Donnie Darko - Parapolitical message hidden in movie?

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

The pages I saw in the preview article were all Desert Storm camo colored.<br><br>I see little kids in camo-colored clothes all over the place. <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

[sound of head hitting a wall] <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[boyrobot]

hahah, thoughtographer; my sympathies. <br><br>There is quite an interesting FAQ here <!--EZCODE AUTOLINK START--><a href="http://www.stainlesssteelrat.net/ddfaq.htm">www.stainlesssteelrat.net/ddfaq.htm</a><!--EZCODE AUTOLINK END--> with some possible interpretations. I think it's important people remember the director has stated in many interviews he has no real message to get across in this film and it's totally open to personal interpretation. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=boyrobot@rigorousintuition>boyrobot</A> at: 4/4/06 5:07 pm<br></i>

[Ted the dog]

thanks for posting that. I never noticed this at all: (from the link provided by boyrobot)<br><br><br>Q. Who is the jogger in the red tracksuit?<br><br>The web site reveals that this is a member of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following Donnie, and see some pictures below as proof. The FAA are very concerned as to how an exact duplicate of the engine exists hence are following Donnie as a potential lead on why this is (and how he avoided being killed by the engine). Curiously the actor playing the member of the FAA is named Tom Tangen.<br><br><br>that's VERY interesting. through a high weirdness lens, the guy might not really be in the FAA...yet following Donnie just the same. <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

Thanks for the sympathy.<br><br>Yeah, that FAQ is pretty decent, but so far the "88 reasons" is the most interesting thing I've seen about the movie since its release.<br><br>Tom Tangen was also in "Real Genius" as an extra in the dorm ice skating scene, which is funny because I've always been a huge fan of that movie, and felt some "resonance" between it and Donnie Darko when I first saw it.<br><br>For those who haven't seen <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Genius">Real Genius</a><!--EZCODE LINK END-->, and appreciate the theme of manipulated intelligence, I suggest you check it out. <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

<!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://images.comicbookresources.com/previews/indy/southlandtales/cover_sm.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br>This sci-fi comic seems to be about the continuing culture war over the War on Terra being marketed to the youth who read this stuff.<br><br>You have on the cover a national flag cut in half, one side looks like prison bars.<br><br>A nation divided. This is the Civil War agit prop that has been used to sustain the national identity as Warrior For Justice and the southern regional identity of Confederate Rebel to get most of the military's recruits.<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>Later this year, Kelly will be releasing a film called "Southland Tales," which stars The Rock ("Doom," "Walking Tall"), Sarah Michelle Gellar ("The Grudge," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"), Sean William Scott ("Dukes of Hazzard," "American Pie"), and…Kevin Smith.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>Actors become typecast to represent the same personal qualities to the audience like chess pieces that always move the same way in each new game.<br><br>Jeebus. Look at just the credits of the actors involved. <br>All the usual themes-<br>Nationalism<br>+War<br>+Male Pride<br>+Honor vendetta<br>+Confederate Fighter<br>+Evil Stopper<br>= Recruiting Males For Religious War<br><br>Does that seem far-fetched to you, thoughtographer, or are you still banging your ahead against the wall?<br><br><!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>RK: Almost all of the characters in the film are introduced in the graphic novels. The three leading characters of "Southland Tales" are Boxer Santaros (played by The Rock), Krysta Now (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Roland Taverner (played by Seann William Scott).<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>"Boxer Santaros" = Hispanic fighter<br>"Krysta Now" = Christ<br>"Roland Taverner= ??<br><br><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://images.comicbookresources.com/previews/indy/southlandtales/southland01_68_sm.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br>And here is the subjugated indiginous native American sadly showing that America must follow its cursed 'Manifest Destiny' and conquer new populations fatalistically with Boxer Santaros on the roller-coaster of history hanging on for his own dear life.<br><br><!--EZCODE IMAGE START--><img src="http://images.comicbookresources.com/previews/indy/southlandtales/southland01_66_sm.jpg" style="border:0;"/><!--EZCODE IMAGE END--><br><br>Or something else thoughtographer? <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

Yes, it seems far-fetched to me, because I can discern <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>commentary</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> from <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>reality</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->. I would hate to live in a world of culture that had your blessing.<br><br>P.S. - Your inline images only worked for me because they were cached as a result of my prior enjoyment of them. Everyone else will see a "CBR" logo. <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=thoughtographer>thoughtographer</A> at: 4/4/06 5:54 pm<br></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>...I can discern commentary from reality. I would hate to live in a world of culture that had your blessing.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br><br>I can't make sense of either of those sentences.<br><br>Southlands looks like a narrative about real things like the occupation of the middle east, not 'just made up stuff that is kewwl.'<br><br>Are you positing that culture is just something to do to avoid boredom and without 'meaning?' If you are, then that is where you and I disagree and the reason for the wall print on your forehead. lol. <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

Clearly, you "win".<br><br>"lol" <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

I'm not out to "win." I'm offering an interpretation and pointing to why I see it that way.<br><br>I'm not a visual artist and see things through the eyes of a psycho-political archaeologist, which is why I like your username.<br><br>You posted once that you do art with a little 'a.' Do you work in visual arts? Your username and signature quote suggest yes. <p></p><i></i>

[JD]

What is a "psycho-political archeologist"?<br><br>Does that mean you attack ancient politicians with a slasher knife?<br><br>Just teasin'<br><br>But also asking; I'm really curious what you mean. <p></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

Um, I made that up. Guess ya could tell.<br><br>The National inSecurity State's 1951 Psychological Strategy Board was given the task of using 'psycho-political events' to carry out the psychological warfare element of Total War on domestic and foreign populations alike.<br><br>This is part of the post-WWII Revolution in Military Affairs which includes controlling the mind as well as the body, propaganda as well as bullets.<br><br>So I look for the artifacts of state-generated or merely enabling cultural messaging that serves the 'needs' of the National inSecurity State like militarization of males to obtain a consistent warrior class or demonizing the poor to justify capitalism, as examples.<br><br>About three generations of Americans have lived in an ever-increasingly state-controlled psychic atmosphere of sanctioned 'facts and fiction' which is now practically seamlessly intertwined and self-referential and thus largely invisible to those who don't know this history or psychology or military doctrine.<br><br>Most people just have a vague sense that something is definitely wrong <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>as though they are in some kind of Truman Show. Actually, it is a Harry Truman-era show and that comes full circle to make my point that movies are used to hijack information the Powers That Be don't want generally known </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->and given an alternative narrative in the wonderfully entertaining world of big-budget fiction.<br><br>Thus the effort of the average American to discern fact from fiction grows less and less likely to succeed unless they read quite a lot and are lucky enough to stumble on the key to understanding their own country and its confused citizens-intentional sowing of confusion as a tool of governance by alphabet agencies and their corporate partners in crime. <p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p216.ezboard.com/brigorousintuition.showUserPublicProfile?gid=hughmanateewins>Hugh Manatee Wins</A> at: 4/4/06 6:53 pm<br></i>

[Ted the dog]

<br><br>Hugh-<br><br><br>Can you recommend some films that did not fall into the agitprop category. Do you know of any, off the top of your head? <p></p><i></i>

[thoughtographer]

<!--EZCODE QUOTE START--><blockquote><strong><em>Quote:</em></strong><hr>I'm not out to "win." I'm offering an interpretation and pointing to why I see it that way.<hr></blockquote><!--EZCODE QUOTE END--><br>That's good. While my sentences weren't perfectly formed, you should have been able to figure them out; you seem smart enough.<br><br>My experience in the various arts has taught me that all forms of human artistic expression are inherently manipulative. It's just the way it works; the whole point, as it were. With line, color, form, etc., artists learn to express or convey emotional states and complex ideas just as much as they learn to use those tools in their attempts to mimic reality. The worlds of comic books and film are well known for their subtle manipulation of the formal qualities of an image to arrive at the desired emotional impact. People waste billions of dollars every year going to school to learn how to do it, in fact. Where you seem to often see conspiracies, I see occasional artistic "victories" insofar as the creators have used their knowledge inventively enough to provoke me to look at a segment of the world from a different perspective, or with greater scrutiny. <p><!--EZCODE ITALIC START--><em>"A crooked stick will cast a crooked shadow."</em><!--EZCODE ITALIC END--></p><i></i>

[Hugh Manatee Wins]

Just being agit prop isn't the problem. A good movie will incite emotions. That is a perfectly normal attribute of culture, to be compelling.<br><br>Maybe this is what thoughtographer thinks I reject, emotion. No.<br><br>The problem lies with which behaviors/entities are promoted and which are discouraged. <br><br>Documentaries which one can get emotional about- <br>'The Corporation.'<br>'The Fog of War.'<br>'The Agronomist.'<br><br>These come to mind immediately. Great stories about interesting people well told.<br><br>I'm wondering myself whether it is now possible to spend big bucks on a film without an obligatory mind virus of some kind.<br>This might now be against Hollywood studio regulations. <br>Wouldn't be surprised. "There's a war on. Get those boys away from women and on the team!"<br><br>Sorry, I'm not a film enthusiast. I endure pop entertainment as little as possible. And lately I better understand why. <p></p><i></i>