Friday, August 04, 2006

Christians vs. the Lions

OK, so it really isn't lions, just Michael Moore. If you are not from the Traverse City area, you are probably not aware that this week is the Second Annual Traverse City Film Festival. Michael Moore is a big part of putting the event together, and sort of hangs around town. I blogged about bumping into him last year. Last year, the religious right staged a counter-festival during the first ever TC Film Fest. I don't know anyone that went; I heard reports of fewer than a dozen people showing up to see their one film, Top Gun. That's right, folks. The religious right's answer to Michael Moore was to show a profanity- and nudity-laced, homo-erotic, soft-core porn flick.

Anyway, this year it seems Michael Moore arranged to show a documentary about a Christian summer camp. Afterwards, Magnolia Films, a Christian movie distributor, acquired the North American distribution rights and wants Michael Moore to yank it from the film festival a week before it was scheduled to start. Understand that pretty much all the movies were sold out a month ago. So the Film Festival organizers are supposed to somehow contact hundreds of ticket-holders, many from out of town, to tell them the film has been canceled and how to obtain refunds because, according to the president of Magnolia Films, "...if Michael Moore endorses it, tens of millions will automatically reject it." Well, first of all, you should have thought of that before you purchased distribution rights. Secondly, tough titty. It's not the fault of hundreds of ticket-holders for this film, not alone Michael Moore, that your major market consists of a bunch of semi-retarded pouters.

So tell me; do Christians ever turn up an opportunity to make themselves look stupid? Ever?

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