Slacker Uprising

[filkertom]

Michael Moore doesn't want to make money with his new film, Slacker Uprising -- he wants to influence the upcoming election. So, he's releasing the movie for free online. You can watch the trailer online; sign up for an e-mail list (no personal information required), and you can download the whole thing for free, any of several ways -- direct download, iTunes, Bittorrent, MP4....

ETA: Torrent files for DivX and MP4.

Comments

[atalantapendrag.livejournal.com]

I downloaded that, but I haven't watched it yet. I don't always agree with Michael Moore (although I often do), but I can always understand his views, and see that he honestly means well.

[jenrose]

It hurts to watch. It brings me back to the heartbreak of both elections.

I had 100% confidence in both 2000 and 2004 that we would be victorious. I was wrong both times. I have no confidence now... but I do have hope.

[smallship1.livejournal.com]

The free download only works if you're an American resident, which is a shame. Mind you, why would anyone who doesn't live in America be interested in these little local elections?

*ducks barrage of rotten fruit and veg*

No, I get the logic, I do. I can't vote in America, so influencing me would be of little use. I just hope he isn't preaching to the choir the way he has seemed to in the past. The McCain voters, Michael, talk to the McCain voters...we know already.

[jenrose]

Give it a day or two. He's given carte blanche for people to redistribute.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

And I just made it a little easier, up top.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

D'oh. Forgot to put the "tomsmithonline.com" part in the URLs. Should be fixed -- try again.

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[ericthemage.livejournal.com]

Many McCain voters dismiss Michael Moore without even seeing his movies...

[timewalker.livejournal.com]

Not the McCain voters. It's the "undecided" he needs to work on. Although I still can't see how anyone can be undecided in this day and age. But there are a lot of people who really don't see the difference between the two candidates in any of the recent elections.

[eiblyn.livejournal.com]

If anyone feels up to sending it to me, I'd love it. I'm a US citizen and *can* vote. I just happen to live in Germany with my military husband. Anyone? It won't let me download it *sadface*.

[jenrose]

HE just put the links up top.

[awfulhorrid.livejournal.com]

Oh the other side of the coin, I arrived home last night to find two DVDs (one for me, one for my girlfriend that lives with me) from "The Clarion Fund (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarion_Fund)" wanting to tell me all the "truth" about Islam and how it was the greatest threat to the Western World and how neither of the two candidates were addressing these issues and blah blah frickin' blah.

We're going to have a little light show with the DVDs in the microwave, but I've already left a rather nasty message for them on their voicemail (the number was on the DVD package.) Although I'm wondering if there's someone I can complain to about this mailing? They're making the claim to be a non-profit organization, but apparently that claim is questionable since they haven't file a 990 tax return.

[psandusky.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I just got one of those too, and I got a little creeped out that it was addressed to me by my full name. Where the hell did these people get their address list?

[awfulhorrid.livejournal.com]

The only thing we could think of is the voter registration information -- I'm not sure about here in WI, but apparently the data is consider a matter of public record in many states. From the scant information I've gathered, these DVDs were sent out mostly to "swing" states. I'm just wondering if I can turn them into the postal authorities as hate mail(*) and fraudulant non-profit status claims.

(* Can I file a hate mail claim if I'm not a member of the target group? Assuming the mail was sent to me, as is true with this case.)

[devospice.livejournal.com]

Have you seen the ads for An American Carol? It looks really funny. Written and directed by David Zucker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GF7OvwjZfl4

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

...

...

I'd heard something about it, and had been deliberately avoiding that trailer, on account of I love Kentucky Fried Movie and Airplane! so much.

Let's just say, Not The Audience.

[devospice.livejournal.com]

I have a gut feeling it's not going to be as pro-conservative as the trailer makes it out to be. I think this will probably end up being more along the lines of Team America.

Hope so anyway.

[devospice.livejournal.com]

That's the last time I listen to my fuckin' gut.

Holy crap. On a whim I read Zucker's write up on Wikipedia and it said he used to be a liberal Democrat but then started giving money to conservative organizations. He then went on to produce 3 VERY anti-Democrat ads which you can find on YouTube. (1, 2, 3) They're definitely his style, but they're vicious, right wing propaganda. It's sickening.

The IMDB comments on An American Carol are nothing but liberal/conservative flame wars.

I'm still probably going to see the movie because it does look funny, although apparently I'm in the minority with that opinion. Plus, I'm capable of putting politics aside, and I can laugh at myself. Although if it ends up being like those three shorts he did I may walk out of a movie for the first time ever.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

I've heard of this film. If I recall correctly, a comedic actor who's older brother (now dead) was much more talented and funny (this is commonly known as "Belushi's Syndrome") plays a fat liberal filmmaker (gee, wonder who THAT'S based off of?) that wants to... Get this... BAN the Fourth of July.

Y'know, it really is kind of unfair. Conservatives give us so many REAL blunders and ridiculous ideas to derive jokes from (the Defense of Marriage Act, the Iraq War, banning stem-cell research, the Crash of '08, etc.)... And they're forced to MAKE THINGS UP about us.

[devospice.livejournal.com]

I don't have a problem with the premise of the movie. Like I said it sounds funny. And I don't have a problem with making fun of Michael Moore. But the movie has to be funny, first and foremost. If it's not, it'll just be offensive to half the country.

I'm holding out hope, because if anyone can make it funny Zucker can.

[tony-goldmark.livejournal.com]

Zucker in the 80s might have made it funny. Maybe even Zucker in the 90s. Back when the name Zucker MEANT something. But Zucker in the 00s?

His Scary Movie sequels followed this basic pattern: parody, parody, parody, poop joke, parody, poop joke, cameo from a flavor-of-the-month for the sake of synergy, parody, parody, guy gets hit on the head, poop joke, parody, guy gets hit on the head, parody, poop joke, parody, cameo from a flavor-of-the-month for the sake of synergy, guy gets hit on the head, poop joke, guy gets hit on the head, parody, parody, guy gets hit on the head, parody, poop joke, parody, poop joke, poop joke, cameo from a flavor-of-LAST-month for the sake of synergy, parody, parody, parody, poop joke, guy gets hit on the head, parody, credits.

Airplane and the Naked Gun movies succeeded because they weren't just parody. In fact, there weren't many SPECIFIC parodies at all (with the exception of all the Oscar spoofs in 33 1/3, and the "Ghost" scene in 2 1/2). Naked Gun parodied the GENRE of cop movies, which gave it the kind of free reign you can't get by hamstringing yourself to whatever horror movie made money six months ago. Honestly, the verbal jokes had more in common with classic Marx Brothers than anything else ("Cuban?" "No, Dutch-Irish"), the cameos were esoteric, and the slapstick was fucking AMBITIOUS - it wasn't enough that the doctor crashed into an oil truck and a missile, he had to crash into a FIREWORKS FACTORY as well. And Leslie Neilsen was hilarious because he was playing all this nonsense completely straight, without all that nauseating Spy Hard/Mr. Magoo facial mugging.

And best of all, the goofy entertainment didn't have the slightest semblance of a moral, something I truly think is vital to comedy. There's nothing wrong with mocking the ample hypocrisy in the world, but once you start chastising your audience for not being as extreme to one side as you are, it's no longer funny. South Park's worst moments come when they're so busy with THE MESSAGE that they forget to be funny. Which doesn't happen that often, because most of the messages in South Park (and certainly Team America) MOCK THE MORALIZERS, on both sides, who believe they Know What's Best For Everybody. Fewer moralizers means more freedom to laugh. Up to this point his closest thing Zucker's had to a political statement was the Naked Gun prologue (which thankfully didn't go deeper than "let's make fun of evil people") and the environmental subplot in 2 1/2 (in which he turned around and mocked the message itself by having a roomful of people fall asleep at the climactic lecture). Even Carlin, who basically spent his last twenty years complaining, never did so with any real attachment to the issues at hand - he just called 'em like he and he alone saw 'em, and never deliberately spoke for any repulsive, dehumanizing GROUP.

David Zucker has made no bones about the fact that with this film, he HAS AN AGENDA, and IS representing a GROUP, and a PARTY, and all the guys in the world getting hit on the head probably won't change that.

[unclelumpy.livejournal.com]

Of course all the Repubs have to say is "I guess no one's willing to pay to see his films anymore."

[palenoue.livejournal.com]

I remember when someone put "Sicko" on p2p networks, the republicans were gloating that the movie would bomb now that everybody could download it for free and see how liberal it was. Instead, movie theater audiences _increased_ and pre-orders for the DVD more than doubled. W00t!

Hope the same thing happens here.

[bayushisan.livejournal.com]

I'm a bit skittish about watching most documentaries, especially the politcal ones these days. Both sides are notorius for either leaving information out or making things up. My understanding is that Moore does this, just like his counter part, if any, almost assuredly does on the conservative side.

I get that each side has their own agenda or point of view that they're trying to get out, but I'm just uncomfortable with it these days.

Not to say that others can't, or shouldn't, enjoy such movies and the like, they're just not for me for the most part.