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Cultural Protectionism? The 2012 China-Hollywood Agreement
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 12/13/2018 - 04:54On Her Majesty’s Clandestime Service – Tom Secker on Fortress on a Hill
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 12/11/2018 - 15:57
Chris and Danny from Fortress on a Hill invited me onto their podcast to discuss militarism in Hollywood, the DOD's role in altering scripts, how recruitment propaganda works in the UK, the military vs intelligence approaches to couPhil Strub Retired 6 Months Ago and No One Reported It
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 12/11/2018 - 06:40
In July the Pentagon's Hollywood liaison Philip Strub retired after 29 years in the job. Mysteriously, this was not reported by any media outlet, small or large, mainstream or independent.The Pentagon’s China Syndrome
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 12/11/2018 - 04:53
While some senior military officials have spoken openly about the possibility of a war between the US and China, the entertainment liaison offices appear to be working to ensure that doesn't happen.ClandesTime 163 – Nazis in Hollywood
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 12/09/2018 - 05:30
Nazis make the perfect Hollywood villains – instantly recognisable, obviously deplorable and easy to recreate. So why were there no anti-Nazi films until 1939, on the eve of World War 2?ClandesTime Special – The Royal Family, Brexit and Union Jackboot
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 12/06/2018 - 09:56
This week, I welcome Matt Alford to the show to talk about the media manipulation of the image of the British Royal Family, and how it relates to British foreign policy, including Brexit.How the Pentagon Helped Hollywood Launder the Nazis’ Reputation
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 12/06/2018 - 04:15
Four years ago, scholar Ben Urwand revealed how the Nazis' man in Hollywood Georg Gyssling censored and rewrote film scripts to remove scenes and dialogue that criticised the Nazi regime.Why Does the US Army have a Collection of Nazi Art?
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 12/04/2018 - 05:29
The latest release from the US Army's entertainment liaison office provokes many questions. Why did they refuse to support the movie Rampage? Why are the military pitching ideas to studio executives? Who is in charge of the Pentagon's operations in Hollywood?ClandesTime 162 – The Spook Who Sat by the Door
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 12/01/2018 - 05:49
The Spook Who Sat by the Door tells the story of the first African-American to be recruited by the CIA. After becoming disillusioned with the Agency he quits and sets up a black power guerilla army that wages urban war across the United States.The Wire Season 3 Review (Preview)
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 11/28/2018 - 09:36
In part 3 of this subcriber-only review series I look at season three of The Wire. In this season the Barksdale storyline comes to a climax, while the city hall politics are added into the ever-expanding world of the show.After Claiming They Couldn’t Find It, FBI Release Sam Greenlee File That’s More Redacted than National Archives Version
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 11/28/2018 - 04:29
The FBI got back to me recently with a response to my request on The Spook Who Sat by the Door, including a few pages from Sam Greenlee's FBI file, which they'd previously claimed they could not find.The US Army rejected Wife Swap because of ‘60s era connotations’
Soumis par Aggregation le lun, 11/26/2018 - 07:38
The US Army’s entertainment liaison office has worked on as wide a variety of TV entertainment as you can imagine, from Oprah to Top Chef, fClandesTime 161 – How the Pentagon Censors Military Mental Illness in Hollywood
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 11/25/2018 - 06:39
The men and women who are employed by the US military to fight its hegemonic wars often suffer from serious mental illness.National Security Cinema – Responses to FAQs
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 11/23/2018 - 07:12
Since launching National Security Cinema last year, Matt and I have encountered a lot of questions about the field.Space Force, Skydives and Rejecting Rampage: What is the US Army Doing in Hollywood?
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 11/21/2018 - 04:38
The latest reports from the US Army's entertainment liaison office show surprisingly few examples of them providing production assistance to films and TV shows.Subscriber Podcast #25 – A New Direction
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 11/18/2018 - 06:00
In this month's susbcriber-only podcast I talk about my new screenplay project - a political satire of Hollywood.Full Length Beards and Neck Tattoos: How the US Army rewrote 12 Strong a.k.a. Horse Soldiers
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 11/14/2018 - 03:54
12 Strong a.k.a.Review – War School: The Battle for Britain’s Children
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 11/13/2018 - 13:46
It isn't often that I see a film that angers and educates me in equal measure. War School: The Battle for Britain's Children is a new documentary exploring the growing peace movement in the UK, and the militarisation of British schools for propaganda and recruitment purposes.ClandesTime 160 – Why Doesn’t Hollywood Make War Films Any More?
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 11/11/2018 - 05:32
Hollywood doesn’t make war films any more. This isn’t entirely true, but compared to the post-WW2 period there are a lot less war films being made today.The Wire Season 2 Review (Preview)
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 11/09/2018 - 07:08
In the second of my subscriber-only reviews of The Wire I look at season 2.Top Gun ‘Rehabilitated the Military’s Image’ After Vietnam, According to the Pentagon
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 11/08/2018 - 05:44
The late Cold War classic Top Gun is one of the most well-liked military movies of all time. It's combination of romance, comedy and never-seen-before aerial action was made possible by extensive support from the DOD, particularly the US Navy.How the Vietnam War changed the Pentagon’s Entertainment Liaison Offices and Helped Kill the War Movie
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 11/06/2018 - 11:40
The Vietnam war had a huge impact. 3 million dead Vietnamese, tens of thousands of dead Americans, and millions more on both sides suffering from trauma, depression and drug and alcohol addiction. It also haClandesTime 159 – The Founder
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 11/04/2018 - 05:42
The Founder is a 2016 biopic of Ray Kroc, the man who created McDonald’s. Or did he? In this episode I examine this ambiguous film, one of the best examples of cultural capitalism to come out of Hollywood in recent years.The Wire Season 1 Review (preview)
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 11/02/2018 - 09:34
This is part 1 of a new subscriber-only review series where I talk about The Wire.FBI Say They Cannot Find Their File on Radical Author Sam Greenlee
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 11/01/2018 - 06:57
Sam Greenlee is perhaps most famous for writing the novel The Spook Who Sat By the Door, which was adapted into a film in the 1970s. Greenlee believed that the CIA and FBI suppressed the film because it portrayed them in such a bad light, and promoted bThe US Navy say they have 20,000 Pages of Documents on Top Gun 2
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 10/30/2018 - 14:21
I recently filed a FOIA request for documents on Top Gun 2. Going through the entertainment liaison office reports it is clear that - just as on the original film - the Navy are taking the lead on military support.Does the CIA use Hollywood Movies as Training Films?
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 10/28/2018 - 05:28
In September 1977 the renowned Hollywood gossip columnist Rona Barrett appeared on Good Morning America to talk about spy films. Sat alongside her was CIA director Stansfield Turner, who commented that Hollywood movies would make poor training films for CIA spies.The ’24 Mentality’: The CIA, Torture and the ‘Ticking Bomb’ Scenario
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 10/27/2018 - 08:23
Just as politicians start to believe their own speeches, intelligence agencies start to believe their own propaganda. Nowhere is this clearer than in the CIA's black stite torture program initiated in the wake of 9/11.Subscriber Podcast #24 – Swimming with Sharks
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 10/26/2018 - 10:54
12 Strong Producers Thanked US Army for ‘Great Efforts to Make this Movie Badass’
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 10/25/2018 - 08:38
12 Strong, based on the book Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton, is set in the early days of the US war in Afghanistan.How Product Placement Serves the Military-Industrial Complex
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 10/24/2018 - 07:53
Wings (1927) was one of the first Hollywood films to benefit from full military support, was the first film to include sound effects on a film reel alongside the in-theater orchestra, and was the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.War Machine vs Charlie Wilson’s War – Tom Secker on Around the Empire (Part 2)
Soumis par Aggregation le lun, 10/22/2018 - 16:31
Joanne invited me on the Around the Empire podcast to do a ‘high level compare and contrast’ of two war comedy films set in different wars in Afghanistan: Charlie Wilson’s War and War Machine.ClandesTime 158 – Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 10/21/2018 - 06:32
The new Amazon series Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is the first TV show to film at CIA headquarters for several years, in keeping with the Agency’s long-time support for adaptations of Clancy’s work.War Machine vs Charlie Wilson’s War – Tom Secker on Around the Empire
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 10/20/2018 - 05:54Joanne invited me on the Around the Empire podcast to do a 'high level compare and contrast' of two war comedy films set in different wars in Afghanistan: Charlie Wilson's War and War Machine.Jack Ryan is the Latest TV Show to Film at CIA Headquarters
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 10/18/2018 - 09:59
Amazon's new headline streaming series Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan is the first TV show to film at CIA headquarters for several years, after a fairly disastrous run that saw two awful movies along with an awful TV programme film there circa 2014.How the Pentagon Rewrote The Core
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 10/16/2018 - 07:50
2003's The Core is widely regarded as a piece of schlock, but with a sense of humour.ClandesTime 157 – Two Years Inside the CIA’s Office of Public Affairs
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 10/14/2018 - 05:28
The CIA’s Office of Public Affairs (OPA) was established in the late 1970s and contains their entertainment liaison office.What does the CIA’s Office of Public Affairs Actually Do?
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 10/10/2018 - 05:39
The CIA's Office of Public Affairs is - ironically - very tight-lipped about what they actually do, so I was pleased that they recently responded to a 3 year old FOIA request and provided me with a document summarising their activities from 2014 to 2016.ClandesTime 156 – The Pentagon and Pitch Perfect 3
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 10/07/2018 - 06:29
To unsuspecting movie audiences Pitch Perfect 3 is a piece of lighthearted family-friendly entertainment to be enjoyed and then forgotten almost immediately.Dear Rummy… How Jack Valenti got Permission to be Buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 10/04/2018 - 05:15Subscriber Podcast #23 – The Merits and Demerits of Netflix - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 09/30/2018 - 11:44
Streaming content on-demand has changed the way people think about their relaHow the Pentagon Rewrote Pitch Perfect 3 - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 09/26/2018 - 07:46
Pitch Perfect 3 appears on the surface to be a family-friendly piece of lighthearted, forgettable entertainment. But beneath that surface lies a carefully-crafted piece of military PR, aimed at recruiting people the DOD usually finds it hard to attract.ClandesTime 155 – Production Assistance Agreements or How the Pentagon Broke the Rules for Transformers - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 09/23/2018 - 09:34
Most government agencies sign contracts with Hollywood producers when they agree to provide support on a film or TV show.Change ‘One Male and One Female’ to ‘Two Male’ – Pentagon Production Notes for Transformers 3 - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 09/22/2018 - 05:31
Going back through some documents released by the Army on the Transformers films I noticed that some of the notes weren't script notes from pre-production, but were production notes from while Transformers: Dark of the Moon was filming.After Denying They Have Contracts with Hollywood, the US Navy Release Over 500 Pages of Them - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 09/21/2018 - 06:27
Two and a half years ago I asked the US Navy for various documents relating to their work with the entertainment industry, including the Production Assistance Agreements they sign with Hollywood prClandesTime 154 – Hollywood Goes to Space Command - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le lun, 09/17/2018 - 11:55
As part of their outreach efforts the Air Force's entertainment liaison office has started running annual tours for dozens of Hollywood bigshots. Recently released documents detail last year's tour to US Space Command.Swiss Lab Spy Games Support the Theory that Novichok WASN’T Used in Salisbury - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 09/15/2018 - 07:44
The last 24 hours of the Novichok saga has seen a new twist — European media are widely reporting that two Russian spies were caught attempting to either hack or break into the Spiez laboratory in Switzerland that was eDezinformatsiya? The RT interview with Petrov and Boshirov - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 09/14/2018 - 07:56
The disinformation war kicked into high gear this week with the release of an interview with Petrov and Boshirov by RT.CIA: Where Are Our Passes to Disney’s Magic Kingdom Club? - Spy Culture
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 09/13/2018 - 07:07
The story of the relationship between Disney and the various branches and agencies of the US government is long and complex. A recently uncovered memo adds one more episode to the relationship between Disney and the CIA, and revolves around a question that was critical for national security: How would