Let me tell you, if you see only one surfing penguin movie this year, make it this one. Surf's Up is an entertaining movie, with (as I imagined) a bit of sentimentality, but more so, it's packed with great performances by its voice actors, a soundtrack that doesn't rely on '60s surf tunes or established, overused pop hits (a few songs heard prominently are Green Day's "Holiday" and "Welcome to Paradise," and "Get What You Give," by the New Radicals), and a great mockumentary style that sets it apart from the rest of the animated "kids" movies out there.

Much-seen-lately Shia LaBeouf stars as Cody Maverick, a runt of a flightless bird who lost his father young (the filmmakers even make that funny — much different than the Disney brand of parental issues), has a bullying bigger brother and an airhead mother. Cody wants to be just like his fallen idol Big Z — in other words, he wants to be the best of the best amongst surfers. Though none of it is groundbreaking – I won't give away the story – suffice it to say that it is satisfactory (the Big Z storyline is practically straight out of The Karate Kid).

If you're not sick of seeing/hearing LaBeouf lately (Disturbia, Transformers), you're bound to enjoy him here. He brings the right attitude to Cody, being plucky and determined while remaining funny. Also on board (no pun intended) are:

Jeff Bridges in a perfect role for him, especially if you enjoyed his performance in The Big Lebowski;

Jon Heder, aka Napoleon Dynamite, who plays a stoner chicken named, uh, Chicken Joe. Heder gets to steal many of the funnier lines in the movie and never gets annoying, which is nice;

Diedrich Bader, more or less reprising his small role from Napoleon Dynamite – classic;

James Woods as a generally annoying talent agent (on purpose);

and Zooey Deschanel, every bit as forgettable as she was in Elf. (Not a knock on her as an actress, but it just feels like she could be replaced by just about anyone and you wouldn't know the difference, which I guess is in fact a knock on her as an actress. Sorry, Zooey.)

The filmmakers took full advantage of the faux documentary style. From showing "historical footage" and other documents to interviewing everyone from Cody's family to the villain to Woods' agent, no detail was left uncovered, and it is the source for many of the laughs in the movie (for example, the interviews with a trio of younger surfers). At times, the movie more or less abandons or forgets the style, but always picks it up or reminds you of it in a short time.

Granted, since I don't have a two-year-old, I haven't seen that many animated flicks lately, but I'm guessing this is one of the better ones of the last five years, after Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. God knows it looks better than Happy Feet.

Finally, I ought to add that even though we all probably take it for granted these days, the computer animation kicks ass. The ocean waves during the surfing scenes are photo-realistic. Pretty stunning stuff. My only gripe is that some characters are given the über-accurate treatment in terms of how the animal might look in nature, while others resemble comics characters (which was probably done on purpose, for comedic effect. Duh.). Anyway, that's just a minor gripe.

Fletch's Film Rating:

"Darn tootin'!"

Fletch writes (hopefully) humorous and informative movie reviews and other pop culture commentary for Blog Cabins. He is also the inventor of the highly innovative and wildly effective Fletch Film Rating Scale.

I am sure that most of you are familiar with the story of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped, very likely tortured, and finally beheaded by Al Qaeda terrorists in Pakistan. Five years after the brutal and pointless event, director Michael Winterbottom brings the story to the big screen.

It was with some trepidation that I sat down to watch this movie; the potential for a two hour festival of gore was looming large. My fears were completely unfounded. The movie is based on Mariane Pearl's (Daniel's wife) book of the same title. The sad events surrounding this inhuman and unnecessary piece of recent history are viewed through her eyes. The director has done a fine job of neither glorifying nor gorifying the story.

Angela Jolie plays a convincing and totally believable role as the distraught and frustrated Mariane. In the scene where she finally learns of her husband's brutal death, Jolie produces some of the best acting I have seen in a very long time. While this movie was in the production stage there was lots of 'grumbling' from the 'experts' about how Jolie did not have the depth to play this part. Well the 'experts' were wrong.

Daniel Pearl is played by Dan Futterman, and a fine job he does. We get to meet Danny mostly through flashbacks from happier times. We walk away knowing that he was a loving husband, and a ‘dog with a bone’ when it came to a news story. Maybe the saddest part of this whole story is that the Pearls were due to leave Pakistan the day after Danny was kidnapped, Mariane was six months pregnant and it was time to leave. A Mighty Heart also explores some concepts that we in the west may not be familiar with — the huge rift between Pakistan and India, and maybe even more interesting, a brief look into the Al Qaeda organization, and how it uses ‘compartments’ — if you break into one, you do not break into the next.

A Mighty Heart is rated R for strong language, but even with that edited out, it is not a movie for youngsters. It is very deep, and very sad. It opened on June 22, and I think it will do very well indeed.

Even though this is not a chick flick, my co-reviewer Jan (my wife) and I give this one two wet hankies!

Hercule Poirot is quite possibly the most famous fictional detective in the English-speaking world. His creator, Agatha Christie, was a prolific author and wrote more than 60 books throughout her lifetime, and some of the most celebrated books are those that feature the mustachioed Belgian detective. Along with the popularity of the books came stage, film, and television productions of the stories, all with varying degrees of faithfulness to the original source material.

Among those who have portrayed Poirot on film, David Suchet is perhaps the best. I know there are some who think that Peter Ustinov is the definitive Poirot actor, but for me, Suchet is Poirot. His role in Poirot canon began in the late '80s with the BBC televised series, and he has continued to reprise the part almost annually since then. The BBC productions vary in length, from one to two hours, depending on the needs of the story, and all of them have been released in the United States on DVD by Acorn Media.

In fact, many fans who have faithfully purchased each DVD as they have become available will not find much new about Poirot Classic Collection 2, other than the compact storage case. All nine movies in the collection have been previously released by Acorn with different packaging. The one exception is the documentary about Agatha Christie's summer home called Agatha Christie's Garden and hosted by Pam Ferris. However, that should not be a motivation for purchasing this collection, unless one is a rabid Christie fan, and/or a completist. The home and surrounding property have been handed over to the National Trust, and the documentary seems like the sort of informational/promotional film often shown in visitor's centers of such places. It also suffers from poorly edited and disjointed transitions.

In addition to being essentially the same content Acorn Media released in different packaging, the extras, with the exception of the documentary, are essentially the same: text biographical information about Suchet and Christie. It's nice, but not very useful or entertaining. Most, if not all of the content can be found in more suitable locations such as the official Agatha Christie website. Personally, I don't reference DVD text when I want to know an actor's filmography or more information about the author behind the screenplay.

The films themselves are the meat of the product, and they are just as good as one expects them to be. Poirot remains the central character throughout, and is frequently joined by his regular film companions Captain Hastings, Chief Inspector Japp, and Miss Lemon. These three characters, while present in the books, are not as prominent as they are portrayed on film. However, this serves the series well by providing the tools for character development via the relationship that Poirot has with each.

The mysteries are pure intellectual candy and satisfy that particular craving. Those included in this collection are: The ABC Murders, Death in the Clouds, Dumb Witness, Hercule Poirot's Christmas, Hickory Dickory Dock, Murder on the Links, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, and Peril at End House. Each of them stays true to the perspective of the original books, and the filming style and approach treats them like serious productions and not just TV movies. The actors are as responsible for pulling off the productions as the crew and set designers. They are visibly comfortable in the roles of their 1930s and 1940s characters, and I found myself learning a bit of history and culture from the films.

One of the movies, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, is the story of how Poirot and Hastings met and of their first case together. It is also the first novel that Christie wrote. Set in 1916 after many Belgians had sought refuge in England while their country was under occupation by the Germans, the story both establishes the characters and their relationships, as well as introducing the reader/viewer to the style of detective thriller that Christie is most well known for. Within the context of the film set, it seems out of place coming so late in the collection, which is another indication that there is an expectation that viewers will already be familiar with the characters and their background. However, it is still an enjoyable production and one of the best in the collection.

On the whole, the films in Poirot Classic Collection 2 are fun and intellectually stimulating, and are worth acquiring in and of themselves — particularly if one does not own them already.

Anna Creech is a librarian and blogger who dreams of a day when she can improve the ratio of read-to-unread books in her house. Along with writing reviews, she maintains the Blogcritics Goodie Bag, a collection of daily digital treats for eyes and ears.

When I was a kid, I grew up watching The Electric Company. The PBS program was really ahead of its time — a comedy/variety show that taught basic phonetic and grammar concepts using live-action sketches, cartoons, songs, and Spider-Man episodes. The numbers were really unique, and the show featured early-career celebs like Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, and Morgan Freeman. Pretty cool for the late ‘70s.

So I was excited to see that The Electric Company was coming out on DVD. I immediately thought of my 8-year-old, who loved The Muppet Show’s format and antics. My wife, however, disagreed, thinking that the learn-to-read aspect would be too far below a second grader’s purview. That’s probably because my wife can’t remember watching the show when she was a kid.

Well, let me just say that since The Best of the Electric Company – Volume 2 entered my house, our daughter has not stopped singing the theme song or acting out random sketches. Score one for dad.

Even after all of these years, I was so glad to see that the skits and songs still captivate young minds in this day of “short-attention-span-itis.” I think the length of each number is perfect, just enough to entertain and have them asking for more.

This DVD set is great. It’s fun and educational, and while there are other shows on the air today that do the same thing, The Electric Company was the one that started it all. Of course kids today have no idea who any of the A-list ‘70s actors who frequently made guest appearances are, but for us parents, it’s a nice blast of nostalgia.

Special features:

• A "Remember The Electric Company" featurette
• New episode intros by cast members Judy Graubart, Luis Avalos, Skip Hinnant, Jim Boyd, and Hattie Winston
• Trivia in the form of pop-ups (like the show’s original title, The Reading Program)

I know my 6-month-old is way too young for The Electric Company now, but when the time comes, this will be the perfect program to introduce her to reading in a fun way. In the meantime, she’ll love watching her sister dance around the house to the music.

Grade A+

Season 2, Episode 2. Aired on 6/18/2007.

Part 1:

Previously: The last episode. And Ben had sex with his girlfriend, Brynn.

Credits. God only knows why Bill Paxton chooses to act well in some of his movies, but not others.

The episode opens with shots of the various “Home Plus Is Us” billboards that are strewn all around town, all of which have Bill’s smiling face plastered on them.

Sister Wife Central. Nicki is preparing two gifts at her kitchen table, which we later learn are for Barb and Bill to celebrate their anniversary with her. Elsewhere, Bill is talking on the phone with Lois, who wants to talk about Joey. She doesn’t want to be a part of the cover-up anymore and she wants to tell the truth. “Well, we’re all telling the essential truth,” Bill argues. Does he actually believe the bullshit he speaks?

Anyway, Bill asks what she’s doing at a laundromat and Lois tries to lie that she’s at the gas station, so Bill fills her in on the wonders of Caller ID. Lois looks at the back of the pay phone she’s on, in search of this so-called Caller ID. When she can’t find it, she just hangs up, scandalized by such a thought. Hee. They never let us in on why she’s at the laundromat or why she felt the need to lie about it.

Barb is dressed for her first day of class. Nicki walks in and happily tells Bill and Barb, “Good morning!” She has a plate full of some sort of baked good, which Bill and Barb just take, like it’s normal for her to randomly bake stuff (I don’t think that it is). Barb asks Nicki to cook tonight, since she has a class at 4:00, and instead of opening her damn mouth, Nicki just meekly asks, “Tonight?” and doesn’t protest. Everyone leaves for the day and she looks sad.

Ben is driving himself and Bill to work, while Bill preaches about work and how we finish the work the Lord did and blah blah blah. Ben is starting work at Home Plus and wants no special treatment. He then informs his father that he wants Brynn to meet the family. The whole family. He assures his father that she already knows about their situation. “She kind of figured it out.” Which is believable, given that she’s seen both Nicki and Margene pick him up from school.

Bill sees one of the new billboards and points it out to Ben excitedly. Only, someone has spray-painted “+ US” on it three times, so that it now reads: “Home Plus Is Us, + Us + Us + Us.” Bill understandably freaks and demands that Ben pull over, remembering to add “Check your blindspot!” Hee. Oh, the days of learning to drive.

Juniper Creek. Joey is walking home with some groceries when a Hummer comes rolling up, blaring “Tainted Love.” Alby steps out. Hah! I knew he was gay, and he’ll prove me right later in the episode. His thugs force Joey into the vehicle.

Home Plus. Don and Peg have seen the billboard and are obviously upset. They want it taken down immediately because it is clearly bad for business. Peg thinks Wendy did it and Bill seems ready to believe her.

Juniper Creek. Roman listens as Rhonda records “Oh, Happy Day” for her upcoming album. Wait a sec. Didn’t Roman ban music just one week ago? Maybe a couple weeks ago in show time? I guess music is allowed as long as it’s sung by sister wives? I … don’t know.

Alby and Joey interrupt and Roman has Joey call Bill so that he can listen in on the call and record the conversation. Bill tells Joey about Lois wanting to defect and that he needs to go talk to her, basically implicating all three of them in the poisoning. He even mentions all of the crimes he’s committed. Heh. Roman tells Joey that there will be a vote on a UEB matter tomorrow and that he is not to tell Bill. “After that, we’ll see. Everything’s going to work out just fine.” Joey looks like he’s going to throw up and leaves. Aw.

Alby is thrilled that they can now prosecute the lot of them, but Roman says that they will do no such thing, seeing as how Joey is now their pawn and that is much more important than Alby getting justice. Alby argues that they poisoned him and Roman says that he doesn’t care if “they hop up on the table and dance the tootsie-wootsie!” HAH! Roman should say “tootsie-wootsie” in every episode. He tells Alby to drop it and Alby looks like he’s only just now realizing that his father could not care less about him.

Sister Wife Central. Barb has called for Nicki, and in a nice touch, Nicki gets this smile on her face because she clearly thinks that Barb has remembered and has called to wish her a happy anniversary. Barb has actually called to inquire after some money that she gave Nicki to deposit, because her tuition check bounced. Nicki is the last person I would ever trust with my money. I’m just saying. Of course, Nicki did not deposit it so Barb asks if she could do that today then.

Barb: And I hope you’re still going to your Debtors Anonymous classes. (Oh, own!)

Nicki: I’m not saying we’re not happy to have you back, Barb, but I find that really offensive.

Nicki is so far up her own ass, she can’t see straight. I mean, she doesn’t have the money to deposit. She spent it. And she has the nerve to say Barb is offending her? Then she asks Margie for $60. I really don’t like Nicki. I just don’t like her and not in that I-love-to-hate-her way, either. I don’t find her enjoyable to watch.

Alby is at an actual police station, presenting all of his evidence. They are dubious, seeing as how his attackers took him to the hospital and they haven’t heard anything about the investigation from the JCPD. I’m curious about how Juniper Creek can have jurisdiction over a criminal case. I’m also curious as to why the state doesn’t just go in and arrest all of the polygamists. I’m going to have to do some research.

Throughout this whole thing, Alby keeps shiftily checking out the officers. At first, I thought he was eyeing their guns, but he is definitely checking out their asses in their tight pants. I wonder if this is why he couldn’t kill that gay prostitute last season like Roman wanted him to.

Sister Wife Central. Nicki needs another $40 from Margene, who just hands it over with a smile, like the good sister wife she is. As much as I dislike Nicki, I loooove Margene.
Wanda calls, begging Nicki to come help her and Joey. She says it’s dangerous there and that they need to get away but their car is broken. As she talks, we see Joey sitting on the couch, calmly drinking straight from a bottle. Oh, Joey. I find this whole situation terribly sad. Nicki tries to avoid actually going out there, but Wanda begs and cries until Nicki says that she’s on her way.

Margie wants to come and help and see Nicki’s home. Nicki relents and when Margie asks if Wanda really poisoned her brother and why she would do that, Nicki just says, “You met him.” Wait, they don’t know about the whole poisoning fiasco? Does Bill tell them nothing?

Nicki and Margie drive and eat Twizzlers. Nicki sighs dramatically and says, “Well, Happy Anniversary to me.” Margie looks very upset and apologizes.

Nicki: Oh, no. It’s too late. It’s ruined.

Shut up, Nicki. Margie defends Bill and Barb, but Nicki’s not having any of it. She tells Margie that she’ll never understand until she’s been “hurt like this.” Also, it is very pretty out in rural Utah. If these scenery shots are even really Utah.

Home Plus Warehouse. Brynn shows up to chat with Ben at work, which I think is kind of inappropriate, especially on his first day. She asks what’s so important and he looks like he’s going to pass out. He tells her that his family believes in the everlasting covenant of plural marriage. Brynn just stares blankly and says, “What?” He goes on to explain the family history of how Barb got sick and Nicki came to take care of her, and that the whole family really liked her. “You’re a polygamist?!” Brynn snaps. She is shocked, says it’s not normal over his protests, but then asks how many moms he has. Brynn looks prettier this season. Thinner in the face, maybe, and more make-up or something.

University of Utah. Barb sips coffee and is happy. I am happy for her. And … scene.

Don waits by the defaced billboard, which no one has come to fix yet. He asks the employees of a nearby restaurant if they saw anything, but they do not speak English.

Home Plus. Bill tells Peg to call Billy Owens, the guy in charge of the billboards. Peg flat out refuses and explains to him that they don’t want to draw attention to this problem by getting angry at Owens. They can’t take their business elsewhere, as he owns all the billboards in Utah. Bill doesn’t understand why she’s so upset, seeing as how it’s his name and his face up there. “Maybe that wasn’t the best idea,” Peg tells him.

Barb shows up and Peg leaves. Barb is just so excited and says today has been the best day of her life. “I signed a petition to ban animal testing just because I felt like it!” Aw, she's so cute. Bill seems genuinely happy for her.

Margie calls from around the corner of a gas station and tells Barb about Nicki’s anniversary. Barb curses, “Oh, jiminy crickets.” Hee. She tells Bill and he’s all, “Why didn’t you remind me?” Barb just looks at him and says, “Excuse me?”

Barb asks her to make dinner tonight and Margie says she will and she has to go. Nicki knows what she was doing and asks which one forgot first. Margie says they both forgot, smiling beautifully. Seriously, Ginnifer looks gorgeous in this episode.

Barb laments that she’s never forgotten an anniversary and she’ll make Nicki’s favorite foods for dinner. Bill doesn’t want her to miss her class, but she assures him that she’ll get dinner ready and then go to class.

She gets home with groceries and Sarah is in a mood, probably a mix of getting stuck babysitting the boys and her general anti-polygamy attitude of late. Heather surprises Barb and genuinely asks her how she’s doing, while Sarah berates her mother for putting her sister wives above herself. Barb argues that it’s her anniversary, too, and Heather is cool with it, like always. Sarah drags Heather out and calls Barb “sister wife.” Heather looks at Barb apologetically. I’m sorry, I know Sarah is going through stuff right now, but that rude behavior is just uncalled for.

Bill and Don have a pow-wow beneath the infamous billboard. Bill asks Don if he thinks his (Bill’s) face should be up there. Don says that it’s Bill’s store but that they’re vulnerable and there are limits to what they can do. Bill goes on to bitch about how he can’t tell Barb because she still fells so guilty and how he forgot Nicki’s anniversary and like, does he think Don doesn’t have problems? Does he think that this whole billboard fiasco isn’t affecting him or his life? He’s just so selfish.

Bill: My son saw the sign. (angry pause) This thing’s coming down now.

Part 2 is on its way!

Miss Cordy is a senior at the University of Central Florida in Orlando. She is seeking a double-major in Political Science and Advertising/Public Relations. She has written for her local newspaper, focusing on the world of entertainment — movies and television. Her favorite movies are the Lord of the Rings series and her favorite TV shows are Heroes, Lost, The Amazing Race and Dancing with the Stars.

I went to see A Mighty Heart today because I wanted to be convinced that Angelina Jolie as Mariane Pearl would work. It didn’t. Not for me.

If I could describe this movie as a food, it would be chop suey. It's a mixed-up mess of events. I could follow much of the police action because I’ve read the book, seen the many interviews, and watched a CNN special that traced all the known events and people behind Pearl’s kidnapping. The average person does not really care about the Muslims, the terrorists, and the city that filled most of the scenes. What they came to see – a personal drama about two extraordinary married journalists – is missing. This movie is not about love, or family. Sorry folks. It's about Angelina.

Director Michael Winterbottom makes Karachi, Pakistan the star of the film and forgets all about building up some emotion and good will for the couple the movie is supposed to be about. I would have completely reversed the order of the movie and made the end the beginning, and then continued from there. I was sorely disappointed that the wedding scene and the little bit of life in Paris was relegated to the very end of the film. This was a huge miscalculation on the director or the editor’s part.

Why? Because here would have been the place where something could have been inserted about Daniel Pearl, a man from a family with deep Israeli roots — scenes and sentiments that would make him a real person who once lived, loved, and later died a horrible death, publicly. It would have also brought Mariane to life. Here is a woman who has a deep-seated Buddhist faith and is from a multi-racial, multi-ethnic background.

Less city, more people. Most of the film’s action takes place in the house, and the city of Karachi. Mariane, in the film and in life, clung to her faith when the Muslims around her stopped for one of their five daily prayer times — she would go to her Buddhist altar and repeat her mantra. Through my boredom, I finally got a good sense of this movie. It was during one of the many moments when the cast was sitting around the table in the rented house. I realized suddenly that this is a movie about some well-meaning foreigners having Angelina over for dinner, night after night. She's the guest in this movie! She is never integrated — only a megawatt star with magic and Meryl Streep caliber could have convincingly cooked and served up the Cuban-style dishes.

The good news comes in the form of Angelina’s accent. It's good. And it helps, but the effect — I was left missing the real Mariane. I missed her Buddhism, and I missed her blackness. I think casting Jolie in this role was a big mistake. And the only thing that I can compare it to is Mel Gibson's Apocalypto (2006). If he had taken a role in his film, that would have been a mistake, too. One of the raves about that movie was the native cast. As for emotion here: it registers nada, zilch, zero, nothing that I could detect. It's style over substance as usual.

In the end there is no dessert with this dinner. Instead the audience is stuck with a predictable meltdown from Mariane when she learns of her husband's death.

That would be fine, but in this movie it is simply out of place. It doesn't fit with the cool documentary-drama style Winterbottom maintains throughout the film. While the directing of this movie would best be described as chop suey, there is a small fortune cookie with the meal. The fortune is good. It comes in the person of Irrfan Khan (The Namesake). He plays the Captain, the chief of Pakistan's counterterrorism unit. He steals the show. Overall, the cast in this movie holds its own. They do not upset the cart. My advice: wait for the DVD or read the book. My Grade: C-.

Rated: R for language
Genre: Drama
Run time 1:48 min
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan
Based on the book A Mighty Heart by Mariane Pearl

In a searing two-hour indictment of the American health care system, and, partly, the American way of life, Michael Moore presents us his latest documentary, Sicko, perhaps in the hope that it will make a difference. There is much in the film to give viewers sleepless nights, but it is more than a mere litany of grief and sickness. We are presented with alternative models of health care, and a hard push is made for universal health care in one form or another.

Michael Moore may be emerging as an accomplished auteur of personal documentary-style cinema with Sicko. His knack for turning the camera and the viewers into patient listeners and observers of reality imparts an anthropological flair to the film. All the same, this is not an anthropological documentary like one we might see on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic. Sicko blends personal histories with tragic moments, some dry humour with even a bit of farce and play-acting of solutions, such as the by-now infamous trip to Cuba, and the 'revelations' of universal health care in the Guantanamo Bay prison, and subsequent medical treatment of 9/11 rescue workers in Havana, Cuba.

The American health care system might be better than, say, that of Burundi, but, as Michael Moore shows, it has bartered social goals for capitalist objectives. This would ordinarily be a good thing, and indeed is what has given the free markets system its undeniable ability to deliver the most benefits from constrained resource sets, yet it may not be the only way to solve a constrained-resources problem like delivering limited health care resources to a seemingly unlimited consumer base. As the examples of Canada, Britain, France, and even Cuba illustrate, health care can be treated much like other social services such as policing, fire engines, and schools, and delivered through a collectivized cost process that commits to availability of these social services to every citizen, irrespective of economic or health status.

The film touches on numerous additional social issues, albeit tangentially, such as the debt crisis in American society, and demolishes numerous shibboleths about universal health care, such as the availability of medical services in countries that follow this model, like Canada. He demonstrates through real-world examples how the system could work, if social benefits were given more priority. Some of his examples will doubtless be dissected and critiqued, gaps in reportage scrutinized, and counter-examples provided by defenders of private-driven health care systems in neoliberal America. Yet it would be close to impossible to deny his basic thesis, namely that the system is broken, not just for the 50 million or so uninsured citizens, but even for the non-plutocratic rest of us, who are merely trying to get by, and paying up our insurance premiums, and hoping against hope that there would be no need to go up against the health-care system for anything more serious than a sniffle; although, as Michael Moore shows, even a simple yeast infection can be sufficient cause to deny benefits in the future.

Despite its length, Sicko does not go too deeply into many aspects, such as the actual role of Big Pharma in the health care crisis, focusing more on the big insurers and their adherence to profit principles, showing how this distorts priorities and the quality of delivered health care. There are a few overlong sections that could have been cut, such as an aging Old Labour warrior singing the praises of Clement Atlee's National Health Service, the British 'national religion'.

The Hillary Clinton-espoused universal health care exercise of the 1990s is also explored, and this might have been the film that handed her the Presidency, were it not for the none-too-unusual revelation that she accepted significant lobbying/campaign contributions from the very industry she set out to reform, becoming, in 2005-06, the second-highest health care funded politician in the United States,though not the only one. The industry-politics nexus is not limited to health care, or even to the United States, and is a natural outcome of a neoliberal system, yet it is somewhat disconcerting to see it in action, especially when it is our lives and health at stake rather than sausage and pork barrels.

Michael Moore's favorite whipping-boy, President George W Bush, is picked on a few times in this film, although more in the sense of highlighting relevant Bushisms and his role in passing the Medicare Act of 2003. Sicko segues onto themes raised in Moore's last film, Fahrenheit 9/11 by providing a kind of report card on the plight of 9/11 rescue workers and their illnesses, and in a moving scene, demonstrating the universality of tragedy through the honoring of American rescue workers by Cuban fire fighters.

The film provides a warning and perhaps an opportunity, yet it is hard to believe that it could overturn an entire health care system in the most prosperous country in the world. All the same, if it makes a difference in a few lives, it would have done more than most films.