BowlingForColumbine Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Whether you love him or hate him (or as I do, love him and hate him), you're probably looking forward to Michael Moore's next film. Even if you have no intention of seeing it, you can't wait to be vocal about why not. Of course, not all the haters will be avoiding the film; Moore, unlike any other despised filmmaker, has a way of still attracting his critics to the theater. Well, you lovers and haters don't have much longer to wait, because The Weinstein Co. has just announced a June 29 release for Moore's latest, the health care system expose Sicko.

For those of you wondering if Moore could possibly top his successes with Bowling for Columbine (the Oscar-winner) and Fahrenheit 9/11 (the Cannes winner and the box office winner), it turns out that Sicko could be successful in a new way. According to Harvey Weinstein, the doc will unify Republicans and Democrats. He claims to have seen the film with members of both parties, and all viewers have been in agreement in disapproving of the U.S. health care industry, as it is depicted by Moore. However, the problem with the film being less controversial, and to many Americans, possibly less interesting, is that it might be a hard sell to audiences who might rather spend their weekend happier, with Pixar's Ratatouille, or who might even hold out five days and see Transformers instead.

Similar to what the Weinsteins did with Fahrenheit 9/11, the new documentary will be distributed domestically by Lionsgate. The difference is that with the previous film, the partnership was somewhat forced by Disney -- which owns Miramax, which was at the time run by the Weinsteins -- because Disney didn't want to be associated with the Bush-bashing doc. Now that the brothers have TWC, they don't have such an obligation, but the union was still beneficial to them this time around because of a doc distribution deal Lionsgate has with Showtime. While Lionsgate books Sicko in theaters in the U.S., TWC will distribute internationally and will take care of marketing costs.

If you're thinking of suing Michael Moore, don't bother. You will probably lose. Two months ago, the filmmaker won a legal battle with Sgt. Peter Damon, who sued over his appearance in Fahrenheit 9/11. Today Moore has won again, this time against James Nichols, who was similarly upset with his appearance in Bowling for Columbine. Nichols' claim is that he was libeled and defamed by the Oscar-winning documentary and its director. He says the film implies he was involved in the Oklahoma City bombing, that it invaded his privacy and that it caused him emotional distress.

Nichols, whose brother Terry was convicted of being involved in the bombing, already lost his case two years ago when a federal judge threw out the suit, but he filed an appeal. The appeals panel agreed with the previous decision, stating that Nichols, ""has not presented any evidence indicating that Michael Moore intended to falsely implicate James Nichols in the Oklahoma City bombing." Of course, this isn't the worst thing to happen to Nichols, who was actually held (along with his son) for 32 days on suspicion of being a co-conspirator after the bombing took place in 1995.

Michael Moore is a man who loves Canada, that's for sure. However, he isn't especially pleased with the CBC, the television network that is currently mired in a union lockout. When Moore learned the network would be broadcasting his Bowling for Columbine, he demanded that CBC not air his movie until an agreement could be made between the union and the network. The network countered, claiming they had already purchased the rights to the documentary, and were going to air it despite his protests. I guess you have to admire his tenacity. Or maybe you don't have to.