Sunday, July 25, 2004
Fahrenheit 9/11 Hits $100 Million...
...but that won't make Michael Moore a Cabinet member in November.
While viewing Fahrenheit 9/11 on its opening weekend, I was filled with mixed feelings.
Feeling #1: Uneasiness. Will the movie do the topic justice?
Feeling #2: Eagerness. ...in anticipation of buried facts concerning the Iraq war.
Feeling #3: Confusion. The movie jumped around a bit. It didn't focus on critical topics long enough to digest their importance.
Feeling #4: Skepticism. At one point, Moore narrated a line stating that Iraq has never murdered a single American. Moore's definition of "murder" isn't provided, but obviously, plenty of Americans have died at the hands of Iraqi soldiers and citizens.
Feeling #5: Admiration. Overall, the movie was well planned, produced and timed for release. Its popularity quickly caught the attention of theater owners. Theater houses showing the movie jumped from 800 on opening night to over 2000 in the next few weeks. Over ten million moviegoers have seen it, and the number may reach twenty million.
Does this make Michael Moore a hero? Not really- much of his information was already common knowledge, and some of his innuendos were unfair and unsupported. The bigger the movie gets, the more people will believe that it represents the "heart and soul" of everything that is anti-Bush. That can't be helped- the movie would have had to be a perfect documentary to not be torn apart by Bush supporters.
Many who support the message hesitate in crowning Moore as their leader. Kerry and Edwards have both distanced themselves from the movie. Ellen Goodman's recent essay, describing the new "dog eat dog" left versus right mentality, wonders if giving the Right wing a "taste of its own medicine" is truly therapeutic for the nation.
It's a bit like having your cake and eating it, too. I am sure there are as many ardent Moore supporters as there are Bush supporters, each swearing, "I wholly support my champion's ideals, but not his methods." Moore himself does not plan to go quietly into that good night, and has apparently invited himself to the Democratic convention. While a hint of unfair play may now be in the air, and although it behooves us to forsake means that are justified by the ends they achieve, I can't help but to dismiss sorting out these misgivings until after November.
...but that won't make Michael Moore a Cabinet member in November.
While viewing Fahrenheit 9/11 on its opening weekend, I was filled with mixed feelings.
Feeling #1: Uneasiness. Will the movie do the topic justice?
Feeling #2: Eagerness. ...in anticipation of buried facts concerning the Iraq war.
Feeling #3: Confusion. The movie jumped around a bit. It didn't focus on critical topics long enough to digest their importance.
Feeling #4: Skepticism. At one point, Moore narrated a line stating that Iraq has never murdered a single American. Moore's definition of "murder" isn't provided, but obviously, plenty of Americans have died at the hands of Iraqi soldiers and citizens.
Feeling #5: Admiration. Overall, the movie was well planned, produced and timed for release. Its popularity quickly caught the attention of theater owners. Theater houses showing the movie jumped from 800 on opening night to over 2000 in the next few weeks. Over ten million moviegoers have seen it, and the number may reach twenty million.
Does this make Michael Moore a hero? Not really- much of his information was already common knowledge, and some of his innuendos were unfair and unsupported. The bigger the movie gets, the more people will believe that it represents the "heart and soul" of everything that is anti-Bush. That can't be helped- the movie would have had to be a perfect documentary to not be torn apart by Bush supporters.
Many who support the message hesitate in crowning Moore as their leader. Kerry and Edwards have both distanced themselves from the movie. Ellen Goodman's recent essay, describing the new "dog eat dog" left versus right mentality, wonders if giving the Right wing a "taste of its own medicine" is truly therapeutic for the nation.
It's a bit like having your cake and eating it, too. I am sure there are as many ardent Moore supporters as there are Bush supporters, each swearing, "I wholly support my champion's ideals, but not his methods." Moore himself does not plan to go quietly into that good night, and has apparently invited himself to the Democratic convention. While a hint of unfair play may now be in the air, and although it behooves us to forsake means that are justified by the ends they achieve, I can't help but to dismiss sorting out these misgivings until after November.
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