"The Angry Birds Movie" had a scene that spoke very close to my heart when he looked with disgust at two lesbian birds holding "hands" and kissing in public.
You should definitely watch "Soylent Green", "Zardoz" and "Brazil." Add "Logan's Run" to this group. Love and family vs. a hedonic computer driven utopia.
Some lighter fare for your list:
"Demolition Man." High T action hero from the past battles emasculating elitist utopia. Stallone's best movie.
Since you liked "Elysium" try "Death Race 2000", "The Running Man", and "Total Recall." Nothing deep, but a lot of fun.
Regarding your egalitarian ratchet effect, try "Amadeus" and "The Incredibles." Both feature envy filled villains attacking the talented.
Finally, the most based movie of all: "The Brady Bunch Movie."
Thanks Fabius, I appreciate the recommendations and will look into them. I’ve seen Running Man and Total Recall and I don’t think either are dissident films, although the book that The Running Man is based on is quite dissident and I have a future post planned on it…
The Running Man novel is one of the best stories I've ever read, love the movie but it's so far from the novel the only similarities are the name. It used to be part of a quartet of stories published as the Bachman Books by Stephen King, the other stories included The Long Walk, about a dystopian America where the national sport is making kids walk until they die or are killed for going to slow, Roadwork, about a man driven to madness by eminent domain, and Rage which is no longer published because it's based on a kid killing his teacher and holding rest of the class hostage. The Long Walk was actually assigned to me in my junior year of high school, highly doubt that'd be the case today. If you read old King novels and compare them to his current politics you have to wonder what type of blackmail they hold over him, he used to understand what was happening in the world.
I didn't think of Elysium as a dissident film. I thought it was pro immigration, mainly, plus what usually passes for populism in Hollywood.
(I had long encouraged libertarians to look seriously as such Hollywood populist films such as the above as well as Rollerball and Robocop, to recognize that mega corporations can get out of control as well. Hollywood's simplistic "we need moor government" answer is what freedom lovers should challenge.)
Finally, for your gnostic pleasure, watch the anime television series "The Big O." Much better than The Matrix. Warning, it has that strange mix of the silly and the sublime which is common to anime, and you have to watch several episodes to get real traction.
It's been a few years, but I took away a very different message from Elysium. I don't know how much more blatantly obvious this open borders propaganda could have been. Whitey up there on his space station was supposed to open his doors to the brown refugees and share his wealth with the wogs.
Thanks Martin, it’s been a number of years since I’ve watched it and you’re not the first in the comments to make this point, so maybe I need to rewatch it. My recollection was to associate Elysium with the globohomo elite who want to centralize the world’s wealth for themselves and leave everyone else living in dirt poverty, but perhaps that’s not the right read. I’ll add a comment in the post about this…
I would add M Night Shyamalans films to fit in this vein. I don't know much about his personal life but his films have a similar vibe as Gibson, where a sense of traditional morality pervades everything. There's also a lot of magical realism / supernatural elements, but unlike in most horror/thriller movies, the source of the supernatural isn't overtly demonic. Probably not a coincidence that Gibson was in one of his films.
I'd put the The Village at the top of the list. It hits many of the items you mentioned. It was incorrectly marketed as a monster flick and wasn't received well by critics and audiences since it "fails" as a horror film. And it sort of marked the beginning of the end of his hot streak. But I think the real reason it wasn't received well is that it is, in effect, a "dissident" film.
One more that I'll add, which probably isn't a dissident film per se, but feels like one given the genre is Return to Me. Basically a chick flick, but strongly contrasts with the usual notes those films hit. Was expecting smut and trash when my wife suggested it, but damn I actually liked it and it was shockingly wholesome.
For any UK readers (and I guess anyone else with a VPN), "Apocalypto" is currently streaming free on ITV.com. I'm watching it as we speak and it's as good as NF says.
Also Rob Roy, an underacknowledged product of mid-1990s Celt-mania (mystifyingly they chose to release it at the same time as Braveheart, which is not nearly as good a film).
Extremely noble, beautiful script and very true to the period
Hi Shade, I mentioned Master & Commander in the post -- it's a very good film and I highly recommend it, but I wouldn't consider it a "dissident" film just because it portrays male bonding and masculinity in a correct and positive light. I'll check out the other two films, thank you for the recommendations...
In fact I should have paid closer attention to your theme. None of the films I mentioned are 'dissident' works; they're implicitly (and subtly) right-wing is all.
I was very surprised to not see ‘V for Vendetta’ on this list. It’s the first dissident movie that came to my mind and thought it would be the final film on your list instead of Angry Birds. (I guess I need to watch that one!) Great list overall though.
Concerning cinematography. As far as I recall Kubrick bought surplus lenses from NASA to film with ambient light only, i.e. day or candlelight as electricity did not exist at the time of the movie. Also much of it is composed to resemble oil paintings form around that period.
Um, you do realize in the context of its era "They Live" was about proto-Wokes rejecting traditional culture.
Hint: One of the evil messages pushed by the aliens was "Reproduce".
Also in "District 9", we're supposed to root for the aliens, with the evil "human supremacist" receiving the karmic punishment of being turned into one of the aliens he hates.
I wasn't much aware of the zeitgeist at the time of They Live's release, but yeah, "Reproduce" as a subliminal message would run counter to the dissident argument.
Re: District 9, the aliens are shown as worker bees who are incapable of much thought without their hive queen, who has disappeared; they were found in the mothership totally listless, and they are shown as both low IQ and quite violent and they need constant welfare to survive. Only the alien and the alien child that the main character interacts with is one of the "elevated" aliens capable of independent thought...
Generally speaking, given the narrow, rigidly ideological state of globohomo culture, some of the dissident themes will have more surface-oriented normie themes that may even run counter to the underlying themes -- otherwise the films probably wouldn't have gotten made...
> they are shown as both low IQ and quite violent and they need constant welfare to survive. Only the alien and the alien child that the main character interacts with is one of the "elevated" aliens capable of independent thought...
Yes, the message being that the aliens may appear to be stupid and violent, but if you really get to know them, you realize that's just a harmful stereotype.
First Sicario, CIA run drug cartels with an entire system of government above the law. FBI as useful idiots. Goes beyond dissident and more 'f@ck you, this is the game, wtf are you going to do about it '
I'm really curious about whether parenting in the manner Ben Cash and his wife Leslie (while still living) brought up their children actually would result in such magnificent, intelligent, wise, talented, strong in body and mind, self-sufficient, and resourceful human beings. But then again, with parents such as Ben (and we can assume Leslie as well), the primary material was high quality to begin with, so there must have been a high probability for such a remarkable outcome. A wonderfully enjoyable and inspiring film.
"The Angry Birds Movie" had a scene that spoke very close to my heart when he looked with disgust at two lesbian birds holding "hands" and kissing in public.
You should definitely watch "Soylent Green", "Zardoz" and "Brazil." Add "Logan's Run" to this group. Love and family vs. a hedonic computer driven utopia.
Some lighter fare for your list:
"Demolition Man." High T action hero from the past battles emasculating elitist utopia. Stallone's best movie.
Since you liked "Elysium" try "Death Race 2000", "The Running Man", and "Total Recall." Nothing deep, but a lot of fun.
Regarding your egalitarian ratchet effect, try "Amadeus" and "The Incredibles." Both feature envy filled villains attacking the talented.
Finally, the most based movie of all: "The Brady Bunch Movie."
Thanks Fabius, I appreciate the recommendations and will look into them. I’ve seen Running Man and Total Recall and I don’t think either are dissident films, although the book that The Running Man is based on is quite dissident and I have a future post planned on it…
The Running Man novel is one of the best stories I've ever read, love the movie but it's so far from the novel the only similarities are the name. It used to be part of a quartet of stories published as the Bachman Books by Stephen King, the other stories included The Long Walk, about a dystopian America where the national sport is making kids walk until they die or are killed for going to slow, Roadwork, about a man driven to madness by eminent domain, and Rage which is no longer published because it's based on a kid killing his teacher and holding rest of the class hostage. The Long Walk was actually assigned to me in my junior year of high school, highly doubt that'd be the case today. If you read old King novels and compare them to his current politics you have to wonder what type of blackmail they hold over him, he used to understand what was happening in the world.
I didn't think of Elysium as a dissident film. I thought it was pro immigration, mainly, plus what usually passes for populism in Hollywood.
(I had long encouraged libertarians to look seriously as such Hollywood populist films such as the above as well as Rollerball and Robocop, to recognize that mega corporations can get out of control as well. Hollywood's simplistic "we need moor government" answer is what freedom lovers should challenge.)
Brazil (1985) #Facts
I forgot. Think you need to consider and Oldboy (2003) & A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Team D is definitely using "A Clockwork Orange" as a manual. Definitely needs to be included -- as least for those cool with watching rated X movies.
The Fountainhead
Dang, didn't know it was x-rated. When think of X, I think of Caligula (1979).
Since the X rating was officially discontinued, it's now listed as R, but it was originally X.
Finally, for your gnostic pleasure, watch the anime television series "The Big O." Much better than The Matrix. Warning, it has that strange mix of the silly and the sublime which is common to anime, and you have to watch several episodes to get real traction.
I'll check it out, thank you...
"The Big O." Roger the Negotiator in Paradigm City? That Big O? I love it. Have the set of DVDs
Yes, that one. I have the DVDs as well.
Oops! I forgot one: "The President's Analyst." A neglected classic.
Great film.
“With rebellion, awareness is born.”
― Albert Camus
https://merylnass.substack.com/p/odds-n-ends/comment/57435642
It's been a few years, but I took away a very different message from Elysium. I don't know how much more blatantly obvious this open borders propaganda could have been. Whitey up there on his space station was supposed to open his doors to the brown refugees and share his wealth with the wogs.
Thanks Martin, it’s been a number of years since I’ve watched it and you’re not the first in the comments to make this point, so maybe I need to rewatch it. My recollection was to associate Elysium with the globohomo elite who want to centralize the world’s wealth for themselves and leave everyone else living in dirt poverty, but perhaps that’s not the right read. I’ll add a comment in the post about this…
I would add M Night Shyamalans films to fit in this vein. I don't know much about his personal life but his films have a similar vibe as Gibson, where a sense of traditional morality pervades everything. There's also a lot of magical realism / supernatural elements, but unlike in most horror/thriller movies, the source of the supernatural isn't overtly demonic. Probably not a coincidence that Gibson was in one of his films.
I'd put the The Village at the top of the list. It hits many of the items you mentioned. It was incorrectly marketed as a monster flick and wasn't received well by critics and audiences since it "fails" as a horror film. And it sort of marked the beginning of the end of his hot streak. But I think the real reason it wasn't received well is that it is, in effect, a "dissident" film.
One more that I'll add, which probably isn't a dissident film per se, but feels like one given the genre is Return to Me. Basically a chick flick, but strongly contrasts with the usual notes those films hit. Was expecting smut and trash when my wife suggested it, but damn I actually liked it and it was shockingly wholesome.
I certainly agree re M Night Shyamalans films - love them!
For any UK readers (and I guess anyone else with a VPN), "Apocalypto" is currently streaming free on ITV.com. I'm watching it as we speak and it's as good as NF says.
Also Rob Roy, an underacknowledged product of mid-1990s Celt-mania (mystifyingly they chose to release it at the same time as Braveheart, which is not nearly as good a film).
Extremely noble, beautiful script and very true to the period
Three Peter Weir films:
- Gallipoli (best film ever made)
- Master & Commander (surprised you didn't include it)
- Witness (esp. barn-raising scene)
Hi Shade, I mentioned Master & Commander in the post -- it's a very good film and I highly recommend it, but I wouldn't consider it a "dissident" film just because it portrays male bonding and masculinity in a correct and positive light. I'll check out the other two films, thank you for the recommendations...
oh ok I missed it--apologies
In fact I should have paid closer attention to your theme. None of the films I mentioned are 'dissident' works; they're implicitly (and subtly) right-wing is all.
Not a dissident film, but weird and strangely appealing, is Peter Weir’s first film ‘The Cars that Ate Paris’.
Hint. It’s not set in France.
Thanx will investigate
EDIT: I see it was filmed in Sofala wow
I was very surprised to not see ‘V for Vendetta’ on this list. It’s the first dissident movie that came to my mind and thought it would be the final film on your list instead of Angry Birds. (I guess I need to watch that one!) Great list overall though.
The International.
Looks interesting; I'll watch it, thank you.
I just watched it on your recommendation. A good film, but doesn't it give the message that opposition to the banks is hopeless?
Interesting. Maybe that is the desired result from controlled opposition. Give up and/or get distracted.
Concerning cinematography. As far as I recall Kubrick bought surplus lenses from NASA to film with ambient light only, i.e. day or candlelight as electricity did not exist at the time of the movie. Also much of it is composed to resemble oil paintings form around that period.
Um, you do realize in the context of its era "They Live" was about proto-Wokes rejecting traditional culture.
Hint: One of the evil messages pushed by the aliens was "Reproduce".
Also in "District 9", we're supposed to root for the aliens, with the evil "human supremacist" receiving the karmic punishment of being turned into one of the aliens he hates.
I wasn't much aware of the zeitgeist at the time of They Live's release, but yeah, "Reproduce" as a subliminal message would run counter to the dissident argument.
Re: District 9, the aliens are shown as worker bees who are incapable of much thought without their hive queen, who has disappeared; they were found in the mothership totally listless, and they are shown as both low IQ and quite violent and they need constant welfare to survive. Only the alien and the alien child that the main character interacts with is one of the "elevated" aliens capable of independent thought...
Generally speaking, given the narrow, rigidly ideological state of globohomo culture, some of the dissident themes will have more surface-oriented normie themes that may even run counter to the underlying themes -- otherwise the films probably wouldn't have gotten made...
> they are shown as both low IQ and quite violent and they need constant welfare to survive. Only the alien and the alien child that the main character interacts with is one of the "elevated" aliens capable of independent thought...
Yes, the message being that the aliens may appear to be stupid and violent, but if you really get to know them, you realize that's just a harmful stereotype.
First Sicario, CIA run drug cartels with an entire system of government above the law. FBI as useful idiots. Goes beyond dissident and more 'f@ck you, this is the game, wtf are you going to do about it '
“Captain Fantastic”
I'll check it out, thank you.
Outstanding!
I'm really curious about whether parenting in the manner Ben Cash and his wife Leslie (while still living) brought up their children actually would result in such magnificent, intelligent, wise, talented, strong in body and mind, self-sufficient, and resourceful human beings. But then again, with parents such as Ben (and we can assume Leslie as well), the primary material was high quality to begin with, so there must have been a high probability for such a remarkable outcome. A wonderfully enjoyable and inspiring film.
Got to Angry Birds and lol'd, droll AF. Looking forward to watching it with the family.
Apocalypto! Yes. It portrays the rise of big government parasites who prey on and enslave the free tribal people.
15 Coneheads. Funny aliens versus vicious, meddling government bureaucrats.