Disney says 'no' to Moore

[Angela Harlem]

Moore must be revelling in this hype. Martyr.

 

[TylerDurden]

Nice. Wrap yourself up in a conspiracy involving a Bush. Michael Moore is such a victim.

It is more likely that a sloppy anti-Bush film would be a box office bomb

Even if it was terrible, check Bowling For Colombine's stats. Check the sales stats for his books. I'd bet this film would make enough in it's opening weekend that if word got out that it sucked, and hardly anyone saw it from that point on, it would still make a handsome profit.

There's no way anyone would block anything by Michael Moore based on the belief that it won't sell. It will sell, and it will sell loads.

Can't believe your boycott obsessed culture either. Why?!?

 

[melon]

Can't believe your boycott obsessed culture either. Why?!?

It's the French in them.

Melon

 

[Dreadsox]

He has known for over a year....

 

[Dreadsox]

[Q]"Heading into Cannes, you've got this whole controversy that people will be talking about - Miramax not being able to release the film. It adds to the mystique of the film, it adds to the danger," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"With a lot of filmmakers, this would not be a good thing," he said. "When it comes to Michael Moore, there's not really a downside to him to have controversy."
[/Q]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040505/D82CMK380.html

 

[Basstrap]

I look forward to seeing it

I find it funny that some people hate him SO much. He seems like a real genuinely nice guy

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

if it's all about "the art"

if it's all about "letting the truth be told"

if it's all about "freedom of speech"

if it's all about "the information that the public is allowed to see"

then why is this an issue for mr. moore and miramax?

Miramax is free to seek another distributor in North America, but such a deal would force it to share profits and be a blow to Harvey Weinstein, a big donor to Democrats.

disney doesn't want to release it? fine... go find someone else to release it... ohhhhhh that's right, then you'd have to split the profits with someone else. damn those greedy conglomerates... how dare they deny mr. weinstein and mr. moore a chance to make more money! shame on you mickey mouse! shame on you!

 

[Dreadsox]

Michael Moore version of the Mickey Mouse Club Song

MIC.....

oh the censorship

KEY

y are they putting me down....


Mouse

 

[joyfulgirl]

I look forward to seeing it

I find it funny that some people hate him SO much. He seems like a real genuinely nice guy

I agree. I have a friend who worked with him on the music for one of his movies and he said Moore was genuinely nice, humble and amazing to work with, a completely positive experience.

 

[joyfulgirl]

there is, of course, not complete censorship: consider the persistence of chomsky as well as moore. but these are people who exist, at best, on the fringes of the mainstream and thus, occassionally, turn to guerilla tactics for publicity-such as it appears moore may be doing, again.

when a system is intended to suppress certain points of view, alternative means will be employed to disseminate information.

Right on, Kobe.

 

[Dreadsox]

Shouldn't the "system" have the right to not be associated with someone who clearly makes moves that bend the facts.

 

[Scarletwine]

No - look at Fox and the Oshittly Factor.

 

[kobayashi]

Shouldn't the "system" have the right to not be associated with someone who clearly makes moves that bend the facts.

of course the system, or establishment or whatever silly term we use (the MAN?), has the right of selective association.

my point is a number of the systems characteristics amount to censorship: the least of which is the profit orientation of corporations. these characteristics are inter-related and that is arguably the most central, but they also include the intimate relationship between government and corporations and the role corporations play in the curriculum of education and the discourse occurring within the public sphere (in which the mainstream media determines a significant amount).

within this framework which i contend represents 'the mainstream', it is preferred that some things go unmentioned. still, some do get mentioned but only at the fringes, such as chomsky or moore.

this framework pushes somewhat subversive commentary to the fringes as it promotes such things as 'freedom of speech' at the same time as commentators of moore's ilk are using the infrastructure which they are, in part, criticizing. the 'system' doesn't want them but by their own principles can't rid themselves, and the theorist criticizes the corporation at the same time as he must use them for there are no other options to spread his message.

of course moore could take his film elsewhere but, as someone pointed out, conditions may not be favorable. he is likely to find less profit and less reach. i don't think anyone is suggesting moore is not a profit taker-that does not discount him.

does U2 release cd singles as an artistic exhibition, or a profit taking excercise? i see moore's situation as little different.

 

[Scarletwine]

Excellent. To bad your not on the FCC board.

 

[enggirl]

The upshot of the controversy is that a heck of alot of people will want to see the movie, just to see what the fuss is about. Perhaps this whole thing was scripted?

Well, if it worked for Mel Gibson..........

 

[enggirl]

Something that I'd like to find out (but that would take quite a bit of research time...) is what else Disney--or a company that Disney owns--has released that could also be considered "harmful" to the administration in one way or another. There are a few monster conglomerates that own smaller (but still multi-million or billion) companies, that in turn own even smaller companies, and on down the line.

One company, such as Disney, might say "OH, no. That won't do" to one project, but another project might have already been released/published (don't forget book publishers!) that contains the same or similar information.

I suppose that books might be a mit more under the radar in that way than movies, but there is a possibility that a book or magazine or newspaper has published similar information or editorial or the like and it's gone by without anyone raising a fuss.

The real fear is that the higher-ups will get wind of this and really start to censor what goes on under their banner.

That's the problem with media ownership. Too many big cooks watching too many servers in too small of a kitchen.

 

[kobayashi]

Something that I'd like to find out (but that would take quite a bit of research time...) is what else Disney--or a company that Disney owns--has released that could also be considered "harmful" to the administration in one way or another.

off the top of my head-disney owns abc, which broadcasts nightline in which last week ted koppel read off the names of american casualties from the iraq war.

as i said, censorship is by no means total-i hesitate to even use that word because i feel it is a mischaracterization. there is no doubt that criticism takes place just as there is no doubt that the voices of some are severely muffled.

 

[Dreadsox]

[Q]Moore admits Disney 'ban' was a stunt
By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles
07 May 2004

Less than 24 hours after accusing the Walt Disney Company of pulling the plug on his latest documentary in a blatant attempt at political censorship, the rabble-rousing film-maker Michael Moore has admitted he knew a year ago that Disney had no intention of distributing it.

The admission, during an interview with CNN, undermined Moore's claim that Disney was trying to sabotage the US release of Fahrenheit 911 just days before its world premiere at the Cannes film festival.

Instead, it lent credence to a growing suspicion that Moore was manufacturing a controversy to help publicise the film, a full-bore attack on the Bush administration and its handling of national security since the attacks of 11 September 2001[/Q]


Oh surprise surprise!!! Moore lied!!!!

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=518901

 

[melon]

Admitting that one has lied is the only difference between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans just take a lie and do everything they can to force it to be true.

That aside, it does further ruin Moore's credibility. Maybe he should stop reenacting pages from Howard Dean's campaign diary.

Melon

 

[Dreadsox]

Interesting generalization.....

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

generalizations? here? in FYM? no way! i don't believe it.



mr. moore's an asshole... there's my generalizatoin

 

[melon]

generalizations? here? in FYM? no way! i don't believe it.

Haha...the GOP can sure dish it out, but they certainly can't take it!

Maybe I should be running for president. I have a more articulate spine than Kerry.

Melon

 

[Screaming Flower]

wow. michael moore sure brings out the best in people.

 

[OzAurora]

Wow, I just read all of this dribble and am just amazed..........

Firstly, dreadsox, for someone who despises Moore so much, why do you spend so much time trying to find holes in everything he does, personally, I think your time would be better spent doing something positive, use the time to fricking volunteer somewhere or the like and again all of your articles that dispute Moore's claims, just remember that they too, maybe spreading lies or falseties...

it really does seem to me that in America, you guys place so much energy on issues that relate to your 'constitutional, first amendment rights" and as an outsider and someone who has vistied your country, these ideals just come across as a lot of waffle and pathetic crap- dont know why, but these things just ARE NOT issues in places like Australia. If this film gets released in Australia under the banner of Miramax/Disney, I can definately gurantee, that there WILL NOT, be a public outcry from conservative people wanting everyone to boycott Disney products or the like.............why do these things annoy your country sooooooooo much??, but in the majority of other countries these such issues are not even that, an issue

I do ask, why did Moore make this into a publicity stunt, but why was it an issue in the first place? Are all Americans that narrow minded that they WILL believe, that every movie, product etc etc that is produced in some way or another, under the banner of Disney, is an exact representation of the beliefs, ideologies and opinions of Disney and every single person, animal and stuffed caricature who works for the company????? I dont think so, wake up peoples, smell the flowers- GROW UP!!!!!

flame away, people, I dont really care, I am going to stop looking in here from now on, as a lot of the narrow minded Americanised political dribble that infilrates these threads, just makes me sad, annoyed and angry

 

[verte76]

Personally, Michael Moore isn't exactly my favorite American lefty. Who do I like? Al Franken, David Brock, my hometown's own Diane McWhorter, the good bloggers at UpperLeft and other fine activists too numerous to mention. I think they should put out this movie. But it seems to me that this whole thing could have been scripted, because he's known for over a year that this whole dispute was going to blow up.

 

[joyfulgirl]

Oz, I love your post.

Please know that many many many other Americans agree with you.

Then again, my officemate/boss is Australian and has spent the last 4 years ruining me already.

 

[Dreadsox]

personally, I think your time would be better spent doing something positive, use the time to fricking volunteer somewhere |

Wow...um.....Do you know me personally? You know how much time I spend doing volunteer things?

Unless you are the almighty and know my heart and mind check yourself before judging someone at such a level from a fricking internet board.

How this is not a personal fricking insult is beyond me.

Oh, and FYI, I will be at a soup kitchen this weekend after I finish collecting bottles and cans and readeaming them for money to buy glasses and hearing aids for the elderly, and scholarships for kids in my town not that it is any of your fricking business, but over the last three years i have collected $12,000 in redeamable cans on my frickin free time.

 

[Dreadsox]

Oz, I love your post.

Please know that many many many other Americans agree with you.

Then again, my officemate/boss is Australian and has spent the last 4 years ruining me already.

Yep, it is always nice to see people applaud personal attacks...ior is it the rest of the post?

 

[Dreadsox]

Oh, and before I get told I should PM him for his assumtions about my free time.....Oz does not accept PM's.

 

[Dreadsox]

Haha...the GOP can sure dish it out, but they certainly can't take it!

Maybe I should be running for president. I have a more articulate spine than Kerry.

Melon

I'd bet you are a lot more many things than Kerry.