Watching the Towers Burn
May. 21st, 2006 02:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tikistitchSo, Saturday evening, while the rest of America filed into movie theaters seeking to be menaced by an albino monk, Mr. Tiki dragged us to see United 93.
Yes, "dragged us." Though the movie, in our humble opinion, stands as an undoubted work of art, perhaps the best we've seen all year, Tiki is a notoriously bad flyer-on-planes. Mr. Tiki has finger-shaped bruises on his forearm to prove it. After reading the initial reviews, we put off viewing until at least after our recent flights to Europe.
We're now trying to summarize our primary reaction. It was not, as we'd predicted, a raw fear, or even an intense sadness, though those emotions did bubble to the surface.
"Criminal negligence" was the phrase that kept popping to mind. At several points during the film, a character will gruffly (not loudly, but gruffly--there are no histrionics in this movie, nor are there big stars--Jack Bauer is not coming to shoot an evil-doer in the kneecap and save all) demand, "Where is the president?"
We know, as the characters do not, President George Walker Bush is two doors down the hall in the Multiplex, appearing in Michael Moore's documentary. He is not, as urban legend would have it, reading "The Pet Goat." He is, rather, staring blankly into space for seven full, plump, excruciating minutes.
Yes, "dragged us." Though the movie, in our humble opinion, stands as an undoubted work of art, perhaps the best we've seen all year, Tiki is a notoriously bad flyer-on-planes. Mr. Tiki has finger-shaped bruises on his forearm to prove it. After reading the initial reviews, we put off viewing until at least after our recent flights to Europe.
We're now trying to summarize our primary reaction. It was not, as we'd predicted, a raw fear, or even an intense sadness, though those emotions did bubble to the surface.
"Criminal negligence" was the phrase that kept popping to mind. At several points during the film, a character will gruffly (not loudly, but gruffly--there are no histrionics in this movie, nor are there big stars--Jack Bauer is not coming to shoot an evil-doer in the kneecap and save all) demand, "Where is the president?"
We know, as the characters do not, President George Walker Bush is two doors down the hall in the Multiplex, appearing in Michael Moore's documentary. He is not, as urban legend would have it, reading "The Pet Goat." He is, rather, staring blankly into space for seven full, plump, excruciating minutes.
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 10:59 am (UTC)Regarding the President staring blankly into space, I had a discussion about that with Mr. Polk. Keeping in mind Michael Moore is not a documentarian so much as a good storyteller (taking raw footage and editing to convey whatever point he wants to make), we both agreed that the President was really caught in a moment when the world stopped. If he immediately made a face (he'd insult some people or upset them), looked distraught (leader of the free world, he can't look weak), leaped up and ran off (panicking people), swore (not gentlemanly), cried in horror (showing weakness), so on and so forth... none of it would have gained him (or our country) any points. We suspect he was frozen, trying to absorb the weight of the sheer horror of the act, trying to determine the best course of action.
What's amusing is that there is now a voice among the conspiracy theorists (the Grassy Knollists) who believe 9/11 was orchestrated by the Oval Office so they could justify implementing everything they've implemented. However if that were the case, wouldn't the President have been far better prepared with some really gut-wrenchingly good response? My general impression (well, it's Mr. Polk's but one I agree on) is that we can't have it both ways. The administration can't be all evil and all incompetent at the same time. They can't have orchestrated everything to undermine the freedoms of our country, and simultaneously been so oafish that they are bumbling through everything blind.
Just because the windows are dirty and you can't see inside doesn't necessarily mean there's nobody home.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-22 11:16 am (UTC)7 minutes of agonizing inaction = incompetent cowardly dumbshit, or "assessing the situation?"
I pick dumbshit.
9/11 = vast government conspiracy of unequalled magnitude, or incompetent dumbshit.
Again, I pick dumbshit.