Spotlight Series: Gimme Moore

Why P2P file-sharing can spell the demise of the Bush administration and how not to let American Idol take over the White House.

MOORE VS. BUSH, ROUND 2

We’re doing something a little different today — because today is the day filmmaker-slash-activist Michael Moore’s latest movie, Slacker Uprising, comes out. (Plus, it’s a nice transition from last week’s themes of P2P revolutions and the current White House being easily mistaken for a potato.)

And just like us today, Moore is doing something different with this himself: He’s giving the movie away as a free download, making it the first major feature-length film to debut legally as a free internet download. In his typical convention-defying, sticking-it-to-the-man style, he’s offering not one but five ways to snag it — from iTunes and Amazon Digital downloads to a number of live streaming options.

He’s doing it for two reasons: To get the word out and thus further the film’s ultimate goal of getting more young voters out on November 4, and to thank all his supporters over the years with a free gift on the 20th anniversary of his first film, Roger & Me.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3VRN9CP1OU[/youtube]

The film was shot over 42 days leading up to the 2004 election, when Moore toured 62 cities across America with the same mission: Turning out a record number of young voters, which he considers a success given young adults voted in greater numbers than they ever had historically, and the youth segment was the only demographic group Kerry won.

(We, on the other hand, are less generous with the acclaim for a year in which American Idol still received more votes than the presidential election — quite the eye-opener when the American public finds a marginally talented popster to be a better idol than the nation’s leader.)

So go download the movie or find a screening near you so you can rub elbows with like-minded potato-haters. (Heck, host one, even.)

And, um, go vote on November 4, mmmkay?

Hey there! If you're new around here, grab our RSS feed for the freshest pickings.

Related posts:

• Best of Election Season Innovation Private confessions, citizen voyeurism, a shot at
• The Other Electorate What the presidential election has to do with ali
• Animation Spotlight: Big Buck Bunny A delightful collaborative short film by 7 of the
• The Reel Stuff: Top 3 Sites for Harcore Film Buffs Hitchcock vs. Jason Reitman, the laserdisc’
• Collaborative Cinema: The Hunt for Gollum The new age of cinema has officially arrived.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008 at 9:34 am in activism, culture, politics, word-of-mouth and was tagged activism, documentary, election, file-sharing, film, P2P, politics.