Week 10: Done with Documentaries

Last week, as we were watching Michael Moore Hates America, I noticed that I wasn't looking for every flaw in Mike Wilson's logic; I wasn't looking for every soundbite he used; and I wasn't looking for any type of fallacy that would make me think less of him. This week, I decided to pay a little more attention to the movie, and in all honesty, I still didn't find much. The only conclusions that i could draw are either he really tries to avoid any misleading notions, or I just don't pick up on it. It's a lot easier to dismiss something like that when it's done with good intentions. If I was a fan of Moore, sure I'd pick up on more of the blatant attacks and misleading information, but as it stands, Wilson just seems more innocent and appealing.

This week we finally finished up on the film Michael Moore Hates America and had a discussion on what made Mike Wilson so much more appealing than Michael Moore. What stuck out is Wilson's attempt to be as distant from Moore's film style as possible. He apologizes when he accidentally uses misleading information, he keeps as many of the facts in context as possible, and he just seems like a nice guy. What made Moore such a turn-off was his ego, he always came off as this jerk who thought he was saving America. Another was his appearance. He's this fat, rich slob that thinks that as long as he wears a baseball cap he can relate to the average American. Finally, his film making tactics are a major turn-off. He has this belief that it doesn't matter how much he tweeks something as long as it gets his point across, kind of the Machiavelli of movie-making.

Wilson, on the other hand, possesses none of these traits. He's a humble, average American man that actually wants to better the American people rather than scare them and make their lives miserable. Wilson doesn't convince himself that he has to be the voice of the people; instead, his job is simply to enlighten those who have been sucked in by Moore's misleading scare-tactics. Wilson also has another advantage: Penn Jillette. Penn can be summed up easily through a quote by Bob Dylan that he uses in the movie, "Fearing not that I may become my enemy, in the instant that I preach." He's this down-to-earth guy that can sniff out BS from a moment away. He's the reason Wilson didn't resort to using the same tactics as Moore while making this film.

Not that our documentary study is coming to a close, I'd be interested in seeing what direction my group heads in filming our documentary. Will we take the easy way out like Moore and make things look how we want them to? Perhaps we'll go a more "hands-off" approach, like A Perfect Candidate or This Divided State.

Sources:

Michael Moore "Loser" Photograph. Smh.com.au. Web. .

Michael Moore Hates America. Photograph. Arcade Action. Web. .