It's not science fiction, but it's still freaky. Ever see Wag the Dog? It's about a presidential aide and a spin doctor hiring a Hollywood producer to fake a war in order to divert the media attention from a Presidential scandal 11 days before the election. While you're watching it, you'll start to get a feeling of surrealism as you have flashbacks of the run up to the Iraqi invasion. The way they manipulate the media to give the story they want. The discussions of how the production of a war is a "pageant". The statements about how nobody remembers the wars but everybody remembers the slogans. In particular, there's a scene where the CIA catches up with the spin doctor and aide to question them about these stories of a war going on when the CIA knows there's no such war.

Robert De Niro playing the spin doctor delivers this speech to the CIA agent (William H. Macy) holding them in custody:

Would you do it again...? Isn't that why you're here? I guess so. And if you go to war again, who is it going to be against? Your "ability to fight a Two-ocean War" against who? Sweden and Togo? Who you sitting here to Go To War Against? That time has passed. It's passed. It's over. The war of the future is nuclear terrorism. It is and it will be against a small group of dissidents who, unbeknownst, perhaps, to their own governments, have blah blah blah. And to go to that war, you've got to be prepared. You have to be alert, and the public has to be alert. Cause that is the war of the future, and if you're not gearing up, to fight that war, eventually the axe will fall. And you're gonna be out in the street. And you can call this a "drill," or you can call it "job security," or you can call it anything you like. But I got one for you: you said, "Go to war to protect your Way of Life," well, Chuck, this is your way of life. Isn't it? And if there ain't no war, you can punch out, go home, and take up oil painting. And there ain't no war but ours.

That's right. In order to maintain their job security, the CIA must forever maintain the appearance of a threat from "a small group of dissidents," foster fears of "nuclear terrorism". It's the "war" of the future. Otherwise, there's no need for the CIA to exist anymore.

It's a good movie. I think you should go see it if you haven't already. But some of it's eerie like that quote.

Next up is Twelve Angry Men which was a great movie. Gotta love that Henry Fonda. He's alway so upstanding. He starts off as the lone dissenting juror in a murder trial. The other 11 are convinced the accused is guilty and most of them just want to go home. As the story unfolds, Fonda starts winning over more jurors, explaining to them why he has a reasonable doubt. The way he convinces them is great. He handles the bullying and the insults quite well, never backing down but never resorting to jackass behaviour. What's also interesting is both the extraordinarily obvious racism compared with the more accepted "passive" racism exhibited by a few of the jurors. "Those people" and "them" are bandied about quite a few times.

So there's your second assignment. Watch Twelve Angry Men, too. It'll be good for your soul.

what if we don't have a soul? what do we do then?

Sounds like someone needs a Godzilla marathon!

They made a movie based on an episode of the Odd Couple?

SELF PROCLAIMED WHAT???? How can I go one without knowing???

i would rather walk around without a soul than have to sit through any godzilla movies. its just not worth it.