Bowling for Columbine

I like Michael Moore's documentaries. Bowling for Columbine seems a little successful than Fahrenheit 9/11 for me. The background is the shooting violence affair in Columbia High School. Michael figured it out through different attitude of US citizens about this violence affair. He made issues of guns as the original problem in US violence.

In my personal opinion, this movie revealed that people transit a mood of insecurity. And all these bad things came from guns. Due to the idea throughout seemed to be the inherent evil with guns it was obvious from the questions asked that this isn't really true. Maybe there is a possibility, which shows American gun culture that people have their right and freedom to protect themselves, even they have power to fight against government in order to press somebody powerful. As a Chinese, I think if this gun-allowed policy was used in China, it will be a worse trouble, since Chinese government was controlled by only one party, their policy serviced for themselves, there are a lot of unstable things in society. If people have right to use guns, killing will happen everywhere.

As most of the world knows, in April 1999, two Columbine High School students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, took guns to school and shot thirteen students and one teacher dead. How did they get the guns? What does bowling have to do with anything? Those looking for an in-depth look at the two shooters will be disappointed. Although Mr Moore does record that Harris and Klebold went bowling on the morning of the shooting and later takes two of the wounded students, now recovered, to buy bullets at Kmart, this is not really about Eric and Dylan. Rather, it is more of an examination of the "gun culture" of the USA. The National Rifle Association, in this film headed by Charlton Heston, has ensured that getting a gun and ammunition is as easy as filling a prescription. Moore notes that we are unique among countries in that our rate of gun shootings and killings far surpasses that of Canada, our nearest neighbor, and other Western civilizations. Some have blamed violent video games, some singers like Marilyn Manson (interviewed in this film as a favorite singer of Harris), still others that "family department" stores like Kmart and Walmart have the weapons and the ammo. Interestingly, Moore also takes a look at Work-to-Welfare programs like the one near his hometown of Flint, Michigan. A young single mother was forced to work at a casino, 90 minutes away, to satisfy the welfare requirements but still couldn't pay the bills. When she was forced to move in with an uncle and had to leave her six year old son in his care, the young lad found his uncle's gun and took it to class, only to shoot a fellow student dead. what a tragedy! In short, anyone wanting to talk about the Second Amendment and gun control would do well to begin with this film. Those seeking in- depth information on the Columbine shooting should look elsewhere.

Michael Moore's incendiary film about America and its gun culture.

Moore uses the Columbine school massacre as an opportunity to discourse upon the subject of why tragedies like that one are so much more prevalent in America than anywhere else. His thesis, that America promotes a culture of fear and violence, is hard to refute, even if you disagree with his methods. Like all of Moore's films, "Bowling for Columbine" is fantastically entertaining, and also enraging. His version of America is one that I'm ashamed to live in.

Moore won the 2002 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and then eliminated the chance that he'll ever win again by ranting against then President Bush in his acceptance speech in one of the Academy's most infamous moments.

Grade: A

First, Michael Moore is an extraordinary documentarian, making an adventure out of every topic he tackles, rather than a series of talking heads. Bowling for Columbine tackles gun violence in the U.S. with simple, open-ended question: Why the U.S.? What is it about the culture and history as well as access to guns of the United States that makes this country such a dangerous place to live with so many gun deaths compared to all other industrialized countries? His answer is not a simplistic one - it is not simply that we have a 2nd amendment and people misinterpret it as so many anti-gun folks might say. Canadians own about as many firearms and yet they don't have nearly the rate of gun-related deaths. Although many will view this film as anti-gun, I think the film is much more sophisticated than those who feel threatened even by the question "why" understand the film? Moore, in fact, does not come to any hard and fast conclusions, perhaps other than that we in the U.S. live in a culture of fear and there are historical conditions, including racial segregation and economic conditions that we as Americans have not come close to fully addressing. This documentary is a must-see for anyone concerned about the number of gun related deaths and injuries and even for those who believe the 2nd amendment protects a person's right to bear arms, but feels that no "right" is without some reasonable restrictions.

What has become of the United States? Is there any difference from the United States that was formed by Puritans and tried to escape from persecution under the British flag? Has there always been a different mentality for the American than that of any other nationality of individual? After September 11th Michael Moore the director and writer set out to make a documentary that addressed these and other embedded questions that are addressed everyday in our news media, school systems, homes, stores and street corners. Attempting to address all sides of the issues as a person of the media Moore used not only his own experiences, his connection to the NRA, but also other persons opinions that ranged from Charlton Hesston, the well known president of the NRA and famous actor, to the average American that was confronted with the violent acts that resulted from the accessibility of fire arms. This documentary took a new approach to the display of information. Not only was animation used to explain history, American's imbedded fear of their own neighbors, but it also used rock music ( gave a beat or a pulse to the film that progress from slow to fast as the intensity of the issues progressed), sarcasm, interviews, and casual conversations. Moore traveled the country to talk to all those that make up the spectrum of the American society, he traveled to the scenes of some of the more recent American tragedies, made impromptu stops in corporations such as Kmart (where the boys from Columbine bought the ammunition used in the shooting), and traveled to Canada to get an outside or foreign opinion. The idea was to move away from the documentary style of `talking heads'; he wanted a film that would not only touch a chord with the American people but one that would also be readily watched. This idea also made the documentary, that there was too much influence placed on the `words of the professional' or the ` findings of the expert'; that these findings and misleadings flooded the news at night to increase the amount of fear that the average American has as it looked for a scape-goat to blame. The information that Moor presented in his documentary did not technically follow a pre-described narrative, but followed more of a form where the audience was left areas to think and to breakdown the information. Elements of the circular narrative were the foundation of the film, where similar elements in opinions and the common American we continually addressed. Yet, the only problem that could be addressed is one of the ways in which Moore collected some of his data. Some might see a use of trickery or manipulation was used on his part to get the responses and such passion-filled opinions stated. While others would see the same information in the light that no instigation was needed, that people have these strong beliefs, opinions and are willing to talk about them but they lack the examples or understanding of the topic to take a well informed stand on one side or the other. Such a problem is not new in the world of documentaries when controversial data is presented to the public. Moore did a great job of presenting a delicate subject to the American people and was deserving of the Academy Award for the project.