Movie View: GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY and the PRISON OF BELIEF

GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY and the PRISON OF BELIEF.

Thank you HBO for broadcasting this film. I hope millions upon millions see it the world over to spread the lunacy, the idiocy, the slave labor, and all the cultish details that make up Scientology.

After you watch this documentary it's more like the prison of dis-belief.

GOING CLEAR doesn’t break a lot of new ground but it does pull a lot of information, from the beginning of it all to 2014, together in 2 hours. The point isn’t so much about new information, but about spreading the evil and misinformation that is Scientology. It’s all about control, ‘cuz they shore don’t care about their people (see the movie).

What does Scientology do exactly? When you see long time Scientologists, John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and others describe it, you come away with… what? “I feel better after an audit” (see the movie). You have to pay for the audit, and the prices get higher as with even longer audit sessions, with an “e-meter” no less ( see photo above). It’s no wonder that Travolta and Cruise can’t leave, they have so much personal information on them if they ever left, Scientology would ruin their reputations. Not excusing them, but it’s their life in these idiots hands now. Of course, they gave up all this information in decades of… “audits” that are written down and sealed away somewhere.

Why do you think Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, “escaped” from LA and showed up in New York with only herself and the kids in a big secretive move? See… you don’t get to “leave Scientology” baby. Well, SHE DID! Boo ya Katie!

The most telling moment in the film was when one of the interviewees said something like, "Ask a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim to explain the core tenants of their religion, and they can do it in under a minute. It takes 7-8 years to find out the core tenants of Scientology." Yes, because if you discovered that alien beings, called Theton's, were the end result of your tutelage you would have never entered into this crazy-ass mess. By the time people have devoted themselves to this they're so brainwashed that when they discover what's going on it's too late. They've already drunk the Kool-Aid (sorry Kool-Aid) and they're done. Hook, line, and sinker.

I’ve been following the cult activities of Scientology for at least thirty years now. I’ve had friends interviewed in malls… ever see these people with clipboards in the malls in the eighties? Those were usually Scientologists trying to get you to do a survey that eventually led to a session, in a back room, and even a free book of L. Ron Hubbard’s “Dianetics.” I had a friend who did this once. He told me that the “session” went on for at least an hour and he poured all this heartfelt emotion out to the point he even cried – to total strangers! How did they do that? Exactly. His father has passed not that long ago and he was an open book, and they found the buttons to push. They gave him a number and an address that he could visit in Atlanta if he wanted more help.

A best friend’s cousin from New Jersey, young guy out of college, gave up everything he had, sold his house, cash, etc. to live at the Scientologists campus (prison) in Clearwater. His family weren’t allowed to see him. Last I heard they had seen him twice in twenty years. They had to go to Clearwater to find him. Scientology said it was his choice. Right. By this point he was brainwashed just like all the others.

GOING CLEAR is a movie everyone should see, especially young people. These days it’s not as easy to pull the wool over one’s eyes with the advent of so much information at our fingertips. The film does offer up more in-depth details as some of Scientology’s once highest members have left and are now spilling the beans, admitting now that they’re embarrassed, and even ashamed, that they could have been so clueless. Brainwashed they were, but their involvement shed a lot more inner workings of Scientology, and made this film just that much more… clear.

Whether it’s Scientology, or some other outfit, GOING CLEAR is a good example to not be sucked in by these smiling cult figures. Everyone needs help sometime, but kids this ain’t it.



Oh, and my interviewed buddy? Would you believe they gave him “the” book when they were done?

Had that exploding volcano image on the cover. Spewing poison.

High Tech, Low Life - A Review

"I used to be a nobody. Until I discovered the internet." - Zola

"We can't let news be one-sided." - Tiger Temple

For a US citizen, such as myself, I found this film incredibly insightful about the Chinese way of life, and often the brain washing they endure in their day-to-day life.

If you don't know it's brain washing then how do you know to wake up?

We often hear about how the Chinese government keeps their people down and this film gives you an idea how and what they do. 

I personally had to block all of China from accessing my bookstore sites because of the hacking problems we were experiencing. If the Chinese can hack my site, the young people in China are certainly going to find a way through and out of their own internet constrictions put on by the government. 

Facebook is not available to the Chinese. Lord knows there would be an uprising if the people could talk amongst themselves. It's a world I can't imagine living in.

This film is about 2 bloggers, Tiger Temple who is in his 50's, and Zola who is in his 20's, and it's enlightening to see what power they can wield with their blog and even their twitter accounts - from their phones. There are a lot of scenes that are obviously done undercover, especially the scene where they took Tiger Temple away in the middle of the night and kept him away from his home for ten days. Disturbing but these bloggers are making a difference and getting the word out. Zola reported that over a half million sites were blocked from China one year. China boasts over 40,000 internet police alone.

I hate to tell 'em... but that's not enough.


Actually I'm surprised the film was made given what the bloggers have to go through. A lot of intimidation is used, but no real violence is initiated from what they showed us. Is it possible that the Chinese government knows they can't truly control the information? That if they did indeed begin to take action that it would be condemned world wide?

I think they are intimidated by this. 

With the internet so many people can have a voice. Now with the current phone technology you practically don't need a computer (although my big fingers certainly aren't good in the texting department).

An amazing film by Stephen Maing and his crew. I applaud them for what they've accomplished here by getting the word, and pictures, out to us.

We're all lemmings to some degree, but as US Citizens we have a whole lot more opportunities to make a difference in our way of life within the confines of our country. We truly do have a lot of choices. A lot to be thankful for.

There are so many in China, it's not easy to live, much less have an individual voice.

Zola and Tiger Temple have found ways to keep reporting on what they see in their country. To help the common people who don't have a voice, and bring change to areas and individuals that are in dire need.

This film reminds me of how fortunate I am, we are, to have so many freedoms. I know I take them for granted. How can I not? It's been my whole way of life. 

Seeing HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE, truly opens my eyes once again to appreciate this.

Now where's my cat?

Dave

Rubber Chickens and Toynbee Tiles

Whuzzz Up?

Yep, it's me, I'm back, but it has been awhile since I've put anything down here in the ol' Dave Blog. "Blahog" is I think more appropriate as there are so many of us out here in the blogosphere just "chatting up a storm" (do they call the internet the super highway anymore?). Personally I rather like reading blogs of reviewers, and people I consider of interest. Facebooking..  people posting every-little-thing-they-do, every hour, every day, on Facebook, gets a bit tedious, and let's face it, once you have hundreds of people doing this.. who could keep up with it all? Facebook is good though for a quickie. I use it for the bookstore, and the press to promote and discuss products, and I can get a quick glimpse of family and friends near and far. However Dave's Blog is where I want to spend a little more time to share a few things. I'll try to get back here a bit more often.

I still use the phone to catch up, and conduct business. Had a wonderful hour-long visit with author Nancy Collins recently as we embark on some interesting projects for the future. First time I met Nancy was in Seattle in '89. She was up for the World Fantasy Con that year, which was also my first WFC, and had just arrived from an earthquake torn California which was all over the news when we arrived. First night there the one thing I distinctly remember is her giving me a rubber chicken key ring. The joke is that it's no joke. She did. I had that thang for years (yes thang people - I live in the South) and I wouldn't be surprised if I still had it tucked away somewhere. I tend to keep things like that. It was a memorable meeting, and when I brought it up to Nancy recently, she remembered. She had just procured it from some store in California that earthquake week. Why she gave it to me I have no idea. And here I am talking about this "thang" twenty-three years later.

The fact that you're still reading this means.. that damn rubber chicken has gone on a lot further than anyone knew it would. Now we're going to produce some special editions with the chicken's previous owner. Life is funny. Go figger.

Which leads me into another odd sort of "thang:" The Toynbee Tile Mystery. Know about it? Well yer about too. Because of an award-winning documentary by Jon Foy, ( who deserved the award let me tell ya), "RESURRECT DEAD: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles" is a fascinating, yet somewhat unbelieveable (but it's true) tale of these mysterious tiles that have been showing up in Philadelphia, around the US, and even down through South America on streets. Literally hundreds of these tiles have been spreading a message on the streets of the world.

What is a Toynbee Tile you ask? Watch this trailer for the film...

Jon Foy's work on this production, and anyone else who was involved, truly did an outstanding job of bringing this odd little story to the screen. I didn't know anything about this until it showed up on Netflix this week with this quick description:

"For three decades, strange plaques with messages about resurrecting the dead have mysteriously appeared on streets throughout North and South America..."

What? Resurrecting the dead? So this is where The Walking Dead originated. Seriously, what the hell was this about? The "play" button was immediately punched and I sat back to take this in. On so many levels this film is at once.. odd, interesting, peculiar, "what are those there?" "Why am I still watching this?" Wait, I'm sucked back in. The music works. Are they going to solve this mystery? They may have found out who's doing this. Maybe, maybe not. These three men have worked for years, one even a decade, trying to discover what this tile mystery is all about. Jon Foy has definitely turned in a class act doc on a very unusual subject. What I find interesting in the end is here I am watching these three, who have dedicated themselves to unlock this mystery, and they too are sort of an enigma. Why is this so important to them? It's especially important to Justin, who I think really kept this going. It's his passion that pushed to discover what was behind all this weird tile business. This was better than most mystery or thrillers out currently out there, and this is a documentary! I have to admit... where they putting me on? Was I now a part of this odd discovery that may be a film hoax? Life, as they say, is stranger than art, and this my friends is a prime example. I guarantee you'll get caught up in this. I did, and even LeeAnn popped her head out of her book, as we were getting towards the end to find out if the mystery was going to be solved. Did they unlock the mystery?
I dunno.. you tell me. Jon Foy also performed the music, which fit the film very well. I look forward to future work by him. This will be a tough one to beat and he's got his work cut out for him next time 'round.

PROMETHUS, the sorta prequel to Alien, by Ridley Scott. Good film. Not everyone's going to like it, but I did. By the time it finished up I was like "noooo... wait.. this can't end here.. I wanna see more." It's a gorgeous looking film, and it's top notch Scott on many levels. It's full of surprises, and I'm just not going to get into it here. It's not a "quiet horror" like we had with Alien, but it does have its moments. We saw it opening day when we were in Seattle vising our boy Clay. We were with a full theater that was there to see it. The tension was palpable as we waited for it to start. It's always great to be with "fellow fans" on the opening of a cult series. They get it, even if we don't know what we're getting exactly, we're here together. All of us in sci-fi-heaven-geekdom. You should have seen us.

A quick plug for the store...

We just received special merchandise to offer from The Overlook Hotel, in Sidewinder, Colorado. Now.. you may remember this is the hotel in The Shining... and that Room 237 isn't all it's cracked up to be, so might be better to buy this key and just say you were there. But this way you can wear your shirt, drink from the glass, and even put out an ashtray in your library (not to be used of course, don't wanna be smokin' up the books people) and "say" you were at the Overlook. You can see everything at the link here from our store The Overlook Connection Bookstore. There is limited stock on this sorta thing, so let me know soon if you'd like an artifact or two.

The Overlook Hotel - T-shirts, Glass, Ashtray, and Room 237 Key Ring!

Y'all keep on shining out there.. and I'll be back real soon with more news, fun, and updates on whaz happening at the Overlook and with me. YO!

Dave 

Dave Hinchberger,
Owner, Operatator of The Overlook Connection Bookstore and Press

Movie Madness Part 4

Ah... so many movies, so little time. These days there is so much available for us to watch it's impossible to keep up with it all. However I'm going to keep the Movie Madness going by giving you a few more of what I think are worth watching.

If you'd like to share some good flicks you've seen recently, by all means let us know here, I'd love to read about it. This post is a bit diverse with documentaries, action, and comedy. Grab a coke and a smile and read on. YO! Dave Hinchberger



THE LAST LOVECRAFT: RELIC OF CTHULHU

This movie is great fun, adventurous, comedic, nerdy, and if you're an H.P. Lovecraft / Cthulhu fan then it's a shoo-in that you'll get a kick out of this. I'm not a big Cthulhu fan, (I do enjoy horror though) however the writers and filmmakers of this film made this a lot of fun to watch whether you are or not. Between the acting and the good makeup job, and of course the writing, it was time well spent. WATCH THIS!

See The Last Lovecraft Trailer Here





GEORGE STEVENS: A FILMMAKER'S JOURNEY

The director of one of my favorite films , GIANT, still resounds with me today. This documentary narrated by his son George Stevens, Jr. features clips and interviews from so many stars and luminaries in the movie business that want to talk about Stevens, especially Katherine Hepbern, that you're thoroughly entertained and informed.

He began taking pictures at the age of 10 with a box brownie camera his mother gave him and at 17 began working with the Hal Roach Studios. Because of this camera man at Hal Roach a little known Englishman was given a chance to be one of the most famous duo's in comedy history. Stan Laurel, yes, of Laurel and Hardy, had very pale blue eyes and they didn't show up on film! George Stevens went to Chicago to get some special film that was able to take care of this problem, thus Laurel's career was saved. And we were given some of the best slapstick comedy of all time.

He joined the war effort and filmed some of the only known color footage of WWII that is shown here for the first time. This footage is truly an amazing piece of history showing what we've seen in films, but here it is in real life.. and death. He even filmed bodies at Dachau. An amazing feat in a horrible situation on many levels. Hopefully this footage is available to history museums.
What must it be like to go back to filming "fiction" after seeing the horrors of war. His first film after the ware he decided to visit his youth in San Francisco with "I Remember Mama" with Irene Dunne.

Besides bringing wonderful films like GIANT, A PLACE IN THE SUN, and SHANE, he gave us THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. For this film he actually visited with Otto Frank at the room at the top of the stairs where these people stayed for two years in hiding from the Nazi's. He wanted to get at the heart of the story, and walking in that room helped him feel what it must have been like, to bring that essence, into the room.

George Stevens was, is, a man that brought the human face and emotion to film. His way was one of many thought provoking moments that he brought forward in each film. Many scenes that are emblazoned in our minds and cinematic history. They certainly are in mine. I would dare say that directors today like Steven Spielberg, and especially Frank Darabont, are in the same vein of Stevens story and emotional style.

Look, I gotta go, I just added the rest of Steven's films to my Netflix que and I'm gonna be busy for awhile. Y'all keep on keepin' on and let me know if you've seen something good recently. I'm always looking for the good stuff :-)


FORGIVING MENGELE

This documentary is focused on Eva (last name please) who, as a child, along with her twin, was part of the Dr. Mengele experiments that he performed on twins. Eva, who came to live in the United States, began giving talks to schools and organizations here and around the world discussing the horror and tragedy of her experience. One day someone put the question to her: "have you ever thought of forgiving Dr. Mengele ?" And ya know what? She did. Not just the doctor, but all Nazi's in general. This caused major discussions and controversial discussions as obviously a lot of survivors cannot come to this level of forgiveness, especially when there has been no apology, nor will there ever be since most have passed. Eva is an extraordinary person, and her education of the Holocaust is important and necessary. She created C.A.N.D.L.E.S, a Holocaust museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, even though naysayers didn't think people would come, the first year had over 15,000 visitors! Even after a hate act burned down the center( in the honor of Timothy McVeigh - idiots), they rebuilt it.

This documentary isn't graphic, but it's interesting to see the emotional response from children Eva speaks to in school presentations. Eva makes it real for them, and for anyone watching this documentary.

I've seen a lot of documentaries on WWII and especially the Nazi camps, however this one was different. It's about a woman who doesn't take the world for granted, and shows how you can survive and make others understand. Watching these films, at least for me, I have to be in the right mood to focus and understand. It's not always my first choice to watch stories about the devastation of another person, but I do like to know about the human condition. How people can do this to another person, and how these people survive. I think it's good for everyone to know and be informed. It's the investigative part of me that "wants to know." In this case, this Pandora's Box is a tragedy that I can learn from, and try to understand. In the end how can anyone understand how this cruelty and murder came to be.

The world is an ignorant place and with films about the history of mankind I hope that we can all learn and become aware of how to make this a better world. Even if it's just with our neighbors. Yep, my glass is half full people. Always will be.



FAST FIVE

Great action, didn't want to leave the room, so visit the facilities before you sit down to watch this. Pop some corn, with butter, and maybe even grab a candy bar or two. 'nuff said :-).





MARGIN CALL

When young analyst Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) uncovers information that could destroy the firm, he brings it to their attention. When upper management is alerted to the precarious position of their risky investments, an emergency meeting is held to decide if they should alert clients or abscond with the profits.

The idea here is "greed is good" no matter what you have to do even when you've screwed the numbers up.. . Who knew you could take a marginal idea, (yes, pun intended people), and turn it into a thriller?
Character's you like and mostly despise, and it moves well.

Ehhh, What's up Doc?

"I have adult thoughts in my head - experiences - but I'm never gonna talk about them. Why is my needle stuck in childhood? I dunno. I guess that's where my heart is."
-- Maurice Sendak, Author of Where the Wild Things Are and 100 more children's books.

Documentaries - love 'em. My poor darling wife, after watching a doc or two I'll begin to tell her about the current one I've just seen. "You and your documentaries" she says, and just chuckles. She doesn't mind them, just that I like to watch a lot of them. Of course I have to tell her about 'em. Of course. Okay honey, now today I saw...

TELL THEM ANYTHING YOU WANT: A PORTRAIT OF MAURICE SENDAK

Which brings me to to a recent viewing of "Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak" by Lance Bangs and Spike Jonez. Maurice Sendak, author of many, many books, is probably most know for his award-winning and delightful romp "Where the Wild Things Are." My mother gave this to me when I was a wee boy, and on the 25th Anniversary of the book, I gave her a copy in return, to say thank you for giving me a great start in books (just the reading part, who knew I would go on to open a bookstore and publish?). Sendak has received a lot of attention recently with the Spike Jonez helmed film of the book. The film is actually pretty good, and especially considering how do you make a film out of that "little" story book? Watch it and see.

Bangs and Jonez (yes, "Wild" director), was able to bring us some insight to the usually very private Sendak, thus the very appropriate title. The history of the stories and how he applied them to his work was intriguing. He is quite the artist in many respects, and you get to see a lot of his work in paintings, drawings, and of course the books. I was visiting the Stephen King office one day in 2003 and I remember seeing this doll dressed in red up on the shelf, close to the electric chair Frank Darabont had made for Steve during the filming of his novel "The Green Mile." I asked his assistant about the doll and she said that "Maurice Sendak made that up just for Steve as a gift." Gift from the artistically gifted. A Renaissance man? Pretty damn close I would say. If you like his work, then you'll thoroughly enjoy the film like I did. Funny, insightful, sad, and illuminating. Watch This!

WHO IS HARRY NILSSON (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)

Wow! I only use this words on reviews where I have immensely enjoyed the work. Director John Scheinfeld did his homework on this amazing songwriter and singer. At almost 2 hours long it moved along at a good pace. Nilsson, who may be best known by the masses for singing this Grammy award winning song, "Everybody's Talkin,'" (from the film Midnight Cowboy), wrote many hits, and sang with a unique voice. My wife wasn't sure who he was, until she started hearing one song right after the other going "I know this one. Yep, I know that one too." Which leads me to believe that, although Mr. music man here (that would be me) knows Harry's work well, the title to this film apparently hits the mark. Most people know the songs, but the man? Well this film will tell you the whole story, from friends, producers, family, and so on. Including Ringo Starr, John Lennon, producer Richard Perry, Mickey Dolenz, Eric Idle, and too many to name here. It's insightful, entertaining, and heart felt. I learned quite a bit, and I knew most of the songs, and discovered even more about the man and his music. My highest recommendation for you music lovers out there to put this on your Watch This! list. I guarantee you'll be buying a greatest hits CD afterword.


CROPSEY

Directors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio explore an urban legend that always disturbed them while growing up in Staten Island, N.Y. -- a rash of child abductions that struck the area in the 1970s and 80s -- in their gripping documentary. A handyman and drifter named "Cropsey" abducted numerous young kids, setting off myriad motive theories, frightening residents in the community and tripping up the legal system. If this is their first film, then they've done a bang up job. Staten Island's bridge was up and running in the mid 60's and that's when the population started to move in. Before that though, there was one of the largest mental institutions in the US there, and that story, along with "Cropsey," made this a gripping watch to the very end. WATCH THIS!


THE COVE

Daring animal activists arrive with surveillance equipment at a scenic cove in Taijii, Japan, to capture footage of a secretive and heavily guarded operation run by the world's largest supplier of dolphins. Yes I repeat, the world's largest supplier of "dolphins!"As the group sets out to expose the horrifying truths behind the capture of dolphins for the lucrative tourist industry, they also uncover an environmental catastrophe. Louie Psihoyos directs this riveting, Oscar-winning documentary. And you'll be amazed and horrified at what you see here. WATCH THIS!

WEBSITES TO CHECK OUT

GOLGOTHAM: Nancy Collins, author of the Sonya Blue and the VAMP novels (and many, many more), has a new website up - GolGotham- and I suggest you pop on over and take a look. It's gorgeous and informative.
Nancy Collins Golgotham is now online - See It Here!

BOOK: A UNIQUE DEVICE - Check out this explanation of this new device called.. BOOK.. it will change your life