"Fahrenheit 9/11" to Open June 25th in 1,000 Theaters

Moore seeks PG-13 on 'Fahrenheit'
6/15/04 CNN.com --EXCERPTS

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Distributors of Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" are appealing to get a PG-13 rating, instead of R.

A screening by the Motion Picture Association of America's appeals board has been set for June 22, just three days before "Fahrenheit 9/11" hits theaters. But the film's distributors are trying to move that screening up to this week to expedite a decision, said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films, one of the companies releasing the film.

The MPAA ratings board gave "Fahrenheit 9/11" an R rating for "violent and disturbing images and for language."

"I think the message of the movie is so important that it should be available to be seen by as wide an audience as possible," Ortenberg said Monday.

The film's images include a public beheading in Saudi Arabia, Iraqis burned by napalm and a grisly scene of an Iraqi man dumping a dead baby into a truckbed loaded with bodies.

"It is sadly very possible that many 15- and 16-year-olds will be asked and recruited to serve in Iraq in the next couple of years," Moore said. "If they are old enough to be recruited and capable of being in combat and risking their lives, they certainly deserve the right to see what is going on in Iraq."

Theater owners are receiving pressure to not book the film. The Hollywood Reporter reports that a group called Move America Forward, which says its goal is "supporting America's war on terrorism," is urging U.S. movie theaters not to screen the film.


Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/15/film.fahrenheit.911.ap/index.html

I understand there are some really disturbing on the scene war footage so I'm not sure he's going to get anything but an R rating. I don't see that as a drawback. Move America Forward is supporting Bush's war on terrorism, not America's war on terrorism.

Thanks for the link, soz!
Glad to know it will be showing at three theaters here. I was afraid, you know, with this being Bush Country and all...

This film is going to be bigger than 'The Passion of Christ' IMO.

I read where Bill O'Reilly walked out halfway through the film. I guess the truth hurts too much for some people to bare.

I have a feeling this movie could very well affect the outcome of the Presidential election in November.

If enough people see this film, it is going to kill GW's chances for a second term.

Kudos to you Michael Moore.

Moore is being interviewed by Matt Lauer on the Today Show for the next several days. I doubt that it can be tha big at the box office (not nearly enough engagements yet). But, who knows? I suppose O'Reilly will now review the film after seeing only half of it.

I love this build up....Hollywood could not have done better...

'Fahrenheit 9/11' Gets Standing Ovation
(at New York's Ziegfeld Theater)
FOX News Channel-= June 15, 2004
By Roger Friedman

EXCERPTS:

The crowd that gave Michael Moore's controversial "Fahrenheit 9/11" documentary a standing ovation last night at the Ziegfeld Theater premiere certainly didn't have to be encouraged to show their appreciation. From liberal radio host/writer Al Franken to actor/director Tim Robbins, Moore was in his element.

But once "F9/11" gets to audiences beyond screenings, it won't be dependent on celebrities for approbation. It turns out to be a really brilliant piece of work, and a film that members of all political parties should see without fail.

As much as some might try to marginalize this film as a screed against President George Bush, "F9/11" — as we saw last night — is a tribute to patriotism, to the American sense of duty — and at the same time a indictment of stupidity and avarice.

First, I know you want to know who came to the Ziegfeld, so here is a partial list:

Besides Franken and Robbins, Al Sharpton, Mike Myers, Tony Bennett, Glenn Close, Gretchen Mol (newly married over the weekend to director Todd Williams), Lori Singer, Tony Kushner, "Angela's Ashes" author Frank McCourt, Jill Krementz and Kurt Vonnegut, Lauren Bacall (chatting up a fully refurbished Lauren Hutton), Richard Gere, John McEnroe and Patti Smythe, former U.N. ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Carson Daly, NBC's Jeff Zucker, a very pregnant Rory Kennedy, playwright Israel Horovitz, Macaulay Culkin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kyra Sedgwick, Linda Evangelista, Ed Bradley, Tom and Meredith Brokaw, director Barry Levinson, NBC anchor Brian Williams, Vernon Jordan, Eva Mendes, Sandra Bernhard and the always humorous Joy Behar.

But, really, in the end, not seeing "F9/11" would be like allowing your First Amendment rights to be abrogated, no matter whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.

The film does Bush no favors, that's for sure, but it also finds an unexpectedly poignant and universal groove in the story of Lila Lipscombe, a Flint, Mich., mother who sends her kids into the Army for the opportunities it can provide — just like the commercials say — and lives to regret it.

"F9/11" isn't perfect, and of course, there are leaps of logic sometimes. One set piece is about African-American congressmen and women presenting petitions on the Florida recount, and wondering why there are no senators to support them.

On the other hand, there are more than enough moments that seemed to resonate with the huge Ziegfeld audience.

The most indelible is Bush's reaction to hearing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, that the first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center.

For complete article, go to:
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,122680,00.ht

He's also on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart next week -- that should be fun.

Wow - whether you agree with Moore's political view or not - I say, thank goodness for filmmakers like him. He makes us think about our political/social perspectives and his films encourage active discussion. The current Hollywood ennui of "sit back and marvel at our special effects", has its own place. I believe that the higher aspiration of the arts has always been about challenging conformity and traditional belief systems. Every book, every significant piece of art, poetry, or music that has merit, is about disequilibrium. Conformity in and of itself is soothing. Controversy concerns itself with the discomforting effects of growth and change. I commend any man or woman who stands bold enough to face the Goliath of mainstream. Bravo.

PS. Got word from the local "Peace Community" that this film WILL be coming to Harrisburg, PA:)

Will be sure to review the flick on my 'blog:)

Katie Couric tried to fend off Moore's methodical assessment of how the media handled 9/11 but changed the subject quickly. He was right.

It looks like Ray Bradbury is adding to the movie buzz

Moore Film Title Angers Author Bradbury
By PAUL CHAVEZ


LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ray Bradbury is demanding an apology from filmmaker Michael Moore for lifting the title from his classic science-fiction novel ``Fahrenheit 451'' without permission and wants the new documentary ``Fahrenheit 9/11'' to be renamed.

``He didn't ask my permission,'' Bradbury, 83, told The Associated Press on Friday. ``That's not his novel, that's not his title, so he shouldn't have
done it.''

link

This is going to be the film event of the summer in NYC, in my opinion.

That's been debated on the political forums.

Bradbury knows he's got no case but he has a new edition of the book coming out in eight weeks -- the Mel Gibson get publicity through controversy forges on. And a new filming of the novel by filmmaker Frank Darabont -

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001104/

Darabont also wrote and directed "The Shawshank Redemption" on the plus side and "The Majestic" on the questionable side.

Fahrenheit 451 is an established scientific terminology so it's not too far off from the Franken "fair and balanced" controversy.

The other question which I have posed to the interested party BTW is why RB waited six months to hear back from the Moore camp.

an F9/11 question from me
hi dudes does any of u a2k experts know when F9/11 opens in the uk?

www.michaelmoore.com

Rating
Michael Moore failed to get the assigned "R" rating changed to "PG-13" that he wanted. Too bad.

Maybe when it comes out on tape or CDs the younger kids can see it.

BBB

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/23/film.fahrenheit911.r.ap/index.html