the pelican

once more with feeling

summer heat

saw fahrenheit 9/11 yesterday. and the afternoon matinee was completely packed. they had to move it to a bigger theater to accommodate the amount of people.

and it was intense.

whatever you hang your hat on, or believe you are aware of, or whatever you hold to as certain, or grip tightly onto, this man will make you question it.

and he makes you laugh when you’re crying. and he gets right in under the fingernails. and he shakes it up.

god bless america that film made me truly grateful for the freedom of speech.

not an easy film to watch. just couldn’t stop crying, so i gave up trying to stop it and just let it flow through.

and it was a rough ride.

whatever you say about the guy, he’s a film maker. he’s got an understanding of the power of the medium and he lays everything on the line. and this thing was more powerful than perhaps almost anything else he’s done before, because he's hardly in it. mainly the film is composed of actual clips and news bits and war footage, recorded events, snips and bites and articles juxtaposed in such as a way as to connect some dots into a crooked line that demonstrate a certain perspective.

he starts with Gore winning the election, and he carries that ball, doesn’t drop it and never lets up. it’s a bit of a show me the money show, too. he just shows you the money. and he doesn’t hold back on the tremendous suffering, the cost, the horror of war.

and he shows you what everybody in the media seems too afraid to. he shows you what the average service man in Iraq has to say, what the families of soldiers have to say, what the old lady in the bingo parlor has to say, what the common people who volunteer their time for peace have to say.

and mainly you get the sense that Michael Moore has a big heart. this is how he works for peace. his statement, his stance speaks for the underdog, and for the working people, for the poor, for the cookie eating community peace groups, and for the military family. the average honest people that take the brunt of this war. the kids in poor economic situations that join the military because they can’t afford to pay for their own college. and the good families with long loyal traditions of service. all those that give of themselves, willingly give their lives to save the world for others, to pay for their freedom, to give their own being up to something they believe to be much greater than themselves. the people that make and have made this very freedom of speech possible.

and today there is agitation swirling around inside me, cramping my muscles, playing with my digestion, gurgling through in bursts of emotion that squawk through my body. this is a film with some serious physical side effects that may take a while to release.

the audience applauded and cheered and some even stood up at the end of the film. in fact, there was much more voice interaction and audience participation than any film i’ve ever been to. loud laughter, gasps of horror, sobs and gulps and stomping of feet and shifting and jostling in seats. you can’t just sit blankly desensitized through it.

cried the whole time.

in the past, might have argued that if you don’t get Michael Moore, you just really must have no sense of humor. probably just take yourself way too seriously. and that even if you don’t agree with anything about him, you have to admit that the man is entertaining and provocative and silly and that he has a sense of the ironic and absurd in reality. that he probably got you going about something, activated you, energized you, showed you something, pried open your mind a little and tickled you before you could slam it firmly shut.

but now, even though he does make you laugh in this film, he’s deadly serious. it’s no laughing matter. this is life and death in the balance, the cost of war, the politics, the money, the suffering. it’s not just humorous social commentary anymore. he’s turned a whole new corner.

and maybe that’s because the world has never been this sort of place before.

and if the world is as we see it and we create our own reality what oh what have we collectively created.

this film is not for the weak of stomach or mind, or the easily offended, or those unwilling to entertain alternative points of view.

really makes you think how free our speech is. consider what he had to go through to get it released, and who allowed it voice. and how much pressure there’s been on local theaters not to show it.

it’s scary as hell. and it’s almost too much to watch. but if you value free speech, it’s a must-see for that very reason if no other.

but with a few caveats.

because it’s more than a little upsetting. it’s downright disturbing. unsettling.

he makes you ask yourself questions that you otherwise might not. and you may not draw the same conclusions he makes, but you’re going to have to look at what and why you think the way you do a little bit closer. not that many people are willing or ready to do that.

it’s not just summer movie light entertainment stuff.

it’s brutal.

and it’s a dare.

and it's almost too hot to touch.

posted by: limine at 13:00 | link | comments (7) |

Comments:

#1  27 June 2004 - 13:36

 

"...and maybe that’s because the world has never been this sort of place before." just one thing, i think this world has always been this way, perhaps a degree this way or that at any given time, but more or less evil and foolish because people together become evil and foolish. the earth, that poor sad sphere, has been boiling in hell ever since the first little monkey decided to get up off his hands.

MissSolitaire

#2  27 June 2004 - 14:00

 

going to see this tomorrow...prolly not a bunny-movie, but still.

barkalot

#3  27 June 2004 - 14:49

 

It hasn't opened yet in Red Deer, but we will no doubt get it next month. Moore weighed in on the Federal election here--its tomorrow. Not everyone was thrilled.

calgal

#4  27 June 2004 - 15:41

 

Wow. It hasn't opened here yet, but I will be there on opening day.

Leigh

#5  01 July 2004 - 17:18

 

it'll probably arrive here as a bootleg dvd rather than a theatrical release. anyway, i already know what to expect, knowing michael moore's guts and sharp wit. i'm excited.

BanzaiDescent

#6  02 July 2004 - 08:04

 

well i guess if your only option is a bootleg, then it's better than not seeing it, but it's worth paying for. especially when you consider that a huge chunk of the profits are going to charity.

limine

#7  05 July 2004 - 10:33

 

What's interesting is that the film predates all the detainee abuse at Abu Ghraib prison and Gautanamo Bay, which really changed the minds of many people about the war in Iraq. The reason why the GOP is so riled by F911 is that it's most powerful moments speak for themselves. There is no way to put a happy face spin on Bush's utter incompetence as he sits paralyzed and unable to react the terrorist attack and instead sits reading "Our Friend the Goat" with elementary school students instead of taking command, he literally goes into shock. The other powerful moment is the woman from Flint MI that lost a son and visits the White House and is ridiculed by a mean spirited pro Bush partisan who thinks she made up the story to "make a political point."



I went to the movie on Saturday and got really mad...damn it felt good!!! Being angry feels good and I'm going back next Saturday and get angry again...Since my government won't listen to me and wants to do everything in secrecy I figure the best thing to do is keep going back until Novemeber when we can kick those freaks out of office.

Lapeste

Comments: