The fact that Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story didn't make the short list of potential Oscar nominees for Best Documentary sends a pretty clear message: Moore's shtick has grown old.

American moviegoers sent the same message when the film opened in September. Capitalism has grossed only $14.2 million domestically, which pales in comparison to the $119 million domestic haul of Fahrenheit 9/11.

The fact is that Moore lapsed into some serious self-parody in Capitalism. He used the same old shifty editing techniques and the same kind of overly-simplified, cloying narration. Plus, you can only zoom in on people crying so many times before it comes across as seriously exploitative.

The fact that the public has decidedly rejected Capitalism reminds me a little bit of one of the final scenes in Broadcast News by James L. Brooks. In the scene, the recently promoted anchorman William Hurt arrives at an airport with the intentions of taking Holly Hunter, a high-strung news producer, on vacation. Only Hunter's character has discovered that Hurt's character used extremely questionable practices in a news piece he put together. She makes it quite clear that she'd like nothing to do with him.

So I'm glad that Mr. Moore won't be in contention for an Oscar, because that means that some truly deserving films such as Food, Inc. and The Cove will have a much better shot at receiving recognition.