(Conspiracy Nation, 6/27/04) -- Where did the family name of "Moore,"
held by talented director Michael Moore, originate? In Old Ireland, in distant
times, there was a lad who loved to go for long walks. "Where's the lad?"
someone would ask. "He be out walkin'," they'd reply, "out walkin' the moors."
True to the name given to his distant ancestor, Moore rambles far and
wide in his latest film, "Fahrenheit 9/11." Walking along with Moore, the
film-goer is treated to a wide-ranging discussion enlivened by hilarious
wit. Michael Moore explores the somber and the illogical, then switches gears
and soars to the ridiculous. You'll laugh. You'll cry. But don't worry: this
movie will not harm you.
In Old Ireland, in those far-distant times, the lad who walked the moors
may have encountered Finn Mac Cool, a legendary hero of Eire. (See "At Swim-Two-Birds"
by Flann O'Brien.) Meetings on the wild, lonely and desolate moors between
the lad, Finn Mac Cool, the Pooka MacPhellimey, and other magical beings
convinced Moore's distant ancestor to aim high in life. He decided to become
a filidh, an Irish poet.
The filidh was more than a poet. He was the repository of oral tradition,
the history of the people. The power of the filidh was on par with that of
the king himself. Woe to the king who angered the filidh! To do so risked
the merciless language of sharp poetry which could dethrone even kings.
True to his roots, Michael Moore sees things on his lonely walks then
goes on to describe what he has seen. Like the filidhs of old, Moore weaves
an entrancing tale. Don't be fooled by his appearance of a big, fat slob:
that is circumstantial; underneath is a powerful poet.
In this age of video, Moore has changed with the times. His long-ago ancestor
would recite his poems aloud. A later ancestor caused his poetries to be
published. This Moore uses film.
On Friday, June 18th, National Public Radio had reported how bookstores
were "bracing themselves" for the upcoming release of Bill Clinton's memoirs.
On Tuesday, June 22nd, when the book was released to the public, Conspiracy
Nation investigated the situation at a local bookstore. There was no
crowd grabbing Clinton's book off the shelves, in fact there was no interest
at all: no one was even near the prominently-placed rack holding multiple
copies of the book.
In this town, Champaign, Illinois, there was an unprecedented crowd, however,
lining the sidewalk in front of the Art Theater on Friday, June 25th. They
were there for the local premiere of "Fahrenheit 9/11." National Public Radio
missed that story, that theaters were "bracing themselves" for the upcoming
release of Moore's latest movie.
It is unheard of for this local venue, a theater which shows non-mainstream
films, to have long lines stretching down the sidewalk, hoping to get one
of the remaining tickets.
Conspiracy Nation today, two days after the premiere, was fortunate
to obtain a ticket for "Fahrenheit 9/11." The line in front of the theater
was still fairly long, but since it was a special matinee showing, luck was
with this editor: he managed to find a seat way up in front.
Forget popcorn. The editor was lucky enough just to get inside. You don't
want to hear about the jam-up by the refreshments stand.
Is Moore hard on "W." Bush? He's also hard on the U.S. Congress, including
Democrats. Moore is just generally pissed-off (and rightly so) about a lot
of things. Yet he largely overcomes his emotions and presents an excellent
investigative report. The one flaw in "Fahrenheit 9/11" is that it avoids
delving into questions raised, by author Thierry Meyssan and others, about
the official story surrounding the actual September 11th crime scene. Notably,
Moore has the screen go blank for about a minute when reporting the sudden,
horrific World Trade Center events. Is there some message in that? A message
from the director that something here has been blacked out?
Don't be afraid to see this movie, you can take it. You definitely won't be bored.
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Conspiracy Nation. Think outside the box.
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