Michael Moore gets snubbed by the Academy Awards: no Oscar for 'Capitalism'

 Michael Moore's comedic documentary "Capitalism" got shut down by the Academy

Michael Moore's "Capitalism" fizzled at the box office (depending on who you talk to, but certainly not as well as the director's "Farenheit 9/11" or "Bowling For Columbine"), scoring lower in receipts than expected, and now the filmmaker's got some more bad news: his latest doc hasn't made the shortlist for "best documentary" consideration.  Wha-wha-what?!  Read on for the details, my gentle Examiner readers...

We remember from the last time we posted a Michael Moore-related article how much Examiner readers don't like the documentarian (or, as one email-er put it, "Satan himself"), so this news ought to come as good news:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the 15 finalists for the 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary today. Awards Campaign has confirmed that Overture Films submitted "Capitalism," but like last year's "Religulous" it didn't make the cut.

Moore's "Capitalism" earned fairly solid reviews, it just didn't set the world on fire with controversy as his other comedic documentaries (or, as some would put it, "propoganda") did.  The film's sitting at a 75% rating on RottenTomatoes.com-- that's above average, for those who enjoy math-- and pulled in only $14 million at the box office.  How come?

Many think that Moore's off-putting public appearances (which some would call "all of Michael Moore's public appearances") had something to do with it, where the common question was: "How much are you gonna hate capitalism when yer movie makes a hunnert-million dollars, Mr. Hollywood?"  Others think that Moore's day in the sun has passed and point to the relatively disappointing box office returns for "Sicko" as evidence.  We'll let you decide why below.  For the record, here's the films that are up for "Best Documentary" consideration from the Academy (list is from our friends at HitFix, folks):

  •    “The Beaches of Agnes,” Agnès Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris)
    •    “Burma VJ,” Anders Ostergaard, director (Magic Hour Films)
    •    “The Cove,” Louie Psihoyos, director (Oceanic Preservation Society)
    •    “Every Little Step,” James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, directors (Endgame Entertainment)
    •    “Facing Ali,” Pete McCormack, director (Network Films Inc.)
    •    “Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner, director (Robert Kenner Films)
    •    “Garbage Dreams,” Mai Iskander, director (Iskander Films, Inc.)
    •    “Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders,” Mark N. Hopkins, director (Red Floor Pictures LLC)
    •    “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, directors (Kovno Communications)
    •    “Mugabe and the White African,” Andrew Thompson and Lucy Bailey, directors (Arturi Films Limited)
    •    “Sergio,” Greg Barker, director (Passion Pictures and Silverbridge Productions)
    •    “Soundtrack for a Revolution,” Bill Guttentag and Dan Sturman, directors (Freedom Song Productions)
    •    “Under Our Skin,” Andy Abrahams Wilson, director (Open Eye Pictures)
    •    “Valentino The Last Emperor,” Matt Tyrnauer, director (Acolyte Films)
    •    “Which Way Home,” Rebecca Cammisa, director (Mr. Mudd)

Seems kind of odd there wasn't room for "Capitalism", don't it?  Sound off with your thoughts in the comments section below, folks: we wanna know what you think about Michael Moore, "Capitalism", and the Oscars!  Oh, and while you're here, check out these other recent Comedy Examiner articles:

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(photo: impawards.com)