Sorry guys... I've switched the locations of my blog to...

http://historigal.wordpress.com/

Its more about current events and less about movies... but, still interesting none the less. :) I hope you enjoy it!

A well spoken leader of Germany... who could it be?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3PCStC6Uog

Yesterday, President Barack Obama spoke at a Holocaust museum on the injustice of that terrible time in Germany’s history. He blamed it on “escape goating”, stating that the justification allowed cruelty to spread. I do believe he is partially right. People do things that they wouldn’t normally do when they are indoctrinated with information that is manipulated for an evil cause. Germany is a perfect example for the consequences of a society controlled by a well-spoken leader; a leader who spoke of change. He promised to lead the German people out of a worldwide depression and help to rebuild after a devastating World War I. The German people did not elect him hoping to eradicate the Jewish people. They elected him because they were lead to believe his socialistic philosophy was the solution for their country’s problems.
Imagine the consequences of a leader, supported by the media, who is able to inspire such passion in his people to lead the country in a witch-hunt for Jews.
Without correlating this leader to our current administration, the lesson to be learned is that quiet obedience is not the answer. Relativism has created a society, which has no absolute right or wrong. How can I say don’t murder when according to relativism it may be ok for someone else? With the removal of God, our natural laws do not exist with any absolute authority. And, though people claim to believe in an ultimate creator, most American’s only know what they have been taught in school.
There are facts. These facts can be proven true with similar historical events. Throughout history, countries and empires have risen and peaked with leaders who promised to create a new society. His people believe in the hope of peace and utopia and receive an unstable government in return. Obama should feel the weight of this country on his shoulders. Every move he makes will alter this country drastically if he is not careful.
The chains of events have been in the working. Countries across the world have been testing socialistic programs providing to the under privileged and limiting their entrepreneurial spirits. The progress has been slowed in America thanks to our liberties, but as those are stripped away, we will be lead to believe it is for the greater good.
How has this “escape goating” affected this nation negatively? No one wants to take responsibility. No one wants to educate themselves. In order to the fix the problem, our society needs to take responsibility for their actions. The truth is we are all to blame. Otherwise, we may be the collection of people who are eliminated for being different.

Blow in the Wind

“Our Constitution was not written in the sands to be washed away by each wave of new judges blown in by each successive political wind.” - Hugo Black

Hugo Black was an interesting man. He served as a Supreme Court Justice between 1937 - 1971. He was known for interpreting the constitution in its literal sense. He believed our Constitution should not be interpreted with each political term or new fad. Change is not bad. But change that "innovates" our entire structure and foundation of government is detrimental to our way of life. Change should be prudent, through reform and discussion. "Prudence is the highest virtue for it is judgment drawn on Wisdom" - Mark Levin
Change that is uncontained by prudence "produces unpredictable consequences" which threatens our way of life with chaos. This chaos is created when our law contradicts itself and limits groups of people with a narrow focus designed to promote the minority.
This change often comes recklessly in the hands of the mob, which driven by passion and emotion, pushes through legislation it would never have supported. It is in this, a politician can encourage large numbers of misinformed voters to pick up their pitch forks and ban the liberties that make this country extraordinary. The mob fails to see the consequences of these changes.
In American history, we have often been able to fix these wrongs, but as the years have progressed, the liberties have been stripped away in an exponential amount. If our constitution once prohibited alcohol, what else could the mob encourage it to limit. Once our country is repressed by universal health care, will our government limit fast food in order to protect its citizens from heart disease?
Our modern culture is marked by the need to be an individual, yet we often job on the band wagon and support “reform” that limits everyone but a small minority. We mark our lives through distrust in our establishment, yet we trust our teachers (media and politicians) to tell us the truth.
In our current events, President Obama has just nominated our Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. The most important question to ask is: How does her previous record show how she will treat and interpret constitutional law? We are in a crucial time in our nation’s history. Will her citizens stand for a strong foundation or be weakened by a changing constitution “blown by each successive political wind”? The future is in the hands of the voters.

All They Ask is our Quiet and Loyal Obedience

V for Vendetta

"Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of the everyday routine, the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration - whereby those important events of the past, usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, are celebrated with a nice holiday - I thought we could mark this November the fifth, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat.
There are, of course, those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now orders are being shouted into telephones and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there?
Cruelty and injustice...intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance, coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those who are more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable. But again, truth be told...if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.
I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War. Terror. Disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you and in your panic, you turned to the now High Chancellor Adam Sutler. He promised you order. He promised you peace. And all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent.
Last night, I sought to end that silence. Last night, I destroyed the Old Bailey to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago, a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice and freedom are more than words - they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest that you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek...then I ask you to stand beside me, one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament. And together, we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever, be forgot!"





I do not anticipate this to be my only blog about this particular movie. But, with the beginning of this blog, I thought I would start with a movie which I believe describes a government in which basic liberties are stripped away. One by one, freedoms were handed over in exchange for protection. Slowly, vital parts of each citizen was handed over in exchange for "prosperity". What does this film say about our modern era? Though this film was a commentary on the Bush Administration, I believe it can be interpreted through to the present. We have handed our freedoms over in exchange for "free" health care, clean air, safety from the big, bad coprorate giants. Where will these securities end?
This movie serves as a warning for most conservatives. A warning against politicians who promise more government spending in exchange for a reelection. A warning against a swelling size of government, and a diminished size of individual liberties.
We will soon be protected from ourselves. What is next, a ban on fast food? They'll need to protect their government health care costs from the weak, money hungry, obese human heart... What will we give up in exchange for the good life?

...All they ask is our quiet and loyal obedience...

Introduction thought

Film today represents a variety of different themes and plots; most vary between a clear distrust of politicians and large corporations (or authority). These films signify distaste for the Bush administration, but how will film change with the present administration. We will not see a changed in film until film is written in this new light. When this time comes, what will they see? Will they see a large government in bed with large corporations? Will they see politicians lying and passing blame? Only time will tell.
Time will tell if the Obama administration changes the thoughts and fears of the American people. This will be evident in the overall conclusion of films. If the belief in change is strong and evident, film will begin to represent an optimistic outlook. If trust in government is re-ignited, this again will be evident in film. The hero will not struggle with right and wrong, or varying shades of gray, he will succeed with heroic and just intentions just as he did in the fifties.
As we move into the future, exam how film represents this struggle. Many heroes do not accept their position as the protagonist. Many of them consider their own safety on a list of pros and cons before they consider the just act they are presented with. And thus begins this new blog. Stay tuned for weekly installments. Remember these thoughts are often abstract, some are even fleeting. They are designed to make you think about the era in which you live. If nothing else, inform you that you’re fears and aspirations effect everything around you. The political climate is represented in everything. Do you choose to see it? Or do you choose to ignore it?

A brief description of 60s films

To begin this blog, I just wanted to post a quick excerpt of my Senior Thesis. What I would like to do is correlate film to historical events showing how it represents culture. These thoughts are often a little more abstract, but I believe film describes a historical culture that can be lost in mere facts. Plots and themes run through history changing from decade to decade, from crisis to crisis. In my paper, I attempted to show the change between an optimistic fifties to a pessimistic sixties and why I felt it happened. Here is the conclusion of the paper. I couldn't even try and post all 40 pages of the paper... sorry :)

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The movies of the fifties and sixties represent polar opposites; however there is an obvious transition between the two decades which are reflected in films. Mainly, international events such as the Bay of Pigs and Cuban Missile Crisis help to motivate films to take a different stance than the decade before. The heroic deeds in all six movies define a struggle that is felt across the nation; a struggle between communism and capitalism, and a struggle between nations. The theoretical ideas concerning communism and nuclear war were often to idealistic during the fifties. Heroes in This Island Earth and The Blob faced incredible odds fighting hostile alien beings. Characters appear to be heroic in On the Beach and The Birds but in the end these heroes are unable to save themselves. This in ability implies a beginning of change. By the sixties, heroic characters struggle with questions concerning an acceptable loss of life. They show an inner struggle in debate over the outcome and necessary steps of the war. In Fail-Safe, it cost two major cities. In Dr. Strangelove, it’s the whole world. Either way the theory behind MAD is subjectively acceptable, but it becomes dangerous when politicians believe that victory is still possible.

During the next decade movies are riddled with lowered expectations. As America enters into another endless war with Vietnam, movies begin to move in interesting directions. Movies help us to see the dissent within public opinion during the sixties. Most importantly it shows the path films took and the large transition between the fifties and the sixties. The present Russian threat influenced the transition greatly. Major events began to change theoretical ideals. Theoretical ideals like deterrence were quickly defined as an impossible answer to the cold war. MAD became a ridiculous answer. The efficiency of weaponry was ironic and ignored the effectiveness of a single nuclear weapon; rather than thirty-four thousand across the globe during the fifties and sixties.

In the eighties, there is a rise of new Cold War films. This is partially because of the United States President, Ronald Reagan. He was dedicated to foreign politics and finally ending the long lasting Cold War. Films like War Games (1983) discussed technology in war, yet again. Though this movie reflects a positive ending, the answer is found in a teenager, Matthew Broderick, who is able to outsmart a computer. The eighties are optimistic in change through humans rather than technology. The end of the Cold War did not end these types of apocalyptic films. Movies during our decade still represent the danger. Unique to our decade, these movies represent a rise in large corporations and corrupt politicians. The fifties represented a trust in government, and the sixties, a concern in the outcome of political theory.