Great Minds In Sync?

The professional curmudgeon for the Austin fishwrap went to see the same showing of Michael Moore's anthem to W! Even though Kelso covered his tracks with a reference to a different theater, he was in the audience of the Tinseltown Cinemas in Pflugerville. How do I know this? The Alamo Draft House alluded to by Kelso didn't show Moore's film at the time Kelso (and I) saw it. In addition, the theater nearest the Williamson-Travis County Line is the Pflugerville cinemaplex. Anyway, I left Amarillo—Republican stronghold of the Texas Panhandle—for Georgetown—Republican stronghold of Central Texas—and, if truth be known, Sun City is even more rockribbed Republican than most of Williamson County. If you don't believe me, you can go f*** yourself. If this is (fair & balanced) Republican discourse, so be it.

'Fahrenheit 9/11' gets surprising reception in Bush Country


by John Kelso

Terror alert. Call Homeland Security. Liberals are infiltrating starched and pressed Williamson County. People are packing the Alamo Draft House Cinema on U.S. 183 to see Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11."

My favorite part comes when the gutsy Moore hits the streets of Washington to ask members of Congress if they would like to sign up their kids to fight in the war in Iraq. Nobody takes him up on it. One gets this look on his face as if Moore is trying to hand him a dead fish.

The film makes the case that Bush stole the presidential election. It claims that Bush arranged to have 24 members of the bin Laden family flown out the country a few days after 9/11 because of Bush family money ties to the bin Ladens. "Can you imagine Clinton after Oklahoma City arranging a trip out of the country for the McVeigh family?" Moore asks.

In the movie, Bush has a good golf swing. But that's it for good, unless you're a fan of elitist, stupid and evil.

Since Williamson County is Bush Country, on Monday I drove out to the theater near the Williamson-Travis county line, thinking I would get a personal viewing.

Boy, was I wrong. At 1:20 p.m., for the first showing, there were about 100 people in the theater, and it was about 80 percent full.

It was the first time since the movie opened Friday that the theater wasn't sold out. Part of this may be because the movie is showing at just this one theater in Williamson County. Five Travis County theaters are carrying it.

"I've never seen a movie get such a strong reaction," said Rob Landerman, the manager. "Everybody applauds at the end."

Monday was no different. Well, not everybody applauded. But most did.

So far there haven't been any fistfights.

"No, but I'll tell you, one of the shows where Alex Jones did an introduction, we were about this close to needing a referee," said Mike Sherrill, the theater's chief operating officer, holding his thumb and forefinger real close together. Jones, a local conspiracy theorist, got up and spoke before the Friday showings.

"I'm going to bring my 20-year-old to see this," a moviegoer named Cecile said. She wouldn't give her last name. She said she wanted her son to see the film so he would know his future choices: Iraq or Canada.

"I'll tell you what: I'd give (Moore) the Academy Award for it," said a guy named Steve, who wouldn't give his last name either because "there's nuts out there."

After one showing, a woman in the lobby started handing out anti-Bush pamphlets, and some guy got frosted and told her to shut up.

Though the movie is funny in places, the carnage horrifies. You'll laugh with Moore as he circles the White House in an ice cream truck, reading the Patriot Act. You won't laugh when you see the U.S. soldier who can still feel his hands even though they've been blown off.

"I think it really hit the nail on the head, most of it," said Jerry Franklin, a Democrat who lives on Lake Travis. "I think it really opened some eyes around here, especially in Bush Country."

Go see for yourself and make up your own mind.

Copyright © 2004 Austin American-Statesman