ClandesTime

Joining me for this discussion is Guillermo Jimenez along with regular guest Pearse Redmond. We talked about three recent examples of the crossover of popular culture and politics – the film The Interview, the attack on Charlie Hedbo magazine in Paris, and American Sniper. We talked about how the popular dialogue around these events has […] (Read more...)

Aaron Franz joined me to talk about the 1982 film Tron, as well as its recent sequel Tron: Legacy.  In this in-depth conversation we talked about comparisons with other films including The Wizard of Oz and the Matrix trilogy, the long standing relationship between Disney, who produced Tron, and the OSS, CIA and FBI, the […] (Read more...)

In this episode I take a look at the alternative/conspiracy theories about the sinking of the Titanic, in the context of mass trauma events and disaster capitalism. I look at the theory that the Titanic was switched for its sister ship, the Olympic, and that it was the Olympic that actually sank in April 1912. I suggest a way of potentially resolving the mystery, as well as critiquing the mainstream and alternative media coverage of disasters. (Read more...)

Once more my good friend Pearse Redmond of Porkins Policy Radio joined me to discuss the latest series of Homeland, the CIA’s pet TV project. We looked at how the show has been rebooted in this season, with a much more aggressive and ambitious purpose both in mythologizing past events and predicting future ones. From 9/11 to the ISIS beheadings to drone strikes to The Lone Gladio, this is typically wide ranging conversation on one of the most important shows currently on TV. (Read more...)

In this followup to episode 41 Adam from Themes and Memes returned to the show to talk about apocalypse pop culture and apocalyptic thinking more generally. We focused in on the relationship between the Pentagon’s entertainment liaison offices and recent disaster films, particularly those aimed at the conspiracy crowd. We rounded by discussing the film […] (Read more...)

The US Air Force has had a significant presence in Hollywood since at least WW2. In this episode I look at the film Winning Your Wings, a 1942 recruitment film that inspired tens of thousands of men to sign up for the Army’s Air Forces. I explain how this led to the creation of the […] (Read more...)

In this episode I welcome back Adam to the show to discuss the 2012 TV special Derren Brown’s Apocalypse.  We talked about the context in which the show was made, the ethical and moral problems of what they do in the show, the techniques used to deceive and manipulate the participant, the controversy over whether […] (Read more...)

Today I welcome to the show FBI whistleblower and author Sibel Edmonds of BoilingFrogsPost.com and we talk about her new book The Lone Gladio.  We discussed how the novel subverts the usual spy genre, not just through its uncompromising look at the deep state but also in its treatment of women, its portrayal of black […] (Read more...)

In this episode we take a look at O.S.S., a 1946 film produced in close co-operation with the real life OSS, and the first movie in history to mention the CIA. I outline the unusually large degree of state sponsorship of this film, the biographies of Alan Ladd (the film's star), Richard Maibaum (the writer/producer) and John M Shaheen (the real life OSS officer who was a technical consultant on the film), and analyse the purpose of the film. I also look at how exceptions must have been made to grant this film a release certificate, given the production code governing movies at the time. (Read more...)

I welcome back my good friend Pearse Redmond to the show and we talked about the film Eyes Wide Shut, looking into the background of its star, senior scientologist and state-sponsored film star Tom Cruise. We discussed Stanley Kubrick’s relationship with conspiracy theories and secret societies and whether the film is a warning about them, or whether he enjoyed promoting these sorts of theories. In this typically broad conversation we also touched on the mainstreaming of conspiracy, Alex Jones’s infiltration of Bohemian Grove not long after the film was released, and linking in with the last episode whether the audience watching Eyes Wide Shut are to be considered ‘willing fools’. There is much more besides in this conversation, so don't miss it. (Read more...)

For this show I welcome back two friends – Adam of cerebralrevolt.com and Aaron of ageoftransitions.com.  We discussed the 2013 mockumentary The Conspiracy, about two young filmmakers who discover and infiltrate a secret society.  We talked about the mysterious origins of the film, its remarkably dense and well-researched script, how the film draws on over […] (Read more...)

I welcome Guy Evans of Smells Like Human Spirit to the show for this episode where we discuss the 2002 film Minority Report. We looked at the film's origin in a short story by Philip K Dick, the state connections of the major creative talent Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell and Steven Spielberg, the technology in the film and how it has become a part of everyday life, and some of the philosophical implications of the movie. (Read more...)

In this episode we look at the Leon Uris book and Alfred Hitchcock film Topaz as a possible example of CIA propaganda. I outline the story told in both the novel and the film, and how most of the characters are based on real spies involved in the Sapphire scandal about a Soviet spy ring inside the French SDECE intelligence agency. I focus in on the character of Andre Devereaux - a character based Philippe Thyraud de Vosjoli, a probable double agent who defected from the SDECE to the CIA. I also look at author Leon Uris' background with the DOD, and CIA records suggesting that at least the book part of the Topaz project was CIA weaponised fiction. (Read more...)

In this investigative episode I look into the background of the Hollywood Ten - a group of filmmakers who were jailed for refusing to answer questions by the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities. Their case helped establish the Hollywood blacklist, and all ten were Communists of one sort or another. Despite this, four of the ten were involved in military/intelligence assisted productions. I explore this apparent contradiction and try to resolve it via the papertrail, concluding that McCarthyism was not just a domestic subversion program, but also subject to a turf war between the FBI and CIA. (Read more...)

Pearse Redmond of Porkins Policy Radio joined us again to talk about the  the portrayal of Arabs in Hollywood.  We talk about the documentary Reel Bad Arabs, which details much of the stereotyping of Arabs in popular movies, and also the film True Lies as an example of these trends.  We look at some of […] (Read more...)