As I was looking for information on Spike Lee’s new movie, She Hate Me (the wonderful Chiwetel Ejiofor, who played Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things has a role) I was unfortunate enough to read the imdb review. I have a love/hate relationships with the imdb reviews. They’re like car crashes – awful, but you can’t stop looking. This particular review is glib and generalised, but not a huge offender – until the final sentence.
Although it will open after Roger Moore’s more publicized documentary, attacking the President, make time to enjoy this treasure!
Would this be Roger Moore, the man who admits “I might not be as good an actor as Sean Connery Lawrence Olivier, but I’m taller,” or Roger Moore, the political satirist and documentary maker? I love his no-nonsense interviews: “I’m aiming directly at your groin, so speak now or forever hold your peace” (20 Junkopia points awarded to the first person – Courtney excepted – who can name the movie this quote comes from).
As Dave asked so nicely in the comments, yes, Courtney and I (and a couple of friends) saw Michael “Roger” Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 and came away feeling pumped up and pissed off. It’s a documentary that aims for emotional response rather than intellectual engagement, as does all of Moore’s work (Michael’s and Roger’s too, I guess). I can’t imagine the same style being used in a European political documentary. We didn’t stay til the end of the credits, but I hope there was a bibliography on display. Even if there isn’t, Moore lists all his facts and sources on his website.
Of course, I didn’t go into the movie waiting to be convinced. I already knew that Bush is a lying, cheating liability, whose malign influence has damaged both the US and the rest of the world. He needs to be removed from office before he does further harm. But Bush isn’t the problem: he’s just the biggest symptom. There’s a lot in the USA that needs to change. Sure, tackle one issue at a time. Get rid of Dubya, but once that’s done there’s still a lot more work to do.
I don’t agree with all of Michael Moore’s politics and methods, but Fahrenheit 9/11 is important because it’s a high-profile movie which has galvanised and unified the American left. In the face of at flood of spin and obfuscation that is American political journalism this particular movie stands firm.
And I just realised my closing metaphor makes quite a good pun on the documentarist’s name.
