Friday , March 29 2024

Blogcritics on United 93

On a transcendently clear, balmy morning, 19 Islamic extremists believed to be affiliated with Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network hijacked four airliners and perverted them into missiles to attack the symbolic and very real centers of American – and in turn Western – financial, cultural and military hegemony.

Over 3,000 souls — including hundreds of rescue workers — from over 80 nations were lost, the preponderance literally disintegrated before a horrified, transfixed TV audience’s gaze. The 110 story twin towers of the World Trade Center, New York’s tallest buildings and the workplace of over 40,000 people, were impaled from the air and fatally injected with spite and hellfire jet fuel: American Airlines flight 11, scheduled Boston to Los Angeles carrying 92 people, struck north tower floors 95-102 at 8:48 a.m.; United Airlines flight 175, scheduled Boston to Los Angeles carrying 65, struck south tower floors 86-92 at 9:03 a.m.

The inferno created by the raging jet fuel weakened the steel girders causing first the south (9:50 a.m.), then the north (10:29 a.m.) towers to crumble pathetically upon themselves generating great toxic tsunamis of gray ash and debris. A third building, 7 World Trade Center, collapsed in sympathy later that afternoon; there was extensive damage from the deluge of debris to all buildings surrounding the WTC complex. The horrifying visions of the planes embedding themselves in the buildings, the effulgence of flames springing from the wounds, and the subsequent implosion of the buildings were rerun on TV over and over before billions of eyes, burning themselves indelibly into the collective retina, focusing attention on one time and place as perhaps never before in world history.

The redoubtable command center of American military might, Washington’s geometrically named Pentagon, was struck by another airliner-turned-missile – American Airlines flight 77, scheduled Washington to Los Angeles carrying 64, struck at 9:43 a.m. – killing almost 200 more.

A fourth plane, presumably headed for another Washington-area governmental target, slammed into the earth in rural southwestern Pennsylvania – United Airlines flight 93, scheduled Newark to San Francisco carrying 45, crashed at 10:10 a.m. – killing all aboard after passengers learned of the fates of the three other hijacked planes via cell phone, resolved to not become a fourth implement of untold destruction, and physically attacked the hijackers with the fateful last words of passenger Todd Beamer, “Okay, let’s roll,” trailing off into history.

The tagline of Paul Greengrass’ United 93 film reads, “September 11, 2001. Four planes were hijacked. Three of them reached their target. This is the story of the fourth.”

By all accounts the film (trailers) succeeds wrenchingly and inspiringly and stands as a powerful tribute to those who gave their lives to prevent the loss of untold others that clear blue morning.

Blogcritics has a number of views and reviews:

Movie Review: United 93
A stunning and gut-wrenching film that makes a case for being the best American film of the decade.
Posted to Video by Lucas McNelly on May 11, 2006 01:06 PM

Box Office Update for 4/28-4/30: RV Tops United 93
Sophomoric family comedy rises to the top. Now, I have not seen RV, but something tells me that I wouldn’t think much of it. Far be it for me to go with the mainstream. Any way, the Robin Williams film…
Posted to Video by Chris Beaumont on May 3, 2006 12:22 AM

Movie Review: United Flight 93
These are not films, they are tragic events that need to be honored.
Posted to Video by Film School Rejects on May 2, 2006 11:51 PM

Movie Review: United 93
The audience sat in complete silence for several minutes before starting to leave the theater…
Posted to Video by Lennie on May 1, 2006 12:13 AM

Movie Review: United 93
United 93 refreshingly lacks Hollywood slickness and re-opens emotional wounds. For those who are ready, this is a superb film.
Posted to Video by Triniman on April 29, 2006 10:11 PM

Movie Review: United 93
I thought I was prepared for this. In the aftermath of seeing this film, I have learned that I was not. Is it even possible to prepare yourself for something like this? It is akin to reopening…
Posted to Video by Chris Beaumont on April 29, 2006 11:32 AM (Relevance: 2)

Movie Review – United 93
The only thing that worked that day.
Posted to Video by Joshua Sharf on April 29, 2006 10:51 AM (Relevance: 2)

Movie Review: United 93
United 93 not only isn’t too soon, it hasn’t arrived quickly enough.
Posted to Video by James Frazier on April 28, 2006 10:04 PM (Relevance: 4)

United 93 – Are We Ready?
Paul Greengrass doesn’t know what went on in that plane. He has no idea.
Posted to Video by Casey Lunkley on April 27, 2006 09:13 PM (Relevance: 2)

New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival Opens with 9/11 Film
Starting off the Tribeca Film Festival with United 93 was the right thing to do and now is the right time to do it.
Posted to Video by Victor Lana on April 26, 2006 12:31 PM (Relevance: 2)

The Gate Finally Opens For Honest Discussion: United 93
It’s hoped this movie prompts us to ask what changed on 9/11, why it changed, and what this means for the future of our country.
Posted to Culture by Jack Muse on April 26, 2006 07:45 AM (Relevance: 2)

United 93 Actor Denied Entry Into the US
… as Americans we have been conditioned to trust the government knows more than we do and will always make the right decisions…
Posted to Video by Film School Rejects on April 23, 2006 02:07 PM

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

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