Let me introduce film critic George Orwell

[fruhmenschen]

If you control Hollywood through blackmail and intimidation
like the FBI does you control what Hollywood says about you.
ABSCAM had a backstory you won't see in this film soon to be made.
The 1970's Senator Church Committee hearings exposed the death squad activities of taxpayer funded FBI agents. see
http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg ... m%2066.pdf


Congress was set to act on the Church Committee findings when FBI agents launched a war of sting operations against members of Congress called ABSCAM.
Congress got the message and dropped all their reform legislation.
This occurred at the same time FBI agents launched their October Surprise against President Jimmy Carter to make sure he never got re-elected .
google danny casolero jimmy carter fbi october surprise


see link for full story
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/ ... a-20121203

Exclusive: David O Russell Says His FBI Abscam Film Will Be An “Intense, Insane, Colorful & Funny Crime Drama”
News
by Rodrigo Perez
December 3, 2012 2:55 PM

Many have posited that when F. Scott Fitzgerald said there are no second acts in American lives, he meant, we cannot escape our pasts. Someone who has proven that maxim wrong is director David O. Russell. As he said at the THR directors' roundtable recently, the latter half of the aughts landed in the filmmaker in a tricky place.

The challenging comedy “I Heart Huckabees” wasn’t a hit upon release, projects came and went without fruition, and the satirical comedy "Nailed," with Jessica Biel and Jake Gyllenhaal, actually shot in 2008, but the plug got pulled and it was never completed thanks to a shady financier. But the “Three Kings” director is on a critical and creative tear of late and has successfully segued into the second stage of his career that he calls more “mature.”

2010’s limber and thrilling “The Fighter” was a major comeback and was awarded as such with 7 Academy Award nominations (winning co-stars Christian Bale and Melissa Leo an Oscar each). Much of that success is being repeated this year, with the filmmaker's latest "Silver Linings Playbook," a raw, offbeat romantic comedy starring Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro, all of whom look likely to figure, along with Russell, in this year’s awards season.

And by his account, Russell’s next project, the untitled 1970s, FBI/Abscam film, formerly known as "American Bullshit," and starring Cooper, Bale, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner, will continue in the vein of this second era. Family has been his recent preoccupation and the theme has been center stage in his last two pictures. And so in the same way that “The Fighter” was more than just a boxing movie, and how ‘Silver Linings’ goes beyond mere mental illness drama, The FBI/Abscam is more than just crime flick. On the surface, it’s about a sting operation in the 1970s (called Abscam) that led to the conviction of United States Congressmen, but it’s got plenty more offbeat detours than that.

"It's a crime drama that's really about some very high end financial con artists who are very colorful, strange characters,” he told The Playlist in an interview this week. “And it's about the FBI -- but Bradley [Cooper’s] like an ethnic FBI guy from the Bronx and it's about the [eventually indicted] mayor of Camden, New Jersey, Angelo Errichetti, who is Jeremy Renner. Camden was mostly a black and Puerto Rican community at that time. Very amazing, interesting world of New York at that time. It’s very exciting."

Russell's always had a canny eye for casting actors in unexpected parts -- see Amy Adams' tough girl in “The Fighter,” or the way Mark Wahlberg took to comedy in ‘Huckabees’ -- and he’s taking a similar path with this new film, placing his heavyweight cast in usual casting slots.

[JackRiddler]

You never listen to me but you would really do better if you titled your threads by something indicating the actual topic.

Like, "Abscam as FBI sabotage against Church Committee." (That would be something that could grow.)

Or, "New Movie Covers Abscam Sting of 1970s."

Doesn't have to be so literal, but your titles are off the scale oblique.

Sorry but it's so.

[fruhmenschen]

You never listen to me but you would really do better if you titled your threads by something indicating the actual topic.

Like, "Abscam as FBI sabotage against Church Committee." (That would be something that could grow.)

Or, "New Movie Covers Abscam Sting of 1970s."

Doesn't have to be so literal, but your titles are off the scale oblique.

Sorry but it's so.

Hear you.
Sorry, it's a congenital defect, eh?

[Elvis]

You never listen to me but you would really do better if you titled your threads by something indicating the actual topic.

Like, "Abscam as FBI sabotage against Church Committee." (That would be something that could grow.)

Or, "New Movie Covers Abscam Sting of 1970s."

Doesn't have to be so literal, but your titles are off the scale oblique.

Sorry but it's so.

Agreed, and neither George Orwell, or his name, are synonymous with the political scenarios he created in books. I was hoping to read about Orwell. If I click on these threads, it's usually to chuckle at the annoyed responses.


As for the Abscam movie, I'm sure it's a must-miss, appreciate the heads up on that, anyway.

[JackRiddler]

As for the Abscam movie, I'm sure it's a must-miss, appreciate the heads up on that, anyway.

In this country you can make a comedy out of Abscam but you can't make a drama out of the Church Committee. Not even in the Indy realm. It's now 20 years since the opening of "JFK"!

Are there any good Church Committee documentaries?

[Project Willow]

^^ What a radical idea.

Aaaaaaack, femopause! Meant to read, yah, WTH is up with that?

[compared2what?]

Agreed, and neither George Orwell, or his name, are synonymous with the political scenarios he created in books.

Which were not, in any event, very like the scenarios referred to in the OP. In point of fact.

So he and they both deserve respect on their own terms, imo.

As for the Abscam movie, I'm sure it's a must-miss, appreciate the heads up on that, anyway.

Then there's that. You know, David O. Russell's work doesn't -- or so far hasn't -- blown me away. But he's a talented filmmaker. And Three Kings, while certainly not a politically dissident move, wasn't exactly a conventionally politically conformist or propagandistic one either. It's true that was mostly because it wasn't really a political movie, sure. But as far as it went, it definitely wasn't rah-rah-U!S!A!.

So I'm not actually willing to preemptively condemn a David O. Russell Abscam movie that hasn't even been made yet as a piece of FBI-dictated crap on a pure personal whim. It might, in fact, be that. And it also might not even be about Abscam, but about some entirely unrelated subject. Because, you know. That's not unheard of for the medium It's not like The Godfather is about organized crime. The Master really isn't about Scientology. And so on. Happens all the time..

[Elvis]

So I'm not actually willing to preemptively condemn a David O. Russell Abscam movie that hasn't even been made yet as a piece of FBI-dictated crap on a pure personal whim. It might, in fact, be that. And it also might not even be about Abscam, but about some entirely unrelated subject. Because, you know. That's not unheard of for the medium It's not like The Godfather is about organized crime. The Master really isn't about Scientology. And so on. Happens all the time..

I must grant you all that; I was unfair. At the time, I was greatly amused by Abscam itself and the movie could be quite funny. I shouldn't judge David O. Russell, I haven't seen any of his movies. Abscam as a backdrop for another story sounds good., and if I watched movies much I might well check it out.

At the same time I think filmmakers should make movies about Abscam and the Church Committee and MKULTRA and the Finders, and really go for it, not burb up "Flight 93" schlock.

I get some anxiety over dramatized versions of these fairly recent "deep" events, and find myself wondering if a good documentary wouldn't just be better. Why do they bother, y'know? Popcorn sales, more or less, I suppose (documentary=box office death & all that). Plus the stories are good fodder for writers, and some movie versions can bring important truths to wide audiences, and of course provide more entertainment, but I usually get anxiety---are they getting it right? Why bother?

Sometimes they work well, "Battle of Algiers" comes to mind (saw it!), and I thought "JFK" (saw it!) was excellent, while almost no one, least of all me, will agree that every detail is accurate.

All that said, I'll watch "Flying Deuces," or "Casablanca," which has squat to do with WWII, any day. And I'm trying to watch more movies lately, so this Abscam movie might be one.

[MinM]

@Zap2it: Bradley Cooper adds Steven Spielberg, John Wells movies to busy schedule

Bradley Cooper adds Steven Spielberg, John Wells movies to busy...

By Geoff Berkshire @geoffberkshire

Bradley Cooper’s increasingly busy movie schedule now includes Steven Spielberg’s “American Sniper” and John Wells’ “Chef.”

https://twitter.com/Zap2it/status/330107390798229504

David O. Russell's Abscam movie with Jennifer Lawrence gets a title

After going without a title since it was announced, David O. Russell's next movie about the Abscam string operation in the late 1970s now has a name. The film, which came from a script originally titled "American Bulls***," will be called "American Hustle," according to BoxOfficeMojo.

The movie is currently in production in the Boston area and has seen interesting style choices for stars Bradley Cooper (who was sporting a perm) and Jennifer Lawrence (with crazy hair and a neck brace).

"American Hustle" stars Christian Bale as a con artist who is married to Lawrence. He and his mistress (Amy Adams) are pulled into taking part in a sting operation by an FBI agent (Cooper) that aims to expose corrupt politicians. The movie also features Robert DeNiro, Louis C.K. and Jeremy Renner. "American Hustle" is currently scheduled to receive a December 13 release in theaters.

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2013/04/d ... title.html

Bradley Cooper is taking full advantage of his new-found movie stardom, landing Steven Spielberg to direct a personal passion project and signing on for "Chef" to be directed by "ER" executive producer John Wells.

Spielberg has signed to direct Cooper in "American Sniper" based on the book "American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper In U.S. Military History" about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

Cooper optioned the New York Times bestseller himself with an eye toward playing Kyle, a passionate marksman and weapons enthusiast whose life recently came to a dramatic end.

Cooper will shoot "American Sniper" after completing Cameron Crowe's untitled film he's scheduled to shoot this fall opposite Emma Stone and Rachel McAdams...

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2013/05/b ... edule.html

Interesting that Bradley Cooper is in Boston shooting this 'Abscam Movie' while guys from Chris Kyle's company are in town "protecting" the Boston Marathon. Perhaps he was able to do a little background work for that Spielberg film while they were all in town together.

viewtopic.php?p=498197#p498197

[MinM]

Just in time for the 'Abscam Movie'

@nypost: Crooked former state Sen. Shirley Huntley wore an FBI wire and may have snared more corrupt pols

https://twitter.com/nypost/status/330455008602648576

[MinM]

Perhaps this suit will allow Jesse Ventura to take a cut of the Spielberg movie...

@Michael_Yon: Jesse Ventura Suing Dead Navy SEAL for Defamation Following him into the grave.

Careful what you say and... http://fb.me/N8ofT3Oe

[fruhmenschen]

see link for full story
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs. ... /-1/NEWS11


Gonsalves: Cape man revisits Flight 800

August 04, 2013

July 17, 1996. TWA Flight 800 departed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Shortly after takeoff, the Paris-bound 747 exploded in the early night air as it ascended to 13,800 feet, crashing into the waters off Long Island. All 230 passengers and crew members aboard were killed.
IF YOU GO

What: A screening of the documentary "TWA Flight 800," made by Falmouth native Tom Stalcup. The film will be followed by a Q&A with Stalcup and a discussion about the filmmaker's petition asking the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to reopen the investigation.

When: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15

Where: Falmouth High School

Admission: Free ($10 for reserved seats)

For more information: www.flight800doc.com.

Falmouth native Tom Stalcup, who now lives in Sandwich, was working on his doctorate in physics then. He didn't start to pay close attention to the tragedy until he happened to see the FBI press conference laying out the official story.

It was a CIA video shown during the press conference, Stalcup told me, that started him down the path that would eventually convince him the official explanation was contradicted by the government's own evidence — a disturbing story of an alleged cover-up Stalcup and other investigators tell in the recently released documentary "TWA Flight 800."

"This video came on during the press conference that said it was produced by the Central Intelligence Agency. That got my attention because I had never seen that before in my life. What's the CIA doing on TV talking directly to me?" Stalcup told me on Friday, hours before his documentary was shown at the Traverse City Film Festival in Michigan.

"It got weirder and weirder," he recalled. "The (video) narrator said, 'This was not a missile.' And I was like: Why are they telling us what it wasn't, rather than what it was?"

The official story, according to the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board, was that Flight 800 exploded because an electrical short circuit made its way into the center wing fuel tank and detonated the fuel vapors.

Though hundreds of eyewitnesses said they saw what looked like a missile taking off from the water and hitting the plane before it exploded, the CIA video emphasized how Flight 800 was NOT hit by a missile, relegating skeptics to tin-foil hat-wearing conspiracy theorists.

NTSB investigators said the flaming streak eyewitnesses described was most likely burning fuel leaking from the plane's wing tank.

Stalcup, who founded the Falmouth-based weather data transmitter company Upward Innovations Inc., began contacting eyewitnesses, all of whom said the CIA video was "a bunch of baloney."

"What kept me intrigued all these years is the disconnect between the official story and what the reality is and what the evidence shows," Stalcup explained.

Through Freedom of Information Act requests, Stalcup was able to get the radar data, internal investigative documents from the CIA, as well reams of other forensic evidence.

He coupled that with his knowledge of physics and the first-hand accounts of official investigators speaking out after they retired. Stalcup believes it all corroborates eyewitness accounts and clearly contradicts the official story.

The film has garnered national media attention, largely because it sparked a petition campaign in June requesting the NTSB reopen the investigation. And while some dismiss the film as paranoid propaganda, it's hard to ignore the investigators in the film who say the crash was caused by an "external detonation" just as 670 eyewitnesses initially reported.

Among the investigators in the film who call the official narrative into question are Hank Hughes, who served as a senior accident investigator with the NTSB and helped reconstruct the downed aircraft; Bob Young, a TWA investigator who was also involved with the official probe; and Jim Speer, an accident investigator for the Airline Pilots Association.

You don't have to be a physicist, Stalcup said, to know "there has never been an in-flight fuel-air explosion of any commercial aircraft ever," adamant that the voltage in airline fuel tanks are too low to ignite jet fuel.

The documentary doesn't offer a theory as to who or exactly what shot down Flight 800 (Was it alleged terrorism? An accidental strike from a U.S. military exercise?). Stalcup said they didn't delve into possible culprits because he considers it irresponsible to speculate, which is why he rejects the notion that he's peddling conspiracy theories.

"I'm a scientist. I'll go in front of any scientific body in the country and present the radar evidence. And they will agree. You can't have a low-velocity explosion create high-velocity debris. It's physically impossible," Stalcup said.

Most of us can't judge the science in this story. But Stalcup's documentary was convincing enough to get picked up by the EPIX TV network and distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation. Also, Stalcup said, "60 Minutes Australia" recently bought the rights to the film to show the movie Down Under.

Still, as CNN reported last month, Joe Lychner, whose wife and two daughters were killed on Flight 800, said he was skeptical of the missile theory.

"So far as I can tell, this is just a rehash of what's been out on the Internet," Lychner told CNN. But, he added, "If they do have new information and it's provable, it's a game changer. I will watch this thing with a very critical eye."

[MinM]

[elfismiles]

I saw a bumper sticker on my way to work this morning that read:


God bless our troops.
Especially the snipers.




"Snipers Are Cowardly Killers Who Can't Kill Up Close"

[fruhmenschen]

Scientific Study Reveals Conspiracy Theorists The Most Sane Of All



http://collectivelyconscious.net/articl ... ne-of-all/