CBS is going to air the 9/11 documentary on Sept 10. This award-winning documentary by two French brothers was following the footsteps of a rookie New York firefighter when it became the front-row cameras to the attack on the World Trade Center. It contains the only known film footage of the first plane hitting the building.
I’ve seen this twice. I’m going to see it again. It’s raw, it’s painful, it’s in your face, and it’s unedited. There’s quite a few words uttered that one would not say to one’s grandmother.
Apparently, this offends the American Family Association. They’re getting ready to flood the FCC with complaints about the f-word, the s-word, and the g-d word.
Are they offended by the attacks? Are they offended by the wanton destruction? No. They’re upset that a firefighter says, “Someone’s got some fucking balls” as he suits up to run to a burning building.
They showed it on TV here a couple of days ago - I hadn’t seen it before. A great film. Both the wider scale of things and the events personalised with the individual firefighters and the documentary makers.
Anyway, this just seems odd. As ivylass says, death and destruction? A-Ok! But don’t let off any swears while you’re trying to save people’s lives, that would be crossing the line. I’m sure that the footage of firefighters standing around listening to people hitting the ground after jumping isn’t going to affect kids more than the occasional fuck. :rolleyes:
I got on their e-mailing list, I think because I once read an article on their site that had been linked to the straight dope and had to register.
There certainly is an odd mix of battles they decide to fight. They hate Ford Motor Co. (because they support the gay agenda by advertising in their magazines) and take credit for the company’s poor performance. I’ve read that GM actually as as much or more of its advertising in gay-targeted publications. Yet never a peep about GM. They also solicit money about twice as often as they ask their readers to send an email for or against some cause. And, of course, all their retoric is inflammatory and alarmist.
In short - they are primarily about prying money out of the pockets of the gullible by using scare tactics. They can’t picket the funerals of servicemen because another group beat them to that. So they’re trying the next best thing.
In any event, what a bunch of narrow-minded fools. This isn’t gratuitious swearing, and I defy anyone who was riveted to the TV that day to sign an affadavit that “Holy shit” didn’t come out of their mouth at least once.
I skimmed the article and couldn’t find the documentary’s title. I don’t have cable, but I’d like to see it. Is there anywhere I could purchase the unnamed documentary in question?
Personally, i don’t give a flying fuck if it is gratuitous. What the hell is gratuitous, anyway? Plenty of movies and other shows have swearing that some would consider gratuitous, but that is a perfectly valid part of the performance.
I think it’s just as narrow-minded to protest against the screening of Pulp Fiction or Deadwood a Chris Rock standup comedy show. If you don’t want to hear swearing, don’t watch the fucking thing. I think it’s just as offensive to hack these shows to pieces, and ruin their continuity and their artistic vision, just to placate a bunch of morons who wouldn’t watch the shows even if they didn’t contain swearing.
And 'luci, i’m not sure whether or not they complained about Saving Private Ryan, but on a more general note, i’m also getting sick of Steven Spielberg films getting a pass when every other fucking movie on TV has all its swearing cut. Sure, he’s made some decent, thought-provoking films, but so have plenty of other people; why should his movies get special treatment?
Yes, they did, and my ABC affiliate refused to carry it last Veteran’s Day. Grrrr…
Here you go, Diosa. It’s hosted by Robert de Niro.
Basically, two French brothers were doing a documentary on the life of a rookie firefighter. It’s so hard to watch the mundane events up to Sept 11…first it’s July, then it’s August, then it’s September 10 (the brothers made dinner for the firehouse that night, but they didn’t make enough food), then it’s 8:30 in the morning and they’re investigating reports of a gas leak, then they hear the roar of a plane…
The Michigan chapter has won a special place on my shit list.
When the “marriage is between a man and a woman” amendment hit the ballot in Michigan in 2004, among the concerns raised was that this would be used to strip gays and their families of helath benefits (because some public employers extend those benefits to same-sex domestic partners, and their children).
Oh no, assured the AFA. Heavens no. This is narrow! It’s about marriage! Nothing else! We have no other intentions here!
Fast forward a year after it passes, and now we have lawsuits against public entities who give domestic partner benefits on the basis of this amendment. Who’s initiating these suits? The AFA itself.