[Sosfbay-discuss] An Awesome First Night for 'Sicko'

[JamBoi]

>From   
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=213
Saturday, June 30th, 2007
An Awesome First Night for 'Sicko'

Friends,
Thank you so much to the hundreds of thousands of you
who went to see my movie last night and this
afternoon. The studio tells me that we are on track to
have the second largest opening weekend for a
documentary in the history of the movies! ('Fahrenheit
9/11' was first.) Many theaters have been selling out.
The Bush administration's investigation of this movie
is certainly not keeping people away. Thanks for all
the pictures you sent me of people packing in to see
'Sicko!'

The movie is making impact big and small. I thought
you would enjoy this story about a family that Aetna
was forcing to pay a $65,000 hospital bill that the
insurance company was supposed to cover! Check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7uRmMUSZM

The critics, too, have been more than kind. Can I show
you what a few of them said?

'It's as uplifting and heart-rending a thing as you
will see at the movies all year. And it speaks of
Moore's enduring faith -- his angry, nettled,
exasperated belief that 'despite all our differences,
we sink or swim together.' ' -- Amy Biancolli, Houston
Chronicle

'The weight of evidence Moore marshals for taking the
profit motive out of medicine is overwhelming. In a
summer of dumb, shameless drivel, Moore delivers a
movie of robust mind and heart. You'll laugh till it
hurts.' -- Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

''Sicko' is a beyond brilliant, nonpartisan expose' on
American politics that should be mandatory for every
student in America. Some rich person -- like maybe
Angelina Jolie -- should sponsor a program where DVDs
are sent to families or free screenings are held at
local churches.' -- Caroline Kepnes, E!
For more of this, click here.
http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/pressroom/

There's a moment in 'Sicko' when the former British
MP, Tony Benn, says, 'If we have the money to kill
people (with war), we've got the money to help
people.' That line always gets the loudest applause in
the theater. It is estimated that, before Bush's War
is over, we will have spent two trillion dollars on
it. Let me say this: I NEVER want to hear again from
ANY politician that we 'don't have the money' to fix
our schools, to take care of the poor, to provide
health care for every American. Clearly, the money IS
there when we want to illegally invade another country
and then prolong a disastrous occupation. From now on,
we have to demand that our tax dollars be there for
the things we need, not the things that make us one of
the most detested countries on earth.

If you haven't seen 'Sicko,' go see it tonight. I want
this film to have as much impact as it can. How well
it does in terms of attendance this first weekend will
determine how many other towns get to see it. It's all
about the 'first weekend box office' with the studios
these days. If it does well in the 400 theaters it's
in, they will put it in more theaters next weekend.
And trust me, the White House and their friends in the
pharmaceutical and health insurance industries know
this, too. It's no surprise to me that an original
master of 'Sicko' was stolen and widely distributed on
the internet before the film's release. I'm one of the
few people in the movie business who doesn't believe
in prosecuting teenagers who want to share music or
films (although I make my movies to be seen on a big
screen and that's how I hope people see them!). I
called up Mr. Bush's FBI last week. I wanted to know
if they had asked themselves the first question any
cop would ask about this particularly unique theft:

'Who has a vested interest in destroying the first
weekend of Michael Moore's new film by stealing his
movie's master copy and placing it on the internet?'

Needless to say, they showed little interest in
investigating who's behind this. That's ok. I realize
what's at stake for them and I accept that this is a
battle with serious consequences. The drug and
insurance companies have dumped over a half billion
dollars in the pockets of Congress and the White House
in the last 10 years. This movie may end up being
their worst nightmare.

But here's the good news: There's more of us than
there are of them. So, it's up to the rest of you to
help me help this movie have a great opening weekend.
If over a half million people come out to see it by
tomorrow night, the studio will take that to mean it
should be in more cities and more theaters. Let's make
that happen. And I promise you, if you go, you'll see
a movie unlike any other you've seen this year. Last
night, the industry polled the people coming out of
'Sicko.' 93% said they would 'strongly recommend
'Sicko'' to their friends and family. The pollster
said he'd never seen a number that high (the norm for
most movies is about 45%). It was a heartening piece
of news.

Thanks again and see ya tonight at the movies!
Yours,
Michael Moore


Lynn Huidekoper, RN
Legislative Liaison
Director -Health Care for All Californians-Silicon
Valley Coalition
Sheila Kuehl's Single Payer SB840
Menlo Park CA.
650-322-9609
http://www.onecarenow.org
http://www.healthcareforall.org
With Unity There is Strength

___________________

JamBoi: Jammy, The Sacred Cow Slayer
The Green Parties' #1 Blogger
http://dailyJam.blogspot.com

"To the brave belong all things"
Celt's invading Etrusca reply to nervous Romans around 400BC

"Live humbly, laugh often and love unconditionally" (anon)


 
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