santacruzsentinel.com: Word of Mouth Like Passion, Fahrenheit is upsetting the film industry

santacruzsentinel.com: "Back in February, you'll remember, even as the film industry was anointing the fantasy trilogy 'Lord of the Rings' with its highest honor, Mel Gibson was upstaging the Oscars with the surreal popularity of his brutally graphic but heartfelt vision 'The Passion of the Christ.' In a similar vein, Michael Moore's rude and upsetting 'Fahrenheit 9/11' has become an unheard-of film phenomenon, upstaging the release of the summer's biggest traditional blockbuster, 'Spider-Man 2.' Moore, like Gibson, shoves Hollywood into the shadows.
This is good news, folks. You can hate either (or both) films, but the big box-office of both 'Passion' and 'F-9/11' is going to change the film industry for the better, destroying the timid conventional wisdom that incendiary subject matter is box-office poison. Both films have left Hollywood tastemakers look like the unimaginative, risk-averse weasels that they often are.
Markets rule in the movie business and 'Passion' - with its devout Catholics and evangelicals - and, now, 'Fahrenheit' - with its leftist firebrands and coffeehouse news junkies - have tapped into new markets, both hitting a gusher. I wouldn't expect Hollywood to now become Oliver Stone's playground, but mavericks with dangerous visions might not have such a tough time finding a 'yes.'"

Marcus leads ‘Fahrenheit’ discussion

The Nickelodeon in Santa Cruz will sponsor a free film discussion with film critic and historian Morton Marcus on patriotism and the controversy behind Michael Moore’s "Fahrenheit 9/11." The discussion begins at 11:40 a.m. Saturday at the Nickelodeon, 210 Lincoln St., Santa Cruz. It’s free.


By Wallace Baine
Santa Cruz Sentinel