When the trailer for the new movie “United 93” was shown at theaters, some audience members yelled “too soon.” But Cal Thomas argues in a column in Friday’s Eagle that “if anything, this is a film that isn’t too soon; it isn’t soon enough.” Thomas argues that the film about the Sept. 11 hijacking of the plane that crashed into a Pennsylvania field “reminds us of what we must never forget” and “is a necessary reality check for those with short memories.” What do you think? Anyone plan to see it?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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38 Comments
I’d be more interested in a true documentary on the flight, given the apparently legitimate questions that have been raised about its last four minutes or so – plus a transcript of those minutes that reads inconclusive about what actually happened on the plane.
Too soon or not isn’t a question I am concerned about. What bothers me is someone (producers? directors?) is making a ton of money off the deaths of totally innocent people.
Plus, knowing the film industry’s ability to be ‘creative’ with the truth, I put very little faith in the accuracy of this movie.
I too would say too soon.
Cal Thomas has a political agenda. He thinks this movie is needed sooner rather than later to further that agenda.
I cannot speak to the motives of the producers of the film. But I would like to suggest that the subject of this movie becomes less relevant or interesting with the passage of time. It is after all just the story of flight 93 with a little of the rest of 911 thrown in. It might be compelling now and in the context of the other events of that day. But in another 10 years it will just be another story and so not as potentially profitable.
And when questions of profitability come into play, we must also question the treatment of fact.
I’ll wait for TV.
Gosh, JR, I tend to agree with nearly everything you’ve written here. That’s 2-3 time’s we’ve agreed?
Maybe we’ve been talking past each other on other threads?
I won’t say it’s too soon but have to agree with some of the comments above abuot motive. I especially wonder about Thomas – I hope he doesn’t try to play this as a reason for invading a country that had nothing to do with it.
It would be a nice gesture if the proceeds went to a victims fund of some sort.
To stop this thing from happening again is to probe the real reasons those people were made to die in the first place.
Using them to serve the Government’s propaganda interests is disgraceful and unconscionable.
Nothing we do could be more disrespectful, as American lives are worth more than political fodder, protecting those actually responsible.
The film makers are donating 10% of their first weekend take to a memorial fund for the victims. The WashPost take on the movie here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/27/AR2006042702509.html
I have to agree with JR 100%. I think the question of it being done at all is the one that should be focused on. It seems to be just one more way to propagate the disaster. I’d rather see a movie about the heroes during Katrina, mentioning the reasons those people were left to die for five days.
No, I won’t see it. And I doubt I’ll bother to go see Oliver Stone’s 911 when it comes out. It took me YEARS to finally watch JFK, and all that has done is raise more and more questions for me.
It will be the first thing out of hollywood I have actually wanted to see for 20 years. The fact that they used actually particpants in the aftermath gives it much more credibility than it would have with nothing but actors.I find it interesting that the “too soon to see” are using this tatic. It is so transparent that it is laughable. I hope democrats in general do not jump onto this bandwagon, it can only hurt them come election time.
Sooory,I doubt that the Dems will jump on anything that Cal (I hate to even type his name) Thomas supports.
Gittin,I honestly have no idea who he even is to be honest. I’d just hate to see democrats get caught up in the anti war, hate america nonsense coming from the left coast. If don’t get wise we’re stuck with Republican controlled everything. Even though I now associate myself more with republicans, it isn’t by choice or approval of the situation. Anymore, it is a matter of picking the least worst candidates for me.
“It will be the first thing out of Hollywood I have actually wanted to see in 20 years”
20 years?
Gosh Ybs you have REALLY particular taste in movies.
There have been hundreds of movies in the last 20 years and you’ve been waiting for this ONE? Well that’s some objective opinion there. If there is some clouded thinking about this movie I’d say it’s on your part.
I’m guessing your hunger for this one is much like that of Cal Thomas. That being the case I guess you’ll enjoy the show. Nothing better than getting what you want before you see it.
10% of the first weekend to the families of the victims tells me all I need to know. That’s a token. And not much of one at that. I stand by my “first take”. It’s exploitive.
Thinking about 9/11 still gives me a stomach ache. No chance I’m going to this movie.
Typical sorry bush-league spin “anti war, hate america nonsense”
Those of us who love our country hate to see what is being done to it.
“It would be a nice gesture if the proceeds went to a victims fund of some sort.”
Now I may be all wet here, but didn’t the families of the 911 victims get something like 1.6 million dollars?
If we’re going to give the proceeds to anyone, I’d like to see it go to wounded and disabled GIs.
Good point XXX – I was using the term generically. Might include rescue workers who have been sickened because warnings about health protection were ignored.
I’ll see it on DVD at home. Its too bad the real tragedy won’t be shown.
The horror of being on a plane, hijacked but in the end unable to getting through that cockpit door. That’s what the released flight recorder tapes suggest.
The effort is there by passengers but its just horrible they could do little to stop it.
Hero isn’t just an action. Hero’s are survivors of tragedy and those victims in memories will never be forgotten.
There was a push by politicians to make hero’s all through the 9-11 afterweeks and months. Hero on the plane, saying “Let’s Roll!”, okay.
But don’t use artistic license to make those efforts more heroic when its not true.
The girl injured in Iraq wasn’t shooting enemies with a gun, she got injured in a vehicle accident.
The military and that football player fraud. Killed by friendly fire.
Their hero’s just as soldiers, exploits shouldn’t be made up to make political points.
I won’t see the movie. Free or Not!
I think, the whole thing is in very bad taste and seeks to capatalize upon the pain and suffering of the families involved and the incident itself. All, to make a dollar!
I can visualize the horror!! I don’t need to see it again! But, something similar, will happen again.
I plan to see the movie. I will let you know what I think about it; for what that will be worth.
Best I can do.
Mr. Brownlee
I have never been so proud of a bunch of people as I am of this bunch on this flight. They knew they were going to die no matter what, but they WERE NOT going to let a few FREAKS kill others if they had a say in it.So they fought like wild men and women and passed out a choice assortment of bruises in the bargain and saved who knows how many others on the ground before they died.They died bravely and I think the lot should be given FULL battlefield commissions to the rank of General (No less then Captain.) and their families should be given all the rights, privliges and benefits (Including VA survivor benefits.) that comes to a family of HONORED MILITARY PERSONAL THAT GIVE THEIR LIVES FOR THIS COUNTRY! These people were true HEROS and I love and respect them all.
Like my English Grandfather always told me. “If you are bloody well going to flipping die anyway, then take a ruddy damn honor guard with you!” And these people took an honor guard that would not stop with them. Blessed be to all of them.
Lady Donna Marie RoyceMinneapolis, MN
And the “why” of it.
From Haaretz: [ snip from link ]
“It’s no coincidence that Ariel Sharon used to call Bush the best president Israel has ever had. Why? Because they saw eye-to-eye on the threat posed by global Islamic terror. Bush gave Sharon a free hand to carry out targeted assassinations, and held a diplomatic umbrella over him in the UN Security Council.
Some of the experts worry that Bush is a weak strategic post to lean on these days. But with all his troubles and his lack of popularity, it is worth remembering that he will be president 24 hours a day until January 2009. In that span of time, he can be of tremendous help to Israel. Whether he gives us a letter acknowledging the settlement blocs or not, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is for there to be complete coordination on matters relating to Iran and al-Qaida, both of which have declared Israel a major target.
Global support for Israel hinges on Bush’s continued support. It’s important that Iran sees Bush hugging us, too. Olmert must carry on the Sharon-Bush pact to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, pulling no surprises on one another.
With all the fuss over a paper published by Harvard professors that accuses the Jews of getting the United States tangled up in Iraq and now doing the same thing in Iran, Olmert will have to walk on eggshells when he gets to Washington.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/710465.html
There has never been a better to make peace with the Arabs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/29/world/middleeast/29IRAN.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
There has never been a better time to make peace with the Arabs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/29/world/middleeast/29IRAN.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
End-days thing?
Haaretz: [ snip from link ]
“Bush is a man of faith in the religious sense of the word, and his support of Israel springs from deep religious conviction.”
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/710465.html
Just an attempt by Hollywood to capitalize on tragidy of 9-11. I personaly will not go see it, I will not rent the video nor will I buy it.
JR
Mighty cynical.
We need to be reminded of what happened that day. To many of us walk about oblivious to the danger in the world around us. We need to see movies like this to remind us. Not so we walk around in fear, so we walk around awair.
I recommend the following editorial from the Ottawa Citizen.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/columnists/story.html?id=c940bcb3-b5f3-448a-9d51-7dfe886cd10b
We will all see this movie ( those who go) through our own politically colored prism. From what I hear from people who’ve reviewed it is the movie sticks to the facts and occurs pretty much in a real time sense. It stays true to the facts as far as they are known. So it shouldnt be offensive to anyone in a political sense unless the facts are inconvienient for some political agenda.
I agree with Heckler. There are a lot of Americans who have this escapist view of what happened on 9/11, I say that the purpose of studying history is so that we don’t commit the same mistakes made in the past, in the future. It is a good lesson to understand that we Americans are not untouchable. Pearl Harbor was a good example of this, and 9/11 is not different. It is truly “a day that will live in infamy.”
Saw the first matinee today. It’s time-frame was real-time. What struck me about the movie was also what I remember about that day. How every thing seemed so very normal one minute and then in the next minute it became clear that things were not normal at all. Then there was the struggle to understand just what in the hell was going on.
The movie was entirely filmed with a hand held camera, which enhanced the “you’re there” kind of feeling.
At the Warren Theatre, they had a recording before the movie, indicating how 100% of the surviving families supported the movie being made at this time.
This movie was very emotionally evocative – there were few dry eyes in the audience, I am guessing, as the passengers were portrayed calling and saying goodbye to their loved ones.
There was one emotion that was not evoked for me as I expected, i.e. hatred for the terrorists. I have always seen them in my mind’s eye as soul-less bastards. They did not come off that way in this movie. They were portrayed as scared and terrified, also.
As far as my political filter, the one thing in line with that was after seeing this movie, I am again wondering why we have not captured or killed Osama bin Ladin. We are clearly behind schedule on that task.
DD,
Did the film smack of propaganda to you, like those hokey WWII “why we fight” films? Perhaps I am being overly paranoid but this rather low budget film made on rather short notice comes out when support for the war in Iraq and for a possible war against the “evil Iranians” is waning badly. Could this be an attempt to whip up the sheeple into a frenzy aginst all things muslim? Is it a coinkydink that the wars we are fighting or may fight in the mid east serve to benefit the same tribe who controll hollywood and the media? Nah….
V.L.R.B!!
No, I did not see it as corny patriotism kind of thing. I believe that the guy who made it, did every thing he could to make it seem real – like it actually happened, as best as could be determined. The last 4 minutes are what people complain about the most. The passengers made it into the cockpit – which is doubtful – but also unknowable – if this happened or not.
I had not even considered that the goal was propaganda to get people behind Bush’s war blunders or the extension of these blunders. Paint me as naive, but I think it will take a lot more than a movie for this administration to overcome their credibility problems. And until the people become convinced they can believe anything Bush says, he will have a difficult time drumming up much support for another war. IMHO, only.
DD,
Perhaps you are right and my tin foil apparatus is working overtime but it pays to remember that 80% of the troops and a majority of the American public still believe that Saddam and Iraq were involved the attacks on 9/11! Sadly, many of our conutrymen are too easily manipulated; of course this is just my .02.
V.L.R.B!!
DD
Thanks for the review.
Ian
I don’t know a single soul who believes that Saddam was behind 9/11. They must all live on the coasts. And not watch any news.
The man who made this film is a professed liberal who dissagrees strongly with much of what the US has done. But he is able to set his political feelings aside to make a movie that he felt should be made. And from most accounts I’ve read he did it without invoking any political agenda.
Ian
And I believe he’s a Brit.
P.Y.H.A!!!!
Heckler,
This was almost too easy!
Poll: 70% believe Saddam, 9-11 linkWASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe it is likely that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, says a poll out almost two years after the terrorists’ strike against this country.Sixty-nine percent in a Washington Post poll published Saturday said they believe it is likely the Iraqi leader was personally involved in the attacks carried out by al-Qaeda. A majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents believe it’s likely Saddam was involved.
The belief in the connection persists even though there has been no proof of a link between the two.
President Bush and members of his administration suggested a link between the two in the months before the war in Iraq. Claims of possible links have never been proven, however.http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2003-09-06-poll-iraq_x.htm
Viva La Revolucion Blanco!!!!!—–
The fools who believe that Saddam was responsible for 9/11 must be the same coconuts who believe in the holohoax! rotflmosrfaohttp://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/april2006/290406truthseekers.htm
Viva La Raza Blanco!!!
Ian
Do you really believe ANY polls coming out of the national media these days? They are designed to generate news.
On A&E last night they had a made for tv movie called “Flight 93″. Just seems weird that there are already several movies on the same event.
Joe, while trying to find something to watch, I noticed that “Flight 93.” I skipped it, but wondered just how different it might be from “United 93.”
Because I won’t bother with either (still not convinced anything with 9/11 is on the up and up, though not ready to support the conspiracy theorist either), I suppose it’s nothing but benign curiosity. Call me a fence-sitter on this one.