Home Media Magazine - October 14-20, 2007 - (Page 27) www.homemediamagazine.com REVIEWS I MICHAEL MOORE HATES AMERICA Street 10/16 Allumination, Documentary, $19.98 DVD, ‘R’ for language. C ritics of Michael Moore don’t deny he has talent; it’s his methods they call into question. His abrasive style in targeting America’s government institutions is just as likely to rile his opponents as it is to spark interest in his cause. As as result, Moore has become quite accustomed to defending himself from claims he bends the truth when the facts don’t quite fit his narrative. In this earnest effort, filmmaker Michael Wilson parodies Moore’s style in trying to uncover what motivates him. The main thrust of Wilson’s film is his unsuccessful effort to secure an interview with Moore, just as Moore spent Roger & Me seeking to interview GM CEO Roger Smith. By avoiding the interview, Moore opens himself to charges of hypocrisy. Wilson does interview people like Penn Jillette and documentarian Albert Maysles and elicits some interesting insights about the nature of documentary filmmaking. An interesting aspect of this film is Wilson catching himself falling into the same traps he accuses Moore of exploiting. More than once his producer calls him on not being fully honest about the subject of the film with those he interviews. In parodying Moore, Wilson begins to emulate him, and learns a lot about himself in the process. I 10 QUESTIONS FOR THE DALAI LAMA Street 10/23 Monterey, Documentary, B.O. $0.2 million, $24.95 DVD, NR. f you’ve never heard the Dalai Lama speak, you’re in for a treat. His Holiness, with smiling eyes behind large glasses, breaks up his Buddhist philosophy with comical squeaks and never needs an excuse to laugh. He laughs at himself, and he laughs at the idea that striving for material things or fighting violence with violence will succeed in the long run. Writer-director-narrator Rick Ray gets 45 minutes to ask His Holiness about poverty, happiness, greed, suffering, nonviolence and the state of the world. The Dalai Lama’s simple but wise calculus of real-life situations is powerful, yet difficult to live by — even for his Tibetan followers. Tibetan refugees living with him in a town in northern India are itching for active rebellion, having seen decades of nonviolent protests yield no results in their desire to return to their home country. Then again, how would the Tibetan people beat — John Latchem the Chinese Army? I The Dalai Lama answers Ray’s question about the nonsuccess of nonviolence by explaining that the only way to return to Tibet will be to show that there are benefits to both Tibetans and the Chinese who invaded it decades ago. However, before Ray ever gets to the Dalai Lama’s humble office for the sit-down, he has already produced an hour-long, engaging filmed journal of his journey across India and accompanied it with the narrated story of the Buddha, the 14th Dalai Lama (said to be the reincarnated Buddha), and the Tibetan people’s oppression at the hands of the religion-hating Communist Chinese. But this is not a leader attached to power. The Dalai Lama calls himself a simple man from a poor town, denies that he is the reincarnation of the Buddha and says the Tibetan people are the ones who will decide if the Lamas will continue after he’s gone. Maybe the next one will be elected, instead of chosen by other priests. Ray explains in a bonus interview on the DVD that the Dalai Lama is his hero. Even the cynical will see that this is a guy they’d like to talk to. This DVD is your chance. — Brendan Howard his time at a local bar owned by Cornelius Wettering (the late Scott), who also is hiding from his shady past as a ship captain who illegally ran oil between Asia and South Africa. While both men share the common goal of trying to maintain a low profile, they constantly struggle with their past demons and the thought of being stuck on the island forever. When Cornelius makes headlines for thwarting a terrorist hostage situation at a local bank, he knows it won’t be long before his former associates come looking for him. Meanwhile, Stephen is sorting through his own personal and professional problems, which escalate when corrupt diplomats and opposing crime lords come to him for help reclaiming the incriminating evidence that Cornelius has been hiding for years from both groups. This puts their friendship to the test as the money and bullets begin to fly, trapping Cornelius in a world of murder, and leaving Stephen faced with choosing between sticking by his old comrade or selling him out for a chance to leave the island to start a new life. Based on James David Buchan- an’s novel The Prince of Malta, CIA: Exiled is a fast-paced thriller of international intrigue that could have easily been expanded into a miniseries. But its current 90-minute runtime is just enough to build a gripping tale of greed and deceit akin to a “James Bond” flick, minus the cool gadgets. You really can’t go wrong with a movie starring Hollywood heavyweights from two different eras. Plus, its stunning tropical Caribbean setting serves as a stark contrast to the bloody warfare taking place on the island. — Matt Miller October 14–20, 2007 Home Media Magazine 27 http://www.homemediamagazine.com
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