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mhatchmiller
Reviews
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
A timely and powerful masterpiece of political documentary
By the time this film is actually released on June 25th, there will probably be thousands of misleading reviews and comments about Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" posted on IMDb by people who have not even seen the movie. As I write this, there are already nearly 1,000 votes posted even though the film's premier at the Cannes Film Festival was less than a month ago, and the first U.S. screenings occurred two nights ago in Los Angeles.
Mr. Moore's film delves bravely and surprisingly cautiously into the battle for truth in America politics. In one of the most insightful scenes in Mr. Moore's film, an anonymous woman approaches Moore's crew as they film the mother of a recently deceased American soldier talking and sympathizing with an elderly Iraqi war protester outside of the White House. "This is all a set-up, don't believe it," she announces to the audience. The grieving mother confronts the accuser and tearfully argues, "My son is dead. MY son. Why?"
"Fahrenheit 9/11" asks many questions like these, but the fact that no concrete answers are suggested is a testament to Mr. Moore's newfound restraint. The arguments and evidence presented in the film are, for the most part, not new; they are can be found in print and television journalism, recent investigative books like "Plan of Attack" (which the White House unbelievably recommended on its website when it was released last month) and "Ghost Wars," from public statements by the Bush administration itself, and from other sources like the incredible speech delivered by Al Gore for moveon.org in May. A great deal of the most effective footage, like the tragic footage of numerous African American members of Congress protesting the Supreme Court's decision to stop the Florida recounts, which they argue constituted nothing less than the disenfranchisement of hundreds of mostly African- American voters, was probably shown to a tiny audience on C-SPAN and never seen since. Moore's film is the only place where all such relevant material can be found in the same place, and an honest, critical documentary like this is badly needed if only because the incredible secrecy of the Bush administration seems to have silenced many of its potential critics.
Most of the reviewers who have posted negative comments of this film complain that it is political propaganda, and there is no denying that Moore advances a very specific political agenda. What these single-minded critics fail to recognize that if anything Mr. Moore says is true, and almost all of it seems to be, there is a great deal more at stake than everyday politics in the upcoming presidential election. This is a film everyone should see, period. It will likely prove to be the most widely-seen, most controversial, and most politically influential documentary feature ever released. It is also incredibly moving, incredibly funny, and incredibly entertaining. If it gets an R rating, parents should be aware that it earned this rating for the same footage of atrocities and war violence that can be seen on the TV news.
Il plenilunio delle vergini (1973)
Don't go searching too hard for this rare video find.
Il Plenlunio delle vergini (THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT) is probably only interesting as a late example of Italian Gothic horror. By 1973 most Italian horror films were following in the footsteps of Alfred Hitchcock and Argento's giallos (eg. THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMMAGE, 1970), including those of the original gothic filmmakers, Riccardo Freda (THE IGUANA WITH THE TONGUE OF FIRE, 1971) and Mario Bava (HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON, 1970 and BAY OF BLOOD, 1971). Also of interest to cult and horror film buffs, the film was photographed by Italy's (probably inferior) equivalent of Jess Franco, Joe D'Amato. Other than that, this film has little to recommend for it. The photography is a mediocre homage to NOSFERATU, the sets pale in comparison to those of earlier gothic horror films (for example, Bava's BLACK SUNDAY), the story is dull and inconsistent, the nude scenes are neither necessary nor particularly erotic, and the atmosphere is less-than-spooky when it isn't unintentional comical. They don't make 'em like this anymore, and we should be thankful for it.