About Me

My photo
Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Slacker Uprising

I downloaded and watched Michael Moore's free "movie" Slacker Uprising late last night. I'm a huge fan of his films, his voice, and I was excited to check this out.

My honest response is that it's a concert film dedicated to Moore and his fans. It's subject is Moore: his efforts to defeat Bush in 2004 and drive up voter registration among the, at the time, disengaged youth vote. We all know how well that turned out. There's not much presented that isn't either irrelevant in 2008, or a little unfortunately telling about the efforts being made. To combat the Rove smear campaign against Kerry, Democrats offered... Eddie Vedder? Rosanne Barr? Steve Earle?

If anything, it's a historical document that, yes, there were people fighting against Bush before his election in 2004. And that no, Kerry's loss to Bush was not a foregone conclusion. But the movie is more related to "The Big One" than "Bowling for Columbine," and its clear why it wasn't released theatrically.

I prefer Moore's ability to cut through the bullshit and make a salient and entertaining point about hot button issues. This film seems more like nostalgia.

Still, though, you should download it, if only to enjoy a little "preaching to the choir" and to encourage more releases of work this way.

Here's where to sign up for download.

No comments: