Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/02/04 11:08 AM Counterpunch, July 2, 2004 Moore's Fahrenheit 911 Mocking the Moral Crisis of Capitalism By DOUGLAS VALENTINE They wept! They roared with laughter! At inappropriate times they applauded, the politically correct, white middle class audience at the Academy Theatre in avante guard Northampton, MA, home of Smith College, and many fine restaurants. But, then again, Michael Moore was preaching to the choir, wasn't he? And that's the first of two big problems with Fahrenheit 911. The other big problem is this frivolous film's utter futility. first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... second problem with above article: it makes all easy criticisms of moore's work (at least he had sense - with one lapse into schtick of trying to get people to do things they don't want to do, in this case, get members of congress to enlist their children to go to iraq, this type of scene has really become annoying in moore's films)... so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
[EMAIL PROTECTED] 07/04/04 12:18 PM first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... FAHRENHEIT 9/11 A BIG HIT IN N.C. MILITARY TOWN Michael Moore's left-sided documentary criticizing the Bush administration's war on terrorism, Fahrenheit 9/11, sold out two showings its first night last Friday in the military town of Fayetteville, N.C., home of Fort Bragg. Nearly 1,000 more tickets sold over the weekend -- as many as 75% from military families, according to the theater showing the film. (Fayetteville Observer, 6/29) http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=localStory=6429101 -- Please Note: Due to Florida's very broad public records law, most written communications to or from College employees regarding College business are public records, available to the public and media upon request. Therefore, this e-mail communication may be subject to public disclosure.
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
Michael Hoover wrote: first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... I saw it in Danvers, Mass., on a visit to the in-laws. Not exactly Kissimmee, I don't think, but a long way from Northampton, too. Though there were some members of the choir in the audience, most weren't. And the reaction was vocal, emotional, and quite positive. Visiting my father in suburban NJ yesterday, we overheard a sweet gray-haired lady in a chain steakhouse urging fellow diners to see the movie. She was wearing a powder-blue suit, not a George Bush, war criminal t-shirt. so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover It leaves readers like me with the feeling that Valentine is repackaging cheap envy as a critique. Doug
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
I saw F911 in Torrance, CA, where I live. It's home to the oil industry, the military/aerospace industry, two mega malls, many medium-sized malls, an infinite number of mini-malls, and every chain store you'd ever want. Quite suburban, with all sorts of middle-class housing (and American flags, not just this weekend). The theater sold out on a Wednesday night, while the audience was very happy with the movie. I didn't do a poll, but there were at least two family pairs of fathers taking their daughters to see the truth about Iraq. (Of course, in LA, a daughter of an old guy might be a paramour or a trophy wife, but that wasn't true in these cases.) jd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list on behalf of Doug Henwood Sent: Sun 7/4/2004 9:30 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: Subject: Re: [PEN-L] Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Hoover wrote: first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... I saw it in Danvers, Mass., on a visit to the in-laws. Not exactly Kissimmee, I don't think, but a long way from Northampton, too. Though there were some members of the choir in the audience, most weren't. And the reaction was vocal, emotional, and quite positive. Visiting my father in suburban NJ yesterday, we overheard a sweet gray-haired lady in a chain steakhouse urging fellow diners to see the movie. She was wearing a powder-blue suit, not a George Bush, war criminal t-shirt. so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover It leaves readers like me with the feeling that Valentine is repackaging cheap envy as a critique. Doug
Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
it's previewing in London this evening, and you can't get tickets for love or money (I believe; to be honest I've only really tried offering money) dd -Original Message- From: PEN-L list [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Doug Henwood Sent: 04 July 2004 17:30 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11 Michael Hoover wrote: first problem with above article: venue environment that author viewed film, get out some man, go see film in mass. equivalents of kissimmee fl, ocala, fl, eustis, fl (places where film is playing, towns where no films like this ever play)... I saw it in Danvers, Mass., on a visit to the in-laws. Not exactly Kissimmee, I don't think, but a long way from Northampton, too. Though there were some members of the choir in the audience, most weren't. And the reaction was vocal, emotional, and quite positive. Visiting my father in suburban NJ yesterday, we overheard a sweet gray-haired lady in a chain steakhouse urging fellow diners to see the movie. She was wearing a powder-blue suit, not a George Bush, war criminal t-shirt. so what does article leave readers with, self-congratulatory air of author who is able to see michael moore for what he 'really' is, like wow... michael hoover It leaves readers like me with the feeling that Valentine is repackaging cheap envy as a critique. Doug
Skewering Fahrenheit 9/11
Counterpunch, July 2, 2004 Moore's Fahrenheit 911 Mocking the Moral Crisis of Capitalism By DOUGLAS VALENTINE The question is not what goal is envisaged for the time being by this or that member of the proletariat, or even by the proletariat as a whole. The question is what is the proletariat and what course of action will it be forced historically to take in conformity with its own nature. Karl Marx, The Holy Family They wept! They roared with laughter! At inappropriate times they applauded, the politically correct, white middle class audience at the Academy Theatre in avante guard Northampton, MA, home of Smith College, and many fine restaurants. But, then again, Michael Moore was preaching to the choir, wasn't he? And that's the first of two big problems with Fahrenheit 911. The other big problem is this frivolous film's utter futility. Let's be realistic. Moore says the purpose of his incoherent mockumentary is to get Bush out of office which, in and of itself, t'is a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. But the political passing of George W. Bush has no meaning, for even if the public shuffles him off, it's still left with Long John Kerry, and the strangling coil of oppressive laws, secret decrees, and eternal imperialistic war (with its attendant corruption) that Bush has wrapped so tightly around America's neck. Ay, there's the rub. Kerry is just another money-grubbing, ass-kissing, bromide-mouthing politician, as Gail Sheehy might say, and he is as acceptable to the Establishment as Bush. With Kerry in office, the war on terror and the occupation of Iraq will continue apace, with perhaps a little more of the stolen loot going to our anxious allies waiting avariciously in the wings. In the larger scheme of things, Fahrenheit 911 changes nothing: Halliburton keeps its blood-soaked contracts, the Republicans control both houses of Congress, and no neo-conmen go to the gallows for stealing $20 billion in oil revenues from the Iraqi people (I'm curious to know how Christopher Hitchens rationalizes that?), or for the massive war crimes they have committed. Kerry's performance during the Iran-Contra investigation assures the rich political elite of a continuing cover-up. While watching the movie, I couldn't stop thinking about how Moore had evidence of the torture at Abu Ghraib, and didn't tell anyone! I wanted to stand up and scream: What's it all about, Mickey? Is it just for the moment, or the money, we live? Or is it the thrill of being catapulted into the stratosphere of American celebrity? I thought to myself: I should have seen it coming, when the nouveau riche glitterati gave the movie a twenty-minute standing ovation at Cannes. Anything that so pleases the perfect people in Porsches cannot, by definition, have any redeeming value. A monumental letdown, Fahrenheit 911 is a sick exploitation film that tells us nothing new about ourselves, and changes nothing in the world. Yes, the farcical clips of Bush making a fool of himself add comic relief to the melodramatic footage of Bush and his venal clique visiting vengeful tragedy upon the world, and profiting from it. And, to his credit, Moore courageously goes where no man in the corporate media has dared to go before: he loosely chronicles how the tragedy unfolded, while being extra careful not to mention Israel. Here's how the story goes: Bush steals the election, lets the main Saudi suspects in the 911 mass murder case escape because his daddy is in business with them, and then goes on a worldwide killing spree with the blessings of Major Generals Rather, Brokaw, and Jennings. You've heard it all before; any tenth grader from Freyburg, Maine could have told us that. To sum it up, Moore's swipes at Bush are irrelevant during the current crisis-du-jour of capitalism. How much time must we waste laughing at Bush, tripping over his tongue, before we grab our pitchforks and storm, as family-values proponent Dick Cheney might put it, the fucking White House? The answer, to judge from the reaction of the progressive and academically oriented audience I was sitting with, is over and over again. Which, again, is the saddest part of watching his film. I'm sure Moore didn't intend it, but his mockumentary is as much an indictment of his adoring, bourgeois fan club as it of the criminal Bush regime. Even the film's unstated premise that the government, on behalf of the rich, creates employment and a disposed, easily indoctrinated lower class that will happily fight and die in imperialistic adventures was put forth about a hundred and fifty years ago. Alas, to the earnest audience in Northampton, this subliminal message seemed like a revelation. So there we sat. When the clapping was over, there was no place to go (save one of those fine restaurants). Like Bush in Iraq, Fahrenheit 911 has no exit strategy. Nor was one ever intended. F-911, like the psychological warfare campaign we
