Rantings of a modern-day-conspiracy-theorist-in-question

I'm afraid of the Illuminati. I believe its existence is very real, very old, very elaborate, and very planned; that it is behind most of the world's corruption and greed, that there is an agenda involving a New World Order, and that this order is thriving at present. I believe that much of Hollywood and the majority of the music industry are apart of a hierarchy which has slowly but surely paved way to a modern day embracing of sleaze and tolerance of corruption.

PSYCHE!

Yes, I'm one of those people. That isn't to say that I really, whole-heartedly, 100% have bought into all of it (yet...or again...), but let me tell you, I am addicted, suckered in, and can't get enough of the "information."

The age of information is many things both good and bad, and it might be the ultimate Downfall to the new generation of 10-year-old smart-phone carriers. Nothing is scarier in life than the truth, but information is not synonymous with truth. The information age is full of truths and falsities, and it's a judgement call as to which is the scarier.

That being said, you should still be aware of "information" being spread.

• Is a large majority of the Music Industry and Hollywood, not to mention the Adult Film Industry, run by Illuminati?
• Are Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and many others, puppets for a sect of mind-controlling, society-droning Satanists?
• Did several icons from Bob Dylan to Katy Perry, as well as hip-hop kings Jay-Z and Kanye West really admit to selling their souls to the devil (or "Rain Man") in return for fame and fortune? Were they asked to sign their names in blood?
• Were the deaths of American martyrs and world leaders such as Lincoln, JFK, MLK, Malcom X, Princess Di and Benizir Bhutto, all organized by said group?
• Are the Bush's, namely George Bush Sr., really an inhuman race of centurys-old, shape-shifting Reptilians with a world domination agenda?
• Did Tupac fake his own death as a final attempt to escape the threats and murder-attempts against him, after his single Killuminati was produced? If so, will he "come back" in the year 2014 and admit publicly to faking his own death?
• Were the latest crimes and allegations of BMX and Chris Brown, independently, just one-big-setup, the result of their breaking a certain contract within the said group?

Let me reiterate that I do not claim to believe any of the above-mentioned theories. However, if from my blog is the first time you are reading "such nonsense," believe me, this kind of $#it is ALL OVER the web. I know it is because I've read it all, from the interviews with former-Illuminati members undergoing treatment and counseling to overcome the years of brain-washing and mind-control, to the propaganda videos claiming that Chemtrails are government-produced modes of weather control; from the articles claiming the Freemasons are hand-in-glove with the Illuminati, to the audio-clips containing subliminal messages within Beatles, Rihanna, and Beyonce tracks. Yes, I KNOW it all sounds pretty crazy but...in equal parts, it's undoubtedly fascinating.

As far as my feelings for the information above is concerned, I'm reminded of Rose McGowan's line in Scream: "You can only hear that Richard Gere gerbil story so many times before, you HAVE to start believing it."

Movies movies movies

At the bottom of the page you can find the "500 (or so) Masterpieces I Can Verify" list. No, I did not originally intend for a list to be that lengthy. Yes, I realize I am an eccentric personality.

The idea initially was to comprise a list of 100 Masterpieces. I began chronologically and worked early early early, deciding to begin at 1916 with "Intolerance" and the list would end with the latest masterpiece I have seen in theaters, Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life."

Moving on, I discovered soon that 100 would be far too short of a list. I wasn't even into talking pictures by the time my number reached 20, and there was no way I could see omitting ANY of the chosen. I would HAVE to include at least ONE work from directors such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and F.W. Murnau, probably my three favorite directors of the silent era. But debating over which is the worthier title between "City Lights" or "The Gold Rush" or "Modern Times" (even if the latter is technically not a silent), between "The General" or "Sherlock Jr." or "Seven Chances" or "Steamboat Bill, Jr.", between "Nosferatu" or "Faust" or "Sunrise", the task became impossible.

Let's aim for 200.

And then came the second dilemma. Only two-hundred. Well, only American films or World Cinema included? If I only include American films, I will have to go back and exclude my list of Murnau's, since he was a German director. However, he also did works FOR Hollywood, such as "Sunrise," so do I allow that grey area? Nonsense. World Cinema must be included.

Wow then. Masterpieces from the world over. WHAT a list. Just how many have I seen?

Better make it 1000.

Once I had this in mind, I felt like a gushing faucet with the screen removed. I put in all of the great titles from my favorite directors, and the time flew by like an 80s montage. My favorite American directors: Martin Scorcese, David Lynch, John Ford, Howard Hawks, Terrence Malick, John Cassavetes, Robert Altman, Woody Allen, David Cronenberg, and even Steven Spielberg; you'll find many of their films in the list. My favorite of the French new-wave: Francois Truffaut, Eric Rohmer, and Jules Dassin; you'll find them here as well. Italian cinema? Federico Fellini, Michaelangelo Antonioni, Luchino Visconti, even Giuseppe Tornatore and Roberto Benini; I couldn't have a list without them. Japanese masters Akira Kurosawa and Kenjii Mizoguchi, German radical filmmakers Werner Herzog and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Spanish filmmakers of the surreal Luis Bunel and Pedro Almodovar...AND of course the Brit masters, Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Laurence Olivier...

I owe props to the critic and essay writer David Thompson, who has himself written a WONDERFUL book entitled "Have You Seen...? An Introduction to 1,000 Films." I bought the book two years ago, and have made it an ongoing checklist ever since. He is a very intelligent, if not outright pretentious, yet very clever and often quite hilarious, writer, and his insight to the history of film is admirable and inspiring. So inspiring, that is...

To make a long blog short (too late), my list is probably going to be an ongoing work in progress. I added and edited so many times, eventually the list exceeded the capacity the site would allow... One thousand movies is, believe it or not, both a lot of movies AND not as many as you realize. BUT...I had to continue to edit, and the list that remains was a tricky, painstakingly tedious process. Regardless, five hundred are listed whether I'm going to be satisfied with them as "definitive" or not.

Here's to anyone who has seen a film from the list, and agrees with me.

Keep Me In Checklist

I list compulsively.

Very often I'll attempt to liven conversation amongst my friends and family with "What's your favorite..." or "Who's your top three..." Half of the time I'll offer my answer before they've even taken a breath.

At the end of every year, I cite to myself (and whoever loves me, no matter how little they might care) my Top Ten of the Year, in movies, albums, and songs.

This method, this constant need to number, to compare and contrast, to weed out the best and worst from the X, to RANK:

1) Keeps me fresh, hip, in-the-know (at least I tell myself this).
2) Keeps me up late at night.
3) Keeps me in check with my ever growing, ever evolving, sense of taste.

...I'm not even consciously doing it.

With all of that said, I will be using this page as a sort of checklist itself. Consider this my official, end-all-be-all, ULTIMATE, checklist.

Keep ME in checklist. ;)