Calling Michael Moore

You need a scorecard these days to keep track of whom is being subpoeaned in Washington.

The latest is filmmaker Michael Moore, subpoeaned by the Bush Administration to explain why he took 11 ailing Americans to Cuba for health treatment. Moore used their experiences in Cuba in his film, "Sicko.''

Americans may visit Cuba but only for certain purposes, and apparently, Moore's campaign to get universal health care coverage in the United States doesn't qualify. He said alleged terrorists are being held in Guantanamo Bay and receiving free health care while incarcerated, so why not non-terrorists?

Two other juicy items came up in Moore's announcement: (10) The Weinstein Company will donate 11 percent of the box office proceeds of "Sicko'' to 9/11 rescue workers in need of health care, and (2) Harvey Weinstein, head of the company, asked Moore to delete references in "Sicko' saying that Sen. Hillary Clinton, a presidential candidate, is backed by insurance companies.

Weinstein is supporting Clinton's candicacy. The reference remains in the film, which has grossed about $19.2 million in five weeks.

Stay tuned.

R.I.P.

Two big movie talents died this week and they will be missed.

Laszlo Kovacs, the cinematographer who set the standard for evocative photography in the 1970s and 1980s, died at 74. Kovacs' credits are simply remarkable: "Easy Rider,'' "Five Easy Pieces,'' "King of Marvin Gardens,'' "New York, New York," "Paper Moon,'' "Frances,'' "Say Anything,'' "Radio Flyer,'' and one of my favorite movies of the '70s , "Shampoo,'' Warren Beatty's scalding take on politics and philandering in the Vietnam War era.

You could put Kovacs in the pantheon with James Wong Howe ("Hud'') and Gregg Toland ("Citizen Kane'') as cinematographers who helped define movies in each of their heydays. If you talk to movie industry people, you'll often hear that a great camera person can make or break a film. Orson Welles gave Toland equal billing for "Kane,'' acknowledging their close working relationship.

The star of last year's Oscar-winning best foreign language film, "The Lives of Others,'' Ulrich Muhe died this week at 54. Muhe managed a very tricky feat: making a man _ with no life who snoops on others for spy purposes and to glean a bit of life for his void _ sympathetic and multi-dimensional. His performance gave the movie its weight and oddly, its compassion.

R.I.P.

Still Missing: Lindsay

On Monday, I blogged about Lindsay Lohan's troubles, including no advance screenings of her new movie, "I Know Who Killed Me.''

Late Tuesday, Lohan was arrested for a second DWI and possession of cocaine. She may face a felony arrest.

A blog respondent wondered if all the media attention and scrutiny are compounding her woes: non-stop focus on her life and falls from grace certainly can't help (including this blog?!)

What's next for Lohan? Maybe her "Georgia Rule'' co-star Jane Fonda, who kicked the booze habit with family intervention (revealed by Fonda in her autobiography) can get her together with Betty Ford (who kicked her pill-booze habit, as revealed in her autobiography) and register Lohan at the Betty Ford Center.

Keep staying tuned.

Missing: Lindsay

Is Tri-Star Pictures doing Lindsay Lohan a favor or being overly cautious?

The distributor is not screening, in advance, Lohan's "I Know Who Killed Me'' for critics, either because the movie may be panned, or, the company is worried too much publicity will attend Lohan for the wrong reasons: her troubled off-screen life.

Could they be concerned that an unwelcoming press could enhance Lohan's problems?

Plenty of movie stars have weathered tumult in their personal lives while having to face unpleasant reception to their work.

But sometimes it can work the other way. For instance, no matter how nutty Anne Heche's personal life has seemed, she gets great reviews. I'd say Lohan is equally talented.

Look at "Georgia Rule:'' Lohan reported to work late so often the producer sent her a scolding letter. And yet, her performance was wonderful: full of spark and authenticity. Then again, she was portraying Jane Fonda's deeply troubled granddaughter.

Stay tuned.

Parched

Well, it's mid-summer, so, where's the sleeper?

One year ago almost precisely (July 28), "Little Miss Sunshine'' arrived and began its relentless march toward making a lot of money on a modest production budget, playing through the late fall in first-run theaters and beguiling enough people with clout that an Academy Award was a given.

It was. Alan Arkin, a veteran actor in his 70s, who has deserved the award for years ("Catch 22" is an obvious example) won the best supporting actor Oscar. Abigail Breslin, playing his granddaughter, was nominated but didn't win.

So, here we are one year later and nothing of that ilk has surfaced.

A "Knocked Up'' doesn't count because that had way too much advance publicity and flacking based on its filmmaker's previous hit ("40 Year Old Virgin").

A sleeper must arrive unheralded with little anticipation, and more important, not pander or be "targeted to a demographic.'' Like "Sunshine'' and "My Big Fat Greek Wedding,'' it must have a unique tone and personality and appeal to an enormous cross section of audiences.

I'd put "Boogie Nights,'' "Speed'' and "Ghost World'' in this category.

Without a sleeper, the year, especially the summer, seems drab and not very exciting.

We're waiting.

Spielberg on Spielberg

Hard to believe, but even Steven Spielberg cannot hold one's interest, entirely on his own, for 90 minutes.

The Richard Schickel documentary on Spielberg that was broadcast earlier this week on TCM just goes to show you that even a person of remarkable talent and imagination needs more film clips and comments from colleagues, friends and family to break up what can only be called the monotony of listening to one voice for an hour and a half.

It's likely that Schickel thought that that kind of documentary is a dime a dozen and that fans of Spielberg's most want to hear how he made his creative decisions. That is true, but the show cried out for another perspective, say, Tom Hanks commenting on Spielberg's casting him in a non-traditional role in "Saving Private Ryan" and how they worked out the nuances of Hanks' character in "The Terminal.''

If the show is rebroadcast, be prepared for what is essentially an honors' class in filmmaking, which probably is what Spielberg and Schickel intended anyway.

Moore vs. CNN

Did you catch Michael Moore dukking it out with CNN over the last two days?

First, he and Wolf Blitzer hollered back and forth over CNN's retort to Moore's documentary about the American healthcare system, "Sicko.'' CNN's medical correspondent found flaws in Moore's figures and assumptions. Moore disagreed vigorously and the shouting began.

Then last night, Larry King let Moore and the medical correspondent confront each other and the fur flew.

Winner?

Let's hope it's the American public, which might benefit from the heated but welcome discourse underway on how to cure what's ailing our healthcare system.