Last Person in America to Watch It
I just watched Fahrenheit 9/11 for the first time. I saw no shocking revelations and the few facts in the "documentary" I knew the week after 9/11. As a documentary fan I quickly realized this was a commentary not a documentary. I read the 9/11 Commission Report and found that a great read. It was thorough without being biased. Michael Moore became unbearable to watch after TV Nation was canceled and this film doesn't help. Friends said that some parts made them cry, well it was more uncomfortable then sad. Moore should have renamed this movie The Reasons I Hate Bush. While most of the reasons are valid the film is nothing to talk about.
Yes, I'm the last person in America, maybe the civilized world, to see this but if I could get my 2hrs 5mins back I would. Boring.
I have to disagree here. Between that film and the Fog Of War by Errol Morris, those are very grounbreaking documentaries. In the way they present their ideas however general and large both are personal at the same time. Also visually, both are very new. It tells the story and gives you the info entertainingly. They don't look like History Channel International things to fall asleep to. Yes, it was a commentary film. But, all history and news is commentary now. Objectivity is dead.
ReplyDeleteObjectivity is not dead. I've seen documentaries from the 60's until now and this one isn't groundbreaking. Giving info entertaingly is a sign of bad documentary the truth should be compelling on its own, like in the 9/11 Comission Report. This book is not meant to entertain but the facts are presented so well that it won awards for it's writing style.
ReplyDeleteMoore uses MTV style stunt like petitions and celebrity cameos to get his biased message across.
I'm glad I didn't waste my time or money. I haven't seen it yet and I have no intentions of ever watching it.
ReplyDeleteWhile I'll agree with you that Fahrenheit 9/11 is probably more commentary than documentary, it did raise legitimate questions about Bush's intentions on entering the war. There are clips in there that Bush has never explained.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I agree that objectivity is not dead. But, in this world of the Internet and blogs and highly polarized politics, I do have a feeling that it's on life support.
He is a little more old school liberal than I like (petitions and no swearing). But, the thing is he is trying to reach a younger MTV style audience and get them to look up from their Maxim and ask questions. That is what the film is. It is a film version of a letter to Bush asking questions. That is what all his work is. Moore helped to inspire me back during the TV Nation days. It has made me a person who can ask questions and care about what happens in this world. And as far as entertaining docs goes, Info alone does not make something entertaining, you need visual stimulation, it is a visual medium.
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