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.

I Remember Being King

 

THE KINGS OF SUMMER is one of those joys you sometimes run across in film that reminds you of the passion of your own young summers. The video I've posted is not a trailer but a scene from the film that is one of my favorite moments. The exuberance of being young is what this scene is all about: letting it all hang out. Something we all remember and should never forget. 

Like STAND BY ME, and others like it, we follow a group of young men who are trying to find themselves and discover some independence in the world. These fellows, each for reasons of their own, find a place in the forest, build their "fort" from scavenging construction sites, and then begin a journey of living together off the fat of the land.Sort of.

There's also the fact that their parents are looking for them. Whoa boy.

If you watch THE KINGS OF SUMMER then this scene will mean much more as you discover the personality of these characters, especially the "dancer" Belagio. Hilarious odd young man who really makes this story. A wonderful, delightful story and a nice surprise.

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.

Movie Madness Part 2: Views & Reviews

REPO MEN: Unrated Version: Starring Jude Law, Forrest Whitaker and Liev Shrieber. Alright, they brought us star power. They gave us some nice CGI, and plenty of action. Ah and it's set in the near future, I'm a sucker for science fiction, especially if it's mixed with a horror bent, like "Repo Men." Two long time friends, and old war buddies, end up in the job of taking back organs that once saved your life, but now you can't afford the payments on that organ replacement anymore. At $600,000 a pop for some of these, who could?

But what happens if the tables are turned on one of the Repo Men? And he starts sympathizing with the repo-ees (?) because now he's one himself? And his gung-ho partner, who's always enjoyed his "job," is now out to take care of him? Does this story line sound familiar?

I remember a little ditty by William Nolan and George Clayton Johnson in the 70's called "Logan's Run." Anyone remember that one? Sure ya do. When you turn 30 in this future world, your time is up, and you have the chance to win a lottery of sorts to be reborn. Problem is, some people, "Runners," would rather run than take their chances with the lottery. Now a "Sandman" hunts you down to take your life. In this case Logan, a Sandman, is also friends with another Sandman. They've been through thick and thin together, but what if one of these Sandmen have now become a runner? Eh Logan? And your buddy, the other Sandman, starts to hunt you down. It's his job ya know. Dammit. Ain't life a bitch?

Okay, so the scenarios are very similar to say the least, I do realize there are very few original stories out there. Repo Men, although it had the right elements, didn't really pull it off. And that's what I expect. Give me something that has some meat in the story. Something I can grab on to and sink my mental teeth into. Entice me. This one just didn't cut it. Sorry, but the ride for this flick was just "so-so." Watch it if you will, again it's not a bad movie, just not much there I haven't seen before. It needed more story. I should have cared more about these characters "on the run.".

Onto another film mah friends. I was looking around to find out more about an odd flick (weird would be too simple a term for this cinematic entity) I saw recently, BAD BIOLOGY, and the people behind it. I found my answer at BestHorrorMovies.com , with a very apt and studious review by James Lasome. I couldn't have written it better myself. As to the film itself, I couldn't help but think when I began this movie I thought I had entered "Edward Lee Filmland" ala The Bighead, etc. It's that kinda horror-freaky-weird. Although I found the movie to be fairly basic, the lead, played by Charlee Danielson, did a good job. This is not a role just anyone can play. Or that anyone would play. I'll definitely give her credit for that. I'm sure some editing had to cut out break out laughter from her at times during filming. With that said, this is only for the horror fans with the freak at heart. Not for the overly sensitive or squeamish. And ONLY for mature audiences. I am not recommending this for everyone. Check out Lasome's review here, his review hits the mark.
BAD BIOLOGY FILM REVIEW


And check out the Best Horror Movies web site. These fans are dedicated to the genre and have plenty of reviews and discussions. I learned quite a bit in the short time I was there. One more bookmark for Dave.

Best Horror Movies.com

Movie Madness Part 1: Netflix is My NEW Cyber Buddy

If you don't know me by now, then let me explain: I'm a movie junkie, and I'm always on the prowl. Yes, I'm a bookseller and sometimes I even publish a tome or two, but when the lights go down after the day is done, the kid's in bed, I turn on the telly and see what mischief I can watch tonight.

Netflix! Oh you wonderful idea of a company YOU! I remember when Netflix first began, my first thought was, hell yeah! This is a "no brainer" (yeah, why didn't I think of this?). My actual first thought was, "okay, wait, wait, wait, let me get this straight. Yer tellin' me that I can sit home, pick out my movies on the 'puter, and 3 will arrive immediately (based on your subscription - you get what you pay for - more funds, more movies, less funds, etc.)? Then wait, wait, let me make sure I understand this second part, there are NO LATE CHARGES? I remember when I told my local Blockbuster this a few years ago, they said "oh, but you don't have the ease of this, that and the other." They had to be kidding. Of course they were boasting the no late charges "anymore" too. Yeah, right, they still charged after a certain time frame. Not Netflix! In fact, I discovered that all those indie movies, those special sets, documentaries, all those odd, weird and cool films that I had been looking to see for years, was now a day or two away. Add to your Que and voila! there it was.. waiting in the wings for it to get to my door.

And then, just when I thought I had it all... they go and do something just plain GREAT! I can watch thousands of movies, TV shows, you name it, on my computer. Instantly! Better than that, I can now plug up my DVD player (on my network) and play "any" of those shows on my TV!! Now how great is that! I'm gonna put a refrigerator and a special commode (don't ever here that word anymore do ya?) right in front of the TV. Better yet, why don't I just.... wait.. wait.. my lovely wife is telling me.. if I want to keep a marriage that I will stop my Monty Pythonesque ranting right here. Right.. on with the show... (sorry honey).

RECENT VIEWINGS I MUST... TELL.. YOU... ABOUT... I .. MUST!

THE KILLING KIND: This film starring an effective Andrew Howard and directed by Paul Sarossy, was nothing that I could have foreseen. This is a thriller, killer, psychological mind screw that is predictable one second, and then turns left when you think it's gonna jog right. Jon is dedicated to his job. A job of killing, but a job he has perfected, from start to clean up finish. Although obviously controlled much like a puppet in a Punch and Judy show, he does his job well, and he's effective. Thorough. His boss makes sure he is taken care of, just as long as Jon is doing his dirty work for him. When a chance encounter with an old mate begins to bring him back to humanity, this is when the ball of this tightly wound yarn of a man begins to unravel. Where it goes from there is just funked up. Yes, a very violent flick, you should know this up front, but it has it's down moments as well. Well.. maybe one or two.
I must mention Geraldine O'Rawe whose kind hand and gorgeous face, was perfect for this role. If you have any clue how this film is going to turn out, then I want you to read my palm - you're a miracle worker! I liked to be surprised in a story (although at my age, surprise isn't what I get much anymore :-). I'm not sure surprise is the word I would use here for this film, but like many others before it, I just waited to see where we would go next. Glad I saw it. Not sure how to recommend it, but recommend I do. I think writers will get a kick out of it. Now it's your turn.

GHOST MACHINE: Another one that I enjoyed. A nice surprise actually. Some weekend warriors decide to borrow some high-tech computers, set up some gadgets all over an old prison, and begin playing in cyber space. But with a twist: the gadgets, again placed all over the building, put the cyber gamers within the walls of this prison. As they shoot the "bad guys" coming after them, and around every corner, they fail to see that they're not alone... well... at first. It seems There is now a "Ghost" in their machine, and it is very angry, with deadly intentions. And for good reason it seems. As you're led down the path of the inevitable destruction, some with a really big chain and hook at one end (no Pin Head here), you get caught up in the "what's around the corner" thrills and chills of this ghostly mayhem. There's more going on here than meets the proverbial "eye" and the story is played out well. The actors, mostly unknowns, are a good cast that work well together. A cyber thriller with a nice splash (splashes?) of horror within. A lot of fun and definitely worth watching. All the way to the end. Clink, clink.

Up Next: The Runaways! (with Dakota Fanning? I dunno... I'll let 'cha know next time).