Blu Monday: Capitalism: A Love Story Blu Ray Review

On of the things I love about reviewing movies for Video Vault is that I often get a lot of titles in that I would not normally pick out to watch. Often I stumble across a great movie or intersting documentary that I otherwise would have missed. Today I am tackling Michael Moore’s newest full length documentary, Capitalism: A Love Story. In Capitalism: A Love Story, controversial Director Michael Moore adds the American financial system to the list of topics he has tackled on celluoid over the last years. Along the way Moore interviews Senators, Bankers, Clergymen and Realtors as well as the victims to the system who have lost their jobs and been evicted from their homes.

Moore delivers his message though man on the street style interviews interlaced with historical film clips and pop culture footage. Michael is a master at this approach and produces a well polished, smooth commentary that transistions among topics and interviews seamlessly. He also gets the most from his background music, which heightens what is being presented on the screen. From a visual presentation aspect, this is a top notch documentary.

For the most part Moore chooses to focus on the two extremes of society, asserting that Middle Class America no longer exists. He seems to draw a hard line in the sand blaming the haves for the woes of the have nots. Greed is the ultimate culprit but it also bears mentioning those who have not because they have lived beyond their means through credit and bad mortgage plans and got caught in a trap whenever things went bad. The system enables people to overextend themselves with credit and deferred payments but some responsibility also must fall on the person themself to exercise financial responsibility. I would have liked to see consumer responsibility to not overextend one’s debt covered a bit more thoroughly as well as the bank’s responsibility, especially when the segment covering the Florida realtor who specializes in finding repossesed condominiums and houses for others to buy and flip for a profit.

I find it a bit disappointing when Michael Moore chooses to fall back on his infamous bits of bullhorns and crime scene tape to confront bankers and AIG employees during the documentary. This seems at least to me as a means to draw attention back to himself at the cost of the flow of the documentary.

The runtime of Capitalism is just over the two hour mark. I watched it in two segments, taking a break from the bleak hardships of people who have lost their homes and jobs an hour in so I could view the second half with a fresh set of eyes. I think 90 minutes is about the right length for any documentary and feel that this one could have been a bit thinned down without sacrificing the total impact of the movie.

Anchor Bay delivers Capitalism: A Love Story on Blu Ray in a 1.78:1 aspect ration in 1080p high definition. Michael Moore’s footage is shot in HD and is rendered quite realistically with natural facetones and great details for a gritty, realistic look. Archival footage varies in condition but all of it looks about as good as the source material will permit. Often when dealing with a documentary, the need for a High Definiton release can get called into question but here it makes an impact, providing a lifelike look and feel to the film.

The audio track for Capitalism: A Love Story on Blu Ray is in Dolby Surround 5.1. As one would expect from a documentary, the majority of the work goes to the front channels for this dialogue driven film. The audio is crystal clear and properly prioritized, creating a solid viewing experience. The music that accompanies Capitalism is mainly from the front channels as well, with some sound finding its way back to the side and rear speakers, creating a solid audio track that enhances the viewing experience. Subtitles are also provided in the English SDH and Spanish formats.

There are a lot of special features included in this Blu Ray release. What the majority of these featurettes are is actually deleted bits from the documentary. One exception that I liked was the inclusion of President Carter’s entire speech during his presidency. warning people of the impending danger. Otherwise, if 2 hours is not enough Capitalism talk for you, then you can check out more, including Elizabeth Warren discussing the recent changes to our financial system and a profile of Union Cab, a taxi company in Wisconsin with a unique, collective approach to business. Also included is a digital copy of Capitalism: A Love Story, for those who want to view it on their personal devices or PC.

When it comes to Michael Moore, people love him or hate him. Not only due to his unique format but also for his outspoken political views. I will admit I have never viewed any of his earlier releases in it’s entirity, although I would still like to take in Sicko someday. While Moore is quick to dish out blame for the current financial woes of our country, I would have liked to see a little more effort in suggesting or planting the seeds of thought for a cure. There is a suggestion planted that the new Presidential Administration is taking action to help but I feel Moore could have gone a little deeper into possible solutions. If you dislike Michael Moore’s approach to documentaries, Capitalism will not change your opinions, so don’t bother watching it. If you are a fan of documentaries or have a strong interest in the country’s current financial state, there is a lot of good information presented throughout the movie. Go ahead and give Capitalism a rent as it is a good discussion piece from which everyone can formulate their own opinions .

Special Features:

The Man Who Might Save Flint
U.S. Congressman Elijah Cimmings on Why We Should Consider Discarding Capitalism
Pulitzer Prize-winning NY Times Reporter Chris Hedges on Capitalism: The Killer
Father Dick Preston on Why the Rich Man Can’t Buy His Way Into Heaven
What if We had Listened to Jimmy Carter?
Michael Pollan and People Who Grow Food Without Capitalism
“You Talkin’ to Me?” Taxi Drivers in Wisconsin Go All Crazy for Democracy
How To Run the Place Where You Work
The Socialist Bank of – North Dakota
The Bank Kicks Them Out, Max Kicks Them Back In

Capitalism: A Love Story is available starting on March 9th on DVD and Blu Ray, courtesy of Anchor Bay Home Entertainment.