the Alex Gibney documentary (HBO, March)
https://www.fandor.com/keyframe/daily-sundance-2015-alex-gibneys-going-clear
― touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 28 January 2015 17:31 (nine years ago) link
thought the guardian's review felt like the lawyers had ripped it to bits, in a country where going clear couldn't be released due to not getting past the church's lawyers.
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/26/sundance-2015-review-going-clear-scientology-documentary-alex-gibney
he ends with this:
" It’s only then that the story of Sci*ntology, with all its strange players, emerges as comedy, rather than horror. And it’s that genre to which it clearly belongs."
this is so wrong. it's a crooked and sinister organisation first, a deluded religious one second - that's the entire point of going clear - that people are making big bucks out of this and that the beliefs, however barmy, aren't the root of the problem.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Wednesday, 28 January 2015 17:50 (nine years ago) link
as noted upthread, Hubbard is pretty comic in a tragic/fucked up way - but the second gen leaders (Miscavige et al) just seem like psychopaths/bullies
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 18:02 (nine years ago) link
hand-waving away claims with skepticism is kind of ridiculous when this shit's been part of the story of anyone who's left
― mh, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 18:15 (nine years ago) link
exactly. i find the review extremely disheartening - that's exactly it about hubbard as comedy followed up by roid rage jocks like miscavige. jon ronson's the men who stare at goats kinda plots a similar course from hippy ideas in the military post-vietnam up to abu ghraib torture, not that it was all innocence to begin with in either case, hubbard was prob a sociopath too.
i just find it such a perfect misunderstanding to paint them merely as ridiculous - the entire reason to be cynical about religion is the power at the heart of it, far more than the stupid stories those in power wield. it's an evil organisation and it's not the rank and file who should be targeted. that tends to act like a convenient smokescreen when it's doubtful miscavige and co believe in it at all.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Wednesday, 28 January 2015 19:29 (nine years ago) link
this is p interesting:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_w-YWwC1lI
― Οὖτις, Wednesday, 28 January 2015 21:51 (nine years ago) link
the entire reason to be cynical about religion is the power at the heart of it, far more than the stupid stories those in power wield. it's an evil organisation and it's not the rank and file who should be targeted.
OTM
― #Research (stevie), Thursday, 29 January 2015 11:49 (nine years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXf3pWVJOkA
― bit of a singles monster (Eazy), Monday, 2 February 2015 02:32 (nine years ago) link
DANNY MASTERSON TELLS US ABOUT HIS LIFE IN THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY
― nickn, Friday, 13 February 2015 23:58 (nine years ago) link
he swears a lot
and he makes it sound all so simple...
― Οὖτις, Saturday, 14 February 2015 00:04 (nine years ago) link
i just need to read that fuckin bookand decide for myself
― It's strange to me too. But we're talking about praxis, man. (Sufjan Grafton), Saturday, 14 February 2015 00:24 (nine years ago) link
Which book, Dianetics?
― Hollinger Escape Plan (Leee), Saturday, 14 February 2015 00:28 (nine years ago) link
yes, but I was joking. that's what dude prescribes. I already read Going Clear, oh man.
― It's strange to me too. But we're talking about praxis, man. (Sufjan Grafton), Saturday, 14 February 2015 00:44 (nine years ago) link
i just got three of my associates to read going clear this week
i'm a shrink btw
― gbx, Saturday, 14 February 2015 03:33 (nine years ago) link
I finally was old enough to read Dianetics, which is an unbelievably not-easy book to read because it was written by somebody with a much bigger vocabulary than most of us
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Saturday, 14 February 2015 10:22 (nine years ago) link
In Scientology, there's no belief system or anyone who's worshipped or whatnot; it's all sort of like college of the mind
a college where one is compelled to join a fraternity and the initiation/hazing never ends
― in-house pickle program (m coleman), Saturday, 14 February 2015 12:58 (nine years ago) link
scientologist as bro; just the kind of guy you'd like to share a few double-IPAs with while he audits your "fucking personality"
― in-house pickle program (m coleman), Saturday, 14 February 2015 13:01 (nine years ago) link
it's full of so much bullshit. he needs to check his scientology privilege.
that said, i'm kinda curious about whether he's lying about the ugly side of things, or whether the church accommodates certain wealthy influential scientologists and gives them a kind of privileged view of how it all works. and then it's just the less well off who are slaving away or being isolated from their families?
is it part of their strategy to court the rich and troubled with a laissez-faire version?
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Saturday, 14 February 2015 13:05 (nine years ago) link
they definitely court celebrities, as per Going Clear and Paul Haggis; not sure if the rich famous & troubled get off easier in the long run
― in-house pickle program (m coleman), Saturday, 14 February 2015 13:08 (nine years ago) link
I grew up just sort of like, "Oh, if you're thirsty, drink water. That's a logical fucking decision, right?"
What are the things that you wish you could clear up -- the most annoying things that people approach you about?Nothing really. I've never been given a hard time my entire life about my belief system or my philosophy in life
It's like what I said earlier: "Oh my god, I'm so thirsty." "OK cool, go drink water. That's your solution."
No. I mean, most of the courses cost 20, 50 bucks. If you can't afford to go sit in a room and have someone who's trained in that course give you the lessons and help you study and learn it, then I don't know what to say. I mean, it's cheaper than college.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Saturday, 14 February 2015 13:10 (nine years ago) link
it's good all these scientology spokescelebs are insane. imagine if they had an actually intelligent, thoughtful one who could convince ppl that scientology wasn't just a con for morons
― Mordy, Saturday, 14 February 2015 17:51 (nine years ago) link
They almost got Spielberg...
― Hollinger Escape Plan (Leee), Saturday, 14 February 2015 19:09 (nine years ago) link
For some reason I hear ^^ that in my mind as being spoken wearily by a middle-aged cop in a rumpled suit. He sits on a straight backed chair in a dimly lit, dusty room, his legs splayed apart. He leans forward, forearms on knees, a cup of cold coffee forgotten in his hand. As he speaks he shakes his head slowly and he looks down at his scuffed brown shoes.
― Aimless, Saturday, 14 February 2015 19:18 (nine years ago) link
are you calling tom cruise intelligent and thoughtful?
or is this another point...?
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Sunday, 15 February 2015 00:38 (nine years ago) link
i think you are either reading something into my comment that wasn't intended, or just misreading the syntax?
― Mordy, Sunday, 15 February 2015 00:46 (nine years ago) link
loool at "college of the mind," nothing like those other colleges
― Simon H., Sunday, 15 February 2015 00:46 (nine years ago) link
ah sorry mordy, my bad, i thought you were being sarcastic - like implying that cruise was that person.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Sunday, 15 February 2015 10:22 (nine years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zllYkNu1sl4
― bit of a singles monster (Eazy), Saturday, 21 February 2015 06:51 (nine years ago) link
stoked for the madness
― gr8080, Saturday, 21 February 2015 17:35 (nine years ago) link
i am truly looking forward to this.
― ian, Saturday, 21 February 2015 19:22 (nine years ago) link
interesting to see if it actually prompts any action - the trailer seems to be going for that angle, assuming the euro one i watched is the same as that one linked above, which is blocked for me.
i wish i had read the book more recently.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Saturday, 21 February 2015 19:28 (nine years ago) link
As long as the information in the movie is based on the same as the hyper-vetted book, I don't see why it would prompt any legal action, for the same reason: if they sued, they'd have to introduce all sorts of crazy stuff into evidence they'd rather just keep hidden/made up.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 21 February 2015 19:47 (nine years ago) link
they sure have an ugly building. aren't religions supposed to make good buildings or something.
― men without hat tips (Hunt3r), Saturday, 21 February 2015 19:51 (nine years ago) link
Lord Elron was more into boats, tbh.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 21 February 2015 19:59 (nine years ago) link
love the scientology building so much
― tender is the late-night daypart (schlump), Saturday, 21 February 2015 20:21 (nine years ago) link
thetans in the architecture
― men without hat tips (Hunt3r), Saturday, 21 February 2015 21:27 (nine years ago) link
SF scientology building is kinda cool (the old Transamerica building)
Guess they like the style; the one in Madrid is very similar.
― drash, Saturday, 21 February 2015 22:02 (nine years ago) link
i.e. wedge-shaped, ship-like. Flatiron building better watch out.
― drash, Saturday, 21 February 2015 22:10 (nine years ago) link
I meant to wonder if this doc will cause backlash against scientology, rather than a legal action by the "church". The trailer I saw (which I think is the same one linked here but can't tell) had all these snippet quotes of "this will blow the whole thing open" etc. I guess to me it seems like scientology already won the big battles in the 80s and 90s - I am psyched for this doc but I don't expect it to do any actual damage. The book was incredibly neutral, it just told stories and indicted that way, which was highly effective. I guess I don't expect the doc to do anything more than reach a bigger audience.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Sunday, 22 February 2015 00:02 (nine years ago) link
the big jump from New Yorker subscribers to HBO subscribers
― gr8080, Monday, 23 February 2015 14:24 (nine years ago) link
prob will be bigger globally - the book also was banned in the uk - even if the doc doesn't come out here a lot of people will still watch it.
― Moyes Enthusiast (LocalGarda), Monday, 23 February 2015 14:29 (nine years ago) link
Can the doc legally include all that crazy Tom Cruise stuff (like his Mission Impossible theme infomercial)?
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 23 February 2015 15:36 (nine years ago) link
god i hope so
― gr8080, Monday, 23 February 2015 17:49 (nine years ago) link
http://i.imgur.com/0Eq72g8.png
― gr8080, Friday, 27 March 2015 18:02 (nine years ago) link
sunday sunday sunday
mistah wright!
― kinder, Friday, 27 March 2015 18:30 (nine years ago) link
What did you all think?
Having read the book, I guess it was a bit underwhelming. Mainly because the book is just so exhaustively detailed.
I thought the doc explained the e-meter more clearly, and some of the personalities came across nicely. Also, lol at that awful song.
― Junior Dictionary (LocalGarda), Monday, 30 March 2015 22:09 (nine years ago) link
I loved it. I never read the book but I knew a lot of the details. I didnt know about the machinations behind getting tax exempt status though, thats mindblowing.
― tayto fan (Michael B), Monday, 30 March 2015 22:21 (nine years ago) link
Insane. If only the IRS could have held their nerve.
― Junior Dictionary (LocalGarda), Monday, 30 March 2015 22:25 (nine years ago) link
I dug it. I havent read the book & most of my knowledge is Hubbard/Parsons occult & early dianetics, so I found this v interesting + fking nuts
Hubbard footage (the color interview footage) STUFF OF NIGHTMAREShis mouth/teeth/lips so creepyeverything about him tbh
looooling at the meeting footage. william gibson retweeted someone saying that some of it looked like a bioshock level lol
― difficult-difficult lemon-difficult (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 30 March 2015 22:25 (nine years ago) link