I’m really glad I didn’t review this movie when I first saw it. I knew then that I wasn’t in the position to say what I wanted to say about it, and as time went on, and opinions emerged, I came to think less and less of my initially powerful emotional response. Seeing the movie as slightly hypocritical (using the same fear-mongering techniques Moore claims to be speaking out against), and so one-sided, I started to think I’d really hate it on a second viewing.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. This movie is exactly the “bad” things above, but it’s undeniably full of passion. After watching it today, I couldn’t get it out of my head at all for hours. Finally I came up with a good way to describe what I think is its real significance: it’s like someone made Schindler’s List in 1948. Fahrenheit 9/11 speaks volumes about how f**cked up the world is, that’s for damn sure: but the fact that someone can make a movie like this about events like this only 3 years after speaks even more for at least one of the ways our world has improved.

The other thing I noticed on this viewing was something I was clearly trying not to notice before, such is my love for Roger Avary and Bret Easton Ellis: Avary is (hopefully) going to be directing the movie version of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel “Glamorama,” one of my favourite novels ever that speaks similarly of how crazy our world has become. Written years before 9/11, it nevertheless bears eerie comparisons to the blur between fact and fiction that date now, for me at least, stands as a symbol of. I’m still convinced that Glamorama the movie will be one of the greatest movies of all time; only now, I have to admit, it has a big rival in Fahrenheit 9/11, because, in a way, with this movie, it’s already been done.

And that brings me to why I will probably forever consider this both one of my all-time personal favourites and among the greatest movies ever made: if we survive this period in time as a race, then the events this movies concern are going to go down as some serious moments in history, and there’s simply never going to be a greater presentation; and personally speaking, and I’m sure a few people will be with me on this, when those planes crashed and those towers collapsed, even though I wasn’t exactly familiar with the towers themselves let alone American politics, it shook my world forever, made me realise that every day after was a gift, that we could have all died that day or in the days that followed, and this movie completely encapsulates and gives me a place to release that momentous feeling. I mean, I feel dumb saying stuff like this because I’m not American and stuff, but the fact is, I do believe that America leads the way. I’m a movie buff, that says it all. The thing is, right now, it’s unfortunate that America leads the way, and that’s a bummer. I’m gonna have to come back to this review when the election results come in ‘cos I don’t know where to go after this sentence and this thing definitely needs closure.

I have conflicted opinions of Michael Moore. On the one hand he’s a major force for good, I’ve always had a ‘yay’ reaction to anyone willing to challenge corporate and political bulls**t spreaders. On the other hand, he can definitely go too far. But on the last point, I get conflicted again… how far is too far when I agree with his goals wholeheartedly? Do I care if he’s unfair if ultimately I’d probably do the same were I in his shoes? Is it okay to stoop (well, almost) to the bad guys’ level, as long as you’re the good guy?

The main place in Bowling for Columbine where all these questions rear their head is in the Charlton Heston sequence. I just don’t like Michael Moore’s tactics there, and it’s sort of clear that he hasn’t quite prepared, as his nerves allow him to go too far: he’s just received the miraculous news of success in stopping K-Mart from selling firearms, and he’s greedy. Yes, Charlton Heston comes across as the idiot he probably really is in this sequence, yes I like seeing him squirm and dodge the issue etc. But the whole moment is obtained under totally false pretenses, and Heston really should’ve been given the opportunity to prepare a response – he gives Moore an appointment at extraordinary short notice, Moore’s been working on and researching this subject for god knows how long, Heston gives himself barely over 12 hours. Serves him right? Maybe. Don’t get me wrong, I think he deserves to be seen like this, ‘cos showing up in those towns so soon after the tragedies was an a$$hole thing to do, and somebody must have informed him of the tragedies, he can’t have not known… but like I said, I have a mixed reaction, basically because you can never know the whole truth, even if Michael Moore’s telling it to you.

It’s like when Michael Moore appeared at the Oscars this year in the comedic opening. I couldn’t stand that moment. I loved the whole sequence except him lampooning his own Oscar speech tirade. I liked the idea of getting him in there, I appreciate it’s pretty funny… but the fact that Moore agreed to do it really gets me down. He has such power with words and can get these anti-lunacy messages across better than anybody, and he uses comedy to do that, but sometimes the comedy can take over too much, and people stop taking him seriously. They’d rather hear a Bush joke that simply has him jumble his words in a funny way than laugh at the idiocy of something he really said while at the same time fearing and wondering if maybe they should do something about it. I have mixed feelings.

But back to the documentary… mixed feelings aside, it’s probably the best documentary I’ve ever seen (I can’t really say “best documentary ever” though I’d like to, ‘cos I’ve not seen many documentaries and don’t really intend to). It’s funny, like I said, but also very moving, very insightful, and as you can see above, it raises many questions, for me, anyway. Everybody should definitely see it, ‘cos it really will start discussion, start you looking at things differently – the media and politics – especially if you’re in that increasing minority (whoo!) of people who aren’t cynical about such things yet.