Fahrenheit 9/11

I couldn’t think of a better date to post this latest review because I’ve never been more upset about a president than I was after watching Fahrenheit 9/11 (I know that is partially a given). I’ve seen parts of it in the past but without the full picture it loses some of its substance that makes it so powerful. Immediately afterward I checked how one of my favorite movie reviewers rated the film. James Berandinelli ultimately found it flawed. I agree with some of his statements about Fahrenheit losing focus and having a clumsy approach. Where I disagree from Bernandinelli is that the film regurgitates well known facts.

This doesn’t mean I don’t respect his opinion. At the time of our entry into Iraq he was thirty-six years old while I was only fourteen. He is obviously going to be interested in current affairs more than I was. It was only two years ago that I started to realize that the Iraq war had its flaws. I was dump, stupid, and most importantly - ignorant. I wish I could have been educated on the facts rather than spoon feed bullshit from Fox News (a station I now regularly ignore). Older audiences may have heard these positions before but younger generations aren’t going to have a clue. These facts have ultimately disappeared in mainstream media today.

So Fahrenheit 9/11 maybe doesn’t mix well with a generation that was educated enough to follow the news. To know that the Bush administration had several ties with Saudi Arabia and that they granted amnesty to several members of Osama Bin Laden’s family just days after the terrorist attacks. But I was fourteen, I was raised in North Dakota, and I was surrounded by people who were screaming “let’s get those fuckers.” Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me - you can’t get fooled again. Fahrenheit is an educational tool for the future not for the past and it gives you all the necessary details in roughly two hours. This is why it’s effective.

Not only that but, for the most part, it’s fun to watch. It feels more like an extended version of the Daily Show than Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room. The film is bound to rattle a few bones, though. Republicans be warned - this is a film by a Democrat. Michael Moore does have an obvious biased against republicans but his message is with good intentions. Don’t let this political slant drive you away from the facts. In the end Fahrenheit 9/11 does a fairly decent job of backing up its claims and if you need more evidence Michael Moore offers all the evidence right on his website.

You might be a person that thought weapons of mass destruction existed in Iraq. That’s ok - I was a part of that group at one time, too. That doesn’t mean you can’t hear the argument on the opposite side of the party line. Once you open your ears, believe me, it’s hard to close them again.

Extra, extra: I watched Bowling For Columbine which also presents important facts about the scare tactics used in the media. If you end up liking Fahrenheit 9/11 I also recommend seeing this, too.