See I kind of think it is harder for us on the west coast to really understand (unless of course you lost someone). I mean, we couldn't do anything. I felt so incredibly useless on the west coast.

I think I got a little desensitized just during that time frame. The news just kept showing the same images over and over and over again. (The problem is that the AZ news channels tend to do this over everything, just last week we had an illegal immigration march and that was ALL they could talk about).

Don't get me wrong though, I still cry. I bought the CNN Tribute DVD (my dad thought I was nuts, but I explained that as someone who wants to teach History, this would eventually be something I have to teach and I might have a resource, what better than CNN). I remember the first time I watched it. My brother had just gotten home from boot camp 2 months prior. He hadn't seen anything regarding the towers (9-11 happened while he was in boot and all the Army would let them know is what happened, they had no access to the news reports or papers). He watched it with me. He was in shock. And of course I was crying (kind of like I am now). It was a very numbing experience because I told him "that's how we were last year".

I know I'll cry at this movie but I still want to see it (along with the Oliver Stone one). Whether I pay 10 bucks to see it is a whole other issues (that's one of the reasons I really don't go see movies anyways, the cost).

I guess I might have to go see the move now. I found out my step brother plays himself in this movie. He is the air traffic controller for NEADS with the military “Is this real-world or exercise?”. When the military first learns about the hijackings on 9/11. I knew he was in a movie relating to his invovlment in 9/11 but didn't realize it was this movie until I talked to him. They offered him a walk on the red carpet at the premiere in NYC but he would have to pay his own way there and pay for his own lodging so he said no thanks.

That is interesting. I would be interested in reading about, or perhaps seeing a documentary on, the experiences of air traffic controllers - and probably others I've not considered - on that day. I would like to hear how they kept cool, handled the situation, grounded planes across the country, etc. Maybe I'm cynical, but I doubt anyone would make such a film without scenes of the Towers burning/falling, and I think y'all know I won't watch that.

I think you're right.

I went to NYC in 96 and I went to the towers. When I went to NYC in 04, I met my parents there (we were in NJ to see my brother, who was at Dix for Thanksgiving). My parents had already been to ground zero when I got in to town. But we went back. I just stood there. Hands on the fence, crying. Because I had been there. I'd seen these towers.

Not that my parents weren't in awe.

It's really hard to explain the, I don't know, "air" around ground zero. No one talked, at least not loudly. I mean in the grand scheme of things ground zero was eerily quiet compared to rest of the city, and that's with the subway running. It was almost like it didn't become real until I went there.

I'm not sure I'm making sense, but since I'm getting teary eyed I think I need to stop typing :D

I don't have any geo-political theories as to why they should or shouldn't do this...but I guess these movies are for Middle America who didn't know anyone who could have possibly been in the planes, towers, or Pentagon. If it affected you, you probably don't want to see it. There are people, however, who will.

Best Friend Munchkin died about two years ago...and already a movie's been made about it. I'm probably less upset about it than her parents are, but I'm probably more upset than a random acquaintance or casual friend would be. This might not make sense but this is what I'm thinking.

She is not representative of the West Coast. Trust me. lol

Most people I've met get upset about it whenever they're confronted with it and some say it's gotten better with time just like most tragic incidents.

-Rudey

Premier was tonite @ The Tribeca Film Festival

It's strange to see an entertainment reporter for the local news at the theatre reporting on the movie of such a horrific event. Those family members interviewed that saw it tonight seem to agree that the movie needed to be made to keep the legacy of their loved ones alive.

I think it would just be too much to see. And yet a small part of me wants to see it.

The Film Festival was founded to bring back attention/money/etc downtown after 9-11 so it was fitting this movie opened the festival tonight.

I saw United 93 tonight. (I am a movie reviewer by day, serial dater and party girl and novelist by night, lol)

WOW.

Incredibly intense and moving and heartbreaking and inpriring film. Very well done. VERY well done. Not Hollywoodized at all. I sobbed through it due to various personal connections I have to the WTC attacks on 9/11. When it started, I panicked and was pretty sure I would not be able to sit through it. I was actually nauseous.

The film was so interesting and fascinating and well... maybe a bit like a trainwreck. Like in the aftermath of 9/11, the start of the war with Iraq, and Hurricane Katrina--when you know you should just turn CNN off already and get on with life but just can't...

I applaud the filmmakers of United 93. It is an unflinching look at the events of that day that highlights the ineptitude of our government, FAA and military (without being heavy handed political at all) and showcases the incredible acts of bravery and love the passengers on United flight 93 undertook.

And here is a bizarre thing--I kind of want to see this movie again.

What?? That is truely pathetic if the directors of this movie interjected their opinions and biases when creating this movie. It shouldn't be political at all, and if it is, then I would say it is a pretty damned Hollywoodized movie. The focus should be on the people in the plane, not the ineptitude of certain organizations. Furthermore, I really don't see how you can call the FAA, government, and especially the military inept when discussing the events that occurred that day.

First, she never said the directors interjected their opinion or biases.

Second, it is not for anyone else to start telling another person that they can't feel that the government agencies were inept on that day. It's her opinion, if you disagree, fine. End of discussion.

amycat412, I personally agree with you. I think they were slightly inept on that day. I feel they could have done some things a bit differently, but hindsight is 20/20.

Bias is inherent in anything and everything. There would be no way to make any film, novel, news story or piece of art and keep any personal bias out of it.

I think it was too soon to make this movie, but given the turnout of the decedents' family members, it wasn't too soon (or it was a tool to help them move on from their grief).

FAA and NorAD were asleep that day

SEE the movie and THEN argue with me, OK? lol

They did NOT put a lot of personal biases in. They simply reported what happened and Bush was NOT REACHABLE that day. FACT is the miliatary did not even KNOW United 93 was hijacked until 4 minutes AFTER it crashed. FACT is FAA spent a chunk of time focusining on a Delta flight that was not hijacked, whose pilot repeatedly told them it was not a hijack and did not focus so much on United 93. FACT is no one in the government was avail to give the miliatry the permission to engage.

FACT is WE, as a nation, were grossly underprepared for such an attack.

That is not personal bias of either the filmmakers or me. that is FACT.

Even the writers of the 9/11 Commission Report admit that the various federal agencies were NOT prepared for this sort of thing, and they were just as stunned as any civilian.

But, you probably didn't read that either.

I want to see which real critic can deflect the extreme emotional pressure involved in a film like this and write a bad review. I think the only way to do so is to still say that the events are so tragic that no movie could ever capture them well. The only bad reviews on rotten tomatoes will probably come from a tiny set of critics that nobody takes seriously and the big name commercial critics will definitely fall in line like they did with Brokeback Mountain.

I personally don't think I can see the movie. I felt awful enough in Million Dollar Baby so I can only imagine what this is like.

-Rudey

I was merely stating that if the directors put in their own opinions into the movie then it would be upsetting. I wasn't trying to attack amycat in any way. Her original post made it seem like she left the movie with that impression. Didn't realize that is what she personally felt.

Do I think we might have been unprepared for such a massive operation? Probobly so. Do I think that these various organizations were inept? No. Interesting that you comment on the FACT that the military didn't know that the plane was hijacked until 4 minutes after it crashed. I have never heard this from anywhere. I would think they would have considering the phone calls that were made and the fact that there were F-14's in the air at the time of the crash.

Munchkin, yes, I have read and watched just about everything that has been made available.

Some of you people scare me. Seriously.

Are you kidding me? Is this not a Hollywood production? Last time I checked I'm pretty sure Hollywood was the ENTERTAINMENT capital not the history lesson capital of the world. As I recall, no one survived that crash so we dont know first hand what happened. What they are showing in this movie is purely assumptions and circumstantial facts so please dont undermine anyone's intelligence by saying its a history lesson. Its entertainment which has been based on actual facts that have been recreated for entertainment purposes and to make a buck, why else do you think they've only donated 10% of the first weekend's earnings?? They didnt even have the decency to donate at least 10% of all earnings!

Furthermore it really ticks me off that just because someone can actually see the difference between history lesson and entertainment, they immediately have no heart or hate the US. What type of logic is that??? I'm willing to put money down that no real history teacher/professor will ever use this movie in their classroom.

While I wouldn't say that someone hates the US......I sort of agree that the word "entertainment" doesn't come to mind when considering seeing this movie. I see movies like Anchorman and Oceans 12 to be entertained. Personally, if someone went and saw it and told me, "yeah it was good, very entertaining..." I'd probobly give them a pretty odd look.

Look at the Passion of the Christ, not exactly an "entertaining" film but everybody saw it.

You just say that because you come from a terrorist country.

-Rudey
--Before any ass goes and complains about me just for the heck of it, I lived in that same country.

I'm still undecided about whether or not I want to see it, but wasn't Pearl Harbor rereleased or re-hyped up after 9/11? I consider that pretty offensive, actually.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that Pearl Harbor sucked and I miss you..."

I agree with what you say. Just wondering though, wasn't Passion of the Christ completely funded/produced/released by Mel Gibson? I thought I remember it causing so much of a problem that no production companies in Hollywood would take it on??

He funded a little under half of the budget himself. I believe the reason why he had difficulties funding the movie was because he wanted full control of pretty much everything production wise. Potential investors wanted a less violent/bloody version, which didn't happen.

the movie is not entertainment.

It is a history lesson, a lesson to bring us back to feeling love and patriotic. A movie to show the bravery of the passengers on flight 93 and to celebrate their lives.

I will pray for them the rest of my life due to this flick.

Just reading this made me tear up imagining those cries. (I also drove into the city twice yesterday which always affect me... Yeah, PSTD, but who here doesn't to some degree from 9/11)

Rudey - Personal attacks about a person's heritage are not cool. Stating that you lived there too does not make it an acceptable comment, either.

I can almost guarentee, since I have every intention of teaching high school history, that given the oppurtunity I will show United 93 to my class. But it would be dependent on my academic standards for the school year and whatnot. History teachers use movies all the time. Hell, one of the long term projects I would have my students do is pick a movie based on a historical "activity" (like Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, just to name a few), they would then have to do research, then write a paper either supporting the movie as "factly" based or not support it. Pretty much history vrs. hollywood.

Teachers are ALWAYS using movies. We take ADVANTAGE of what Hollywood offers us.

I don't dispute that teachers use dramatizations of historical events to supplement their classroom teaching. They also use documentaries using genuine footage and interviews. Both films and documentaries are great tools outside of the usual textbooks.

BUT there is a big difference between showing Pearl Harbor/Schindler's List/Roots/The Passion to a group of students in 2006 and showing United 93 to a group of students in 2006. Namely, 9/11 happened five years ago and is still very much in the public consciousness whereas the feelings generated by the other events (while they are important) have had years if not generations to become part of our collective memory without the pain being quite so raw and fresh. The Holocaust, the Civil War, WW2/Pearl Harbor are all very important pieces of our history, and, as with 9/11 we should never forget. But it just feels too soon to be making a film about it. A documentary, yes. But a dramatization of events inspired by a true story... I respectfully decline to get in line to watch this film at this time. This does not make you or me any less faithful or upset about 9/11 as a historical event.

Many of you have expressed interest in seeing United 93. I'm just not ready yet.

First and Finest, I am Iranian. By all counts I am more Iranian than HBADPi given that I was born there and lived there for so long. Furthermore HBADPi is my friend. Adding to that, it was a joke that I'm sure she found funny.

But I do thank you for caring. These days the moderators are looking to take everything I say and turn it into an offensive insult that breaks the TOS and is there to draw people into a fight. Of course they can never really show that it's an insult or why someone would get offended or what the fight could even be over.

I appreciate standing up for your sister. I would hope my brothers would do the same for me. Had you not been her sister I probably wouldn't have explained all this to you :)

-Rudey
--Thanks again

Heres the difference between showing SCHINDLER'S list and United 93 in a classroom. There were people who survived the Holocaust and lived to tell the story. What happened on United 93 is totally unknown to all of us so everything shown in this movie is UNQUESTIONABLY objective and unverifiable.

I never said that movies shouldnt be show in the classroom but only if its understood that they are supplements to the course material and not passed as absolute fact. I'm sorry but I cant support showing a movie to children that is based on circumstational evidence...

Those are really good points.

I think though for me, is that the grades I want to teach and the age of the kiddos is that they barely know anything about 9-11 unless told by parents, teachers, or directly affected. Like our current 8th graders were only in 3rd grade when it happened. I'm pretty sure they had no idea what the hell was going on. They were only kids. I know when I was in 3rd grade I didn't give a hoot about what was going on in the world. I honestly didn't start caring until I was older and more able to understand and comprehend what was being told to me via the news or newspaper.

I personally believe that the events of 9-11 aren't exactly "raw and fresh" to the 8th graders on my campus. Heck, my 16 year old cousin, who remembers it, isn't as emotional about the events as I was being a 27 year old adult.

Again, this is just my opinion. Just purely based on the kids I work with and knowing a bit about them.

Feel free to disagree with me.

So does anyone know for a fact that what happened in the movie "United 93" actually happened?

Well when you do become a teacher, have students, a curriculum that's planned then let us know how it goes. Until then I guess we have at least a few worry-free years on our hands. :)

Seriously the movie isn't even out and people that aren't even teachers are wanting to show it to their future students.

-Rudey

Hopefully next year. My kids now are Special Needs, so having them discuss 9-11 would be like having me discussing neuro-biology. They wouldn't understand it. :)

I don't really think so? Some coworkers of mine were talking about some other theories & stuff that they heard..

Exactly why I am not religious

For those that do though, movies like Passion of the Christ probobly had a big impact. The sheer brutality of Passion left me almost upset in the stomach.