Last night we decided to go out and about and enjoy the sunshine. It stays light here in Glasgow to around 10:30 pm…

HMV were having another Summer Sale. They have no idea how very difficult it is for me to control Michelle’s CD habit when they continue to sell such gems as The Style Council for only £2.99! 10 CD’s later, we managed about 5 paces to the Waterstones sale. Another problem. Here in Glasgow, in fact in the UK, paperback books are relatively cheap (compared to anything else – not if you convert into Cdn$). I picked up an autobiographical book ‘Toast’ by my hero Nigel Slater for only £3.99!

Next stop ‘Wagamama’. A restaurant that uses the line “positive eating + positive living” as its mantra. We had a 2 for 1 voucher that was expiring, so figured we would give it a go. The food was good, nice and fresh, but not particularly substantial.

And then. After much anticipation. We wandered along to the UGC to see Fahrenheit 9/11. The cinema was packed. For once there were no ads prior to the previews, and even those were kept to a minimum. Now I’ve read all the reviews that discredit him for his cutting room antics, but I have to say, in a lot of what he put together, there is not really that much that can be taken out of context. I mean, you can’t MAKE the guy look foolish when you’re on the other side of a camera. That’s something he has to manage to do on his own. And I have to say, in at least my eyes, he manages quite well, quite a lot of the time.

I wouldn’t quite call it a ‘documentary’. It really is a look at Bush through Michael Moore’s eyes. Definitely a very interesting view and certainly a view which has provided me with a great deal more damning evidence to add to my already low opinion of the man. However the idea that popular opinion for the US presidential elections coming up in November could be swayed because of it could be a bit of wishful thinking. For that to happen, everyone in America would need to be able to sift through the content of the film, and then use their intelligence to analyse it, and their logic to grasp it, and last but not least actually turn up to vote. I’m not sure it’s going to happen. This is not an insult directed at the people of America. The same could be said about any population.

If my reaction is anything to go by, it will essentially give those who already dislike Bush additional ammunition and reason to turn against him, and for those who support him, it will close their minds and provide them with a fistful of excuses to deny any of the truths the film is trying to uncover.

The movie managed to horrify me at times by some of truths presented, both by Bush and the everyday everymans serving in armed forces, and also to make me laugh at some of the antics employed by Moore to make a point by exaggeration. Definitely entertaining. Definitely something to see. Unfortunately for Bush, one of his biggest failures is his lack of charm. Just a little bit of charm goes a long way….

What will your reaction be?