Books and films w/ themes applicable in the real world. List them here.

[notfred]

The topic isn't worded exactly as I'd like, but I couldn't think of anything better. I'm looking for fiction that can be referenced to explain or clarify things that are happening in the real world. Maybe my chioces will clarify:

Gattaca
1984

Stuff like that...

 

[DaveSimmons]

Wag the Dog
Starship Troopers (if you think it's just a pro-war film, you'd like to know more.)
Dr. Strangelove

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

 

[ElFenix]

tess of the d'urbervilles

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

Actually it's a dark-humored anti-war picture, intentionally mimicking the feel of a WW2 Nazi propaganda film. It's like 1984 in showing how a populace can be manipulated to accept and embrace a facist state. Verhoeven intentionally chose wooden actors like Casper the Ghost and Denise Richards to show how two-dimensional these programmed soldiers were.

Seems very applicable to the current marketing of our upcoming war.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

Actually it's a dark-humored anti-war picture, intentionally mimicking the feel of a WW2 Nazi propaganda film. It's like 1984 in showing how a populace can be manipulated to accept and embrace a facist state. Verhoeven intentionally chose wooden actors like Casper the Ghost and Denise Richards to show how two-dimensional these programmed soldiers were.

Seems very applicable to the current marketing of our upcoming war.

Yeah, that's the fist 10 minutes of it, and the rest is just dismemberment and heads being sucked by aliens and stuff.

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

Actually it's a dark-humored anti-war picture, intentionally mimicking the feel of a WW2 Nazi propaganda film. It's like 1984 in showing how a populace can be manipulated to accept and embrace a facist state. Verhoeven intentionally chose wooden actors like Casper the Ghost and Denise Richards to show how two-dimensional these programmed soldiers were.

Seems very applicable to the current marketing of our upcoming war.

Yeah, that's the fist 10 minutes of it, and the rest is just dismemberment and heads being sucked by aliens and stuff.

Read the book.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: datalink7

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

Actually it's a dark-humored anti-war picture, intentionally mimicking the feel of a WW2 Nazi propaganda film. It's like 1984 in showing how a populace can be manipulated to accept and embrace a facist state. Verhoeven intentionally chose wooden actors like Casper the Ghost and Denise Richards to show how two-dimensional these programmed soldiers were.

Seems very applicable to the current marketing of our upcoming war.

Yeah, that's the fist 10 minutes of it, and the rest is just dismemberment and heads being sucked by aliens and stuff.

Read the book.

Book might be better, but we were discussing the movie

 

[DaveSimmons]

Originally posted by: datalink7

Originally posted by: notfred
Yeah, that's the fist 10 minutes of it, and the rest is just dismemberment and heads being sucked by aliens and stuff.

Read the book.

Which is very different and quite good -- a libertarian take on the duty of citizens as well as being a ripping yarn like most early & mid Heinlein.

 

[datalink7]

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: datalink7

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

Actually it's a dark-humored anti-war picture, intentionally mimicking the feel of a WW2 Nazi propaganda film. It's like 1984 in showing how a populace can be manipulated to accept and embrace a facist state. Verhoeven intentionally chose wooden actors like Casper the Ghost and Denise Richards to show how two-dimensional these programmed soldiers were.

Seems very applicable to the current marketing of our upcoming war.

Yeah, that's the fist 10 minutes of it, and the rest is just dismemberment and heads being sucked by aliens and stuff.

Read the book.

Book might be better, but we were discussing the movie

Yes, but I was discussing the book

The book is VASTLY different than the movie, and is a very good read.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: datalink7

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: datalink7

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

Originally posted by: notfred

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
Starship Troopers

What, the beginning when they're in training? 99% of that movie is just gatuitous violence. That and the plot was stupid.

Actually it's a dark-humored anti-war picture, intentionally mimicking the feel of a WW2 Nazi propaganda film. It's like 1984 in showing how a populace can be manipulated to accept and embrace a facist state. Verhoeven intentionally chose wooden actors like Casper the Ghost and Denise Richards to show how two-dimensional these programmed soldiers were.

Seems very applicable to the current marketing of our upcoming war.

Yeah, that's the fist 10 minutes of it, and the rest is just dismemberment and heads being sucked by aliens and stuff.

Read the book.

Book might be better, but we were discussing the movie

Yes, but I was discussing the book

The book is VASTLY different than the movie, and is a very good read.

If you were discussing the book, why'd you say "film" in the original post?

 

[DaveSimmons]

If you were discussing the book, why'd you say "film" in the original post?

no, we were discussing the film, he brought up the book.

I can see where you'd get that Verhoeven's subtext seems to fall away after the start of the movie, until the very end where the recruitment-film aspect reappears, but I felt that it was still there, just very subtle. I'd have to watch it again to point out the little clues he gives that he's not really glorifying war the way he appears to be.

He's always used violence to make his points about human nature, especially in RoboCop and Flesh + Blood. I'd argue that it only seems excessive and gratuitous but that's open to debate. Not tonight though, time for some sleep.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons

If you were discussing the book, why'd you say "film" in the original post?

no, we were discussing the film, he brought up the book.

I can see where you'd get that Verhoeven's subtext seems to fall away after the start of the movie, until the very end where the recruitment-film aspect reappears, but I felt that it was still there, just very subtle. I'd have to watch it again to point out the little clues he gives that he's not really glorifying war the way he appears to be.

He's always used violence to make his points about human nature, especially in RoboCop and Flesh + Blood. I'd argue that it only seems excessive and gratuitous but that's open to debate. Not tonight though, time for some sleep.

Haha, too many quotes, I thought you posted that one about the book.

I didn't like robo-cop either

 

[CJZ]

Office Space