Michael Moores latest film free online

September 23, 2008 2:17 PM

Michael Moore's newest movie Slacker Uprising is available for free download, the "first major major film to be released in such a way," according to the Associated Press. "This film, really isn't for anybody other than the choir," said Moore. "But that's because I believe the choir needs a song to sing every now and then."

Caveat:

1. It is probably not the first film to do this, but certainly one of the first major films (if it is considered major or not *shrug*).
2. Free only for US and Canadians for some reason, but it might work anyway as it only asks to confirm your location.
3. There is also online viewing on the Lycos Cinema platform and looks like YouTube has 10 min chunks.

posted by stbalbach (42 comments total)

from the about page:

P.P.S. If you live outside the U.S. and Canada, I'm sorry that I don't own the rights to make this film available to you for free. But it will be coming to a theater, video store or television network near you soon.

so it's a distribution rights thing. not sure if they check your ip or anything though.
posted by christy at 2:28 PM on September 23, 2008

It does not work outside the US even though it sends you a link to any e-mail adress. They use Geolocation of your IP adress to confirm your actual location:

SORRY!
Unfortunately, the lawyers tell us we are only allowed to offer the film to people residing in the United States or Canada. The computers think you are someplace else right now, and that's why you are seeing this page. If you really are in the U.S. or Canada and our computers are confused, you may try accessing the website from a different network, at a friends house, etc. We're very sorry for the inconvenience, and really want as many people to see the film as possible.

posted by meikel at 2:28 PM on September 23, 2008

I actually really like Moore's films, but that trailer totally blew: just lots of lazy footage of Moore touring college campuses to get out the vote. I can see why he's giving it away for free: it seems like an overly long and not terribly creative political advertisement. Weak.
posted by ornate insect at 2:31 PM on September 23, 2008

I always thought that Bubble was released as a free download at the same time as it was in theatres, but Wikipedia doesn't seem to agree with me.
posted by roll truck roll at 2:32 PM on September 23, 2008

Bubble was released simultaneously on DVD and in theaters, which was a first. Not online at all, I think.
posted by graventy at 2:37 PM on September 23, 2008

It's available on The Pirate Bay and you don't have to sign up for Michael Moore spam.

I find it weird when people/organizations sort of get that copyright is dying but don't really understand the full impact. Radiohead got it much closer to right and people still Bittorrented the official In Rainbows rip (never mind the higher quality and bonus disc rips that came later) en masse - because that's just the default way music is obtained now by many people.
posted by TheOnlyCoolTim at 2:51 PM on September 23, 2008

As far as Slacker Uprising goes....it sucks. It's a tribute video to Moore's get out the vote campaign in 2004, and how great it worked.

But it's fantastically boring, and he's preaching to the fucking choir, so... I'm really not sure what he hopes to accomplish here. At least Sicko had a message to get across.
posted by graventy at 2:54 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

This is doesn't really seem like this would be the kind of doc that would pack in the crowds in the theaters or offer "hard" information that previous Micahel Moore films have offered (what his interpretation of those facts are another story). This just seems a weaker effort, but it's a nice gesture to offer it this wasy just the same.
posted by Alexandra Kitty at 2:59 PM on September 23, 2008

For a second I thought this thread was going to be about An American Carol, for which I saw the trailer last night. Never mind.
posted by potch at 3:10 PM on September 23, 2008

I was just thinking about An American Carol, too. I can't tell if that film is a huge well done joke or just the worst piece of trash I could possibly imagine anybody making.
posted by shmegegge at 3:16 PM on September 23, 2008

Yay! It sent out the spam, and then gave me a 404! Probably faster over bittorrent, anyway.
posted by team lowkey at 3:56 PM on September 23, 2008

"This film, really isn't for anybody other than the choir," said Moore.

Too bad the people in Moore's choir can do little better than belching out the alphabet, and the occasional profanity.
posted by KokuRyu at 4:00 PM on September 23, 2008

ABCDE..belch...EFGHI...belch...JKLMNOP...belch...QRSTU...belch..VWXYZ.

Fuck.
posted by fourcheesemac at 4:03 PM on September 23, 2008 [2 favorites]

In premise, it reminds me a lot of "The Big One," my favorite Moore movie. In it, he drops a lot of the editing and fact-nudging and instead just gives a very relaxed, off-the-cuff type of performance. You forget just how funny the guy can be.
posted by roll truck roll at 4:16 PM on September 23, 2008

I'm trying to guess what a slacker uprising would look like, but all I can imagine is a doorbell ringing and somebody agonising over whether to have another bong hit before or after getting up to answer the door for the pizza delivery guy.
posted by UbuRoivas at 4:25 PM on September 23, 2008

I can see why he's giving it away for free...

It's natural enough to assume, I suppose, that something being given away is intrinsically worthless. That's probably why so few people visit MetaFilter Music, for example. People generally assume from the outset that it's not going to be any good, cause there's no money changing hands.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:26 PM on September 23, 2008

"I was just thinking about An American Carol, too. I can't tell if that film is a huge well done joke or just the worst piece of trash I could possibly imagine anybody making."

DO NOT GET ME STARTED ABOUT THAT FILM. I MEAN IT. SOMEONE WILL GET HURT.
posted by Naberius at 4:51 PM on September 23, 2008

....he's preaching to the fucking choir, so... I'm really not sure what he hopes to accomplish here. - posted at 5:54

"This film, really isn't for anybody other than the choir," said Moore. "But that's because I believe the choir needs a song to sing every now and then." - posted at 5:17
posted by DU at 4:52 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

I watched it, and don't really get it. He spends 97 minutes showing me angry, fiery people in stadiums, but doesn't explain why I, myself, should feel angry or fiery. What's the point?
posted by Sfving at 4:54 PM on September 23, 2008

Hmmm, does anyone else feel sorta sad and achy after watching the trailer?
posted by nola at 5:19 PM on September 23, 2008

I watched it, and don't really get it. He spends 97 minutes showing me angry, fiery people in stadiums, but doesn't explain why I, myself, should feel angry or fiery. What's the point? - posted at 7:54

"This film, really isn't for anybody other than the choir," said Moore. "But that's because I believe the choir needs a song to sing every now and then." - posted at 5:17
posted by moxiedoll at 5:52 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

@Sfving - If you don't know already all the explanation in the world isn't going to clue you in.
posted by evenson at 5:54 PM on September 23, 2008

Sfving,

but doesn't explain why I, myself, should feel angry or fiery. What's the point?

if you don't know why you should feel angry or fiery at this point, I doubt any documentary is going to help you.
posted by any major dude at 5:59 PM on September 23, 2008 [4 favorites]

While I don't appreciate Michael Moore, the "choir" quote is really fantastic. Sometimes you're allowed to produce work for your own fans.
posted by Yakuman at 6:10 PM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite]

i watched some of it, then accidentally hit the back button.
there's no fast forward on the streaming video.

argh. Is there a torrent or anything?
posted by joelf at 6:17 PM on September 23, 2008

Hey smartasses, you know the thing about singing for the choir? Generally the choir wins.

I expected some sort of anger or reaction to the results in Ohio in 2004. Instead we get "We won 60/62 cities my tour visited!"

I guess the choir here is himself.
posted by graventy at 6:36 PM on September 23, 2008

@graventy - Since we're talking about smartasses - It's preaching to the choir. Preaching.

I guess you didn't notice but this movie was directed at the future and not the past. I'm not sure how you expect this film to change history.
posted by evenson at 6:52 PM on September 23, 2008

Torrents ahoy: Divx AVI, mp4.
posted by lumensimus at 7:31 PM on September 23, 2008

There is always a torrent.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:49 PM on September 23, 2008 [2 favorites]

That's probably why so few people visit MetaFilter Music, for example. People generally assume from the outset that it's not going to be any good, cause there's no money changing hands.

nah...I just don't like music that much. Change the name to nachos.metafilter.com and I promise I'll visit a lot more.
posted by billyfleetwood at 8:23 PM on September 23, 2008

Hey smartasses, you know the thing about singing for the choir? Generally the choir wins.

Uh, I'm gonna be charitable here and guess that you mixed some metaphors, only I have no idea what they could possibly even be.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:27 PM on September 23, 2008 [2 favorites]

Hey smartasses, you know the thing about singing for the choir? Generally the choir wins.

Yeah, I fucked that up pretty badly. I'm a member of the choir, a liberal who voted in 2004, but I didn't learn anything from Slacker Uprising. Voter registration works, except...it didn't?
posted by graventy at 8:32 PM on September 23, 2008

Anyway, if this is basically just a movie Michael Moore made about how awesome his get out the vote campaign was (not...awesome...enough?), then I'm going to put forth the wild notion that it's free because there isn't a paying market for it. I guess if there's a DVD release and it sells a bajillion copies, I'll know I was mistaken.

An American Carol kinda bums me out. In part, it's its politics, I guess (although I also think Michael Moore is kind of an obnoxious windbag, even if I usually agree with him), but it's mostly that it looks so thuddingly unfunny, painful enough (and obscure enough...a satire of Michael Moore? for real? who the fuck cares?) that I can't believe its studio is even spending advertising/distribution money on it that it can't hope to win back, and...man. It's David Zucker. I can even find it in my heart to defend Scary Movie 3 and 4 (Anna Faris's Signs-inspired speech in the former is, I swear to God, so much funnier than you would ever imagine, and makes the entire rest of the movie 100% worth it), but this is beyond the pale. The pale of...I don't know. Suck.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 8:41 PM on September 23, 2008

2004? WTF?

Why not a new film of him registering pro-Obama folks?

Wrong timing, wrong movie.
posted by bardic at 8:59 PM on September 23, 2008

The reason that Kerry lost is the same reason that Obama will win: the charisma of the candidate. I would have voted against Kerry if the other side of the ballot hadn't said Republican: Bush.

The last thing that anyone needs to remember now, with an Obama victory in our sights, is how miserably inept the Democrats were in 2004.
posted by Deathalicious at 11:12 PM on September 23, 2008

A bit self-congratulatory for a movie about a failed effort. I watched the whole thing and honestly it depressed the fuck out of me.
posted by naoko at 11:23 PM on September 23, 2008

Waitaminnit. ZUCKER is parodying Michael Moore? Airplane! Zucker?

What is it with people who start sucking when they grow old? Is it Republican Tendency, or something biological?
posted by JHarris at 11:28 PM on September 23, 2008

graventy: I expected some sort of anger or reaction to the results in Ohio in 2004. Instead we get "We won 60/62 cities my tour visited!"

He's trying to stay positive. "Hey, we did this much!" It seems like half the country is too stupid to be angry, and the other half has been angry so long that it's become bitterness. I think he's trying to be something other than those two things.

I know I'm solidly on the "bitter" side. If Obama doesn't win in November, oh how painful it will be. I don't think I'll ever be able to talk to my conservafriends again. I'll be too damned hopping mad at them. I'll probably even end up ending all my sentences with "SMASH!!"
posted by JHarris at 11:33 PM on September 23, 2008

Theoretically, I would be way too busy leeching the new episodes of Heroes to bother with this, but thanks for the offer.
posted by chuckdarwin at 2:19 AM on September 24, 2008

nah...I just don't like music that much.

So, you never heard that secret chord?
That David played?
It pleased the Lord.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:29 AM on September 24, 2008 [1 favorite]

I remember hearing Moore say on Larry King he was thinking about naming the movie, "We Were This Close". The point I guess is to remind people of the massive popular opposition that had built up all over the country and how it just wasn't quite enough. It is striking to see the enormous crowds Moore was pulling back then, and be reminded that early on, John Kerry was indeed polling significantly higher than Bush. The moral of the story: no matter how popular "our guy" is, we could very well get f**ked over again.
posted by jimmy76 at 3:08 PM on September 24, 2008

While I've enjoyed Moore's past work, Slacker Uprising is flat-out lame, reaching its noxious apex when Roseanne Barr appears.
posted by porn in the woods at 12:24 PM on September 25, 2008