MOST OF YOU MUST KNOW BY NOW I am a sucker for a good story. Whether it is in print, film or spoken to me; I enjoy almost all of them. But despite my fondness I do know every story has another side. I know that is such a cliché; but it is true, a story can easily be manipulated by the change of a few words or the inflection of one’s voice. As a young boy I had a family member who told the best ghost stories out of the entire family. The way they used their voice for various characters and the different sounds they would utter scared me and my cousins, to our delight. It just occurred to me I believe those ghost stories being told to us is where I grew to love the spoken word. However, as I have grown up I see more and more examples of individuals who twist their words to suit their purposes. I knew a married couple where I was friends with both the wife and husband before they had married each other. After several years they divorced; the husband made it sound like it was all his wife’s fault and she did the same against him. Were they each telling the truth or was one lying?      ANOTHER SIDE TO STORIES THAT I believe takes place is the omission of words. I am guilty of this myself and realize it is a form of manipulation. This is one of the reasons why I wonder what I am not being told regarding news stories. What I mean is I think there is more to a story that has not been mentioned or released. So, if there is a news story with negative implications I think it is worse than any of us knows; I guess this would mean I am a pessimist. I believe in being an informed listener, which would entail researching a topic before forming an opinion. For example, let me use a nuclear plant story. When stories are reported about a leak or some form of a mishap at a nuclear plant, I immediately think things there are worse then what the news services are reporting to us. It may easily be explained that the plant’s owner only gave out certain details about the danger as to not to scare the public. I am sure I am no different than anyone else when I say I want to hear the full story, no sugar coating of it. If you feel the same way then you may find yourself surprised by some of the scenes in this latest documentary by Michael Moore (Bowling for Columbine, Sicko).      OF THE MOVIES I HAVE SEEN from Michael this one was not my favorite. I am strictly speaking about the entertainment value. Unlike his previous films this one did not stay focused on one single topic. I believe I understood why because the underlying message I received concerned our duty to vote. There were some scenes that stunned me, such as the city of Flint, Michigan’s water crisis, because of the scenes and interviews given. It was a crime for what took place there. With Michael writing, directing and producing this film; he did not hold back his feelings in the way he portrayed the issues. There was a variety of cameo scenes with celebrities such as George Clooney, Roseanne Barr, John Boehner and Donald J. Trump. The news clips, interviews and stunts shown all contributed to painting a bleak picture of our current times. I did not have an issue with what Michael was doing, but I felt some scenes were a hit or miss. Not wishing to have any political dialog here, I will say there is worth in watching this picture.

2 ½ stars