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Movie Review - Fahrenheit 9/11 - A Completely Objective Review
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Michael Moore |
| Rated: |
R (for some violent and disturbing images, and for language) |
| Length: |
122 minutes |
| Genre: |
Documentary |
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PLOT
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Fahrenheit 9/11 is director Michael Moore's look at the administration of George W. Bush, from his
controversial election as President of the United States in 2000 through recent events pertaining to the war
in Iraq. Moore's completely biased and unobjective attempt at making himself richer ensues.
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MS. CALI'S TAKE
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Ms. Cali's Disclaimer: I don't like Michael Moore. I think he is completely obnoxious
as a person, and he annoys me. However, I'm going to have an unbiased view of the movie and not let my hostility
toward Michael Moore get in the way ... nor my political beliefs. I get the feeling that Moore wants people to
appreciate his movie because it is anti-Bush, but we'll see if it can be appreciated on its own merit.
It's no secret that Moore is no fan of President Bush, so it should come as no surprise that his documentary is
completely biased against him. In fact, Michael Moore himself would tell you this film is very anti-Bush.
The opening of the film is comical, portraying various members of the Bush administration as they prepare
for appearances before the camera (press conferences perhaps). They are doing the normal things that people
would do to prepare for that, combing their hair, applying makeup, etc., but Moore manages to make them
look ridiculous in doing so. As the images cross the screen, Moore provides narration. He sounds stupid at
first, like he's reading a story to a bunch of 5-year-old children, but thankfully that passes rather quickly
and I stopped thinking, "Shut up, Michael Moore."
Johnny: "Shut Up, Michael Moore." Now THAT would be a great
book or documentary title.
The feel of the movie changes quickly, however, as the screen fades to black and you hear, rather than see,
that you are in Manhattan, the morning of September 11, 2001. You hear the planes hit the World Trade Center
buildings, you hear the screams of the people, and as the film fades back in, you see nothing but chaos.
And then the credits roll, and the movie starts.
Moore uses the first hour or so of the movie to show the connections between the Bush family and those he
appointed to various positions within our government to the Bin Laden family and Saudi Arabia. In my opinion,
rather than letting the footage lead you to the right conclusion, he pushed his conclusions in front of you
and then shoved the footage at you as if to say, "See?! See, I'm right aren't I? BELIEVE ME!"
He also uses the first hour to talk about the actions of the Bush administration and Congress after September
11, especially the Patriot Act.
The second hour, Moore talks about the war in Iraq. He makes his case against the war much more effectively,
letting the people he interviews draw the conclusions.
One of the best moments in the movie was when Moore was talking about how it is the poorer people in the U.S.
who are most likely to be serving in the military. He tells us that only ONE of the 435 members of Congress
have a child who is currently serving in Iraq, then he approaches several members of Congress to see if they would
be willing to talk their children into enlisting and going to Iraq. You can imagine the reactions yourself.
Moore is definitely a gifted filmmaker. His creativity shines through in this movie, and he mixes just the right
amount of humor and drama so you aren't overwhelmed by either one. He makes his case against the war in Iraq
without disparaging the soldiers stationed there - in fact, he sums up his case by saying these soldiers are
our young men and women who will go anywhere we ask and fight any fight we ask them to, and all they ask in
return is that we not send them into harm's way for no reason (paraphrasing).
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JOHNNY'S TWO CENTS
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Michael Moore. Rather than engage in honest, open political discourse, he has a long history of
distorting facts, using fancy editing, and even making up interviews just to push his agenda. I'm all
for political debate and free speech, but unlike Michael Moore I feel that honesty is a good policy.
If you're going to state your case then please do it with ACTUAL FACTS! If you do that, then I'm willing
to listen to you. But when it's discovered that your "facts" are wrong and your only response is, "How can
there be inaccuracy in comedy?" well, let's just say you've lost your credibility with me. And for that
reason, I refuse to line Moore's oversized pockets with my hard-earned money.
Michael Moore cares about the soldiers, huh? Well, maybe he'd like to explain why he used video footage
of U.S. Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone's funeral without the family's permission. According to the Washington
Times, Maj. Stone's family is very upset about the situation and is considering legal action. Stone's aunt
said, "We are furious that Greg was in that casket and cannot defend himself." And Stone's mother went so far
as to call Moore a "maggot that eats off the dead."
Stone's aunt continued, "I'm sure [Greg] would have some choice words for Michael Moore. Michael Moore would
have a hard time asking our family for a glass of water if he were thirsty."
A friend of the soldiers? Then why didn't he interview the Stone family for his movie? Why didn't he
have the decency to ask for permission to use the video footage? I guess there's no profit in that.
The documentary *I'm* looking forward to is
Michael Moore Hates America by Michael Wilson. I'm glad somebody finally stood up to the guy.
What I find funny, and very telling, is that Moore (Mr. I'm So Brave and Am Not Scared to Put People on
the Hot Seat) didn't have the guts to participate in this documentary. Wilson has offered the
multi-millionaire (who prides himself on taking multi-millionaires to task) plenty of chances to do an
interview and answer some questions, but I guess Moore determined that wouldn't be profitable for him.
Come on Moore, be a man and put yourself under the gun for once. Shouldn't *you* be held accountable just
like everybody else? The release date is set for August 31.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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There are a few instances of bad language, the most noticeable is when a soldier in Iraq is quoting from the
song The Roof is On Fire, and they play the song for a moment afterward. There are also some grisly
images of injured people, soldiers and civilians, a public beheading (from far enough away that it's not too
graphic, but graphic nonetheless), burned bodies, injured babies and children, etc. It's war folks, and Moore
is out to show us the downside, so it's what you should expect. The more graphic images (and the language) only
take up about three minutes of the movie, but the images will stay with you. If you are ultra-sensitive, you may
want to close your eyes during the more graphic parts. I do NOT recommend this movie for young children. I can
understand the R rating, but I would agree with Moore that 15 or 16 year olds should get to see this movie if
they want to.
Johnny: It doesn't surprise me that Moore whined and cried and
threatened litigation over the R rating. Of course he thinks younger people should see the movie - it means
more money for him.
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THE GIST
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Politics aside, this movie is very well made. Moore is a very creative filmmaker, and his creativity shines through
in Fahrenheit 9/11. I wouldn't say everyone should rush out and see this movie and take it as the absolute
truth - it's too one-sided for that - but I would say it's definitely worth watching on its own merit as a
well-made movie.
Oh, and if you are the people who were sitting behind me (Mann's 10 Theater in Glendale, CA, Friday, June 25, the
7:30 p.m. show. We were over on the right side of the theater, about six or seven rows back ... you were my
grandparents' age, and thus you should know how to act in public ... you know who you are) - SHUT UP! I came to
see a movie, not listen to you tell everyone what you think of its "stars."
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