Two Arresting Figures -

In the age of excellent images boosted by modern media technology, it is interesting to note that the world – yes the global population thanks to internet and cable TV – is continually attuned to changes that they See and Hear. Indeed, the movies have shaped our world so much that the viewing the negative side it is terrifying – as in bad movies with destructive themes, or with violent messages.

Spike Lee

I have singled out two of the influential movie directors who have stirred the mind and emotions of millions living today .

The first one is Spike Lee who made, among other excellent films DO THE RIGHT THING. Starting with his first film SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, a comedy, Lee burst into the cinema limelight of America as one of the very few black directors at the time with substance.

Lee’s message is in the interaction of the blacks with non blacks which in film a good director can put it loud for all to hear!

In DO THE RIGHT THING Spike focused on the recurring racial conflicts in Manhattan. Again in 1990, with Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes), he featured an interracial romance titled JUNGLE FEVER followed by Malcolm X (1992, starring Washington and based in part on the book by Malcolm X and Alex Haley).
As a sort of Hitchcockish trait, Lee has often appeared in his own films, like his appearance in She's Gotta Have It.

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The second personality is Michael Moore and his latest documentary production “Sicko” already creating a sensation in the country, especially in the field of American health care area perhaps because of its seductive timeliness as in his earlier movie Fahrenheitt 11 which clearly analyzed events that led to the September 11, 2001 attack by Arab terrorists.

Moore was born in Flint, Michigan to Veronica, a secretary, and Frank Moore, an automotive assembly-line worker.[1] He grew up in the city of Davison. At the time, the neighboring city of Flint was home to many General Motors factories, where his parents and grandfather worked.

When Moore produced the anti-gun carrying movie Bowling for Columbine, Americans who desperately clung to their “Constitutional right to bear arms” were incensed. Still many took notice and sat up to review once again whether GUNS in American life was so important.

It is significant to note that Moore was brought up Roman Catholic and attended St. John's Elementary School for primary school, as well as a Diocesan seminary at age 14. Perhaps, this attests for the fact that he truly loves human life and losing the victims of guns especially the youth really affects him a lot. A director comes to mind too - Oliver Stone who always works hard at his documentary and like Moore puts his own capital to be able to endorse a message or thesis before the citizens of the world.

Moore, an Eagle Scout, considers it an achievement of which he is still very proud. For his Eagle Project, he filmed a documentary pointing out various safety hazards in his community.

1986, when Moore became the editor of Mother Jones, a liberal political magazine.
Moore stayed with the magazine for only a short while, before working for Ralph Nader. In 2003, the Star-Ledger printed an opinion piece by Paul Mulshine that claimed to know the terms of Moore's exit from Mother Jones Mulshine quoted Paul Berman, who stated that Moore had been fired following a series of clashes with people on the magazine's staff, including a dispute over Moore's refusal to publish an article by Berman that was critical of the Sandinistas' human rights record. Before Moore's arrival, the magazine had commissioned the article. Moore later sued Mother Jones for wrongful dismissal, seeking $2 million. He finally accepted a settlement of $58,000 — the amount of anticipated trial costs — from the magazine's insurance company. Some of this money provided partial funding for his first film project, Roger and Me.

Moore has been married to producer Kathleen Glynn (born April 10, 1958 in Flint) since 1990. They now live in New York City and spend quite a bit of time in Traverse City, where Moore founded the Traverse City Film Festival. Natalie (born 1981) is Michael's stepdaughter. He has no other children. Moore is a practicing Catholic.

Michael Moore