Welcome

Welcome to my blog, ‘Dumbed Down America,’  my soap box on the American condition; where I hope to provide weekly commentary on items of interest to me and questions or comments that are submitted and pique my interest. Remember no question or comment is too dumb, if it piques my interest.  I’d like to thank our local New Jersey Assemblyman, Jerry Green, his thoughtless, self serving and unsubstantiated comments have inspired me to start this blog in self-defense. Like Jerry and Fox News, I promise all my comments will be fair and balanced. Who is Jerry Green? That’s a good question; we’d all like an answer. He thinks he’s the 3^rd most powerful person in the NJ Assembly. Given the results he has achieved for the citizens of my town, Plainfield, NJ, I’d put a 0 after that 3. Jerry has been good at glomming-on and short on results. Again, thanks Jerry; I hope to hear from you soon. I can’t wait.

As to rules, there are none except the following:

1. Keep the profanity down.

2. No ad hominine attacks, of course if they are really good, especially about me, they might see the light of day

3. Try to use a fact once in awhile to justify your comments or criticisms.

4. Try to be logical. –this is a hard one.

5. Anything relating to my pet peeves goes to the front of the line and stands good chance of getting a response.

Be for warned,   I plan to model my style after Lewis Black., Richard Pryor – I am not worthy and Mark Twain –I am definitely not worthy.;

Thanks in advance and I hope you will find this blog useful.

Scroll all the way down to the bottom for comments.

You thought this was going to be easy. 

Here’s an analysis of a movie done in the Hollywood style. It is one of my favorites and if you haven’t seen it, rent it. If you plan on seeing movie, only read up to the Theme. If you are still interested, read the rest after you have seen the movie. 
 
For Plainfielders this is my nightmare visage of how Assemblyman Green controls our city. Let us hope that we too can someday find Shell Beach.

“Dark City”

Premise: Film Noir at its peak and it’s Science Fiction. Adventure follows as a naked man wakes up in a bathtub filled with water. This ‘Stranger in a Strange Land’ is pursued by malevolent human-like creatures possessed of awesome powers as the forces of darkness and light battle for supremacy.

Outer:     Find Shell Beach         

Inner:     Understand why things feel so strange

Theme:     What does it mean to have a soul

           

      Act-1: Setup

1. Voiceover, a dark city at midnight, Dr. Daniel Schreber describes the ‘ordinary world.’

     2m 37s

2. A startled naked man, John Murdoch, wakes up in a tub in a seedy bathroom, a drop of blood trickles down his forehead; there are clothes on a chair.

     4m(1m 23s)           Confusion

3. He comes out of the bathroom, knocks over a goldfish bowl; saves the fish by putting it in a (Woops! What was  that? A syringe on the floor?) sink filled with water.

     4M 17S(17S)          Clue, empathy

4. II: He opens the closet door in the room, finds an overcoat, in the coat keys, puts on the coat, finds a suitcase and opens it. There is a postcard of Shell Beach; he gets memory rush of a bright sunny day. The phone rings, Dr. Schreiber, ‘Get out you are in danger. Your memory has been erased’ He knocks a bloody knife to floor, as he moves to see a mutilated female body on the floor. He escapes out of the apartment and down the stairs just as the elevator doors are opening. Phew!

     5m 43s(1m 43s) Clues, clues, corpse, ticking clock,

     tension builds, refusal of the call to adventure

     Mentor/trickster

5. A confused Murdoch: makes his way down the stairs, clock strikes midnight, people seem to be waking up, the desk clerk tells him he left his wallet at the automat, outside he throws the suitcase into the river.

     6m 43s(1m)           Information, tension ebbs a bit

6. Four human-like creatures, the strangers, are in Murdoch’s apartment. The door opens, it’s the desk clerk. They grab him, ‘Where’s Murdoch? ‘He just left,’ the clerk replies. One of them tells him to sleep.

     7m 17s(34s)          Enemies

7. A Woman singing in a nightclub. It’s Murdoch’s wife, Anna. She receives a note from Dr. Schreber, she visit’s the doctor, and he tells her Murdoch has had a psychotic break and is dangerous. Contact him, if she sees him. Schreber puts a rat into a maze.

     9m 40s(1m 53s) Goddess,

                          Who’s the rat in the maze?

8. Murdoch wonders down a street, as he wonders who he is, ‘Gotta get a grip on myself.’

     10m 23s(42s)         He’s definitely not crazy

9. Inspector Frank Bumstead is called into the case; as he goes through the door of Murdoch’s apartment he tells the cop that his shoes are untied.

11m 33s(1m 10s)      Bumstead’s a stickler for detail

10.      Murdoch goes to the automat, uses his mind to retrieve his wallet and is saved from arrest by a hooker.

12m 56s  (1m 23s)    Murdoch posses magical powers

11.At Murdoch’s apartment, Bumstead wonders, ‘who would save a fish.’ Six hookers have been murdered, thanks to Walensky. Walensky breaks in, “they’re watching us.” Cop shows Bumstead the rescued goldfish in a glass.

14m(1m 4s)           Who is Murdoch, the world is askew

                     Comic relief     

12.As Bumstead is rummaging through Walensky’s office at the police station, Anna shows up looking for her missing husband. Bumstead realizes it’s Murdoch and shows her a list of 6 women, victims of murder.

15m 27s(1m 27s)      Maybe Murdoch is a killer    

13.Murdoch and the hooker are at her apartment. He looks at his wallet, finds his name, a picture of his wife, tells the hooker that bringing strangers home is dangerous and leaves.

16m 32s(1m 5s) Murdoch is a decent person         

14.On the street Murdoch sees a billboard for Shell Beach. He climbs up to the billboard where he is confronted by the Strangers. He can Tune. He escapes.

18m 55s(2m 23s)      Enemies know Murdoch has their powers

                     Crossing the threshold

15.The strangers convene a meeting amongst themselves. They  ‘must have this man.’

19m 45s(50s)         All the enemies know, Murdoch is a danger to them

16.Murdoch goes to his wife’s apartment. He doesn’t remember her and he learns the reason for their problems is that she had an affair.

21m 06s(21s)         Meeting the goddess

17.The Strangers visit Dr. Schreber to make sure they still have his support. Schreber is in a swimming pool. The Strangers don’t like humidity.

22m 34s(1m 18s)      Is Schreber still loyal to them?

                     Is Schreber a trickster?

18.Murdoch talks to his wife and tells her he did not have it in him to commit those crimes. He sees a car outside, it belongs to Bumstead, Murdoch runs out of the apartment door, there is Bumstead with a gun, his wife distracts Bumstead; Murdoch escapes but drops Dr. Schreber’s business card. Bumstead finds the card.

25m 06s(2m 26s)      Anna is now on Murdoch’s side

19.Murdoch takes a cab to Schreber’s; the driver doesn’t know how to get to Shell Beach. Bumstead asks Schreber a few questions. Schreber is evasive. Bumstead leaves. Murdoch is watching what transpired.

27m(1m 54s)

20.Bumstead visits Walensky. Walensky tells him there is no case, she’s not my wife, he can’t remember details of his past and it doesn’t mean anything, anyway. Murdoch follows Dr. Schreber to the Strangers’ Headquarters.

29m 37s(2m 25s)      Clues

21.TP 1: At their headquarters, the Strangers activate their machines. It’s midnight, all the people are asleep, except Murdoch; they don’t reply to his entreaties to wakeup. The Tuning begins; the city reconfigures itself. Murdoch witnesses the changes.

36m 55s(7m 18s)

Act 2 Complications    

22.The Strangers leave their headquarters; Murdoch follows them as they go around the city setting up their experiments.

   41m 43s(4m 48s)

23.In assessing the success of their activities, the Strangers learn there is a flaw and they now have a competing entity -Murdoch. To find him they imprint one of their own with his memories.

      43m 41s(1m 58s)      A fracture in their world          

24.Murdoch reads the Shell Beach post card; it’ from Karl Harris. He finds Harris’ address in a phone book. At the newsstand he asks for directions. The news guy says, ‘take the subway.’ Murdoch re cognizes the news stand guy as the hotel Clerk. ‘How long have you been here,’ he asks. ‘24 years,’ is the reply from the news guy. Murdoch enters the subway system.    A fracture in Murdoch’s world

     44m 47s(1m 6s)

25.The Strangers go to the hooker’s apartment, interrogate her and kill her.

       46m 40s(1m 53s)     

26.In the subway station, Murdoch sees there is a stop for Shell Beach. He can’t get there. The train to Shell Beach is an express; it doesn’t stop here. He meets Walensky, ‘You can’t get out of the city…they steal people’s memories and swap them…’ Walensky commits suicide by jumping in front of the express to Shell Beach.

     48m 07s(1m 27s)      Clues      

27.The Strangers find and question Murdoch’s wife but she doesn’t know where he is.

     49m 33s(1m 26s)

28.Murdoch finds his uncle, Karl. He learns more about his past but realizes it’s all lies.

53m 11s(4m 22s)      Clues

29.Meanwhile, Anna goes to the hooker’s apartment, finds the dead hooker, turns to run and is caught by Bumstead. He takes her to the station. He’s not sure ‘what’s happening anymore.’ Note: This scene was inter-cut with 28

     54m 31s

30.Murdoch plans to spend the night at Karl’s. He asks Karl, ‘What happen to the day.’ Karl doesn’t know. In the bedroom he finds his old notebook it is blank. He comes out of the room, Karl is calling Anna, Murdoch turns to escape; the Strangers start Tuning.

     56m 47s(2m 16s)

31.Murdoch tries escaping through the city as it is being reconfigured, he battles the Strangers and is rescued by Bumstead.

   61m 23s(4m 36s)  Ally

32.At the station, Bumstead interrogates Murdock. Murdoch turns the tables on Bumstead by Tuning.

     63m 29s(2m 6s)

33.Murdoch and Anna meet in the visiting room. Murdoch tunes, shattering the glass between then, they kiss; Murdoch is dragged out of the room.

     65m 28s(1m 59s)      Empathy

34.In his office, Bumstead looks at the Shell Beach card and is interrupted by the cop was shoes were untied. The thanks him for capturing the killer, lets him know the chief wants to see him and that Bumstead’s shoe lace is untied.

     66m 17s(48s)         Bumstead is human after all

35.The Strangers invade the police station and force the chief to take them to Murdoch. He does but there is no Murdoch. Bumstead has let him out.

     67m 15s(58s)         Ally

36.MPS: Murdoch and Bumstead visit Dr. Schreber. Dr. Schreber tries to force Murdoch to inject him with a syringe as it has all the answers. Bumstead stops Dr. Schreber. They make Schreber take him to Shell Beach. They end up at  the canal; there is no longer a bridge to cross. Anna is returns to the apartment but everything inside it has changed. She is captured by one of the Strangers. Murdoch, Bumstead and Schreber use a rowboat to cross the canal.

     70m 5s(2m 5s)

37.As they row down the canal, Schreber explains who the Strangers are, their motivations, how they, the humans got there, the nature this world and Murdoch’s capabilities.

     74m 21s(4m 16s)      Clues, answers

38.TPII: They reach the end of the canal Schreber takes them into a warehouse and through a sting of rooms in the warehouse. They reach the end, there is one last door; Murdoch opens it; at the other end is Shell Beach but it’s a giant wall poster. Murdoch starts tearing at the poster as Schreber tries to tell him there is nothing there. The tearing exposes a brick wall. Murdoch and Bumstead try to batter down the wall. Murdoch tunes, destroying a large section of the wall. Behind is nothing but the void of outer space, stars.

     76m 17s(1m 56s)

39.The Strangers arrive, Murdoch and Bumstead fight the Strangers, Bumstead is killed when he drags one of the Strangers through the wall into outer-space; Murdoch surrenders when the Strangers threaten to kill Anna.

     77m 55s(1m 38s)            Low point

Act 3: Resolution        

40.The Strangers bring Murdoch to their headquarters, they force Dr. Schreber to imprint Murdoch with a syringe that will incorporate him into their collective, Dr. Schreber switches syringes and injects Murdoch with memories he has created which can destroy the Strangers.

     81m 40s(3m 45s)

41.Murdoch wakes up and destroys the Strangers in a furious battle, learns that Emma has been re-imprinted. He controls the machines and recreates the city in his image, a city of light.                  Supreme ordeal

                          Apotheosis

     88m 33s(6m 53s)

42.Murdoch heads for Shell Beach. The sky is a bright blue and the sun is shining. He walks out on to the end a pier. There is a girl; it’s Anna. They strike up a conversation. ‘Where are you heading,’ the girl asks. ‘Shell Beach’ is Murdoch’s reply. ‘I’m heading there to. My name is Anna. Want to come along?’ They walk off the pier as the sun sets.

     93m 58s(5m 25s)      Return to ordinary ‘ordinary’ world

                          Something gained