12 Monkeys SCOD Review

The SCOD ‘FALLOUT 2020’ film uses critical montages of films that relate to the questioning of contemporary modern civilization, specifically the industrial capitalist way of life. Some social issues affect more than our limited individual/daily perspectives; a desire to be at constant War may have dramatic consequences on humanity and the planet Earth as we know it. The second part shows 2 kinds of holocaust survivors: surface-scraggs and under-ground-bomb-shelter-dwellers.

Contributing references are: Falling Down, Fight Club, Naquoyqatsi, Koyannisqatsi, Mad Max, Road Warrior, 12 Monkeys, the War on Terror, New World Order, 1984 George Orwell, Biohazard State of the World Address, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, etc

Regarding the importance of 12 Monkeys in SCOD theory, several plot points and quotes are significant for their profound post-modern meanings.

1. Historical importance has value for future events as well, because the future does become history. History has lessons, and time travel can be a state of mind.

2. The script origin ‘La Jetee’ inspired both Terminator and 12 Monkeys, and deals with time travel to stop a terrible historic event, in order to save humanity. Fate is not fixed. Technology does not solve problems for humanity without ethics.

3. Social concern for people as individuals is more important than trying to ‘save’ all of humanity through inhuman actions like war or assassination. A logical killer can be just as terrible as an emotional killer.

4. Reality and imagination are connected in ways that can easily make humans delusional, but traumatic situations can cause schizo break-downs in otherwise sober and normal people.

5. Ethical problems generally need more empathetic mystery solving, to avoid more violence later. Large environmental or social problems often make sane people do insane things.

*

Dr. Peters: I think, Dr. Railly, you have given your “alarmists” a bad name. Surely there is very real and very convincing data that the planet cannot survive the excesses of the human race: proliferation of atomic devices, uncontrolled breeding habits, the rape of the environment, the pollution of land, sea, and air. In this context, isn’t it obvious that “Chicken Little” represents the sane vision and that Homo Sapiens’ motto, “Let’s go shopping!” is the cry of the true lunatic?

*

Poet: Yet among the myriad microwaves, the infra-red messages, the gigabytes of ones and zeroes, we find words, byte-sized now, tinier even than science lurking in some vague electricity, but if we but listen we can hear the solitary voice of that poet telling us, “Yesterday This Day’s Madness did prepare; Tomorrow’s Silence, Triumph or Despair: Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why: Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where.”

• Cassandra in Greek legend, you recall, was condemned to know the future but to be disbelieved when she foretold it. Hence the agony of foreknowledge combined with the impotence to do anything about it.

*

L.J. WASHINGTON: I don’t really come from outer space. It’s a condition of mental divergence. I find myself on the planet Ogo. Part of an intellectual elite preparing to subjugate the barbarian hordes on Pluto. But even though this is a totally convincing reality for me in every way, nevertheless, Ogo is actually a construct of my psyche. I am mentally divergent in that I am escaping certain unnamed realities that plague my life here. When I stop going there, I will be well. Are you also divergent, friend?

Divergent reality is a theme of the film. Is Cole mentally divergent? Is the future of 2035 his Planet Ogo? And if so, what “unnamed realities” have plagued Cole’s life so he would invent such a reality? We don’t get any answers to these questions, and the film offers us enough evidence to craft multiple, conflicting readings. Washington appears to plant that seed of doubt, which makes the multi-layered plot more interesting.

*

James Cole: Look at them. They’re just asking for it. Maybe the human race deserves to be wiped out.

Jeffrey Goines: Wiping out the human race? That’s a great idea. That’s great. But more of a long-term thing. I mean, first we have to focus on more immediate goals.

*

I’ve never seen La Jetee. If I do something based on something else I make it a principle not to read or see the original: I’ll be intimidated by it, or I’ll feel an awesome sense of responsibility. So I avoid that problem. There was something about the idea that people putting layer upon layer to protect themselves from a potential infection, end up in a sense isolating themselves from one another. And I became obsessed with that. The locations I’ve used were old disused power stations around Philadelphia and Baltimore. Nuclear plants, factories, power stations: “cathedrals of technological progress.” I’ve always had a problem with the belief that technology was going to solve all of our problems; so I’m drawn to shooting in those places, particularly for this film, which is about decay and about nostalgia. These great spaces were considered to be providing the solution to all of our problems, yet now they’re just wasted, lying there, rotting. And that seemed very much what a lot of the film was about. About putting your faith in the wrong things. Television seems to be ubiquitous in “Twelve Monkeys”. Every scene has got a television screen in it doing something. It’s because I think television is this awful mirror that we all look into every day, but it distorts the reflection and I hate it. It trivializes life. Rather than really enlightening us, it ends up just dragging us down to the lowest, into the boring and the tedious. And however much you try to resist it, you begin to believe the world really is that way. “There’s the television. It’s all right there — all right there. Look, listen, kneel, pray!” So we’ve included it in the film. And it shows commercials that are doing strange things, and cartoons, which works very nicely as a juxtaposition to some of the scenes that are going on. – Terry Gilliam, Director

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Mystery Living Theater – MLT 2017

Script for “MLT: Mystery Living Theater” video scifi series

concept: isolated prisoners in their own ‘living rooms’. they wake up with no memory, and read a note that tells them they willingly volunteered for an experiment where they are only allowed to have 10 films that they chose for unknown reasons, and can talk to other prisoners through the same screen that shows the films. Important plot details are intentionally only hinted at, to build suspense. The main secret is either that the prisoners are unconscious in an alien lab, and the experiments are simulations implanted into their dreams; or that the characters are fan-science-fiction tie-ins; or both.

influences: mystery science theater 3000, twilight zone, Lost, red dwarf, 2001; Prisoner, Rhonda Vision

setting: a modern living room; in a ‘living cell’ which is a cheesy historical recreation of a 21^st century space, with anachronisms but with only ‘essential basics’ (which get expanded in later episodes)

Crew & Actors: TBA (currently in works with Rhonda Vision, Edward, Tommy, etc)

PILOT Episode (Test):  Mystery Living Room Theater 2017

backgrounds: unknown

**

Main Episode 1 :

Title sequence with music : White text on Black screen. 1- “MST”; 2 – “Created by SCOD”; 3- “Starring: ? & ?”

[ Camera (phone) is fixed in one place and does not ever move. ]

Woman wakes up and looks around groggy and disoriented on a sofa (or bed) wearing a strange outfit with colors and symbols on her skin. She calls out and looks around. She begins to get up slowly, and move around the room. She stops near the camera and looks into it for a few minutes (she can use the screen as a mirror to see how the light affects her features, while pondering her predicament)

[ Screen switches to ‘Movie Time’, showing only the public domain film (being filmed by the camera while the voice actors talk over it). ]

Another voice is heard, a man’s voice (Edward), and she has a conversation with them, to find out that they are another prisoner like her. The voices remain disembodied to add suspense, and reduce video recording time. Each segment ends on a cliff-hanger if possible, to break up the length into 15-30 minute episodes. Voices are dubbed over using the camera while watching the film live, or dubbing using audio recordings over downloaded films.

Woman: “Hello? Where am I? What is going on? Why is a movie starting on my screen?”

Man: “Hey is someone there? Is someone else there? I can hear you through my screen monitor! I’ve been trapped in a living room for days, watching movies, and I have no idea why!”

Woman: “I do not remember how I got here. Who are you? Why am I here?”

Man: “I don’t know who, what, where, or why regarding anything.”

Woman: “There is no door, how do I get out?”

Man: “There is no door in my room either, just a bed, utilities, and supplies. And the screen.”

Woman: “Why are they showing us movies?”

Man: (pause) “Torture?”

[ they continue to talk during the movie. A third voice (Computer) speaks during a quiet part of the film. ]

Computer: “Greetings, I am the Computer. I am monitoring you. I can speak to you both at the same time or separately, but only during movie time. During movie time you are allowed to converse, and ask me questions. We are now in movie time.”

Woman: “Wait, what? “

Man: “Just go with it. We are clearly prisoners. By the way, can we get some volume control ?”

Woman: “At least there are no fracking commercials. How long will I be held here?”

Computer: “I cannot answer those questions at this time. All is provided for you. Enjoy.”

[ computer often replies that it cannot reply at this time. resistance is useless. ]

[ episode ends after 15-30 minutes, preferably on a cliff hanger ]

END of Episode 1

**

Premise: individuals are trapped in living rooms and have no memories of who they are as people; but can communicate when the screen in the room shows movies…. because the computer is insane that controls our incarceration

MLT philosophical theory :

“All the World is a Stage” = talking as yourself, IS acting; which seems like a paradox, but acting is not based on saying false words, it is based on evoking truth in a role. To formulate words you are projecting what you want others to hear you say, so we make decisions on how to act for an audience just by talking. This to me is the mystery of what pretending is…. because when acting like yourself, it is not untrue. The Greeks were on to this insanity of reality, with their theaters that were social activities all day and night. This is why people change or cannot make up their minds, their inner script is rewritten.

In modern society, we are all being watching, not just by each other, but by authoritarian surveillance. America has the largest prison population in the World, and our industries are based on confining people to slavish wages and schedules. MLT: Mystery Living Theater; my new show is an attempt to show us that we can produce our own work and entertainment; based on what we have.

Danny Glover spoke at my college graduation, in Georgia in 2000. He told us that he had a reading impediment, so the hardest thing for him to do was to speak written words in front of others. So that convinced me that anyone can try to do what they want, no matter their talent level at certain aspects of a job, they can succeed by doing it their own way if other people approve.

**

List of public domain films that might fit our theme : (wiki)

Gulliver’s Travels, the outlaw, santa claus and martians, moon zero two, carnival of souls, conspiracy, charade, born to win, dementia 13, the general, glen or glenda, Sex Maniac, Reefer Madness, Hemp for victory, Why We Fight, Its a wonderful life, go for broke, japanese relocation, little princess, manos hands of fate, Last Man on Earth, Little Shop of Horrors, Indestructible Man, White Zombie, Teenagers from Outer Space, Terror, That Justice Be Done, Till the Clouds Roll By, A Star Is Born, The Stranger, Sin Takes a Holiday, The Silver Horde, The Secret Hour, Screaming Skull, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Night of the Living Dead

[ Rhonda click here this is for the Wiki List of all the films ]

Midevil Films Review

Midevil Films Productions

Mid-Western American Independent Film group

Based on Interview with Founder, Producer, Director, Writer, and Actress:  Angela Daum 

Aliases include: Arlyssen Arlussen / Olivia Alyss / Kallie Stevenson

List of some Films:

The Map, The Lesson and The Test, Angela as a Ranger, Angela as a Courier, The Three Gems, I murdered a Fairy?, Ranger Mottos, MCIS, Midevil Crime Investigation Service, The Day in the Life of a Courier, How to wash your K9, Andrew Audition

Angela has fun with all her films, and the actors are good and play along well with the script for a finished result. She is a maverick woman who is both a passionate writer and a bold actress. She is a loyal to her crafts and her friends.

Watch their films on Youtube Channel Ranger Alyss. Angela’s favorite scene from Angela as a Ranger is: “What I have I gotten myself into.” Angela: “The weeds you just walked into them.”

For Angela film making is a passion she want to continue for as long as possible; with more shows and films on the way!!

End of Interview with Angela of Midevil Films.

– squirrel happens! –

Lone Ranger & Tonto

I am pleased to say that all “critical reviews” of the ‘Lone Ranger’ film were mistaken. The 2013 “Lone Ranger & Tonto” film was excellent, incredible, and unreal beyond expectations!!! Mom and I loved it, and discussed layer after layer of the fun afterwards. I know many modern day Comanche loved that they respected Indians by making Tonto a more important partner, and telling the story from Tonto’s perspective. The thrill of the old Western is still there for us whites. One of the points that critics miss is that this Tonto is not a stereo-type of typical Indians, and in fact states the opposite; this Tonto is a freak that wears shamanic war-paint with a crow totem on his head, because he is a loner and an out-cast. I am still a fan of the older Lone Rangers, but this version allows the hero to be more approachable, not impossibly perfect; and this allows Tonto to be just as unique and important as his white cowboy counter-part, for once. The Lone Ranger and Tonto are both rebel outlaws in the eyes of social normality.

“Hi-ho Silver, away!”

BackCreekDaddy Productions

Founded in Hedgesville, WV 1997

***RPG File Footage***
The Drac Black Tape (various times throughout 1997 – 2000)***Feature Lengths***
Thrillogy of Horror
– Crossover Alliance (2002)
– Broken Alliance: A New Beginning (2004)
– Out of the Darkness (2005)
Evil Awakening (2010)
The Pawn (In Production, eta 2011)

***microMOVIE***
The Black Estate (2009)
– Co-Produced with Nee-Va Jade Productions.

***Stories***
Revenge is Best Served Dead (2005)
– Written by M.W. Hess

*

BackCreekDaddy INTERVIEW 1

Name of Person interviewed:  Edgar (Mark) Hess
Reason interviewed:  Films

1. Why did you start making your films? :
It started with role-playing games, started making little skits. And then decided why not make a film.

2. Describe your films:
They focus around a self made vampire; the good guys and a government agency always try to take him down.

3. Tell us about your Community in relation to making films and showing films:
As far as the community goes there has been no problem with our filming locations. Our showing of films have only been distributed among the cast, family, and friends. Not to be sold or rented.

4. How important is Film-making in your life?
Well my film making brings together the family and friends. It gives us all something to laugh about. It is a good creative outlet.

5. Do you have any other plans for future “Development” of these or any other goals?
Currently writing a new script. Hoping to have an all original soundtrack so it can be publically shown.

6. Give some advice for anyone wanting to do what you have done:
My advice is if you want to do it, don’t say “I can’t,” just do the best you can and look back at it as a creative fun project. You just might surprise yourself.

Thank you Mr. Hess, Blessed be.

Art as an Avatar for My Life

Reflections on the Film Avatar by a Veteran of the War on Terror

Dances With Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, Last Samurai, Fern Gully, or whatever you want to compare Avatar with, its all good shit. Avatar had some great new special effects. It moved science fiction to the next technological level.

Now for my personal thoughts. I didnt need to see it right away, at least when it came out, since the plot and the fantastic alien imagery is pretty much what goes on inside my head since i can remember. heh when it came out, i was too depressed by my real-life military vs pagan conflict, and was afraid the re-enforcing energy i would have gotten from the film would depress-anger me further into something drastic. As it is, i barely made it out without Hulking out totally. If i had been free at the time, i would have gone to see it with friends, hell i would have organized it. i was too drained… feeling better now though 🙂

‎5 years of tolerating military intolerance was a huge sacrifice for me, my ways were “wrong” and the more i expressed myself the harder it was. The ideas defended in Avatar were in direct opposition to the War on Terror and martial laws that i had to learn and practice. Now that i have my citizen liberties back, i can enjoy my life more through these movies that i like; art and life as one. I may have had more direct influence on the military from within, but i have a wider range of influence with citizen liberties fully restored. For example, James Cameron could not have made that film if he was in the US Military. Enough said.

As one friend put it “It’s really good, as long as you don’t think too much about it. :)” That recommendation works for the complex experience of Avatar. It works in part for me, because I DO THINK about things too much, often. As I found myself inevitably analyzing Avatar (as i knew i would), understanding the story and relating it to my own feelings; I realized just like in real life, I am most at peace and happy when i can just relax and enjoy the experience. As soon as i find myself not coming to satisfactory conclusions about certain points, its time to shift. Sometimes the only satisfactory conclusions on issues are the satisfaction that there is not much I can do about anything except to share my thoughts with anyone that will listen, in their own time. So I can just leave things out there, to share with others.

I think comparisons are ok, but i feel like while we get the messages about multi-cultural acceptance, there are perhaps not enough movies like it to counter the amount of population that loves to hate other cultures and praise military action above all else as though it was just a sports game. That is why i am not usually harsh on fiction that has some lessons, regardless of how ‘cool’ it is. I hate to say it, but for many people no amount of lessons about cultural sharing will be enough to stop Wars. I dont blame films for that. Films like Avatar may change the minds of some, perhaps, and for that they may help to avoid real life suffering, especially if the values get passed on. Entertainment has effects on culture, for better or for worse.

If I take stories too seriously, I blame Joseph Campbell. The fact is I like stories, and love powerful fiction stories very much because we can talk about serious real issues that we can relate to, without the trauma risk that makes non-fiction too personal for debate. So I will go into the issue progressive people have with the “White Male Hero”.

What Avatar has in common with Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, and Last Samurai; one “White Male Hero” is the catalyst embracing the underdog culture. It may be silly but that is the tool to engage traditional white viewers that would not be able to bridge the cultural gaps any other way. Sad, but true.

We progressives of course would be able to see a film where the aliens win, without having a saviour that is ‘one of ours’. In reality it often happens that negotiators and important figures can relate to both sides… being of mixed blood or simply mixed cultures. I do feel the “White Guy” character was over-used when Last Samurai came out years ago. An important detail to note about the “Last” movies, is that the last of the Mohicans and Samurai had figures from those cultures that actually were the “Lasts”; its just that they were the secondary characters. So it could be argued in those films that the white actors were not really the “lasts” and their importance in the plot was overblown for the sake of engaging a white audience.

There was a line about “this isnt some pagan voodoo” that bothered me, because it seemed to be negating the point of the film in relation to reality; in other words explaining that things we have dismissed as “magic” or “supernatural” can be scientifically or psychologically explained as having functions; so i would have preferred Weaver to say “This isnt pagan voodoo in the WAY YOU THINK OK IT”, so to me it was either bad writing or it was written as though she just responded off the top of her head, in either case it didnt support translation to real world morality or comprehension regarding different cultures as much as i would have liked.

Another problem is about the “leg challenged”, and Avatar seemed to ignore the fact that we can be heroes without legs or virtual reality avatars. Unfortunately Avatar does not take that problem on. So a miss there.

I guess im saying the “White Guy Hero” issue and other problems are like dirty bath water, and the other strong issues about the environment, ecosystem, nature, science, communications, non-violent conflict resolution, etc are the Baby. So we don’t want to throw the baby out with the bath water, do we?

So yes we should have more films with indigenous heroes. It was just impossible to go from the old school “We the Cowboys good, they the Indians bad” movies to “We the Cowboys bad, They the Indians good”, at least for a population made to say the National Anthem since they were kids, members of the military, or politicians etc. The message we want probably is NOT suicide. Right?

So of course we need to find a middle road in the real world, between Good and Bad, where 2 cultures can coexist without War. Ongoing War across the Globe is one of the great challenges we face, and minds must be opened to peaceful options with peaceful tools like film entertainment, video games, and other modern engaging forms of stories. More direct political or religious approaches often seem to have less effect on War than ART. We should not give up on Peace, and we must use all of these thought-provoking tools, despite the fact that the most important messages may be lost on many.

If you can make a better film than Avatar, do it. Or if you have something already that meets the most important moral messages for our time, name it. So we progress to the next level of evolution through cosmic awareness, let’s get it on!

– Drogo

Shire Rumours of the Hobbit

Martin Freeman is Bilbo Baggins in Jackson’s new HOBBIT Film.

Casting is taking place now, and filming is projected to start in 2011.

Martin Freeman is to play Bilbo Baggins, the reluctant but adventurous Hobbit. Freeman was brilliant as a similar character in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Richard Armitage (Captain America: The First Avenger) = Thorin Oakenshield

Aidan Turner (Being Human) = Kili

Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) =  Fili

John Callen (Power Rangers Jungle Fury) = Oin

Peter Hambleton (The Strip) = Gloin

Graham McTavish (Secretariat) = Dwalin

Mark Hadlow (King Kong) = Dori

Stephen Hunter (All Saints) = Bombur

Sylvester McCoy = Ratagast

*

Ian McKellan and Andy Serkis are expected to reprise Gandalf and Gollum.

Frodo (and the actor that played him) may return also to show context for the authors of the “Red Book of Westmarch”. Arwen (Tyler) may return in her role at Rivendell. Stephen Fry, Saoirse Ronan and Bill Nighy (as the voice of the dragon Smaug) are possible participants, and Aiden Turner was in contention for the Elf King before he got the role of Fili.

*

Most Annoying Fictional Characters EVER

Most Annoying Fictional Characters EVER

From Stories, Books, Comics, TV, and Films:

1. Jarjar Binks  (Star Wars Phantom Menace)

2. Urkel, Steve  (from Family Matters)

3. Barney  (the Purple Dinosaur)

4. Brainy Smurf  (from The Smurfs)

5. Woody Woodpecker (cartoon)

6. The Three Stooges

7. Sponge Bob (cartoon)

8. Anakin Skywalker (kid & teen from Star Wars)

9. Mr. Annoying (SNL)

10. Daleks  (Doctor Who)

* Annoying is often intentional and part of why many people like these characters

RAMBO IV Burma

RAMBO IV Burma

RAMBO in Burma was better than expected.

Forging the new blade was reminiscent of Conan.

Stallone did everything for that movie,

rewriting and directing it too.

It is supposed to be toned down in some ways

from the horror reality of the Civil War there;

the rape, pillaging, sacking, and slaughters;

while still being a Rambo film (he survives).

I loved the very end, it helped close

his overseas tours after all these years.

Rambo did great bringing himself full circle.

Its what Conan 3 needs to be,

they did it in 4 films though.

Also they left room for Rambo V,

Using the Mexican concept they had, but

that was not used this time.

If they do Rambo V in Mexico,

It will be different, more like a Western,

As Stallone said.

Conan III “King Conan”

According to the ArnoldFans site:

The news is sad but true, King Milius was given his walking papers by WB. TheArnoldFans put a call into the Milius Camp on Friday morning in hopes to lay all of these rumors to rest.

Not only did we receive the confirmation that Robert Rodriguez has been given the opportunity to direct a NEW CONAN in few years – but we also learned Milius and company were clearing out there desks! They are leaving WB once and for all. John Milius had a 5 year contract to be on the WB lot, however, after WB gave Conan away to Rodriguez, they decided they did not need Milius and kicked him off the lot without renewing his contract.

The director of the greatest Arnold film of all times is now heading over to the CBS lot to write for a new Western series called “Dodge City”.

Naturally, Milius is almost as pissed off as the true Conan fans! We all believe WB and Rodriguez will give us comic violence and an over-the-top popcorn film like “The Scorpion King” instead of a dramatic masterpiece epic that Milius had in store for Conan fans.

If Rodriguez can lure Arnold to his film, it will remain King Conan but will have an ALL NEW script. Otherwise we can expect an ALL NEW Conan… full of cartoon violence to make us laugh. Sigh. Dead forever is the Milius “King Conan” script!

The basic plot of King Conan may remain. Cimmerian barbarian Conan has risen through the ranks of the nation of Aquilonia during its wars with the Picts and the Hyrkanians, earning Emperor Fortuna’s trust enough to be named king of the land of Zingara, though Fortuna keeps Conan’s adopted son Kon in his custody as collateral so that Conan will remain faithful to him.

As twenty years pass, and Kon becomes a man educated and trained in the ways of Aquilonia. When Conan invokes the anger of Aquilonia by making peace with the Picts whom he had once helped Aquilonia conquer, an assassination attempt is made against him. Conan, however, escapes, finding the warrior spirit that 20 years on the throne had dulled.

Taken in by the Picts, can Conan exact revenge against the Aquilonians and reunite with his son, who has now taken his father’s place as the king of Zingara, and after twenty years, does Kon want to reunite with a father he hardly remembers ?

If the plot remains as such, and they get Arnold, it may be something. Crom help them if they screw this up. Sorry Milius, we were cheering for you.

Protected: Cross of Iron (1977)

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