Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 might not have told us anything we didn't already know, but it did remind us about the power of images. It reminds us to question what we're seeing (even at the risk of having us turn that same critical eye on Moore's own work) and, perhaps more importantly, it gives us pause to think about what we're not seeing. When was the last time you saw footage of the protests at Bush's inauguration? Did you EVER see it? (If you're looking for a reminder, check out this 13-minute documentary filmed by Nathan Bramble at the 2001 inauguration or, if you're not already depressed, look at this very short clip of protest footage as an object lesson in why this material is so scarce.) In my world, all of this would be as overexposed as the Zapruder film. (While we're at it, check out this press release from the non-profit organization Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting.)

If you're curious about how the media can suffer from this kind of collective hysterical blindness, scratch the itch by looking for these two upcoming films:
Outfoxed: Rupert Murdock's War on Journalism
and
Orwell Rolls in His Grave.

Besides exposing Michael Moore to a spate of mild name-calling by the media (offset by the buckets of cash he's hauling in) and confirming his ripeness as a candidate for Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Fahrenheit 9/11 may have helped, by virtue of its commercial success, to pry open the doors of film venues for more documentaries -- especially, like the two above, ones about media whoring and deceit, which particularly enrage and delight me.

Note to the DNC: if you're looking for a ruthless media consultant who's willing to leverage the power of images in the name of the common defense, post a comment to this blog, and I'll get back to you. Just look what that Mel Gibson movie did for Jesus!