Saturday, June 26, 2004
Fahrenheit 9/11
I just got back from the movie Fahrenheit 9/11. I guess I needed to watch something a bit more mentally stimulating than White Chicks. There was so much controversy about this movie (F-9/11) for months that I just had to see for myself what the fuss was all about. Besides, I'd also seen Bowling for Columbine and another movie by Michael Moore (forgot the name of it...). Both of those movies got me thinking, so I figured this one would too.
I left the movie with a huge headache. It's provocative. It made me cringe at parts, and it definitely can piss people off. I haven't quite figured out where I stand on all the issues it tackles. Michael Moore portrays President Bush as someone who cares much more about his business connections than the country he runs. I guess you could say the whole movie is one big attack on Bush. Sure, maybe it was nice that someone finally publicly called the Pres. & Co. on things a lot of Americans had been thinking about them.
At the same time though, I felt uncomfortable by the extreme one sidedness of the movie. Moore dug up so much dirt on Bush, and related almost everything to his oil/business connections. Overdone, overspun? I don't know. Maybe. If an equally talented and zealous right-winger wanted to use Moore's filmmaking techniques, I'm sure s/he could frame most any Democratic as some sort of crazy evil-doer, too.
I like that finally people can go to the movies and have the option to watch something that reflects upon reality, as opposed to going to the movies to loose oneself in some Hollywood fantasy, and the only choice being whether be in the form of a drama, comedy, action, or whatever other genre. I am afraid, though, that this might be the beginning of political wars starting to play out movie theatres nationwide. It could get ugly.
I left the movie with a huge headache. It's provocative. It made me cringe at parts, and it definitely can piss people off. I haven't quite figured out where I stand on all the issues it tackles. Michael Moore portrays President Bush as someone who cares much more about his business connections than the country he runs. I guess you could say the whole movie is one big attack on Bush. Sure, maybe it was nice that someone finally publicly called the Pres. & Co. on things a lot of Americans had been thinking about them.
At the same time though, I felt uncomfortable by the extreme one sidedness of the movie. Moore dug up so much dirt on Bush, and related almost everything to his oil/business connections. Overdone, overspun? I don't know. Maybe. If an equally talented and zealous right-winger wanted to use Moore's filmmaking techniques, I'm sure s/he could frame most any Democratic as some sort of crazy evil-doer, too.
I like that finally people can go to the movies and have the option to watch something that reflects upon reality, as opposed to going to the movies to loose oneself in some Hollywood fantasy, and the only choice being whether be in the form of a drama, comedy, action, or whatever other genre. I am afraid, though, that this might be the beginning of political wars starting to play out movie theatres nationwide. It could get ugly.
