Thoughts on Michael Moore film? (Fahrenheit 9/11)

[ruth]

I saw the film this weekend and recommend it to anyone on either end of the political spectrum. It provides much food for thought and presents images of war and its surrounding issues that are too easily glossed over by network TV. Of course, it's good to keep in mind that this movie is "slanted" and "opinionated," and Michael Moore makes no apologies for that. This is why I believe to responsibly ingest this film and other films like it, it's good to get greater context by reading a range of commentary about the film.

I've searched article after article trying to get even-tempered reviews of the film from both sides, but it seems that even professionally compensated writers can't put together anything better than a diatribe.

Many naysayers are attacking the character of the filmmaker and the intelligence of filmgoers over the actual content of the film.

A typical example of the diatribes out there:
http://worldnetdaily.com/news/articl...TICLE_ID=39206

This quote in particular really bugged me:
"But I will note the one undeniable benefit of the movie's success. It provides a handy reference to the intelligence of the person who sees it. If you encounter anyone speaking in tones even remotely approaching respect for the movie, you have proof positive that the speaker is a fool, not to be trusted on any point, for he or she has given testimony as to their ignorance of basic facts and of an inability to detect even elephant-sized inconsistencies in argument and story line."

To Hewitt's credit, he has real content at the end of his article, but you have to wade through so much vitriol to find it.

On the other side of Hewitt's article, this is probably the classiest review I've found so far:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/20...?oneclick=true

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

I'm planning on seeing it. Will I believe everything Michael Moore says? Not a chance; I know he plays loose with the facts. But I'm not going to be educated - I'm going because I heard it's a hell of a good time!

[Linkmeister]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

From the Christian Science Monitor:

"But whatever you say about Moore, don't call him objective. Don't say he's out to give a balanced view of anything. He'll tell you that much. His films are made with a definite point of view, a liberal point of view, and he does not apologize for it. This distinction is important, because it should affect how you view his latest adventure in filmmaking, "Fahrenheit 9/11" - if, indeed, you view it at all."

The review is pretty objective.

[pzarquon]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

I still can't get over the fact that a reviewer for Fox News gave it a positive review.

I agree, trying to position Moore as "objective" and "unbiased" and then knocking him over is a pretty weak way to argue against him. Even when he says he's a straight-up documentarian, it's not like he's been evenhanded about anything he's covered. That's not to say he's not a good filmmaker, but he's no journalist, either. (Not that that's saying much these days.)

I think 'Fahrenheit 9/11' is a film folks should see. If you hate Michael Moore, it'll solidify your opinion and allow you to debate more intelligently with people (rather than condemining it without knowing a thing about it). If you like him, it sounds like this is his best work to date. Most importantly, if you're not sure... It sounds like this film is going to give you a lot to think about.

Even if you're skeptical, even if you ultimately disagree and dismiss the film, the fact that it can prompt some critical thought in America can only be a good thing.

[mel]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

Anyone with enough funding can get stock footage together and create their own documentary to suite their own political views. Doesn't happen only in the movies... the news, TV documentaries, even talk radio shows... they'll get a soundbyte to use it to advance a political opinion. I hope Mr. Moore enjoyed his one week at #1 because ol' Spiderman is gonna kick his rear this weekend.

[Albert]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

I admire his good taste and style for leaving the screen black during the actual attack on the World Trade Center.

I admire his most convincing portrayal of Bush2 by just letting us watch that dreadful man, the worst president of my lifetime, before things went "live". A new visual definition of "shifty-eyed".

I thought he overdid the grieving mother and the stunt asking Congressmen if their children would enlist in the military.

All in all, as I told Helen after we'd seen the film, Moore was "preaching to the converted" in my case. But it was a mostly brilliant sermon.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

I got to see F911 this weekend, and I agree with Albert on all points. The bit about how much money the Saudis have invested into the US economy was an eye-opener, which I understand Moore lifted from Craig Unger's book, House of Bush, House of Saud. And you do have to wonder about all those failed Bush2 oil companies.

[helen]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

While I heard of Michael Moore I never saw any of his films until Fahrenheit 9/11. Albert and I went to the Monday morning screening of the film at Ward and at the end of the movie people were claping. The last time I seen/heard people clap during the movie was when the Death Star blew up in the original Star Wars.

Anyway there is brief address to Congress by the late Patsy Mink in the movie.

Two things that made me think about the movie that Moore should have looked into more. Well maybe one.

The first which Moore had no control over was that during the time of the hijacked planes hitting the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. George W. Bush was in Florida going to a school and sitting in a class. When the first plane hits his chief of staff informs Bush of the crash. We don't hear what was said but I can understand Bush's reaction of not doing nothing. Tragic as a plane crashing into a building, no one knew at that time that foul play was involved, nothing much he could have done as a leader. However after he got informed that a second plane had hit something, one has to think what are the odds of that happening in a short period of time. Moore could have interviewed people who were around Bush during that time and ask them what really happened. And I begining to wonder who's camera crew was there filming Mr. Bush during the school visit.

The second part which Moore could have done a better job was the part that he said that only one member of Congress has a child currently serving in the military. What he could have done was to find out how many of the Congress members actually have kids that are eligible to serve in the military and compare those two numbers from other periods in time like Vietnam or the Gulf War of 1991 or even in 2000. I think that would have been better to know instead of him trying to suggest to Congress members that their kids should enlist.

[pzarquon]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

Anyway there is brief address to Congress by the late Patsy Mink in the movie.

This I did not know. I imagine it was the portion where Al Gore has to gavel down his own colleagues who are trying in vain to contest the validation of the 2000 presidential election "results." I had read that most of them were minority representatives, and I'm glad Mink might have been one of them.

We don't hear what was said but I can understand Bush's reaction of not doing nothing... And I begining to wonder who's camera crew was there filming Mr. Bush during the school visit.

To answer the second part first, the video is credited to a teacher at the school. (I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know if it's the same clip that's been posted on the web for a while.) While the event was a photo op and presumably there were lots of cameras there, I guess none of the professional media recorded the event nonstop... or at least none used its post-Card footage.

And as for Bush's reaction, it depends on how you look at it. My sense as to why the clip is so disconcerting is not just because he didn't do anything (yes, a reasonable person might keep up appearances and not flee to keep the kids calm), but specifically how he didn't do anything. Particularly the expression on his face... a friend said it's like you can see the hamsters in there falling off the wheel. He's not being a steely, strong father figure... he's lost, confused, and is waiting for someone else to tell him what he should do.

What he could have done was to find out how many of the Congress members actually have kids that are eligible to serve in the military and compare those two numbers from other periods in time like Vietnam or the Gulf War of 1991 or even in 2000.

I suppose... though I would guess that the number would still be pretty low. It's mostly anecdotal rather than statistics... the same way we grumble about the number of DOE officials who send their kids to private school. Moore has an agenda, and his point here is clear. It isn't so much that lawmakers nowhave less guts than they used to, but rather that the people who make decisions are out of touch with the people who end up giving their lives to execute those decisions.

[Albert]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

"I'm glad Mink might have been one of them."

Not might have been, was. An occasion for applause in the theatre. There was more applause, both during and at the conclusion, than I've ever heard in a movie theatre.

The suggestion that Rumsfeld should resign got quite a hearty welcome, but then I've been applauding that idea in my mind for some weeks now.

[Albert]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

Cheer! Moore has made the cover of TIME.

[kimo55]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

Anyone with enough funding can get stock footage together and create their own documentary to suite their own political views. .

funding=stock footage...
you bet.
Try $25.00 per second.
they definitely gotta pay to have the documentary produced, they themselves can't simply "create their own documentary". it is much work and very specialised.

[Karen]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

An online petition drive has been launched by a group calling itself Democrats United Against Michael Moore.

According to organizer David Prince, the effort is to "implore the Democrat leadership to distance itself from Michael Moore and his practices."

Prince says the organization, based in North Hollywood, Calif., consists of 23 people who "actively promote the petition through a multitude of online channels and traditional media."

The group's online petition includes a link where party members can contact the Democratic National Committee. They are instructed to copy and paste the petition into their messages to party leadership.

Source, www.worldnetdaily.com

Says volumes when even Democrats, and Hollywood ones, too, go against M. Moore!

[Linkmeister]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

Says volumes when even Democrats, and Hollywood ones, too, go against M. Moore!

You could probably find 23 Republicans who don't like Ann Clouter, too.

What I'm sayin' is, $100M in box office speaks a lot louder.

[Karen]

Re: Thoughts on Michael Moore film?

Speaks louder, but not necessarily in support of, louder! I bet the group of Dems that has the petition saw it, and didn't like it. Not only Kerry supporters saw it, but a host of people did, out of curiosity. Ya gotta see it to be able to critique it, point by point. Then there's people like me that decided to wait till pay-per-view has it, or better yet, watch it when someone I know has the DVD.

We don't yet know how small or large the group of petitioners is. Those things have a grass-roots way of growing.