I’ve never seen a Michael Moore film before I watched Fahrenheit 9/11. This is not because I don’t agree with his political opinions (I do, for the most part), but out of sheer laziness. They were always something I thought I’d get around to eventually. I can’t say that I’m a better person now for having watched one. I can’t even say I’m particularly better informed. The film, while it has its heart in the right place, is a terrible mish-mash of bleeding-heart sentiment, conspiracy theories spun out of tenuous threads, and political diatribe. Forsaking the strength of picking one point and hammering it home, Moore tackles pretty much everything the Bush administration has done (or not done) in the last four years. Parts are affecting when there is real tragedy involved, but the film makes no persuasive arguments—only imprecise assertions and smarmy wisecracks.
by Matt Bailey | Source: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment DVD
21 Oct 2004 9:16 PM | Comments (2)
I doubt I’ll be back to this site. I’m actually a Bush supporter…and as MUCH as I dislike Kerry, Farenheit 9/11 was based on public fact, not “conspiracy theory”. Get your facts straight before writing your editorials.
I think the point Matt is making concerning conspiracy theories is the link Moore makes between the Saudi Royal family and the Bush family, which implies the war in Iraq was expressly fought over oil. Though the information Moore uses is part of the public record, and though it is rather worrisome, none of this evidence provides a clear tie between the war and Saudi, but rather allows the audience to make the connection themselves through implication. This verges on a kind of conspiracy theory, in that it doesn’t not really attack the Bush Admin for their lack of rational thought and abilities to use logic and reason in determining whether the war was necessary, but rather simply implies the war was created for the well-being of financial partners, though all the evidence provided is mere speculation.
Slick
29 October 2004
5:29 PM