The Boys See Fahrenheit

Just got home from a very intense night. A bunch of the guys decided we would see Michael Moore's film tonight. Stu picked me up at 4:30 and we drove into Manhattan. We had a drink at a bar on 2nd Avenue and 32nd Street and waited for Ted and his friend, Kamal to show up. Cary was meeting us also.


Stu at La Bella in Kips Bay.


Ted and Stu ... talking.

The Kips Bay Loews is an enormous multi-plex. The theater that we were in (number 10) must have held 500 people - my guess. It was filled. And the film was playing at a second theater as well. So each show was being played to about 1000 people. This has been going on since it opened last Friday -- breaking records. Well, this is New York and you might expect that kind of attendance in our liberal city. But, I wondered, what's happening across the country? In the South? In the Midwest? Something else unique: afterwards, many knots of viewers congregated in front of the theater, in the street, discussing the impact they felt from the film. I've not seen that with any other film.

The film was intense, dramatic, emotional, funny, powerful and (trying to be objective here) very convincing. It has to be extremely damaging to the carefully crafted image and paranoia that Bush & Co. have been foisting on the people since 911. My view is that it is a heroic and historic film ... it must go down in cinematic history, not only as Moore's finest work but as one of the most important films ever made. Not only because it is finely crafted - which it certainly is. But because of its message and the timing of that message. After all the bullshit. After all the brainwashing. After all the orange alerts to keep people frightened and off balance. After all the phony appeals to patriotism and jingoism. After all the lies. After all the crap about bringing democracy to the people of Iraq. After all the media silence and indulgence of this sordid collection of goons, ginks and thugs who stole the last election and have held our government captive to their extremist ideas. After all that!, here comes Michael Moore and his film with its cataclysmic exposé that Emperor Bush is not wearing any clothes at all! Oh my god ... what relief! What fresh air has suddenly been blown in to every corner of the country! What a light has been shone on this dark and fetid nest of cockroaches who now scatter, their secret hiding place exposed.

My prediction is that this film will certainly play a major role in defeating the Bush clique in November. Please go see it as soon as possible. Don't wait a day. And take your family and friends with you. If there is anything in this world that can be called an eye-opener (or a brain-opener), Fahrenheit 911 is it.


At dinner after the movie, l-r: Cary, Matt, Stu, Ted and Kamal.