Plaza and took advantage of the free samples of the foods that the campus has to offer. With the unlimited refills, I was full until the next day. I loved it.
Day 4: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake, $2.99 Dasani, $3.19 Einstein’s wrap
Free Meal: Rosie’s chicken wrap and yogurt
Cash: $0
When I got to my fourth day, I decided to mooch off of my friend who has the Premiere Plus meal plan. He bought me a Rosie’s chicken wrap and yogurt.
Day 5: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake
Free Meal: Red Lobster with my mom
Cash: $0
For the remaining three days, I went home to eat with my family. It’s always nice to go home once in a while and not have to spend any money on food. Usually at my house, whatever my mom cooks, I eat. I like it because I don’t spend any money. So, on Day Five, I met my mom at Red Lobster. It was her treat.
Day 6: Meal Plan: $0
Free Meal: Cereal, burger, chips, cake, ice cream
Cash: $0
On Day Six, my little cousin had a birthday party. You know what that means: Lots of free food. I took advantage of all the cake and ice cream I could get my hands on.
Day 7: Meal Plan: $0
Free Meal: Waffles, cereal, Johnny Appleseed festival samples
Cash: $0
On my final day, I ate breakfast at my house which was free and stopped by a festival near my hometown. At the festival I was able to convince my mom into buying me a hot apple dumpling. I also was able to scrounge up some samples the festival had to offer from all the vendors. That was awesome!
Total spent on meal plan: $41.50
Total saved: $179.28
You can see that I managed to save $179.28 and only used $41.50 on my meal plan. Not spending any cash for a week can really help out when you’re low on money. Using a meal plan can also help save on cash. However, sometimes the food on campus is much more expensive than food at a regular food mart. If you get a few extra dollars to spend at a grocery store, I suggest buying cheap items that you can use to make food in your room; for example, buy bread, lunchmeat, cheese, peanut butter and jelly. Lunchmeat can last long enough to have one sandwich every day for a week and peanut butter and jelly are always good on a sandwich or toast.
Tips on saving money:
-Take advantage of free events and ways to get free food on campus.
-Keep an eye out for coupons and discount cards
-If you don’t have a way of getting a free meal, go to a food mart, by a few of your favorite items and cook them in your room. You’ll save money if you buy your favorite foods in a larger quantity than to buy it on campus for one meal.
-Set a budget for yourself in order to save money and decrease the amount of unnecessary spending.
At the end of my week, I decided that eating one free meal a day is a bargain. There are so many ways to get free food on campus, and I strongly suggest taking advantage of it if you’re on a budget and need to save a little cash. Sometimes, going to things like the Johnny Appleseed festival can be fun, too. And don’t forget the benefits of stopping by mom and dad’s house.
Contact features correspondent Whitney Chaffin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Whitney’s daily diet without a budget:
$7.29 Chicken Wrap
$2.99 Dasani Water
$3.99 Yogurt
$6.00 Asian
$2.99 Dasani Water
$5.29 Hard Boiled Eggs
$2.99 Dasani Water
Total: $31.54 a day
Weekly: $220.78
It’s easy to find ways to save money on food, and fun, too
- Details
- Written by Administrator
- Hits: 1339
{/HTML}
By Whitney Chaffin
Daily Kent Stater
I saved $179.28 by eating one free meal a day for a week.
Finding ways to budget money can be difficult, especially for a college student. I know first-hand what it’s like to be broke, so I decided to do an experiment. For one week, I tried to eat at least one free meal every day. I set a budget of $50 on my meal plan, and I didn’t allow myself to use any cash. Here’s my day-to-day account of what happened. I was surprised at how much free food I could find in just one week.
Day 1: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake, $2.99 Dasani
Free Meal: Hamburger, chips, 2 mini cupcakes
Cash: $0
The first free meal I received was a hamburger and chips from a TV2 cookout. Later that night, I got mini cupcakes from an upperclassman I work with. I was pumped about that because I was craving something sweet.
Day 2: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake, $2.99 Dasani
Free Meal: Banana, Hungry Howie’s small cheese pizza
Cash: $0
On Day Two, I started my morning off with a free banana from the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. I go there everyday to buy a protein shake, and because of how often I go there, the cashier gave me a free banana. That evening, I got a free Hungry Howie’s pizza from a promotional code on their billboard. I texted the number to Hungry Howie’s, and I picked up my free pizza. Although pizza isn’t in my regular diet, I was willing to cheat since it was a free meal.
Day 3: Meal Plan: $3.19 Einstein’s egg/cheese wrap, $6.00 Asian Jump, $2.99 Dasani
Free Meal: Taste of Kent samples
Cash: $0
On my third day, I went to the Taste of Kent at Risman Plaza and took advantage of the free samples of the foods that the campus has to offer. With the unlimited refills, I was full until the next day. I loved it.
Day 4: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake, $2.99 Dasani, $3.19 Einstein’s wrap
Free Meal: Rosie’s chicken wrap and yogurt
Cash: $0
When I got to my fourth day, I decided to mooch off of my friend who has the Premiere Plus meal plan. He bought me a Rosie’s chicken wrap and yogurt.
Day 5: Meal Plan: $4.29 Protein Shake
Free Meal: Red Lobster with my mom
Cash: $0
For the remaining three days, I went home to eat with my family. It’s always nice to go home once in a while and not have to spend any money on food. Usually at my house, whatever my mom cooks, I eat. I like it because I don’t spend any money. So, on Day Five, I met my mom at Red Lobster. It was her treat.
Day 6: Meal Plan: $0
Free Meal: Cereal, burger, chips, cake, ice cream
Cash: $0
On Day Six, my little cousin had a birthday party. You know what that means: Lots of free food. I took advantage of all the cake and ice cream I could get my hands on.
Day 7: Meal Plan: $0
Free Meal: Waffles, cereal, Johnny Appleseed festival samples
Cash: $0
On my final day, I ate breakfast at my house which was free and stopped by a festival near my hometown. At the festival I was able to convince my mom into buying me a hot apple dumpling. I also was able to scrounge up some samples the festival had to offer from all the vendors. That was awesome!
Total spent on meal plan: $41.50
Total saved: $179.28
You can see that I managed to save $179.28 and only used $41.50 on my meal plan. Not spending any cash for a week can really help out when you’re low on money. Using a meal plan can also help save on cash. However, sometimes the food on campus is much more expensive than food at a regular food mart. If you get a few extra dollars to spend at a grocery store, I suggest buying cheap items that you can use to make food in your room; for example, buy bread, lunchmeat, cheese, peanut butter and jelly. Lunchmeat can last long enough to have one sandwich every day for a week and peanut butter and jelly are always good on a sandwich or toast.
Tips on saving money:
-Take advantage of free events and ways to get free food on campus.
-Keep an eye out for coupons and discount cards
-If you don’t have a way of getting a free meal, go to a food mart, by a few of your favorite items and cook them in your room. You’ll save money if you buy your favorite foods in a larger quantity than to buy it on campus for one meal.
-Set a budget for yourself in order to save money and decrease the amount of unnecessary spending.
At the end of my week, I decided that eating one free meal a day is a bargain. There are so many ways to get free food on campus, and I strongly suggest taking advantage of it if you’re on a budget and need to save a little cash. Sometimes, going to things like the Johnny Appleseed festival can be fun, too. And don’t forget the benefits of stopping by mom and dad’s house.
Contact features correspondent Whitney Chaffin at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Whitney’s daily diet without a budget:
$7.29 Chicken Wrap
$2.99 Dasani Water
$3.99 Yogurt
$6.00 Asian
$2.99 Dasani Water
$5.29 Hard Boiled Eggs
$2.99 Dasani Water
Total: $31.54 a day
Weekly: $220.78