We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists (2012)

While I am fighting through this miserable cold, I decided to kick back and relax tonight. Luckily, Bren decided to find something interesting to watch. To my surprise, it was a documentary on a very polarizing subject. What was it? It was the 2012 documentary We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists.

Plot/ We Are Legion traces the collective's breathtaking evolution from merry pranksters to a full-blown, global movement, one armed with new weapons of civil disobedience for an online world.

It has been a while since I ventured into a documentary, and this one may be one of the best I have seen in some time. This one is extremely informative and definitely is a great gateway inside the mind of the collective. Whether you are a fan of anonymous or not, the ideals that exist within the mutual voice should be applauded. Information is power and ideas are bulletproof, thoughts that the globalists that are attempting to overtake society fear and want to destroy. If you do not believe me, listen to some of the speeches by President Obama and candidate Clinton, they want to hand over control of the internet and control free speech to usher in totalitarian control throughout the world. This documentary does a great job at showing the hactivist movement from their humble beginnings, through their development through Reddit and 4chan, and to where they are today. One of the areas that were surprising was the overall lack of supervision or structure within the organization, creating a dynamic that could is both helpful and harmful to the organization. Overall, it does only focus on a few of the more notable causes, but it does show the viewer the power of the movement. In the end, if you would like to see a documentary that is informative and highlights a movement that is often misunderstood, you have to watch this. It is well worth your time!

Across the Universe (2007)

After taking a break from the blog last night, I decided that I needed to watch something extremely different tonight, as I have been overly submerged in darkness for some time not. After some debate, and a quick search of Netflix, I decided on something extremely different, and one of my favorite musicals, Across the Universe from 2007.

Plot/ The music of the Beatles and the Vietnam War form the backdrop for the romance between an upper-class American girl and a poor artist from Liverpool.

As some already may realize, I do have some diverse tastes in my movie selections, and this is one of my favorites that sit outside of the horror or sci-fi genres. While this is not a textbook movie and it has many flaws with some pacing issues, weak character development, and some of it may feel a touch forced, but that does nothing to truly bring down the experience. Yes, it is not perfect, but it is both beautiful and captivating, and features some of the best interpretations of classic Beatles songs that you will find. Couple that with some intense and vivid visuals, an interesting storyline that captured the turmoil of the era, and an emotional tone that will definitely strike a chord with many viewers (but also turn some viewers off). In the end, this may not be the best musical out there, and it may be somewhat polarizing, but if you kick back and embrace the creativity, you will experiences something amazing. Check it out.

V for Vendetta (2005)

I decided last weekend that it was time for a small vacation from blogging. It seemed as though everything I had been watching had started to run together in my mind. When you couple that with trying to buckle down to finish the scripting for my Operation Paul Revere short, I just needed the break. That being said, it was time to jump back in. My evening selection is the 2005 action classic V for Vendetta.

Plot/ A shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally.

Let me start by saying that watching this today was even better than the first time I watched it. Honestly, there were some elements that seemed more important in the social construct today than years before. Maybe is was the sense of liberty, or maybe the lawless totalitarian oppressive nature of society. This was one of the best action films I have seen, as it had a tremendous script to match the rather intelligent and political storyline. The acting is solid and combined with the tremendous visuals and action, this is a movie that must be watched and enjoyed. In the end, this is a movie that will stand the test of time as a true piece of action history. If you have not seen it, what are you waiting for!

The Patriot (2000)

As I was talking to some of my students about recent events and the rumored actions on the horizon in areas such as gun control, taxation and health care. While a lot of the rhetoric points to potential unconstitutional actions, nothing has happened yet. It is amazing when you think about our founding fathers; they were men beyond their years. In many ways, their words ring truer today than when they were written in the 1700s. With that in mind, I decided on a period piece for the evening, my choice, The Patriot.

Plot/ Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.

Historical pieces are usually polarizing to viewers, as many cannot take the outlook backing the somewhat fictional traits they hold. Too many times, one sees the words based on a true story and believe that is what happened. For those people, I say wake up, no one knows for sure exactly what things were like during some of these times, so it is all interpretation. In this case, there is a lot to like. The acting was solid, the cinematography and scenery tremendous, and the plot interesting. Sure, it may have been a bit long with some uneven character development, but it was interesting and entertaining. To me, the storyline (while mostly fictional) should be what people pay attention to, on the surface, it was about revenge and liberty, but at the heart  it was about an awakening, something that we must start to see in the world today. In the end, this is a solid film and one that must be seen. Yes, there are some historical inaccuracies, but that will happen. Watch it; understand it, as you never know when that type patriotism will be needed again.