from the archives of: www.newyorkcool.com
Fahrenheit 9/11
Written and Directed by Michael Moore
Release Date: June 25th, 2004
Reviewed by Liberation Iannillo
In Michael Moore's
follow up to 'Bowling For Columbine', Moore offers
a frightening, though mostly one sided, view of
President Bush's bungling of 9/11 and the war in
Iraq.
The film opens with
the botched 2001 Gore / Bush Presidential election
which, because of the events of September 11th,
most people seemed to have forgotten about. It
details Bush's connection with the media as well
as Florida, the state who's votes were in question.
In a joint congressional session, black representatives
demanded an investigation but failed to get one
because they lacked a single senator's signature.
It's a slap in the face of minority voters at a
crucial time in history.
From there Moore
shows how Bush spent 42% of his first 8 months
in office on vacation and his approval rating at
this point was rapidly declining. Then came September
11th. Moore tastefully approached the horrible
attacks by playing the audio of that mornings events
to a black screen. While America was under attack
from hijacked planes, President Bush sat in a Florida
classroom reading "My Pet Goat" to a
group of first graders. Though Bush was informed
of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center,
he continued to sit with the children. He was then
informed of the second plane hitting the World
Trade Center and for the next 7 and a half minutes
he sat starring blankly holding his goat book.
As one can imagine, Moore didn't hold back when
he shared his thoughts on what the President was
possibly thinking.
Within months troops
are sent to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, giving
Osama Bin Laden plenty of time to escape. Moore
points out that 11,000 troops were sent in, a tiny
figure when compared to New York City which has
some 50,000 police officers on duty.
The film then moves
on to the war with Iraq. Included is news conference
footage of both Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice
dating to 2000 and 2001 in which they both state
clearly that Saddam Hussein does not have the capability
of producing weapons of mass destruction and poses
no threat to the United States. The picture painted
is that Bush went to war because there was money
to be made from oil.
Moore makes many
valid points in the documentary but sometimes his
approach discredits him. In one example he tries
to demonstrate how America blindly followed the
the President's war plans for Iraq. He then cuts
to a gum chewing Brittney Spears. Asked to give
her opinion on the war, she gives an answer one
would expect from a 19 year old pop star. Moore
also takes advantage of the often inarticulate,
off the cuff sound bites Bush has to offer.
There are times
though when Moore is at his mischievous best. When
he is told by Rep. John Conyers that the Patriot
Act was passed by legislature because "we
don't read most of the bills we pass", Moore
hops in an ice cream truck and begins to read the
document over the loud speaker while circling the
White House.
Other areas Moore
details include the billions of dollars the Bush
family has made from the Saudi's, White House visits
by a Taliban leader and how the Bin Laden family
was flown out of America by the government on September
13th, 2001. Moore illustrates the insanity of this
last point by asking if Clinton would have been
impeached if he had flown Timothy McVeigh's family
out of the country after the Oklahoma bombing.
It's unfortunate
the documentary didn't get the PG-13 rating Moore
hoped for as it would have only taken some minor
editing to have achieved the rating. Though, if
teens are finding their way into 'Kill Bill' they'll
find their way into Fahrenheit 9/11.
Related
Links:
www.michaelmoore.com
Joshua
Marston's
Maria Full of Grace
Reviewed
by John Pelham
I
ate too much popcorn, plus I had to pee really
badly. I thought I had problems. Try swallowing
62 pellets packed with heroin-pellets roughly
the size of "Super-Absorbant O. B. Tampons"-and
flying from Columbia to New York. Needless to
say, Maria was full of more than just Grace.
Writer
and director Joshua Marston's touching film, "based
on 1,000 true stories," gives the audience
a unique inside perspective on drug trafficking,
as it follows Maria (Catalina Sandino Moreno),
a 17 year-old drug "mule" on her journey
to the United States. A little bit of chance,
quite a bit of money, and whole lot of desperation
compels Maria to put her life at risk and accept
this dangerous task. Sixty-two pellets and one
extremely full stomach later, Maria is on the
plane with a well-known colleague and a couple
of others that she just met…all of them
in the same situation. Marston does a fine job
of keeping us in suspense as we watch the girls
having to deal with a stomach full of drugs.
It was made quite clear that if a pellet burst,
it would result in a fatal overdose. Not to mention
that if a pellet was missing after they were,
um…passed over, the girls' families would
pay the price. On the plane, one of the girls
even had to re-swallow a pellet or two because
she couldn't hold them in any longer. The plane
lands, Maria and a couple others are randomly
asked into questioning, some are luckier than
others, and (one might declare) by the grace
of God, Maria is sent on her way. But don't worry,
more trouble ensues.
I
hadn't realized this was a thriller, but I was
on the edge of my seat throughout all of these
scenes. Even when it's hard to imagine why someone
would choose to do something like this, we feel
sympathy for Maria. We want her to successfully
smuggle into this country-not for the drugs,
but for her safety.
But
Maria's journey extends far beyond the point
of her plane landing. There's an entirely different
journey going on in Maria's mind throughout this
movie, and by the end, we realize that the complete
itinerary is all planned out. She has finally
figured things out for herself. It leaves us
feeling full of inspiration and hope for Maria…and
alright, I guess you can also say, Grace.
Takeshi
Kitano's
Zatoichi
Japanese
with English Subtitles
Opens Friday July 23, 2004
Flying
Limbs! Squirting blood! Cross Dressing! Tap
dancing!
What more could a girl want?
Reviewed
by Wendy R. Williams
Zatoichi,
written and directed and acted by the very talented
Takeshi Kitano, is a spoofy fun romp about a
blind masseur who is both a skillful gambler
and a deadly swordsman. According
to the press release, films about this blind
swordsman ruled Japanese cinema from the 60's
through the 80's. Takeshi Kitano, who has
worn many hats as a stand-up comic, actor and
director, has now revived the story of Zatoichi,
a monk-like nomad who travels the countryside
carrying a cane which conceals a hidden sword.
Here is the synopsis
from the press release:
"Zatoichi is a 19th
Century blind nomad who makes his living as a gambler
and masseur. However, behind this humble
facade, he is a master swordsman gifted with a
lightning-fast draw and breathtaking precision.
While wandering,
Zatoichi discovers a remote mountain village at
the mercy of Ginzo, a ruthless gang-leader. Ginzo
disposes of anyone who gets in his way, especially
after hiring the mighty samurai ronin Hattori as
a bodyguard. After a raucous night of gambling
in town, Zatoichi encounters a pair of geishas - as
dangerous as they are beautiful - who've come to
avenge their parents' murder at the hands of Ginzo.
As the paths of
these and other colorful characters intertwine,
Ginzo's henchmen are soon after Zatoichi. With
his legendary cane sword at his side, the stage
is set for a riveting showdown."
This story is both
ancient and modern, a myth populated by quirky
characters like a cross-dressing geisha who enjoys
a dip in a communal hot tub. Blood squirts
and dismembered arms and legs fly but even the
most sanguine scenes are hysterically funny, so
who cares? It doesn't seem real, and that
is the charm. Bravo
Spiderman 2
Directed By: Sam Raimi
Release Date: June 30th, 2004
Reviewed By: John Pelham
Movie sequels based
on comic books can actually be better than the
original. Following in the footsteps of X-Men 2,
the latest installment of the hugely successful
Spiderman franchise is 10 times better than its
predecessor.
With a solid plot,(as
solid as save-the-world plots can be), emotional
depth to the hero, and visual effects that make
it all convincing in the first place, Spiderman
2 is an adorably entertaining film. Tobey Maguire
and director Sam Raimi provide layers to Peter
Parker’s character that penetrate deeper
than just the bright red and blue disguise —a
disguise which should never be washed with whites!
Should a hero follow his heart or stick to his
responsibilities of crime-fighter? Maguire does
a great job of revealing his emotional struggle,
even if it is expressed in voice-overs. Also coming
through with strong performances are Rosemary Harris
and current Broadway stars, Alfred Molina and Donna
Murphy.
If nothing else,
it’s thrilling to watch Spidey swing through
the streets of New York City like a hyperactive
ape in its own little heaven on the monkey bars.
The visual effects surpass those in the first movie,
and your suspension of disbelief doesn’t
have to be stretched to such extremes. There’s
already talk that may be this year Spidey will
take home the Oscar in this category.
If you’re
looking for a fun, entertaining, and often comical
blockbuster, Spiderman 2 is a great option. This
movie just reinforced our faith for superior sequels,
now let’s just keep our fingers crossed until
2005 and hope for Batman to continue the trend.
Related
Links:
http://spiderman.sonypictures.com
