Movies (and other things) We May Be Too Dumb to Get (Understand), Part One . . .
Truth is stranger than fiction, a maxim traced back to Lord Byron, but oft erroneously credited to Mark Twain. So what happens when the so-called "truth" is either cleverly, obviously or perhaps just subconsciously embedded into our so-called "fiction" and so few of us deign to recognize it? Mind control. But also, these movies happen. And so sadly fly under the general radar of the collective pop cult consciousness, hidden in plain sight, as they say. Until now . . .
Wake up, time to die. But first, watch these, while you still can . . .
Capricorn One (1978) Was the Apollo 11 Moon Landing faked? Or just the suspiciously anomalous TV footage shown to the American public? And why???
The Shining (1980) My father took me to see this movie when I was about 11 years old. He was a bit of a benevolent maniac himself. No matter how much you hated it the first time, or will--watch it again. And again. Then watch it, especially at Halloween, and every chance you get. And anything else created by genius film director Stanley Kubrick, including the ruthless Vietnam War drama, Full Metal Jacket (1987), and the phantasmagorical occult exposition of Eyes Wide Shut (1999.) But first, watch this excellent must-see documentary on the Shining, Room 237.
Apocalypse Now (1979) (Apocalypse Now Redux 2001) He wanted a mission. And for his sins, they gave him one.
The Horror: A Documentary on Apocalypse Now, Heart of Darkness and Imperialism
The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006) Sad as it is inspiring, this documentary on the life and death of John Lennon tells the story of how one peace-loving musician had President Richard Nixon and the U.S. government shaking in their war boots. All we can say is, Give Peace a Chance . . .
They Live (1988) Is it a silly piece of John Carpenter horror-fiction or a frightening in-your-face documentary on the way things really work on this planet? Consume. Reproduce. Obey. And watch, They Live. (PS: And don't lose your special BS-detecting specs, people.)
The original Bladerunner (1982) It's the year 2019. The future is here and killer robots known as replicants are oft more human than human. If you're not police, you're just little people. But each and every one of us is a slave to someone or something in this world.
Bladerunner 2049 (2017) A surprisingly synchronistic and thought-provoking sequel.
The Matrix trilogy (1999-2003) We are materialistic slaves, unwittingly encapsulated in a collective computer simulated reality, surrounded by holographic projections concocted by our own highly ego-driven semi-conscious minds, all created by an immeasurably advanced intelligence which theoretically we can never come to know. What's so hard to understand?
1984 (1984) And if you haven't read the novel by George Orwell, you are already doomed to eternal doublethink, citizen.
V for Vendetta (2005) I don't like to think. Let's just trust our government. Okay? Okay!
The Trial (1962) A subtly nightmarish and bizarre dark comedy, screenwritten and directed by the legendary Orson Welles, based on Franz Kafka's classic novel.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Back to Stanley Kubrick. A mind-blowing cinematic masterpiece. Enough said.
Just one more small step on the path to enlightenment sitting on the couch.
To be continued . . .
