Killswitch (2014)

Living in the world of Alien lately, I decided I wanted to go into something different and watch one more documentary before the end of 2016. With that in mind, I decided on the 2014 documentary/drama Killswitch.

Plot/ The Internet is under attack. This award-winning documentary explores the threat Internet censorship imposes on free speech, innovation, and democracy.

In this digital age, no topic should be at the forefront of society than net neutrality. If you are unaware of the importance of this topic, you are wrong and this documentary breaks down the importance of net neutrality in a way that everyone can understand. This is not a partisan political documentary in any way, it does a great job of presenting the information while being open about the infringement being applied by both sides of the political spectrum. The documentary is well made and does a great job at profiling the cases of Edward Snowden and Aaron Schwartz, both polarizing figures of the modern digital age. Yes, there is a lot of message bias; it does outline the cases of civil disobedience, and it definitely appears that more attention was placed on the story of Aaron Schwartz than Edward Snowden, but the information from both accounts must be heard and understood. In the end, this may not be the best documentary out there, but it is one of the most informative and important films to come along in some time. If you care about freedoms and Constitutional rights, you should watch this and embrace the message.

Snowden (2016)

Here it is, post number 1500 at the Ringmaster's Realm. As I said in yesterday’s post, I put a lot of thought into what movie I would review and decided on Snowden from Oliver Stone. To me, this was a very important story that must be told, and there is no one better than Stone to deliver the goods. No matter where you stand on Edward Snowden, he is a hero and should not be subjected to the hatred and ridicule he has faced. In fact, no whistleblower should be treated in this manner and if the United States government was not so corrupt, did not have so much to hide, and did not treat whistleblowers like criminals, this ordeal may not have ever happened. This is a perfect example and a powerful look at the Military Industrial Complex and the globalist community (led by the United States Government) that wants to enslave not only America, but also all of humanity.

Plot/ The illegal NSA surveillance techniques are leaked to the public by one of the agency's employees, Edward Snowden, in the form of thousands of classified documents distributed to the press.

Any time I sit down to watch a movie by Oliver Stone, I am excited about what minuscule detail will be brought out for the entire world to see. That was especially the case with Snowden. No matter what your political ideology is, the truths revealed by Edward Snowden opened the door for a more transparent society and again proved that you cannot trust the government. This is a great movie about a man that should be viewed as an American hero. Stone again delivers with his great eye for a story, and also proves he is not afraid to say things within his films that a great many people believe, but do not have a platform to speak from. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is outstanding as Snowden, and should be in line for recognition during award season. The rest of the cast is also top-notch and their performances are solid. The storyline and script is well developed, the cinematography and editing are tremendous, and the amount of information provided to the viewer is powerful. It was an easy watch and a movie that kept me glued to the screen. The only real negative with the movie is the fact that everything felt a bit compressed for the runtime. Yes, there will be viewers that discount the authenticity and will blindly believe that the surveillance infrastructure is fiction, but for them I would say wake up. Since the inception of the Patriot Act, no one has been free, and this story again proves that what many believe are conspiracies and indeed truths. In the end, Snowden is a powerful movie that should rank up there near the top of the Stone portfolio. It is a movie that must be seen full of information that should be embraced. Find it and watch it!

The Fury (1978)

Sometimes, I need to take a break and focus on homework and recovering from long days at the institute. The past couple days have been exactly what I needed, as I had excessively much going on. To get back in the swing of things, I decided to take a trip back in time for my next selection-the 1978 supernatural entry The Fury.

Plot/ A government agent is determined to come to his son's rescue when a sinister official kidnaps him to harbor his extremely powerful psychic abilities.

Sometimes it is fun to revisit the 1970s and the movies that helped shape the modern horror cinema. That was the case with this telekinesis/psychic thriller directed by Brian De Palma. This one definitely came with more blood, guts, and gore than Carrie, but it did not leave the same impact. This intriguing combination of horror, thriller, and even governmental espionage did have some outstanding effects, a solid cast with some decent performances, and some interesting ideas. Yes, there were some pacing issues, it feels a touch long, and some of the plot/characters tend to add confusion, but those do nothing to totally derail this underrated De Palma entry. In the end, it may not be the best flick from De Palma and at times, it feels dated, but it is still an interesting movie to watch and a film that should be seen. If you have not watched it, give it a shot, you could do much worse.

XIII: The Conspiracy (2008)

With my homework out of the way last night, I figured it was time to relax. After searching Netflix for something fun, I decided that I needed some action to help get my blood flowing. After some inner debate, I decided that XIII: The Conspiracy from 2008 was just what I needed.

Plot/ The first female US President Sally Sheridan is shot dead by a sniper during her Veterans Day speech. Her assassin narrowly escapes the scene with his life, national security hot on his heels - or so it seems. On the run, clinging to one desperate clue after another, XIII begins to piece back his life, fragments of his memory.

I watched this mini-series yesterday and was rather surprised by it. Based on a graphic novel, this two-part mini-series is comparable to the Bourne series, although being made for television, does not pack the same punch. The performances are solid; the storyline/plot believable, and the action sequences worked and featured some sound cinematography. Yes, there are some head scratching moments, there is some choppy editing, and the violence was toned down (remember television), but all in all it was worth watching. In the end, if you are searching for some mindless action with a conspiracy/political themed backdrop, this one should at least entertain you. Yes, it is not perfect, but I have definitely seen much worse.

Persecuted (2014)

After a few days struggling to get back into the groove, I found myself searching for something to watch. With nothing jumping out at me, I decided to venture into some conspiracy themed material. My selection for the evening is the 2014 religious thriller Persecuted.

Plot/ An evangelist finds himself framed for murder and on the run after he refuses to back a senator's proposition calling for sweeping religious reform.

While I expected this film to be a touch uneven considering the low budget, the premise appealed to me. Of course, the ideas involved may appear to be too faith based, intolerant, and possibly unbelievable, but, there is some truths inside that cannot be overlooked. No matter what religious denomination you may be, the truth is with the powerful and corrupt administration in office, overall religious intolerance is growing throughout our republic. The fact that these truths can be found on many alternative media outlets and not on mainstream (State Run) media should make things clear enough. As a movie, the pacing and performances are uneven, character development is lacking, and there are definitely some lighting and scripting issues, but those were expected. Unfortunately, they do bring the movie down from its solid beginning and hurt the overall feel. In the end, this one will not be for everyone and many will bash it. Honestly, a few years ago I would have been one of those, but with the lawlessness in Washington, the NSA spying on our every move, and the lack of regard for our rights under the Constitution, it would not be far fetched to see this type of event become reality.

Rumors of Wars (2014)

With the continued rise of lawlessness coming from Washington DC, and the lack of desire coming from the opposition party, it reinforces the idea that all politicians are bought and paid for by the same backers. Regardless of party, their agenda of oppression and tyranny is the same, and we must wake up and spread the word about these lying bastards. That is the only way to stop this globalist agenda. One movie I recently watched discussed a similar them, 2014s, Rumors of Wars.

Plot/ A student keeps a journal while a one world government takes over the world. Years later, a soldier finds her journal and questions everything he believes.

While this movie was a touch more religious than I expected there were many points brought out that should open some eyes. I am not going to speak on the biblical aspects of the film, which will likely turn some viewers off. However, the detailed storyline that talks about NDAA, illegal NSA spying, and the rise of the military industrial complex as purveyors of the RFID chips and their role as managers of the FEMA Camps make this one of the more informative post apocalyptic films to come out in some time. Sure, the acting is uneven, the effects all over, and the scripting is geared toward a detailed Christian message of faith, but those aspects in no way detract from the powerful true message on governmental and globalist tyranny. In the end, many of the items outlined in this film could become a reality if the world does not wake up to the globalist tyranny being pushed upon the world by the elite. No matter what religion you believe in, the reality is the globalist technocrats and their Agenda 21 cronies are out to destroy the world, and this movie does provide a glimpse into that possible future. Give it a shot.

Dragon Day (2013)

With the chatter of the New World Order’s plan for destroying America gaining momentum over the past weeks with the different information/disinformation on Ebola coming out, it is always fun watching movies with an apocalyptic feel. Of course, I feel that Jericho is a more likely scenario, but that is my opinion. Next up for review is the 2013 low budget apocalyptic flick Dragon Day.

Plot/ A family getaway to a mountain town turns deadly when China launches a massive cyber attack against the USA, forcing former NSA engineer Duke Evans to fight to save his wife and daughter in the New World Order.

Teaching electronic communications everyday, I truly believe that the next wave of attacks on the country will be a cyber attack that takes out the electronic necessities in life. I have been looking for a realistic post apocalyptic movie and this one definitely falls into a case of realism. While this one has some believability and an interesting premise, for the most part it was rough in its execution, which prevents it from reaching its potential. The acting is uneven, there were some cinematic flaws, and some of it came across forced and predictable. To me though, the believability factor and the balls to go where Red Dawn would not by implicating the Chinese as the primary culprit in the NWO takeover of America made it an enjoyable watch. In the end, this one is far from perfect, but it is also an interesting take on the end of the republic. Give it a shot; there are worse films out there.

The Fifth Estate (2013)

A few months ago, I sat back and watched Underground: the Julian Assange Story, a movie focused on the early career of one of the most famous hackers known. I should have stopped there. While I do support the whistleblowers and what Assange stands for, I cannot sit back and watch him and his efforts be drug through the mud by an agenda driven Hollywood establishment. That is exactly what is happening here in The Fifth Estate.

Plot/ A dramatic thriller based on real events that reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st century's most fiercely debated organization.

I rented this thinking it was going to be a biopic, focusing on Assange and WikiLeaks. Unfortunately, while that is what it was called, it was more of a propaganda piece directed toward attacking Assange and further polluting the waters against him. Like him or not, his ideologies make sense, and he should be supported. This film is way too complex for what was trying to be portrayed. Based on multiple books (by legal enemies’ none-the-less) the disjointed feel is apparent from the start. There were some decent acting moments and a couple of decent visuals, but mostly it was a dialog driven and complex political thriller with an agenda. In the end, this movie is nothing close to Underground:  the Julian Assange Story, which talked about his early life and first major hack, that movie has a soul. This one is an agenda driven propaganda fest and should be skipped!

The Day We Fight Back

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