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From Premises to Character Arcs – How Deeply the Military Rewrites Film & TV
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 08/20/2019 - 05:19
Sometimes the US military's rewriting of scripts is very specific - take out this joke about the US losing in Vietnam, swap this bottle of beer for an energy drink, remove this scene where soldiers set fire to a village and rape all ClandesTime 189 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Omar Nasiri
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 08/18/2019 - 05:36
Omar Nasiri was a Moroccan who spent 6 years spying on Al Qaeda for several European intelligence agencies. In this episode I review his autobiography Inside the Jihad, including the year he spent in Afghan training camps in the mid-1990s.Why Amazon’s The Boys is the Most Subversive TV Show of the Year
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 08/13/2019 - 11:03
Amazon Prime's The Boys is not only the most enjoyable TV show I've seen all year, it's also the most subversive. While it will appeal to audiences suffering from superhero fatigue after more than a decade of relentless Marvel and DC products, it is so much moSubscriber Podcast #33 – American Moon
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 08/11/2019 - 06:41
Did we really go to the moon?‘In The Navy’ Songwriter Dead at 82
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 08/10/2019 - 05:37
Co-founder of the Village People and co-writer of 'YMCA', 'Macho Man' and 'In the Navy' Henri Belolo died last saturday at the age of 82. Born in Casablanca, Belolo was a key member of perhaps the first openly gay disco outfit. He also participated in one of the funniest co-sponsorship deals the US Navy has ever seen.(Combat Obscura – Tom on Fortress on a Hill
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 08/09/2019 - 13:10
I recently joined Henri from the Fortress on a Hill podcast for our latest discussion on military movies.‘You Need to Keep an Eye on the Director’ – US Army emails
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 08/07/2019 - 05:18
The US Army's emails on The Long Road Home show that not everything ran smoothly while filming progressed as Fort Hood. While all of the information on script input is redacted, one email contains production notes from the Army's project officer Lt Col.ClandesTime 188 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Mubin Shaikh
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 08/04/2019 - 07:21
The 2006 arrests of the Toronto 18 was a key moment in the post-9/11 war on terror. It helped internationalise the war effort and added Canada to the list of supposed terrorist targets. This week I examine the life and work of the main Canadian intelligence informant inside the Toronto 18 – Mubin Shaikh.Documents: CIA Successfully Pressured Michael Bay To Change Benghazi Movie
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 07/31/2019 - 04:28
I recently obtained 50 pages of documents from the CIA on the support they provided to Michael Bay's Benghazi movie 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. In this investigation for Shadowproof I outline how the relationship between Bay and the AgenThe New Jack Ryan Will Promote a Coup in Venezuela, but Why did the DOD Reject the Series?
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 07/30/2019 - 05:06
The teaser trailer for season 2 of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan depict John Krasinski as the eponymous hero in a Latin American country where there is an uprising against the government (cougClandesTime 187 – When Entertainment Liaison Offices Go Bad
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 07/28/2019 - 06:40
The relationship between government liaison offices and the entertainment industry usually works well, resulting in added production value for the industry’s products and the furtherance of the government’s agendas. But sometimes things go wrong.Western Media Coverage of Top Gun: Maverick Jacket Highlights Hypocrisy Over Military Censorship of Movies
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 07/25/2019 - 07:22
A story doing the rounds in the last few days claims that the producers of Top Gun: Maverick changed the decals on the back of his leather jacket in order to 'appease Communist ChinThe Beirut Marine Barracks Bombing and Heartbreak Ridge
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 07/24/2019 - 07:00
The US military's negotiations on the 1980s Clint Eastwood vehicle Heartbreak Ridge were protracted and complex, resulting in numerous changes before the movie could be approved for Pentagon support. This included changing Clint Eastwood's character from a soSpy Culture in the Washington Business Journal
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 07/24/2019 - 05:45
News about this site appears to be spreading - after the flurry of articles citing Spy Culture around the release of Captain Marvel earlier this year, the Washington Business Journal put out a piece on the Top Gun: Maverick trailer using the production assistance agreement I o“Shame on them, they know better” – When the Pentagon Fell Out with NCIS
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 07/23/2019 - 06:50
For over a decade the CBS action drama NCIS has enjoyed a very close working relationship with the US military, which allows the entertainment liaison offices to review every script, even for episodes where they provide no ClandesTime 186 – NCIS
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 07/21/2019 - 04:56
NCIS is a wildly successful TV drama, one of the most popular series of the last 20 years. This week I recount how the DOD, Navy and Marine Corps routinely rewrite episodes of NCIS to fit their PR and propaganda goals.How the Western media support state terror – while millions die
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 07/20/2019 - 05:06
In this guest article Matt Alford - alongside Drs Daniel Broudy, Jeffery Klaehn, Alan MacLeod and Florian Zollmann - lay out their case that news media has systemically downplayed or simply avoided discussing the bloody consequences of Western foreign poAs Top Gun: Maverick Trailer Drops, Tom Cruise Lies About Why the Sequel Took So Long
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 07/19/2019 - 05:12
Tom Cruise dropped into San Diego Comic-Con this week to premiere the trailer for Top Gun: Maverick, which is nothing short of a fan service nostalgia reel and some cheesy dialogue about how Maverick is still - you'vUSAF’s Rules of Engagement for Hollywood: No Flipflops or Hoverboards, and No Goddamn Peanuts
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 07/18/2019 - 06:56
The US Air Force recently released a tranche of documents on the support they provided to the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man. This included their Rules of Engagement for companies filming on Edwa‘I Can Get the Pentagon to Vouch for Me’ – Michael Bay letter to the CIA
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 07/16/2019 - 06:08
Michael Bay is well known for working closely with government agencies when making his films, mostly the Pentagon but also NASA. Less well known is how he worked with the CIA to vet his script for the Benghazi movie 13 Hours, and how his request to film the Subscriber Podcast #32 – The Looming Tower
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 07/13/2019 - 11:37
On this feature-length subscriber podcast I analyse the Hulu TV drama The Looming Tower (ba‘We Should be Concerned Where and How DOD Policy and Criticism of DOD Might be’ – Pentagon File on Heartbreak Ridge
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 07/10/2019 - 05:21
The Pentagon’s Film Office file on HearClandesTime 185 – An Alternative History of Al Qaeda: Morten Storm
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 07/07/2019 - 04:34
Morten Storm is a Danish man who converted to Islam in the 1990s and got involved in the jihadi scene in Denmark, the UK, Yemen and Somalia. In 2006 he suffered a loss of faith, and turned to Danish intelligence and offered to help them fight the war on terror.‘We are Anxious to tell this Story that Showcases the Army in such a Positive Way’
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 06/30/2019 - 06:04
The in-development film Raven Four-Two tells the story of a battle in 2005 between insurgents and a Kentucky Army National Guard Military Police Unit, during the war in Iraq. Documents released byUS Army Doesn’t Work on ‘Audience Participation’ TV Due to ‘Spontaneity’
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 06/26/2019 - 04:45
The US Army's regulations on Public Affairs activities are over 100 pages of rules and restriction governing how the Army interacts with news media, entertainment media and other public events. It outlines which activities require prior approval from Army Public Affairs chiefs (i.e.When the Producers of Downton Abbey Signed the Official Secrets Act
Soumis par Aggregation le lun, 06/24/2019 - 05:13
Just like other government departments the Foreign & Commonwealth Office requires film and TV producers to sign contracts with theClandesTime 184 – Political Paralysis in the Information Age
Soumis par Aggregation le sam, 06/22/2019 - 06:23
What happens when people are given too much information? They feel overwhelmed, which quickly becomes apathy and political paralysis.‘Weave in Key Talking Points’ – Pentagon Contract for Top Gun: Maverick
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 06/21/2019 - 06:08
The Pentagon recently released the Production Assistance Agreement they signed with the producers of Top Gun: Maverick.US Military Continue their Degradation of Superman
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 06/20/2019 - 06:49
The new Superman is now a Navy SEAL. No, you didn't misread that - the affable journalist Clarke Kent is being erased from history in favour of making the world's most famous superhero an advert for naval special forces. "Superman: Year One" went on sale this week as part of DC'‘The Army’s Newest Weapon: Death by Cringe’ – US Army Posts Hip Hop Track on Youtube
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 06/19/2019 - 13:26
A week ago the US Army posted a youtube video of the Army Field Band's new hip-hop track 'Won't Be Defeated'. At the time of writing its likes-dislikes ratio is 625 to 593, and the comments section is littered with mocking and ironic comments. As a P‘Awards Shows + Mental Health/PTSD Issues + DOD Endorsement Scares Me’ – The Pentagon and the PRISM Awards
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 06/19/2019 - 06:48
The PRISM Awards are an entertainment industry ceremony that gives out gongs for accurate depictions of substance abuse and mental health problems in films and TV shows. In 2012 the Pentagon were asked to attend and pSubscriber Podcast #31 – Rollerball
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 06/16/2019 - 08:46
In this month's subscriber-only podcast I examine the 1975 movie Rollerball, about an ultra-violent bloodsport and the The DEA and Breaking Bad: Why Hank Never Tapped Jesse’s Phone
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 06/12/2019 - 06:12
Despite its enormous popularity there are many problems with Breaking Bad - the utterly racist depiction of Mexicans, the glorifying of a sociopathic protagonist and that incredibly boring and pointless fifth season come to mind. But what has never been discussed before is how the show functions as propaganda for the DrThe Rebooted Designated Survivor: Sponsored by the CIA?
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 06/11/2019 - 04:59
The soft reboot of the political drama Designated Survivor recently dropped on Netflix and in spite of Kiefer Sutherland making the least convincing president since Sarah Palin it is a considerable improvement on the first two seasons.ClandesTime 183 – Fields of Fire
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 06/09/2019 - 06:23
Fields of Fire is one of the greatest movies that was never made. A brutal but sympathetic portrait of the Vietnam War, it was denied military support despite being written by a former Secretary of the Navy. This week I examine the story of Fields of Fire using a file from the DOD’s entertainment liaison office.‘Fuck John Wayne’ – Why the DOD Prevented the movie Fields of Fire from Being Made
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 06/07/2019 - 11:33
When James Webb approached the Pentagon to ask for assistance making his Vietnam war drama Fields of Fire he had every right to expect their support. A former Marine and short-term Secretary of the Navy he was a military veteran who had written his novel based on his own real-life experiences of VSpy Culture Certified by American Journal of Economics and Sociology
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 06/06/2019 - 09:45
Today I received an email that I thought I would share with you, from the publishers of the American Journal of Economics and Sociology. It said that the two articles I penned for the journal were among the top 20 most-downloaded artiHow the DOD’s Entertainment Liaison Office Protects the Entire US Government
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 06/06/2019 - 05:08
The DOD's directive on working with Hollywood says that they can provide production assistance if it is deemed 'in the best interest of the Nation', but as with all their criteria for deciding whether to give support theBlack Hawk Down, the LA Riots and Clear and Present Danger
Soumis par Aggregation le lun, 06/03/2019 - 05:36
When the producers of Clear and Present Danger approached the Pentagon to ask for military support they probably weren't expecting 6 months of script negotiations to get their film into a shape deemed acceptable by the entertainment liaison officesClandesTime 182 – Clear and Present Danger
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 06/02/2019 - 05:45
1994’s Clear and Present Danger is one of the most important movies in the cinema of the war on drugs, depicting black operations by the CIA and US military against a Colombian drug cartel.Documents reveal Hollywood Cover-Up of Pentagon’s Sex Crime Problem
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 05/31/2019 - 09:05
The FBI and DEA Spy on Hollywood Producers
Soumis par Aggregation le jeu, 05/30/2019 - 05:12
The relationship between intelligence agencies and the entertainment industry is complex and multi-faceted. Angles include the influence of the agencies on their own public image, the influence of entertainment on the agencies, and intelligence-gathering by those agencies on the culture industry.Q-Force, or How Queers Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fascism
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 05/29/2019 - 10:11
Netflix recently ordered a 10-episode first series of Q-Force, the world's first animated LGBTQ spy series. Pitched as a 'gay James Bond' the cartoon will undoubtedly contain the usual PR for the security state, wrapped up in a rainbow flag. No doubt The DEA and the Entertainment Industry: Spying, Censorship and Control
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 05/28/2019 - 15:34
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recently released nearly 200 pages of contracts between themselves and entertainment producers, which for the first time shed light on how they interact with Hollywood.ClandesTime 181 – The Cinema of Iran-Contra
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 05/26/2019 - 08:31
Iran-Contra is in many ways the definitive government conspiracy – involving guns, drugs, anti-communism and black operations, it went all the way to the White House.Top Secret CIA Emails on Osama bin Laden ‘Devil Doll’
Soumis par Aggregation le ven, 05/24/2019 - 06:43
In 2014 the Washington Post's Adam Goldman published a story about the CIA producing dolls of Osama bin Laden as part of an influence operation designed to diminish the former Al Qaeda's leader's popularity in the Middle East. The dolls would be made so the paint on the eyes would easily rub off, revealing 'devil eyes' underneath.‘A Complete Rewrite of the Storyline Would be Required’ – DOD File on The Presidio
Soumis par Aggregation le mar, 05/21/2019 - 05:02
1988's The Presidio wanted to film at the real Presidio in San Francisco, an Army installation. As per usual this required a full military script review, but the DOD responded demanding a 'complete rewrite' before they would approve access toThe Latest in Recruitment Propaganda: US Air Force teams up with MMA
Soumis par Aggregation le lun, 05/20/2019 - 12:26
The US military's ever-expanding portfolio of recruitment efforts just broke new ground: the Professional Fighters League. This mixed martial arts league is watched the world over and a recent event in Nassau was sponsored by Air Force Special Ops and the Air Force Reserve Command. It ClandesTime 180 – The Politics of Monster Movies
Soumis par Aggregation le dim, 05/19/2019 - 09:47
Monster movies are one of the most beloved and distinctive genres in cinema, featuring a winning combination of exotic spectacle, ground-breaking visual effects and reflections on humanity’s relationship with nature.‘The Script was Entertaining but very Sophmorish’ – FBI Deputy Director on The X-Files
Soumis par Aggregation le mer, 05/15/2019 - 05:30
In 1998 retired FBI deputy director Cartha DeLoach was asked by the producers of The X-Files to review the script for an episode of the show that was set in the 1950s. The FBI recently released DeLoach's response to the producers, where he branded t