This movie presents a compelling argument that America has a serious problem with their gun culture. 11,500 deaths a year.

The title uses the irony that the two assassins at the Columbine High School shoot-out went bowling (a credited sports class) on the morning of their killing spree but nobody blamed that.

Michael Moore criticizes various bodies, such as K-Mart for selling cheap ammo (used in the Columbine shootings) and Charlton Heston who is trapped bunny-rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights style at the end of the piece, as head of the National Rifle Association.

"Michael Moore is defiantly bulky. Bravi-Sumo!"

"I felt really sorry for Charlton Heston at the end, am I sick in the head?"

"Michael Moore is a cross between a Cheshire cat and a bearded, force fed, dwarf. I do hope he gets all the sex he wants."

"A deservingly Oscar winning performance, although it presents few answers, just questions."

"I can't help but think K-Mart got one up on Michael Moore here. Agreeing to ban ammo sales ostensibly due to the fact that the Columbine kids petitioned them at their HQ, it makes you wonder if they would have done this had Michael Moore not been filming a documentary. Someone in a corporate office somewhere has just written a new chapter in customer relations me thinks."

"Unfortunately Mr Moore does not strip to his underwear in this movie, a missed opportunity for big man fetishists like myself who like to be whisked off into paroxysms of masterbatitude given half the chance."

There are three main strands, two of which get tied-up at the end.

1) Two 'We've got K Mart ammo still in us' victims of the Columbine shooting, petition K Mart's head office. K Mart eventually agree to stop selling ammo and handguns in 90 days.

2) Charlton Heston, as president of the NRA, is criticised for speaking at a public engagement shortly after the Columbine shootings. Moore tricks his way in to see Heston saying he is a member of the NRA. Heston is then trapped with awkward questions until he eventually walks off.

3) Dick Clark is criticised for running a food chain and allegedly not paying his staff enough. We are told a tragic tale: A boy finds a gun at his Uncle's, he takes the gun to school and shoots dead a 6 year old girl in class. (The reason the boy was with his Uncle was that he and his mother had to move from their own home as she allegedly didn't earn enough at Clark's job to pay the rent.) The mother had gone to work before the boy got up and didn't see him taking the gun...

Michael Moore is currently that 'voice of reason' in US society that comes along occasionally, risking hatred at home, but saying things that simply have to be said.

Moore's trick is that he uses irony, and a calm, measured, delivery, which screams wry. And why not? he's got the goods here. You can almost hear him scream 'Gotcha!' at the K Mart announcement (I couldn't actually hear it because I was screaming Gotcha myself). Sometimes people like Michael Moore deserve applause until your hands go numb, this is one of those times.

There is one point I took issue with, however. At one point Moore criticised the US media for creating a fear culture because of the amount of gun crime reported every evening. But if there are 11,500 gun deaths per year then I say it should be reported - if they didn't I would be the first to suggest a cover up. Can't wait for the sequel, and possibly some answers.

Any K Mart home brand products.

There is a 30 second, or so, sequence of highly edited actual murders being committed and one gun in mouth suicide. This really shocks.

That US public opinion is determined by the major TV networks which serves to control the masses, or at least to present them with the main agenda, is a well rehearsed argument and it is the main feature here.

Canada seems to come out of this quite well. Speaking as a resident of England, guns are simply not available to the general public over here, so the US problem does seem to be a local difficulty brought about by the sheer abundance of weaponry.

What is the reason? Is it really that Americans continue to see themselves as having to defend themselves against the red Indians? Lets hope there is a sequel to discuss that...

Gun dogs are likely to get quite annoyed with Michael Moore who, in any case, doesn't look much like a walker, although fat dogs will love him for exactly that reason. As a rule of thumb, dogs who cannot see their own knees because of fat will be fans of Michael Moore.

Cats would mostly prefer to live in Canada anyway.

Buffalo and hippopotami love nothing better than watching bulky people in movies. This movie will be a joy to them, although there is a disappointing lack of mud.

The frustrating thing about this movie is that, short of taking to the streets and attempting to take over the government (you unpatriotic bastards!) there isn't much you can do about it, especially in these war abroad times... Hmmm...

Give up your gun? Would it work? The 'I have a gun to protect my family' argument is a good one, especially if there are 11,500 gun deaths a year... Uhm...

About 5, three actually shown, one suicide cut at the moment of impact.

A Michael Moore Russian doll set.

Yes.

Superb, fantastic, do not miss this documentary.

Michael Moore is utterly consummate as the wry hand holder through this contentious subject. If we ever made a documentary on the subject we would dream of it being half as good as this one.

June 23, 2003