Posted on 05/18/2004 6:45:20 AM PDT by KeyLargo
Major barf alert!
Less is Moore in subdued, effective '9/11'
May 18, 2004
BY ROGER EBERT FILM CRITIC
CANNES, France -- Michael Moore the muckraking wiseass has been replaced by a more subdued version in "Fahrenheit 9/11," his new documentary questioning the anti-terrorism credentials of the Bush regime. In the Moore version, President Bush, his father and members of their circle have received $1.5 billion from Saudi Arabia over the years, attacked Iraq to draw attention from their Saudi friends, and have lost the hearts and minds of many of the U.S. servicemen in the war.
The film premiered Monday at the Cannes Film Festival to a series of near-riot scenes, as overbooked screenings were besieged by mobs trying to push their way in. The response at the early morning screening I attended was loudly enthusiastic. And at the official black-tie screening, it was greeted by a standing ovation; a friend who was there said it went on "for at least 25 minutes," which probably means closer to 15 (estimates of ovations at Cannes are like estimates of parade crowds in Chicago).
But the film doesn't go for satirical humor the way Moore's "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine" did. Moore's narration is still often sarcastic, but frequently he lets his footage speak for itself.
The film shows American soldiers not in a prison but in the field, hooding an Iraqi, calling him Ali Baba, touching his genitals and posing for photos with him. There are other scenes of U.S. casualties without arms or legs, questioning the purpose of the Iraqi invasion at a time when Bush proposed to cut military salaries and benefits. It shows Lila Lipscomb, a mother from Flint, Mich., reading a letter from her son, who urged his family to help defeat Bush, days before he was killed. And in a return to the old Moore confrontational style, it shows him joined by a Marine recruiter as he encourages congressmen to have their sons enlist in the services.
Despite these dramatic moments, the most memorable footage for me involved President Bush on Sept. 11. The official story is that Bush was meeting with a group of pre-schoolers when he was informed of the attack on the World Trade Center and quickly left the room. Not quite right, says Moore. Bush learned of the first attack before entering the school, "decided to go ahead with his photo op," and began to read My Pet Goat to the students. Informed of the second attack, he incredibly remained with the students for another seven minutes, reading from the book, until a staff member suggested that he leave. The look on his face as he reads the book, knowing what he knows, is disquieting.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" documents the long association of the Bush clan and Saudi oil billionaires, and reveals that when Bush released his military records, he blotted out the name of another pilot whose flight status was suspended on the same day for failure to take a physical exam. This was his good friend James R. Bath, who later became the Texas money manager for the bin Laden family (which has renounced its terrorist son).
When a group of 9/11 victims sued the Saudi government for financing the terrorists, the Saudis hired as their defense team the law firm of James Baker, Bush Sr.'s secretary of state. And the film questions why, when all aircraft were grounded after 9/11, the White House allowed several planes to fly around the country picking up bin Laden family members and other Saudis and flying them home.
Much of the material in "Fahrenheit 9/11" has already been covered in books and newspapers, but some is new, and it all benefits from the different kind of impact a movie has. Near the beginning of the film, as Congress moves to ratify the election of Bush after the Florida and Supreme Court controversies, it is positively eerie to see 10 members of Congress -- eight black women, one Asian woman and one black man -- rise to protest the move and be gaveled into silence by the chairman of the session, Al Gore.
On the night before his film premiered, Moore, in uncharacteristic formalwear, attended an official dinner given by Gilles Jacob, president of the festival. Conversation at his table centered on the just-published New Yorker article by Seymour Hersh alleging that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld personally authorized use of torture in Iraqi prisons.
Moore had his own insight into the issue: "Rumsfeld was under oath when he testified about the torture scandal. If he lied, that's perjury. And therefore I find it incredibly significant that when Bush and Cheney testified before the 9/11 commission, they refused to swear an oath. They claimed they'd sworn an oath of office, but that has no legal standing. Do you suppose they remembered how Clinton was trapped by perjury and were protecting themselves?"
Would something like that belong in the film?
"My contract says I can keep editing and adding stuff right up until the release date," Moore said. He said he expects to sign a U.S. distribution deal this week at Cannes; the film's producer, Miramax, was forbidden to release it by its parent company, Disney.
After the first press screening on Monday, journalists noted on their way out that Moore was more serious in this film and took fewer cheap shots. But there are a few. Wait until you see Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz preparing for a TV interview. First he puts a pocket comb in his mouth to wet it and combs down his hair. Still not satisfied, he spits on his hand and wipes the hair into place. Catching politicians being made up for TV is an old game, but this is a first.
...who later became the Texas money manager for the bin Laden family (which has renounced its terrorist son).
Hey Rog, that renouncing is a lot more than most other muslims have done.
Near the beginning of the film, as Congress moves to ratify the election of Bush after the Florida and Supreme Court controversies, it is positively eerie to see 10 members of Congress -- eight black women, one Asian woman and one black man -- rise to protest the move and be gaveled into silence by the chairman of the session, Al Gore.
Eerie? What planet are you on Mr. Ebert? It is a matter of procedure. What is eerie is the third time selection of Sudan on the UN's Human Rights Commission. A (black) representative from the US walked out in protest.
Moaning about the Democrat's nearly successful attempt to steal the 2000 election is just sour grapes designed to swing the kids who were 14 in 2000.
On the night before his film premiered, Moore, in uncharacteristic formalwear, attended an official dinner given by Gilles Jacob, president of the festival. Conversation at his table centered on the just-published New Yorker article by Seymour Hersh alleging that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld personally authorized use of torture in Iraqi prisons.
Moore had his own insight into the issue: "Rumsfeld was under oath when he testified about the torture scandal. If he lied, that's perjury. And therefore I find it incredibly significant that when Bush and Cheney testified before the 9/11 commission, they refused to swear an oath. They claimed they'd sworn an oath of office, but that has no legal standing. Do you suppose they remembered how Clinton was trapped by perjury and were protecting themselves?"
Soooo now purjury is an impeachable offense?
John Kerry told the congress (under oath or not, it doesn't seem to matter to Lord Guffaw Guffaw) that he and others in the military committed war crimes. Genocide. In 2001 he denied these claims and said that they were the words of an angry "young" (nearly 30) man.
That's treason to lie to the media and government in a time of to reduce morale at home and abroad so as to provide aid and comfort to the enemy.
The totalitarian rulers (commies) Michael Moore serves DEMAND that he keep changing the truth as to fit the current climate. If one of his lies is exposed then he just retroactively denies he ever said it.
My contract says I can keep editing and adding stuff right up until the release date,"
Does the Cannes Film Festival permit "works in progress" to be screened? Do they consider them to be elligible for competition with completed works?
-- His likening of the Bill the Butcher character in “Gangs of New York” – a cleaver-waving, mass-murdering thug – to Katherine Harris. Ebert’s point, made on “Ebert & Roeper”: Both Bill the Butcher and Harris used whatever means possible to take and keep power. Even the Democratic National Committee comes up with more sophisticated insults disguised as insights.
FWIW: Bill The Butcher worked for Tammany Hall, THE Democrat crooked machine. Nice bit of projection from Mr. Ebert.
That's just what Michael Moore has been giving the US for over a decade.
The media's fawning over this obvious campaign ad posing as "a mockumentary" should be labelled collectively "Triumph of the Ill Will" (and no I did not originate that phrase, just borrowing it from another FReeper for this context).
2 other ways of saying this:
- Better dead than Red.
- Live free or die.
True, the original incident was described as "an accident". The second even made it clear it was no accident. What was the time between those two impacts and how long did it even take for news of the first impact to reach president Bush?
Michael Moore starts his clock when President Bush is first notified. Why not start the clock even earlier when the first plane hit but there was no call?
It again is like the JFK tinfoilers. They say that no one can shoot 3 shots in x number of seconds. You really only need to shoot 2 shots in that number. The first shot had unlimited time to set up. The clock starts with setting up the second shot.
Roger was introduced to her by Russ Meyer (who I believe located her through an escort service). Russ discusses this on the commentary track of the laser disc.
Roger didn't marry her for well over a decade.
Eerie? I don't know but definitely creepy.
"Ebert has allowed his pathological hatred of Bush to ruin the majority of his reviews over the past three years. At least one of his weekly movie reviews HAS to have some juvenile anti-Bush cheap shot. He's gone from being one of the best newspaper critics to a tiresome, petulant crank."
That trend is so depressing. I guess he gets lots of support for that in Chicago, but he's alienating at least half the rest of the country.
Entertainment people shouldn't abuse their power and spew political stuff, especially leftists.
LOL
That is SOOOO Gross!
LOL
That is SOOOO Gross!
I'll give Ebert this. He was one of the few major critics who didn't totally trash The Passion. His review was at least semi respectful. Other than that I haven't paid much attention to him in a very long time.
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