Betty Houle

I've been watching the CHEERS Seasons 1-3 on DVD and have seen Carol Kane, Christopher Lloyd, Harry Anderson (as Harry "The Hat"), and Dick Cavett (as himself). Ane people that went on to be bigger than they were at the time: Corey Feldmen, David Paymer, Rhonda Shear, Markie Post, and Keenen Ivory Wayans. And I can't wait for Season 5! John Cleese!

And a review: BY ROGER EBERT Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" is less an expose of George W. Bush than a dramatization of what Moore sees as a failed and dangerous presidency. The charges in the film will not come as news to those who pay attention to politics, but Moore illustrates them with dramatic images and a relentless commentary track that essentially concludes Bush is incompetent, dishonest, failing in the war on terrorism, and has bad taste in friends. Although Moore's narration ranges from outrage to sarcasm, the most devastating passage in the film speaks for itself. That's when Bush, who was reading My Pet Goat to a classroom of Florida children, is notified of the second attack on the World Trade Center, and yet lingers with the kids for almost seven minutes before finally leaving the room. His inexplicable paralysis wasn't underlined in news reports at the time, and only Moore thought to contact the teacher in that schoolroom -- who, as it turned out, had made her own video of the visit. The expression on Bush's face as he sits there is odd indeed. Bush, here and elsewhere in the film, is characterized as a man who owes a lot to his friends, including those who helped bail him out of business ventures. Moore places particular emphasis on what he sees as a long-term friendship between the Bush family (including both presidents) and powerful Saudi Arabians. More than $1.4 billion in Saudi money has flowed into the coffers of Bush family enterprises, he says, and after 9/11 the White House helped expedite flights out of the country carrying, among others, members of the bin Laden family (which disowns its most famous member). Moore examines the military records released by Bush to explain his disappearance from the Texas Air National Guard, and finds that the name of another pilot has been blacked out. This pilot, he learns, was Bush's close friend James R. Bath, who became Texas money manager for the billionaire bin Ladens. Another indication of the closeness of the Bushes and the Saudis: The law firm of James Baker, the secretary of State for Bush's father, was hired by the Saudis to defend them against a suit by a group of 9/11 victims and survivors, who charged that the Saudis had financed al-Qaida. To Moore, this is more evidence that Bush has an unhealthy relationship with the Saudis, and that it may have influenced his decision to go to war against Iraq at least partially on their behalf. The war itself Moore considers unjustified (no WMDs, no Hussein-bin Laden link), and he talks with American soldiers, including amputees, who complain bitterly about Bush's proposed cuts of military salaries at the same time he was sending them into a war that they (at least, the ones Moore spoke to) hated. Moore also shows American military personnel who are apparently enjoying the war; he has footage of soldiers who use torture techniques not in a prison but in the field, where they hood an Iraqi prisoner, call him "Ali Baba" and pose for videos while touching his genitals. Moore brings a fresh impact to familiar material by the way he marshals his images. We are all familiar with the controversy over the 2000 election, which was settled by the U.S. Supreme Court. What I hadn't seen before was footage of the ratification of Bush's election by the U.S. Congress. An election can be debated at the request of one senator and one representative; 10 representatives rise to challenge it, but not a single senator. As Moore shows the challengers, one after another, we cannot help noting that they are eight black women, one Asian woman and one black man. They are all gaveled into silence by the chairman of the joint congressional session -- Vice President Al Gore. The urgency and futility of the scene reawakens old feelings for those who believe Bush is an illegitimate president. "Fahrenheit 9/11" opens on a note not unlike Moore's earlier films, such as "Roger & Me" and "Bowling for Columbine." Moore, as narrator, brings humor and sarcasm to his comments, and occasionally appears onscreen in a gadfly role. It's vintage Moore, for example, when he brings along a Marine who refused to return to Iraq; together, they confront congressmen, urging them to have their children enlist in the service. And he makes good use of candid footage, including an eerie video showing Bush practicing facial expressions before going live with his address to the nation about 9/11. Apparently Bush and other members of his administration don't know what every TV reporter knows, that a satellite image can be live before they get the cue to start talking. That accounts for the quease-inducing footage of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz wetting his pocket comb in his mouth before slicking back his hair. When that doesn't do it, he spits in his hand and wipes it down. If his mother is alive, I hope for his sake she doesn't see this film. Such scenes are typical of vintage Moore, catching his subjects off guard. But his film grows steadily darker, and Moore largely disappears from it, as he focuses on people such as Lila Lipscomb, from Moore's hometown of Flint, Mich.; she reads a letter from her son, written days before he was killed in Iraq. It urges his family to work for Bush's defeat. "Fahrenheit 9/11" is a compelling, persuasive film, at odds with the White House effort to present Bush as a strong leader. He comes across as a shallow, inarticulate man, simplistic in speech and inauthentic in manner. If the film is not quite as electrifying as Moore's "Bowling for Columbine," that may be because Moore has toned down his usual exuberance and was sobered by attacks on the factual accuracy of elements of "Columbine"; playing with larger stakes, he is more cautious here, and we get an op-ed piece, not a stand-up routine. But he remains one of the most valuable figures on the political landscape, a populist rabble-rouser, humorous and effective; the outrage and incredulity in his film are an exhilarating response to Bush's determined repetition of the same stubborn sound bites.

Great movie. Hard to find if you live in small town NH though! Here's an article: '9/11': Just the facts? June 18, 2004 BY ROGER EBERT FILM CRITIC A reader writes: "In your articles discussing Michael Moore's film 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' you call it a documentary. I always thought of documentaries as presenting facts objectively without editorializing. While I have enjoyed many of Mr. Moore's films, I don't think they fit the definition of a documentary." That's where you're wrong. Most documentaries, especially the best ones, have an opinion and argue for it. Even those that pretend to be objective reflect the filmmaker's point of view. Moviegoers should observe the bias, take it into account and decide if the film supports it or not. Michael Moore is a liberal activist. He is the first to say so. He is alarmed by the prospect of a second term for George W. Bush, and made "Fahrenheit 9/11" for the purpose of persuading people to vote against him. That is all perfectly clear, and yet in the days before the film opens June 25, there'll be bountiful reports by commentators who are shocked! shocked! that Moore's film is partisan. "He doesn't tell both sides," we'll hear, especially on Fox News, which is so famous for telling both sides. The wise French director Godard once said, "The way to criticize a film is to make another film." That there is not a pro-Bush documentary available right now I am powerless to explain. Surely, however, the Republican National Convention will open with such a documentary, which will position Bush comfortably between Ronald Reagan and God. The Democratic convention will have a wondrous film about John Kerry. Anyone who thinks one of these documentaries is "presenting facts objectively without editorializing" should look at the other one. The pitfall for Moore is not subjectivity, but accuracy. We expect him to hold an opinion and argue it, but we also require his facts to be correct. I was an admirer of his previous doc, the Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine," until I discovered that some of his "facts" were wrong, false or fudged. In some cases, he was guilty of making a good story better, but in other cases (such as his ambush of Charlton Heston) he was unfair, and in still others (such as the wording on the plaque under the bomber at the Air Force Academy) he was just plain wrong, as anyone can see by going to look at the plaque. Because I agree with Moore's politics, his inaccuracies pained me, and I wrote about them in my Answer Man column. Moore wrote me that he didn't expect such attacks "from you, of all people." But I cannot ignore flaws simply because I agree with the filmmaker. In hurting his cause, he wounds mine. Now comes "Fahrenheit 9/11," floating on an enormous wave of advance publicity. It inspired a battle of the titans between Disney's Michael Eisner and Miramax's Harvey Weinstein. It won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. It has been rated R by the MPAA, and former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo has signed up as Moore's lawyer, to challenge the rating. The conservative group Move America Forward, which successfully bounced the mildly critical biopic "The Reagans" off CBS and onto cable, has launched a campaign to discourage theaters from showing "Fahrenheit 9/11." The campaign will amount to nothing and disgraces Move America Forward by showing it trying to suppress disagreement instead of engaging it. The R rating may stand; there is a real beheading in the film, and only fictional beheadings get the PG-13. Disney and Miramax will survive. Moore's real test will come on the issue of accuracy. He can say whatever he likes about Bush, as long as his facts are straight. Having seen the film twice, I saw nothing that raised a flag for me, and I haven't heard of any major inaccuracies. When Moore was questioned about his claim that Bush unwisely lingered for six or seven minutes in that Florida classroom after learning of the World Trade Center attacks, Moore was able to reply with a video of Bush doing exactly that. I agree with Moore that the presidency of George W. Bush has been a disaster for America. In writing that, I expect to get the usual complaints that movie critics should keep their political opinions to themselves. But opinions are my stock in trade, and is it not more honest to declare my politics than to conceal them? I agree with Moore, and because I do, I hope "Fahrenheit 9/11" proves to be as accurate as it seems.

Yeah, I suppose you're right. Don't mind me - I woke up on the wrong side of bed today.

It' a good movie in the tradition of other Ron Howard ensemble movies like PARENTHOOD. Hell, it even has the late, great Jason Robards in a small part, too! It'a a wee bit too over-the-top to be realistic but I liked it all the same. Marisa Tomei is just beautiful, by the way. What a pretty face.

2001 is in my top 25 favorite movies. I feel if you don't walk away from 2001 (or almost any piece of art) with your own interpretation, you shouldn't be given one. In days past you might not be. Now the internet can provide you with the "official explanation" of all imagery, subtext, etc. Sheesh!

Thanks.

And...?

I just played SMB for the first time in 15 years. I must know: what are the significance of those damn fireworks that you get at the end of a level sometimes! I gots to know!

How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to change a lightbulb? The Answer is SEVEN: (1) one to deny that a lightbulb needs to be replaced. (2) one to attack and question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the lightbulb. (3) one to blame the previous administration for the need of a new lightbulb, (4) one to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of lightbulbs, (5) one to get together with Vice President Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton Industries one million dollars for a lightbulb, (6) one to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the lightbulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag, (7) and finally one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a lightbulb and screwing the country.

Irony, right? So sad that I have to ask...

I swear: This is mentioned in a thread every other freakin' day! Every "favorite Owen quote" thread. Every "favorite fuckup" thread. Every... Maybe because it was his big break (working with Main Eventers soon)...and he fucks up what he was suppose to say? If it was a regular ol' promo on Monday Night Raw or something, it wouldn't be at all memorable. But the fact it was his big heel turn promo that lead to his big feud with Bret, it just sticks. No shit, dick tracy.

You're absolutely right here. Any historically-inspired movie is fiction, pretty much by definition of the medium. I like JFK, MALCOLM X, ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, THE LAST EMPORER, and many more but they never should be accepted as absolute truth.

I swear: This is mentioned in a thread every other freakin' day! Every "favorite Owen quote" thread. Every "favorite fuckup" thread. Every...

So, if Moore decided to do an all-out comedy --- would his marks STILL call the film a "documentary"? -=Mike I've never heard anyone refer to CANADIAN BACON--an all-out comedy--as a documentary, so I guess not. I'm not saying that it's called funny but it's certainly not called a documentary!

There are many places to watch the trailer, btb. Additionally: "Hey Everyone... As you may have heard by now, we finally have a distributor in America for "Fahrenheit 9/11." Actually, two of them! Lions Gate Films and IFC Films have agreed to aggressively distribute "Fahrenheit 9/11" in theaters all across the country beginning three weeks from today on Friday, June 25th. We are, needless to say, extremely grateful for their courage (trust me, no matter what the potential box office may be, anyone who has considered taking on this distribution job has also met with a lot of pressure NOT to do it in the past month). They will open it on a record number of screens for a documentary. There is no stopping it now! These are great distributors. Jon Feltheimer, the man who runs Lions Gate, was the executive in charge of the company that produced my television series, "TV Nation." And the people at IFC (which owned Bravo) were the same people responsible for funding and broadcasting my other series, "The Awful Truth." So we are in very good hands. (And, as an added bonus, Lions Gate is a Canadian company. Once again, the Canadians to the rescue! It was also a Canadian company, Salter Street Films, that produced "Bowling for Columbine." I know, it's kinda sad we have to keep depending on our good neighbors to the north. But maybe this is the year we give 'em their Stanley Cup back.) There's a lot more to tell you -- and I will write to you again over the next few days. I'm in the mood to spill some beans, much to the consternation of certain people. Oh well! Also, I have posted the trailer for "Fahrenheit 9/11" so that you can get your first glimpse at scenes from the movie--you can check it out at www.fahrenheit911.com. Thanks for all your wonderful letters of support -- they have meant a great deal to us. Save the date -- June 25! It's the first summer film where the special effects will be real... Yours truly, M-I-C (see ya real soon!) K-E-Y (why? because they can't kill this friggin' movie!) M-O-O-R-E P.S. For our fans in the rest of the world, don't worry -- you already have distributors. And most of you will also be able to see it this summer! Thanks" I got to thinking... I would LOVE to see the next Michael Moore project: MICKEY & ME or MICHAEL & ME! A documentary about Michael Moore investigating Disney...

Here's to keeping all Michael Moore topics alive -- however pointless they may become!

A Republican panning Michael Moore? What Bizzarro World have we entered? The same one where I'm told I'm flaming after some of the useless posts that preceded mine. Of course those posts didn't disagree with a certain Mike's political agenda so he didn't comment...

Tee hee. Ten Uncle Bucks says the anti-Moore trolls will be popping out of the woodwork to back this up any second now. And then they'll go tell some fat jokes. After they polish their framed, autographed picture of Rumsfield. MikeSC enters the room...

I've seen the trailer. Looks awesome. I've got June 25th marked off on my calendar.

To those people who want to see F9/11: Release date - 6/25/04

Quite awesome. OPERA and TWO EVIL EYES SE DVDs are pretty sweet, too.

BY ROGER EBERT Q: Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" is designed to promote his personal political agenda. On CNN, he said he hoped the movie would get out the anti-Bush vote. Did Moore give even lip service to views opposite his own? You reported on the reception his film received in Cannes. Given the location, France, and the crowd, journalists, Hollywood movie types and Frenchmen mostly, what did you expect? By praising an obviously politically motivated film, are you simply being a pawn of Moore's own political agenda? Mark Pachankis, Shreveport, La. A: Well of course it's a politically motivated film. That's allowed. President Bush's speeches are politically motivated, and he doesn't give lip service to views opposite his own. That's allowed, too. I must decide if a movie is good or bad, despite whether I agree or disagree with its politics. I oppose the death penalty, but gave "The Life of David Gale" zero stars. "Birth of a Nation" is in my next book, The Great Movies II, even though it reeks of racism. Many film historians rank Leni Riefenstahl's "The Triumph of the Will" as a cinematic milestone, although it glorifies the Third Reich.

Lisa, indeed, is one of the worst characters in the history of TV ... not quite as piss-annoying as the mom on King of the Hill, but pretty fucking close. And I'm not a huge fan of Streetcar Named Marge ... the Homer scenes are Golden, but too much Marge for my liking. (I find Marge almost as annoying as Lisa. The only Simpons that I actually find funny are Homer, Granpda, and Maggie. The rest could be killed off and I'd sleep at night.) Good Lord, you should be drawn and quartered for such words!

Hope he's not on the Atkins diet. I love topical humor. Don't worry. Moore will get nothing but fat jokes from here on out because, as I proved here, actual facts don't slow down his fanbase. -=Mike Excellent! Presumably your posts will be shorter and easier to ignore now! I was, of course, referencing the whole Atkins-heart-problem-lawsuit stuff, in case anyone didn't get my "joke".