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Conspiracy Nation Vol. 10 Num. 84
Conspiracy Nation -- Vol. 10 Num. 84
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("Quid coniuratio est?")
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CONSPIRACY THEORY
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Starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts
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Review by Conspiracy Nation
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This movie is very well done. This may be the first and even
perhaps only review of "Conspiracy Theory" which gives a solid
"thumbs up." You may be thinking, "Well of course... Conspiracy
Nation *would* like such a movie." (Or you may be thinking,
"Ah-hah. I'm just a tad more intellectual than you; I didn't
like it.") If so, understand that I watched this movie with a
critical eye and if it were garbage I'd tell you so. This film,
"Conspiracy Theory," is *not* garbage and I recommend it.
Early radar signals picked up by this underground news outlet
indicated that establishment-type film critics were all voting
"no" on this flick. This raised the question, "Are they putting
the film down because it really *is* bad? Or are they all
locking arms against the subtext of this movie, afraid that
potential movie-goers might think something like, 'Maybe there's
something to this conspiracy stuff?'" Even Kenn Thomas, editor of
a fine magazine which covers conspiracy theories, derides the
movie. My question to Kenn is, Did you arrive at your negative
judgement *before* or *after* you saw it? Hillary Clinton also
reportedly turned thumbs down on "Conspiracy Theory," her reason
being supposedly that co-star Julia Roberts smokes a cigarette in
it.
Some overly bitter and skeptical conspiratologists have
complained about Mel Gibson being "cute" in this movie; to them I
say, How else do you draw crowds? Should Harold Weisberg have
been the star?
If you see "Conspiracy Theory" (and I urge you to do so, since
you cast a vote for it if you do), you will be like me:
wondering how on earth one of the film critics could give this
movie only 2 stars out of a possible 10. This movie is *not*
about gimmicks, although yes there are action scenes sprinkled
in. Yet to hear some supposed film connoisseurs, the movie is
nothing but high-tech studio special-effects. It's not. What's
*great* about "Conspiracy Theory" is that the viewer initially
perceives main character Jerry Fletcher as a lunatic; then, as
the story unfolds, the viewer experiences a dawning awareness
that Fletcher is not so totally crazy as it seemed. This dawning
awareness is shared, in the film, by co-star Julia Roberts who
also metamorphises from knee-jerk skeptic toward an increased
understanding.
A clue to what the story involves is "MK-Ultra," the CIA's
mind-control program designed to produce remote-control
assassins. It doesn't really go into all the horrors of that
U.S. government project, assuming instead that most viewers
already know enough about it. One other minor critique I have is
the film's obligatory love story, something it seems all movies
must have in order to get funding these days. However this
hardened critic even found that aspect of the movie to be well
done, with good chemistry between Gibson and Roberts and a
touching "Beauty and the Beast" motif.
This movie, "Conspiracy Theory," is also sprinkled with humor,
which balances perfectly with the underlying fear and horror of
what has gone on. Star Mel Gibson is the sort who you don't know
when he's being serious or otherwise. On a recent "Tonight
Show," Gibson gave the impression he doesn't generally believe
conspiracy theories, yet on a subsequent appearance on the "E!"
channel he seems to believe just the opposite: friends tell how
talking with him at length "really got them believing this
stuff." Gibson reportedly has done a great deal of research into
the various conspiracy theories, and has stated that "human
nature doesn't change" and that "conspiracies have been going on
since the time of Cain and Abel."
Preliminary reports have the movie, "Conspiracy Theory," nudging
out "Air Force One" as number #1 money-making movie this past
weekend. The people involved with this latest entry into the
conspiracy genre must have known they were taking a risk in
daring to present conspiracy theories in a positive light. Will
their financial and career risks in daring to challenge
prevailing orthodoxy be rewarded, thus signalling other producers
that the genre can make money? Let's hope so.
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
For related stories, visit:
http://www.shout.net/~bigred/cn.html
http://feustel.mixi.net
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Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those
of Conspiracy Nation, nor of its Editor in Chief.
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Aperi os tuum muto, et causis omnium filiorum qui pertranseunt.
Aperi os tuum, decerne quod justum est, et judica inopem et
pauperem. -- Liber Proverbiorum XXXI: 8-9
