 |
|
|
 |
|
| 6/30/2004 |
| Fahrenheit 9/11: What Would Michael Moore Do? |
A Movie Review
by Wes Bennett
|
During his infamous rant win he won an Academy Award at the 2002 Oscars, Michael Moore boldly thrust himself into the political arena when he denounced the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. That night it became clear that the man who battled General Motors in “Roger & Me” and the NRA in “Bowling for Columbine” would attempt to take down an even bigger target: the President of the United States of America.
“Fahrenheit 9/11,” Michael Moore’s scathing indictment of the Bush Administration, is skillful filmmaking and should not under any circumstances be dismissed as left-wing propaganda. It should be seen regardless of your political opinions because it forces you to decide for yourself what the truth is and to what extent Moore’s passion starts to distort fact.
The theme of Moore's film is that the war was born of fear, deception and confusion and realized in blood, death and tears, that actually attacked the American dream it set out to defend.
Much of the information conveyed in the film has been covered in such books as Craig Unger's “House of Bush, House of Saud” and Richard Clarke's “Against All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror” and Moore’s “Dude Where’s My Country?” But “Fahrenheit” presents it to the non-reading public with clever, biting wit and an eye for the telling visual which is better suited for today’s short-attention span audience who have less free time.
Bush’s friends and administration are Moore's main targets, from John Ashcroft singing the self-penned “Let the Eagle Soar” to Paul Wolfowitz spitting on his comb before running it through his hair.
He caustically details the administration's manipulation of public fear and the dangerous implications of the Patriot Act. There is footage of atrocities and abuses similar to those at Abu Ghraib prison as well a examinations of the military records released by Bush that show the closeness of the Bushes and the Saudis.
There are Marine recruiters trolling shopping mall parking lots for fresh meat, contrasted with the tragedy of the Bush administration's proposed cuts in military pay and benefits.
We are shown the ratification of Bush's election by the U.S. Congress, Moore’s confrontation of congressmen, urging them to have their children enlist in the service, lapses in homeland security, seven minutes of Bush’s confusion and indecision after the trade centers were attacked, actions of the troops overseas, the unemployment rate in Flint, Michigan and one family’s grief over the death of their son in Iraq.
The film covers so much ground that one could argue that parts of “Fahrenheit” becomes disjointed at times. The film essentially represents an extensive barrage, with ammunition flying in all directions. The lack of flow might stem from the fact that there was a rush to release the film so it would come out on DVD before November.
But for those who have argued that the film is simply extremist propaganda, I would argue that much of this information is the kind of real news and information that much of the rest of the world has access to instead of the “fair and balanced” material that we see on the Fox News channel.
Personally after having complained that art is dead in the last year, I am happy to see the first relevant, popular art about 9/11 since Bruce Springsteen addressed some of these issues in his album “The Rising.” The movie is poised to become the first anti-establishment film in a long time to shake up the American public and even have a noticeable impact on the 2004 election.
I think that everyone can agree that a documentary about politics becoming the number one film for a week in the summer is incredibly significant, if not unheard of. This film could even become “The Passion of The Christ” for politically consciousness citizens. Hopefully in future weeks people won’t be afraid to be offended, to think, to learn or to make important decisions about the future of the country and see what will probably be the most relevent film of the year.
(*check out www.freeevil.net)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| "We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then question the manner in which I provide it." |
- Jack Nicholson
A Few Good Men
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Distributed Beers
|
| 5 |
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot |
| 4 |
Guinness Draught |
| 3 |
Newcastle Brown Ale |
| 2 |
Bass Pale Ale |
| 1 |
Samuel Adams Boston Lager |
|
|
|
|
|
