Comments on: Disaster Relief

By: Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 31 Jul 2006 13:07:32 +0000

Sounds like just about everyone is one the same page - don’t want to see it - and I agree. Hopefully, this movie will join United 93 as not quite the box office success the producers thought it would be, and they’ll start to understand the inappropriate-ness of making a film like this too soon after the event.

Side note: Isn’t it amazing that United 93’s $31 million box office take is considered unsuccessful? It makes U93 currently the number 49 movie of 2006 in the US, but it’ll probably end up in the 80’s or 90’s by the end of the year.

By: Kris

Kris — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:29:17 +0000

For the record, there was an actual incident of some firefighters who were in one of the stairwells when that tower came down, who survived and were eventually rescued. I’ve seen the trailer for the movie, and I’m not certain if it’s a fictionalized version of that story or a recreation of it.

In any event, I don’t plan to see it. I turned on the TV that morning just in time to see one of the towers come down. Watching the news for the next week or so, rarely a night went by that I didn’t find myself moved to tears. I didn’t fully appreciate the depths of the pain I felt during that time until about six months later. It was a Saturday afternoon and I was sitting in my living room watching PBS. They were showing an outdoor concert in England, I think maybe a celebration of the Queen’s birthday on the grounds of one the palaces. Apparently the concert had taken place at the end of the summer or early fall. At the beginning of the presentation, the emcee announced that in respect for ‘the tragedy in America’, they were going to play “The Star-spangled Banner.” As the orchestra began to play, it was apparent that large numbers of people in the crowd were singing the words along to it. Almost to my astonishment, I found myself sitting there, the tears rolling down my face again, overwhelmed by the memories and the sweet gesture of these English people.

And when seeing Micheal Moore’s “Faranheit 9-11″, what was for me easily the most brilliant moment in that terrific movie, was how he presented the WTC attacks. The screen goes completely black and for almost a minute you sit in the dark and simply listen to the actual sounds from on the street that day, the screams, the sirens, the panicked voices, the sound of the crashing. Then gradually the screen comes to light and you see the sky from that day with sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 paper raining down from the sky. I sat there mopping the tears off my face.

Those two experiences have me convinced I that I have no interest in sitting through a movie attempting to recreate that. A decade from now, maybe.

By: BewilderedofLondon

BewilderedofLondon — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 11:27:10 +0000

Yep! Seen the trailer…
The studio made this movie because they believe they can make a lot of money out of it.
There is no other reason to fictionalise the events and add popcorn.
It was a terrible day for those involved, their relatives and friends.
Other than those people, no one suffered but that they chose to vicariously, the film makers are feeding that appetite by developing a mythology surrounding the events of that day, they’re not unique in this they just have better packaging.
There is not one iota of good-taste, decency or respect involved.
If they don’t make money, they’ll doubtless claim the loss against tax.
It’s a win/win situation.
But, as H.L.Mencken said
“No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public.”
As someone said, when discussing whether the Holocaust was a fit subject for what is, after all, entertainment
“There’s no business like Shoah business!”
Nothing is sacred.
Not even shame…

By: Todd/Imnot2bzy

Todd/Imnot2bzy — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 23:03:12 +0000

I have no interest in seeing this movie at all. I actually don’t think it will do very well either. Honestly, I hope it doesn’t do well at all. Cause you know they were sitting back for awhile wondering if it was a good idea or not. They will just learn their lesson hoepfully.

By: BIG18GUNZ

BIG18GUNZ — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 21:12:11 +0000

I knew Mark Bingham. Not terribly well, but he belonged to a group of guys in SF that I was part of in the late 1990’s. I remember he bought me Jr Mints at a movie once. “Elizabeth”. He always smiled at me and laughed at my jokes. I will never forget that feeling I had when I heard he’d been on that UA flight 93 that went down in PA. my scalp is tingling right now because it’s right now this minute as freshly awful to me. I felt like my guts had been kicked out. I cant bear to see those films. I saw some of the movie on T.V. that dramatized the UA 93 hijacking. i almost threw up. I remember the last time I was working in New York in ‘99-it was after work and I went down to Battery Park about 6pm on a hot july evening to smoke my pipe and watch the boats come to and from the Statue of Liberty. I looked up (and up and up) at the enormous twin towers looming up into the clouds, and I thought “do I really want to go up there tonight? No, I’ll save it for next time. After all, those monsters arent going anywhere anytime soon.” those were my exact thoughts. what a weird, fucked up world we live in.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 18:25:17 +0000

I’m not so sure I want to see this film at all. Ever since those tragic events, we have been fed dose after dose of fear every two hours like aspirin. It’s manipulative and as you say, dishonors the memory of those who were killed. I’ll take a pass on this one and walk on over to the next theater in the duplex and watch something that makes me laugh.

Actually, I did know someone who was killed that day, and you’re right, you really don’t get over that sense of violation. I imagine many Iraqis feel the exact same way.

By: Sue

Sue — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 17:57:10 +0000

I don’t feel good about this at all. I will not go see the movie and I didn’t see the one on flight 93. I did see Roger Moore’s movie Farhenheit 911 which was painful but great. It is just too soon for this movie and it is all about trying to make a buck.

I was at home working and my sister called me and asked that I put on CNN. I was so shocked as we stood and both watched the second plane hit together on the phone. We knew we were being attacked. I knew the towers would eventually fall; they just had too. I don’t know anyone who died, but I know people who were there and in Washington at the time. What a fucking disaster. I still cannot get over driving past NYC and not seeing the towers. Fuck, fuck, fuck. It is just too soon!

By: Jay

Jay — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 10:14:42 +0000

I feel it’s too soon, too. (I also personally feel that “they” shot down Flight 93, but there were probably heroics involved.) I really think it’s only coming out faster because of the magnitude of the tragedy and how quickly a movie can be made these days. I’ll never forget that day (I was in DC). I remember the moment the first plane hit the first tower. Right then I knew we were under attack because no planes are allowed to fly over lower Manhattan. I don’t think I’ll see it because it is too soon. At least let the memorial be built and then do the movie.

By: rain

rain — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 09:14:11 +0000

I myself am very uneasy when it comes to these types of movies. I haven’t seen or heard anything about this film in Britain. I thought Flight 93 was the only film being made. I couldn’t actually take myself to see that film. In my my mind, I needed no convincing that what happened was wrong and that some of the passngers acted heroically. I suspect it will be the same with this film.

If as in Flight 93 they follow what happened to real people on that day in a matter of fact way, that has more relevance. If they have just taken a hollywood star put him in a ficticious character as a fireman/policeman, slap on an extremely heavy layer of sentimentality, that to me is wrong.