"Fahrenheit 9/11" makes movie history
There's something happening here...
"Fahrenheit 9/11" was the number one movie in America over the weekend, taking in $21.8 million (update: $23.9 million) while playing in just 868 theaters. Its closest competitors, “White Chicks” and “Dodgeball”, were available on 2,726 screens and 3,020 screens, respectively. Across the country, the lines were long and the theaters filled to capacity for Moore’s documentary.
Already, it’s the highest grossing feature-length documentary in history, surpassing Moore’s previous effort, “Bowling for Columbine.”
Is it the controversy? The marketing campaign? Is it the clever title?
Or is it the fact that when it comes to 9/11 and the (phony) war on terror, and when it comes to President Bush, people know there’s something off. People know they aren’t getting the whole truth, ergo controversy, ergo interest.
Look at the movie poster with Moore holding hands with Bush. Moore is looking at you like, “heh, WE know what the hell is going on.” And Bush looks like he’s watching pink elephants fly through the air. The tag line at the top plays it perfectly: “Controversy…What Controversy?”
Yeah, it’s the controversy. There’s always controversy, right? Doesn’t matter who is President, he’s going to protect his power, and his powerful constituency, through lies. But damn, these people are beyond the pale, says "Fahrenheit 9/11." There’s bad government, and then there’s extremism, there’s absolute contempt for the American people and for democracy.
The film notes the subservient collusion of the Democrats over the past few years, but it ends with a sensible call to send the neocons packing in November. F-f-ffool me once,…uh…fool me twice….Won’t get fooled again, Bush stammers in the last shot. It’s a great way to end the film, comments reader Bill Connolly -- “both at the humor level and also at the 'get your ass out of the theatre and do something about this' level.”
Yeah, rock the vote. Get Bush out of there. And maybe, if we're lucky, we'll "Keep on Rockin in the Free World," as Neil Young sings over the closing credits.
There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them (well, not "you," mostly the government, and "them" is a relatively small number of crazies, not a billion Muslims, although with what Bush is doing the number can only grow. Anyway, mainly this song mocks the cold and violent actions of "free world," or mostly American, government both toward others and its own people. You know, as Ghandi said, Western civilization would be a good idea. But there's hope in the chorus too -- "keep on rockin." ..uh, sorry, g'head and listen for youself -- ed.)
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
UPDATE: "Spider-Man 2" likely to knock "Fahrenheit 9/11" out of top slot this weekend. Moore unfazed: "We look forward to joining Spider-Man in bringing truth and justice to all America," he said.
There's something happening here...
"Fahrenheit 9/11" was the number one movie in America over the weekend, taking in $21.8 million (update: $23.9 million) while playing in just 868 theaters. Its closest competitors, “White Chicks” and “Dodgeball”, were available on 2,726 screens and 3,020 screens, respectively. Across the country, the lines were long and the theaters filled to capacity for Moore’s documentary.
Already, it’s the highest grossing feature-length documentary in history, surpassing Moore’s previous effort, “Bowling for Columbine.”
Is it the controversy? The marketing campaign? Is it the clever title?
Or is it the fact that when it comes to 9/11 and the (phony) war on terror, and when it comes to President Bush, people know there’s something off. People know they aren’t getting the whole truth, ergo controversy, ergo interest.
Look at the movie poster with Moore holding hands with Bush. Moore is looking at you like, “heh, WE know what the hell is going on.” And Bush looks like he’s watching pink elephants fly through the air. The tag line at the top plays it perfectly: “Controversy…What Controversy?”
Yeah, it’s the controversy. There’s always controversy, right? Doesn’t matter who is President, he’s going to protect his power, and his powerful constituency, through lies. But damn, these people are beyond the pale, says "Fahrenheit 9/11." There’s bad government, and then there’s extremism, there’s absolute contempt for the American people and for democracy.
The film notes the subservient collusion of the Democrats over the past few years, but it ends with a sensible call to send the neocons packing in November. F-f-ffool me once,…uh…fool me twice….Won’t get fooled again, Bush stammers in the last shot. It’s a great way to end the film, comments reader Bill Connolly -- “both at the humor level and also at the 'get your ass out of the theatre and do something about this' level.”
Yeah, rock the vote. Get Bush out of there. And maybe, if we're lucky, we'll "Keep on Rockin in the Free World," as Neil Young sings over the closing credits.
There's colors on the street
Red, white and blue
People shufflin' their feet
People sleepin' in their shoes
But there's a warnin' sign
on the road ahead
There's a lot of people sayin'
we'd be better off dead
Don't feel like Satan,
but I am to them (well, not "you," mostly the government, and "them" is a relatively small number of crazies, not a billion Muslims, although with what Bush is doing the number can only grow. Anyway, mainly this song mocks the cold and violent actions of "free world," or mostly American, government both toward others and its own people. You know, as Ghandi said, Western civilization would be a good idea. But there's hope in the chorus too -- "keep on rockin." ..uh, sorry, g'head and listen for youself -- ed.)
So I try to forget it,
any way I can.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
I see a woman in the night
With a baby in her hand
Under an old street light
Near a garbage can
Now she puts the kid away,
and she's gone to get a hit
She hates her life,
and what she's done to it
There's one more kid
that will never go to school
Never get to fall in love,
never get to be cool.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
We got a thousand points of light
For the homeless man
We got a kinder, gentler,
Machine gun hand
We got department stores
and toilet paper
Got styrofoam boxes
for the ozone layer
Got a man of the people,
says keep hope alive
Got fuel to burn,
got roads to drive.
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world
Keep on rockin' in the free world,
Keep on rockin' in the free world.
UPDATE: "Spider-Man 2" likely to knock "Fahrenheit 9/11" out of top slot this weekend. Moore unfazed: "We look forward to joining Spider-Man in bringing truth and justice to all America," he said.
