My F911 Experience - (SPOILERS)

I hit the theatre on the way home and picked up a 7:25 ticket.  There were no lines despite a T.V. news reporter in the parking lot.  But I was going with friends who hadn't picked up their tickets early.  By the time we got back there, lines snaked their way almost to the escalators and the earliest show we could get was 10:30 - unheard of in Syracuse, NY.

At 10:30, the theatre was packed.  Taking seats where we could, we settled into a mixed group - lots of young people, punks, Goths, grandparents, 40/50 somethings, African Americans, young professionals.  

These people laughed.  They cried.  They got angry.  And they applauded hard at the end.  But most of all...there was a bit of shell shock on everyone's faces.  As if they were all trying to shake off the cognitive dissonance.  This was especially true for a group of three African-Americans who sat there, staring at the screen...even as the rest of us filed out...

Scenes from the movie that stay with me:
*The quiet comparison between the Iraqi woman crying to her God and the mother in Flint, calling on hers after the death of her son.  Our (Iraqis and Americans) humanity was never so clear.  

*The fact that the mother learned of the death of her son by phone and not in person.  This is crass and abominable.  There are creative and frugal ways around this even in a high tech, super media age.  No parent should learn of the death of their enlisted child through the detached static of a phone call.  And the country needs to know the sacrifice it's paying - up close and personal.

*During the exchange between the mother from Flint and the anti-protester, a woman walks up and dismisses it all as a fabrication.  When the mother tells her that her son is dead, the woman disbelieves her and starts asking her "Where?  Where did he die?  Where?"  And when the mother tells her, the woman's only response is "Well there are a lot of other sons dying."  No apology.  No sympathy.  No, "I'm sorry for your loss."  Just a vacuous statement dismissing a mother's grief as just another sacrifice. No different from any other.   Sad day...

*Secret Service and the Saudi Embassy.

*The fact that Bush, Sr. receives daily CIA updates while working as a private broker for the Carlyle Group.

*And every African-American member of Congress who stood up, while Al Gore stood there, gavel in hand, overseeing the process.  

*Reliving 9-11 in the dark...  Witnessing those scenes all over again...  You can imagine what effect.  

The list is long...but I left the theatre feeling an odd mix of emotions and more empathy for Bush than I expected.  It's a damning piece, gang.   More damning if free-thinking conservatives would take a look - there's a lot  in there for them too.

•  And the end of the film, in W's own words.

  It knocked me over.

  by katiebird on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 06:16:54 AM PDT

•  My experience was outrageous

  8:10 showing in 2 large theaters. We arrived at 7:40 with our prepaid tickets, but the line just to get into the theater was wrapped around the giant cineplex.  People in line were buzzing (love being around so many liberals!).  Then the previous showing let out and those folks gave us thumbs up and were just excited in general. Many sporting Kerry 2004 buttons.  My theater was SRO (525 stadium seating type theater) and we were rocking.  When we left, the 10:55 showing had longer lines than ours had, with soooooo many young people. I am thinking "great, they will learn early never again to elect a Bush to office."

  by FLDoubleBushed on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 06:51:34 AM PDT

  •  packed house..

    yeah in miami things were seriously packed too.. people sitting on the front row looking straight up!  yipes, that's rough.   we got there 45 min early for a matinee and got good seats (sold out 5 pm show).. but for the next showing the lines were even longer with a serious energy.  it wasn't super rowdy in my show but i wore my howard dean shirt with pride and struck up a conversation or two with folks in line.

    eric

    by esherard8 on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 07:42:58 AM PDT

    •  I was in Miami too

      at Sunset Place!

      by FLDoubleBushed on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 12:54:00 PM PDT

•  Yup

  Seattle was jammed, too. But that's no surprise. The entire city is like your Syracuse theater during the showing.

  by Dan Perreten on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 08:16:52 AM PDT

•  Just a quick note about the Secret Service...

  That was one bit of the film that didn't necessarily reflect the reality of embassy security in WDC.

  Most embassies have a uniformed Secret Service detail assigned to them.  The reason that the Saudi presence seems so odd is that the USS coverage tends to be by region.  In the "Embassy Row" area, just west of Dupont Circle, there is a constant USS presence to hold watch over the many embassies in the area.  They do all kinds of patrols, nothing out of the ordinary.  And any film crew would get their attention, for sure.  These USS officers deal with all sorts of issues, from traffic accidents, to protesters outside the Embassy of Myanmar, to the ubiquitous motorcades to and from the VP residence.

  The Saudi embassy is essentially a "stand-alone" facility, not close to any other diplomatic residences or offices.  That they have a couple of USS officers assisgned (or one who can call in a backup from the nearby State Dept.) is not surprising.

  And I'm actually quite happy that they're in the area.  I live adjacent to "Embassy Row," and there is no lack of security when things go awry - police response within 30 seconds to one minute when the call goes in (and yes, the USS will respond if they are closest to the incident).

  So the fact that Moore saw USS at the Saudi embassy is nothing outside of the norm.

  by DCFD Rudi on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 08:27:58 AM PDT

  •  Thanks

    Thanks for the info.  I thought the the USSS provided security detail for embassies and the like, but I wasn't sure.

    -Bob

    by Mormon for Democracy on Sat Jun 26, 2004 at 11:31:27 AM PDT

•  My 7:25 show today

  at Carousel (the mall in Syracuse) was absolutely packed too.  Maybe this movie will help turn around this republican bastion in NY.

  by ryharrin on Sun Jun 27, 2004 at 12:50:01 AM PDT