Michael Moore is dismayed after losing his R rating battle

Michael Moore has lost his appeal to overturn the R rating for his upcoming documentary Where to Invade Next and the controversial director is displeased.

Moore announced on Twitter Thursday that the Motion Picture Association of America "just denied my appeal" for the board's restrictive rating.

"What are they afraid of?" Moore asked on Twitter. "Sex, Drugs, Truth."

It's the sixth time the left-wing documentary director has had a film rated R by the ratings board, including his 2002 film critical of gun culture in America, Bowling for Columbine.

"When they gave Bowling for Columbine an R, they didn't want 'teens to see images of school shootings,' " Moore added. "That's worked out well."

But Moore held off from truly tee-ing off on the MPAA decision in light of Wednesday's tragic shooting in San Bernardino.

"I don't want 2 talk about this today. Down the road from the MPAA are 35 (people) shot. That should be our focus," Moore said on Twitter.

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Moore had announced on Twitter in November that Where to Invade Next had been rated R due to "violence, drug use & brief graphic nudity." At the time, he denounced the MPAA's reasoning for each of these counts.

The film, opening Dec. 23, features Moore traveling around the world and "invading" countries which he believes have beneficial ideas for society. The brief nudity, for example, was taken from a German spa scene which the government funds for stressed-out German workers.

Moore promised to make his "real appeal" to the world on Monday. To be continued.