Movie Review: V for Vendetta (2005)

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Brian Wright

Inspirational classic (to be) on social justice 10/10
Reviewed by Brian R. Wright [original review 20070622]

Screenplay by Andy Wachowski,
Larry Wachowski
Directed by James McTeigue

Natalie Portman … Evey
Hugo Weaving … V
Stephen Rea … Finch
Stephen Fry … Deitrich
John Hurt … Adam Sutler

People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people.—V

Editor’s Note 7/4/2018 — There is none higher for an Independence Day moviethon; I also recommend Last of the Mohicans and a fair number of the other movies I review.

Editor’s Note 4/4/2011— I’m using V for Vendetta in lieu of my regular column this week. Every time I view the movie, I get more out of it. Pick up little statements or nuances missed the previous time. For example, on this most recent occasion (yesterday) it dawned on me how close American society is approaching the police state methods of this fictional theocratic-fascist England of the future: black bags, beatings, SWAT teams with benign mottos, warrantless searches, breaking down doors, hauling people away without trial never to be seen again, the complicit media, and the docile, cowering population. I wish for a real V to right these wrongs and fight for justice, free the political prisoners. Growing impatient am I for the restoration of the Republic. [Note, it also occurs to me how parallel the fictional government’s intentional killing of its own citizens was to our own government’s orchestration of the self-murderous 9/11 attacks.] — bw

In the early days of Free State existence we were all excited by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) next cinematic innovation. What better to follow a work of sci-fi Kung Foo mysticism than a work of sci-fi swashbuckling libertarian justice. (I include a passage on our night to out to see V in Merrimack, in my book New Pilgrim Chronicles.) Continue reading →

Book Review: The Secret behind Secret Societies (2003)

Posted on September 1, 2017 by Brian Wright

by Jon Rappoport
2003, Truth Seeker Books, 392 pages
Review by Brian R. Wright (originally posted March 2007)

BW: Reposting review 8/30/2017, on the eve of taking in Mr. Rappoport’s ‘Matrix’ series (three volumes available via his nomorefakenews site: The Matrix Revealed, Exiting the Matrix, and Life outside the Matrix.) Halfway thru the first volume, and I assure you it’s worth every penny, talk about positive life transformation! This book was my entry roughly 10 years ago to “Rappaportianism;” my own breakthru has been finding its own way since then, evidenced in my works via Global Spring, and now coming to a full boil thanks to the Matrix compendia. The Secret behind Secret Societies makes a solid foundation for anyone seeking a way out via expanded wholly independent and individual creative consciousness. Looks like it’s run out of print; I’m personally taking an action item to chat with Jon and find out how we can make his seminal work widely available once again, at a reasonable price.

This is a ‘different’ book even for me, or perhaps especially for me, as I’m at least a common-sense advocate of Aristotelian-Rand-ian rationality. The author’s main proposition is: Two artistic visions have fought with each other about the course of humanity:

One is the formula of the secret society which uses symbols and ritual to control and dominate others and claims exclusive knowledge.
The other is the “Tradition of the Imagination,” which holds each of us possesses immense creative power to achieve our own fascinating artistic vision of life in voluntary community with others.

In this Tradition of Imagination lies our future if we are to have a future, and we shall overcome the secret-society conspiracy of power by outcreating it. Continue reading →

Movie Review: The Matrix (1999)

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Brian Wright

Emotional fuel for world liberation ___ 10/10
Review by Brian Wright

“As long as the Matrix exists, the human race will never be free.”
— Morpheus

This review is the third of four commentaries that suggest a general approach to healing our world. The book I just reviewed, The Secret behind Secret Societies, discusses the conspiracy of power that underlies the current machinery of the Western global-corporate empire.

Written and Directed by
Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski

Keanu Reeves … Neo
Laurence Fishburne … Morpheus
Carrie-Anne Moss … Trinity
Hugo Weaving … Agent Smith
Gloria Foster … Oracle
Joe Pantoliano … Cypher

This controlling central power (let’s call it the Beast) is the fundamental ailment we are in sore need of healing from. The movie The Matrix is a metaphor of our own heroic struggle for liberty against the Beast, and provides a hopeful message that vigorously stirs the blood of freedom people.

The time is approximately 200 years from now, planet Earth. Early in the 21st century, humans achieve functional artificial intelligence (AI) which instead of leading to a comfortable human-machine Singularity[1] results in an earth-razing cataclysm. Machines (computers) 1: Humans 0.

The machine uber-intelligence (MUI) that takes over is analogous to our “Beast.” Continue reading →

Movie Review: V for Vendetta (2005)

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Brian Wright

Inspirational classic to be, on social justice (9/10)

People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people.— V

Editor’s Note: 01/25/2017. Per a recent guest column, it appears the Donald will be another Chancellor Adam Sutler from the movie… with help from a continuation of monstrous inside forces. People, get out your Guy Fawkes masks and proceed to the ramparts. — bw

Editor’s Note 11/2/2016—Perhaps this movie is a perfect symbol of the stirrings in the heart of the people for liberty… after decades of abuse by the Men of the Power Sickness. Are such hopes what animate the Trump Revolution? Decidedly so. Will Donald Trump as President betray the libertarian passions of those who got him elected? No one knows for sure, but if he simply sets up one New World Order for another… “Remember, Remember the 5th of November.” — V

In the early days of Free State existence we were all excited by the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix) next cinematic innovation. What better to follow a work of sci-fi Kung Foo mysticism than a work of sci-fi swashbuckling libertarian justice. (I include a passage on our night out to see V in Merrimack, in my book.) Continue reading →

Book Review: The Truman Prophecy (2015), Excerpt #1

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Brian Wright

From chapter ‘Curtain 1: Golden Rules’

[Excerpt from The Truman Prophecy,
due for publication 12/25/15.]

The three of them set up the second Monday in December, once more at the Indie Coffee Shop.

Chance noted, “How fitting that the name of this place matches a shortening of the name of our life form dawning: Independent?”

“I like the abbreviation ‘the I’s,’ better,” said Sean.

“The I’s have it… 🙂 ,” chided Katie.

“Good stuff,” remarked Chance. “We’re already going straight to the core of the Big Picture I’ve been striving for, and what I wanted to discuss today…

“… namely, my novel and all my related work presents the central idea of ‘the Independent’ as a new being rising from the ashes of the Collective, declaring its presence and withdrawing it from the old life form.”

“And by doing so, ending it [the old form],” furthered Katie. “Until now our liberty colleagues been more or less beating around the bush… so many grappling with the strings and chains… rather simply than casting them under foot and walking to the light.” Continue reading →

Brian’s Column: Reality?

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Brian Wright

One of life’s many mysteries
is why libertarians who say
don’t trust the government on anything,
from jobs to school performance to how to pay for roads,
believe any government official story
when it comes to military or foreign policy,
from WMDs in Iraq to ISIS rebels’ funding
to nuke threat of Iran… to the attacks of 9/11.
Also, anyone who actually tries
to watch modern mainstream network news
takes part in the same mystery
of why to believe what’s induced via that deep trance. Continue reading →

Brian’s Column: Of Fantasy Football and Donald Trump

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Brian Wright

Comments on how my friends (and I, occasionally) ignore the 900# Gorilla

Ol’ Tom said it most eloquently:

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

In other words, life goes on. Most people, like my fantasy football league guys and nearly everyone else I’ve ever worked or played golf with, have ‘taken the Blue Pill’ so long ago in their lives—preferring normal lives with children, jobs and careers as best they can, going to church, fitting in with the way things are done without asking any questions—that they literally have no idea what I’m talking about when I suggest the system is lying to them. That, in fact, the system is dangerous to life and limb and needs to change… and that they should ask questions and act to save themselves and all those they love. [They have to recognize, first, what Toto tells them, and then they must DOROTHY UP!]

Now with advent of ‘The Tube‘ it may be too late:[1] as Morpheus notes to Neo in The Matrix, “You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it.” Say it isn’t so, Morpheus! These are great guys… productive, bright, generous, funny, a joy to be around… you mean they’ll never lift a finger to stop wars of aggression, end torture and gross injustice, expose all the Big Lies of the Borg State?! Sadly, I’m afraid that’s just the way things are. For plenty of reasons. Unless… Continue reading →