I caught this movie yesterday at the theater attached to a local outlet mall, and was quite surprised at the number of people who turned out for what was very clearly going to be a liberal movie. Remember, I'm in Houston, Texas, the heart of Dubya country. While waiting in line for this one, I was approached by 3 teenagers to act as their uncle or cousin. Having remembered those days when you needed a parent or guardian to get into an R-rated flick, I took on the task. Turned out to be kind of funny, as I got carded and they didn't (keep in mind that I turn 27 in about 2 months).
As far as the movies go, I've always been a fan of Michael Moore's work, but tend to take all of it with a grain of salt. Some people blindly come out of that movie accepting everything he said as fact, while others go in prejudging everything he will say as fiction. I tend to think somewhere in the middle, and use his movies and his old TV show "The Awful Truth" as a place to find questions. Once I see something that piques my interest, I'd rather go do a little investigating on my own and form my own conclusions. Now obviously, this movie won't affect the 80% of Americans who always vote with one party, and will never change their vote if their party were running Hitler. But works like this could be used to swing some of those 20% away from the re-election campaign of Bush. And that's just what Moore is looking to do.
In the movie, Moore doesn't endorse any single candidate, but does repeatedly tell people why he thinks they shouldn't vote for Bush. Now, with the right editing of headlines and soundclips, anyone can be made to look like Satan. After all, isn't that what Citizen Kane was all about? But I think this is a movie that will pique the interest of many folks in this very divided country that I call home. One thing this movie did for me is help me really appreciate the freedom that I enjoy in America. There are many countries throughout history, and still in existance today, that would not tolerate a citizen making a movie that so blatently opposed the country's leader.
As far as the technical aspects of the movie, I think Moore has progressed a lot as a filmmaker. One thing you may notice over his previous films is that he's on-camera a lot less. In addition, his use of popular music to accentuate his points really turns what could be a dull documentary into an entertaining movie. The way he portrayed the attacks of 9/11 were a subtle attack on the senses (you'll see what I mean).
Now many will argue that Moore is this generation's Leni Riefenstahl. I guess it's up to you to decide for yourself. What do you think?
6 Comments
All I know is that one should be advised to bring a bodyguard. Apparently, leftists can get a little violent during their non-violent protests.
Agreed. That kind of behavior can not and should not be tolerated.
"The first man to raise his fist is the first man to run out of ideas." - I forgot who said that.
- bearing in mind, of course, that outrageous behavior has been perpetrated by those from all points on the political map, and by many from off said map.
Speaking on behalf of those from off the map, I recall that it may have been a little extreme to have announced my candidacy for state comptroller in 1978 while standing nude in a topless bar in Chickasha, Oklahoma. That could possibly have been taken the wrong way.
Yes, but only because you were a registered resident of Ohio at the time.
I am dying to see this film and will have done so by the end of this week...nice review of your experience!
"Filmmaker Michael Moore admits Fahrenheit 9/11 is his personal attack on the President and intends to change voters' minds. The President's supporters say the movie is being used for propaganda."
Yes, when campaigning don't forget to state the bvious.
Sorry, just thought that last sentence was pretty funy as the sentence before it says that already.