Bowling for Columbine

Once again Michael Moore manages to pick a subject that is very relevant to the time (specifically in 2002 when it was released) and is of strong interest to the audience. This focuses on gun violence and how it varies in American from the rest of the world. At the beginning there is a key sequence which consists of a montage of massacres and bombings throughout history whilst the song "What a Wonderful World" plays. This immediately presents us with irony, but at the same time it's very sad to see these shocking images. The documentary revolves around the shooting at Columbine High School which was a traumatic experience, and Moore interviews people who were involved and affected by the day and this creates an emotional response from the viewer. 

There is one scene which cuts between two speeches; one that is anti-gun use and one that is for gun-use. This is particularly thought provoking and emphasizes how opinions can vary, but we are inclined to agree with the dad giving an anti-gun use speech because we'd just seen the footage from the shooting at Columbine High School. It's a good use of persuasive storytelling.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Personal response


Like most documentary makers, Michael Moore has the ability to engage his viewers even if it's on a subject they would not usually be interested in. This was the case for me, as usually I don't bother to watch films that are mainly political. However Moore's narration instantly pulls you in with interesting and sometimes shocking facts as well as humour. Ten minutes into the film, we are presented with a black screen whilst sound is played - the sound is instantly recognisable as recordings from 9/11. This helps the audience remember the tragedy of the day and also sets the mind-frame for the rest of the film. Quickly Moore builds up the representation of George Bush as an idiot through a series of archive footage and clever editing techniques. For example, we see images of war whilst Bush gives a reassuring speech that contradicts the imagery. 


It is a very interesting film that presents us with a lot of information, although some people have stated that a lot of it is false and manipulated.