Tuesday, June 29, 2004

I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 with Andy Malone last night, and will try to write a brief and objective review here: The first thing that struck me is how it almost felt like two movies. The first half of the film dealing with the Bush family's ties to the Bin Laden family is fascinating, includes the cartoony, fast-cut editing of Bowling for Columbine, and really raises a lot of questions without any real conclusions. As compelling as the inferences are, and whether they are true or not, it is the type of conjecture that Moore's critics often cite him for. However, in the second half of the film, which deals with the war in Iraq, the director allows the footage and the facts to speak for themselves. It's truly brilliant documentary film making, no matter what your politics, and it shows a side of the war that we just don't get from the mainstream media. It relieves the viewer with the right amount of amusing stunts to balance the gruesome footage and gut wrenching interviews. The final sequence, including a long quote from George Orwell, is really stellar work on any level. Every American, whether they like Michael Moore or not, really needs to see this film. I personally like Michael Moore, and I applaud him for getting information out to the people that Disney, the networks and the newspapers won't.

No comments: