PCIntern wept.

[PCIntern]

Mrs. Intern and I went to see Capitalism: A Love Story last night, and within the first two minutes, tears began slowly forming at the corners of my eyes and continued for most of the film.

I have never been moved in this fashion before - certainly I have cried at movies, but in passing, picked myself up thereafter and went on with whatever I would be doing: eating dinner, reading, watching TV, making love. But last night, after the film, after dinner, I came home utterly exhausted and somewhat enervated and depressed, and just went to bed after President Obama's speech. I feel emotionally hung over this morning and have a whole day of work travails to perform, but I cannot shake the sense of sheer emotionality which has come over me.

It is unusual to have any movie, much less a documentary, whose narrative picks you up, brings you along accelerating the entire time, and then deposits you with an even more powerful conclusion than one would ever think was possible in this modern age. The newsreel of President Roosevelt was a master stroke. The 'rich' ironies of the entire film were perfectly juxtaposed. those who were interviewed or whose lives were recorded were just right.

Right now, I would place this film on a pedestal with CBS and Murrow's Harvest of Shame as the most powerful contemporaneous documentaries which I have ever seen. i'm certain that other people have titles which they might add or perhaps disagree entirely, but for me, this was a transcendental experience of richness and complexity beyond the norm.

[Stardust]

1. You've inspired me to make the extra effort to go see it. Thanks!

[PCIntern]

2. You're welcome...

I hope you find it as remarkable as I did.

[malaise]

3. WOW - that's beautifully stated

Rec

[PCIntern]

10. Thank you so much...

your opinion counts for a lot with me.

:hi:

[DemReadingDU]

4. Spouse and I saw it

We went on the 'Senior discount day', tickets are half-price. Usually, we have the theater to ourselves, but there were many of us watching Moore's film, Capitalism. At the end, we all clapped. We liked it a lot. Not much new for us who read the internets, but it's great to see these issues brought to the forefront in a movie.

[PCIntern]

6. Us too...

a roar of applause came up at the end...that has been true for every MM film so far...not many others merit that.

Three Days of the Condor was the first I'd ever seen which had that response from the audience

[Neurotica]

11. Fahrenheit 9/11 got a standing ovation both times I went to see it

It's the only movie that I've ever gone to a theater twice to see. The theater was packed each time and there were long lines to get in.

Just last month I watched Sicko with the kids. We keep referring to it in our conversations about health care reform.

I'll have to convince Mr. Neurotica to see "Capitalism" now.

Michael Moore deserves great thanks for being brave enough these days to do his brand of investigative journalism -- it's always laced with humor and sorrow, and all the more relevant for being delivered in such an affecting way.

[Tesha]

5. Us too. (NT)

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I want Congress to wear togas

Might as well prepare the people for the inevitable.

[Selatius]

8. The FDR newsreel of him giving the speech on the Second Bill of Rights was thought to be lost.

Michael Moore himself rediscovered it researching for this movie.

[PCIntern]

9. Fascinating...

I'm off to ImDB to see all about the film...

[iceman66]

14. That was IMO opinion the best part of the movie.

What a different world this would be if FDR had lived a few more years!

The contrast with the right wing 'hero' Reagan was glaring.

[Luminous Animal]

12. I feel that it is every DUer's patriotic duty to see this movie.

Thank you for the post.

[iceman66]

13. It is a very good movie, as is Sicko

Unfortunately most of the people who actually make the effort to go see Michael Moore movies probably already agree with his basic premise.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. I want to see it very much...just don't know if it would be better if I go alone

which would be a bummer, especially if it's such a punch in the gut as PCIntern's review says.

Mr Splanchnik is getting over some of his unexamined ideas that seeped in from...well, many places, but one would be a rw xtian, angry ranting rush-fan brother to whom he is very loyal. Don't know if he reacts when his brother goes off, but when I do, he sometimes says some pretty sickening rw-esque shit.

But he basically hates talking politics and has some reaction-formation to years of his Dad's political rants (his 86 year old Dad would love DU), and he (Mr S) still has a knee-jerk hate of MM. :(

[nashville_brook]

16. had the exact same reaction. was in a rotten mood for the rest of the weekend (saw it last week)

it was stark and unwavering. i was blown away, as i always am, that families at one time could live well (have vacations, college, retirement) on ONE GAWDDAMN income. holy hell, man.

For anyone wanting to put action on their ennui from Moore's movie, I suggest Elizabeth Warren's classic book, The Two Income Trap:

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Income-Trap-Elizabeth-Warren/dp/0465090907/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255292217&sr=8-1



Warren, a law professor at Harvard (The Fragile Middle Class) and her daughter Tyagi, a former McKinsey consultant, have joined forces here to argue here that the two-parent middle-class working family is on the brink of financial disaster. The number of families declaring bankruptcy or receiving a foreclosure against their house has shot up dramatically. Presenting carefully researched economic data to support their arguments, the authors contend that, contrary to popular myth, families aren't in trouble because they're squandering their second income on luxuries. On the contrary, both incomes are almost entirely committed to necessities, such as home and car payments, health insurance and children's education costs. When an unforeseen event such as serious illness, job loss or divorce occurs, families have no discretionary income to fall back on. The authors recommend a number of useful societal solutions to get families out of this trap, such as legally prohibiting credit card companies from charging grossly unfair interest rates and exposing banks that employ a loan-to-own strategy that steers minority customers to higher mortgage rates with an eye to future foreclosures. Warren and Tyagi point out that families buy homes they cannot afford in order to live in a neighborhood with better schools. Their proposed solution, however-to institute a public school voucher system with wider choice-is less carefully thought out. Overall, however, this is a needed examination of an emerging social problem.

[Ruby the Liberal]

17. Thanks for the review

I had much the same emotion. A mix of anger, sadness and a bit overwhelmed. I saw it on opening day, and now that it has sunk in, I want to go again while it is still in the theaters.

[bluesmail]

18. I saw it Mon Oct 5, at noon, a 5 hour roundtrip. About 90%

of the theater seats were empty. I'm guessing the few that were there had a mind (blowing) changing look into reality. I applaud you, Michael Moore. That scene about the Dead Peasants. Hmmm. I don't know for sure, I'm thinking that BigBanksBigPharmaBigHealthIndustries, are in a 'conspiracy' to rob us in broad daylight, within laws, and you know what? If someone dies? We're innocent. Show me where it says I broke any law. He's right when he says I'm not going to live like this and I'm not leaving.

[BrklynLiberal]

19. That is a recommendation that I must take to heart. thanks.

[Mira]

20. Just came back from seeing it a second time in 5 days. You pre-empted my

writing about it myself, you are doing a masterful job.
Thanks.
K&R

[myrna minx]

21. I agree with you. I was exhausted after seeing it was well.

It was quite powerful.

[Blue_In_AK]

22. When you couple Capitalism: A Love Story

with this Friday's Bill Moyers' Journal, you have to feel completely overwhelmed. What are we going to do?