Attended a sold-out show at Vinegar Hill Theatre last night here in Charlottesville. We managed to get some of the few remaining tickets for the 9:30 show at 7:00. By the time the doors opened, the ticketholder line sprawled down the block.

There was so much good stuff in this movie, I feel I need to see it again just to catch details I missed the first time around. I will say this: anyone who dismisses the film as conspiracy theory is signaling their utter naiveté. I hate flaky theories as much as anyone, and I can say with confidence that this film simply lays bare the facts that those of us who follow the news closely have known for a long time. Dippy media critics like Tina Brown have questioned Moore's coverage of the mind-blowing Bush-Saudi connections, as though this were somehow irrelevant to the conversation. It's the conflict of interest, stupid! The Bushies can't pressure the Saudis to crack down on terrorists or stop human rights abuses like head-lopping because they're in bed together. Duh!

Moore did miss one important point about Iraq; he focuses on war profiteering, but fails to mention the Project for the New American Century. You can't overlook the radical neocon ideology behind the invasion. Nonetheless, it's a compelling, funny, and deeply moving film packed with amazing video footage.

By the way, I found out recently that my cousin has been deployed to Iraq.