Hollywood Reporter slams Michael Moore's film Fahrenheit 9/11.
In "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore drops any pretense that he is a documentarian to pull together from many sources an angry polemic against the president, the Bush family and the administration's foreign policy. (...)
There is no debate, no analysis of facts or search for historical context. Moore simply wants to blame one man and his family for the mess we are now in.
(...)
What Moore seems to be pioneering here is a reality film as an election-year device. The facts and arguments are no different than those that one can glean from political commentary or recently published books on these subjects. Only the impact of film may prove greater than the printed word. So the real question is not how good a film is "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- it is undoubtedly Moore's weakest -- but will a film help to get a president fired?
IndieWire's Peter Burnette has a much more positive review.
"Fahrenheit 9/11," is a powerful, timely, and convincing assault on the family and friends who brought us the current mess in Iraq. This time around, Moore drops the zaniness and high entertainment value evident in "Bowling for Columbine," in favor of an elegiac approach that is less funny but ultimately, maybe, more politically effective. Only time will tell.
AO Scott of the NY Times writes about a few films in the festival including the much lauded Moolaadé by African master Ousmane Sembène and the undoubtedly interesting Notre Musique the new one from Jean Luc Godard.
From a film lover's perspective the real news came a bit earlier, at the 11 a.m. screening of "Moolaadé," the new film by the great Senegalese director Ousmane Sembène. Mr. Sembène, who is 81, first came to Cannes 40 years ago and has become one of the leading figures in African cinema. "Moolaadé" is a powerful statement against the practice of female genital cutting. I am not alone in thinking that "Moolaadé" is the finest film shown in Cannes so far.
[Godard's] new film, "Notre Musique" ("Our Music"), is above the fray this year, as an official selection out of competition. Like Dante's "Divine Comedy," this autumnal meditation on war, violence and ethnic hatred is divided into three parts: hell, purgatory and paradise.
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More from George the cyclist coming soon...
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Update on reviews of Fahrenheit 9/11:
The New York Times' AO Scott likes Moore's film too:
It is the best film Mr. Moore has made so far, a powerful and passionate expression of outraged patriotism, leavened with humor and freighted with sorrow.
