Dial 911 for Fahrenheit 9/11?

Yesterday was the NYC premiere of Michael Moore's most recent controversial soapbox hit, Fahrenheit 9/11. I stopped by Lincoln Square Cinemas to discover that the 6 evening performances (playing in 3 theaters) for last night were all sold out. Any bets on how high it will place on the "Box Office Hits" list?

I'm not a particularly "political" person, but it will be interesting to see how this film alters the public discourse and even potentially affects the upcoming presidential election. I'm definitely planning on seeing it soon, but I don't expect to endorse it wholeheartedly. I plan to take everything with a grain of salt, and hopefully with further motivation to read up on IR and US public policy. (How I miss the intellectually stimulating college days...)

Speaking of which, Michael Moore admonishes Congressmen for not having read the text of the USA PATRIOT ACT. Have you? Here it is in pdf or html. By the way, PATRIOT is an acronym for:

P roviding
A ppropriate
T ools
R equired to
I ntercept and
O bstruct
T errorism

The New York Times astutely points out that "...while Michael Moore's 'Fahrenheit 9/11' will be properly debated on the basis of its factual claims and cinematic techniques, it should first of all be appreciated as a high-spirited and unruly exercise in democratic self-expression." (emphasis mine) Click here to read the entire article. For a more comprehensive review, visit New York Metro

While it irks me that the title of this film is a rip-off of Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, I now have a newfound interest in reading this 1953 classic that addresses issues of censorship and freedom, and is considered a peer of George Orwell's 1984. I'm considering tackling the book before I see the movie, just for purposes of comparison. My unsubstantiated theory is that the parallels between the book and the film will be barely perceptible save for general thematic undertones.

UPDATE: Here's a link to an interesting article about Bradbury's reaction to Moore's film title. Bradbury seems quite peeved, though the film will no doubt inject some life into his book sales. Also, a quick web search results in a number of anti-Moore sites. I can't believe some people devote so much time to slandering someone else.. There is also an anti-Moore documentary you can read more about here.