Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" Opens October 2nd

Moore's latest movie, Capitalism: A Love Story was screened this weekend at the Venice Film Festival.  This time around, Moore attempts to make a citizen's arrest of AIG (NYSE:AIG) executives, and puts tape around the New York Stock Exchange building, declaring it a crime scene.  He also asks Wall Streeters for advice on healing the nation. One man's quick reply: "Don't make any more movies."

By Richard Corliss (CNNMoney.com/FORTUNE) -- "Capitalism" has lots of statistics, like the Rasmussen poll that showed only a slight majority of young adults prefer capitalism to socialism. But this is a lecture from a charismatic comedian of a professor; he makes his points with gag movie references and quick visual puns.

In "Capitalism," when the narrator of a 1950s instructional film about ancient Rome's use of gladiatorial games "to keep the idle citizens entertained," he tosses in a shot from American Idol. (Idle, Idol.) Running a clip from the 1977 "Jesus of Nazareth," Moore puts new words in the Messiah's mouth so that Jesus now tells a supplicant, "I am sorry, I cannot heal your preexisting condition."

Moore does give a little time to those on the other side. As a carpenter hammers pasteboard over the facade of a foreclosed home, he observes, "If people pay their bills, they don't get thrown out." Wall Street Journal editorial board member Stephen Moore gets about a minute to explain why capitalism is great and democracy isn't.

Sometimes Moore lavishes attention on adversaries just because they're so much fun. Peter Zalewski, founder of Condo Vultures, which buys up defaulted homes on the quick and cheap, tells the filmmaker, "What's the difference between me and a real vulture? I say that's simple: I don't vomit on myself."

Toward the end, Moore shows the jubilation in Chicago's Grant Park the night Barack Obama was voted President. Two days before that election, Moore said of Obama, "The Republicans aren't kidding when they say he's the 'most liberal' member of the Senate. ... He is our best possible chance to step back from the edge of the cliff."

Here's the trailer for Capitalism: A Love Story:

source: http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/04/magazines/fortune/michael_moore_capitali...