SiCKO

Last night I went and saw SiCKO. What a great film. Regardless of whether you're a fan of Michael Moore or not (and I won't say either way), you have to admit that there are some real problems with the American health care system (unless of course you work for said health care system). If you've seen any of his other films, you'll recognize a lot of the same techniques: vintage film clips with bombastic background music, understated observations, statistics that seem hard to believe, a trip with victims (a la K-Mart headquarters in Bowling for Columbine), and tear jerking interviews. And although he has claimed to be party-neutral in the past, this film really does not stick it unfairly to red or blue.

The film takes a look at some individuals who've had problems with the health care system. And these people aren't some of the millions of uninsured citizens of the U.S., they're the ones who are supposedly covered until they actually need it, at which point their HMO's jump ship. Michael Moore also travels to several other countries with socialized health care systems, Canada, France, England, and Cuba, to see if they truly are as bad as they're made out to be. What he finds is quite startling, and not just in terms of health care, but also in vacation time, employee rights, and government assistance in many forms. Let me just say that it makes me stop to think about buying some learn to speak French tapes.

Led Zeppelin - Sick Again : Physical Graffiti [Disc 2]

Ben Folds Five - Hospital Song : The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner

Film School - Sick of Shame : Live on KEXP 5-10-06 (studio version on self-titled album, Film School)

The New Pornographers - The End Of Medicine : Electric Version

Lou Reed - Sick Of You : New York

Sleater-Kinney - Call The Doctor : Call The Doctor

The Pogues - The Sickbed Of Cuchulainn : The Ultimate Collection

Benoit Charest - Belleville Rendez-Vous (French Version) : The Triplets of Belleville Soundtrack