Minimalism - A Documentary On The Important Things

To start the new year, I found a gem on Netflix that truly grasps the idea that our reality is created for us by government, media, and especially consumerism. A well researched and directed documentary about the post modernist world that we live in regarding consumerism. The movie suggests that our choices that we make for consumer spending are manipulated for us by corporations.

The movie's premise is simple, we from an early age are taught that life is based on owning stuff. So much stuff, that we want more stuff. The first thing that came to my mind while watching this is the IPhone. Sure enough the IPhone was one of the examples of how users are controlled and manipulated to buy new phones through clever marketing. Each new phone has about a dozen improvements, and advertising and clever marketing is employed by Apple to get you to stand in line for the next IPhone.
The movie explores every aspect of consumerism in our post modern world. From birth, our decisions are impacted by media and advertising. In fact, children are saturated with consumerism. Companies spent 100 million on children's advertising in the 80s. Today they spend 17 billion. Maximum saturation to ensure kids want more stuff. Gaming systems operate on a life cycle of 2-3 years.
The movie offers solutions to remove ourselves from the reality. From smaller homes to examining our choices, we can change. We will be seen as odd or weird for downsizing. Yet, it would reshape the world we live in if change were sustaining. We fight wars for profit. A world of minimalists would reduce the need for war when you ponder the possibilities.
I could not help but wonder if minimalism has a place in our educational system. We could teach it in our health classes. Surely happiness can be impacted by these practices. Learning how the brain is hardwired to react to consumerism could help our children grow into adults that understand needs v. wants. This fight flight reaction to consumerism is why we lose sight of ourselves if not careful. Do we need all the extra stuff? Probably not.

Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

Truth be know, I am not a big fan of Oliver Stone's movies. I always have felt he takes the same liberties at rewriting history as the same people he often criticizes. Often times, he uses his excuse as a film director as the reason for taking such liberties. JFK for example was ripe with assumptions. This demonstrates he allows bias to touch upon his filmography.

On the other hand, if I was given the role of director, I would probably do the same. I can not fault Stone for a behavior that is based on his passions that history has been somehow wronged by misinterpretation, as I also feel the same way. Stone wants people to understand that perceptions guide our realities, not facts. I had to acknowledge this as I watched and reviewed his series on American History.

Stone's efforts were better than I had thought. As an avid reader of Howard Zinn and someone who reads alternative history sources and watches independent films, I was thinking what could Stone offer that was new? Stone does follow the Howard Zinn script. As in, what do the textbooks exclude from our history. He also editorializes new material which is to be expected with his own take on history. I will always struggle with this approach. I prefer a layout of information and allowing the viewers to decide what is real versus fiction. However, this is Oliver Stone, and we can not expect him to leave well enough alone, and he has to editorialize as his fans have come to expect.

With all this being said, it is an excellent series for adolescents and adults to watch that choose to accept the modern course of history. The series clearly can provide historical narratives that cause us the viewer to question what we have learned in our social studies classes. It also provides insightful examinations into motive for our foreign policy. This is the best part of the series. Economics rules the day. So important for people to understand the connection between profit and war.

The series in my opinion borrows from the movie Why We Fight. It's focus is the 20th century war machine. The warnings unheeded that the post military industrial complex is a dangerous precedent in our society. This is an important connection for all Americans to understand. The motives behind the policies are solidly behind profiteering. The textbooks stray from critically thinking about wars and profit in public education. For this reason, series like this help counter American Exceptionality that is the purpose for compulsory education.

The bottom line is, if you have a friend that is conservative in thought when it comes to American History, this is the series to get a discussion started. It may not change their opinions, however it does open the door to critical thinking of one's own thought patterns. And that's what cerebral cinema is all about!

Viva Amiga

I recently found a documentary that validated one of the strangest obsessions of my childhood. That obsession was the Commodore family of computers. First, let me take a step back and explain computers during the 1980s.

You basically had a few choices. Commodore, Apple and IBM. IBM was a business machine and was primarily a green background that crunches numbers. Apple was a black and white machine that was limited. And then, there was the Commodore Amiga. The immortal machine that could do so much more than the rest.

Commodore had been inventive with their last computer the Commodore 64. Their follow up the 128 was a bust, so they bought the rights to the Amiga. This machine was so advanced. It was released in 1989, and truly had revolutionary concepts that today's computers owe a debt of gratitude.

Try telling that to your kids. Amiga has long since been gone. Most of my friends that debated the worthiness of the line are also gone. I shelved the whole experience. Then came the documentary, Viva Amiga. Oh my, it was like being a kid again. I watched it with my own children, and quite honestly, they loved the story. The documentary captured the history of this little known machine. Fresh and compelling, it really made the Amiga into a great story.

Anyone who computed back then will go down memory lane. Especially former Amiga users. We knew at the time that this machine was way ahead of it's time. We all were loyal fans. I am sure that most owners will remember the stories. Even if you never owned an Amiga, the movie is truly fun to watch.

Eye In The Sky

If you ever wondered about the morality of Predator Drones, and the dangers, I highly recommend Eye In The Sky. The complications of predator drones go well beyond what we can imagine. The movie is as real as it gets.

The plot(spoiler alert) is about a drone attack in a remote portion of Africa that is needed to thwart a future terrorist attack. The detail to the planning of such acts is simple mind boggling. The actual drone operations are in Nevada. The main character (Aaron Paul) notices that a little girl is within the home that is going to be imploded. A series of moral dilemmas ensues with the planning. The governments of the UK and the US are indifferent to the little girl. They see her as collateral damage. A means to an end for ending attacks on us. The back and forth between the soldier responsible for destroying the compound and his counterparts at a much higher level are as good as it gets.

The ending of the story truly was a non-Hollywood ending. Just as dark as you can get in a cinematic experience. And the director bravely kept it real, instead of the hero saves the day kind of ending. This is what I admire most about the film. The movie makes us feel uncomfortable, and we should feel that way. The morality of video game wars are complicated. I would have thought we could be desensitized to killing another human being. The film does a great job of challenging the morality of such technology.

There are many more intriguing parts to this movie that challenge our conventional thinking. I highly recommend this movie for anyone considering the armed services. It also serves as a reminder what could happen if this technology were to get into the wrong hands. We could be just as vulnerable. Bottom line, great movie. Watch it with as many friends and family as you can. It is sure to provoke interesting conversations after the movie.

The Matrix

The Matrix was a movie made in 1999 that is more relevant today than people realize. Somehow, it serves as a metaphor for our world we live in.  The movie depicts a dystopian society whereas people live in an alternate reality, dominated by energy sources not within their control. Today's climate is very similar. People allow their smart phones and social media apps to help them see the world they live in. Many are lost in a world of applications, and critical thinking is playing less of a roll in our world. The sentinel machines are after all, technology.

The premise of the original is that Neo, played by Keanu Reeves learns that he has been living in an alternate reality. Morpheus, his guide offers home a choice. He can take 1 pill that allows him to stay in his current reality, or take another pill to free his mind to learn of the "real" world that his lives in. Once Neo frees his mind, he is able to see what is "real."

We live in an age that we Facebook is like a modern day civil war. Meme's shape reality. People use twitter to post in 140 characters or less their feelings and emotions regarding civil rights. The struggle is guided by minimal thought. Technology replaces pen and paper thought processes. Humans rely on emotional responses not through human interaction, but through computer interaction. In a sense, the Matrix is very real.

Realistic fiction and science fiction predicted today's world that we live in. We were warned early on by shows like the Twilight Zone and Outer limits that realities are sometimes created for us, and technology will strongly influence our perceptions of what is "real" The Matrix is a great example of this reality. So here is the question, when you woke up this morning, what pill did you choose? When a person questions reality, transformational changes can occur. We all have the potential to be Neo.

Before The Flood

Before the flood is a National Geographic documentary on climate change. Leonardo DiCaprio is the main figure throughout the movie. His presence was actually a stronger part of the movie than I would have expected.

Many years ago, Al Gore had a similar movie known as an Inconvenient Truth. While and excellent movie, it had a feeling of a PowerPoint presentation by the former Vice President. What Leonardo DiCaprio brings to this documentary is the heart lacking from an Inconvenient Truth.

Leo starts the movie with his childhood vision conjured up by a renaissance art painting, "The Garden of Earthly Delights." He discusses how climate change frightened him, and he makes an astonishing connection to this brilliant piece of art. The revelation that humans are at a point in which their is no turning back on the damage fossil fuels have done to our environment.

Another aspect to the documentary is the science behind climate change. If we were to show this film to every classroom, we would surely see a change in our culture. However, films like this are optional, which is part of the problem .We allow the Koch brothers and big business to prevent a mass education to our children about climate change. The science is clear, yet there is so much doubt in the United States that climate change is real.

Solutions abound in this movie. Some simple, some complex. Even our diet plays a role in climate change. The most significant solution is people demanding change. However the barriers to change is media manipulation. This is why the movie is so important. We need to get the word out.

Before the flood is available on most platforms. If you never like Leonardo DiCaprio, this documentary may change your mind. He is an ambassador of peace, and I was truly proud of his commitment to future generations.

Luke Cage - Marvel's Social Commentary

Luke Cage on Netflix is a throw back to the 70s Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics at that time reflected a complicated period in American History. Not many people realize that Marvel Comics has a a history of Social Commentary during this time period. It was refection of the changes brought about by the Civil Rights Movement. People were tiring of the same old product of superhero. Marvel decided to take a chance on Luke Cage.  So did Netflix, and the series extended the story line to today's current events.

Luke Cage is set in Harlem. It combines many of the themes we are use to seeing. Corruption, betrayal and fighting crime go well together. However, the first African American superhero also deals with the elephant in the room. The color of his skin.

The writing is very subtle. They talk about the other guys uptown as if they were in another class system. The other guys being the Avengers. The series tackles black on black crime. Luke Cage also is the anti-hero at times. Is he getting a bad wrap because he is black?

One of the best themes whether on purpose or not is the use of the hoodie. Mistaken identity was cleverly placed in the series in my opinion to pay tribute to Trayvon Martin. After all, Luke himself was falsely accused of a crime. That is how he becomes Luke Cage.

This was a terrific series. A bit lighter than Jessica Jones and Daredevil. Humble at times, and more representative of the human side of the Marvel Universe. Minus the first episode, you could watch it with your teenagers, who are also beginning to identify with their world as Luke Cage had to after getting out of jail. Definitely

worth the binging.