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A Little Peace and Quiet "A Little Peace and Quiet" is the second segment of the first episode of the first season (1985–86) of the television series "The Twilight Zone". In this segment, a woman discovers a pendant which allows her to freeze time. Plot. While digging in her garden, harried housewife Penny unearths a wooden box containing a gold pendant in the shape of a sundial. She discovers that saying "Shut up" while wearing the pendant causes the entire world but herself to become frozen in time, and saying "Start talking" makes everything begin moving again. She uses this power to give herself much-needed reprieves from the demands of her dim-witted and hapless husband Russell and their four children: Janet and Susan, who are always fighting; Bertie, who is clumsy; and Russell Jr., who is always playing pranks. She also silences news programs about recent arms talks between the United States and the Soviet Union and moves door-to-door anti-nuclear weapons activists away from her house while they are frozen in time. One evening, the radio announces that nuclear missiles are heading for the United States from the Soviet Union. When the radio reveals that ICBMs have entered U.S. airspace, the terrified Penny freezes time, then leaves her house and walks through town. As she notices terrified people looking skyward, she looks up to see a Soviet nuclear missile frozen a few hundred feet in the air, nose down, and moments from impact. Production. No visual effects were used for the time stops; the actors and numerous extras, even the dog, all had to hold themselves perfectly still during these sequences. In the cases of characters who were frozen in off-balance positions (e.g. running or lunging), concealed armatures were used to support their weight. The mid-pour orange juice and mid-spill milk were both plastic. Director Wes Craven said the child actors needed little encouragement to be rambunctious, being naturally full of energy. In conjunction with the exceptionally large cast, the set was always chaotic between takes. Lead actress Melinda Dillon's shouting "Shut up!" an extra two times as the nuclear missiles approach was unscripted. In the final scene, the two films playing in the theater when Penny stops time are "Dr. Strangelove" and "Fail Safe." Both 1964 films depict nuclear warfare.

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Guilty Crown is a 2011 Japanese anime television series produced by Production I.G which aired on Fuji TV's noitamina program block from October 13, 2011. The story revolves around Shu Ouma, a high school boy who comes into possession of an ability called the "Power of the King" allowing him to draw out items called "Voids" from other people. He is then thrown into the conflict between a quasi-governmental organization known as GHQ and a rebel organization called Funeral Parlor which aims to restore Japan's independence from the GHQ. In the process, Shu has to deal with the burden his ability puts on his shoulders and the horrific mystery of his past. Two manga adaptations were published, one each by ASCII Media Works and Square Enix. A light novel was published by Nitroplus in April 2012, titled "Guilty Crown: Princess of Deadpool". A spin-off visual novel for Windows, named "Guilty Crown: Lost Christmas", was also developed by Nitroplus, which came bundled with a 15-minute original video animation (OVA) titled "Guilty Crown: Lost Christmas". Plot. Setting. Before the events of the main story, on December 24, 2029, a biological hazard known as the Apocalypse Virus brought on by an impact event plunges Japan into a state of chaos. This event is later named the Lost Christmas incident. Unable to contain the threat, Japan sought international help and the United Nations dispatches an organization known as the GHQ to their aid. The GHQ successfully contains the outbreak and restores a level of normality at the cost of Japan's independence. Ten years later, a resistance organization known as the Funeral Parlor wages a campaign against the GHQ to liberate Japan once more. Synopsis. In the Roppongi district of Tokyo, high school student Shu Ouma encounters a wounded girl named Inori Yuzuriha, the vocalist of a popular internet group Egoist, taking refuge at his film club's workshop. The GHQ Anti Bodies storm the workshop and arrest her for involvement with Funeral Parlor. Shu follows the coordinates of Inori's robot to a drop zone where he meets Funeral Parlor's leader, Gai Tsutsugami, who asks him to safeguard a vial. As the Anti-Bodies begin attacking the Roppongi area looking for the vial, it shatters as Shu goes to rescue Inori when she becomes threatened by GHQ Endlave mechs. The vial contains the Void Genome, a powerful genetic weapon derived from the Apocalypse Virus that grants Shu the "Power of the King", an ability that allows his right hand to extract Voids, weapons of people's psyche given physical form. Shu then extracts Inori's Void and destroys the attacking Endlaves. Upon deciding to join Funeral Parlor, Shu begins to fall in love with Inori, who bears a striking resemblance to his late sister, Mana. However, he deserts the group after causing the death of a classmate's younger brother during one of his missions. In Shu's absence, Funeral Parlor attempt to steal from GHQ the meteorite that originally caused the Apocalypse Virus outbreak. In the process, Gai and his forces fall into a trap as the Anti-Bodies decimate their ranks with a "genetic resonance" broadcast that unleashes the Virus throughout Tokyo. Amidst the chaos, the Anti-Bodies' leader, Shūichirō Keido, seizes control of the GHQ and directs his attention towards wiping out the remains of Funeral Parlor. After learning his former comrades are in imminent danger of annihilation, Shu races to the center of Tokyo to rescue them. With the help of his classmates, he breaks through the barricade where they are being pinned down. Meanwhile, Inori begins to reverse the effects of the outbreak through a resonance broadcast channeled by one of her songs. This sudden change in fortune proves only temporary when Yu, a mysterious boy possessing the "Power of the King", appears out of thin air and kidnaps Inori, causing the outbreak to resume with full force. Shu finds Inori being held captive by Keido, who is using her as part of a "marriage ceremony" to resurrect Mana. Keido explains Inori was created to provide a physical body for Mana's soul so she could give birth to a new human race once the present population was destroyed by the Apocalypse Virus. Shu's repressed memories suddenly return, causing him to remember how Mana was the first to be infected by the virus, and her mental breakdown resulted in the events of Lost Christmas. Shu also recalls from his past that Gai is none other than Triton, a childhood friend he first met ten years ago when Mana rescued him from the sea. With Gai's help, Shu frees Inori from Keido's grasp before stabbing Mana's stasis pod. Shu's actions save the world from the Virus, but Gai is killed in the process. Two weeks later, the GHQ under Keido's leadership seals off the area surrounding Roppongi, now called Loop 7, before proceeding to systematically eliminate the inhabitants within. A large number of teenagers take refuge at Tennouzu High School along with Funeral Parlor members Shu, Inori, Ayase and Tsugumi. With food and vaccine supplies running low, Shu is elected the new student council president. Despite initially aspiring to provide just governance to those under his charge, his leadership grows increasingly despotic and cynical after his initial refusal to adopt the exclusionary Voids-Ranking system leads to the death of his close friend and love interest, Hare Menjou. Shu and the others eventually break out of Loop 7. However, upon their escape, a resurrected Gai suddenly appears and severs Shu's right arm before transferring the Void Genome to himself. In order to insure Shu's escape, Inori single-handedly holds off GHQ until their forces overwhelm her. Shortly thereafter, Shu's stepmother, Haruka Ohma, betrays the GHQ and steals the third Void Genome. Shu ultimately injects himself with it before assuming command of Funeral Parlor to rescue Inori and free Japan once and for all. After Gai broadcasts a message to the world not to interfere with GHQ's actions in Japan, he joins Yu and Keido in preparing Mana's resurrection in Inori's body. It is revealed that GHQ is merely serving as a front for Da'ath, an ancient cult seeking to forcefully bring about mankind's evolution with the Apocalypse Virus. As the virus begins spreading across the planet from Tokyo Tower, Funeral Parlor and its allies mount a massive offensive against Tokyo Bay to save the world. In the series' climactic final battle, Shu manages to defeat Yu and Gai while Funeral Parlor destroys GHQ's forces. Seeing his plans ruined beyond repair, Keido commits suicide by injecting himself with the virus. A dying Gai explains to Shu that he helped Da'ath so Mana could fulfill her cursed role as the Fourth Apocalypse's Eve. With her role completed, he says that Mana is finally able to rest in peace. Gai then dies with Mana as the Virus envelops them both. Upon coming across a heavily infected Inori, Shu embraces her and activates his Void to absorb all traces of the Apocalypse Virus into himself. Before he is consumed, Inori saves Shu by sacrificing her body to destroy the virus permanently. With the virus finally eradicated, the GHQ Tower collapses and everyone escapes. Some years later, Ayase, Tsugumi, Yahiro, Kanon, Souta and a now blind Shu celebrate Hare's birthday in a rebuilt Tokyo. Production. In the making of the series, the staff wanted to make "the next generation of anime with this show." For this they wanted it to be an original anime rather than an adaptation. The staff also wanted it to be a "two-season show" regardless of possible difficulties. The basic concept of the show is in a "Japanese style, a Japanese concept, and that is what makes it more original than other shows." When asked about similarities between Shu and "Neon Genesis Evangelion"s lead Shinji Ikari, the staff answered they are both passive characters although they found Shinji more passive. When asked what circumstances led to his involvement, Redjuice responded that the production staff's illustrators and animators felt that his concept art exhibited a sense of compatibility with the final product. While Ryo of Supercell was providing the insert songs for the show, Redjuice himself was not participating in the project as a member of Supercell. Besides liking Inori, the main heroine of "Guilty Crown", Redjuice stated that he had done many drawings of Tsugumi. The staff had no qualms with the cat-like ears of Tsugumi so Redjuice feels that he has slipped his personal tastes into the series. Redjuice also likes Kanon although she was not originally written into the scenario. As Redjuice has not worked with 3D CG much, he was able to learn a lot from the staff at Production I.G. Music. The music used in the "Guilty Crown" anime is composed by Hiroyuki Sawano. Both the opening and ending themes of "Guilty Crown" are written by Supercell. The first opening theme is titled "My Dearest" and is performed by Koeda. The CD single for "My Dearest" was released on November 23, 2011. The first ending theme is titled and is performed by Egoist, a fictional band from the series. The single for "Departures (Anata ni Okuru Ai no Uta)" was released on November 30, 2011. A 17-year-old artist named Chelly provided the vocals. Chelly was picked by Ryo of Supercell after an audition of 2,000 candidates. Chelly also sang the insert songs in "Guilty Crown". The second opening theme is "The Everlasting Guilty Crown" by Egoist and the second ending theme is by Supercell. Release. "Guilty Crown" was directed by Tetsuro Araki with the series' script supervision being handled by Hiroyuki Yoshino and assisted by Ichirō Ōkouchi. Jin Hanegaya from Nitroplus will also be assisting with the screenplay. The mechanical designs were done by Atsushi Takeuchi and prop designs handled by Yō Moriyama. The original character designs were drawn by Redjuice, with Hiromi Katō providing the character designs for the anime. Yusuke Takeda was the anime's art director. The animation production was done by Production I.G's Division 6. An Internet radio show named "Guilty Crown Radio Council" to promote "Guilty Crown" began airing every other Friday starting on October 7, 2011. The show is hosted by Yūki Kaji, the voice actor of Shu Ouma, and Ai Kayano, the voice actress of Inori Yuzuriha. New York Anime Festival screened the first two episodes of "Guilty Crown" on October 15, 2011. The screening of the second episode was a world premiere as the episode did not air in Japan until October 20, 2011. At Anime Weekend Atlanta 2011, Funimation announced that it would simulcast the series in October, followed by a DVD and Blu-ray release in 2012. Related media. Print. A manga adaptation titled "Guilty Crown", written by Yōsuke Miyagi and illustrated by Shion Mizuki, was serialized in Square Enix's "Monthly Shōnen Gangan" between the November 2011 and December 2013 issues. Square Enix released seven "tankōbon" volumes between January 21, 2012 and December 21, 2013. A second manga titled "Guilty Crown: Dancing Endlaves", written by Gan Sunaaku and illustrated by Ryōsuke Fukai, was serialized in ASCII Media Works' "Dengeki G's Magazine" between the July 2012 and May 2014 issues. Three volumes were released between January 26, 2013 and May 27, 2014. A side story novel titled "Guilty Crown: Princess of Deadpool" was written by Gan Sunaaku from Nitroplus, with illustrations done by a Production I.G and Nitroplus collaboration. A special version that came along with a special book cover was first sold at Anime Contents Expo 2012 in between March 31 and April 1, while the official release was on April 25. The first chapter was put up for public reading. Visual novel. Nitroplus developed a spin-off visual novel for Windows, named . The visual novel was previously known as "Lost X". The scenario writer for this game is Jin Hanegaya, who also penned "Demonbane". The game focuses on the "Lost Christmas" incident. The full version of the game includes a short 10-minute anime. Reception. The series received mixed critical reaction. Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network commended the series' bravery on reinventing its plot but described the plot as jumbled and continued the trend of weak characters and clichés. Aiden Foote of THEM Anime Reviews agreed with Kimlinger on the presentation and plot and added that the characters are unsympathetic with back stories that do not add depth to them. On the other hand, Foote remarks the aesthetics and the musical appeal, stating that "Guilty Crown is its own jewel in terms of music, visual flare and design from the characters to the setting, to the set pieces." Chris Beveridge from The Fandom Post commented "While it goes big and throws a lot at us, the end result that defines the rest of the season is one that works fantastically well for me because it introduces radical change into the series." He praised Shu's character development as well as the setting chosen for its second half. DVD Talk's Kyle Mills gave the series more praise, noting that despite small criticism "the 1st 11 episodes of the series are great." He praised the story and setting but criticized the development of certain characters comparing them to "flaws" "Gurren Lagann" made. UK Anime Network commented on the series' second half that the series "bites off more than it can chew, and at times the fervent mastication that comes from this leaves certain aspects of its narrative as something of a sloppy mess, but there's still an interesting story being told here and much of it is delivered in an enjoyable fashion thanks to a superb soundtrack, slick action set pieces, and some strong ideas that make good use of the show's cast of characters." Despite criticism, Andy Hanley of UK Anime Network praised the animation as "visually eye-catching."

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World War III World War III (WWIII or WW3) and the Third World War are names given to a hypothetical third worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and II. The term has been in use since at least as early as 1941. Some have applied it loosely to refer to limited or smaller conflicts such as the Cold War or the War on Terror, while others assumed that such a conflict would surpass prior world wars both in its scope and in its destructive impact. Due to the development and use of nuclear weapons near the end of World WarII and their subsequent acquisition and deployment by many countries, the potential risk of a nuclear devastation of Earth's civilization and life is a common theme in speculations about a Third World War. Another major concern is that biological warfare could cause a very large number of casualties, either intentionally or inadvertently by an accidental release of a biological agent, the unexpected mutation of an agent, or its adaptation to other species after use. Large-scale apocalyptic events like these, caused by advanced technology used for destruction, could potentially make the Earth's surface uninhabitable. Prior to the beginning of the Second World War, the First World War (1914–1918) was believed to have been "the war to end all wars", as it was popularly believed that never again could there possibly be a global conflict of such magnitude. During the interwar period, WWI was typically referred to simply as "The Great War". The outbreak of World WarII in 1939 disproved the hope that mankind might have already "outgrown" the need for such widespread global wars. With the advent of the Cold War in 1945 and with the spread of nuclear weapons technology to the Soviet Union, the possibility of a third global conflict became more plausible. During the Cold War years, the possibility of a Third World War was anticipated and planned for by military and civil authorities in many countries. Scenarios ranged from conventional warfare to limited or total nuclear warfare. At the height of the Cold War, the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction ("MAD") had been developed, in which determined an all-out nuclear confrontation would cause the annihilation of all of the states involved in the confrontation. The potential absolute destruction of the human race may have contributed to the ability of both American and Soviet leaders to avoid such a scenario. Origin of the term. "Time" magazine. "Time" magazine was an early adopter, if not originator, of the term "World WarIII". The first usage appears in its 3 November 1941 issue (preceding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941) under its "National Affairs" section and entitled "World WarIII?" about Nazi refugee Dr. Hermann Rauschning, who had just arrived in the United States. In its 22 March 1943, issue under its "Foreign News" section, "Time" reused the same title "World WarIII?" with regard to statements by then-U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace: "We shall decide some time in 1943 or 1944... whether to plant the seeds of World War III." "Time" continued to entitle with or mention in stories the term "World WarIII" for the rest of the decade (and onwards): 1944, 1945, 1946 ("bacterial warfare"), 1947, and 1948. ("Time" persists in using this term, for example, in a 2015 book review entitled "This Is What World War III Will Look Like".) Military plans. Military planners have been war gaming various scenarios, preparing for the worst, since the early days of the Cold War. Some of those plans are now out of date and have been partially or fully declassified. Operation Unthinkable. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was concerned that, with the enormous size of Soviet forces deployed in Europe at the end of WWII and the unreliability of the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, there was a serious threat to Western Europe. In April–May 1945, the British Armed Forces developed Operation Unthinkable, thought to be the first scenario of the Third World War. Its primary goal was "to impose upon Russia the will of the United States and the British Empire". The plan was rejected by the British Chiefs of Staff Committee as militarily unfeasible. Operation Dropshot. "Operation Dropshot" was the 1950s United States contingency plan for a possible nuclear and conventional war with the Soviet Union in the Western European and Asian theaters. Although the scenario made use of nuclear weapons, they were not expected to play a decisive role. At the time the US nuclear arsenal was limited in size, based mostly in the United States, and depended on bombers for delivery. "Dropshot" included mission profiles that would have used 300 nuclear bombs and 29,000 high-explosive bombs on 200 targets in 100 cities and towns to wipe out 85% of the Soviet Union's industrial potential at a single stroke. Between 75 and 100 of the 300 nuclear weapons were targeted to destroy Soviet combat aircraft on the ground. The scenario was devised prior to the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. It was also devised before U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara changed the US Nuclear War plan from the 'city killing' countervalue strike plan to a "counterforce" plan (targeted more at military forces). Nuclear weapons at this time were not accurate enough to hit a naval base without destroying the city adjacent to it, so the aim in using them was to destroy the enemy industrial capacity in an effort to cripple their war economy. Exercises Grand Slam, Longstep, and Mainbrace. In January 1950, the North Atlantic Council approved NATO's military strategy of containment. NATO military planning took on a renewed urgency following the outbreak of the Korean War in the early 1950s, prompting NATO to establish a "force under a centralised command, adequate to deter aggression and to ensure the defence of Western Europe". Allied Command Europe was established under General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower, US Army, on 2 April 1951. The Western Union Defence Organization had previously carried out Exercise Verity, a 1949 multilateral exercise involving naval air strikes and submarine attacks. Exercise Mainbrace brought together 200 ships and over 50,000 personnel to practice the defence of Denmark and Norway from Soviet attack in 1952. It was the first major NATO exercise. The exercise was jointly commanded by Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic Admiral Lynde D. McCormick, USN, and Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Matthew B. Ridgeway, US Army, during the autumn of 1952. The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Netherlands, and Belgium all participated. Exercises Grand Slam and Longstep were naval exercises held in the Mediterranean Sea during 1952 to practice dislodging an enemy occupying force and amphibious assault. It involved over 170 warships and 700 aircraft under the overall command of Admiral Robert B. Carney. The overall exercise commander, Admiral Carney summarized the accomplishments of Exercise Grand Slam by stating: "We have demonstrated that the senior commanders of all four powers can successfully take charge of a mixed task force and handle it effectively as a working unit." The Soviet Union called the exercises "war-like acts" by NATO, with particular reference to the participation of Norway and Denmark, and prepared for its own military maneuvers in the Soviet Zone. Exercise Strikeback. This was a major NATO naval exercise held in 1957, simulating a response to an all-out Soviet attack on NATO. The exercise involved over 200 warships, 650 aircraft, and 75,000 personnel from the United States Navy, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the French Navy, the Royal Netherlands Navy, and the Royal Norwegian Navy. As the largest peacetime naval operation up to that time, Exercise Strikeback was characterized by military analyst Hanson W. Baldwin of "The New York Times" as "constituting the strongest striking fleet assembled since World WarII". Exercise Reforger. Exercise Reforger (from return of forces to Germany) was an annual exercise conducted, during the Cold War, by NATO. The exercise was intended to ensure that NATO had the ability to quickly deploy forces to West Germany in the event of a conflict with the Warsaw Pact. The Warsaw Pact outnumbered NATO throughout the Cold War in conventional forces, especially armor. Therefore, in the event of a Soviet invasion, in order not to resort to tactical nuclear strikes, NATO forces holding the line against a Warsaw Pact armored spearhead would have to be quickly resupplied and replaced. Most of this support would have come across the Atlantic from North America. Reforger was not merely a show of force—in the event of a conflict, it would be the actual plan to strengthen the NATO presence in Europe. In that instance, it would have been referred to as Operation Reforger. Important components in Reforger included the Military Airlift Command, the Military Sealift Command, and the Civil Reserve Air Fleet. Seven Days to the River Rhine. Seven Days to the River Rhine was a top-secret military simulation exercise developed in 1979 by the Warsaw Pact. It started with the assumption that NATO would launch a nuclear attack on the Vistula river valley in a first-strike scenario, which would result in as many as two million Polish civilian casualties. In response, a Soviet counter-strike would be carried out against West Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark, with Warsaw Pact forces invading West Germany and aiming to stop at the River Rhine by the seventh day. Other USSR plans stopped only upon reaching the French border on day nine. Individual Warsaw Pact states were only assigned their own subpart of the strategic picture; in this case, the Polish forces were only expected to go as far as Germany. The Seven Days to the Rhine plan envisioned that Poland and Germany would be largely destroyed by nuclear exchanges, and that large numbers of troops would die of radiation sickness. It was estimated that NATO would fire nuclear weapons behind the advancing Soviet lines to cut off their supply lines and thus blunt their advance. While this plan assumed that NATO would use nuclear weapons to push back any Warsaw Pact invasion, it did not include nuclear strikes on France or the United Kingdom. Newspapers speculated when this plan was declassified, that France and the UK were not to be hit in an effort to get them to withhold use of their own nuclear weapons. Exercise Able Archer. Exercise Able Archer was an annual exercise by the U.S. European Command that practised command and control procedures, with emphasis on the transition from solely conventional operations to chemical, nuclear, and conventional operations during a time of war. "Able Archer 83" was a five-day North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) command post exercise starting on 7 November 1983, that spanned Western Europe, centered on the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) Headquarters in Casteau, north of the city of Mons. Able Archer exercises simulated a period of conflict escalation, culminating in a coordinated nuclear attack. The realistic nature of the 1983 exercise, coupled with deteriorating relations between the United States and the Soviet Union and the anticipated arrival of strategic Pershing II nuclear missiles in Europe, led some members of the Soviet Politburo and military to believe that Able Archer 83 was a ruse of war, obscuring preparations for a genuine nuclear first strike. In response, the Soviets readied their nuclear forces and placed air units in East Germany and Poland on alert. This "1983 war scare" is considered by many historians to be the closest the world has come to nuclear war since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The threat of nuclear war ended with the conclusion of the exercise on 11 November, however. Strategic Defense Initiative. The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on 23 March 1983. In the latter part of his presidency, numerous factors (which included watching the 1983 movie "The Day After" and hearing through a Soviet defector that Able Archer 83 almost triggered a Russian first strike) had turned Ronald Reagan against the concept of winnable nuclear war, and he began to see nuclear weapons as more of a "wild card" than a strategic deterrent. Although he later believed in disarmament treaties slowly blunting the danger of nuclear weaponry by reducing their number and alert status, he also believed a technological solution might allow incoming ICBMs to be shot down, thus making the US invulnerable to a first strike. However, the USSR saw the SDI concept as a major threat, since a unilateral deployment of the system would allow the US to launch a massive first strike on the Soviet Union without any fear of retaliation. The SDI concept was to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic offense doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). The Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) was set up in 1984 within the United States Department of Defense to oversee the Strategic Defense Initiative. NATO nuclear sharing. NATO operational plans for a Third World War have involved NATO allies who do not have their own nuclear weapons, using nuclear weapons supplied by the United States as part of a general NATO war plan, under the direction of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander. Of the three nuclear powers in NATO (France, the United Kingdom, and the United States) only the United States has provided weapons for nuclear sharing. , Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey are still hosting US nuclear weapons as part of NATO's nuclear sharing policy. Canada hosted weapons until 1984, and Greece until 2001. The United Kingdom also received US tactical nuclear weapons such as nuclear artillery and Lance missiles until 1992, despite the UK being a nuclear weapons state in its own right; these were mainly deployed in Germany. In peacetime, the nuclear weapons stored in non-nuclear countries are guarded by US airmen though previously some artillery and missile systems were guarded by US Army soldiers; the codes required for detonating them are under American control. In case of war, the weapons are to be mounted on the participating countries' warplanes. The weapons are under custody and control of USAF Munitions Support Squadrons co-located on NATO main operating bases who work together with the host nation forces. , 180 tactical B61 nuclear bombs of the 480 US nuclear weapons believed to be deployed in Europe fall under the nuclear sharing arrangement. The weapons are stored within a vault in hardened aircraft shelters, using the USAF WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System. The delivery warplanes used are F-16 Fighting Falcons and Panavia Tornados. Historical close calls. With the initiation of the Cold War arms race in the 1950s, an apocalyptic war between the United States and the Soviet Union became a real possibility. During the Cold War era (1947–1991), a number of military events have been described as having come quite close to potentially triggering World WarIII. Korean War: 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953. The Korean War was a war between two coalitions fighting for control over the Korean Peninsula: a communist coalition including North Korea, China and the Soviet Union, and a capitalist coalition including South Korea, the United States and the United Nations Command. Many then believed that the conflict was likely to soon escalate into a full-scale war between the three countries, the US, the USSR, and China. CBS war correspondent Bill Downs wrote in 1951 that, "To my mind, the answer is: Yes, Korea is the beginning of World WarIII. The landings at Inchon and the cooperative efforts of the American armed forces with the United Nations Allies have won us a victory in Korea. But this is only the first battle in a major international struggle which now is engulfing the Far East and the entire world." Downs afterwards repeated this belief on "ABC Evening News" while reporting on the USS "Pueblo" incident in 1968. Berlin Crisis: 4 June – 9 November 1961. The Berlin Crisis of 1961 was a political-military confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union at Checkpoint Charlie with both a number of American and Soviet/East German tanks and troops at stand off at each other only 100 yards on either side of the checkpoint. The reason behind the confrontation was about the occupational status of the German capital city, Berlin, and of post–World War II Germany. The Berlin Crisis started when the USSR launched an ultimatum demanding the withdrawal of all armed forces from Berlin, including the Western armed forces in West Berlin. The crisis culminated in the city's de facto partition with the East German erection of the Berlin Wall. This stand-off ended peacefully on 28 October following a US-Soviet understanding to withdraw tanks and reduce tensions. Cuban Missile Crisis: 15–28 October 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis: a confrontation on the stationing of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba, in response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, is considered as having been the closest to a nuclear exchange, which could have precipitated a Third World War. The crisis peaked on 27 October, with three separate major incidents occurring on the same day, all of these incidents having been initiated by the US military. Despite what many believe to be the closest the world has come to a nuclear conflict, throughout the entire standoff, the Doomsday Clock, which is run by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to estimate how close the end of the world, or doomsday, is, with midnight being the apocalypse, stayed at a relatively stable seven minutes to midnight. This has been explained as being due to the brevity of the crisis, since the clock monitored more long term factors such as leadership of countries, conflicts, wars, and political upheavals, as well as societies reactions to said factors. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists now credits the political developments resulting from the Cuban Missile Crisis with having actually enhanced global stability. The Bulletin posits that future crises and occasions that might otherwise escalate, were rendered as more stable due to two major factors: Sino-Soviet border conflicts: 2 March – 11 September 1969. The Sino-Soviet border conflict was a seven-month undeclared military border war between the Soviet Union and China at the height of the Sino-Soviet split in 1969. The most serious of these border clashes, which brought the world's two largest communist states to the brink of war, occurred in March 1969 in the vicinity of Zhenbao (Damansky) Island on the Ussuri (Wusuli) River, near Manchuria. The conflict resulted in a ceasefire, with a return to the status quo. Critics point out that the Chinese attack on Zhenbao was to deter any potential future Soviet invasions; that by killing some Soviets, China demonstrated that it could not be 'bullied'; and that Mao wanted to teach them 'a bitter lesson'. China's relations with the USSR remained sour after the conflict, despite the border talks, which began in 1969 and continued inconclusively for a decade. Domestically, the threat of war caused by the border clashes inaugurated a new stage in the Cultural Revolution; that of China's thorough militarization. The 9th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, held in the aftermath of the Zhenbao Island incident, confirmed Defense Minister Lin Biao as Mao's heir apparent. Following the events of 1969, the Soviet Union further increased its forces along the Sino-Soviet border, and in the Mongolian People's Republic. Bangladesh liberation War of 1971. The Bangladesh Liberation War was a military confrontation between Bangladeshi nationalist forces called Mukti Bahini and Pakistan that occurred in East Pakistan as a war independence. The war began with the Bangladeshi declaration of independence on 26th March, following the Operation Searchlight by the Pakistan armed forces. The preemptive aerial strikes on 11 Indian Air Force stations by Pakistan led to the commencement of hostilities with India and India's entry into the war of independence in East Pakistan on the side of Bengali nationalist forces. The Soviet Union sympathised with the East Pakistanis, and supported the Indian Army and Mukti Bahini's incursion against Pakistan during the war, in a broader view of recognising that the succession of East Pakistan as Independent Bangladesh would weaken the position of its rivals—the United States and China. The Soviet Union gave assurances to India that if a confrontation with the United States or China developed, it would take counter-measures. This assurance was enshrined in the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in August 1971. The United States stood with Pakistan by supporting it morally, politically, economically and materially when U.S. President Richard Nixon and his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger refused to use rhetoric in a hopeless attempt to intervene in a large civil war. The U.S. establishment perceived to the impression that they needed Pakistan to help stop Soviet influence in South Asia in an informal alliance with India. Nixon feared that an Indian invasion of Pakistan would mean total Soviet domination of the region, and that it would seriously undermine the global position of the United States and the regional position of America's new tactical ally, China. Nixon encouraged Jordan and Iran to send military supplies to Pakistan, while also encouraging China to increase its arms supplies to Pakistan, but all supplies were very limited. The Nixon administration also ignored reports it received of the "genocidal" activities of the Pakistani Armed Forces in East Pakistan, most notably the Blood telegram, and this prompted widespread criticism and condemnation—both by the United States Congress and in the international press. Then United States Ambassador to the United Nations, George H. W. Bush, introduced a resolution in the United Nations Security Council calling for a cease-fire and the withdrawal of armed forces by India and Pakistan. However, it was vetoed by the Soviet Union, and the following days witnessed the use of great pressure on the Soviets from the Nixon-Kissinger duo to get India to withdraw, but to no avail. When Pakistan's defeat in the eastern sector seemed certain, Nixon deployed Task Force 74—led by the aircraft carrier —into the Bay of Bengal. "Enterprise" and its escort ships arrived on station on 11 December 1971. The United Kingdom also deployed a carrier battle group led by the aircraft carrier to the Bay, on her final deployment. On 6 and 13 December, the Soviet Navy dispatched two groups of cruisers and destroyers from Vladivostok; they trailed US Task Force 74 into the Indian Ocean from 18 December 1971 until 7 January 1972. The Soviets also had a nuclear submarine to help ward off the threat posed by the USS "Enterprise" task force in the Indian Ocean. As the war progressed, it became apparent to the United States that India was going to invade and disintegrate Pakistan in a matter of weeks, therefore President Nixon spoke with the USSR General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev on a hotline on 10 December, where Nixon reportedly urged Brezhnev to restrain India as he quoted: "in the strongest possible terms to restrain India with which … you [Brezhnev] have great influence and for whose actions you must share responsibility." After the war, the United States accepted the new balance of power and recognised India as a dominant player in South Asia; the US immediately engaged in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries in the successive years. The Soviet Union, while being sympathetic to Pakistan's loss, decided to engage with Pakistan after sending an invitation through Rodionov to Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who paid a state visit to the Soviet Union in 1972 to strengthen bilateral relations that continued over the years. Yom Kippur War super-power tensions: 6–25 October 1973. The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, or October War, began with Arab victories. Israel successfully counterattacked. Tensions grew between the US (which supported Israel) and the Soviet Union (which sided with the Arab states). American and Soviet naval forces came close to firing upon each other. Admiral Murphy of the US reckoned the chances of the Soviet squadron attempting a first strike against his fleet at 40 percent. The Pentagon moved Defcon status from 4to3. The superpowers had been pushed to the brink of war, but tensions eased with the ceasefire brought in under UNSC 339. NORAD computer error of 1979: 9 November 1979. The United States made emergency retaliation preparations after NORAD saw on-screen indications that a full-scale Soviet attack had been launched. No attempt was made to use the "red telephone" hotline to clarify the situation with the USSR and it was not until early-warning radar systems confirmed no such launch had taken place that NORAD realized that a computer system test had caused the display errors. A senator inside the NORAD facility at the time described an atmosphere of absolute panic. A GAO investigation led to the construction of an off-site test facility to prevent similar mistakes. "Petrov save" incident: 26 September 1983. A false alarm occurred on the Soviet nuclear early warning system, showing the launch of American LGM-30 Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles from bases in the United States. A retaliatory attack was prevented by Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet Air Defence Forces officer, who realised the system had simply malfunctioned (which was borne out by later investigations). Able Archer escalations: 2–11 November 1983. During Able Archer 83, a ten-day NATO exercise simulating a period of conflict escalation that culminated in a DEFCON 1 nuclear strike, some members of the Soviet Politburo and armed forces treated the events as a ruse of war concealing a genuine first strike. In response, the military prepared for a coordinated counter-attack by readying nuclear forces and placing air units stationed in the Warsaw Pact states of East Germany and Poland under high alert. However, the state of Soviet preparation for retaliation ceased upon completion of the Able Archer exercises. Norwegian rocket incident: 25 January 1995. The Norwegian rocket incident is the first World WarIII close call to occur outside the Cold War. This incident occurred when Russia's Olenegorsk early warning station accidentally mistook the radar signature from a Black Brant XII research rocket (being jointly launched by Norwegian and US scientists from Andøya Rocket Range), as appearing to be the radar signature of the launch of a Trident SLBM missile. In response, Russian President Boris Yeltsin was summoned and the "Cheget" nuclear briefcase was activated for the first and only time. However, the high command was soon able to determine that the rocket was not entering Russian airspace, and promptly aborted plans for combat readiness and retaliation. It was retrospectively determined that, while the rocket scientists had informed thirty states including Russia about the test launch, the information had not reached Russian radar technicians. Incident at Pristina airport: 12 June 1999. On 12 June 1999, the day following the end of the Kosovo War, some 250 Russian peacekeepers occupied the Pristina International Airport ahead of the arrival of NATO troops and were to secure the arrival of reinforcements by air. American NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Wesley Clark ordered the use of force against the Russians. Mike Jackson, a British Army general who contacted the Russians during the incident, refused to enforce Clark's orders, famously telling him "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you". Captain James Blunt, the lead officer at the front of the NATO column in the direct armed stand-off against the Russians, received the "Destroy!" orders from Clark over the radio, but he followed Jackson's orders to encircle the airfield instead and later said in an interview that even without Jackson's intervention he would have refused to follow Clark's order. Extended usage of the term. Cold War. As Soviet-American relations grew more tense in the post-World WarII period, the fear that it could escalate into World WarIII was ever-present. A Gallup poll in December 1950 found that more than half of Americans considered World WarIII to have already started. In 2004, commentator Norman Podhoretz proposed that the Cold War, lasting from the surrender of the Axis Powers until the fall of the Berlin Wall, might rightly be called World WarIII. By Podhoretz's reckoning, "World WarIV" would be the global campaign against Islamofascism. Still the majority of historians would seem to hold that World WarIII would necessarily have to be a worldwide "war in which large forces from many countries fought" and a war that "involves most of the principal nations of the world". In his book "Secret Weapons of the Cold War", Bill Yenne explains that the military standoff that occurred between the two 'Superpowers', namely the United States and the Soviet Union, from the 1940s through to 1991, was only the Cold War, which ultimately helped to enable mankind to avert the possibility of an all out nuclear confrontation, and that it certainly was not World WarIII. War on terror. The "war on terror" that began with the September 11 attacks has been claimed by some to be World WarIII or sometimes as World WarIV. Others have disparaged such claims as "distorting American history." While there is general agreement amongst historians regarding the definitions and extent of the first two world wars, namely due to the unmistakable global scale of aggression and self-destruction of these two wars, a few have claimed that a "World War" might now no longer require such worldwide and large scale aggression and carnage. Still, such claims of a new "lower threshold of aggression", that might now be sufficient to qualify a war as a "World War" have not gained such widespread acceptance and support as the definitions of the first two world wars have received amongst historians. War on ISIL. On 1 February 2015, Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari declared that the War on ISIL was effectively "World WarIII", due to ISIL's declaration of a Worldwide Caliphate, its aims to conquer the world, and its success in spreading the conflict to multiple countries outside of the Levant region. In response to the November 2015 Paris attacks, King of Jordan Abdullah II said "We are facing a Third World War [within Islam]". In his State of the Union Address on 12 January 2016, U.S. President Barack Obama warned that news reports granting ISIL the supposed ability to foment WWIII might be excessive and irresponsible, stating that, "as we focus on destroying ISIL, over-the-top claims that this is World WarIII just play into their hands. Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped. But they do not threaten our national existence." Multiple small wars as a "third war". In multiple recorded interviews under somewhat casual circumstances, comparing the conflagrations of World WarI andII to the ongoing lower intensity wars of the 21st century, Pope Francis has said, "The world is at war, "because it has lost peace"", and "perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal". Hypothetical scenarios. In 1949, after the unleashing of nuclear weaponry at the end of WWII, physicist Albert Einstein suggested that any outcome of a possible WWIII would be so dire as to revert mankind back to the Stone Age. When asked by journalist Alfred Werner what types of weapons Einstein believed World WarIII might be fought with, Einstein warned, "I know not with what weapons World WarIII will be fought, but World WarIV will be fought with sticks and stones". A 1998 "New England Journal of Medicine" overview found that "Although many people believe that the threat of a nuclear attack largely disappeared with the end of the Cold War, there is considerable evidence to the contrary". The United States – Russia mutual detargeting agreement in 1994 was largely symbolic, and did not change the amount of time required to launch an attack. The most likely "accidental-attack" scenario was believed to be a retaliatory launch due to a false warning. Historically, World War I happened through an escalating crisis; World War II happened through deliberate action. Both sides often assume their side will win a "short" fight; according to a 2014 poll, 3/4 of the public in China believes their military would win in a war with the U.S. Hypothesized flashpoints in the 2010s and the 2020s included Russian intervention in Ukraine, Chinese expansion into adjacent islands and seas and Russian, American, Turkish and other foreign interventions in the Syrian Civil War. Other hypothesized risks are that a war involving or between Iran–Saudi Arabia, Iran–Israel, India–Pakistan, Russia–Ukraine, North Korea–South Korea, China–India and China–Taiwan. Wars that could escalate via alliances or intervention into a war between "great powers" such as the United States, Russia, China and India; or that a "rogue commander" under any nuclear power might launch an unauthorized strike that escalates into full war. Some scenarios involve risks due to upcoming changes from the known "status quo". In the 1980s the Strategic Defense Initiative made an effort at nullifying the USSR's nuclear arsenal; some analysts believe the initiative was "destabilizing". In his book "Destined for War", Graham Allison views the global rivalry between the established power, the US, and the rising power, China, as an example of the Thucydides Trap. Allison states that historically, "12 of 16 past cases where a rising power has confronted a ruling power" have led to fighting. In January 2020 the Union of Concerned Scientists advanced its Doomsday Clock, citing (among other factors) a predicted destabilizing effect from upcoming hypersonic weapons. Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, could hypothetically generate risk in the decades ahead. A 2018 RAND Corporation report has argued that AI and associated information technology "will have a large effect on nuclear-security issues in the next quarter century". A hypothetical future AI could provide a destabilizing ability to track "second-launch" launchers. Incorporating AI into decision support systems used to decide whether to launch, could also generate new risks, including the risk of an adversarial exploitation of such an AI's algorithms by a third party to trigger a launch recommendation. A perception that some sort of emerging technology would lead to "world domination" might also be destabilizing, for example by leading to fear of a pre-emptive strike.

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Profile in Silver "Profile in Silver" is the first segment of the twentieth episode of the first season (1985–86) of the television series "The Twilight Zone". In this segment, a time traveler interferes in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and must find a way to repair the resulting damage to the timeline. Plot. Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald has traveled back in time from the year 2172 and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard University. His mission is to video record the assassination of John F. Kennedy, from whom he is descended. Fitzgerald is nervous about watching his own ancestor be murdered. Dr. Kate Wang, a colleague from his own time, rebukes him for carrying around a 1964 coin with Kennedy's image, but he implores her to let this minor infraction against time travel rules slide. At the scene of the assassination, Fitzgerald impulsively shouts for the president to take cover. President Kennedy ducks, and the shot misses him. A grateful Kennedy invites Fitzgerald to stay at the White House. As Kennedy and his entourage return home, the president is notified that Secretary Nikita Khrushchev has been assassinated and Soviet troops have captured West Berlin. Fitzgerald consults his wrist computer, which informs him that his alteration of history has caused massive rips in the fabric of time. The assassination of Khrushchev was not enough to fix the damage; all possible outcomes to this timeline involve war between the superpowers. The only way to repair the timeline is for Kennedy to die in the exact manner as history recorded. The president's Secret Service bodyguard, Ray, has grown suspicious of Fitzgerald after finding his 1964 coin and examining his video camera, the shell of which is an unknown alloy that cannot be opened. Kennedy summons Fitzgerald, who tells them the whole story, showing a holographic display from the camera as partial proof. Kennedy volunteers to go back and be assassinated in order to repair time. Fitzgerald, overwhelmed by his ancestor's heroism, removes his Harvard school ring, which is actually his time travel device, and places it on Kennedy's hand. Kennedy is transported to Fitzgerald's home, in 2172. Fitzgerald takes Kennedy's place in the Dallas motorcade. At Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, the dead body of "President Kennedy" (actually Fitzgerald) is attended to by Dr. Wang. Ray recognizes her ring because it is identical to Fitzgerald's. She tells him she knew what Fitzgerald's fate would be, since even actions committed during time travel become part of history. At Harvard University in 2172, John F. Kennedy delivers a speech to a classroom full of students, in which he implicitly lauds Fitzgerald's sacrifice and the sacrifices of other honorable men like him. Response. Starloggers.com ranks it as number two on its top 10 "Twilight Zone" episodes from the 1980s.

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Future War 198X is a 1982 Japanese anime science fiction war film directed by Toshio Masuda and Tomoharu Katsumata. Partially inspired by the speculative war novel "" by General Sir John Hackett, the movie's plot is focused on a World War III set in the later part of the 1980s, with the digit X denoting the specific year the war breaks out. Plot. On 16 September of an unspecified year in the 1980s, the United States conducts an orbital test of the new Space Ranger antimissile laser defense system. American scientist Burt Gains oversees the test under the aegis of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency with the target warhead being launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base as the international media covers it. After the Space Ranger module successfully destroys the warhead, the crew of the "Space Voyager" shuttle carrying the module returns to worldwide adulation. Gains looks at the successful test as a sign that nuclear war can be prevented but has reservations about its potential to inflame the nuclear arms race. His sister Laura and his best friend Wataru Mikumo soon find out that he was kidnapped by Soviet spies while heading off to work. A Soviet Alfa-class submarine is tasked to transport Burt to Vladivostok. Seeing the danger of Burt forced to replicate his Space Ranger work for the Soviets, US President Gibson orders the submarine to sink with nuclear torpedoes. Tension builds up between the US and the USSR in the wake of the sinking, with President Gibson attempting a peaceful solution with the Soviets, who promptly put their forces in Eastern Europe on high alert. Wataru is promoted to lead the Space Ranger research team as Laura is medically confined due to depression over her brother's death. On Christmas Eve, the Soviets get the news that an elite Soviet Air Force pilot has defected, flying the USSR's most advanced strike aircraft, the Black Dragon, to a West German Air Force base in West Germany. Fearful of NATO acquiring Black Dragon's technology, the Soviets launch a Spetsnaz commando raid to kill the pilot and destroy the plane which leaves a wake of devastation in the process. The raid is viewed as an attack on West Germany and NATO forces and soon NATO declares war. The Soviets and the Warsaw Pact forces go into battle, and after months of fighting they easily blast their way across West Germany and the Low Countries, eventually capturing Paris. The Soviets keep up the offensive, with attacks on Iran, Turkey, and the other parts of the Middle East to capture oil resources while launching airstrikes on Japan due to Japan supporting NATO forces. China joins the war as well at first on the side of the Soviets and invades Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea. However disagreements over which nation will control Japan and racial tensions lead to fighting between Soviet and PLA forces who then attack the USSR's Far East region. US forces invade Cuba and Nicaragua. Soviet First Deputy Premier Kutuzov convenes the Politburo on Premier Orlov's behalf and proposes a ceasefire to secure oil rights to the Middle East while plotting to arrest Defense Minister Bulgarin, who earlier pushed Orlov to go to war. However, Bulgarin appears and has the entire Politburo arrested by Soviet forces that are loyal to him. A Soviet Navy ballistic missile submarine receives orders to launch on the US, but comes under attack from the US Navy and sustains heavy damage. Waiting for a recall order from Premier Orlov himself, the submarine captain refuses to launch the missiles, but with the sub rapidly sinking, his executive officer kills him and completes the launch with his communications officer. Several US cities are destroyed in the attack and President Gibson authorizes a limited nuclear counterstrike. Bulgarin launches a second strike while one of his assistants kills Orlov as he tries to negotiate peace with Gibson over the hotline. The Soviet attack hits more US and allied cities, with casualties estimated at 20 million. Gibson learns that Vandenberg is still safe and authorizes the Space Ranger's deployment with Wataru sent up as well. Meanwhile, survivors in the war zones begin a peace movement together with deserting soldiers. When Bulgarin learns that the deserters include Soviet and Warsaw Pact troops, outraged that his forces are abandoning the Soviet cause he prepares to launch all remaining Soviet nuclear missiles, but Kutuzov reappears in a bid to force him to stop. Bulgarin is killed, but not before he presses the launch button with the override canceled. Word of the new strike inbound reaches Gibson and the Space Ranger forces, with four modules in orbit to stop the warheads. While the satellites destroy many MIRV warheads, three are destroyed by the Soviets' killer satellite network and one warhead severely damages the fourth and the Space Voyager shuttle. Wataru decides to head to the last remaining satellite and repair it ahead of another wave of MIRVs before his oxygen runs out. The module is repaired and Wataru shoots down seven MIRVs but is forced to maneuver the satellite to get close and shoot down the eighth bearing down on Los Angeles, but the blast shakes him loose from the module and out into space. Laura, who was evacuated to the US after being caught in the Soviet airstrikes on Japan, flies in another shuttle to save Wataru while Kutuzov orders the crew of a nearby Soviet space station to rescue him. A ceasefire is declared by both forces and both sides agree to work together to help rebuild the damaged world. Production. Toei made the film with the assistance of former JSDF Major General Iwano Masataka. It created a controversy when it was alleged that the film was frightening children with the depicted threat of the Soviet Union. Production was boycotted by the Toei Animation Company labor union, which was joined by more than thirty organizations. These included the Mothers Association of Japan and the Teachers Union in Tokyo. A 90-minute cut of the film was released on VHS in Australia by Wizard Video. This version was not a full English dub, but instead retained Japanese dialogue while providing an English voice-over summary of the plot.  It also featured music by Tangerine Dream, Asia and Rush. The original Japanese version was 125 minutes long, with a German-language release of 115 minutes.

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When the Wind Blows (1986 film) When the Wind Blows is a 1986 British animated disaster film directed by Jimmy Murakami based on Raymond Briggs' comic book of the same name. The film stars the voices of John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft as the two main characters and was scored by Roger Waters. The film accounts a rural English couple's attempt to survive a nearby nuclear attack and maintain a sense of normality in the subsequent fallout. The film was Briggs' second collaboration with TVC, after their efforts with a special based on another work of his, "The Snowman", in 1982. It was distributed by Recorded Releasing in the UK, and by Kings Road Entertainment in the United States. A subsequent graphic novel by Briggs, "Ethel and Ernest" (1998), makes it clear that Briggs based the protagonist couple in "When the Wind Blows" on his own parents. "When the Wind Blows" is a hybrid of traditional and stop-motion animation. The characters of Jim and Hilda Bloggs are hand-drawn, as well as the area outside of the Bloggses house, but their home and most of the objects in it are real objects that seldom move but are animated with stop motion when they do. The stop motion environments utilised are based on the style used for the "Protect and Survive" public information films. "Protect And Survive" is also featured as the booklet that Jim takes instructions from to survive the nuclear attack. The soundtrack album features music by David Bowie (who performed the title song), Roger Waters, Genesis, Squeeze, Hugh Cornwell and Paul Hardcastle. Plot. Jim and Hilda Bloggs are an elderly couple living in a tidy isolated cottage in rural Sussex, in southeast England. Jim frequently travels to the local town to read newspapers and keep abreast of the deteriorating international situation regarding the Soviet–Afghan War; while frequently misunderstanding some specifics of the conflict, he is fully aware of the growing risk of an all-out nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Jim is horrified at a radio news report stating that a war may be only three days away, and sets about preparing for the worst as instructed by his government-issued Protect and Survive pamphlets. As Hilda continues her daily routine, and their son Ron (living elsewhere), who is implied to have fallen into fatalistic despair, dismisses such preparations as pointless (referencing the song "We'll All Go Together When We Go" by Tom Lehrer), Jim builds a lean-to shelter out of several doors inside their home (which he consistently calls the "inner core or refuge" per the pamphlets) and prepares a stock of supplies. As Jim goes on a shopping trip for the food supplies, he is unable to get any bread, due to "panic purchasing". He also follows through seemingly strange instructions such as painting his windows with white paint and readying sacks to lie down in when a nuclear strike hits. Despite Jim's concerns, he and Hilda are confident they can survive the war, as they did World War II in their childhoods, and that a Soviet defeat will ensue. Hearing a warning on the radio of an imminent ICBM strike, Jim rushes himself and Hilda into their shelter, just escaping injury as distant shock waves batter their home. They remain in the shelter for a couple of nights, and when they emerge, they find all their utilities, services and communications have been destroyed by the nuclear blast. In spite of the shelter Jim has built, over the following days, they gradually grow sick from exposure to the radioactive fallout, resulting in radiation poisoning. Ron and his wife Beryl are not heard from again, though their deaths are heavily implied. In spite of all this, Jim and Hilda stoically attempt to carry on, preparing tea and dinners on a camping stove, noting numerous errands they will have to run once the crisis passes, and trying to renew their evaporated water stock with (contaminated) rainwater. Jim keeps faith that a rescue operation will be launched to help civilians. They step out into the garden, where radioactive ash has blocked out the sun and caused heavy fog. They are oblivious to the dead animals and the few remaining animals suffering from the radiation (or feeding on the dead in the case of rats), the destroyed buildings of the nearby town and scorched, dead vegetation outside their cottage (aside from their own garden). The couple initially remains optimistic; however, as they take in the debris of their home, prolonged isolation, lack of food and water, growing radiation sickness, and confusion about the events that have taken place, they begin to fall into a state of despair. As they continue to attempt to survive, Jim worries that the Russian military will come to attack their house (having a vision where a tall, red eyed Russian soldier with a bayoneted tommy gun breaks into their house), and that they will have to kill them or be sent to a concentration camp. Hilda humorously suggests offering a cup of tea to them, saying that "Russians like tea". The Russian military never comes however, as they too were wiped out by the nuclear war. As Hilda's symptoms are worsening, she encounters a rat in the dried toilet, which frightens her severely. Her encounter with the rat, as well as her worrying symptoms - bloody diarrhoea (which Jim says is haemorrhoids), and her bleeding gums (which Jim says is caused by ill-fitting dentures) - cause her to be become slightly more suspicious of her impending fate. Jim still tries to comfort her, still optimistic that he may be able to get medications for her from the chemist. After a few days, the Bloggs are practically bedridden, and Hilda is despondent when her hair begins to fall out, after vomiting, developing painful sores and lesions. Either in denial, unaware of the extent of the nuclear holocaust, unable to comprehend it, or trying to comfort Hilda. Jim is still confident that emergency services will eventually arrive, but they never do. Hilda is subliminally aware of her fate, and suggests getting back into the paper sacks. Jim, now losing the last of his optimism, agrees to Hilda's suggestion. The film ends with the dying Jim and Hilda getting into the paper sacks, crawling back into the shelter, and praying. Jim begins with the Lord's Prayer, but, forgetting the lines, switches to "The Charge of the Light Brigade", whose militaristic and ironic undertones distress the dying Hilda, who weakly asks him not to continue. Finally, Jim's voice mumbles away into silence as he finishes the line, "...rode the Six Hundred..." Outside the shelter, the smoke and ash-filled sky begins to clear, revealing the sun rising through the gloom. At the very end of the credits, a Morse code signal taps out "MAD", which stands for mutual assured destruction, implying that the world has indeed ended. Reception. "When the Wind Blows" received positive reviews, currently having an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews. Critic Barry Lappin called it "Absolutely brilliant... It was very subtly done but the message more than gets through well". He explained that the scenes are "more than touching" and encouraged people to watch it to the very end. Colin Greenland reviewed "When the Wind Blows" for "White Dwarf" #85, and stated that "The story of Jim and Hilda Bloggs preparing for the Bomb and trying to get back to normal afterwards is heavy-handed, especially at the end, and would have been better shorter; there are odd continuity problems between the pictures and the dialogue. But it is powerful, ludicrous and shocking. It gets to you. As it ought to." Soundtrack. Originally, David Bowie was supposed to contribute several songs to the soundtrack for the film, but decided to pull out so he could focus on his upcoming album "Never Let Me Down", and instead only submitted the title track. Roger Waters was brought in to complete the project instead. Track listing. All tracks written by Roger Waters and performed by Waters and The Bleeding Heart Band except where noted. On some versions of the album, the Roger Waters tracks are all put into one 24:26 song. The lyrics to the closing song, "Folded Flags", feature a reference to the song "Hey Joe" in the lines "Hey Joe, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?" and "Hey Joe, where you goin' with that dogma in your head?" Personnel. The Bleeding Heart Band Home media releases. The film was released on VHS in the United Kingdom by CBS/Fox Video after its theatrical run, and later on laserdisc. After a short theatrical run in the United States in one theatre and grossing $5,274 at the box office in 1988, it was released on VHS by International Video Entertainment and on laserdisc by Image Entertainment. It was released on DVD in 2005 by Channel 4, with 0 region coding: the official UK DVD is still PAL format. The film was re-released on DVD in September 2010, again by Channel 4, it is formatted in NTSC and All region coding. In the United States it was released on Blu-ray on 11 November 2014 by Twilight Time in a limited edition of 3000, and in the United Kingdom, a dual-format release containing both the DVD and Blu-ray version was released on 22 January 2018 by the BFI. Severin Films released another Blu-ray and a DVD of the movie in the United States through their Severin Kids label on 21 April 2020.

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The War Game The War Game is a 1966 British pseudo-documentary film that depicts a nuclear war and its aftermath. Written, directed and produced by Peter Watkins for the BBC, it caused dismay within the BBC and also within government, and was subsequently withdrawn before the provisional screening date of 6 October 1965. The corporation said that "the effect of the film has been judged by the BBC to be too horrifying for the medium of broadcasting. It will, however, be shown to invited audiences..." The film eventually premiered at the National Film Theatre in London, on 13 April 1966, where it ran until 3 May. It was then shown abroad at several film festivals, including the Venice one where it won the Special Prize. It also won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1967. The film was eventually televised in Great Britain on 31 July 1985, during the week before the fortieth anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, the day before a repeat screening of "Threads". Synopsis. "The War Game" depicts the prelude to, and the immediate weeks of the aftermath of, a Soviet nuclear attack against Britain. The narrator says that Britain's current nuclear deterrent policy threatens a would-be aggressor with devastation from Vulcan and Victor nuclear bombers of the British V bomber force. The film begins on Friday, 16 September (presumably 1966; this date did not appear again until 1977). A news report tells of a Chinese invasion of South Vietnam; tensions escalate when the United States authorises tactical nuclear warfare against the Chinese. Although Soviet and East German forces threaten to invade West Berlin if the US does not withdraw its decision to use nuclear weapons against the Chinese, the US does not acquiesce to communist demands and the invasion takes place; two US Army divisions attempt to fight their way into Berlin to counter this, but the Russian and East German forces overwhelm them in conventional battle. In order to turn the tide, President Johnson authorises the NATO commanders to use their tactical nuclear weapons, and they soon do so. An escalating nuclear war results, during which larger Soviet strategic IRBMs are launched at Britain. The film remarks that many Soviet missiles were, at the time, believed to be liquid-fuelled and stored above ground, making them vulnerable to attack and bombings. It hypothesises that in any nuclear crisis, the Soviet Union would be obliged to fire all of them as early as possible in order to avoid their destruction by counterattack, hence the rapid progression from tactical to strategic nuclear exchange. In the chaos just before the attack, towns and cities are evacuated and residents forced to move to the country. On 18 September at 9:11am, a doctor visits a family with an ill patient. As he finishes checking up on her and steps outside the air-raid sirens start to wail in the distance, followed by a klaxon horn from a police car. The doctor rushes back in with two civil defence workers and starts bringing tables together to create a makeshift shelter. Suddenly, the town of Rochester is struck by an off-target one-megaton Soviet thermonuclear warhead aimed at RAF Manston, a target which, along with the Maidstone barracks, is mentioned in scenes showing the immediate effects of the attack. The missile's explosion causes instant flash blindness of those nearby, followed by a firestorm caused by the blast wave. The air in the centre of the firestorm is replaced by methane and carbon dioxide and monoxide and the temperature rises to about 500 degrees. The firemen soon pass out from the heat in the chaos. By then the V-bombers carrying green Yellow Sun gravity bombs and Blue Steel standoff missiles reach the border of the Soviet Union and presumably breach anti-aircraft defences by using a special instrument in their cockpits to jam defending radar signals. They head to their countervalue targets, civilian cities. Later, society collapses due to overwhelming radiation sickness and the depletion of food and medical supplies. There is widespread psychological damage and consequently a rising occurrence of suicide. The country's infrastructure is destroyed; the British Army burns corpses, while police shoot looters during food riots. The provisional government becomes increasingly disliked due to its rationing of resources and use of lethal force, and anti-authority uprisings begin. Civil disturbance and obstruction of government officers become capital offences; two men are shown being executed by firing squad for such acts. Several traumatised and bewildered orphan children are briefly featured, questioning whether they have any future and desiring to be "nothing." The film ends bleakly on the first Christmas Day after the nuclear war, held in a ruined church with a vicar who futilely attempts to provide hope to his traumatised congregation. The closing credits include a version of "Silent Night". Style. The story is told in the style of a news magazine programme. It wavers between a pseudo-documentary and a drama film, with characters acknowledging the presence of the camera crew in some segments and others (in particular the nuclear attack) filmed as if the camera was not present. It features several different strands that alternate throughout, including a documentary-style chronology of the main events, featuring reportage-like images of the war, the nuclear strikes, and their effects on civilians; brief contemporary interviews, in which passers-by are interviewed about what turns out to be their general lack of knowledge of nuclear war issues; optimistic commentary from public figures that clashes with the other images in the film; and fictional interviews with key figures as the war unfolds. The film also features a voice-over narration that describes the events depicted as plausible occurrences during and after a nuclear war. The narration attempts to instil in the viewing audience that the civil defence policies of 1965 have not realistically prepared the public for such events, particularly suggesting that the policies neglected the possibility of panic buying that would occur for building materials to construct improvised fallout shelters. The public are generally depicted as lacking all understanding of nuclear matters with the exception of the individual with a double-barrelled shotgun who successfully implemented the contemporary civil defence advice, and heavily sandbagged his home, but the docudrama does not return to this modestly prepared individual; instead, for the rest of the drama, it focuses primarily on individuals who did not understand the preparations to be made in advance or otherwise failed to make such preparations, and follows the pandemonium these individuals go on to experience. The film contains this quotation from the Stephen Vincent Benét poem "Song for Three Soldiers": Of his intent, Peter Watkins said: ... Interwoven among scenes of "reality" were stylized interviews with a series of "establishment figures" – an Anglican Bishop, a nuclear strategist, etc. The outrageous statements by some of these people (including the Bishop) – in favour of nuclear weapons, even nuclear war – were actually based on genuine quotations. Other interviews with a doctor, a psychiatrist, etc. were more sober, and gave details of the effects of nuclear weapons on the human body and mind. In this film I was interested in breaking the illusion of media-produced "reality". My question was – "Where is 'reality'? ... in the madness of statements by these artificially-lit establishment figures quoting the official doctrine of the day, or in the madness of the staged and fictional scenes from the rest of my film, which presented the consequences of their utterances? To this end, the docudrama employs juxtaposition by, for example, quickly cutting from the scenes of horror after an immediate escalation from military to city nuclear attacks to a snippet of a recording of a calm lecture by a person resembling Herman Kahn, a renowned RAND strategist, hypothesizing that a counterforce (military) nuclear war would not necessarily escalate immediately into countervalue-targeted (i.e. civilian-targeted) nuclear war. The effect of this juxtaposition is to make the speaker appear out of touch with the "reality" of rapid escalation, as depicted immediately before his contribution. Filming. The film was shot in the Kent towns of Tonbridge, Gravesend, Chatham and Dover. The cast was almost entirely made up of non-actors, casting having taken place via a series of public meetings several months earlier. Much of the filming of the post-strike devastation was shot at the Grand Shaft Barracks, Dover. The narration was provided by Peter Graham with Michael Aspel reading the quotations from source material. BBC screening. "The War Game" itself finally saw television broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC2 on 31 July 1985, as part of a special season of programming entitled "After the Bomb" (which had been Watkins's original working title for "The War Game"). "After the Bomb" commemorated the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The broadcast was preceded by an introduction from Ludovic Kennedy. Reception. The film holds a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93% based on 14 reviews, with an average score of 8.46/10. Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect score, calling it "[o]ne of the most skillful documentary films ever made." He praised the "remarkable authenticity" of the firestorm sequence and describes its portrayal of bombing's aftermath as "certainly the most horrifying ever put on film (although, to be sure, greater suffering has taken place in real life, and is taking place today)." "They should string up bedsheets between the trees and show "The War Game" in every public park" he concludes, "It should be shown on television, perhaps right after one of those half-witted war series in which none of the stars ever gets killed." David Cornelius of "DVD Talk" called it "one of the most disturbing, overwhelming, and downright important films ever produced." He writes that the film finds Watkins "at his very best, angry and provocative and desperate to tell the truth, yet not once dipping below anything but sheer greatness from a filmmaking perspective [...] an unquestionable masterpiece of raw journalism, political commentary, and unrestrained terror." Accolades. The film won the 1967 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, "The War Game" was placed 27th. "The War Game" was also voted 74th in Channel Four's 100 Greatest Scary Moments.

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The Damned (1963 film) The Damned (released as These Are the Damned in the United States) is a 1963 British science fiction horror film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Viveca Lindfors and Oliver Reed. Based on H.L. Lawrence's 1960 novel "The Children of Light", it was a Hammer Film production. Plot. Simon Wells, a middle-aged American tourist, is on a boating holiday off the south coast of England. He has recently divorced and left his career as an insurance executive. In Weymouth, he meets 20-year-old Joan, who lures him into a brutal mugging at the hands of her brother King and his motorbike gang. The next day Joan defies her overprotective brother and joins Simon on his boat. Simon is willing to forgive and forget; Joan implies that the beating was inevitable after Simon attempted to pick up Joan in a bar. She describes the abuse she suffers from King whenever men show interest in her. Simon urges her to run away with him but she insists upon returning to shore. Their time on the water is observed by a member of King's gang. That night, Joan and Simon meet at a cliff-top house where they have sex. The house is surrounded by King's gang but the couple escape and reach the relative safety of a nearby military base. The couple descend the cliff to the beach, pursued by King. They find a network of caves leading to an underground bunker attached to the military base. Within the caves live nine children, all aged 11, whose skin is cold to the touch. They appear healthy, well-dressed and intelligent but know little about the outside world. Their home is under continuous video surveillance and they are educated via closed circuit television by Bernard, who deflects questions about their purpose and their isolation with promises that they will learn the answers someday. The children are regularly visited by men in radiation protection suits. Although Bernard is forced to keep the children under watch, he allows them one chamber in the caves without cameras. The children are unaware that their "secret hideout" is known to their captors and they keep there mementos of people that they believe are their parents. The children host Joan, Simon and King in this "secret" room and smuggle food to them. Joan and Simon plan to rescue the children and they pressure King into helping them; the visitors soon feel unwell. Bernard urges the children to give up their new friends, and reveals his knowledge of their secret place. The children refuse and destroy the surveillance cameras. Bernard sends men in radiation suits but King and Simon overpower them. Simon uses one of their Geiger counters and discovers that the children are radioactive. The intruders lead the children out of the caves but they are ambushed by more men in radiation suits and most of the children are taken back to the bunker. King grabs one of the boys and escapes in a stolen car. He is overcome by radiation sickness and orders the boy out of the car. The boy is immediately recaptured. King is pursued by a helicopter, loses control of the car and is killed. Joan and Simon escape by boat, but they are also overcome by sickness. A helicopter hovers above as their boat drifts off course; the pilot has orders to destroy it once the occupants are confirmed dead. Bernard confides in his mistress Freya that he regrets the children now know they are prisoners. They were born radioactive, the result of a nuclear accident. This enables them to be resistant to nuclear fallout and so they will survive the "inevitable" nuclear war to come, according to Bernard. When Freya rejects him and his plan, he kills her. The final scene depicts holiday-goers enjoying the beach, unable to hear the desperate cries of the imprisoned children nearby. Production. American director Joseph Losey had moved to Britain after being blacklisted by Hollywood. The film was produced by Hammer, which had enjoyed great success with such horror films as "Dracula," and "The Curse of Frankenstein". A script was originally written by Ben Barzman which was reasonably faithful to the original novel. Losey then had this rewritten by Evan Jones two weeks prior to filming. Losey originally wanted Neilson the sculptor to be killed by one of the helicopters but the studio insisted that Bernard kill her. The studio also wished to tone down the incestuous references between King and Joan. The sculptures featured were all by British artist Elisabeth Frink. Frink not only lent these but also was on location for their shooting and coached Lindfors on performing the sculptor’s method of building up plaster, which was then ferociously worked and carved. The film was shot at Hammer's Bray Studios and on location around Weymouth and nearby Chesil Beach. The film went over budget by £25,000. Release. The film was shot in May–June 1961, and was reviewed by the British censors on 20 December 1961, who gave it an X certificate without any cuts. However, it wasn't released in the UK until 20 May 1963, when it was shown at the London Pavilion as the second half of a double bill of X-rated horror films. In spite of the very discreet release, it was noticed by a film critic from "The Times", who gave it a very positive review, stating that "Joseph Losey is one of the most intelligent, ambitious and constantly exciting film-makers now working in this country, if not indeed in the world—"The Damned" is very much a film to be seen, for at its best it hits with a certainty of aim which is as exciting as it is devastating, and hits perhaps in a place where it is important we should be hurt." When it was released in the United States in 1963, as "These Are the Damned", it had been cut to 77 minutes. A complete print was released in US art house cinemas in 2007. On 15 January 2010, it was released on DVD as part of the Icons of Suspense Collection from Hammer Films. "The Damned" was called "the highpoint of the first wave of the British postwar Science Fiction films".

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Fail Safe (2000 film) Fail Safe is a 2000 televised broadcast play, based on "Fail-Safe", the Cold War novel by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. The play, broadcast live in black and white on CBS, starred George Clooney, Richard Dreyfuss, Harvey Keitel, and Noah Wyle, and was one of the few live dramas on American television since its Golden Age in the 1950s and 1960s. The broadcast was introduced by Walter Cronkite (his introduction, also broadcast in black and white, is included in the DVD releases of the film): it was directed by veteran British filmmaker Stephen Frears. The novel was first adapted into a 1964 film of the same name directed by Sidney Lumet; the TV version is shorter than the 1964 film due to commercial airtime and omits a number of subplots. Plot. The time is the early-to-mid-1960s, the height of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. An unknown aircraft approaches North America from Europe. American bombers of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) are scrambled to their fail safe points near Russia. The bombers have orders not to proceed past their fail safe points without receiving a special attack code. The original "threat" is proven to be innocuous and recall orders are issued. However, due to a technical failure, the attack code, CAP811, is transmitted to Group Six, which consists of six Vindicator supersonic bombers and four escort fighters. Colonel Grady, the commanding pilot of Group Six, tries to contact SAC headquarters in Omaha to verify the fail-safe order (called Positive Check), but due to Soviet radio jamming, Grady cannot hear Omaha. Concluding that the attack order and the radio jamming could only mean war, Grady commands Group Six towards Moscow, their intended destination. At meetings in Omaha, the Pentagon, and in the fallout shelter of the White House, American politicians and scholars debate the implications of the attack. Professor Groteschele suggests the United States follow this accidental attack with a full-scale attack to force the Soviets to surrender. The President orders the Air Force to send the four escort fighters after the bombers to shoot down the Vindicators. The attempt is to show that the Vindicator attack is an accident, not a full-scale nuclear assault. After using their afterburners in an attempt to catch the bombers, the fighters run out of fuel and crash, dooming the pilots to die of exposure in the Arctic Sea. The fighters fail to destroy any bombers. The President of the United States contacts the Premier of the Soviet Union and offers assistance in attacking the group. The Soviets decline at first; then they decide to accept help. Meanwhile, the Soviet PVO Strany air defense corps has managed to shoot down two of the six planes. After accepting American help they shoot down two more planes. Two bombers remain on course to Moscow. One is a decoy and carries no bombs. The other carries two 20 megaton devices. General Bogan tells Marshal Nevsky, the Soviet commander, to ignore the decoy plane because it is harmless. Nevsky, who mistrusts Bogan, instead orders his Soviet aircraft to pursue the decoy aircraft. The Soviet fighters are then out of position to intercept the final American bomber. The decoy's feint guarantees that the remaining bomber can successfully attack. Following the failure, Nevsky collapses. As the bomber approaches Moscow, Colonel Grady opens up the radio to contact SAC to inform them that they are about to make the strike. As a last-minute measure, the Soviets fire a barrage of nuclear-tipped missiles to form a fireball in an attempt to knock the low-flying Vindicator out of the sky. The bomber shoots up two decoy missiles, which successfully leads the Soviet missiles high in the air and Colonel Grady's plane survives. With the radio open, the President attempts to persuade Grady that there is no war. Grady's son also attempts to convince him. Under standing orders that such a late recall attempt must be a Soviet trick, Grady ignores them. Grady tells his crew that "We're not just walking wounded, we're walking dead men," due to radiation from the Soviet missiles. He intends to fly the aircraft over Moscow and detonate the bombs in the plane. His co-pilot notes, "There's nothing to go home to." Meanwhile, the American president has ordered another American bomber to circle over New York with a 40-megaton payload, which should be dropped in case of the bombing of Moscow. The American ambassador in Moscow reports about the final moments of the Soviet capital before being vaporized from the blast. The American bomber receives an order to drop its bombs over New York in order for the destruction of Moscow to be reciprocated and a Third World War avoided. It was earlier revealed that the American President's wife was in New York while the events of the film transpired, meaning she would be killed in the blast. The pilot of the American bomber, General Black, commits suicide with a lethal injection just after releasing the bombs. Production. The April 9, 2000 presentation was the first live broadcast of a dramatic movie (a televised play) on CBS since May 1960. The production was shot, and aired, in black and white (the same format as the 1964 theatrical film), using 22 cameras on multiple sets.

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Group of Marxist-Leninists/Red Dawn

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Def-Con 4 Def-Con 4 is a 1985 Canadian post-apocalyptic film, portraying three astronauts who survive World War III aboard a space station and return to Earth to find greatly changed circumstances. The film's title refers to the Defense Readiness Condition (DEFCON), the United States military's nuclear alert system. Synopsis. Three astronauts in a secret spaceship lose all contact with the ground and observe what appears to be a nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union on Earth. Two months later, the spacecraft's guidance system is mysteriously reprogrammed, forcing the crew's return to Earth. The spacecraft lands considerably off-course, on a beach in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada. Jordan (Kate Lynch) is knocked unconscious on impact. Walker (John Walsch) exits first and is quickly killed by "terminals" – humans crazed by disease. Several hours later, in the middle of the night, Howe (Tim Choate) ventures out in search of help and a way to escape. He soon encounters Vinny (Maury Chaykin), a survivalist who has fortified his house with barbed wire and booby-traps. Vinny effectively saves him from the "terminals," and makes him his prisoner. As the plot develops, Vinny, fellow survivor J.J. (Lenore Zann), and Howe are captured, and taken in chains to a makeshift fortress built out of junk. In order to survive, the crew must escape to the radiation-free zones while avoiding cannibal "terminals" and a sadistic military-school student-turned-despotic ruler, and escape before a malfunctioning nuclear warhead explodes in sixty hours. Production. The film was primarily directed by Paul Donovan. Digby C. Cook directed the WWN news segment. Tony Randel directed part of the film but received no credit. Reception. TV Guide gave the movie 3 out of 5 stars, praising the war scenario, the darker approach to the apocalypse genre and the overall disturbing effect of the movie. In Creature Feature, the movie received 2.5 out of 5 stars, finding the space scenes of the movie good, but the land-based scenes commonplace. Kim Newman found the plot of a pre-apocalyptic person thrust into a post-apocalyptic world to be a cliché based on "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells.

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World War III (film) World War III (Der Dritte Weltkrieg) is a 1998 German alternate history television pseudo-documentary, directed by Robert Stone and distributed by ZDF. An English version, in collaboration with TLC, was made as well and aired in May 1999. It depicts what might have transpired if, following the overthrow of Mikhail Gorbachev, Soviet troops, under orders from a new hard-line regime, had opened fire on demonstrators in Berlin in the fall of 1989 and precipitated World War III. The film mixes real footage of world leaders and archive footage of (for example) combat exercises and news events, with newly shot footage of citizens, soldiers, and political staff. Plot. The movie opens with clips of the US military scrambling to respond to a Soviet nuclear attack. Daniel Schorr, reporting in front of the White House, is vaporized when a nuclear weapon detonates. In the summer of 1989, East Germany is in turmoil. Many citizens are dissatisfied with their nation’s Communist leadership and seek reunification with West Germany. On October 7, Mikhail Gorbachev, a supporter of those reforms, visits East Berlin. During his return flight, the hard-line Communist leadership stages a coup that deposes Gorbachev and installs (fictional) General Vladimir Soshkin as the new Soviet leader. The Soviet government announces that Gorbachev resigned for "reasons of ill health," but Gorbachev is never heard from again, his true fate "lost in the darkness of history." Pushkin and the hard-liners fiercely resist the rise of glasnost and perestroika. They are determined to end the uprisings in East Germany and the rest of the Eastern Bloc with a swift Chinese-style military crackdown in late October. (In East Germany at least, the crackdown is not limited to demonstrators; numerous moderate Communists such as Egon Krenz and Günter Schabowski are "disappeared", never to be heard from again.) The crackdown inflames popular opposition to communism. In late November, a demonstration in Leipzig is brutally repressed by the East German Army at great loss of life. Two days later, a demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate ends with East German soldiers killing many East Berlin residents trying to scale the Berlin Wall and a West German cameraman filming the events. Those soldiers also fire shots over the wall into West Berlin. Soon after, the East German government responds to the international condemnation of their conduct by ordering all foreign journalists out of the country. In mid-December, NATO airlifts military reinforcements to West Berlin. Soon after, Secretary of State James Baker arrives in West Berlin to secretly meet with General Dmitry Leonov, the Soviet commander in East Germany, who strongly opposes Soshkin's crackdown. However, on the way to the meeting, Leonov is killed by a car bomb, for which a West German neo-Nazi group claims responsibility. After an interview with West German TV in which Soshkin implicitly threatens West Berlin, an American colonel orders that tactical nuclear weapons in West Germany be placed on high alert Soshkin responds with new threats, a massive deployment of the Soviet submarine fleet, and incursions of Soviet Bear bombers into Alaskan airspace. On January 25, 1990, several East German and Soviet tank divisions are mobilized to cut off transportation and supply links between West Germany and West Berlin, and the Soviet Air Force moves to close off East Germany's airspace. Pushkin hopes the plan will prevent the West from encroaching into the Soviet sphere of influence and isolate Berlin from the West. NATO responds by deploying thousands of additional troops into West Germany to strengthen their existing garrisons there. As the United States prepares their first military convoy across the North Atlantic, the Soviets announce their intention to blockade the U.S. Navy transports. Pushkin desires to cut off Western Europe and weaken the NATO buildup. The US and Britain condemn the blockade and last-minute attempts at a compromise fall through. When the convoy crosses into the designated exclusion zone, Soviet forces are ordered to attack. Nearly a quarter of the convoy is sunk in the ensuing battle before the NATO fleet clears the air and sea lanes to Europe. Shortly afterward, the United Nations Security Council holds an emergency session in New York City in the hopes of diffusing the hostilities between the superpowers but proves fruitless when neither side refuses to back down until the other does so. World War III has effectively begun. The world panics after the failed session and the United States dispatches (fictional) National Security Advisor Martin Jacobs to the Soviet Union for last-ditch effort talks with Pushkin. Figuring that Soshkin knows that the Soviets are losing power in Eastern Europe, Jacobs offers Soshkin an extended timetable for the Soviet withdrawal from Eastern Europe in exchange for a de-escalation of the military buildup. Pushkin refuses him utterly with one word: "Nyet" (no). The battle for Germany. On March 12, Soshkin orders a massive amphibious landing near Kiel on the Baltic coast, carried out by the Volksmarine and the Soviet Navy's Baltic Fleet. The landings catch NATO off-guard, and they scramble forces northward to push back the beachhead. The next day, Warsaw Pact ground forces drive through the Fulda Gap, with orders to push to the Rhine to divide the stretched-out NATO armies. To support the assault, the Soviet Air Force bombards targets immediately on the Baltic coast and NATO bases further inland, such as Ramstein Air Base. The overall plan is to cripple the NATO buildup with a swift strike and then press for a new round of diplomatic bargaining from a stronger strategic position. NATO forces, surprised by an enemy that far outnumbers them, are pushed back, though they can inflict significant losses on the Warsaw Pact forces. By March 17, the Warsaw Pact forces have advanced 50 miles into West Germany. Entire towns are destroyed in the fighting as increasingly desperate NATO commanders try to stall the Warsaw Pact's advance, and civilian and military casualties are heavy, overwhelming NATO medical personnel. Public order collapses amid the mass panic, and 20 million automobiles jam the roads as West German civilians trying to flee. While preparing to launch a tactical nuclear counter-assault, NATO carries out a last-ditch conventional air campaign––code-named Operation Bloody Nose––launched 24 hours before the nuclear strikes were to begin. The already-overworked NATO aviators are given just one day to turn the tide of an entire war. Thanks in part to a daring raid on the Soviet Army's forward headquarters in Poland and the use of American stealth aircraft, Bloody Nose is an overwhelming success: the initial strikes cripple Warsaw Pact command and control posts, throwing their armies in the field into chaos. In the ensuing air battle, NATO also inflicts devastating losses on the Soviet Air Force (which had already lost 20% of the aircraft supporting the initial offensives), thereby gaining air supremacy over Eastern European airspace. Combined with assistance from the Polish underground that cuts off Soviet supply lines, the tide of the war turns. With their numerical superiority negated by Western technological superiority, the East German and Soviet armies melt under NATO airstrikes, and counterattacking NATO forces cross into East Germany on March 23. Global thermonuclear war. NATO forces reach and liberate West Berlin on March 27. Now in full retreat, the Soviet Army withdraws to Poland, abandoning the East Germans to fend for themselves. With the East German Army beaten, its central government falling apart, and foreign armies rapidly advancing into the country, East Germany essentially collapses, leaving many Germans on both sides of the Iron Curtain to hope that reunification is at hand. With victory at hand, the American leadership tries to reassure Soshkin that NATO has no intention of pressing their advance beyond East Germany. Open revolt erupts across the Eastern Bloc as citizens of the communist nations, as well ethnic minorities within the Soviet Union, press for the overthrow of their own leaders, emboldened by the collapse of East Germany and the fact that the Soviets are obviously losing the war. Soshkin's paranoia and desperation rise swiftly as the entire Eastern Bloc falls apart around him, and while NATO has no intention of actually doing so, Soshkin quickly becomes convinced that they will try to exploit the situation and fight all the way to Moscow. As a show of force, on March 31 Soshkin orders a symbolic nuclear strike above the North Sea. The United States responds by going to full nuclear alert and preparing to execute the Single Integrated Operational Plan. On April 1 (ironically April Fools Day), a Soviet radar post suffers an equipment malfunction. Falsely believing that the USSR is under nuclear attack, Soshkin orders an all-out retaliatory nuclear strike against the West. The nuclear powers of NATO have no choice but to respond in kind, and thousands of nuclear devices are launched across the Northern Hemisphere. The narrator intones, "There is no further historical record of what happens next," suggesting that civilization was either wiped out or destroyed to a great extent. Epilogue. The movie then rewinds to Gorbachev’s visit to East Germany. Archival footage is shown of the celebrations of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the peaceful reunification of Germany: "History...took a different course.".

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Iron Sky Iron Sky is a 2012 Finnish-German-Australian comic-science-fiction action film directed by Timo Vuorensola and written by Johanna Sinisalo and Michael Kalesniko. It tells the story of a group of Nazi Germans who, having been defeated in 1945, fled to the Moon, where they built a space fleet to return in 2018 and conquer Earth. "Iron Sky" is one of the most expensive Finnish films. "Iron Sky" comes from the creators of "" and was produced by Tero Kaukomaa of Blind Spot Pictures and Energia Productions, co-produced by New Holland Pictures and 27 Films, and co-financed by numerous individual supporters; Samuli Torssonen was responsible for the computer-generated imagery. It was theatrically released throughout Europe in April 2012. A director's cut of the film with 20 additional minutes was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 11 March 2014. A video-game adaptation titled " was released in October 2012. A sequel, titled ", was crowdfunded through Indiegogo and released in January 2019. Plot. In 2018, an American manned mission lands on the Moon. The lander carries two astronauts, one of them an African-American male model, James Washington, specifically chosen to aid the U.S. President in her re-election (various "Black to the Moon" word-play posters are seen in the film, extolling the new Moon landing). Upon landing on the far side of the Moon, they encounter the descendants of Nazis who escaped to the Moon in 1945 (self-styled the "Fourth Reich" in dialogue). Washington is taken captive after the other astronaut is killed. Nazi scientist Doktor Richter examines Washington and obtains his smartphone, which he later recognizes as having more computing power than the 1940s-style computers of the Fourth Reich, enabling its use as a control unit to complete their giant space battleship "Götterdämmerung". When Richter strives to demonstrate his Wunderwaffe to the current Führer, Wolfgang Kortzfleisch, the phone's battery is quickly exhausted. Nazi commander Klaus Adler, chosen for genetic reasons to mate with Earth specialist Renate Richter (Doktor Richter's daughter), embarks in a flying saucer to collect more such computers on Earth. He takes with him Washington, who has been "Aryanized" by Doktor Richter using an "albinizing" drug. Upon landing in New York City, they discover that Renate has stowed away with them. They abandon Washington after he connects them with the President's campaign adviser, Vivian Wagner. Adler and Renate energize the President's re-election campaign using Nazi-style rhetoric. Renate is unaware of Adler's ambition to replace Kortzfleisch and rule the world. After three months, Kortzfleisch lands on Earth and confronts Adler, but is killed by Adler and Vivian. Adler declares himself the new Führer before returning to orbit in Kortzfleisch's flying saucer, deserting Vivian but taking her tablet computer. Concurrently, Renate is persuaded by the homeless Washington that Adler intends global genocide. Shortly afterwards, the Moon Nazis launch a mass attack on the Earth with a fleet of giant Zeppelin-like spacecraft called Siegfrieds which tow asteroids as missiles and launch countless flying saucers at New York City, where they destroy the Statue of Liberty and blitz the city. The U.S. Air Force engage the flying saucers with some success. The United Nations assembles to discuss the Moon Nazi threat. The President appoints Vivian as commander of the secretly militarised spacecraft USS "George W. Bush", which carries nuclear and directed-energy weapons, only to discover that most of the other nations (except Finland) have also secretly armed their spacecraft. They dispatch them against the Nazi fleet and wipe out the Siegfrieds. Adler arrives in Kortzfleisch's flying saucer with the tablet computer to activate the "Götterdämmerung". Renate and Washington travel in Adler's flying saucer to the "Götterdämmerung", where Washington goes to disable the engines while Renate seeks out Adler. Meanwhile, the international space fleet damage the Nazis' Moon base and approach the "Götterdämmerung" which dwarfs them all. Commanding the "Götterdämmerung", Adler destroys parts of the Moon to expose Earth to his line-of-fire. During the battle, Washington disconnects Vivian's tablet from the control panel of the "Götterdämmerung", while Renate kills Adler before he can fire at Earth. Renate and Washington separately escape as the "Götterdämmerung" crashes into the Moon. The U.S. president congratulates Vivian from the UN session; whereupon Vivian discloses the presence of large tanks of helium-3 on the Moon, of which the President immediately assumes sole claim on grounds that its possession ensures a millennium-long supply of energy. This enrages the other UN members, who engage in a brawl, while the international fleet turn on each other. At the damaged Moon base, Renate reunites with Washington, who has reverted his pigmentation back to normal. They kiss before a confused group of Nazi survivors, whom Renate assures, "[they] have a lotta work cut out for [them]". The final moments of the film show the Earth apparently during an international nuclear war. At the very end of the credits, the planet Mars is revealed with an artificial satellite in orbit. Production. Production began in early 2006, and the production team took their teaser trailer of the film to the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, seeking co-financiers. The team signed a co-production agreement with Oliver Damian's 27 Films Productions. "Iron Sky" is one of a new wave of productions, including "Artemis Eternal", "The Cosmonaut", "A Swarm of Angels", and "", produced in collaboration with an on-line community of film enthusiasts, creating participatory cinema. At Wreck-a-Movie, a collaborative film-making web site, the producers invited everyone interested to contribute ideas and resources to the project. On 11 February 2009, it was announced that the film would star German actress Julia Dietze, while the Slovenian industrial music group Laibach would be recording the soundtrack. Appropriately enough for a film about Nazism, the orchestral soundtrack incorporates leitmotifs from the operatic cycle "Der Ring des Nibelungen" and other operas by Richard Wagner, a composer whose music was favoured by the Nazi leaders. The national anthem of the Nazis from the Moon ("Kameraden, wir kehren Heim!") has the tune of "Die Wacht am Rhein". During the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, "Iron Sky" signed a co-production agreement with the Australian production company New Holland Pictures, which brought Cathy Overett and Mark Overett as co-producers of the film. "Iron Sky" was video-recorded in Red camera format. Cinematography began in November 2010 in Frankfurt for location shooting, and after that in January 2011 in Australia for studio shooting. Settings in Frankfurt were "Weseler Werft" (Weseler Shipyard) and (). On 6 February 2011, the cinematography of "Iron Sky" concluded; it then entered a ten-week post-production process. Release. "Iron Sky" premiered on 11 February 2012 at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, in the Panorama Special section. It was released in Finland on 4 April and in Germany on 5 April, running in major cinemas. In the UK, there was some controversy regarding the decision of the distributor, Revolver Entertainment, to release the film for only one day, causing the film makers to issue a public condemnation of their UK distributor, and accusing Revolver of misleading them. Following high demand from the film's online fanbase, Revolver revised its decision and "Iron Sky"'s UK cinema release was extended. Reception. Critical reception of "Iron Sky" in the United States was negative. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a 38% approval rating, based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10. William Goss of Film.com gave the film a D+, saying that it "feels more and more like a lost "Austin Powers" sequel that already feels exceedingly dated in its humor." Jeff Shannon of "The Seattle Times" gave the film two out of four stars, describing it as "great idea, lousy execution". Leslie Felperin of "Variety" described "Iron Sky" as being "...neither good enough to rep a proper breakout hit nor bad enough that it might attain cult status; it’s just kind of lame". Accolades. The film won Best Visual Effects at the 2nd AACTA Awards. Spin-offs. Comic. On 5 October 2011, Blind Spot released a digital comic prequel to the film, titled "Iron Sky: Bad Moon Rising", written by the writer of "Alan Wake", Mikko Rautalahti, and fully illustrated by comic artist Gerry Kissell, creator of IDW Publishing's "Code Word: Geronimo". IDW Publishing printed these comics in a softcover graphic novel collection in March 2013. Video game. On 19 August 2012, TopWare Interactive announced "", an official video game adaptation and expansion of the film, to be developed by Reality Pump Studios. The game was described as an advanced space flight simulator game, with elements of the strategy and RPG genres. Board game. In 2012, Revision Games published "Iron Sky: The Board Game", a board game based on the film designed by Juha Salmijärvi. It is a strategy board game, where two opposing teams The Reich and The UWC struggle for domination over three continents of Earth. Each player is in charge of one continent and cooperation within each team is mandatory for success. Sequel. On 20 May 2012, Kaukomaa announced that there are plans for a prequel and a sequel but refused to disclose details. In May 2013, Vuorensola announced that "Iron Sky" will have a sequel titled "Iron Sky: The Coming Race". He also mentioned that unlike the first film, this installment will be completely funded by fans via Indiegogo, with an estimated budget of US$15 million. A promo video was to be shot for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and the final draft of the script was scheduled to be published by the end of 2014. Filming was expected to begin in 2015. In July 2013, Vuorensola revealed Croatia as one of the proposed shooting locations. In February 2014, Dalan Musson signed in to write the screenplay. The Finnish Film Foundation and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg have come on board to finance the US$13 million project. Ultimately, this schedule was not maintained. In 2017, a January 2018 release date was announced. That date was missed, as was an August 2018 release. The movie was ultimately released in March 2019. Producers go bankrupt. Blind Spot Pictures, the main production company for "Iron Sky", has been declared bankrupt since 17 September 2019. Iron Sky Universe Oy production company was filed for bankruptcy 12 October 2020 by Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company. Timo Vuorensola himself also confirmed that Iron Sky Universe had been filed for Bankruptcy, "The production company of Iron Sky, called Iron Sky Universe, one which I jointly set up with Tero, is going under."

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How I Live Now (film) How I Live Now is a 2013 romantic speculative drama film based on the 2004 novel of the same name by Meg Rosoff. It was directed by Kevin Macdonald and the script was written by Tony Grisoni, Jeremy Brock and Penelope Skinner. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Anna Chancellor, George MacKay and Corey Johnson. It was screened in the Special Presentation section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Plot. Daisy, a neurotic American teenager, is sent to the English countryside for the summer to stay with her Aunt Penn and her cousins, Eddie, Isaac, and Piper. She arrives at Heathrow Airport to tightened security and reports of a bombing in Paris, and Isaac drives to her cousins' farm, which she discovers to be dilapidated and very messy. Although initially abrasive, Daisy warms to them upon learning that her deceased mother used to stay there frequently. She also falls in love with Eddie, her eldest cousin, finding him to be as introverted and strong-willed as she, and noticing his unusual, almost mystical connection to animals. A few days after her arrival, her aunt flies to Geneva to attend an emergency conference because she is an expert in terrorist extremist groups, and the group takes advantage of her absence to explore their local woodlands. Their summer fun ends when a terrorist coalition detonates a nuclear bomb in London that potentially kills hundreds of thousands; the nuclear fallout reaches as far away as their home. In the aftermath, electricity goes out, and they learn from an emergency radio broadcast that martial law has been imposed. The next day, an American consular official arrives at the house and offers Daisy passage home. Unable to help her cousins, he advises them to remain indoors and wait for evacuation. After they move to a nearby barn, Daisy and Eddie make love and she decides that she would rather stay with them. The next day, however, the British Army storms the shelter and takes them to a nearby town. There, they learn boys and girls are to be evacuated to separate parts of the country. Both Eddie and Daisy resist separation, and Daisy is restrained with cable ties; Eddie calls to her to return to their home when she gets the chance. Daisy and Piper are taken to the home of a British Army major and his wife, who foster them. Determined to escape, Daisy discreetly begins hoarding supplies, but their neighbourhood is attacked by the enemy before she has time to take everything she needs. As Daisy and Piper hike through the countryside, Daisy interprets her dreams of Eddie as indications of his current situation. One night, Daisy is woken up and witnesses a gang-rape. She and Piper flee, but after Piper starts whining, Daisy threatens to abandon her. Already disturbed by the prior experience, they discover a massacre at the camp where Isaac and Eddie were taken. Daisy reluctantly checks the bodies; although Eddie is not among the dead, Isaac's body is. She mournfully takes his glasses and later buries them. As they leave, they are spotted by two armed men, who chase them through the woods. Piper and Daisy decide to hide, but the men discover Piper. Daisy threatens them with a gun and impulsively shoots them both; she kills one and wounds the other. The horror of what she has done, along with her fears, begins to take its toll on Daisy. Later, she realises that they have lost their map and compass, and the girls are on the verge of giving up when they see Eddie's pet hawk fly overhead. They realise it will lead them home and follow it. Upon arriving home, their elation turns to horror when they discover that the military garrison stationed there has been massacred; the house is ransacked and empty; only Jet, Piper's dog, remains. Eddie is not at the barn where they took shelter either, and although Piper is elated to be home, Daisy breaks down in tears outside. The next day, however, the two hear Jet barking, and Daisy runs out into the woods, where she finds Eddie lying unconscious; he has severe burns, gashes, and his eyes are swollen shut. As she nurses him, a ceasefire is announced, electricity is returned, a new government forms, and the country begins to recover. However, it becomes clear Eddie suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and is mute. After he accidentally cuts himself while gardening, Daisy tenderly sucks the blood from his cut, which mimics his actions earlier. She kisses Eddie, hoping he may soon recover. Production. The film was produced by Cowboy Films (which has also produced Kevin Macdonald's "The Last King of Scotland" and "Black Sea") and Passion Pictures, with support from Film4 and BFI. Filming began in June 2012 in England and Wales. Release. "How I Live Now" premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released on 4 October 2013 in the United Kingdom and was set for release on 28 November 2013 in Australia. On 25 July 2013, Magnolia Pictures acquired the US rights to distribute the film. Reception. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 66% of 109 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site's consensus states: "Led by another strong performance from Saoirse Ronan and a screenplay that subverts YA clichés, "How I Live Now" blends young love with post-apocalyptic drama." Metacritic rated it 57 out of 100 based on reviews from 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Justin Chang of "Variety" called it an "uneven but passionate adaptation". Todd McCarthy of "The Hollywood Reporter" called it "a derivative teen romance in an apocalyptic setting." Jeanette Catsoulis of "The New York Times" wrote that the film "struggles to balance a nebulous narrative on tentpole moments of rich emotional resonance." Alan Scherstuhl of "The Village Voice" called it a "tender, humane, and searing" film with "scenes of great beauty and world-ending terror."

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Dr. Strangelove Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, more commonly known simply as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film that satirizes the Cold War fears of a nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States. The film was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick and stars Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, and Slim Pickens. Production took place in the United Kingdom. The film is loosely based on Peter George's thriller novel "Red Alert" (1958). The story concerns an unhinged United States Air Force general who orders a first strike nuclear attack on the Soviet Union. It separately follows the President of the United States, his advisors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a Royal Air Force (RAF) exchange officer as they attempt to prevent the crew of a B-52 plane (who were ordered by the general) from bombing the Soviets and starting a nuclear war. The film is often considered one of the best comedies ever made, as well as one of the greatest films of all time. In 1998, the American Film Institute ranked it twenty-sixth in its list of the best American movies (in the 2007 edition, the film ranked thirty-ninth), and in 2000, it was listed as number three on its list of the funniest American films. In 1989, the United States Library of Congress included "Dr. Strangelove" as one of the first twenty-five films selected for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Plot. United States Air Force Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper is commander of Burpelson Air Force Base, which houses the 843rd Bomb Wing, flying B-52 bombers armed with hydrogen bombs. The planes are now on airborne alert two hours from their targets inside the USSR. General Ripper orders his executive officer, Group Captain Lionel Mandrake of the Royal Air Force (RAF), to put the base on alert and to issue "Wing Attack Plan R" to the patrolling bombers, one of which is commanded by Major T. J. "King" Kong. All of the aircraft commence an attack flight on the USSR and set their radios to allow communications only through their CRM 114 discriminators, which was designed to accept only communications preceded by a secret three-letter code known only to General Ripper. Mandrake discovers that no attack order has been issued by the Pentagon and tries to stop Ripper, who locks them both in his office. Ripper tells Mandrake that he believes the Soviets have been fluoridating American water supplies to pollute the "precious bodily fluids" of Americans. Mandrake realizes Ripper has gone insane. In the War Room at the Pentagon, General Buck Turgidson briefs President Merkin Muffley and other officers about how "Plan R" enables a senior officer to launch a retaliatory nuclear attack on the Soviets if all superiors have been killed in a first strike on the United States. It would take two days to try every CRM code combination to issue the recall order, but the planes are due to reach their targets within hours. Muffley orders the U.S. Army to storm the base and arrest General Ripper. Turgidson then attempts to convince Muffley to let the attack continue, but Muffley refuses. Instead, he brings Soviet ambassador Alexei de Sadeski into the War Room to telephone Soviet Premier Dimitri Kissov on the "hotline". Muffley warns the Premier of the impending attack, and offers to reveal the positions of the bombers and their targets so that the Soviets can protect themselves. After a heated discussion in Russian with the Premier, the ambassador informs President Muffley that the Soviet Union had created a doomsday machine as a nuclear deterrent; it consists of many buried bombs jacketed with "cobalt-thorium G", which are set to detonate automatically should any nuclear attack strike the country. Within two months after detonation, the cobalt-thorium G would encircle the planet in a radioactive shroud that would render the Earth's surface uninhabitable. The device cannot be deactivated, as it is programmed to explode if any such attempt is made. The President's wheelchair-using scientific advisor, former Nazi German Dr. Strangelove, points out that such a doomsday machine would only be an effective deterrent if everyone knew about it; Alexei replies that the Soviet Premier had planned to reveal its existence to the world the following week. U.S. Army troops arrive at Burpelson, and General Ripper commits suicide. Mandrake identifies Ripper's CRM code from his desk blotter and relays it to the Pentagon. Using the code, Strategic Air Command successfully recalls all of the bombers except Major Kong's, whose radio equipment has been damaged in a missile attack. The Soviets attempt to find it, but Kong has the bomber attack a closer target due to dwindling fuel. As the plane approaches the new target, a Soviet ICBM site, the crew is unable to open the damaged bomb bay doors. Kong enters the bay and repairs the broken electrical wiring while sitting on a H-bomb, whereupon the doors open and the bomb is dropped. Kong joyfully straddles the bomb as it falls and detonates over the target. Back in the War Room, Dr. Strangelove recommends that the President gather several hundred thousand people to live in deep underground mines where the radiation will not penetrate. He suggests a 10:1 female-to-male ratio for a breeding program to repopulate the Earth once the radiation has subsided. Worried that the Soviets will do the same, Turgidson warns about a "mineshaft gap" while Alexei secretly photographs the war room. Dr. Strangelove declares he has a plan, but then rises from his wheelchair and announces "Mein Führer, I can walk!" as the Doomsday Machine activates. The film ends with a montage of many nuclear explosions, accompanied by Vera Lynn's rendition of the song "We'll Meet Again". Cast. Peter Sellers's multiple roles. Columbia Pictures agreed to finance the film if Peter Sellers played at least four major roles. The condition stemmed from the studio's opinion that much of the success of Kubrick's previous film "Lolita" (1962) was based on Sellers's performance in which his single character assumes a number of identities. Sellers had also played three roles in "The Mouse That Roared" (1959). Kubrick accepted the demand, later explaining that "such crass and grotesque stipulations are the "sine qua non" of the motion-picture business". Sellers ended up playing three of the four roles written for him. He had been expected to play Air Force Major T. J. "King" Kong, the B-52 aircraft commander but from the beginning, Sellers was reluctant. He felt his workload was too heavy and he worried he would not properly portray the character's Texas accent. Kubrick pleaded with him and he asked the screenwriter Terry Southern (who had been raised in Texas) to record a tape with Kong's lines spoken in the correct accent. Using Southern's tape, Sellers managed to get the accent right and he started acting in the scenes in the aircraft but then sprained his ankle and he could not work in the cramped cockpit set. Sellers is said to have improvised much of his dialogue, with Kubrick incorporating the ad-libs into the written screenplay so the improvised lines became part of the canonical screenplay, a practice known as retroscripting. Group Captain Lionel Mandrake. According to film critic Alexander Walker, the author of biographies of both Sellers and Kubrick, the role of Group Captain Lionel Mandrake was the easiest of the three for Sellers to play, since he was aided by his experience of mimicking his superiors while serving in the RAF during World War II. There is also a heavy resemblance to Sellers' friend and occasional co-star Terry-Thomas and the prosthetic-limbed RAF ace Sir Douglas Bader. President Merkin Muffley. For his performance as President Merkin Muffley, Sellers assumed the accent of an American Midwesterner. Sellers drew inspiration for the role from Adlai Stevenson, a former Illinois governor who was the Democratic candidate for the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections and the U.N. ambassador during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In early takes, Sellers faked cold symptoms to emphasize the character's apparent weakness. That caused frequent laughter among the film crew, ruining several takes. Kubrick ultimately found this comic portrayal inappropriate, feeling that Muffley should be a serious character. In later takes Sellers played the role straight, though the President's cold is still evident in several scenes. In keeping with Kubrick's satirical character names, a "merkin" is a pubic hair wig. The president is bald, and his last name is "Muffley"; both are additional homages to a merkin. Dr. Strangelove. Dr. Strangelove is an ex-Nazi scientist, suggesting Operation Paperclip, the US effort to recruit top German technical talent at the end of World War II. He serves as President Muffley's scientific adviser in the War Room. When General Turgidson wonders aloud what kind of name "Strangelove" is, saying to Mr. Staines (Jack Creley) that it is not a "Kraut name", Staines responds that Strangelove's original German surname was "Merkwürdigliebe" ("Strange love" in German) and that "he changed it when he became a citizen". Twice in the film, Strangelove accidentally addresses the president as "Mein Führer". Dr. Strangelove did not appear in the book "Red Alert". The character is an amalgamation of RAND Corporation strategist Herman Kahn, mathematician and Manhattan Project principal John von Neumann, rocket scientist Wernher von Braun (a central figure in Nazi Germany's rocket development program recruited to the US after the war), and Edward Teller, the "father of the hydrogen bomb". It has been claimed that the character was based on Henry Kissinger, but Kubrick and Sellers denied this; Sellers said, "Strangelove was never modeled after Kissinger—that's a popular misconception. It was always Wernher von Braun." Furthermore, Henry Kissinger points out in his memoirs that at the time of the writing of "Dr. Strangelove", he was a little-known academic. The wheelchair-using Strangelove furthers a Kubrick trope of the menacing, seated antagonist, first depicted in "Lolita" through the character "Dr. Zaempf". Strangelove's accent was influenced by that of Austrian-American photographer Weegee, who worked for Kubrick as a special photographic effects consultant. Strangelove's appearance echoes the mad scientist archetype as seen in the character Rotwang in Fritz Lang's film "Metropolis" (1927). Sellers's Strangelove takes from Rotwang the single black gloved hand (which, in Rotwang's case is mechanical, because of a lab accident), the wild hair and, most important, his ability to avoid being controlled by political power. According to Alexander Walker, Sellers improvised Dr. Strangelove's lapse into the Nazi salute, borrowing one of Kubrick's black leather gloves for the uncontrollable hand that makes the gesture. Dr. Strangelove apparently suffers from alien hand syndrome. Kubrick wore the gloves on the set to avoid being burned when handling hot lights, and Sellers, recognizing the potential connection to Lang's work, found them to be menacing. Slim Pickens as Major T. J. "King" Kong. Slim Pickens, an established character actor and veteran of many Western films, was eventually chosen to replace Sellers as Major Kong after Sellers' injury. Terry Southern's biographer, Lee Hill, said the part was originally written with John Wayne in mind, and that Wayne was offered the role after Sellers was injured, but he immediately turned it down. Dan Blocker of the "Bonanza" western television series was approached to play the part, but according to Southern, Blocker's agent rejected the script as being "too pinko". Kubrick then recruited Pickens, whom he knew from his brief involvement in a Marlon Brando western film project that was eventually filmed as "One-Eyed Jacks". His fellow actor James Earl Jones recalls, "He was Major Kong on and off the set—he didn't change a thing—his temperament, his language, his behavior." Pickens was not told that the movie was a black comedy, and he was only given the script for scenes he was in, to get him to play it "straight". Kubrick's biographer John Baxter explained, in the documentary "Inside the Making of Dr. Strangelove": Pickens, who had previously played only supporting and character roles, said that his appearance as Maj. Kong greatly improved his career. He later commented, "After "Dr. Strangelove" the roles, the dressing rooms, and the checks all started getting bigger." George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson. George C. Scott played the role of General Buck Turgidson who was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity General Turgidson was the Nation highest-ranking Military officers and was the principal military advisor to the President and the National Security Council. He was seen during most of the movie scene advising President Muffley for the best step to take in order to stop the fleet of B-52 Stratofortress that was deployed by Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper to drop Nuclear Bomb on Soviet soil. According to James Earl Jones, Kubrick tricked Scott into playing the role of Gen. Turgidson far more ridiculously than Scott was comfortable doing. Kubrick talked Scott into doing over-the-top "practice" takes, which Kubrick told Scott would never be used, as a way to warm up for the "real" takes. Kubrick used these takes in the final film, causing Scott to swear never to work with Kubrick again. During the filming, Kubrick and Scott had different opinions regarding certain scenes, but Kubrick got Scott to conform largely by repeatedly beating him at chess, which they played frequently on the set. Scott, a skilled player himself, later said that while he and Kubrick may not have always seen eye to eye, he respected Kubrick immensely for his skill at chess. Production. Novel and screenplay. Stanley Kubrick started with nothing but a vague idea to make a thriller about a nuclear accident that built on the widespread Cold War fear for survival. While doing research, Kubrick gradually became aware of the subtle and paradoxical "balance of terror" between nuclear powers. At Kubrick's request, Alastair Buchan (the head of the Institute for Strategic Studies) recommended the thriller novel "Red Alert" by Peter George. Kubrick was impressed with the book, which had also been praised by game theorist and future Nobel Prize in Economics winner Thomas Schelling in an article written for the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" and reprinted in "The Observer", and immediately bought the film rights. In 2006, Schelling wrote that conversations between Kubrick, Schelling, and George in late 1960 about a treatment of "Red Alert" updated with intercontinental missiles eventually led to the making of the film. In collaboration with George, Kubrick started writing a screenplay based on the book. While writing the screenplay, they benefited from some brief consultations with Schelling and later, Herman Kahn. In following the tone of the book, Kubrick originally intended to film the story as a serious drama. However, as he later explained during interviews, he began to see comedy inherent in the idea of mutual assured destruction as he wrote the first draft. Kubrick said: Among the titles that Kubrick considered for the film were "Dr. Doomsday or: How to Start World War III Without Even Trying", "Dr. Strangelove's Secret Uses of Uranus", and "Wonderful Bomb". After deciding to make the film a black comedy, Kubrick brought in Terry Southern as a co-writer in late 1962. The choice was influenced by reading Southern's comic novel "The Magic Christian", which Kubrick had received as a gift from Peter Sellers, and which itself became a Sellers film in 1969. Southern made important contributions to the film, but his role led to a rift between Kubrick and Peter George; after "Life" magazine published a photo-essay on Southern in August 1964 which implied that Southern had been the script's principal author—a misperception neither Kubrick nor Southern did much to dispel—Peter George wrote an indignant letter to the magazine, published in its September 1964 issue, in which he pointed out that he had both written the film's source novel and collaborated on various incarnations of the script over a period of ten months, whereas "Southern was briefly employed ... to do some additional rewriting for Kubrick and myself and fittingly received a screenplay credit in behind Mr. Kubrick and myself". Sets and filming. "Dr. Strangelove" was filmed at Shepperton Studios, near London, as Sellers was in the middle of a divorce at the time and unable to leave England. The sets occupied three main sound stages: the Pentagon War Room, the B-52 Stratofortress bomber and the last one containing both the motel room and General Ripper's office and outside corridor. The studio's buildings were also used as the Air Force base exterior. The film's set design was done by Ken Adam, the production designer of several "James Bond" films (at the time he had already worked on "Dr. No"). The black and white cinematography was by Gilbert Taylor, and the film was edited by Anthony Harvey and an uncredited Kubrick. The original musical score for the film was composed by Laurie Johnson and the special effects were by Wally Veevers. The opening theme is an instrumental version of "Try a Little Tenderness". The theme of the chorus from the bomb run scene is a modification of "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". Sellers and Kubrick got on famously during the film's production and shared a love of photography. For the War Room, Ken Adam first designed a two-level set which Kubrick initially liked, only to decide later that it was not what he wanted. Adam next began work on the design that was used in the film, an expressionist set that was compared with "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" and Fritz Lang's "Metropolis". It was an enormous concrete room ( long and wide, with a -high ceiling) suggesting a bomb shelter, with a triangular shape (based on Kubrick's idea that this particular shape would prove the most resistant against an explosion). One side of the room was covered with gigantic strategic maps reflecting in a shiny black floor inspired by dance scenes in Fred Astaire films. In the middle of the room there was a large circular table lit from above by a circle of lamps, suggesting a poker table. Kubrick insisted that the table would be covered with green baize (although this could not be seen in the black and white film) to reinforce the actors' impression that they are playing 'a game of poker for the fate of the world.' Kubrick asked Adam to build the set ceiling in concrete to force the director of photography to use only the on-set lights from the circle of lamps. Moreover, each lamp in the circle of lights was carefully placed and tested until Kubrick was happy with the result. Lacking cooperation from the Pentagon in the making of the film, the set designers reconstructed the aircraft cockpit to the best of their ability by comparing the cockpit of a B-29 Superfortress and a single photograph of the cockpit of a B-52 and relating this to the geometry of the B-52's fuselage. The B-52 was state-of-the-art in the 1960s, and its cockpit was off-limits to the film crew. When some United States Air Force personnel were invited to view the reconstructed B-52 cockpit, they said that "it was absolutely correct, even to the little black box which was the CRM." It was so accurate that Kubrick was concerned about whether Adam's team had carried out all its research legally. In several shots of the B-52 flying over the polar ice en route to Russia, the shadow of the actual camera plane, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, is visible on the icecap below. The B-52 was a scale model composited into the Arctic footage, which was sped up to create a sense of jet speed. Home movie footage included in "Inside the Making of Dr. Strangelove" on the 2001 Special Edition DVD release of the film shows clips of the B-17 with a cursive "Dr. Strangelove" painted over the rear entry hatch on the right side of the fuselage. In 1967, some of the flying footage from "Dr. Strangelove" was re-used in The Beatles' television film "Magical Mystery Tour". As told by editor Roy Benson in the BBC Radio Documentary "Celluloid Beatles", the production team of "Magical Mystery Tour" lacked footage to cover the sequence for the song "Flying". Benson had access to the aerial footage filmed for the B-52 sequences of "Dr. Strangelove", which was stored at Shepperton Studios. The use of the footage prompted Kubrick to call Benson to complain. "Fail Safe". "Red Alert" author Peter George collaborated on the screenplay with Kubrick and satirist Terry Southern. "Red Alert" was more solemn than its film version, and it did not include the character Dr. Strangelove, though the main plot and technical elements were quite similar. A novelization of the actual film, rather than a reprint of the original novel, was published by Peter George, based on an early draft in which the narrative is bookended by the account of aliens, who, having arrived at a desolated Earth, try to piece together what has happened. It was reissued in October 2015 by Candy Jar Books, featuring never-before-published material on Strangelove's early career. During the filming of "Dr. Strangelove", Stanley Kubrick learned that "Fail Safe", a film with a similar theme, was being produced. Although "Fail Safe" was to be an ultrarealistic thriller, Kubrick feared that its plot resemblance would damage his film's box office potential, especially if it were released first. Indeed, the novel "Fail-Safe" (on which the film is based) is so similar to "Red Alert" that Peter George sued on charges of plagiarism and settled out of court. What worried Kubrick the most was that "Fail Safe" boasted the acclaimed director Sidney Lumet and the first-rate dramatic actors Henry Fonda as the American president and Walter Matthau as the advisor to the Pentagon, Professor Groeteschele. Kubrick decided to throw a legal wrench into "Fail Safe"s production gears. Lumet recalled in the documentary "Inside the Making of Dr. Strangelove": "We started casting. Fonda was already set ... which of course meant a big commitment in terms of money. I was set, Walter [Bernstein, the screenwriter] was set ... And suddenly, this lawsuit arrived, filed by Stanley Kubrick and Columbia Pictures." Kubrick argued that "Fail Safe"s own source novel "Fail-Safe" (1960) had been plagiarized from Peter George's "Red Alert", to which Kubrick owned creative rights. He pointed out unmistakable similarities in intentions between the characters Groeteschele and Strangelove. The plan worked, and the suit was settled out of court, with the agreement that Columbia Pictures, which had financed and was distributing "Strangelove", also buy "Fail Safe", which had been an independently financed production. Kubrick insisted that the studio release his movie first, and "Fail Safe" opened eight months after "Dr. Strangelove", to critical acclaim but mediocre ticket sales. Ending. The end of the film shows Dr. Strangelove exclaiming, ""Mein Führer," I can walk!" before cutting to footage of nuclear explosions, with Vera Lynn and her audience singing "We'll Meet Again". This footage comes from nuclear tests such as shot BAKER of Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, the Trinity test, a test from Operation Sandstone and the hydrogen bomb tests from Operation Redwing and Operation Ivy. In some shots, old warships (such as the German heavy cruiser "Prinz Eugen"), which were used as targets, are plainly visible. In others, the smoke trails of rockets used to create a calibration backdrop can be seen. Former "Goon Show" writer and friend of Sellers Spike Milligan was credited with suggesting Vera Lynn's song for the ending. Original ending. It was originally planned for the film to end with a scene that depicted everyone in the War Room involved in a pie fight. Accounts vary as to why the pie fight was cut. In a 1969 interview, Kubrick said, "I decided it was farce and not consistent with the satiric tone of the rest of the film." Critic Alexander Walker observed that "the cream pies were flying around so thickly that people lost definition, and you couldn't really say whom you were looking at." Nile Southern, son of screenwriter Terry Southern, suggested the fight was intended to be less jovial: "Since they were laughing, it was unusable, because instead of having that totally black, which would have been amazing, like, this blizzard, which in a sense is metaphorical for all of the missiles that are coming, as well, you just have these guys having a good old time. So, as Kubrick later said, 'it was a disaster of Homeric proportions. Effects of the Kennedy assassination on the film. A first test screening of the film was scheduled for November 22, 1963, the day of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The film was just weeks from its scheduled premiere, but because of the assassination, the release was delayed until late January 1964, as it was felt that the public was in no mood for such a film any sooner. During post-production, one line by Slim Pickens, "a fella could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff", was dubbed to change "Dallas" to "Vegas", since Dallas was where Kennedy was killed. The original reference to Dallas survives in the English audio of the French-subtitled version of the film. The assassination also serves as another possible reason that the pie-fight scene was cut. In the scene, after Muffley takes a pie in the face, General Turgidson exclaims: "Gentlemen! Our gallant young president has been struck down in his prime!" Editor Anthony Harvey stated that the scene "would have stayed, except that Columbia Pictures were horrified, and thought it would offend the president's family". Kubrick and others have said that the scene had already been cut before preview night because it was inconsistent with the rest of the film. Rerelease in 1994. In 1994, the film was re-released. While the 1964 release used a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the new print was in the slightly squarer 1.66:1 (5:3) ratio that Kubrick had originally intended. Themes. Satirizing the Cold War. "Dr. Strangelove" ridicules nuclear war planning. It takes passing shots at numerous contemporary Cold War attitudes, such as the "missile gap" but it primarily focuses its satire on the theory of mutual assured destruction (MAD), in which each side is supposed to be deterred from a nuclear war by the prospect of a universal cataclysmic disaster regardless of who "won". Military strategist and former physicist Herman Kahn, in the book "On Thermonuclear War" (1960), used the theoretical example of a "doomsday machine" to illustrate the limitations of MAD, which was developed by John von Neumann. The concept of such a machine is consistent with MAD doctrine when it is logically pursued to its conclusion. It thus worried Kahn that the military might like the idea of a doomsday machine and build one. Kahn, a leading critic of MAD and President Eisenhower's administration's doctrine of massive retaliation upon the slightest provocation by the USSR, considered MAD to be foolish bravado, and urged America to instead plan for proportionality, and thus even a limited nuclear war. With this logical reasoning, Kahn became one of the architects of the flexible response doctrine, which, while superficially resembling MAD, allowed for responding to a limited nuclear strike with a proportional, or calibrated, return of fire (see "Conflict escalation"). Kahn educated Kubrick on the concept of the semirealistic "cobalt-thorium G" doomsday machine, and then Kubrick used the concept for the film. Kahn in his writings and talks would often come across as cold and calculating, for example, with his use of the term "megadeaths" and in his willingness to estimate how many human lives the United States could lose and still rebuild economically. Kahn's cold analytical attitude towards millions of deaths is reflected in Turgidson's remark to the president about the outcome of a preemptive nuclear war: "Mr. President, I'm not saying we wouldn't get our hair mussed. But I do say no more than ten to twenty million killed, tops, uh, depending on the breaks." Turgidson has a binder that is labelled "World Targets in Megadeaths", a term coined in 1953 by Kahn and popularized in his 1960 book "On Thermonuclear War". The post-hoc planning in the film, by Dr. Strangelove, done the MAD policy has clearly broken down, to keep the human race alive and to regenerate from populations sheltered in mineshafts, is a parody of those strict adherents of the MAD doctrine who are opposed to the prior creation of fallout shelters on ideological grounds. To such adherents, talk of survival takes the "Assured Destruction" out of "Mutual Assured Destruction", hence no preparations should be conducted for fear of "destabilizing" the MAD doctrine. Moreover, it is also somewhat of a parody of Nelson Rockefeller, Edward Teller, Herman Kahn, and Chet Holifield's November 1961 popularization of a similar plan to spend billions of dollars on a nationwide network of highly protective concrete-lined underground fallout shelters, capable of holding millions of people and to be built any such nuclear exchange began. These extensive and therefore wildly expensive preparations were the fullest conceivable implementation of President Kennedy's, month prior, September 1961 advocacy in favor of the comparatively more modest, individual and community fallout shelters, as it appeared in "Life" magazine, which was in the context of shelters being on the minds of the public at the time due to the Berlin Crisis. The Kennedy administration would later go on to expand the nascent United States civil defense efforts, including the assessment of millions of homes and to create a network of thousands of well known, black and yellow placarded, community fallout shelters. This was done, not with a massive construction effort but by the relatively cheap re-purposing of existing buildings and stocking them with CD V-700 geiger counters and other specialist equipment. In 1962 the Kennedy administration would found the American Civil Defense Association to organize this, comparatively far more cost-effective, shelter effort. The fallout-shelter-network proposal, mentioned in the film, with its inherently high radiation protection characteristics, has similarities and contrasts to that of the very real and robust Swiss civil defense network. Switzerland has an overcapacity of nuclear fallout shelters for the country's population size, and by law, new homes must still be built with a fallout shelter. If the US did that, it would violate the spirit of MAD and according to MAD adherents, allegedly destabilize the situation because the US could launch a first strike and its population would largely survive a retaliatory second strike (see MAD § Theory). To rebut early 1960s novels and Hollywood films like "Fail-Safe" and "Dr. Strangelove", which raised questions about US control over nuclear weapons, the Air Force produced a documentary film, "SAC Command Post", to demonstrate its responsiveness to presidential command and its tight control over nuclear weapons. However, later academic research into declassified documents showed that U.S. military commanders had been given presidentially-authorized pre-delegation for the use of nuclear weapons during the early Cold War, showing that that aspect of the film's plot was plausible. The characters of Buck Turgidson and Jack Ripper both deride the real-life Gen. Curtis LeMay of the Strategic Air Command. Sexual themes. In the months following the film's release, director Stanley Kubrick received a fan letter from Legrace G. Benson of the Department of History of Art at Cornell University interpreting the film as being sexually-layered. The director wrote back to Benson and confirmed the interpretation, "Seriously, you are the first one who seems to have noticed the sexual framework from intromission (the planes going in) to the last spasm (Kong's ride down and detonation at target)." Sexual metaphors often popped up when the nuclear analysts that Kubrick consulted were discussing strategy, such as when Bernard Brodie compared his not attacking cities/withhold plan following belligerent escalation to coitus interruptus in an internally circulated memorandum at the RAND Corporation (spoofed in the film as the "BLAND Corporation"), while he described the SAC plan of massive retaliation as "going all the way". That led RAND scholar Herman Kahn, whom Kubrick consulted, to quip to an assembled group of "massive retaliation" SAC officers, "Gentlemen, you do not have a war plan. You have a Wargasm!". Release. Box office. The film was a popular success, earning US$4,420,000 in rentals in North America during its initial theatrical release. Reception. Critical response. "Dr. Strangelove" is Kubrick's highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes, holding a 98% approval rating based on 91 reviews, with an average rating of 9.13/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Stanley Kubrick's brilliant Cold War satire remains as funny and razor-sharp today as it was in 1964." The film also holds a score of 97 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 32 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". The film is ranked number 7 in the All-Time High Scores chart of Metacritic's Video/DVD section. It was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. "Dr. Strangelove" is on Roger Ebert's list of "The Great Movies", and he described it as "arguably the best political satire of the century". One of the most celebrated of all film comedies, it is the only comedy to make the top 10 in any of the "Sight & Sound" polls of best films. John Patterson of "The Guardian" wrote, "There had been nothing in comedy like "Dr Strangelove" ever before. All the gods before whom the America of the stolid, paranoid 50s had genuflected—the Bomb, the Pentagon, the National Security State, the President himself, Texan masculinity and the alleged Commie menace of water-fluoridation—went into the wood-chipper and never got the same respect ever again." It is also listed as number 26 on "Empire's 500 Greatest Movies of All Time", and in 2010 it was listed by "Time" magazine as one of the 100 best films since the publication's inception in 1923. The Writers Guild of America ranked its screenplay the 12th best ever written. In 2000, readers of "Total Film" magazine voted it the 24th greatest comedic film of all time. The film ranked 42nd in BBC's 2015 list of the 100 greatest American films. Studio response. Columbia Studio's early reaction to "Dr. Strangelove" was anything but enthusiastic. In "Notes From The War Room", in the summer, 1994 issue of "Grand Street" magazine, co-screenwriter Terry Southern recalled that, as production neared the end, "It was about this time that word began to reach us, reflecting concern as to the nature of the film in production. Was it anti-American? Or just anti-military? And the jackpot question: Was it, in fact, anti-American to whatever extent it was anti-military?” Southern recalled how Kubrick grew concerned about seeming apathy and distancing by studios heads Abe Schneider and Mo Rothman, and by Columbia's characterization of the film as "just a zany, novelty flick which did not reflect the views of the corporation in any way." Columbia's posture had changed by 1989 when the Library of Congress announced that "Dr. Strangelove" had been selected as one of the 25 greatest American films of all time. Awards and honors. The film ranked #32 on "TV Guide"s list of the 50 Greatest Movies on TV (and Video). American Film Institute included the film as #26 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies, #3 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs, #64 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!") and #39 in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition). Potential sequel. In 1995, Kubrick enlisted Terry Southern to script a sequel titled "Son of Strangelove". Kubrick had Terry Gilliam in mind to direct. The script was never completed, but index cards laying out the story's basic structure were found among Southern's papers after he died in October 1995. It was set largely in underground bunkers, where Dr. Strangelove had taken refuge with a group of women. In 2013, Gilliam commented, "I was told after Kubrick died—by someone who had been dealing with him—that he had been interested in trying to do another "Strangelove" with me directing. I never knew about that until after he died but I would have loved to."

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Testament (1983 film) Testament is a 1983 drama film based on a three-page story titled "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen (1934–1987), directed by Lynne Littman and written by John Sacret Young. The film tells the story of how one small suburban town near the San Francisco Bay Area slowly falls apart after a nuclear war destroys outside civilization. Originally produced for the PBS series "American Playhouse", it was given a theatrical release instead by Paramount Pictures (although PBS did subsequently air it a year later). The cast includes Jane Alexander, William Devane, Leon Ames, Lukas Haas, Roxana Zal and, in small roles shortly before a rise in their stardom, Kevin Costner and Rebecca De Mornay. Alexander was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance. Plot. The Wetherly family — husband Tom, wife Carol, and children Brad, Mary Liz, and Scottie - live in the fictional suburb of Hamelin, California, within a 90-minute drive of San Francisco, where Tom works. On a routine afternoon, Carol listens to an answering-machine message from Tom saying he's on his way home for dinner. Scottie watches "Sesame Street" on TV when the show is suddenly replaced by white noise; a San Francisco news anchor appears onscreen, saying they have lost their New York signal and there were explosions of "nuclear devices there in New York, and up and down the East Coast." The anchorman is cut off by the Emergency Broadcast System tone. An announcer's voice states that the White House is interrupting the program, but just as the President is introduced the TV and electricity in the house go dark. Suddenly, the blinding flash of a nuclear detonation is seen through the window. The family huddles on the floor in panic as the town's air-raid sirens go off; minutes later, several of their neighbors are seen running around on the street outside, dazed in fear and confusion. The family tries to remain calm, hoping Tom is safe. The suburb of Hamelin seems to survive relatively unscathed. Frightened residents meet at the home of Henry Abhart, an elderly ham radio operator. He has made contact with survivors in rural areas and internationally, and tells Carol that he was unable to reach anyone east of Keokuk, Iowa. He reveals that the entire Bay Area and all major U.S. cities are radio-silent. The morning after the attack, they are joined by a boy named Larry who tells Carol his parents never returned home from San Francisco; he later succumbs to radiation poisoning. Despite Abhart's efforts, no one knows or finds out either the reason for the attack or the responsible parties. Rumors from other radio operators range from a Soviet preemptive strike to terrorism. The school play about the Pied Piper of Hamelin was in rehearsal before the bombings; desperate to recapture some normality, the town decides to go on with the show anyway. The parents smile and applaud, many of them in tears. The day after the attack, the children notice "sand" on their breakfast plates: contaminated fallout dirt settling back onto the ground from the blast. Residents now have to cope with losing municipal services, food and gas shortages and, ultimately, the loss of loved ones to radiation poisoning. Scottie, the first to succumb, is buried in the back yard. Wooden caskets are used as fuel for funeral pyres instead as the dead accumulate faster than they can be buried. Carol sews together a burial shroud from bed sheets for her daughter, Mary Liz, who also dies from radiation exposure. While many of the children die, older residents fall to rapid dementia, and order in the town starts to break down as police and firefighter ranks dwindle. A young couple leave town after losing their infant, hoping to find safety and solace elsewhere. Carol's search for a battery causes her to listen once more to her husband's final message on the answering machine. To her sorrow, she finds a later (and previously unheard) message on the machine from Tom: he decided to stay at work late in San Francisco on the day of the attack, and she gives up her last hope that he will return home. Son Brad, forced into early adulthood, helps his mother and takes over the radio for Henry Abhart. The family adopts a mentally disabled boy named Hiroshi, who Tom used to take fishing along with his children, after Hiroshi's father Mike dies. Soon thereafter Carol starts showing signs of radiation poisoning. Carol decides she, Brad and Hiroshi should avoid a slow and painful death from radiation poisoning and instead take their own lives via carbon monoxide poisoning. They gather in the family's station wagon with the engine running and the garage door closed, but Carol cannot bring herself to go through with the deed. The are finally seen sitting by candlelight to celebrate Brad's birthday, using a graham cracker in place of a cake. When asked what they should wish for, Carol answers: "That we remember it all...the good and the awful." She blows out the candle. An old family home movie of a surprise birthday party for Tom plays, showing him as he blows out the candles on his cake. Production. "Testament" was shot entirely on location in the town of Sierra Madre, California, a suburb community of Los Angeles located in the San Gabriel Valley. Reception. "Testament" received positive reviews from the few critics who got the opportunity to see it. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on reviews from 45 critics. Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film a rare four stars out of four, and was highly enthusiastic about the film. Ebert wrote that the film was powerful and made him cry, even after the second time he watched it. Ebert wrote: "The film is about a suburban American family, and what happens to that family after a nuclear war. It is not a science-fiction movie, and it doesn't have any special effects, and there are no big scenes of buildings blowing over or people disintegrating. We never even see a mushroom cloud. We never even know who started the war. Instead, "Testament" is a tragedy about manners: It asks how we might act toward one another, how our values might stand up, in the face of an overwhelming catastrophe." Christopher John reviewed "Testament" in "Ares Magazine" Special Edition #2 and commented that ""Testament" may not change any lives, but it is bound to change the way some people think. Considering the subject matter, every little bit will help." "Testament" was nominated for one Academy Award, a Best Actress nomination for Jane Alexander. Home media. "Testament" was released by Paramount Home Video on Beta, VHS videocassette, Laserdisc and RCA's CED System in 1984. The film was released on DVD in 2004 in an edition that contained three featurettes: "Testament at 20", "Testament: Nuclear Thoughts", and "Timeline of the Nuclear Age"; this edition has gone out of print. As part of its 2013 agreement with Paramount Pictures, Warner Home Video made the film available in 2014 for purchase on MOD (Manufactured on Demand) DVD Recordable disc via its Warner Archive Collection.

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The Fifth Missile The Fifth Missile is a 1986 television movie starring Robert Conrad, Sam Waterston and David Soul about an American ballistic missile submarine, based on the novel "The Gold Crew" by Frank M. Robinson and Thomas N. Scortia. With the exception of Cmdr. Van Meer, the ship's crew goes slowly insane due to exposure to paint chemicals onboard and believes a missile test exercise is, in fact, nuclear war. It explores the inability of U.S. command structures to control and prevent rogue submarine officers from launching ballistic missiles.

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In the Year 2889 (film) In the Year 2889 (also known as Year 2889) is a 1969 American made-for-television horror science fiction film from American International Pictures about the aftermath of a future nuclear war. The film stars Paul Petersen, Quinn O'Hara, Charla Doherty, Neil Fletcher and Hugh Feagin. AIP commissioned low-budget cult film auteur Larry Buchanan to produce and direct this film as a color remake of Roger Corman's 1955 film "Day the World Ended". Although not set in the year 2889, "In the Year 2889"s title is borrowed from a short story of the same title by Jules Verne and his son, Michael Verne. Plot. A nuclear war has wiped out most of Earth's population. The film follows a group of survivors who are holed up in a secluded valley and must protect themselves from rising radiation levels, mutants, and in some cases, each other. Production. AIP gave Buchanan the script of the 1955 Corman film "Day the World Ended" to use for this film, resulting in an almost line-for-line, scene-for-scene remake. This was Buchanan's fifth Azalea Productions film. It was made by AIP six years after the success of their 1961 Jules Verne adaptation "Master of the World". Because this was an even lower budget remake of the earlier low budget Corman film, it needed a new title; AIP already had a registered title available (for a previously unmade Verne project), so it was used on the Buchanan film. Release. "In the Year 2889" was completed and released in 1967 as a made-for-television movie. All promotional materials, including the original listing in "TV Guide", have the title as "Year 2889", but the on-screen credits give the correct title. Home media. "In the Year 2889" was released on DVD by Retromedia Entertainment in 2004, packaged as a double feature with Buchanan's 1969 film It's Alive!. Reception. Paul Gaita from Allmovie called the film "threadbare and blandly executed", but also noted that the film's pacing, and performances were more professional than the director's previous efforts. Finishing his review, Gaita wrote, "No one will mistake this for a classic of the genre, or even one of Corman's titles, but for Buchanan completists and late movie devotees, it's a harmless and agreeable time-killer."

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Six-String Samurai Six-String Samurai is a 1998 American post-apocalyptic action comedy film directed by Lance Mungia and starring Jeffrey Falcon and Justin McGuire. Brian Tyler composed the score for this film along with the Red Elvises, the latter providing the majority of the soundtrack. The film was greeted with a great deal of excitement when shown at Slamdance in 1998, winning the Slamdance awards for best editing and cinematography, and gathering extremely favorable reviews from influential alternative, cult and indie film publications such as "Fangoria", "Film Threat" and Ain't It Cool News. It is billed as a "post-apocalyptic musical satire". In a limited theatrical release the film ran for several months in a few theaters, gaining a reputation as a minor cult film; having a budget of $2,000,000, it only made a mere $124,494 at the box offices. An intended trilogy has been discussed but not yet realized, just like the predicted launching of the career of the film's star, Jeffrey Falcon, a martial artist who had appeared in several Hong Kong action movies in the 1980s and early 1990s. While Mungia made several music videos, he did not direct another feature until the 2005 film "". Plot. In 1957, the Soviet Union attacks the United States with nuclear weapons, rendering most of the nation uninhabitable. The American government has collapsed with the exception of the haven known as Lost Vegas, ruled by King Elvis. The Red Army has been besieging Lost Vegas, but the lack of supplies over the years has relegated them to a gang of thugs. Forty years later King Elvis dies and radio disc jockey Keith Mortimer announces a call for all musicians to come to Lost Vegas to try to become the new King of Rock 'n' Roll. The ending of His message, "Vegas needs a new King!" Buddy, a lone guitarist and swordsman, saves an unnamed boy he simply calls "Kid" from a group of bandits; consequently, as the Kid's mother was killed by the bandits he tags along with Buddy much to the latter's annoyance. As the duo travel through the desert wasteland, the heavy metal-playing Death stages several attempts to prevent Buddy from reaching Lost Vegas alive and claim the throne for himself. After enduring an attack by a bounty-hunting bowling team, Buddy and the Kid steal a car from another musician to continue their journey. They are later attacked on the road by bandits but escape. When their car breaks down, Buddy and the Kid attempt to borrow a wrench from a suburban family, unaware that they are cannibals. Buddy leaves the Kid with them and takes off on foot. The Kid is about to be eaten but is spared after a group of Windmill People invade the home and the family flees with Buddy and the Kid's abandoned car after revealing they had a socket wrench needed to fix it. Buddy returns to defeat the Windmill People, the two reunite and continue their journey on an abandoned motorcycle. Meanwhile, Death has been killing off all other musicians coming across his path and taking their guitar picks as trophies. Buddy and the Kid arrive in the town of Fallout, where he leaves the Kid with some locals and enters a bar to drink and spend time with a cheerleader. Death arrives but the Kid warns Buddy in time for them to flee. Before they do Buddy is approached by a young guitarist, whom he then humiliates. Continuing their travel, Buddy is attacked by the guitarist. Buddy unintentionally kills him in self defense, and, feeling guilty, he lays his sword down and walks away, but the Kid brings it back to him, still believing in Buddy and helping regain his confidence. Eventually the two begin to bond closer. Later, after they collapse in the desert, they are ambushed by Death and his bandmates, a trio of archers. Buddy slides the Kid and his guitar to safety while he battles the archers, but when the Kid is captured by a group of underground mutants, Buddy pursues the mutants to their lair. Death decides not to follow him as there are other musicians left to kill saving Buddy for last. Buddy manages to save the Kid, and after returning to the surface, they find their road to Vegas blocked by the Red Army. After a grueling battle, Buddy is injured with the Kid dragging him to continue. Death finally catches up to them and engages Buddy in a guitar duel clashing their styles of music against one another; Buddy, Rock 'n' Roll and Death, Heavy Metal. When Buddy proves the better guitarist, an angry Death orders his bandmates to shoot him and the Kid with their bows. Buddy shields the Kid, getting shot in the back, but rises up and battles Death in a sword fight. Death mortally wounds Buddy in the end but the Kid discovers water is Death's weakness after spitting at him. The Kid then melts Death away with his water canteen. With his defeat, Death's bandmates are in shock that the Kid bested him. They give him a card and tell him with admiration that if he ever needs them to call them, and they take their leave. The Kid, saddened by Buddy disappearing after dying, bravely accepts to finish Buddy's journey. He puts on his clothes and glasses, and carries his sword and guitar. With Lost Vegas now in sight, the Kid has completed Buddy's dream, and the film ends with him turning into Buddy, symbolizing he's inherited His spirit as a crowd cheers him from Lost Vegas. Cast. The Red Elvises appear as themselves. Director Lance Mungia plays one of the Archers. Production. Opening sequence distortion. The opening sequence has an intentionally distorted visual effect. The de-anamorphic visuals are a subtle "tribute" to the Chinese martial arts films (notably the films by Shaw Brothers) that often had their wide-screen opening sequences compressed to the format of TV screens for VHS release. Thematic elements. Throughout the film there are homages to many major musical movements in the United States. Buddy, the main character, is a symbol of the birth of rock 'n' roll. He shares the same clothing style of Buddy Holly, especially his horn-rimmed glasses. Death, a character resembling Slash from Guns N' Roses, kills a character representing Jerry Lee Lewis during the film. Death also dispatches a mariachi band and another musician dressed country western style. His minions also torment a traveler dressed in hip hop fashion. Buddy also has a duel with a musician (wielding a ukulele) resembling Ritchie Valens, who died in the same 1959 plane crash as the original Buddy Holly. Death also kills rock music, through the death of Buddy. However, the last scene shows the child donning Buddy's clothing, suggesting that though rock 'n' roll is dead, there is still hope for the future. The film also has references to "the Wizard of Oz", loosely imitating the 1939 movie. A little person instructs Buddy to "follow the yellow brick road". Lost Vegas, seen from the distance, looks like the Emerald City. Death is obsessed with a specific object, Buddy's guitar pick, much like the Wicked Witch trying to get Dorothy's red slippers. Finally, Death is killed when sprayed with water, as was the Wicked Witch. When Buddy dies, his body disappears, leaving only his clothes for the kid to take, again like the Wicked Witch. Soundtrack. "Six-String Samurai: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" is the original soundtrack to the film; the soundtrack was released by Rykodisc on August 25, 1998. (*) indicates original score by Brian Tyler Critical reception. "Six-String Samurai" received mixed reviews, with a 60% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 20 reviews. Film Threat gave the film a perfect score of five stars. Leonard Klady of "Variety" called the film "A rock 'n' roll "Mad Max" served up Cantonese style, this is one wildly original and highly entertaining American indie with genuine commercial appeal." Peter Stack of the "San Francisco Chronicle" commented on his review that "If the film didn't have an underlying intelligence, it would soon be irritating -- it's too cartoonish and one-dimensional. But Falcon, an ace martial-arts practitioner, is dazzling as the nerdy main attraction, equally adept at sword fighting and guitar picking." Laurie Stone of "The Village Voice" wrote on her review: "There's one charming sequence, with vaudeville grace and tragicomedy worthy of Beckett, but the rest of the film, even with startling visual effects and some impish humor, is repetitious and derivative, playing like an endless commercial for bullet-hole chic." Home media. Six-String Samurai was released on a non-anamorphic DVD by Palm Pictures in March 1999. Extras included the theatrical trailer and two music videos by the Red Elvises. In March 2021, it was announced that Six-String Samurai would be receiving its first ever HD release in a Blu-ray/Ultra HD Blu-ray combo-pack from Vinegar Syndrome. Newly created extras will include commentaries with director Lance Mungia and cinematographer Kristian Bernier, as well as a brand new extended length making-of documentary directed by Elijah Drenner and Lance Mungia. Other media. In September, 1998, a single "Six String Samurai" comic was released from Rob Liefeld's Awesome Entertainment. Written by Liefeld and Matt Hawkins, it featured art by 'Awesome' artists Dan Fraga and John Stinsman. A continuation rather than an adaptation, the plot summary from the comic is as follows: In this alternate universe, in 1957 the Russians took the United States by nuclear force. Only one piece of the American frontier remained free, a patch of land known as Lost Vegas. Through this desert wasteland wanders the "six string samurai," a latter-day Buddy Holly who handles a guitar or a sword with equal skill. He's a man on a collision course with destiny: It seems that King Elvis, who ruled over the land of Vegas for forty years, has finally taken his last curtain call and the throne now stands empty. But it's a rough road to the big city and the body count is likely to be high, as demonstrated in this postapocalyptic future with a beat we can dance to.

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Countdown to Looking Glass Countdown to Looking Glass is a Canadian made-for-television movie that premiered in the United States on HBO on October 14, 1984 and was also broadcast on CTV in Canada. The movie presents a fictional confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Persian Gulf. The narrative of the film details the events that lead up to the initial exchange of nuclear weapons, which was triggered by a banking crisis, from the perspective of an ongoing news broadcast. Unlike similar productions such as the previous year's "Special Bulletin" and the later "Without Warning", the producers of this film decided not to make the entire production a simulated newscast, but instead break up the news portions with dramatic narrative scenes involving Shaver and Murphy. The appearance of real-life newscasters, as well as noted CBC Television host Patrick Watson (although he does not appear as himself in this film) lent additional authenticity to the production. Plot. The CVN news network's nightly program, starring Don Tobin (Watson), with reports from correspondents Michael Boyle (Glenn) and Dorian Waldorf (Shaver), discusses a terrorist bombing of the American embassy in Saudi Arabia that killed the American ambassador. The week before, a global banking crisis, caused by several South American countries defaulting on their loans, led to turmoil in Southwest Asia. Before the unrest spread to Saudi Arabia, Soviet-backed militants led a coup in Oman when the Omani economy collapsed. Shortly after, a new report shows the banking crisis may soon begin to ease. During this time, Waldorf's Pentagon insider boyfriend is providing off-the-record insight into the White House's response to all these events, and suggests that there may be too many critical events going on at once for the President and his advisers to handle effectively. The following day, it is revealed that a large military operation was launched to keep the peace in Saudi Arabia, with many American soldiers, ships, and planes being sent at King Fahd's request. This move is heavily criticized - in the US and abroad. The United Kingdom, America's closest ally, refuses to take part in the operation as do many other of America's allies. However the attitude of the American representatives is clear that they can perform the peacekeeping mission alone, citing the success of the British in the past in containing the Soviets' previous provocation in the area. In response to this move, which the Soviet Union sees as provocative, the Soviet-backed puppet government in Oman imposes a $10,000 toll for every oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz into the Persian Gulf. The Soviet government claims it will remove the toll if the Americans withdraw troops from Saudi Arabia. The captains of the tankers refuse to pay the toll, effectively creating an economic blockade in which no oil can be transported through the Persian Gulf. A breaking news alert on the fifth day of the Middle East crisis reveals that a short battle took place between American warplanes and unidentified enemy warplanes, presumed to be from Iran or Kuwait, in which an American reconnaissance plane was shot down over the Persian Gulf before two of the five attacking planes were shot down. The attacking aircraft were presumably aiming for an oil refinery in Ras Tanura in retaliation for Saudi Arabia's request for American troops. Meanwhile, Waldorf brings a story to CVN: her boyfriend had provided her with satellite photos that suggests that Soviet forces have disappeared from their border with the Middle East, possibly as a covert invitation to mutually withdraw from the area — an invitation that could have been ignored in the flood of information the multiple global crises have created ("The signal-to-noise ratio in there [The White House] is horrendous."). However, Tobin reluctantly insists that Waldorf have more than one source for the story. On day six of the crisis, an American aircraft carrier, the and its battle group, armed with both nuclear and conventional weapons, are sent by the U.S. President to the Persian Gulf to ensure the free passage of oil tankers in the region; the President also activates Selective Service, drafting thousands of soldiers in anticipation of a larger conflict. The Soviet Union quickly responds to this action by sending submarines to the Persian Gulf. CVN sends Michael Boyle to the "Nimitz" to cover the deployment. The Soviets publicly criticize the United States for failing to accept their offers of conciliation and mutual withdrawal from the area, implying that Waldorf's information was correct and that the US may have given up an opportunity for a peaceful solution. On day eight of the crisis, in response to the growing urgency of the situation, CVN begins to broadcast 24 hours a day. Shortly after a State Department briefing, the Defense Secretary dies, perhaps of a heart attack brought on by the stresses of crisis management. On day nine, the crisis deepens when an Omani gunboat attacks and apparently destroys an unarmed Dutch vessel which tried to go through the Strait of Hormuz. The CVN broadcast also notes the presence of Soviet attack submarines near the site of the attack. At this point, people begin to evacuate cities, overseas air travel is suspended by the FAA, many American schools begin closing, the Strategic Air Command redeploys B-52 bombers throughout the nation's airports, and people are urged to stay off their phones. By nightfall, an evacuation of the White House is ordered, and the US begins shutting down its nuclear power plants nationwide, an act noted not to have happened since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Later, Waldorf is met by her boyfriend at the news studio, offering to take her along in the evacuation—the President has delegated tactical nuclear launch authority to the "Nimitz" battle group commander after the destruction of the Dutch vessel, and the chances of a nuclear exchange in the Gulf have increased significantly. Waldorf chooses to remain in Washington to continue her work. A night battle then erupts between Omani gunboats and the U.S. Navy in the Strait of Hormuz, with an Omani gunboat firing first and disabling an American warship, then subsequently being destroyed. Despite the gravity of the situation, Tobin discusses his optimistic viewpoint of the situation with correspondent Eric Sevareid, believing that "[r]easonable people, once they've looked the Devil in the face, aren't going to shake hands with him." Shortly after the Omani gunboat exchanges fire with the American ship, a Soviet submarine slips through the perimeter of American ships and is tracked towards the "Nimitz", which begins exploding depth charges towards the submarine. There is suddenly a large, underwater nuclear detonation, suggesting that a nuclear depth bomb was detonated to stop it. Boyle evacuates into the carrier's island, confronting an officer to find out who provided authorization for the nuclear attack, but cannot get a clear answer. Shortly thereafter, a nuclear weapon detonates inside the battle group, causing an unknown level of damage, yet apparently not sinking the "Nimitz". Shortly thereafter, Boyle and the "Nimitz" lose contact with CVN. At this point, the White House is completely evacuated, with the President, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other White House officials evacuated onto the National Emergency Airborne Command Post plane with the Strategic Air Command's airborne command center Looking Glass in accompaniment, and the Emergency Broadcast System is activated. In the moments before CVN's broadcast is transferred over to the Emergency Broadcast System, Tobin reiterates his optimism, discussing the opinions of a deceased colleague who was considered an expert in nuclear war scenarios. His colleague held the belief that a nuclear exchange would someday take place, but when the two superpowers were confronted with the horror of the situation, they would choose peace over war. As a now-bewildered Tobin prepares to turn things over to the EBS, it is obvious that he is shaken by the events that have occurred, and is, moreover, almost mournfully fearful over the inescapable realization that both mankind and the planet Earth may very well "have no future" at all.

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Fail Safe (1964 film) Fail Safe is a 1964 Cold War thriller film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. It portrays a fictional account of a nuclear crisis. The film features performances by actors Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau, Frank Overton, Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver, Dana Elcar, Dom DeLuise and Sorrell Booke. "Fail Safe" describes how Cold War tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States lead to an accidental thermonuclear first strike after an error sends a group of US bombers to bomb Moscow. In 2000, the novel was adapted again as a televised play starring George Clooney, Richard Dreyfuss and Noah Wyle, and broadcast live in black and white on CBS. Plot. During a VIP visit to the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, the Air Force's early warning radar indicates that an unidentified aircraft has intruded into American airspace. Shortly after, the "intruder" is identified as an off-course civilian airliner and the alert is cancelled, but a computer error causes one American bomber group to receive apparently valid orders for a nuclear attack on Moscow. Attempts to rescind this order fail because a new Soviet countermeasure jams American radio communications. Unable to obtain confirmation or denial of the order, Colonel Jack Grady (Edward Binns), the US bomber group's commander, follows the order and commands his group to continue to their target. The president of the United States (Henry Fonda) and his advisers attempt to recall the bombers or shoot them down. American fighters are ordered to use afterburners to intercept the bombers in time to shoot them down, but the fighters fail and plunge into the Arctic waters. Communications are opened with the Soviet chairman in which mistakes on both sides (the orders to the American bombers and the Soviet jamming) are acknowledged. The jamming ceases, but the crew follows their training, dismissing the subsequent counter-orders they receive as a Soviet ruse. The President struggles to find a solution that will stop the Soviet Union from counter-attacking; if he fails, a nuclear holocaust will be unavoidable. He offers to sacrifice an American target to appease the skeptical Soviets and prove that the attack was indeed an error, and he orders an American bomber towards New York City. The President's advisers in the Pentagon discover that in doing so, the President is sacrificing the First Lady, who is visiting New York City. A single American bomber reaches Moscow and destroys it. The President then orders General Black (Dan O'Herlihy), whose wife and children live in New York, to carry out a corresponding nuclear attack on that city, using the Empire State Building as ground zero. After releasing the bombs, Black kills himself. The last moments of the film show images of people in New York going about their daily lives, unaware of the coming disaster. Production. The film was shot in black and white, in a dramatic, theatrical style with claustrophobic close-ups, sharp shadows and ponderous silences between several characters. Except for radio background during a scene at an Air Force base in Alaska, there is no original music score (only the electronic sound effects act as the film’s main and end title music). With few exceptions, the action takes place largely in the White House underground bunker, the Pentagon war conference room, the SAC war room, and a single bomber cockpit (a "Vindicator bomber"). Shots of normal daily life are seen only after the title opening credits and in the final scene depicting an ordinary New York City day, its residents entirely unsuspecting of their imminent destruction, each scene ending with a freeze-frame shot at the moment of impact. The Soviets are not depicted in the film. The progress of the attack is followed on giant, electronic maps in the Pentagon War Room and SAC Headquarters. Conversations with the Soviet Premier (Russian language occasionally heard in the background on the "Hot-Line") are translated by an American interpreter (Larry Hagman). Suspense builds through dialog between the President and other officials, including an advisor to the Department of Defense, Professor Groeteschele (Walter Matthau), an old college friend of the President, General Black (Dan O'Herlihy) and SAC commander General Bogan (Frank Overton). The character of Groeteschele was inspired, according to Lumet's audio commentary on the film, by military strategist Herman Kahn. The "Vindicator" bombers (an invention of the novelists) are sometimes represented in the film with stock footage of Convair B-58 Hustlers. Fighters sent to attack the bombers are illustrated by film clips of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, Dassault Mirage III and McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. Stock footage was used because the United States Air Force declined to cooperate in the production, disliking the premise of a lack of control over nuclear strike forces. The scene depicting bombers taking off was stock footage of a single B-58 takeoff edited to look like several bombers taking off in succession. A nightmare quality is imparted to many of the flying sequences by depicting the planes in photographic negative. In several of the negative sequences the "Soviet interceptors" were actually French Mirage fighters with Israeli markings. Lawsuit. "Fail Safe" and "Dr. Strangelove" were both produced in the period after the Cuban Missile Crisis, when people became much more sensitive to the threat of nuclear war. "Fail Safe" so closely resembled Peter George's novel "Red Alert", on which "Dr. Strangelove" was based, that "Dr. Strangelove" screenwriter/director Stanley Kubrick and George filed a copyright infringement lawsuit. The case was settled out of court. The result of the settlement was that Columbia Pictures, which had financed and was distributing "Dr. Strangelove", also bought "Fail Safe", which had been an independently financed production. Kubrick insisted that the studio release his movie first. Reception. When "Fail Safe" opened in October 1964, it garnered excellent reviews, but its box office performance was poor. Its failure rested with the similarity between it and the nuclear war satire "Dr. Strangelove", which had appeared in theaters first, in January 1964. Still, the film later was applauded as a Cold War thriller. The novel sold through to the 1980s and 1990s, and the film was given high marks for retaining the essence of the novel. Over the years, both the novel and the movie were well received for their depiction of a nuclear crisis, despite many critical reviews rejecting the notion that a breakdown in communication could result in the erroneous go-command depicted in the novel and the movie.

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Spies Like Us Spies Like Us is a 1985 American comedy film directed by John Landis and starring Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Steve Forrest, and Donna Dixon. The film presents the comic adventures of two novice intelligence agents sent to the Soviet Union. Originally written by Aykroyd and Dave Thomas to star Aykroyd and John Belushi at Universal, the script went into turnaround and was later picked up by Warner Bros. with Aykroyd and Chase starring. The film is an homage to the famous "Road to …" film series which starred Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Hope himself makes a cameo in one scene. Other cameos in the film include directors Terry Gilliam, Sam Raimi, Costa-Gavras, Martin Brest, Frank Oz, and Joel Coen, musician B.B. King, and visual effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen. Plot. Austin Millbarge is a basement-dwelling codebreaker at the Pentagon who aspires to escape his under-respected job to become a secret agent. Emmett Fitz-Hume, a wisecracking, pencil-pushing son of an envoy, takes the foreign service exam under peer pressure. Millbarge and Fitz-Hume meet during the test, on which Fitz-Hume openly attempts to cheat after an attempt to bribe his immediate supervisor in exchange for the answers backfires. Millbarge, however, was forced to take the test, having had only one day to prepare after his supervisor gives him a two-week-old notice leaving him vulnerable to fail and having to stay in the Pentagon trenches. Needing expendable agents to act as decoys to draw attention away from a more capable team, the DIA decides to enlist the two, promote them to be Foreign Service operatives, put them through minimal training, and then send them on an undefined mission into Soviet Central Asia. Meanwhile, professional agents are well on their way to reaching the real objective: the seizure of a mobile SS-50 ICBM launcher in Soviet territory. The main team takes a loss, while Millbarge and Fitz-Hume escape enemy attacks and eventually encounter Karen Boyer, the only surviving operative from the main team. In the Pamir Mountains of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, the trio overpowers the mobile missile guard unit using hastily constructed extraterrestrial outfits and tranquilizer guns. Following orders in real-time from the intelligence agency (operating from a military bunker located deep under an abandoned drive-in theater), they begin to operate the launcher. At the end of their instructions, the vehicle launches the ICBM into space, targeting an unspecified area in the United States. Thinking they have started a nuclear war, the American agents and their Soviet counterparts pair up to have sex before the world ends. Meanwhile, the military commander at the operations bunker initiates the conversion of the drive-in theater to expose what is hidden beneath the screens and projection booth: a huge black-op SDI-esque laser and collector/emitter screen. The purpose of sending the agents to launch a Soviet ICBM is exposed as a means to test this anti-ballistic missile system, but the laser fails to intercept the nuclear missile. Despite this, the military commanders at the site choose not to inform the US government that the missile launch was not initiated by the Soviet authorities, revealing a twisted contingency plan of letting the impending thermonuclear war commence to "preserve the American way of life". Back in the Soviet Union, horrified at the thought of having launched a nuclear missile at their own country, the American spies and the Soviet soldiers use Millbarge's technical knowledge to transmit instructions to the traveling missile, sending it off into space where it detonates harmlessly. Immediately after, the underground bunker is stormed by U.S. Army Rangers, and the intelligence and military officials involved in the covert operation are arrested. Millbarge, Fitz-Hume, and Boyer go on to become nuclear disarmament negotiators, playing a nuclear version of "Risk"-meets-"Trivial Pursuit" against their Soviet friends. Title song. The title song, "Spies Like Us", was written and performed by Paul McCartney. It reached #7 on the singles chart in the United States in early 1986. It also reached #13 in the UK. John Landis directed a music video for the song where Aykroyd and Chase can be seen performing the song with McCartney (although they didn't actually play on the record). Soundtrack. The film's score was composed by Elmer Bernstein and performed by the Graunke Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the composer. The soundtrack album was released by Varèse Sarabande; it does not contain the Paul McCartney song. The film also featured "Soul Finger," by the Bar-Kays, also absent from the soundtrack. Fitz-Hume watches Ronald Reagan singing "I'll Be Loving You" from the musical "She's Working Her Way Through College" early in the film. Release. The film was a box office success. It grossed $8,614,039 on the U.S. opening weekend and it grossed $60,088,980 in the United States and Canada versus a budget of $22 million. The film grossed $17.2 million overseas for a worldwide gross of $77.3 million. Critical reception. The "Washington Post" critic Paul Attanasio called "Spies Like Us" "a comedy with exactly one laugh, and those among you given to Easter egg hunts may feel free to try and find it." The "Chicago Reader" critic Dave Kehr criticized the film's character development, saying that "Landis never bothers to account for the friendship that springs up spontaneously between these two antipathetic types, but then he never bothers to account for anything in this loose progression of recycled Abbott and Costello riffs." "The New York Times" critic Janet Maslin wrote, "The stars are always affable, and they're worth watching even when they do very little, but it's painful to sit by as the screenplay runs out of steam." "Variety" magazine opined in a staff review, "Spies is not very amusing. Though Chase and Aykroyd provide moments, the overall script thinly takes on eccentric espionage and nuclear madness, with nothing new to add." "TV Guide" published a staff review which stated, "Landis' direction is indulgent, to say the least, with big landscapes, big crashes, big hardware, and big gags filling the screen. What he forgets is character development, that all-important factor that must exist for comedy to work well." David Parkinson, writing for the "Radio Times", felt that "Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase simply fail to gel, and there's little fun to be had once the boisterous training school gags are exhausted." Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 32%, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 4.38/10. The site's consensus states: "Despite the comedic prowess of its director and two leads, "Spies Like Us" appears to disavow all knowledge of how to make the viewer laugh." Metacritic gives the film a score of 22 out of 100, based on 9 critics, which indicates "Generally unfavorable reviews". Writing for Common Sense Media, Andrea Beach called the film a "dated '80s comedy [with] strong language, few laughs." Collider staff writer Jeff Giles, reviewing the film's Blu-ray Disc release, stated, "on the whole, it’s more amusing than funny; it’s only 102 minutes, but it feels too long by half. For all the talent involved, there’s an awful lot of flab. It’s the kind of movie you can walk away from for 10 minutes without missing anything important." Legacy. The animated comedy series "Family Guy" paid tribute to the film with its 2009 episode "Spies Reminiscent of Us", which guest starred Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase as fictionalized versions of themselves who, according to the series, were made real spies by Ronald Reagan after he saw the film "Spies Like Us". The episode recreates numerous scenes from the film. The live-action spy comedy series "Chuck" was heavily influenced by "Spies," including references to "GLG-20" and the introduction of character Emmett Millbarge (Tony Hale), combined from the names of the "Spies" protagonists.

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Miracle Mile (film) Miracle Mile is a 1988 American apocalyptic thriller film written and directed by Steve De Jarnatt, and starring Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham. The film takes place mostly in real time. It is named after the Miracle Mile neighborhood of Los Angeles, where most of the action takes place. Plot. The film takes place in a single day and night. The film opens with the two main characters, Harry (Anthony Edwards) and Julie (Mare Winningham), meeting at the La Brea Tar Pits and immediately falling in love. After spending the afternoon together, they make a date to meet after her shift ends at midnight at a local coffee shop, but a power failure means Harry's alarm fails to wake him and Julie leaves for home. When Harry awakes that night he realizes what has happened and rushes to the shop, arriving at 4 AM. Harry tries to call Julie on a pay phone, but only reaches her answering machine, where he leaves an apology. When the phone rings moments later he picks it up, hearing a frantic man named Chip telling his father that war is about to break out in less than seventy minutes. When Harry finally gets a chance to talk and asks who is calling, Chip realizes he has dialed the wrong area code. Chip then pleads with Harry to call his father and apologize for some past wrong before he is being confronted and presumably shot. An unfamiliar voice picks up the phone and tells Harry to forget everything he heard "and go back to sleep" before disconnecting. Harry, confused and not entirely convinced of the reality of the information, wanders back into the diner and tells the other customers what he has heard. As the patrons scoff at his story, one of them, a mysterious businesswoman named Landa (Denise Crosby), calls a number of politicians in Washington on her wireless phone and finds that they are all suddenly heading for "the extreme Southern Hemisphere". After Harry tells her some launch codes that Chip told him, she verifies that they are real and, convinced of the danger, immediately charters private jets out of Los Angeles International Airport to a compound in a region in Antarctica with no rainfall. Most of the customers and staff leave with her in the owner's delivery van. When the owner refuses to make any stops, Harry, unwilling to leave without Julie, arranges to meet the group at the airport and jumps from the truck. Harry is helped and hindered by various strangers, who are initially unaware of the impending apocalypse. In the process he inadvertently causes several deaths and is deeply shaken by that, yet still he goes on. When he finds Julie and later tells her, she notes that there is no confirmation of the attack. Desperate to reach the airport and not having a car, Harry finds a helicopter pilot (Brian Thompson) and tells him to meet them on the roof of the Mutual Benefit Life Building, where Landa ordered a helicopter and a large amount of supplies to be delivered. Julie has also tried to find a pilot on her own, and in the moments it takes to find her, Los Angeles descends into violent chaos. There is still no confirmation any of this is real, and Harry wonders if he has sparked a massive false panic in the example of Chicken Little. However, when he uses a phone booth to contact the father of the man who called him (using the number of the booth and the area code the man was trying to use), he reaches a man who says his son is a soldier. Harry tries to pass on the message he was given, but the man hangs up before Harry finishes. When they reach the top of the Mutual Benefit building they find the pad empty, and the roof manned only by Landa's drunk co-worker (Kurt Fuller). Any doubts about a false alarm are eliminated when a missile can be seen streaking across the sky. As they fear the end, the helicopter suddenly returns with the pilot badly wounded but fulfilling his promise to come back for them. After they lift off from the roof, several warheads hit and the nuclear electromagnetic pulse from the detonations causes the helicopter to crash into the La Brea pits. As the helicopter sinks and the cabin fills with natural asphalt tar, Harry tries to comfort a hysterical Julie by saying someday they will be found and they will probably be put in a museum, or maybe they will take a direct hit and be turned into diamonds. Julie, accepting her fate, calms down and takes comfort in Harry's words, and the movie fades out as the tar fills the compartment. A final explosion seems to imply a direct hit has taken place. Production. Before "Miracle Mile" was made, its production had been legendary in Hollywood for ten years. In 1983, it had been chosen by "American Film" magazine as one of the ten best unmade screenplays. Steve De Jarnatt wrote it just out of the American Film Institute for Warner Brothers with the hope of directing it as well. The studio wanted to make it on a bigger scale and did not want to entrust the project with a first-time director like De Jarnatt. "Miracle Mile" spent three years in production limbo until De Jarnatt optioned it himself, buying the script for $25,000. He rewrote it and the studio offered him $400,000 to buy it back. He turned them down. When he shopped it around to other studios, they balked at the mix of romance and nuclear war and the film's downbeat ending. At one point, it nearly became the script for the eventual separately made "". Before Anthony Edwards was cast, production nearly began with both Nicolas Cage and Kurt Russell. Of the script, Edwards said, "It scared the hell out of me. It really made me angry too ... I just couldn't believe that somebody had written this." John Daly of Hemdale Films gave De Jarnatt $3.7 million to make the film. Edwards later recalled: That was a script that everybody wanted to make, but they wanted him to change the ending. It was this great adventure, but they wanted it to have a happy ending. But he stuck it out, and luckily he stuck it out long enough that I was old enough to play the part. [Laughs.] So I got to do it, and we did it at a time when there really was no green screen for special effects. You had to shoot what was there. It's amazing how dated that film looks now, because of our ability to do things technically now. I mean, it really looks antiquated. Mare Winningham is one of the greatest actresses ever. It was eight weeks of night shooting, though, so you'd be driving home from work at, like, 6 in the morning, having had a wrap beer, and then you're suddenly going, "Oh my God, what do people think of somebody having a beer at 6 in the morning whenever everyone else is on their way to work? [Laughs.]The following locations in Los Angeles were used: Johnie's Coffee Shop; La Brea Tar Pits; Miracle Mile District; Pan-Pacific Auditorium in the Fairfax District. Soundtrack. "Miracle Mile" is the thirty-sixth major release and twelfth soundtrack album by Tangerine Dream. 2017 Release. The complete score in film sequence order was released in 2017 representing the score as delivered by Tangerine Dream to the director, essentially as heard in the film’s mix with tracks 14 thru 23 containing music effects Track listing. CD1: The Complete Film Score CD2: The Soundtrack Album Reception. "Miracle Mile" received generally positive reviews among critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 91% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 32 reviews. Roger Ebert praised the film, claiming it had a "diabolical effectiveness" and a sense of "real terror". In her review for the "Washington Post", Rita Kempley wrote: "It seems [De Jarnatt]'s not committed to his story or his characters, but to the idea that he is saying something profound—which he isn't." Stephen Holden, in "The New York Times", wrote: "As Harry and Julie, Mr. Edwards and Ms. Winningham make an unusually refreshing pair." In his review for the "Boston Globe", Jay Carr called it: "... a messy film, but it's got energy, urgency, conviction and heat and you won't soon forget it." British film and television critic Charlie Brooker, in an article for the BAFTA web site written in September 2008, awarded "Miracle Mile" the honor of having the "Biggest Lurch of Tone" of any film he had ever seen. Awards. Wins: Nominations:

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Red Dawn (2012 film) Red Dawn is a 2012 American action film directed by Dan Bradley. The screenplay by Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmorea is a remake of the 1984 film of the same name. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The film centers on a group of young people who defend their hometown from a North Korean invasion. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced its intention to remake "Red Dawn" in May 2008 and subsequently hired Bradley and Ellsworth. The principal characters were cast the following year and the film went into production in September 2009 in Mount Clemens, Michigan. Originally scheduled to be released on November 24, 2010, the film was shelved because of MGM's financial troubles. While in post-production, the invading army and antagonists were changed from Chinese to North Korean in order to maintain access to the Chinese box office, though the film was still not released in China. Because of MGM's bankruptcy, the distribution rights were sold to FilmDistrict in September 2011 and the film was released in the United States on November 21, 2012 to mostly negative reviews. The film is also a box-office failure, grossing $50.9 million from its $65 million budget. Plot. An introductory montage shows the fallout of an economic crisis in the European Union and a weakened NATO alliance, amid increasing cooperation between an increasingly militant North Korea, now led by the young Kim Jong Un, and ultranationalist-dominated Russia. The increased deployment of U.S. troops abroad leaves the mainland vulnerable, and American infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to the threat of a cyberattack. U.S. Marine Jed Eckert is home on leave in Spokane, Washington. He reunites with his father, Spokane Police Sergeant Tom Eckert, and his brother, football player Matt Eckert, as well as his childhood friend Toni Walsh and her cousin Erica Martin, Matt's girlfriend. The morning after a mysterious power outage, Jed and Matt are shocked to see swarms of invading North Korean paratroopers and transport aircraft. Their father tells them to flee to their cabin in the woods while he helps the townspeople. They are joined there by Robert Kitner, Daryl Jenkins, Danny Jackson, siblings Julie and Greg Goodyear, and Pete, and later by Toni; Erica is captured by the North Koreans. Tensions build as the teens try to decide whether to surrender to the invaders or resist, with Pete ending up betraying their position. North Korean soldiers, under the command of Captain Cho, bring Sergeant Eckert and the mayor out to convince the group to surrender; while the mayor persuades the boys to give up, Cho executes Sergeant Eckert after he refuses to cooperate and actively encourages them to resist. Later, Jed announces that he intends to fight and the others agree to join him, calling themselves the Wolverines after their school mascot. After acquiring weapons, establishing a base in an abandoned mine, and being trained by Jed, the Wolverines begin a series of guerrilla attacks against soldiers and collaborators, including Pete. As Matt manages to free Erica from her imprisonment, he jeopardizes the mission resulting in Greg's death. The North Koreans retaliate by bombarding the surrounding woods to destroy the Wolverines' base, killing Danny and Julie, with the remaining survivors fleeing deeper into the woods. The Wolverines eventually encounter Marine Sergeant Major Andrew Tanner and two other Marines, Corporal Smith and Sergeant Hodges. They reveal that the Russian-backed North Korean invasion used an EMP weapon that crippled the U.S. electrical grid and military, followed by landings along the east and west coasts (Camp Pendleton is hinted by the Marines as having been destroyed in the invasion, as most likely was the rest of coastal Southern California), with American counterattacks eventually halting their advances, leaving an area stretching from Michigan to Montana and Alabama to Arizona as "Free America", using the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Appalachians in the east as geographic buffers, as pockets of patriotic guerrillas in the Cascades and the Sierra Nevada mountains continue to fight. They also reveal that Captain Cho's suitcase contains an EMP-resistant radio telephone, that if captured would enable the U.S. command to listen in on enemy communication, and gain a tactical advantage in a counter-offensive. The Wolverines assist Tanner, Smith, and Hodges in infiltrating the local police station, the North Koreans' center of operations. They succeed in stealing the suitcase with Jed avenging his father's death by killing Cho, though Hodges is killed in the firefight. After they successfully escape with the suitcase, the Wolverines and Marines regroup in a safe house. After a brief conversation between Jed and Matt, however, they are ambushed by Russian Spetsnaz and Jed is killed in the firefight. Visibly shaken, Matt and the rest of the group escape with the suitcase. Robert realizes that during the escape from the police station, Daryl was tagged with a subcutaneous tracking device that the Russians used to find them. After some thought, Daryl accepts the fact that he cannot go on with them and decides to stay behind, his fate unknown. The rest continue on to the Marines's extraction point. Tanner and Smith depart in a UH-1 with the suitcase. The remaining Wolverines decide to stay behind and continue to fight, recruiting more members and raiding prisoner camps, with Matt now leading the effort to continue opposing the occupation. The flag of "Free America" is carried by patriots in a daring raid on a North Korean concentration camp in the final shot of the film. Production. In May 2008, at the Festival de Cannes, Harry Sloan and Mary Parent from MGM announced that a remake of "Red Dawn" was in the early stages of pre-production, with the remake due to be directed by Dan Bradley, who had previously worked as a second unit director and stunt coordinator on films such as "The Bourne Ultimatum," "Spider-Man 3," "Independence Day," and "Quantum of Solace." MGM subsequently announced that "Red Dawn" would be remade "keeping in mind the post-9/11 world that we're in". Later the same month, MGM announced that Dan Bradley had been confirmed as the director with Carl Ellsworth, screenwriter of "Red Eye" and "Disturbia", writing the updated screenplay. Ellsworth worked from a story written by Jeremy Passmore. Vincent Newman ("A Man Apart") was announced as the producer. Australian Chris Hemsworth was cast in a lead role: other cast members include Josh Peck, Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas, Edwin Hodge, and Connor Cruise. Principal photography began September 2009 in Mount Clemens, Michigan. The closed Notre Dame High School in Harper Woods, Michigan (Greater Detroit) was used as a filming location. Mark Binelli, author of "Detroit City is the Place to Be", wrote that the school cafeteria was used as the catering hall for the employees. According to photographs taken on set, the film features propaganda pamphlets, posters, and banners featuring People's Liberation Army symbols, such as the August 1 star. The posters attempt to garner support for a Chinese occupation, with slogans such as "Rebuilding Your Reputation", "Repairing Your Economy", and "Fighting Corporate Corruption". In June 2010, release of the film was delayed by MGM's financial difficulties. The delay came amid growing controversy in China after excerpts of the script were leaked on the website "The Awl". The film drew sharp criticism from the "Global Times", one of the leading Chinese state-run newspapers, with headlines such as "U.S. reshoots Cold War movie to demonize China" and "American movie plants hostile seeds against China". One of the articles stated: "China can still feel U.S. distrust and fear, especially among its people. Americans' suspicions about China are the best ground for the hawks to disseminate fear and doubt, which is the biggest concern with the movie, "Red Dawn"." In January 2011, the first cast photo was released along with news that MGM would release the film once their Chapter 11 restructuring is completed. "Red Dawn" was one of three already completed MGM projects scheduled to be released in 2011. In March 2011, the "Los Angeles Times" reported that MGM changed the villains in its "Red Dawn" remake from Chinese to North Korean in order to maintain access to China's lucrative box office. The changes reportedly cost less than $1 million and involve changing an opening sequence summarizing the story's fictional backdrop (dropping the original storyline of Chinese "repossession" after the US defaults on loans for a North Korean invasion), re-editing two scenes, and using digital technology to change Chinese symbols and dialogue to Korean. The film's producer Trip Vinson stated: "We were initially very reluctant to make any changes, but after careful consideration we constructed a way to make a scarier, smarter and more dangerous "Red Dawn" that we believe improves the movie." Soundtrack. Ramin Djawadi composed the score to the film. Track listing. All music by Ramin Djawadi. Release. In September 2011, it was reported that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was finalizing a deal with the independent studio FilmDistrict to distribute the film in the United States. In December 2011, FilmDistrict reached a deal to distribute its 2012 films including "Red Dawn" through Open Road Films. In September 2012, it was announced that the film would premiere on September 27, 2012 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas, closing out the Fantastic Fest film festival. "Red Dawn" opened in theaters in the United States on November 21, 2012. The film earned $7.4 million in its first two days and finished in seventh place, earning $14.6 million in its first weekend. The film closed in theaters on February 21, 2013, grossing a total $50.9 million worldwide. "Red Dawn" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 5, 2013 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Reception. , on Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 14% based on 141 reviews and an average score of 3.88/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The rebooted "Red Dawn" lacks the original's topicality, but at least pays tribute in delivering the same short shrift to character development and general logic." On Metacritic the film has a score of 31 out of 100 based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel. Frank Scheck of "The Hollywood Reporter" said, "An already silly premise is given a ham-fisted treatment in this ill-advised remake of John Milius' 1984 hit action film". Manohla Dargis of "The New York Times" said, "Bradley... handles the low-fi action well, which helps divert attention from the bargain-bin special effects, bad acting and politics". Mark Olsen of the "Los Angeles Times" said, "Reasonably dopey fun on its own, the remade "Red Dawn" simply can't stand up to the real-world issues it steps on like a land mine". Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" said, "The story's time frame is confusingly murky. How long does it take the North Koreans to land... and start running things? What is their game plan? Is this a national invasion? We're unclear what's happening in the rest of the United States". Joe Leydon of "Variety" wrote, "[the] battle scenes are infused with a propulsive sense of urgency, as Bradley (a vet stunt coordinator and second unit director) often achieves an effective semi-documentary look".

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World War III (miniseries) World War III is a miniseries that aired on the NBC network television on January 31, 1982. Plot. The miniseries begins in 1987. At the height of the Cold War, two US airmen monitor their radar screens at a quiet and remote NORAD facility in Alaska. Suddenly, one of the bored operators notices an unexpected blip on his radar screen. It appears to be an unidentified aircraft sneaking in on the leading edge of a weather front. He alerts his partner about the threat and begins to contact Elmendorf AFB. The other airman retrieves a silenced semiautomatic weapon from his desk and kills him. He then proceeds to shoot the remaining station personnel while they are sleeping in their bunks. Lighting a cigarette, the traitor notifies Elmendorf that the station will be out of commission for the next hour in order to repair a malfunctioning generator. The necessary blind spot has been created. Next, the Soviets launch a secret incursion into Alaska. The Soviets have inserted a cold weather special operations assault force of approximately 35-40 KGB desant ski troops led by Soviet Commander Alexander Vorashin (Jeroen Krabbé) into northern Alaska with a track-driven armored vehicle. Vorashin's orders are to seize control of a strategically located pumping station along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline so as to threaten placement of floating explosive devices in the stream of oil. This operation is being conducted in response to America's grain embargo of the Soviet Union, just as the 1980 grain embargo was in response to the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. The governments of Canada, Australia, and Argentina have joined the U.S. in the embargo. This has caused severe food shortages and domestic unrest inside the Soviet Union. A small company-sized force of lightly armed soldiers of the Alaska Army National Guard and Alaskan Scouts, who are on a training exercise, discover the presence of the Soviet invaders. At Fort Wainwright, Colonel Jake Caffey (David Soul), a combat veteran of the Vietnam War, is sent by his commanding officer to locate one of the groups of soldiers, who have already been ambushed and killed by the Soviet assault force. Colonel Caffey takes command of the Guardsmen when his senior officer, who did not believe the news of the invading Soviet troops, is killed in the first encounter with the Soviets. Caffey notifies his chain of command by radio. Upon learning of the situation, the U.S. President Thomas McKenna (Rock Hudson) orders Caffey's National Guard troops to be federalized and orders Caffey to do all he can to stop the Soviet troops. The President orders a media blackout on the emergency but then orders U.S. forces to be mobilized in response to the Soviet incursion, under the pretext of unscheduled training exercises. The President fears that the people of the United States will demand a declaration of war against the Russians for this attack. Fierce winter weather is preventing U.S. military units from bases and forts in southern Alaska from reinforcing Caffey's unit. Caffey deduces the Soviet assault unit's goal. He uses the few U.S. Army helicopters at his disposal to move his unit to a new pumping station ahead of the Soviets. Meanwhile, in the Soviet Union, Soviet Premier Gorny (Brian Keith) has learned that the Soviet military and KGB leadership have executed this plan without his permission. He is informed of the U.S. mobilization and he orders Soviet forces to a similar posture. In Alaska, Colonel Caffey realizes that his men have an inadequate supply of ammunition, grenades and mines. Utilizing combat tactics that he learned in the Vietnam War, he sets up a defensive perimeter around the pumping station making use of surplus lengths of large-bore oil pipe to establish a position from which to ambush the enemy. The Soviet troops approach the pumping station, unaware of the American soldiers' presence until they trigger U.S. land mines buried in the snow. The Soviets suffer casualties and fall back, but continue to surround the buildings. The U.S. President and Soviet Premier secretly meet in Iceland to negotiate an end to the crisis. They are unable to reach an agreement and both return to their countries, but promise each other that talks will continue. America responds to the Soviets' continuing mobilizations, as officials recognize they are consistent with a fictional contingency plan called Красный Флаг or "Red Flag." The U.S. President orders all American ballistic missile submarines, surface warships, B-1s, and B-52s to deploy in readiness for war. He directs U.S. bombers to fly continuous paths just outside Soviet airspace. Colonel Caffey and his soldiers continue to repel the Soviet attacks on the pumping station, but his soldiers are running low on ammunition and supplies. President McKenna contacts Caffey by radio and asks him and his soldiers to hold out at all costs, hoping that the weather will break so that reinforcements can be sent to relieve them. McKenna still holds out hope for a diplomatic solution. Premier Gorny also hopes for a negotiated settlement to the crisis. However, hardline, pro-Soviet members of the Communist Party and the KGB—who remain incensed by the food shortage—suddenly launch a coup d'etat. They use a car bomb to assassinate Gorny while he is visiting the school attended by his young son, Sasha. In the meantime, the Soviet troops in Alaska launch a final assault on the pumping station. Commander Vorashin, however, has become concerned about the rapidly-growing prospect of a nuclear war, and requests a parley with Caffey. After an emotional conversation, Vorashin and Caffey agree to discontinue the fighting. However, at that moment, one of the Soviet troops—perhaps an undercover KGB asset—suddenly hurls a grenade, which kills both men. The situation collapses in bloodshed, with a sergeant of the Alaskan Scouts managing to send one final message that the last American position is being overrun. Receiving this news, President McKenna calls the Soviet leadership and discovers that Gorny is unavailable to speak with him. The Soviet leadership claims Gorny has been felled by severe intestinal flu and that their forces will withdraw to pre-crisis positions, but McKenna does not believe them and realizes that pro-war elements of the KGB are seizing control of the Soviet Union. Once the telephone conference ends, McKenna submits to the National Security Council his belief that Gorny has been killed and that total war is imminent. He is correct, for at that moment, the coup leaders decide on an all-out nuclear strike, some of them mistakenly believing that U. S. law requires the President to obtain Congressional approval before an American nuclear attack. But President McKenna has already deduced the enemy strategy. Horrified and nearly in tears, he concludes the situation is unrecoverable, and orders a full nuclear counterstrike upon the Soviet Union. Cold War themes. The film focuses on a number of Cold War themes, including brinksmanship, political loyalty and the mutual distrust of both sides as they attempt to resolve the issue diplomatically while escalating their military alert levels to force the other side to back down. Cast. The cast included Rock Hudson as the president of the United States, Brian Keith as the Soviet premier, and Cathy Lee Crosby and David Soul as American military officers as well as Jeroen Krabbé, Robert Prosky, Katherine Helmond and James Hampton. Production notes. Robert L. Joseph wrote the miniseries. Director Boris Sagal was killed in a helicopter accident in Oregon during the early stages of production. He was replaced by David Greene. According to Rock Hudson and other sources, prior to Sagal's death, the ending of the miniseries was left open-ended so that either a sequel miniseries or a full season series could be spun off if the first miniseries was a ratings success. However, it was not, and the miniseries concludes with the President releasing US nuclear forces against the Soviets, and vice-versa as the Soviets feel that the US will not abandon the grain embargo. The miniseries ends with a rather "Fail-Safe"-type photo montage of large groups of people across the globe in various international settings looking up to the skies as the sound effects of missiles and jets escalate in tone and volume, concluding with a shot of a sunset and a quick cut to black. Novelization. A novelization of the teleplay, but differing from the miniseries as aired in several key respects, was written by Harold King under the pen name Brian Harris. Its 1981 publication by Pocket Books anticipated the airing of the miniseries by several months. It is undocumented whether the changes were King's, or reflected an earlier draft of the script, but based on a comparison of text to broadcast teleplay, it seems likely that the liberties were mostly the novelist's deliberate variation.

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Genesis II (film) Genesis II is a 1973 American made-for-television science fiction film created and produced by Gene Roddenberry and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey. The film, which opens with the line, "My name is Dylan Hunt. My story begins the day on which I died", is the story of a 20th-century man thrown forward in time, to a post-apocalyptic future, by an accident in suspended animation. The film stars Alex Cord, Mariette Hartley, Ted Cassidy, Percy Rodrigues, Harvey Jason, Titos Vandis, Bill Striglos, Lynne Marta, Harry Raybould, and Majel Barrett. Plot. In 1979, NASA scientist Dylan Hunt (Alex Cord) is working on "Project Ganymede", a suspended animation system for astronauts on long-duration spaceflights. As chief of the project he volunteers for the first multi-day test. He places himself in chemically induced hibernation deep inside Carlsbad Caverns; while there, his lab is buried in an earthquake. The monitoring equipment is damaged and fails to awake him at the intended end of the test. He awakens instead in 2133, emerging into a chaotic post-apocalyptic world. An event called "the Great Conflict" (a third and final World War) destroyed the civilization of Hunt's time. Various new civilizations have emerged in a struggle for control of available resources. Those with the greatest military might and the will to use it have the greatest advantage. Hunt is accidentally found and rescued by an organization calling themselves "PAX" (the Latin word for "peace"). PAX members are the descendants of the NASA personnel who worked and lived at the Carlsbad installation in Dylan's time. They are explorers and scientists who preserve what little information and technology survived from before the conflict, and who seek to learn and acquire more in an effort to build a new civilization. Members of PAX find Hunt still sealed in the hibernation chamber. They revive him, and are thrilled to meet a survivor from before the conflict. An elaborate "subshuttle" subterranean rapid transit system was constructed during the 1970s, due to the vulnerability of air transportation to attack. The subshuttles utilized a magnetic levitation rail system, and operated inside vactrain tunnels and ran at hundreds of miles per hour. The tunnel network was comprehensive enough to cover the entire globe. The PAX organization inherited the still-working system and used it to dispatch their teams of troubleshooters. A totalitarian regime known as the Tyranians rule the area once known as Arizona and New Mexico. The Tyranians are mutants who possess greater physical prowess than non-mutated humans; they can be identified by their dual navels. Their leader discovers that Hunt has knowledge of nuclear power systems, and they offer him great rewards if he can repair their failing nuclear power generator. However, once he is in their power they attempt to force him to reactivate a nuclear missile system in their possession, with which they intend to destroy their enemies and dominate the region. Hunt is appalled by this small-scale replay of the events which must have led to the conflict. He leads a revolt of the enslaved citizenry, sabotages the nuclear device, and destroys the reactor. To Hunt's dismay, the PAX leaders assert their pacifist nature and intentions. They are attempting to rebuild an idealistic society using all which was deemed "good" from Earth's past, and they regard Hunt's interference with a rival civilization and his destructive tactics as antithetical to this end. They also see great good in him and value his knowledge of the past. They ask Hunt to join PAX permanently, but only if he can agree to never take human lives again. Hunt half-heartedly agrees. Security chief Yuloff states that the rationale of taking lives to justify the saving of lives was what allowed "the Great Conflict" to happen in the first place. Production. Screenplay. While Roddenberry and Barrett were on vacation in the Bahamas in the summer of 1972, Roddenberry decided he missed working and wrote the screenplay in six weeks. "Genesis II" was the first of three concepts that Roddenberry hoped to develop into a new science fiction television series following the success of "" (the other two were "The Questor Tapes" and "Spectre"). "Genesis II" aired on CBS on March 23, 1973; although Roddenberry had stories lined up for a 20-episode first season, CBS declined to pick it up, opting instead for the short-lived "Planet of the Apes" live-action series. The plot point about the Tyranians having a dual circulatory system with two hearts and thus identifiable because they were born with two navels was an elaborate in-joke. While producing "Star Trek", Roddenberry was constantly besieged by demands for changes from the censors at NBC's Broadcast Standards department, which he took to calling the "BS Department" due to the often petty nature of their revisions. Among the things to which the censors routinely objected was the depiction of a navel on anyone with a bare midriff, resulting in several reshoots of scenes with actors in revealing but otherwise "decent" attire whose navels showed. By making the double navel the distinguishing physical feature of the Tyranians, Roddenberry was effectively filming every navel that he had been forced to censor from "Star Trek" twice over. Episode concepts. The following are story concepts that were in development during the production of "Genesis II" that would have become individual episodes had the network approved the series. "Source:" - Lincoln Enterprises Catalog No. 6 Planet Earth. Roddenberry reworked the material into a second pilot, "Planet Earth", in which John Saxon replaced Cord in the role of Dylan Hunt. Based on network recommendations, this second pilot focused more on action and physical conflict than its predecessor. Though it aired on ABC in 1974, it was also declined. Warner Bros, which owned the rights, reworked Roddenberry's material yet again for "Strange New World", also starring Saxon, which aired in 1975. Andromeda. Robert Hewitt Wolfe used the name "Dylan Hunt" and many ideas from Roddenberry's "Genesis II" notes to create the "Andromeda" television series. Release. "Genesis II" aired on television on March 23, 1973. The film was released on DVD on November 11, 2009, by WBTV.

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Panic in Year Zero! Panic in Year Zero! (a.k.a. End of the World) is a 1962 American black-and-white survival science fiction film from American International Pictures, produced by Arnold Houghland and Lou Rusoff, directed by Ray Milland, who also stars with Jean Hagen, Frankie Avalon, Mary Mitchel, and Joan Freeman. The original music score was composed by Les Baxter. The screenplay was written by John Morton and Jay Simms. The film was released by AIP in 1962 as a double feature with "Tales of Terror". Plot. Harry Baldwin (Ray Milland), his wife Ann (Jean Hagen), their son Rick (Frankie Avalon), and daughter Karen (Mary Mitchel) leave suburban Los Angeles on a camping trip in the Sierra Nevada Mountains just after sunrise. After driving for two hours, the Baldwins notice unusually bright light flashes coming from a great distance behind them. Sporadic news reports broadcast on CONELRAD hint at the start of an atomic war, later confirmed when the Baldwins see a large mushroom cloud over what was Los Angeles. The family initially attempts to return to rescue Ann's mother back at their home, but they soon abandon the plan as panicked people climb over one another to escape the fallout from multiple nuclear explosions. Witnessing society being torn apart, Harry decides that the family must find refuge at their secluded vacation spot. The Baldwins stop to buy supplies at a small town off the main road, which has not yet been inundated by the crowd fleeing Los Angeles. When Harry attempts buy tools and guns from hardware store owner Ed Johnson (Richard Garland), who believes only Los Angeles has been hit, and assumes the government will remain intact, withholds the guns per state law since Harry can only cover them with checks. With Rick's help, Harry absconds with the weapons, but insists to Johnson that he will eventually return to pay for them in full. On the road, the family encounters three threatening young hoodlums, Carl (Richard Bakalyan), Mickey (Rex Holman), and Andy (Neil Nephew), but manage to drive them off. After a harrowing journey, the Baldwins reach their destination and find shelter in a cave, while they wait for order to be restored. On their portable radio, they listen to war news and learn that what remains of the United Nations has declared this to be "Year Zero". Harry and Rick soon discover that Ed Johnson and his wife are their neighbors, but not for long: the Johnsons are killed by the three thugs encountered earlier. While doing laundry, Ann drops a blouse in a stream, which draws the attention of the hoodlums. As Karen sits and reads a book, they accost her. Ann scares them off with a rifle and comforts her traumatized daughter. They return to the cave, where it is confirmed that Karen was raped. Upon hearing this, the Baldwin men search for the two rapists, find them at a farm house, and Harry shoots both dead in cold blood. He and Rick hear a noise and discover a teenage girl, Marilyn (Joan Freeman), kept in a locked room as a sex slave. When questioned, she tells them she lived there with her parents before both were murdered by the thugs. Freeing her, Marilyn returns with them to the cave, where Ann cares for her. Some time later, Rick is out with Marilyn chopping wood. Carl, the third hoodlum, sneaks up behind Marilyn, forcing her to drop the rifle she is holding. He questions her about what happened to his brothers. Rick tells him to back off and throws a piece of wood at him, while Marilyn breaks away, grabs the dropped rifle, and shoots Carl dead. In the midst of the struggle, Carl fires a shot, striking Rick in the leg. The family begins a journey to find a doctor Marilyn knows in nearby Paxton, California. On the drive there, they hear "the enemy" has asked for a truce and that "Year Zero" is ending. They find Doctor Strong (Willis Bouchey, billed as Willis Buchet), and he does what he can for Rick, who has lost so much blood that he now needs a blood transfusion; he must be taken to an Army hospital more than 100 miles (160 km) away or he will die. Along the way, they encounter an Army military patrol that is reestablishing order. After a tense meeting with both soldiers, they are allowed to continue. Watching them depart, the soldiers note they are among the "good ones" who escaped radiation sickness by being in the mountains when the atomic bombs exploded. As the family drives on, a closing title card states: "There must be no end – only a new beginning". Production. The film was originally known as "Survival". Samuel Z. Arkoff of AIP said Avalon and Milland were teamed together because "they both have particular types of followers and the combination adds up to an attraction". Roger Corman later said about the film, "the subject was exciting, but the technicians who worked on the film, who were my technicians, told me that Ray had been somewhat overwhelmed. He wasn’t organized enough to act and direct at the same time. He lost time on a three-week scene and forgot his scenes". Reception. Frankie Avalon later said, "The film came out to real good reviews". American International Pictures sent the star around the country to promote it. He went on to say, "We did a tour of theaters in Los Angeles, and it made its money back just in Los Angeles alone". This success led to Avalon making a number of films with AIP. Critical. Michael Atkinson, the film critic for "The Village Voice", liked the film and wrote in 2005, "This forgotten, saber-toothed 1962 AIP cheapie might be the most expressive on-the-ground nightmare of the Cold War era, providing a template not only for countless social-breakdown genre flicks (most particularly, Michael Haneke's "Time of the Wolf") but also for authentic crisis—shades of New Orleans haunt its DVD margins...the movie is nevertheless an anxious, detail-rich essay on moral collapse". Glenn Erickson writes, in his "DVD Savant" review, ""Panic In Year Zero!" scrupulously avoids any scenes requiring more than minimalist production values yet still delivers on its promise, allowing audience imagination to expand upon the narrow scope of what's actually on the screen. It sure seemed shocking in 1962, and easily trumped other more pacifistic efforts. "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" was for budding flower people; "Panic In Year Zero!" could have been made as a sales booster for the gun industry".

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Invasion, U.S.A. (1952 film) Invasion, U.S.A. (sometime stylized Invasion USA) is a 1952 American drama film based on a story by Robert Smith and Franz Spencer and directed by Alfred E. Green. The film stars Gerald Mohr, Peggie Castle and Dan O'Herlihy. "Invasion, U.S.A." is set in the Cold War and portrays the invasion of the United States by an unnamed communist enemy that is meant to be taken as the Soviet Union. Plot. In a New York City bar, the brooding, mysterious forecaster Mr. Ohman (Dan O'Herlihy) is sitting and drinking from a very large brandy glass. He gets into discussions with a cross-section of affluent Americans at the bar, including local television newscaster Vince Potter (Gerald Mohr), beautiful young New York society woman Carla Sanford (Peggie Castle), a California industrialist, a rancher from Arizona, who is congressman. International news is bad, but the Americans do not want to hear it. While they all dislike communism and appreciate the material wealth they enjoy, they also want lower taxes and fail to see the need for industrial support of government. As he swishes the brandy around his snifter, Ohman tells the others that many Americans want safety and security but do not want to make any sacrifices for it. Suddenly the news becomes worse. "The Enemy" is staging air attacks over Seal Point, Alaska and then Nome. Paratroops have landed on Alaskan airfields. Soon, the enemy's plan of attack becomes clear: civilian airfields are captured as staging areas while military airfields are A-bombed. The US fights back and attacks the enemy's homeland with Convair B-36 missions, but the enemy steadily moves into Washington State and Oregon. Shipyards in Puget Sound have nuclear striked with large casualties. Meanwhile, the Americans at the bar scramble to return to their lives to do what they can against the enemy now that it is too late. Potter and Sanford fall for each other ("War or no war, people have to eat and drink... and make love!"). He continues to broadcast while she volunteers to help run a blood drive. The industrialist and the rancher both return home to find themselves on the front lines. The former is caught in the battle for San Francisco, the latter in the destruction of Boulder Dam by a nuclear missile. The US president makes ineffectual broadcasts with inflated claims of counterattacks to rally the morale of the people. The enemy continues to advance with stealth attacks by troops dressed in American uniforms, including a paratrooper attack on the US Capitol that kills the congressman. New York is A-bombed, and Potter is soon killed during a broadcast. Sanford, confronted by an "enemy" soldier, jumps from a balcony. Suddenly, the image of her falling body appears in Ohman's brandy snifter. All five suddenly find themselves back in the bar since they have just emerged from a hypnotic state that Ohman had induced. After reassuring themselves that the recent events, including their deaths, did not really happen, they hurry off to take measures to boost military preparedness. Potter and Sanford "resume" their romance. Production. "Invasion, U.S.A." was the second film from American Pictures Corporation, who had just made their first film, "Captive Women". The company consisted of Albert Zugsmith, Peter Miller, Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen with Joseph Justman as producer. They planned to make six films a year for five years out of a fund of $3.5 million. Robert Smith wrote the script. The film had the co operation of the US Civil Defense. Harold Daniels was to direct but he was instead assigned to American Pictures Corporation's, "Port Sinister", and Alfred E. Green replaced him. Ron Randell was meant to appear in the cast but had to pull out. William Schallert replaced Clete Roberts. Gerald Mohr replaced Michael O'Shea. Filming started 26 March 1952. Zugsmith said the film was made for a cash budget of $127,000 with $60,000 deferred. He called the movie the way that he really learned filmmaking, and he got an education from Al Green and Ralph Black in particular. "The Enemy" is never named but is clearly meant to be taken as the communist Soviet Union because of its approach through Alaska, pseudo-Slavic accents, and "People's Army" proclamations. Principal photography began in early April 1952 at Motion Picture Center Studios. Much of the film's running time is taken up with inconsistent combat stock footage. On a philosophical level, "Invasion, U.S.A." is also often viewed as humorously (and unintentionally) ironic, as the lesson it communicates encourages citizens to subordinate their individual needs and desires to that of the state to combat communism. Phyllis Coates and Noel Neill, two Lois Lane actresses, and William Schallert, a B-movie stalwart, all have small parts in the film. Reception. In a contemporary review of "Invasion, U.S.A." in "Variety" stated: "This production imaginatively poses the situation of a foreign power invading the US with atom bombs. Startling aspects of the screenplay [from a story by Robert Smith and Franz Spencer] are further parlayed through effective use of war footage secured from the various armed services and the Atomic Energy Commission." The film was commercially successful and brought in net profits of almost $1 million dollars, according to Zugmsith. Later issues. "Invasion, U.S.A." was subsequently shown on television in the late 1960s but then was not widely viewed for a long time. In 1994, it was spoofed as Episode 602 on the movie-mocking television show "Mystery Science Theater 3000". In 1998, "Invasion, U.S.A." was released on VHS, then on DVD in 2002. A special edition in 2009 featured two original Civil Defense Department audio recordings on the alternate DVD audio track: "The Complacent Americans" and "If the Bomb Falls: A Recorded Guide to Survival". The 1956 reissue theatrical trailer; and interviews with stars, Dan O'Herlihy, William Schallert and Noel Neill. The original and controversial "Red Scare" short "Red Nightmare", narrated by Jack Webb, was also included in the bonus features.

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Damnation Alley (film) Damnation Alley is a 1977 post-apocalyptic film directed by Jack Smight, loosely based on the 1969 novel of the same name by Roger Zelazny. The original music score was composed by Jerry Goldsmith and the cinematography was by Harry Stradling Jr. Plot. First Lieutenant Jake Tanner (Jan-Michael Vincent) shares ICBM silo duty at an American air force missile base in the Californian desert with Major Eugene "Sam" Denton (George Peppard), who is requesting not to work with him. On their way to duty, Denton talks to Sergeant Tom Keegan (Paul Winfield), an aspiring artist. When the United States detects incoming nuclear missiles from the Soviet Union, Tanner and Denton launch part of the retaliatory strike. The United States is hit hard, although it manages to intercept 40% of the Soviet missiles. Two years later, the Earth has been tilted off its axis by the nuclear detonations of World War III; radiation has mutated giant scorpions, the planet is wracked by massive storms, and the sky is in a perpetual aurora borealis-like state. Tanner has resigned his commission and has been scouting Barstow while Keegan, who has also left the Air Force, has been painting as an artist in one of the base's out-buildings. Mutated giant scorpions menace the area. Later an airman falls asleep in a bunk and drops a lit cigarette onto a pile of "Playboy" magazines, which causes the entire base to catch fire and explode, killing most of its inhabitants including the base commander, General Lander (Murray Hamilton). Keegan and Tanner are unscathed, as are Denton and Lieutenant Tom Perry (Kip Niven), who were in an underground garage bunker. Denton has been considering going to Albany, New York to find the source of the lone radio transmission that has been aired weekly since the war. He and the remaining others set out in two Air Force "Landmasters," giant, gas guzzling, 12-wheeled armored personnel carriers capable of climbing 60-degree inclines and operating in water. They must cross "Damnation Alley," considered "the path of least resistance" between intense radiation areas thus named by Denton. Along their journey one of the Landmasters becomes disabled in a storm (which also kills Perry) and they encounter mutated "flesh stripping cockroaches" in the ruins of Salt Lake City that eat Keegan alive. Denton and Tanner also pick up two survivors: a woman in Las Vegas, Janice (Dominique Sanda), and a teenage boy, Billy (Jackie Earle Haley), discovered in an abandoned house. Later they fight off a band of crazed gun-toting mountain men they encounter in the ruins of a gas station. Denton uses a rocket launcher to destroy the gas station. As they continue their journey, the Landmaster develops a problem with its drivetrain and they head to Detroit. Denton comments that it was "designed to use spare truck parts", semi-trucks in particular. In Detroit they enter a large wrecking yard in search of the needed parts. A large storm comes upon the group and they take shelter in their vehicle just as a tsunami washes them away. After the storm passes, they are adrift in a large body of water and it appears that the Earth has returned to its normal axis as the sky is clear. Using the Landmaster's amphibious capability, they reach land. As they are making repairs, they hear a radio broadcast of music and an attempt to reach survivors. After Denton makes radio contact, Tanner and Billy set out on Tanner's dirt bike to locate the source of the broadcast. In the final scene, they reach a surprisingly intact suburb of Albany, New York and are greeted by its inhabitants. Production. Roger Zelazny's original story of "Damnation Alley" was changed considerably in the final script. Zelazny was quite pleased with the first script by Lukas Heller and expected it to be the shooting script. However, the studio had Alan Sharp write a different version that left out many of the elements of Zelazny's book. Zelazny did not realize this until he saw the film in the theater. He disliked the film, but assertions that he requested to have his name removed from the credits are completely unfounded, since he did not know there was a problem until after the film had been released. Budgeted at US $7.2 million, "Damnation Alley" was helmed by veteran director Jack Smight, who had scored two consecutive box office hits in the previous two years ("Airport 1975" and "Midway"). Filming began on June 21, 1976, east of the town of Borrego Springs, California, where a missile base set was constructed, as well as locations in Meteor Crater, Arizona, Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada, Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Mojave Desert in California. The lake scenes were filmed at Flathead Lake in Kalispell, Montana. Filming wrapped on August 13, 1976. Production was rife with problems — the devastated landscapes and giant mutated insects proved to be nearly impossible to create, despite the large budget. For example, a sequence involving giant scorpions attacking a motorcycle was first attempted using full-scale scorpion props, but they did not work and the resulting footage was unacceptable. The solution was to use actual scorpions composited onto live action footage using the blue screen process in post-production. Another action sequence with giant cockroaches used a combination of live Madagascar hissing cockroaches and large numbers of rubber bugs which looked unconvincing onscreen, as the strings pulling mats covered in fake insects were plainly visible. To complicate matters, according to director Jack Smight in his memoir, studio chief Alan Ladd, Jr. redirected about a quarter of "Damnation Alley"'s production budget as completion funds for George Lucas' lower-budgeted film, "Star Wars". Smight was not made aware of the budget reduction on "Damnation Alley" until he neared its completion, which further compromised most of the remaining special effects work, for which there was now very little money left. The original director's cut of the film delivered to the studio by Jack Smight in late-1976 ran 2 hours and 15 minutes. Even though the special effects work was not completed at that time, the studio made minor changes to the cut, and awaited the completion of the special effects work prior to releasing it. While the effects were underway, the completion funds were diverted to "Star Wars", which eliminated several important effects scenes which had not yet been created, including the Minuteman III missile launch sequences, the base explosion, and importantly, the storm and tsunami in the last act. Because these scenes were cut, Fox relied on stock footage from other films (and public domain footage of missile launches and nuclear explosions) for those particular shots. Because of this, and the last-minute decision to add "radioactive skies" in special effects, "Damnation Alley" was in post-production well past the intended release date of December, 1976 due to the difficult process of superimposing optical effects on the sky in about 300 shots (which was not planned for during filming, resulting in poor execution of the effect). This pushed the release date from December, 1976 to March, 1977, and then again to June, 1977. It was during this delay that 20th Century Fox released their "other" science fiction film for 1977, "Star Wars". The studio had planned to release only two science fiction films that year, with "Damnation Alley" intended to be the blockbuster. "Star Wars" became a hit of epic proportions, and forced Fox to further delay and re-address a struggling "Damnation Alley", which was still languishing in post-production special effects work. In a panic, the release date was delayed to December, 1977, but moved up to October when the studio realized it would go up against the release of an expected hit, Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". With the additional delay, Fox re-edited the entire film. Smight was already involved with another project during this time, so Fox took over the re-edit. The decision was made to cut down the length of the film to the bare-minimum running time of 90 minutes for a theatrical release, and large sections of the film were edited out by the studio. These cuts amounted to 44 minutes of footage, and included a major subplot of a love triangle between Tanner, Denton, and Janice. Many scenes early in the film at the missile base were excised as well - sequences which showed the breakdown of military order. Murray Hamilton was featured prominently in several scenes which were cut, as the now-despondent and alcoholic General in charge of the base (which rendered his character literally "mute" in the final film, with no lines of dialogue). Critically, a physical confrontation between Tanner and Denton after the death of Keegan by "killer cockroaches" was removed (in this scene, Tanner blames Denton for not saving his friend from death). In spite of these major edits, Fox focused more content on the "Landmaster" vehicle, and the special effects, in direct response to "Star Wars". The film underwent several name changes during this period, from the original "Damnation Alley" to "Salvation Road," and then to "Survival Run" up until shortly before the release, when it was again renamed "Damnation Alley". The film was finally released in the United States on October 21, 1977 to fleeting success when it opened, but poor critical reviews word of mouth tanked it at the box office. Landmaster. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the film was the Landmaster vehicle, which features a hinged center section, and a unique rotating 12-wheel assembly. The "Landmaster" was custom-built for the film at a cost of $350,000 in 1976 by automotive customizer Dean Jeffries. ($1.4 million in 2010 dollars) The Landmaster was sold to a private owner in 2005 and was restored to its original condition as featured in the film. The Landmaster was then on the show car circuit for several years. In 2007 it was featured at the "San Francisco Rod & Custom Show" at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California as part of a special exhibit with other notable movie and TV cars. The Landmaster should not be confused with the superficially similar, but simpler "Ark II". Sound 360. A few big-city premiere engagements of "Damnation Alley" were presented in Sound 360, a high-impact surround-sound process. Jerry Goldsmith's score made good use of the wide stereo separation afforded by Sound 360, particularly in the opening theme, with fanfares emanating from each side of the theater in turn. Reception. "Damnation Alley" opened in September 1977 in Japan, one year after it was filmed. It grossed $1,250,956 in its first 9 days from 64 theaters. After its US release, it quickly left the theaters because it did not make enough to stay in the chain theaters, duplexes or triplexes. Dismissal of the film was noted, overshadowed by prior apocalypse-themed films like "Day the World Ended" and "On the Beach". In some theaters during 1977, the film was paired with another film, Ralph Bakshi's fantasy "Wizards", which was financially successful. In the UK, "Damnation Alley" was released in January 1979 as a double bill with "Thunder and Lightning", another 20th Century Fox film from 1977. Television version. The network TV premiere on NBC television on Sunday, June 12, 1983 featured alternate and additional scenes re-inserted (notably, footage of Murray Hamilton and George Peppard, where Denton asks for permission to leave the missile base, as well as additional scenes with Dominique Sanda and Peppard, where Denton tells Janice about his wife who died in the nuclear war). The network premiere was a ratings success, finishing second in the Nielsen Ratings for the week. Home media. "Damnation Alley" was released on VHS, Betamax, and Video 2000 formats in the United Kingdom in 1983, and on VHS and Betamax in the United States in 1985. Shout! Factory released the film (on DVD and Blu-ray) on July 12, 2011 in the United States. This release features a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, and audio commentary with producer Paul Maslansky, as well as extras including featurettes detailing the challenges in making the film, and a detailed examination of the now-famous Landmaster vehicle with designer and builder Dean Jeffries. The original "Sound 360" audio mix is not featured on the DVD and Blu-ray, as the original elements were too damaged to salvage. The film was also released on DVD in the United Kingdom in 2011.

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The Day After The Day After is an American television film that first aired on November 20, 1983, on the ABC television network. More than 100 million people, in nearly 39 million households, watched the program during its initial broadcast. With a 46 rating and a 62% share of the viewing audience during its initial broadcast, it was the seventh-highest-rated non-sports show up to that time and set a record as the highest-rated television film in history—a record it still held as recently as 2009. The film postulates a fictional war between the NATO forces and the Warsaw Pact countries that rapidly escalates into a full-scale nuclear exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union. The action itself focuses on the residents of Lawrence, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, and of several family farms near nuclear missile silos. The cast includes JoBeth Williams, Steve Guttenberg, John Cullum, Jason Robards, and John Lithgow. The film was written by Edward Hume, produced by Robert Papazian, and directed by Nicholas Meyer. It was released on DVD on May 18, 2004, by MGM. Uniquely for a Western movie made during the Cold War, it was broadcast on the Soviet Union's state TV in 1987. Plot. Military tensions rise between the two Cold War powers led by the Soviet Union and the United States. Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact forces build on the border between East Germany and West Germany, and West Berlin is blockaded. A NATO attempt to break the blockade results in heavy casualties. Airman First Class Billy McCoy (William Allen Young) lives at Whiteman Air Force Base near Sedalia, Missouri. He is called to alert status at the Minuteman launch site he is stationed at in Sweetsage, Missouri, 20 miles from Kansas City. The Hendry family lives on a farm adjoining McCoy's launch site. The Dahlberg family lives on their farm twenty miles away from the Sweetsage launch site, in Harrisonville, Missouri, 40 miles from Kansas City. The Dahlbergs' eldest daughter Denise (Lori Lethin) is set to be married in days to a student at the University of Kansas, and they perform their wedding dress rehearsal. The next day, the military conflict in Europe rapidly escalates. Tactical nuclear weapons are detonated by NATO to stop a Soviet Union advance into West Germany, and each side attacks naval targets in the Persian Gulf. Dr. Russell Oakes (Jason Robards), a doctor in Kansas City, Missouri, travels to Lawrence, Kansas by car to teach a class at the University of Kansas hospital there. Pre-med University of Kansas student Stephen Klein (Steve Guttenberg), receives a physical at the hospital, hears the news from Europe, and decides to hitchhike toward home in Joplin, Missouri. As the threat of large-scale nuclear attack grows, hoarding begins, and so does evacuation of major cities in both the Soviet Union and United States. Frequent Emergency Broadcast System warnings are sent over television and radio, and Kansas City begins to empty, outbound freeways clogged. Dr. Oakes is among the many stuck in the traffic jam as he drives toward Lawrence, but, after hearing an EBS alert and realizing the danger to Kansas City and his family living there, decides to turn around and head home. Minutes apart, the United States launches its Minuteman missiles, and United States military personnel aboard the EC-135 Looking Glass aircraft track inbound Soviet nuclear missiles. The film deliberately leaves unclear who fired theirs first. Billy McCoy flees the site he was stationed at now that its Minuteman missile has been launched, intending to locate his wife and child. As air raid sirens go off, widespread panic grips Kansas City as most people frantically seek fallout shelters and other protection from the imminent Soviet nuclear attack. High-yield nuclear weapons detonate over numerous locations, including downtown Kansas City, Sedalia, and Sweetsage. The explosions cause electromagnetic pulses, disabling vehicles and destroying the electrical grid, moments before heat and blast waves destroy and vaporize everything nearby. The Hendry family, having initially ignored the crisis, is killed when they try to flee. McCoy takes refuge in a truck trailer, and Klein, who had hitchhiked as far as Harrisonville, finds the Dahlberg home and begs for protection in the family's basement. Dr. Oakes, who witnessed the nuclear explosion over Kansas City, walks to the hospital in Lawrence and begins treating patients. Nuclear fallout and its deadly effects are felt everywhere in the region. McCoy and Oakes, both outside immediately after the explosions, have been exposed without their knowledge to lethal doses of radiation. Denise Dahlberg, frantic after days in the family's basement shelter, runs outside, and Klein, who vows to her father that he'll bring her back, does so, but not before both have been exposed to very high doses of radiation. McCoy learns in his travels that Sedalia and many other cities have been obliterated. Food and water are in very short supply, and looting and other criminal activity leads to the imposition of martial law. Klein takes Denise and her brother Danny, who was blinded by one of the nuclear explosions, to the hospital in Lawrence for treatment. McCoy also travels there, where he dies of radiation poisoning. Denise and Danny Dahlberg, and Klein, finally leave for Harrisonville and the Dahlberg farm, when it becomes clear to them they can't be treated medically for their injuries. Jim Dahlberg, returning home from a municipal meeting about agricultural techniques that may work to grow food in the new circumstances, finds squatters on the farm. He explains that it is his land, and asks them to leave, at which point one of the squatters shoots and kills him without any sign of remorse. Dr. Oakes, at last aware he has sustained lethal exposure to radiation, returns to Kansas City on foot to see the site of his home before he dies. He finds squatters there, attempts to drive them off, and is instead offered food. Oakes collapses, weeps, and one of the squatters comforts him. The film ends as Lawrence science faculty head Joe Huxley repeatedly tries to contact other survivors with a shortwave radio. There is no response. Production. "The Day After" was the idea of ABC Motion Picture Division president Brandon Stoddard, who, after watching "The China Syndrome", was so impressed that he envisioned creating a film exploring the effects of nuclear war on the United States. Stoddard asked his executive vice president of television movies and miniseries Stu Samuels to develop a script. Samuels created the title "The Day After" to emphasize that the story was not about a nuclear war itself, but the aftermath. Samuels suggested several writers and eventually Stoddard commissioned veteran television writer Edward Hume to write the script in 1981. ABC, which financed the production, was concerned about the graphic nature of the film and how to appropriately portray the subject on a family-oriented television channel. Hume undertook a massive amount of research on nuclear war and went through several drafts until finally ABC deemed the plot and characters acceptable. Originally, the film was based more around and in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City was not bombed in the original script, although Whiteman Air Force Base was, making Kansas City suffer shock waves and the horde of survivors staggering into town. There was no Lawrence, Kansas, in the story, although there was a small Kansas town called "Hampton". While Hume was writing the script, he and producer Robert Papazian, who had great experience in on-location shooting, took several trips to Kansas City to scout locations and met with officials from the Kansas film commission and from the Kansas tourist offices to search for a suitable location for "Hampton." It came down to a choice of either Warrensburg, Missouri, and Lawrence, Kansas, both college towns—Warrensburg was home of Central Missouri State University and was near Whiteman Air Force Base and Lawrence was home of the University of Kansas and was near Kansas City. Hume and Papazian ended up selecting Lawrence, due to the access to a number of good locations: a university, a hospital, football and basketball venues, farms, and a flat countryside. Lawrence was also agreed upon as being the "geographic center" of the United States. The Lawrence people were urging ABC to change the name "Hampton" to "Lawrence" in the script. Back in Los Angeles, the idea of making a TV movie showing the true effects of nuclear war on average American citizens was still stirring up controversy. ABC, Hume, and Papazian realized that for the scene depicting the nuclear blast, they would have to use state-of-the-art special effects and they took the first step by hiring some of the best special effects people in the business to draw up some storyboards for the complicated blast scene. Then, ABC hired Robert Butler to direct the project. For several months, this group worked on drawing up storyboards and revising the script again and again; then, in early 1982, Butler was forced to leave "The Day After" because of other contractual commitments. ABC then offered the project to two other directors, who both turned it down. Finally, in May, ABC hired feature film director Nicholas Meyer, who had just completed the blockbuster "". Meyer was apprehensive at first and doubted ABC would get away with making a television film on nuclear war without the censors diminishing its effect. However, after reading the script, Meyer agreed to direct "The Day After." Meyer wanted to make sure he would film the script he was offered. He did not want the censors to censor the film, nor the film to be a regular Hollywood disaster movie from the start. Meyer figured the more "The Day After" resembled such a film, the less effective it would be, and preferred to present the facts of nuclear war to viewers. He made it clear to ABC that no big TV or film stars should be in "The Day After." ABC agreed, although they wanted to have one star to help attract European audiences to the film when it would be shown theatrically there. Later, while flying to visit his parents in New York City, Meyer happened to be on the same plane with Jason Robards and asked him to join the cast. Meyer plunged into several months of nuclear research, which made him quite pessimistic about the future, to point of becoming ill each evening when he came home from work. Meyer and Papazian also made trips to the ABC censors, and to the United States Department of Defense during their research phase, and experienced conflicts with both. Meyer had many heated arguments over elements in the script, that the network censors wanted cut out of the film. The Department of Defense said they would cooperate with ABC if the script made clear that the Soviet Union launched their missiles first—something Meyer and Papazian took pains not to do. In any case, Meyer, Papazian, Hume, and several casting directors spent most of July 1982 taking numerous trips to Kansas City. In between casting in Los Angeles, where they relied mostly on unknowns, they would fly to the Kansas City area to interview local actors and scenery. They were hoping to find some real Midwesterners for smaller roles. Hollywood casting directors strolled through shopping malls in Kansas City, looking for local people to fill small and supporting roles, while the daily newspaper in Lawrence ran an advertisement calling for local residents of all ages to sign up for jobs as a large number of extras in the film and a professor of theater and film at the University of Kansas was hired to head up the local casting of the movie. Out of the eighty or so speaking parts, only fifteen were cast in Los Angeles. The remaining roles were filled in Kansas City and Lawrence. While in Kansas City, Meyer and Papazian toured the Federal Emergency Management Agency offices in Kansas City. When asked what their plans for surviving nuclear war were, a FEMA official replied that they were experimenting with putting evacuation instructions in telephone books in New England. "In about six years, everyone should have them." This meeting led Meyer to later refer to FEMA as "a complete joke." It was during this time that the decision was made to change "Hampton" in the script to "Lawrence." Meyer and Hume figured since Lawrence was a real town, that it would be more believable and besides, Lawrence was a perfect choice to play a representative of Middle America. The town boasted a "socio-cultural mix," sat near the exact geographic center of the continental U.S., and Hume and Meyer's research told them that Lawrence was a prime missile target, because 150 Minuteman missile silos stood nearby. Lawrence had some great locations, and the people there were more supportive of the project. Suddenly, less emphasis was put on Kansas City, the decision was made to have the city completely annihilated in the script, and Lawrence was made the primary location in the film. Editing. ABC originally planned to air "The Day After" as a four-hour "television event", spread over two nights with total running time of 180 minutes without commercials. Director Nicholas Meyer felt the original script was padded, and suggested cutting out an hour of material to present the whole film in one night. The network stuck with their two night broadcast plan, and Meyer filmed the entire three-hour script, as evidenced by a 172-minute work-print that has surfaced. Subsequently, the network found that it was difficult to find advertisers, considering the subject matter. ABC relented, and told Meyer he could edit the film for a one-night broadcast version. Meyer's original single-night cut ran two hours and twenty minutes, which he presented to the network. After this screening, many executives were deeply moved and some even cried, leading Meyer to believe they approved of his cut. Nevertheless, a further six-month struggle ensued over the final shape of the film. Network censors had opinions about the inclusion of specific scenes, and ABC itself, eventually intent on "trimming the film to the bone", made demands to cut out many scenes Meyer strongly lobbied to keep. Finally Meyer and his editor Bill Dornisch balked. Dornisch was fired, and Meyer walked away from the project. ABC brought in other editors, but the network ultimately was not happy with the results they produced. They finally brought Meyer back and reached a compromise, with Meyer paring down "The Day After" to a final running time of 120 minutes. Broadcast. "The Day After" was initially scheduled to premiere on ABC in May 1983, but the post-production work to reduce the film's length pushed back its initial airdate to November. Censors forced ABC to cut an entire scene of a child having a nightmare about nuclear holocaust and then sitting up, screaming. A psychiatrist told ABC that this would disturb children. "This strikes me as ludicrous," Meyer wrote in "TV Guide" at the time, "not only in relation to the rest of the film, but also when contrasted with the huge doses of violence to be found on any average evening of TV viewing." In any case, they made a few more cuts, including to a scene where Denise possesses a diaphragm. Another scene, where a hospital patient abruptly sits up screaming, was excised from the original television broadcast but restored for home video releases. Meyer persuaded ABC to dedicate the film to the citizens of Lawrence, and also to put a disclaimer at the end of the film, following the credits, letting the viewer know that "The Day After" downplayed the true effects of nuclear war so they would be able to have a story. The disclaimer also included a list of books that provide more information on the subject. "The Day After" received a large promotional campaign prior to its broadcast. Commercials aired several months in advance, ABC distributed half a million "viewer's guides" that discussed the dangers of nuclear war and prepared the viewer for the graphic scenes of mushroom clouds and radiation burn victims. Discussion groups were also formed nationwide. Music. Composer David Raksin wrote original music and adapted music from "The River" (a documentary film score by concert composer Virgil Thomson), featuring an adaptation of the hymn "How Firm a Foundation". Although he recorded just under 30 minutes of music, much of it was edited out of the final cut. Music from the "First Strike" footage, conversely, was not edited out. Deleted and alternative scenes. Due to the film's being shortened from the original three hours (running time) to two, several planned special-effects scenes were scrapped, although storyboards were made in anticipation of a possible "expanded" version. They included a "bird's eye" view of Kansas City at the moment of two nuclear detonations as seen from a Boeing 737 airliner on approach to the city's airport, as well as simulated newsreel footage of U.S. troops in West Germany taking up positions in preparation of advancing Soviet armored units, and the tactical nuclear exchange in Germany between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, which follows after the attacking Warsaw Pact force breaks through and overwhelms the NATO lines. ABC censors severely toned down scenes to reduce the body count or severe burn victims. Meyer refused to remove key scenes but reportedly some eight and a half minutes of excised footage still exist, significantly more graphic. Some footage was reinstated for the film's release on home video. Additionally, the nuclear attack scene was longer and supposed to feature very graphic and very accurate shots of what happens to a human body during a nuclear blast. Examples included people being set on fire, their flesh carbonizing, being burned to the bone, eyes melting, faceless heads, skin hanging, deaths from flying glass and debris, limbs torn off, being crushed, blown from buildings by the shockwave, and people in fallout shelters suffocating during the firestorm. Also cut were images of radiation sickness, as well as graphic post-attack violence from survivors such as food riots, looting, and general lawlessness as authorities attempted to restore order. One cut scene shows surviving students battling over food. The two sides were to be athletes versus the science students under the guidance of Professor Huxley. Another brief scene later cut related to a firing squad, where two U.S. soldiers are blindfolded and executed. In this scene, an officer reads the charges, verdict and sentence, as a bandaged chaplain reads the Last Rites. A similar sequence occurs in a 1965 UK-produced faux documentary, "The War Game". In the initial 1983 broadcast of "The Day After", when the U.S. president addresses the nation, the voice was an imitation of then-President Ronald Reagan (who later stated that he watched the film and was deeply moved). In subsequent broadcasts, that voice was overdubbed by a stock actor. Home video releases in the U.S. and internationally come in at various running times, many listed at 126 or 127 minutes; full screen (4:3 aspect ratio) seems to be more common than widescreen. RCA videodiscs of the early 1980s were limited to 2 hours per disc, so that full screen release appears to be closest to what originally aired on ABC in the US. A 2001 U.S. VHS version (Anchor Bay Entertainment, Troy, Michigan) lists a running time of 122 minutes. A 1995 double laser disc "director's cut" version (Image Entertainment) runs 127 minutes, includes commentary by director Nicholas Meyer and is "presented in its 1.75:1 European theatrical aspect ratio" (according to the LD jacket). Two different German DVD releases run 122 and 115 minutes; edits reportedly downplay the Soviet Union's role. A two disc Blu-ray special edition was released in 2018 by video specialty label Kino Lorber, presenting the film in high definition. The release contains both the 122-minute television cut, presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio as broadcast, as well as the 127-minute theatrical cut presented in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Reception. On its original broadcast (Sunday, November 20, 1983), John Cullum warned viewers before the film was premiered that the film contains graphic and disturbing scenes, and encouraged parents who have young children watching, to watch together and discuss the issues of nuclear warfare. ABC and local TV affiliates opened 1-800 hotlines with counselors standing by. There were no commercial breaks after the nuclear attack. ABC then aired a live debate on "Viewpoint", ABC's occasional discussion program hosted by "Nightline"s Ted Koppel, featuring scientist Carl Sagan, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Elie Wiesel, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, General Brent Scowcroft and commentator William F. Buckley Jr.. Sagan argued against nuclear proliferation, while Buckley promoted the concept of nuclear deterrence. Sagan described the arms race in the following terms: "Imagine a room awash in gasoline, and there are two implacable enemies in that room. One of them has nine thousand matches, the other seven thousand matches. Each of them is concerned about who's ahead, who's stronger." The film and its subject matter were prominently featured in the news media both before and after the broadcast, including on such covers as" TIME", "Newsweek", "U.S. News & World Report," and "TV Guide." Critics tended to claim the film was either sensationalizing nuclear war or that it was too tame. The special effects and realistic portrayal of nuclear war received praise. The film received 12 Emmy nominations and won two Emmy awards. It was rated "way above average" in "Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide", until all reviews for movies exclusive to TV were removed from the publication. In the United States, 38.5 million households, or an estimated 100 million people, watched "The Day After" on its first broadcast, a record audience for a made-for-TV movie. Producers Sales Organization released the film theatrically around the world, in the Eastern Bloc, China, North Korea and Cuba (this international version contained six minutes of footage not in the telecast edition). Since commercials are not sold in these markets, Producers Sales Organization failed to gain revenue to the tune of an undisclosed sum. Years later this international version was released to tape by Embassy Home Entertainment. Commentator Ben Stein, critical of the movie's message (i.e. that the strategy of Mutual Assured Destruction would lead to a war), wrote in the Los Angeles "Herald-Examiner" what life might be like in an America under Soviet occupation. Stein's idea was eventually dramatized in the miniseries "Amerika", also broadcast by ABC. The "New York Post" accused Meyer of being a traitor, writing, "Why is Nicholas Meyer doing Yuri Andropov's work for him?" Much press comment focused on the unanswered question in the film of who started the war. Richard Grenier in the "National Review" accused "The Day After" of promoting "unpatriotic" and pro-Soviet attitudes. Television critic Matt Zoller Seitz in his 2016 book co-written with Alan Sepinwall titled "" named "The Day After" as the 4th greatest American TV-movie of all time, writing: "Very possibly the bleakest TV-movie ever broadcast, "The Day After" is an explicitly antiwar statement dedicated entirely to showing audiences what would happen if nuclear weapons were used on civilian populations in the United States." Effects on policymakers. U.S. President Ronald Reagan watched the film more than a month before its screening, on Columbus Day, October 10, 1983. He wrote in his diary that the film was "very effective and left me greatly depressed," and that it changed his mind on the prevailing policy on a "nuclear war". The film was also screened for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A government advisor who attended the screening, a friend of Meyer's, told him "If you wanted to draw blood, you did it. Those guys sat there like they were turned to stone." In 1987 Ronald Regan and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which resulted in the banning and reducing of their nuclear arsenal. In Reagan's memoirs, he drew a direct line from the film to the signing. Reagan supposedly later sent Meyer a telegram after the summit, saying, "Don't think your movie didn't have any part of this, because it did." However, during an interview in 2010, Meyer said that this telegram was a myth, and that the sentiment stemmed from a friend's letter to Meyer; he suggested the story had origins in editing notes received from the White House during the production, which "...may have been a joke, but it wouldn't surprise me, him being an old Hollywood guy." The film also had impact outside the U.S. In 1987, during the era of Mikhail Gorbachev's "glasnost" and "perestroika" reforms, the film was shown on Soviet television. Four years earlier, Georgia Rep. Elliott Levitas and 91 co-sponsors introduced a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives "[expressing] the sense of the Congress that the American Broadcasting Company, the Department of State, and the U.S. Information Agency should work to have the television movie "The Day After" aired to the Soviet public." Accolades. "The Day After" won two Emmy Awards and received 10 other Emmy nominations. Emmy Awards won: Emmy Award nominations:

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The Day the Earth Caught Fire The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. It was directed by Val Guest and released in 1961, and is one of the classic apocalyptic films of its era. The film opened at the Odeon Marble Arch in London on 23 November 1961. The film, which was partly made on location in London and Brighton, used matte painting to create images of abandoned cities and desolate landscapes. The production also featured the real "Daily Express", even using the paper's own headquarters, the Daily Express Building in Fleet Street, London, and featuring Arthur Christiansen as the "Express" editor, a job he had held in real life. Plot. A lone man walks through the sweltering streets of a deserted London. The film then goes back several months. Peter Stenning (Judd) had been an up-and-coming journalist with the "Daily Express", but since a divorce threw his life into disarray, he has been drinking too much (one of his lines is "Alcoholics of the press, unite!") and his work has suffered. His editor (Christiansen) has begun giving him lousy assignments. Stenning's only friend, Bill Maguire (McKern), is a veteran Fleet Street reporter who offers him encouragement and occasionally covers for him by writing his copy. Meanwhile, after the Soviet Union and the United States accidentally detonate simultaneous nuclear bomb tests, strange meteorological events begin to affect the globe. Stenning is sent to the British Met Office to obtain temperature data, and while there he meets Jeanie (Munro), a young typist who is temporarily acting as telephonist. They "meet cute", trading insults; later, they fall in love. Stenning then discovers that the weapons tests have had a massive effect on Earth. He asks Jeannie to help him get any relevant information. It becomes apparent that Earth's nutation has been altered by 11 degrees, affecting the climatic zones and changing the pole and the equator. The increasing heat has caused water to evaporate and mists to cover Britain, and a solar eclipse occurs days ahead of schedule. Later, characters realise that the orbit of the Earth has been disrupted and the planet is spiralling in towards the Sun. The government imposes a state of emergency and starts rationing water and supplies. People start evacuating the cities. Scientists conclude that the only way to bring Earth back into a safe orbit is to detonate a series of nuclear bombs in western Siberia. Stenning, Maguire, and Jeanie gather at a bar to listen to the radio broadcast of the event. The bombs are detonated, and the shock wave causes dust to fall from the bar's ceiling. At the newspaper print room, two versions of the front page have been prepared: one reads "World Saved", the other "World Doomed". The film ends without revealing which one will be published. Cast. Arthur Christiansen, a former editor of the "Daily Express", played himself as the editor of the newspaper. Three years before "Zulu", a then-unknown Michael Caine played an uncredited police officer diverting traffic. Production. Val Guest said there was a lack of enthusiasm to make the film and he only managed to persuade British Lion to finance it by putting up his profits from "Expresso Bongo" as collateral. All the finance was British. The film was made in black and white but in some original prints, the opening and closing sequences are tinted orange-yellow to suggest the heat of the sun. It was shot with 35 mm anamorphic lenses using the French Dyaliscope process. Critic Doug Cummings said, about the look of the film, "Guest also manages some visual flair. The film was shot in anamorphic widescreen, and the extended frame is always perfectly balanced with groups of people, city vistas, or detailed settings, whether bustling newsrooms, congested streets, or humid apartments. Although the film's special effects aren't particularly noteworthy, matte paintings and the incorporation of real London locations work to good atmospheric advantage (heavy rains buffet the windows; thick, unexpected fog wafts through the city; a raging hurricane crashes into the British coast). Guest also cleverly incorporates stock footage to depict floods and meteorological disasters worldwide. The visual style of the film is straightforward and classical, but each scene is rendered with a great degree of realism and sense of place." Reviewer Paul A. Green wrote, "Guest and his editor Bill Lenny worked with archive footage. There's a quick shot of a fire-engine from "The Quatermass Experiment" - but otherwise you can't see the joins." In his commentary track for the 2001 Anchor Bay DVD release, director Val Guest stated that the sound of church bells heard at the very end of the American version had been added by distributor Universal, in order to suggest that the emergency detonation had succeeded and that the Earth had been saved. Guest speculated that the bells motif had been inspired by the film "The War of the Worlds" (1953), which ends with the joyous ringing of church bells after the emergency (and a nuclear explosion). But Guest maintained that his intention was to always have an ambiguous ending. In August 2014 a restored version was screened at the British Museum's summer open air cinema. Certification. The film was rated "X" (minimum age 16 admitted) by the British Board of Film Censors on its initial release. A 2001 DVD release from Network Releasing was given a BBFC DVD/Blu-ray certificate of "15" (years and over). On the 2014 BFI release, the rating was reduced to "12". Locations. The film was shot in London and South East England. Principal photography included Fleet Street (the Daily Express building), Battersea Park, the HM Treasury Building in Westminster and on Palace Pier, Brighton. Themes. Essayist Paul A. Green discusses many of the themes in the film in his review: Reception. Box Office. The film made a profit of £22,500. Critical response. The film holds an 86% "Certified Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes. Critic Doug Cummings called it "an unusually literate and thematically nuanced genre film," adding, "The disaster genre is not generally known for its insights into characters or its clever dialogue, but "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" is an admirable exception. Its attention to the inner and outer lives of its protagonists makes its physical doom an externalized metaphor for Stenning's personal life, off-kilter and spinning out of control, both fates equally weighted between hope and despair." Reviewer Dennis Schwartz wrote, "An intelligent low-budget sci-fi doomsday pic that gives us an authentic Fleet Street look at an old-fashioned newspaper office back in the day and a suspenseful scenario of the world tinkering on destruction as seen through the eyes of the newspaper. Val Guest ... efficiently directs by making good use of the atmospheric effects such as the extreme heat and mist on Londoners, which gives this fascinating story an eerie feel. Guest and Wolf Mankowitz write a taut screenplay, with an observant look at the London scene." Paul Green, cited above, wrote in a 2005 commentary, "London is on the cusp of the sixties, where protest and youth cultures are breaking through, but social and sexual mores are still semi-formalised and girls work in typing pools... In a contemporary context of global warming, asymmetric warfare, nuclear proliferation and dwindling resources, the film's underlying optimism seems touching." Awards. Val Guest and Wolf Mankowitz received the 1962 BAFTA for Best Film Screenplay for "The Day the Earth Caught Fire".

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On the Beach (1959 film) On the Beach is a 1959 American post-apocalyptic science fiction drama film from United Artists, produced and directed by Stanley Kramer, that stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, and Anthony Perkins. This black-and-white film is based on Nevil Shute's 1957 novel of the same name depicting the aftermath of a nuclear war. Unlike in the novel, no one is assigned blame for starting the war; the film hints that global annihilation may have arisen from an accident or misjudgment. Plot. In 1964, World War III has devastated the Northern Hemisphere, killing all humans due to nuclear fallout. The only areas still habitable are in the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere, but air currents are slowly carrying the fallout south. Australian survivors detect an incomprehensible Morse code signal coming from the West Coast of the United States. The American nuclear submarine USS "Sawfish", now under Royal Australian Navy command, is ordered to sail north and locate the source of the signal. The submarine is commanded by Capt Dwight Towers, who leaves behind a new friend, Moira Davidson. A scientific theory postulates that the radiation levels near the Arctic Ocean are lower than those at the mid-Northern Hemisphere, possibly indicating the radiation could disperse before reaching the Southern Hemisphere. Arriving at Point Barrow, Alaska, the submarine discovers that radiation levels are, in fact, intensifying. "Sawfish" arrives in the San Francisco Bay area; the crew find a city devoid of any signs of life. Ralph Swain, a crewman who had family in San Francisco, deserts the submarine and swims ashore. Scientist Julian Osborn informs Capt Towers that Swain's contact with the radioactive environment will quickly make it impossible for him to return without killing everyone aboard. The next morning, through the periscope, Capt Towers observes Swain fishing in the bay. He apologizes for deserting, explaining that he preferred to die in his hometown. Towers understands, bids him farewell, and departs for San Diego. Near San Diego, communications officer Lt. Sunderstrom goes ashore wearing radiation and oxygen gear to search out the source of the signals. He has just one hour and is alerted by a "Sawfish" horn blast every 15 minutes and must return immediately upon hearing the third horn blast. At a power station that is still running on automatic control, he finds the telegraph and discovers a tilted Coca-Cola bottle hanging by its neck from an open window shade's pull cord; random ocean breezes bump the bottle against the live telegraph key, sending out random signals. Sunderstrom uses real Morse code to send a message, describing the bleak situation. Before returning to "Sawfish", Sunderstrom shuts down the power station's generators. The "Sawfish" and its crew return to Australia to enjoy what pleasures remain. While reuniting with Moira at her father's farm, Towers hears that all US Navy personnel stationed at their base in Brisbane have died. Towers is promoted to Admiral of the remaining US Navy personnel in Australia. Osborn wins the Australian Grand Prix in which many racers, with nothing left to lose, die in various crashes. With the fishing season starting sooner than normal, Towers and Moira begin a fishing trip. At a country stream, drunken revelers surround them. From their resort room, they can hear more boozy fishermen singing a version of "Waltzing Matilda". Towers and Moira share a romantic interlude, while outside a gathering storm howls. The fishermen sing a beautiful a capella rendition of the song's foreboding final verse. Returning to Melbourne, Towers learns one of his crew has developed radiation sickness; the deadly radiation has arrived. Osborn closes himself in a sealed garage with his championship racing car, electing to die from carbon monoxide poisoning as he revs the engine. Others line up to receive suicide pills issued by the Australian government. Towers wants to stay with Moira, but many of his remaining crew want to head for home to die in the US; he chooses his duty over his love for Moira and joins his crew as they attempt to make it back to a radioactive America. Moira watches the "Sawfish" leave Australia and submerge for the final voyage home. Within a few days, the last pockets of humanity are dead. The empty, windblown streets of Melbourne are punctuated by the rise of dramatic, strident music over a single powerful image of a previously seen Salvation Army street banner: "There is still time .. Brother". Production. As in the novel, much of "On the Beach" takes place in Melbourne, close to the southernmost part of the Australian mainland. Principal photography took place from mid-January to March 27, 1959 in Australia. Beach scenes were filmed at the foreshore of Cowes on Phillip Island. The film was shot in part in Berwick, then a suburb outside Melbourne and part in Frankston, also a Melbourne suburb. The well-known scene where Peck meets Gardner, who arrives from Melbourne by rail, was filmed on platform #1 of Frankston railway station, now rebuilt, and a subsequent scene where Peck and Gardner are transported off by horse and buggy, was filmed in Young Street, Frankston. Some streets which were being built at the time in Berwick were named after people involved in the film. Two examples are Shute Avenue (Nevil Shute) and Kramer Drive (Stanley Kramer). The "Australian Grand Prix" in the novel had the racing sequences filmed at Riverside Raceway in California and at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, home to the present-day Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, conveniently located near Cowes at Phillip Island. These scenes include an array of late-1950s sports cars, including examples of the Jaguar XK150 and Jaguar D-Type, Porsche 356, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing", AC Ace, Chevrolet Corvette and prominent in sequences was the "Chuck Porter Special", a customized Mercedes 300SL. Built by Hollywood body shop owner Chuck Porter and driven by a list of notable 1950s to 1960s west-coast racers, including Ken Miles and Chuck Stevenson, who purchased and successfully raced it in the early 1960s. The U.S. Department of Defense refused to cooperate in the production of the film, not allowing access to its nuclear-powered submarines. Additional resources were supplied by the Royal Australian Navy, including the use of the aircraft carrier, HMAS "Melbourne". It has often been claimed that Ava Gardner described Melbourne as "the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world." However, the purported quote was actually invented by journalist Neil Jillett, who was writing for "The Sydney Morning Herald" at the time. His original draft of a tongue-in-cheek piece about the making of the film said that he had not been able to confirm a third-party report that Ava Gardner had made this remark. The newspaper's sub-editor changed it to read as a direct quotation from Gardner. It was published in that form and entered Melbourne folklore very quickly. Frank Chacksfield's orchestral performance of the love theme from "On the Beach" was released as a single in 1960, reaching #47 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. Differences between the novel and film. Nevil Shute was displeased with the final cut of the film, feeling that too many changes had been made at the expense of the story's integrity. After initial collaboration with Kramer, it was obvious that Shute's concerns were not being addressed; subsequently, he provided minimal assistance to the production. Gregory Peck agreed with Shute but, in the end, producer/director Stanley Kramer's ideas won out. Shute felt that Captain Towers and Moira having a love affair ruined a central element of the novel, that is, Towers' fidelity to his long-dead American wife. In the novel it has been two years since the last nuclear attacks, and small pockets of human survivors are mentioned in several areas of the Southern Hemisphere. Australia is in radio contact with places such as Montevideo, on the east coast of South America, and Cape Town, on the southern tip of Africa. Commander Towers is in communication with the only other remaining active-duty US Navy vessel, another nuclear submarine, USS "Swordfish", on duty in the Atlantic, which, at the end, is based in Montevideo. Melbourne, where much of the novel is set, is the southernmost major city in the world. It will be the last such to die, but people in New Zealand, Tierra del Fuego and other, more southerly points than Australia, are said to have a few additional weeks left to them. In the film an unidentified radio newscaster says that, as far as is known, Australia is home to the last human life on the planet. This to possibly to build hope that the San Francisco expedition will result in the discovery of other survivors, adding a sense of urgency and importance to Melbourne's survivors. In the novel there is no USS "Swordfish", only the submarine USS "Scorpion". For the film, "Scorpion" is renamed "Sawfish", and the sub comes to represent the last (known) hope for humanity. The film's production crew was forced to use a non-nuclear, diesel-electric Royal Navy submarine, HMS "Andrew", as a stand-in for the nuclear-powered "Sawfish". Several major and minor characters were altered, removed, or created specifically for the film adaptation. The novel's Moira Davidson, a slender, petite pale blonde in her mid-twenties, was portrayed by the tall, curvaceous, 36-year-old brunette Ava Gardner. Nuclear scientist John Osborne, a 20-something bachelor in the novel, is portrayed in the film by 60-year-old Fred Astaire and is named Julian Osborn. Moira and John are cousins in the novel, while Moira and Julian are former lovers in the film. Admiral Bridie and his secretary, Lieutenant Hosgood, are film characters not in the novel. In the film random Morse code radio signals coming from San Diego give rise to hope that there are survivors on the U.S. west coast. In the novel the signals are coming from a naval training base farther north, near Seattle. The idea of a survivor sending random signals is forthrightly dismissed in the novel as ridiculous. Towers says that even someone who didn't know Morse code would sit there with a Morse book and send at about five words per minute. The film's characters, however, hold out hope that there could be a person on the other end of the telegraph (this is possibly used as a plot device to build suspense and hope). The main reason in the novel for the expedition is to learn if there are indeed survivors. Rather than a telegraph operator, the characters hold out hope that, without the intercession of technicians and maintenance workers, the possibility of telegraph power being supplied after all that time would be remote at best. It turns out that, as in the film, the power station has been running on its own since the war, but it is beginning to break down from lack of maintenance, particularly the lubrication needed to prevent overheating. Just as in the film, the power station is shut down before the submarine sails for home. During Lt. Sunderstrom's search in the film for the signals' author, he is given just one hour, while in the novel, he is given two hours to find the source. Just like the novel, Sunderstrom's radiation suit doesn't have a wrist watch to help him keep track of his time ashore, so the submarine crew alerts him with horn blasts every quarter of an hour. In the film, a single horn blast was given every fifteen minutes, and Sunderstrom is ordered to return immediately after hearing the third blast. In the novel, the submarine crew gives one horn blast for a quarter of an hour, two for half an hour, three for three quarters, and four for a whole hour. He's ordered to stop what he's doing at five horn blasts (1 1/4 hours) and return at six horn blasts (1 1/2 hours). In the novel, Sunderstrom finds several bodies during his search, while in the film, there are no dead bodies at the power station. While Sunderstrom finds the source of the signals, he discovers in the novel that it's a window shade cord caught on a telegraph key. In the film he finds it's an overturned Coke bottle snagged in a window shade cord above the telegraph key. Ocean breezes, in both cases, are blowing through an open window making the window shade disturb the telegraph key. Sunderstrom sends a proper Morse message to describe how they have traveled all that way for nothing. In both the novel and the film, while Sunderstrom receives his return orders, the captain also warns him not to bring any souvenirs aboard, as they could be contaminated with radioactivity. In the novel, after Sunderstrom shuts off the power station, he explores a bit and defies his orders by bringing aboard three of the last printed issues of the "Saturday Evening Post", so he catches up on a serial that was running when the war started. In the film, after Sunderstrom sends his message, he follows Tower's orders to not bring aboard any souvenirs and is already en route to "Sawfish" when he hears the final horn blast. In the film San Francisco's buildings are completely undamaged, with one memorable shot occurring when "Sawfish" first passes under the intact Golden Gate Bridge. In the novel the city has been largely destroyed and the bridge has fallen into the bay. In the novel the northernmost point of the submarine's journey is the Gulf of Alaska, while the film uses Point Barrow. Towers and Moira attend the Australian Grand Prix in the film. In the novel, they are vacationing in the mountains on the day of the race, and they hear a radio report of John Osborne's first-place finish. The novel ends with a dying Moira sitting in her car, having taken her suicide pills, while watching "Scorpion" head out to sea to be scuttled. Unlike the novel, no mention of scuttling the submarine is made in the film. Instead, Commander Towers's crew asks that he attempt to take them back to the U.S., where they can die on their home soil. Although he realizes that they probably will not survive a second passage north, he does as they request. In the film Ava Gardner is merely watching the submarine submerge and disappear beneath the sea and is not shown taking her suicide pills. Release and reception. "On the Beach" premiered simultaneously in 18 theaters on all seven continents on December 17, 1959. The Hollywood premiere was attended by the film's stars, Fred Astaire and Anthony Perkins, director Stanley Kramer, in addition to other celebrities, including Cary Grant. The New York premiere was attended by Mayor Robert F. Wagner Jr.. The London premiere was attended by Soviet Ambassador to the United Kingdom Yakov Malik. Star Ava Gardner attended the Rome premiere. The Tokyo premiere was attended by members of the Japanese Imperial Family. The Stockholm premiere was attended by King Gustav VI Adolf. The Melbourne premiere was attended by Premier of Victoria Henry Bolte. Other premieres were held in West Berlin, Caracas, Chicago, Johannesburg, Lima, Paris, Toronto, Washington, D.C. and Zurich The film was even screened in a theater at the Little America base in Antarctica. Although the film did not receive a commercial release in the Soviet Union, a special premiere was unprecedentedly arranged for that night in Moscow. Gregory Peck and his wife traveled to Russia for the screening, which was held at a workers' club, with 1,200 Soviet dignitaries, the foreign press corps, and diplomats including U.S. Ambassador Llewellyn Thompson attending. "On the Beach" recorded a loss of $700,000. Despite this, the film was praised in its day and in later years. It also acquired a fan base that agreed on many of the issues presented. Bosley Crowther in his contemporary review in "The New York Times" saw the film as delivering a powerful message. The review in "Variety" was not as positive: ""On the Beach" is a solid film of considerable emotional, as well as cerebral, content. But the fact remains that the final impact is as heavy as a leaden shroud. The spectator is left with the sick feeling that he's had a preview of Armageddon, in which all contestants lost". Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote: "When the film hews close to its theme, it is effective and valuable; when it deals with its characters as characters, it is often phony. Just as we are gripped by horror, along comes a pure Hollywood touch to remind us that what we are watching is only a movie". In a later appraisal of both novel and film, historian Paul Brians ("Nuclear Holocausts: Atomic War in Fiction, 1895-1964" (1987)) considered the novel "inferior" to the film. His contention was that the portrayal of nuclear annihilation was more accurate as it was clear that the world was coming to an end. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 77% approval rating based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. Awards. Stanley Kramer won the 1960 BAFTA for best director and Ernest Gold won the 1960 Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Score. It was also nominated for Academy Awards in two categories: Remake. "On the Beach" was remade in 2000 as an Australian television film by Southern Star Productions, directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Armand Assante, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Ward. It was originally aired on Showtime. The remake of the 1959 film was also based on the 1957 novel by Nevil Shute, but updates the setting of the story to the film's then-future of 2005, starting with placing the crew on the fictional "Los Angeles"-class USS "Charleston" (SSN-704) submarine and also changing the final actions of Towers. Documentary. The 2013 documentary "Fallout" by Melbourne filmmaker Lawrence Johnston explores Shute's life and Kramer's making of "On the Beach", with interviews of Shute's daughter, Kramer's wife, Karen, and Donna Anderson, one of the film's last surviving cast members. "Fallout" was produced by Peter Kaufmann.

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One Night Stand (1984 film) One Night Stand is a 1984 science fiction film directed by John Duigan. Plot. Just before Christmas, Sydney Opera House usherette Sharon and her friend Eva meet best mates Brendan and Tony in the midst of an anti-war protest in front of two United States Navy ships. Despite being dressed as Santa Claus, the men chat up the women. Brendan attempts to impress Sharon by claiming to be a singer who has performed at the Opera House. The four go on a double date to see Midnight Oil and later the women kick the men out of their flat after overhearing them (falsely) claim to each other to have seduced their dates. There are news reports of growing tension between the United States and Soviet Union with fears that one mistake could lead to nuclear war. On New Year's Eve, Sharon is working at the Opera House and after the performance, Eva meets her so they can go to a party. They find a U.S. Navy Sailor asleep in one of the theatres, who identifies himself as Sam. Having known for months that war was imminent, he deserted his ship and has been hiding in the Opera House. Sharon recognises him from a newspaper article which describes him as "missing". While the three talk in the control room of the theatre, Brendan comes onto the stage and attempts to sing, revealing that he works as a cleaner in the Opera House. While the women talk to Brendan, Sam overhears on the radio that war has broken out in Europe and tactical nuclear weapons have been used in Germany. There are further news reports that four military targets in Australia – North West Cape, Pine Gap, Nurrungar and Jervis Bay – have been hit by nuclear weapons. Ordered to stay in the Opera House, the four try to figure out the best way they can survive the escalating conflict, initially hiding in the basement then going to a bar (for which Brendan has they key), getting drunk and playing strip poker, as well as dancing to the cinematic backdrop of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927 film) during one of its later scenes when an underground workers community faces an apocalyptic flood scenario of its own. Through a series of flashbacks and talking about their past, the four begin to bond. The following morning, Brendan and Sharon pair off and have sex in a storage room, and Eva finds a television and learns that the war in Europe has escalated to a full-scale nuclear exchange, with much of Europe and the United States devastated. The newscast then shows footage of horribly burned and disfigured victims of a nuclear blast near New York City. As the sky begins to turn red from firestorms around Sydney and air raid sirens go off, the four, upon hearing an emergency announcement on the radio, join thousands of others taking refuge in the underground Martin Place railway station. As Sharon and Eva sing "It Might as Well Rain Until September" to entertain the crowd, the lights go out and a loud explosion is heard above them. The frame freezes and it is uncertain whether Sydney has been hit by a nuclear weapon in its turn. Production. Richard Mason and John Duigan brought the script to Hoyts Edgley who agreed to back it. Simon Wincer called Duigan "a highly talented filmmaker and a brilliant writer" who was "an utter joy to work with". The Opera House was only used for ten days of filming because it was too expensive to hire. The rest of the movie was shot in the Seymour Centre. The film includes a performance by Midnight Oil. Paul Hester, drummer for Split Enz and Crowded House, appears in the film uncredited. Box office. "One Night Stand" grossed $111,978 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $284,424 in 2009 dollars.

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The Bedford Incident The Bedford Incident (aka Aux Postes De Combat) is a 1965 British-American Cold War film starring Richard Widmark and Sidney Poitier and co-produced by Widmark. The cast also features Eric Portman, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam and Wally Cox, as well as early appearances by Donald Sutherland and Ed Bishop. The screenplay by James Poe is based on the 1963 book by Mark Rascovich, which borrowed from the plot of Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick"; at one point in the film, the captain is advised he is "not chasing whales now". The film was directed by James B. Harris, who, until then, had been best known as Stanley Kubrick's producer. The two parted ways over a disagreement about the film that became Kubrick's noted Cold War nuclear-confrontation film "Dr. Strangelove"; Harris had wanted it to be told as a serious thriller, but Kubrick wanted it to be a comic farce (which it became). Harris remained focused on developing a serious nuclear-confrontation film, resulting in "The Bedford Incident." Plot. The American destroyer USS "Bedford" (DLG-113) detects a Soviet submarine in the GIUK gap near the coast of Greenland. Although the U.S. and the Soviet Union are not at war, Captain Eric Finlander mercilessly harries his prey while civilian photojournalist Ben Munceford and NATO naval advisor Commodore Wolfgang Schrepke look on with mounting alarm. Finlander exploits the fact that the diesel-powered Russian sub has to surface periodically to replenish air and recharge batteries because it is not nuclear-powered; knowing full well it will make the Soviets more desperate. Also aboard the "Bedford" are Ensign Ralston, an inexperienced young officer constantly being criticised by his captain for small errors and Lieutenant Commander Chester Potter, the ship's new doctor, who is a recently recalled reservist. Munceford is aboard to photograph life on a Navy destroyer but his real interest is Finlander who recently was passed over for promotion to rear admiral. Munceford is curious whether a comment made by Finlander regarding the American intervention in Cuba is the reason for his lack of promotion. This prompts the captain to become openly hostile to Munceford, who he sees as a civilian who is interfering in military matters by questioning the risks involved in continually harrying the Soviet submarine. The crew becomes increasingly fatigued by the unrelenting pursuit as the captain continually demands full attention to the instruments. At the same time, Finlander becomes intolerant of anyone who questions his tactics including the ship's doctor who advises him that crew are feeling the pressure but the captain will not relent. When the submarine is found, it ignores Finlander's order to surface and identify itself. The captain, angered by this defiant act, orders the "Bedford" to run over its snorkel, ordering that it be logged as an "unidentified floating object". He then orders the "Bedford" to arm weapons and withdraw to a distance to wait for the submerged sub to run out of air and be forced to surface. Confidently he reassures Munceford and Schrepke that he is in command of the situation and that he will not fire first but "If he fires one, I'll FIRE ONE". A tired Ensign Ralston mistakes Finlander's remark as a command to "fire one". He launches an anti-submarine rocket which destroys the submarine. Sonar then detects four Soviet nuclear-armed torpedoes targeting the destroyer. Finlander initially gives basic orders to evade but then silently steps outside the bridge. Munceford follows frantically pleading with him to do something. But the captain has realised his actions have sealed the fate of everyone on board as the ship cannot evade the nuclear torpedoes. The film ends with still shots of various crewmen "melting" as if the celluloid film were burning as the "Bedford" and her crew are vaporised in an atomic blast. The film's final image is a mushroom cloud. Production. Writing. The screenplay by James Poe follows the novel fairly closely but Poe wrote a different ending. In the novel, the Soviet submarine does not fire back at "Bedford" before being destroyed. The shocked Finlander then receives word of his promotion to admiral. Commodore Schrepke, realising that World War III will begin once the events are known, sabotages one of the remaining ASROCs and destroys the ship. Munceford, the sole survivor, is found by "Novosibirsk", the submarine's mothership. Unlike the book, the film version ends with the vessels being destroyed by one another. The plot reflects several Cold War incidents between the NATO and Soviet navies, including one in 1957 when USS "Gudgeon", a submarine, was caught in Soviet waters and chased out to sea by Soviet warships. Although none ended as catastrophically as the "Bedford" incident, the story illustrated many of the fears of the time. Filming. "The Bedford Incident" was mostly filmed at Shepperton Studios in the UK, although some shots at sea were used. "USS "Bedford" was a fictitious guided missile destroyer and the role of "Bedford" was mostly played by a large model of a "Farragut"-class destroyer. Interior scenes were filmed in the British Type 15 frigate ; British military equipment can be seen in several shots, including a rack of Lee–Enfield rifles and "Troubridge"'s novel, forward-sloping bridge windows. Sidney Poitier's initial flypast and landing from a Whirlwind helicopter were filmed aboard another Type 15 frigate, , whose F159 pennant number is clearly visible. The vessel portraying a Soviet intelligence ship has the name "Novo Sibursk"", written on the hull at the bow in the Latin alphabet, not the Russian language's Cyrillic alphabet; "Novosibirsk" is a more accurate English rendering. Analysis. The American historian Stephen Whitfield argued that "The Bedford Incident" was a rejoinder to "The Caine Mutiny". In the 1954 film "The Caine Mutiny" and even more so in the 1951 novel that it was adopted from, the incompetent, deranged Captain Philip Queeg whose actions provoked the eponymous mutiny, is ultimately portrayed as a victim of the snide, scheming intellectual Thomas Keefer whose ethos is fundamentally opposed to that of the U.S Navy. The message of both versions of "The Caine Mutiny" was as Whitfield put it "...that losing a ship in a typhoon is better than challenging a skipper whose powers of command have failed". Whitfield argued that by the 1960s popular mentalities had changed so much that more anti-militaristic films such as "The Bedford Incident" were being released. Very much like Captain Queeg of the fictional destroyer USS "Caine", Finlander is a career Navy officer in command of a destroyer who has "...lost touch with reality, largely because of the constant frustration and remorseless pressure of command". In contrast to "The Caine Mutiny" which "...attempted to vindicate the necessity of obedience-even when that leadership is mentally unbalanced-"The Bedford Incident", made without Navy co-operation, warns that such deranged authority could unleash nuclear war, which happens accidentally". Keefer, the resident intellectual abroad the "Caine", starts out as the likeable voice of reason against the paranoid Captain Queeg, but is gradually revealed to be the most loathsome character in the story, being a cowardly, dishonest and selfish schemer who is admonished for his treatment of Queeg who is praised as an honorable, but misunderstood career Navy officer who was only patriotically serving his country. It is revealed that Queeg was suffering from post-traumatic stress caused by his service as a destroyer captain on the harrowing "North Atlantic run", making Keefer who has never experienced combat all the more odious. Ben Munceford, the journalist who serves as an analogous character to Keefer as the resident intellectual abroad the "Bedford" who like Keefer has a worldview that is essentially opposed to that of the Navy, but he is portrayed as a far more sympathetic and likeable character. Unlike Keefer, the writer who was reluctantly drafted into the U.S. Navy in World War Two, Munceford is a journalist, being the only civilian abroad the "Bedford". The fact that Munceford is apparently the only black man abroad the "Bedford" illustrates his sense of isolation. However, both Keefer and Munceford have similar short term expectations of the Navy as Keefer is writing a novel abroad the "Caine" that he intends to publish after he is discharged from the Navy while Munceford is only on the "Bedford" to write a story about Finlander. Both Keefer and Munceford are intellectuals who are skeptical of authority figures and are always asking inconvenient questions. Keefer successfully undermines the leadership of Queeg and provokes the mutiny while Munceford is unsuccessful in challenging the leadership of Finlander, leading the latter to embark upon a course that leads to the deaths of everyone abroad the "Bedford". Munceford comes to serve as the voice of reason against Finlander and in both the novel and even so in the film he is portrayed as quite justified in challenging Captain Finlander. Whitfield argued that the different messages presented about the question of obeying authority and the portrayal of the military men and intellectuals in "The Caine Mutiny" vs. "The Bedford Incident" illustrated how much mentalities had changed from the 1950s to the 1960s. Widmark modelled the mannerisms and rhetorical style of Captain Finlander after Senator Barry Goldwater who was the Republican candidate for president in the 1964 election. Goldwater had been attacked in the 1964 election as too hawkish, most notably in the infamous Daisy Girl television commercial which warned that Goldwater if elected president would start a nuclear war. The film's message-told via the story of Finlander who because of his obsessive anti-Communism and relentless determination to provoke a confrontation with a Soviet submarine that leads to the deaths of everyone abroad both the "Bedford" and the "Novosibirsk"-is that Cold Warriors such as Goldwater would had likewise provoked a nuclear war that would had been the end of humanity. The film's message criticizing hawkish, confrontational Cold War policies reflected part of a backlash against militarism after the Cuban Missile Crisis almost caused a nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1962. The scholars Harold R. Troper and Michael J. Strada describe "The Bedford Incident" as one of series of 1960s films that were "full frontal assaults on military values". The Canadian historian Sean Maloney praised the book version of "The Bedford Incident" for its level of realism, writing that the book was "a microhistorical study of the Cold War itself" and as "the best literacy depiction of the Cold War". Maloney noted that to enter the North Atlantic ocean from their bases on the Arctic ocean in Murmansk and Archangel, Soviet submarines had to cross what was called the "Greenland-Iceland-UK gap", making patrolling the gap a key concern for the U.S. Navy in the Cold War. When Munceford arrives on the "Bedford", the ship's executive officer (the number two man), Commander Allison, tells him that the ship operates "under virtually wartime conditions", a point further elaborated by Captain Finlander who says: "We are hunters-stalking kind of hunters-who track a foe who is also silently listening to us". One Soviet nuclear ballistic submarine carried on average 12-16 ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles) armed with hydrogen bombs each capable of destroying an entire city. From Finlander's viewpoint, it is essential that he know the location of Soviet submarines because if World War Three should break out, he would have at most a matter of minutes to sink the submarine before it would fire its ICBMs that would take out 12-16 American cities. Maloney noted that in the film version of "The Bedford Incident" that Finlander is portrayed as far more deranged than in the novel, arguing that Finlander's obsession with hunting Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic in the novel is "completely understandable and possibly even legitimate". Maloney argued that should World War Three ever occur, it was crucial have as much intelligence as possible about the opponent in order to both strike hard as possible via nuclear strikes and to deny the opponent the ability to strike oneself as much as possible with their nuclear weapons. The fact that submarines are very difficult to find in the vastness of the ocean has imposed an almost unbearable psychological strain on Finlander. When Munceford presses for more information about what is going on and if anybody gets hurt, Finlander says: "Fear hurts. Unrelenting tension becomes a physical pain. Uncertainty and frustration can turn into a crippling agony. Here we clash in the privacy of the black, empty ocean with no audience, but our conscience; both parties want to keep it that way because the stakes are such that no compromise is possible. If you doubt me, then ask yourself what the United States has left if its DEW and NORAD systems are cracked?" Finlander further underlines the stakes as he states: "We're not here making faces at the Commies over a wall. We're not here in a base area indoctrinating simple-minded peasants into the complex savagery of modern guerrilla tactics; we're not sitting in an air conditioned blockhouse in Florida trying to shoot a bigger hole in the Moon. Here we "hunt" the Russians. Here we have our enemy and more than accepting his challenge, go after him without any inhibitions of containment policies or technical inferiorities". Maloney argued that the level of technical detail in the novel together with its picture of American naval officers on abroad a destroyer having to obsess over the location of Soviet submarines for every single minute of their patrol is the most authentic picture of the Cold War at sea ever portrayed. Likewise, Finlander's final rant after the "Bedford" sinks the "Novosibirsk" reflects the frustration that many American naval officers felt with the Cold War as he says: "The Cold War! How can governments expect their military to guide their actions by such a blatantly sordid euphemism? Is there really such a thing possible as a half-war? Can one half-fight with deadly weapons? Did those Russian submariners half-threaten us? Are they now only half-dead down there? Should I only half-feared them when the crews of so many American ships and planes are totally dead as a result of Russian actions? Does it not all naturally culminate in the totality of death and destruction?...Look and see what the Cold War really is. The same as any war. Death". When Finlander tries to justify sinking the "Novosibrsk" because "war is hell", Commodore Schrepke replies "a nuclear hell, Erik?", warning that his actions will set off a Third World War that will be the end of humanity. Maloney has argued that both the book and film versions of "The Bedford Incident" were inspired by the two actual incidents, the "hold-downs" (forced surfacing) of four Soviet submarines during the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962 and another incident in 1959 when an American destroyer staged a "hold-down" of a Soviet submarine off the coast of Greenland. The author of "The Bedford Incident", Mark Rascovich, had many contacts within the U.S Navy and seems to have learned of the two incidents, which inspired his book. In the film, Munceford, talks about how Finlander forced a Soviet submarine to surface during "the Cuban deal". In many ways, the film is similar to other submarines vs. destroyers films such as "Run Silent, Run Deep" and "The Enemy Below", but unlike those it is set in peacetime while the nuclear component greatly raises the stakes. Maloney wrote: ""The Bedford Incident" is remarkably accurate in its assumptions that Soviet submarines were equipped with nuclear torpedoes on a routine basis". "The Caine Mutiny" is set in World War Two, but its picture of a destroyer commanded by an officer who has lost his mind greatly influenced several novelists in the Cold War who speculated about the possibility of a crazed naval officer trying to start World War Three either intentionally or by accident. The South African novelist Antony Trew published in 1963 a bestselling novel, "Two Hours To Darkness", about a fictional British nuclear ballistic submarine, HMS "Retaliate", commanded by an officer, Captain Shadde, who like Captain Queeg is suffering from paranoia caused by undiagnosed post-traumatic stress, who is determined to fire his submarine's ICBMs at the Soviet Union. Like in "The Caine Mutiny" and "The Bedford Incident", the other officers aboard the "Retaliate" have to decide whatever to obey a mentally ill commanding officer or whatever to reject his authority. Another inspiration was the desire of General Douglas MacArthur, a megalomaniac of extreme right-wing views to some but an American hero to many others, rightly wanted to expand the Korean War in 1951 by using nuclear weapons against the People's Republic of China, if necessary in defiance of President Harry S. Truman. MacArthur's very public defiance led President Truman to sack him in April 1951, stating that as president he had the final authority over whatever to use nuclear weapons and that he decided not to use nuclear weapons against China. MacArthur's "no substitute for victory" arguments about using nuclear weapons against China and his thesis he was answerable only to God instead of the president inspired the fears of an "out of control" military leader determined to plunge the world into a nuclear war either by design or acting rashly. Maloney further noted that many prominent American intellectuals such as Joseph Heller, Harry Harrison, James Jones, and Norman Mailer had been drafted into the military in World War Two and having been exposed first-hand to military life lashed out in the 1950s-1960s by writing novels that portrayed American military leaders as stupid and vicious. A recurring theme of the writings of the American intelligentsia in the Cold War was the fear of a rogue officer who at very least was acting recklessly in exposing the world to the risk of a nuclear armageddon. Actual Cold War incident. In October 1962, shortly before the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet submarine B-59 was pursued in the Atlantic Ocean by the U.S. Navy. When the Soviet vessel failed to surface, the destroyers began dropping training depth charges. Unlike in "The Bedford Incident", the Americans were not aware that the B-59 was armed with a T-5 nuclear torpedo. The Soviet captain, believing that World War III might have started, wanted to launch the weapon but was over-ruled by his flotilla commander, Vasili Arkhipov, who, by coincidence, was using the boat as his command vessel. After an argument, it was agreed that the submarine would surface and await orders from Moscow. It was not until after the fall of the Soviet Union that the existence of the T-5 torpedo and how close the world came to nuclear conflict was made known.

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The Big Bang (1987 film) The Big Bang AKA Le Big-Bang is an adult animated science fiction comedy film, originally released in 1987 by 20th Century Fox in France and Entertainment Film Distributors, Ltd in the United Kingdom. The UK version was written by English satirist Tony Hendra, who was also the voice director. Plot. In 1995, World War III begins by accident when a hitman uses an miniature nuclear weapon in a hit which destroys Sicily; Italy mistakes the blast for nuclear terrorism and annihilates Libya, which destroys Israel. Africa bombs Germany, which in turn attacks France. Luxembourg bombs England. Sweden destroys itself. The Russians decide to liquidate the Americans, who in turn unleash their nuclear fleet, leaving only two continents on the verge of World War IV. In the north, America and Russia merge, containing a mutated strain of males, forming the "USSSR". In the south, all that is left of womankind retreat to their territory of "Vaginia". The armies of these two nations are soon at odds with each other as they perfect their most destructive weapons capable of destroying the universe. The Council of the Universe, fearing for everyone's safety, appoints Fred Hero, a retired superhero now working as a garbageman to diplomatically calm the situation down. He is given a powerful light bulb that makes him invincible. Fred firsts starts off with the USSSR and tries to persuade the nation's leader, the Comrade-In-Chief, to get rid of all of the bombs. The Comrade-In-Chief sees Fred as a lunatic and whispers to his three minions to fetch the guards. While he's waiting, The Comrade-In-Chief explains to Fred that all of the men lost their asses during World War III. The women were safe underground. When the war was over, and the women came back up and saw the men without their asses, they just laughed. The Comrade-In-Chief plans to destroy Vaginia with their weapon "The Big One" - a missile shaped like a penis. After the history lesson, Fred accidentally meets and promptly falls in love with the nation's female mascot, Liberty. Fred escapes the Comrade's lair with Liberty. When they're finally alone, Fred wishes to marry Liberty, but Liberty finds out that Fred's married. Liberty is shocked and decides to return to the Comrade. Fred then flies over to Vagina and meets the multi-breasted leader Una. Una reveals the Vaginia has a super-weapon called "Big Mama" - a spherical missile that has a vagina and nipple on it that is designed to combine with "The Big One" and thus destroy the universe. Fred once again tries to get Una to make peace with the USSSR, but this time, Una agrees, but only if he and her have sex. Fred is unable to withstand her advances, and unable to please her complex body. With no hope for peace and mad with rage at the idea of being separated from Liberty, Fred inadvertently starts the Fourth World War. While the two nations fight, Fred eventually decides to try to win Liberty's heart back and save the universe. Liberty is taken on board "The Big One", which starts to rise as Fred hurries to her rescue. He manages to get on board and escape with her to the safety of a tropical island only for them to be caught up in the final battle between both nations armies. As the two missiles circle above the sky, this gets the two nations extremely horny for each other. While the two nations have an orgy on the island, Fred tries to get back with Liberty, who still declines Fred's offer, due to Fred still being married. Just then, Fred gets a message from his wife, who says that she's seeing another man, Conan, Fred's Conan the Barbarian-like coworker. Fred and Liberty run toward each other with open arms. As they hug, "The Big One" penetrates "Big Mama" and both explode in a cosmic orgasm which causes the entire universe to be destroyed. God, who is having sex with his wife notices this but doesn't care. Fred and Liberty arrive in Heaven, and they both have sex in a lone cloud, beginning their new life together. Production. After "" and "The Missing Link", "The Big Bang" is the third feature by Picha, which includes Picha's typical humor and his love of provocation and nonsense. Picha claims that the film is "the culmination of a trilogy, a mixture of these concerns in the other two films ... a little more tied to the news of the day, only more excessive. "The Big Bang" is a film about the all wars, including personal wars you find in the family." Production lasted from 1984 to 1986. When the film was released in the UK, the British Board of Film Censors cut the film by 10 seconds to remove a sequence in which an animated version of God appeared to be having sex and then uttered an expletive. After the release of the film, Picha put his theatrical work on hold, choosing to produce television cartoons instead. Release. The film was released on DVD on 7 February 2011 in the United Kingdom by Lace DVD. There are currently no plans to release this film in North America.

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On the Beach (2000 film) On the Beach is a 2000 apocalyptic made-for-television film directed by Russell Mulcahy and starring Armand Assante, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Ward. It was originally aired on Showtime. The film is a remake of a 1959 film, which was also based on the 1957 novel by Nevil Shute, but updates the setting of the story to the film's then-future of 2006, starting with placing the crew on the fictional , USS "Charleston" (SSN-704). Plot. USS "Charleston" (SSN-704) is equipped with a caterpillar drive and is on station following a nuclear exchange, under the command of Dwight Towers. A devastating nuclear war that contaminated the northern hemisphere was preceded by a standoff between the United States and China after the latter blockaded and later invaded Taiwan. Both countries are destroyed, as is most of the world. The submarine crew finds refuge in Melbourne, Australia which the radioactive fallout has not yet reached (though radio communications with several radio operators farther north than Australia indicate that radiation has reached their countries and will be in Australia in a few months). Towers places his vessel under the command of the Royal Australian Navy and is summoned to attend a briefing, partly regarding an automated digital broadcast coming from Alaska in the Northern Hemisphere. The submarine is sent to investigate, with Towers (Armand Assante), Australian scientist Julian Osborne (Bryan Brown), and Australian liaison officer Peter Holmes (Grant Bowler) on board. En route, the submarine surfaces in San Francisco, where the Golden Gate Bridge has collapsed and the city shoreline is in ruins. A crew member who is from San Francisco abandons ship, planning on dying in his home city, and is left by his shipmates after it is argued that the length of time he has spent outside has already made him irreversibly sick with radiation poisoning. Upon reaching Alaska, Towers and his executive officer go ashore to find no survivors. Entering a house and seeing a dead family huddled on a bed, Towers thinks of his own family and what they must have endured. The source of the automated digital broadcast is traced to a television station whose broadcast, Towers and his executive officer discover, comes from a solar-powered laptop trying to broadcast a documentary via satellite. While in Alaska, Towers' executive officer accidentally rips his suit and hides the fact that he is becoming sicker and sicker. Upon the "Charleston's" return to Melbourne, he collapses and is diagnosed with terminal radiation sickness. Towers attends his old friend in his dying days and ultimately, at his request, euthanizes the man as his deteriorating condition causes him to experience extreme suffering. Towers returns to Melbourne, where a woman in whom he's become interested, Moira Davidson (Rachel Ward), Holmes's sister-in-law and Osborne's ex-wife, is waiting for him. As the people of Melbourne realize that the inevitable nuclear cloud will soon reach their location, their impending doom begins to unravel the social fabric; anarchy and chaos erupt. Some choose to live their final weeks recklessly in a deadly car race while others seek a more peaceful means to face the end of their lives. Holmes and his wife Mary (Jacqueline McKenzie) find solace in their love for each other as Towers and Moira become closer. When radiation sickness appears in Melbourne, people begin lining up for government-issued suicide pills. After Mary and their small daughter Jenny fall ill, Peter and his family share a final moment before taking their doses together, Peter sorrowfully injecting his child. Osborne races around the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and finally crashes his car at Turn 10, resulting in a fiery death. With most of the "Charleston's" crew members developing advanced radiation sickness, they ask to take the submarine on one final voyage to San Francisco. Though they know they are unlikely to survive the trip, they wish to die together on the "Charleston", the only real home they have left. Towers agrees, apparently abandoning Moira to be with his men. As Moira, about to take her own suicide pill, watches the "Charleston" sail away, she is joined by Towers after all. Production. In the film, the Morse code signal picked up by the submarine crew in the original novel and film was updated to an automated digital broadcast powered by a solar-powered laptop computer. The film's picture of human behaviour is darker and more pessimistic than in the original 1959 adaptation, in which social order and manners do not collapse. Alterations from the book and original film adaptation are made, including an ending differing from both the novel and film in that the submarine commander chooses to die with his newfound love instead of scuttling the submarine beyond Australian territorial waters (as in the novel) or attempting to return with his crew to the United States (as in the earlier film). In this version, the Golden Gate Bridge has collapsed and the city shoreline is in ruins, indicating an adjacent nuclear detonation, as in the book but not the first film version. The film ends with the reunion of Towers and Moira while their implied suicides occurring offscreen, as did the original version of Moira in the first film. Unlike the first film, there is no final postmortem scene of deserted Melbourne streets, with the absence of human life depicted. The film contains various technical errors, such as in military uniforms and terminology. The film ends with a quote from a Walt Whitman's poem "On The Beach at Night" describing how frightening an approaching cloud bank seemed at night to the poet's child, blotting the stars out one by one, as the father and child stood on the beach on Massachusetts' North Shore. As much as it resembles the plot of the movie and of Shute's novel, however, the book gives only an incidental reference to the Whitman poem, and the phrase "on the beach" is a Royal Navy term that means "retired from the Service." However, there seems to be little doubt about the provenance of the book's title, since at least some editions of it bear on the flyleaf two stanzas from the T.S. Eliot poem "The Hollow Men": "In this last of meeting places" / "We grope together" / "And avoid speech" / "Gathered on this beach of the tumid river" "This is the way the world ends / This is the way the world ends / This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper." Reception. The film received mixed reviews because with its three-hour account of impending doom, reviewers considered it "slow going". Some film reviewers still found aspects to praise, however. Richard Scheib, the "Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review" critic, saw the film as benefiting from the lengthier timeline: "The mini-series certainly has the luxury to pad the story out and tell it with more length than the film did. As a result there is a greater degree of emotional resonance to the characters than the 1959 film had ... Mostly the mini-series works satisfyingly as a romantic drama, which it does reasonably depending on the extent to which one enjoys these things. Crucially though the mini-series does manage to work as science-fiction and Russell Mulcahy delivers some impressive images of the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust. There are some fine scenes with Armand Assante and the submarine crew walking through the ruins of Anchorage discovering how the people there committed suicide en masse, and some excellent digital effects during the periscope tour of the ruins of San Francisco." "On the Beach" received two Golden Globe award nominations and was nominated as Best Miniseries or Television Film. Rachel Ward was nominated in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television category for her role as Moira Davidson.

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Tenet (film) Tenet is a 2020 science fiction action-thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who produced it with Emma Thomas. A co-production between the United Kingdom and United States, it stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. The film follows a secret agent who learns to manipulate the flow of time to prevent an attack from the future that threatens to annihilate the present world. Nolan took more than five years to write the screenplay after deliberating about "Tenet"s central ideas for over a decade. Pre-production began in late 2018, casting took place in March 2019, and principal photography lasted six months, from May to November, in Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema shot on 65 mm film and IMAX. Scenes of time manipulation were filmed both backwards and forwards. Over one hundred vessels and thousands of extras were used. Delayed three times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, "Tenet" was released in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2020, and United States on September 3, 2020, in IMAX, 35 mm, and 70 mm. It was the first Hollywood tent-pole to open in theaters after the pandemic shutdown, and grossed $363million worldwide, making it the fifth-highest-grossing film of 2020. The film received generally positive reviews, and won Best Visual Effects at the 93rd Academy Awards, and was also nominated for Best Production Design. Plot. A CIA agent, the "Protagonist", participates in an extraction operation at a Kyiv opera house. A masked soldier wearing a red trinket saves his life by "un-firing" a bullet through a gunman. After seizing an artifact, the Protagonist is captured by mercenaries. He is tortured before consuming what he believes to be a suicide pill. He awakens to learn the suicide pill was a test of loyalty; his team has been killed and the artifact lost. The Protagonist is recruited by an organization called Tenet. A scientist briefs him on bullets with "inverted" entropy, meaning they move backward through time. She believes they are manufactured in the future, and other inverted objects seem to be remnants of a war in the future. The Protagonist meets Neil through a CIA contact, and they trace the inverted bullets to arms dealer Priya Singh in Mumbai. They learn that Priya is a member of Tenet, and her cartridges were purchased and inverted by Russian oligarch Andrei Sator. In London, the Protagonist approaches Sator's estranged wife Kat, an art appraiser who falsely authenticated a forged Goya drawing. She tells him that Sator purchased the drawing from the forger, Arepo, and is using Kat's authentication as blackmail to control her in their relationship. The Protagonist and Neil plot to steal the drawing from a freeport storage facility at the Oslo Airport. There they fend off two masked men who seemingly emerge from a strange device. Afterward, Priya explains that the device is a turnstile, a machine that can invert the entropy of objects and people, and that the masked men were the same person traveling in opposite directions through time. On the Amalfi Coast, Italy, Kat introduces the Protagonist to Sator, and learns the drawing is intact. Sator plans to kill the Protagonist, but the Protagonist saves Sator's life after Kat attempts to drown him. Sator and the Protagonist strike a partnership to retrieve a case that supposedly contains plutonium-241. In Tallinn, the Protagonist and Neil ambush a convoy and steal the case, which actually contains the artifact lost in Kyiv. They are ambushed by an inverted Sator holding Kat hostage. The Protagonist gives an empty case to Sator, who retreats after receiving it. The Protagonist rescues Kat but is soon captured and taken to a warehouse with a turnstile. In the warehouse, the inverted Sator shoots Kat with an inverted round, while the non-inverted Sator demands the location of the artifact. Tenet operatives led by Ives arrive and rescue the Protagonist, and Sator escapes into the turnstile. The group takes Kat through the turnstile, inverting them and reversing Kat's bullet wound. The now-inverted Protagonist travels back in time to the ambush site, where he attempts to retrieve the artifact but is intercepted by Sator. The Protagonist's car is overturned and catches fire, but Neil saves him and reveals he is a member of Tenet. The Protagonist, Neil, and Kat travel back in time to the freeport in Oslo. The Protagonist fights his past self, enters the turnstile, and reverts, followed by Neil and Kat. Later, Priya explains that Sator is collecting the artifacts to assemble an "algorithm" which is capable of catastrophically inverting the entropy of the Earth. Kat reveals Sator is dying from pancreatic cancer. They learn that Sator is using a dead man's switch to trigger the algorithm. Kat believes Sator will travel back in time to commit suicide during their vacation in Vietnam, so that the world will die with him at the last moment he was happy. The Protagonist, Neil, Kat, and Tenet troops travel back in time to that day, where Kat disguises herself as her past self to keep Sator alive long enough for Tenet to secure the algorithm. Tenet tracks the algorithm to Sator's hometown in Northern Siberia, where it is heavily guarded. They launch a "temporal pincer movement", with non-inverted red team troops and inverted blue team troops making a simultaneous assault. At a critical moment, an inverted blue-team soldier wearing a red trinket sacrifices himself to save the Protagonist and Ives. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, Kat kills Sator just as the Protagonist secures the algorithm. The Protagonist, Neil, and Ives break up the algorithm and part ways. The Protagonist notices that Neil is wearing the red trinket. Neil reveals he was recruited by the Protagonist in the future and this mission is, from his perspective, the end of a long friendship. Since Kat knows too much, Priya attempts to have her assassinated, but Priya is killed by the Protagonist, who has concluded that he is the mastermind behind Tenet. Scientific accuracy. The film's plot revolves around reversing the entropy of things and people, resulting in time reversibility. "Tenet" makes reference to physics concepts including annihilation, the second law of thermodynamics, Maxwell's demon, and Feynman and Wheeler's notion of a one-electron universe, but Christopher Nolan stated in the film’s press notes: "we’re not going to make any case for this being scientifically accurate”. Production. Pre-production. Writer and director Christopher Nolan conceived the ideas behind "Tenet" over the course of twenty years, but began working on the script in 2014. The title is a palindrome and an allusion to the Sator Square. Nolan made a conscious effort to abstain from any influence of the spy genre other than his own memory. "Once Upon a Time in the West" (1968) inspired the screenwriting. Theoretical physicist Kip Thorne, who worked with Nolan on "Interstellar" (2014), was consulted on the subjects of time and quantum physics. Pre-production lasted from late 2018 until early 2019, leaving department heads five months to prepare. Special effects supervisor Scott R. Fisher watched World War II movies and documentaries to find reference points for realism. Production designer Nathan Crowley requested Hamilton Watch Company to manufacture around thirty military wristwatches, each analog with a digital countdown. Nolan and Crowley traveled to scout for locations in February and April 2019. Disappointed with the Royal Swedish Opera as a potential spot for the Kyiv Opera House, Crowley switched it to the Linnahall, which fit his affinity for Brutalist architecture. Shree Vardhan Tower was chosen instead of Antilia, as the latter had too high security; the National Liberal Club took the place of Sotheby's, whose management refused to participate; and they chose Cannon Hall after Thornhill Primary School in Islington and Channing School had been deemed unsatisfactory. Prop prototypes were often 3D printed. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland and his team cut and stitched the clothing in the United States, manufacturing them for the main cast and thousands more. Casting. John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki were cast in March 2019. Washington, Pattinson, and Debicki were each only permitted to read the screenplay while locked in a room. Nolan chose Washington for his performance in "BlacKkKlansman" (2018). Washington kept diaries in which he would expand the Protagonist's backstory. Seeing Pattinson in "Good Time" (2017) made a considerable impression on producer Emma Thomas. Pattinson based his character's mannerisms on those of author Christopher Hitchens. While Kat was originally going to be an older woman, Debicki's appearance in "Widows" (2018) convinced the filmmakers otherwise. The casting of Dimple Kapadia, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh was announced as filming started. Kapadia's screen test was put together by director Homi Adajania while working on his 2020 film "Angrezi Medium". Poésy was pregnant with her second child at the time, something Thomas opted to keep visible. Caine was merely given his pages for one day of work. Branagh rescheduled production on his own directorial venture "Death on the Nile" (2022) to do the part, claiming to have studied the manuscript more times than any other in his career. Himesh Patel joined in August. Martin Donovan was revealed in the first trailer. Fiona Dourif and Yuri Kolokolnikov were included later on. Dourif's role Wheeler is a reference to theoretical physicist John Archibald Wheeler. Filming. Principal photography, involving a crew of 250 people, began in May 2019 on a soundstage in Los Angeles and took place in seven countries—Denmark, Estonia, India, Italy, Norway, the United Kingdom, and United States. Filming in Estonia happened in June and July, with the Linnahall, Pärnu Highway (E67), and adjacent streets closed to facilitate it. Kumu Art Museum doubled as the fictional "Oslo freeport". Barbara's office was built in a former law court, the Tallinn Freeport exterior was at the city docks, and a room at the Hilton Tallinn Park Hotel was also utilized. Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart expressed concerns about potential disruptions as the shooting schedule required that the arterial Laagna Road be closed for one month. A compromise was eventually reached, involving temporary road closures and detours. Scenes were shot on the Amalfi Coast (Italy), the Solent, at the Reform Club, Locanda Locatelli, and Cannon Hall (England) from July to August, on the roof of the Oslo Opera House, at The Thief hotel (Norway), and in Rødbyhavn at Nysted Wind Farm (Denmark) in early September. A five-day shoot occurred later that month in Mumbai, specifically Breach Candy Hospital, Cafe Mondegar, Colaba Causeway, Colaba Market, Gateway of India, Grant Road, Royal Bombay Yacht Club, and the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. A restaurant named "Chaand" was erected near the hotel, but never used, serving only as an alternative. Forty boats were positioned at the Gateway of India, where the crew rescued a man who had attempted suicide. They proceeded to Los Angeles soon after. Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center functioned as the interior set of an icebreaker and a shipping container. The Victorville Airport was disguised as Oslo, with more than ninety extras involved. Instead of using miniatures and visual effects (VFX) for the plane crash sequence, Nolan determined that purchasing a Boeing 747 proved more cost effective. October saw them in Eagle Mountain, where an abandoned town had been constructed and hundreds were clothed in military camouflage uniforms. Over thirty buildings were prefabricated in Los Angeles and shipped to the site. Four Boeing CH-47 Chinooks were loaned out for four days. Outside shots of a tunnel were done in the desert, while the insides of the Hypocenter were fashioned on a soundstage. "Tenet" wrapped on November 12, after ninety-six days. Director of photography Hoyte van Hoytema employed a combination of 65 mm film and IMAX, prioritizing Panavision lenses that would best accommodate lower light. Segments that concerned time inversion were captured both in backward and forward mobility and speech. To ensure proficiency in handling firearms, Washington and Pattinson attended the Taran Tactical firing range in Simi Valley. They also did some of their own stunts. Over one hundred watercraft were recruited, together with catamarans, the megayacht "Planet Nine" (onto which an Mi-8 helicopter would land), icebreakers, speed- and fishing boats, and a cargo tanker. The windfarm vessel "Iceni Revenge" was brought through Denmark, Estonia, and Italy for all three months. Post-production and music. Ludwig Göransson was chosen as the composer as Nolan's frequent collaborator Hans Zimmer had committed himself to the 2021 film "Dune". During the COVID-19 pandemic, Göransson recorded musicians at their homes. Researching retrograde composition caused him to generate melodies that would sound the same forward and backward. He experimented with distorted industrial noise and, to represent Sator's irradiated breathing, asked Nolan to tape his own in studio. Göransson produced ten to fifteen minutes of music each week. The first scoring session was held in November 2019, continuing into early 2020. The "Tenet" soundtrack contains "The Plan," a song by Travis Scott. Jennifer Lame replaced Nolan's long-time editor Lee Smith, who was occupied with 2019's "1917". Lame was tasked with unsupervised editing during the principal photography and would look at dailies. DNEG created about 280 VFX shots. Sound designer Richard King sent a team to Eagle Mountain to record the Chinooks and Mi-8, and to Southampton for the F50 catamarans. Others were hired for the aural atmosphere of Oslo, Mumbai, and Tallinn. King got the audio of both live and blank automatic weapon rounds at a gun range in San Francisquito Canyon and rented a runway to test how the vehicles sounded. Release. Warners Bros. originally scheduled "Tenet" for a July 17, 2020, release in IMAX, 35 mm, and 70 mm film. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was first delayed to July 31, and subsequently August 12. Executives calculated that each postponement cost Warner Bros. between $200,000 and $400,000 in marketing fees. After briefly being held up indefinitely, Warner Bros. arranged the film to be released internationally on August 26 in seventy countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Preview screenings commenced in Australia and South Korea on August 22 and 23. It moved to select cities in the United States on September 3, gradually expanding in the ensuing weeks. On September 4, it came out in China. "Tenet" became the first Hollywood tent-pole to launch in theaters following their prolonged shutdown. The lack of available movies afforded it more screens per multiplex than would otherwise be possible. It became available on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and digital services on December 15, 2020. On March 2, 2021, Warner Bros. announced that in light of the New York state government allowing movie theaters in New York City to re-open the following Friday (March 5) following a nearly year-long shutdown (causing theaters in the city to miss out on the film's initial theatrical run), they would be re-releasing "Tenet" at select theaters in the city that same day. "Tenet" was released on HBO Max on May 1, 2021. Reception. Box office. "Tenet" grossed $58.5million in the United States and Canada, and $305.2million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $363.7million. With a production budget of $200million, "Tenet" is Nolan's most expensive original project. "IndieWire" speculated that the marketing could push the final sum to $300–350million, though analysts predicted lower advertising costs than usual, owing to inexpensive live sports ads. Box office analyst Jeff Bock estimated it would need to make $400–$500million in order to break even. In November 2020, rival studios expected the film to lose up to $100million, but Warner Bros. insisted losses would not top $50million. Nolan was reported to receive twenty percent of the first-dollar gross. "Tenet" was projected to take $25–30million internationally over its first five days. In South Korea, pre-sale IMAX tickets sold out and weekend previews totaled $717,000 from 590 venues. Another four days there yielded $4.13million from about 2,200 screens, bringing the cume to $5.1million by the end of the week. The film debuted to $53million in forty-one countries, grossing $7.1million in the United Kingdom, $6.7million in France, and $4.2million in Germany. "Tenet" made $58.1million in its second weekend, with China ($30million from first showings), the U.K. ($13.1million), France ($10.7million), Germany ($8.7million), and South Korea ($8.2million) as its largest markets. Its third weekend garnered $30.6million, comprising $16.4million from the U.K., $13.2million from France, $11.4million from Germany, $10.3million from South Korea, and $10.2million from China. Two weeks in Japan accumulated $11.4million. "Tenet" opened in India on December 4, 2020, and made about $576,000 in the first three days. "Tenet" became the highest grossing film of all time in Estonia, with a total gross of $1.2 million. With 65% of American and Canadian theaters operating at 25–40% capacity, the first eleven days acquired $20.2million from 2,810 theaters; $2.5million in Canada, $12million in the U.S., and the rest from previews. The second, third, and fourth weekends added $6.7million, $4.7million, and $3.4million, respectively. "Tenet" remained atop the box office in its fifth weekend with $2.7million, before ceding to "The War with Grandpa" in its sixth weekend. Critical response. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 70% of 349 critics have given "Tenet" a positive review, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A visually dazzling puzzle for film lovers to unlock, "Tenet" serves up all the cerebral spectacle audiences expect from a Christopher Nolan production." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and PostTrak reported 80% of those gave the film a positive score, with 65% saying they would recommend it. Keith Phillips of "The Ringer" wrote that "Tenet" has the makings of a cult film: "With a failed release due to the pandemic, a muted critical reception, and a twisty narrative that demands multiple viewings, Christopher Nolan's 2020 film has all of the elements that eventually lead to niche fandom." Guy Lodge of "Variety" described "Tenet" as a "grandly entertaining, time-slipping spectacle." "The Guardian" critic Peter Bradshaw felt it was both "madly preposterous" and "amazing cinema". Kevin Maher of "The Times" awarded the film a full five stars, deeming it "a delightfully convoluted masterpiece." Robbie Collin of "The Telegraph" likened it to Nolan's "Inception" and praised the "depth, subtlety and wit of Pattinson and Debicki's performances." In his review for "Rolling Stone", Peter Travers praised the film for being "pure, ravishing cinema", and praised Washington's performance, calling him a "star-in-the-making" and writing, "A former football running back, the actor brings a natural athletic grace to the stunts and hand-to-hand combat that forge a visceral bond between his character and the audience." A review for "The Dispatch" called "Tenet" "the perfect movie to mark the return of theaters because it captures so much of what makes the medium of cinema great." James Berardinelli noted that, "["Tenet"] may be the most challenging of Nolan's films to date when it comes to wrapping one's mind around the concepts forming the narrative's foundation: backwards-moving entropy, non-linear thinking, temporal paradoxes ... The film contains some of Nolan's most ambitious action sequences to-date but one wonders whether the plot density—a not inconsiderable obstacle for some who prefer not to devote their undivided attention for hours—might prove to be problematic." Mark Daniell of the "Toronto Sun" gave the film four out of four stars, deeming it "the cinematic equivalent of a Rubik's Cube, presented in towering Imax and featuring a polished cast set amidst some of the world's most gorgeous locations." Richard Roeper of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave it out of 4 stars, and noted that the movie "reaches for cinematic greatness and, though it doesn't quite reach that lofty goal, it's the kind of film that reminds us of the magic of the moviegoing experience." Jessica Kiang of "The New York Times" described it as Nolan's "time-bending" take on James Bond, praising the film's cinematography, score, editing, acting and "immaculately creaseless costumes", while also deeming it a "hugely expensive, blissfully empty spectacle". "LA Weekly"s Asher Luberto also highlighted the similarities between "Tenet" and the James Bond films, but also felt it was "a daring, surprising and entirely original piece of work, reverent in its spectacle and haunting in its mesmerizing, dreamlike form." Branagh's Andrei Sator was described by some critics as a stereotypical Russian villain. Christina Newland of "New York" noted that Sator is "played by a silly-accented Kenneth Branagh as a Bond-villain-esque Russian mastermind." Leslie Felperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" felt Washington was "dashing but a little dull," but remarked that Debicki's performance "adds a color to Nolan's palette, and [she] has persuasive chemistry with Branagh in their joint portrait of a violent, dysfunctional love-hate relationship." She further concluded that "Tenet" makes "for a chilly, cerebral film—easy to admire, especially since it's so rich in audacity and originality, but almost impossible to love, lacking as it is in a certain humanity." Mike McCahill of "IndieWire" noted that it was "the summer's most keenly awaited event movie" but gave it a "C-" grade and called it "a humorless disappointment". Poor sound mixing on 35 mm movie film "often" rendered dialog inaudible, stated Brian Lloyd of "Entertainment.ie"; viewing the film on Digital Cinema Package files reduced the problem. Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune" awarded the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing, "I wish "Tenet" exploited its own ideas more dynamically. Nolan's a prodigious talent. But no major director, I suppose, can avoid going sideways from time to time." "New York Post"s Johnny Oleksinski also gave it 2 out of 4 stars, calling it Nolan's most "confusing" work so far, but acknowledged being "swept up by Nolan's incomparable cinematic vision. He is one of the few directors working today who consistently churns out visually seismic, sophisticated action films". Kathleen Sachs of the "Chicago Reader" gave it out of 4 stars, concluding that Nolan "doesn't show much growth in his most recent self-indulgent work." Accolades. Glenn Whipp of the "Los Angeles Times" noted that Warner Bros. did not put "Tenet" on the Academy's streaming platform or send out screeners to awards voters. Possible sequel. On September 21, 2020, following the film's release, John David Washington was asked during an interview about a potential sequel to "Tenet". Washington replied; "In my mind, that's a yes!" Washington told "Esquire" about "Tenet" setting up a sequel, "We will be doing this again, we'll see you in a couple of years. In reality, I don't know. Chris does what he wants. Maybe he has something that he's developed for years that he wants to do next, maybe he's been inspired by something else he sees and wants to do that, I don't know. I hope we get to do it again, I hope we get to explore more, because I think we found something really unique".

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The Sacrifice (1986 film) The Sacrifice () is a 1986 drama film written and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. Starring Erland Josephson, it centers on a middle-aged intellectual who attempts to bargain with God to stop an impending nuclear holocaust. "The Sacrifice" was Tarkovsky's third film as a Soviet expatriate, after "Nostalghia" and the documentary "Voyage in Time", and was also his last, as he died shortly after its completion. Like 1972's "Solaris", it won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Plot. The film opens on the birthday of Alexander (Erland Josephson), an actor who gave up the stage to work as a journalist, critic and lecturer on aesthetics. He lives in a beautiful house with his actress wife Adelaide (Susan Fleetwood), stepdaughter Marta (Filippa Franzén), and young son, "Little Man", who is temporarily mute due to a throat operation. Alexander and Little Man plant a tree by the seaside, when Alexander's friend Otto, a part-time postman, delivers a birthday card to him. When Otto asks, Alexander says his relationship with God is "nonexistent". After Otto leaves, Adelaide and Victor, a medical doctor and a close family friend who performed Little Man's operation, arrive and offer to take Alexander and Little Man home in Victor's car, but Alexander prefers to stay behind and talk to his son. In his monologue, he first recounts how he and Adelaide found their house near the sea by accident, and how they fell in love with it and its surroundings, but then enters a bitter tirade against the state of modern man. As Tarkovsky wrote, Alexander is weary of "the pressures of change, the discord in his family, and his instinctive sense of the threat posed by the relentless march of technology"; in fact, he has "grown to hate the emptiness of human speech". The family, Victor, and Otto gather at Alexander's house for the celebration. Their maid Maria leaves, while nurse-maid Julia stays to help with the dinner. People comment on Maria's odd behavior. The guests chat inside the house, where Otto reveals that he is a student of paranormal phenomena, a collector of "inexplicable but true incidents." Just when dinner is almost ready, the rumbling noise of low-flying jet fighters interrupts them, and soon after, as Alexander enters, a news program announces the beginning of what appears to be all-out war, and possibly nuclear holocaust. His wife has a complete nervous breakdown. In despair, Alexander vows to God to sacrifice all he loves, even Little Man, if this may be undone. Otto advises him to slip away and lie with Maria, who Otto tells him is a witch "in the best possible sense". Alexander takes a pistol from Victor's medical bag, leaves a note in his room, escapes the house, and rides his bike to Maria's house. She is bewildered when he makes his advances, but when he puts the gun to his temple ("Don't kill us, Maria"), at which point the jet-fighters' rumblings return, she soothes him and they make love while floating above her bed, though Alexander's reaction is ambiguous. When he wakes the next morning, in his own bed, everything seems normal. Nevertheless, Alexander sets forth to give up all he loves and possesses. He tricks the family members and friends into going for a walk, and sets fire to their house while they are away. As the group rushes back, alarmed by the fire, Alexander confesses that he set it, and runs around wildly. Maria, who until then was not seen that morning, appears; Alexander tries to approach her, but is restrained by others. Without explanation, an ambulance appears, and two paramedics chase Alexander, who appears to have lost control of himself, and drive off with him. Maria begins to bicycle away, but stops to observe Little Man watering the tree he and Alexander planted the day before. As Maria leaves, the "mute" Little Man, lying at the foot of the tree, speaks his only line, which quotes the opening of the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word. Why is that, Papa?" Production. Pre-production. "The Sacrifice" originated as a screenplay called "The Witch", which preserved the element of a middle-aged protagonist spending the night with a reputed witch. But in this story, his cancer was miraculously cured, and he ran away with the woman. In March 1982, Tarkovsky wrote in his journal that he considered this ending "weak", as the happy ending was unchallenged. He wanted personal favorite and frequent collaborator Anatoly Solonitsyn to star in this picture, as was also his intention for "Nostalghia", but when Solonitsyn died from cancer in 1982, the director rewrote the screenplay into what became "The Sacrifice" and also filmed "Nostalghia" with Oleg Yankovsky as the lead. Tarkovsky considered "The Sacrifice" different from his earlier films because, while his recent films had been "impressionistic in structure", in this case he not only "aimed...to develop [its] episodes in the light of my own experience and of the rules of dramatic structure", but also to "[build] the picture into a poetic whole in which all the episodes were harmoniously linked", and because of this, it "took on the form of a poetic parable". At the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, Tarkovsky was invited to film in Sweden, as he was a longtime friend of Anna-Lena Wibom of the Swedish Film Institute. He decided to film "The Sacrifice" with Erland Josephson, who was best known for his work with Ingmar Bergman, and whom Tarkovsky had directed in "Nostalghia". Cinematographer Sven Nykvist, a friend of Josephson and frequent collaborator with Bergman, was asked to join the production. Despite a contemporaneous offer to shoot Sydney Pollack's "Out of Africa", Nykvist later said it was "not a difficult choice", and like Josephson, he became a co-producer when he invested his fees back into the film. Production designer Anna Asp, who worked on Bergman's "Autumn Sonata" and "After the Rehearsal" and had won an Academy Award for "Fanny and Alexander", also joined the project, as well as Daniel Bergman, one of Ingmar's children, who worked as a camera assistant. Many critics commented on "The Sacrifice" in the context of Bergman's work. Filming. While often erroneously claimed to have been shot on Fårö, "The Sacrifice" was actually filmed at Närsholmen on the nearby island of Gotland; the Swedish military denied Tarkovsky access to Fårö. Alexander's house, built for the production, was to be burned for the climactic scene, in which Alexander burns it and his possessions. The shot was very difficult to achieve, and the first failed attempt was, according to Tarkovsky, the only problem during shooting. Despite Nykvist's protest, only one camera was used, and while shooting the burning house, the camera jammed and the footage was thus ruined. The scene had to be reshot, requiring a very costly reconstruction of the house in two weeks. This time, two cameras were set up on tracks, running parallel to each other. The footage in the final version of the film is the second take, which lasts six minutes (and ends abruptly because the camera had run through an entire reel). The cast and crew broke down in tears after the take was completed. Post-production. Tarkovsky and Nykvist performed significant amounts of color reduction on select scenes. According to Nykvist, almost 60% of the color was removed from them. Reception. The film won Tarkovsky his second Grand Prix, after "Solaris", his third FIPRESCI Prize at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival, and his third Palme D'Or nomination. "The Sacrifice" also won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. At the 22nd Guldbagge Awards, the film won the awards for Best Film and Best Actor (Erland Josephson). In 1988, it won the BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film was selected as the Swedish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 59th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. Since its release, reviewers have responded positively to the film; the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 86%, based on 42 reviews with an average rating of 7.58/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Formally impressive, visually accomplished, and narratively rewarding, "The Sacrifice" places a fittingly solid capstone on a brilliant filmmaking career". In 1995, the Vatican compiled a list of 45 "great films", separated into the categories of Religion, Values, and Art, to recognize the centennial of cinema. "The Sacrifice" was included in the first category, as was Tarkovsky's "Andrei Rublev". Critics have commented on "The Sacrifice"'s religious ambiguities. Dennis Lim wrote that it is "not exactly a simple allegory of Christian atonement and self-sacrifice". Catholic film critic Steven Greydanus contrasts the film's "dialectic of Christian and pagan ideas" with "Andrei Rublev", writing that, while Rublev "[rejects] the advances of an alluring pagan witch as incompatible with Christian love", "The Sacrifice" "juxtaposes" both sensibilities.

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Appleseed (2004 film) is a 2004 Japanese animated post-apocalyptic action film directed by Shinji Aramaki and based on the "Appleseed" manga created by Masamune Shirow. It features the voice acting of Ai Kobayashi, Jūrōta Kosugi, Mami Koyama, Yuki Matsuoka, and Toshiyuki Morikawa. The film tells the story of Deunan Knute, a former soldier, who searches for data that can restore the reproductive capabilities of bioroids, a race of genetically engineered clones. Although it shares characters and settings with the original manga, this film's storyline is a re-interpretation, not a true adaptation. This "Appleseed" film should not be confused with the 1988 OVA which was also inspired by the manga. "Appleseed" was released on April 18, 2004. Plot. Deunan Knute, a young soldier and one of the Global War's last survivors, is rescued by Hitomi, a Second Generation Bioroid. Knute's escape attempt is stopped by her former lover Briareos Hecatonchires, now a cyborg. She realizes that the war had ended and she is in a Utopian city called Olympus. Its population is half-human and half-clone, a genetically-engineered species called Bioroids. Olympus is governed by three factions: Prime Minister Athena Areios; General Edward Uranus III, head of the Olympus Army; and a Council of Elders. Everything in the city is observed by an artificial intelligence named Gaia from a building called Tartaros. While there, Deunan joins the counter-terrorism organization ESWAT. The Bioroids were created from the DNA of Deunan's late father, Carl, making the Second Generation Bioroids her brothers and sisters. However, they have a much shorter lifespan than humans due to suppressed reproductive capabilities. The Bioroid's life extension facilities are destroyed by a secret faction of the Regular Army in a terrorist attack against the Bioroids. However, the Appleseed data, which contains information on restoring the Bioroids reproduction capabilities, still exists. Olympus is plagued by conflicting factions. Along with a strike force, Deunan and Briareos head to the building where the Bioroids were originally created. She activates a holographic recording showing the location of the Appleseed data. Dr. Gilliam Knute, who created the Bioroids and revealed to be Deunan's mother, entrusted Appleseed to Deunan, but was inadvertently killed by a soldier. After mourning her death, Leyton turns against his men. They then get cornered by the Regular Army. Deunan discovers from anti-Bioroid terrorist Colonel Hades that Briareos had intentionally allowed his Landmate, a large exoskeleton-like battlesuit, to escape. Kudoh then sacrifices himself to get Deunan and Briareos out of harm's way and escape to the rooftop. Uranus attempts to convince Deunan that Bioroids seek to control humanity, and he wants to destroy Appleseed and the D-Tank containing the Bioroid reproductive activation mechanism. Briareos tells Uranus that the Elders manipulated the Army into wanting to destroy the D-Tank, but Athena is trying to prevent them from doing so and protect humanity. Hades, who resents Carl, wounds Briareos. She and Briareos flee into the sea, killing Hades in the process. Despite Deunan's pleas not to leave Briareos behind, he persuades her to search for the Elders. Mechanic Yoshitsune Miyamoto arrives in his Landmate and begins repairing Briareos after receiving an SOS from him. Deunan flies back to Olympus in Yoshitsune's Landmate and uses the Appleseed data to fully restore Bioroid reproductive functions. As Deunan encounters the Council of Elders, they reveal their involvement in Gilliam's death and also plan to use the D-tank virus to sterilize humans, which will leave the Bioroids the new rulers of Earth. They needed the Appleseed data to keep the Bioroids alive, but Gilliam hid the data so they could not move forward with their plan. Athena, stepping in to stop them and announcing that Uranus has surrendered, tells Deunan that the Elders had been acting on their own and had shut Gaia down once they realized humanity had softened their stance against Bioroids. The Elders state that they will soon die since Gaia kept them alive, but that they were ready to sacrifice themselves. They then activate the city's mobile fortress defenses, which begin marching towards Tartaros. Athena states that D-tank's security system is nearly impenetrable, but a shot from the fortresses' main cannons might puncture the tank, releasing the virus. ESWAT begins mobilizing, but suffer heavy casualties due to the fortresses' heavy weaponry. Briareos arrives and asks Deunan to join the battle. Despite the Elders' objections, she goes with him to the seventh tower, and attempts to enter the password to shut the defenses down, but a malfunction makes it difficult. The final password letter appears by itself, and Deunan secures the D-Tank, shutting down the towers. She reveals that the sins of humanity will probably get worse, but that there is always the chance that future generations will learn from these mistakes; she vows to keep fighting for the children. Cast. Fumio Matsuoka, Hirotake Nagata, Ikuo Nishikawa, Ryuji Nakagi, Takehiro Koyama, Toshihiko Kuwagai and Yoshiyuki Kaneko as the Seven Elders: A council of seven elderly men who determine Olympus's final will by consulting with the Gaia supercomputer. They are voiced by Doug Stone, Fred Bloggs, Kim Strauss, Michael Sorich, Mike Reynolds, Michael Forest and William Frederick Knight in the Geneon dub, and by Andy McAvin, T. Posthlewaite, Marty Fleck, John Gremillion, Christopher Ayres, Ted Pfister and Stefan Craig in the Sentai Filmworks dub. Music. The original soundtrack and music to the series features an electronic, techno and trance theme, with the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Basement Jaxx, Boom Boom Satellites, Akufen, Carl Craig, T. Raumschmiere and Ryuichi Sakamoto handling the music. Release history. The film was released in theaters on April 18, 2004 in Japan. On January 14, 2005, Geneon Entertainment released the film in 30 theaters. It was later released on DVD on May 10, 2005, but with Geneon's name and logo removed from the credits and trailer. Geneon Entertainment's North American division was shut down in December 2007. This allowed the film to be picked up by Sentai Filmworks, with distribution from ADV Films, who re-released it on DVD July 1, 2009. Sentai Filmworks, along with Section23 Films, released "Appleseed" on Blu-ray Disc on May 18, 2010. The Blu-ray edition of the film includes the original Animaze English dub and an updated dub produced by Seraphim Digital, which features most of the cast from "Appleseed Ex Machina". The movie was rereleased in a Blu-ray/DVD set on September 8, 2015, under the Sentai Selects label. Reception. The film has a 24% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critic consensus saying "While visually arresting, Appleseed's narrative and dialogue pondering existentialism is ponderous, awkward, and clumsy." IGN.com gave the film 7 out of 10, commenting that the film is more fun, beautiful and much better than the 1988 film. Anime News Network's Carlo Santos said while the plot is overly clichéd, the visual presentation and musical score both stand out and give the film its worth. Helen McCarthy in "500 Essential Anime Movies" noted the use of shading and motion capture in the film, stating that "as good as the technology is, the script doesn't match the 1988 version". Sequels and prequel. Director Shinji Aramaki also directed the sequel to the 2004 movie, titled "Appleseed Ex Machina", which was released on October 19, 2007, in Japan. The movie once again featured animated computer-generated imagery, although the cel shaded style was abandoned. On July 22, 2014, an indirect prequel titled "Appleseed Alpha" was released on Blu-ray and DVD after a digital release on July 15, 2014. Aftermath and influence. "Appleseed" (2004) was described by Mark Schilling ("The Japan Times") as "innovative use of out-of-the-box animation software to create Hollywood-style effects at a tiny fraction of Hollywood budgets." This statement was echoed by Studio Ghibli president Toshio Suzuki who stated that "Appleseed" would revolutionise the animation business.

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Equilibrium (film) Equilibrium is a 2002 American science fiction action film written and directed by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Christian Bale, Emily Watson, and Taye Diggs. The film follows John Preston (Bale), an enforcement officer in a future in which feelings and artistic expression are outlawed and citizens take daily injections of psychoactive drugs to suppress their emotions. After accidentally missing a dose, Preston begins to experience emotions, which makes him question his morality and moderate his actions while attempting to remain undetected by the suspicious society in which he lives. Ultimately, he aids a resistance movement using advanced martial arts, which he was taught by the regime he is helping to overthrow. Plot. Libria, a totalitarian city-state established by survivors of World War III, blames human emotion as the cause for the war. Any activity or object that stimulates emotion is strictly forbidden. Those in violation are labelled "Sense Offenders" and sentenced to death. The population is forced to take a daily injection of "Prozium II" to suppress emotion. Libria is governed by the Tetragrammaton Council, led by "Father", who communicates propaganda through giant video screens throughout the city. At the pinnacle of law enforcement are the Grammaton Clerics, trained in the martial art of gun kata. Clerics frequently raid homes to search for and destroy illegal materials – art, literature and music – executing violators on the spot. A resistance movement, known as the "Underground", emerges to topple Father and the Tetragrammaton Council. In 2072, John Preston is a high-ranking Cleric whose wife, Viviana, was executed as a Sense Offender, leaving him as a single parent of two. Following a raid, Preston notices his partner, Errol Partridge, saves a book of poems by W. B. Yeats instead of turning it in for incineration. He follows Partridge to the Nether – a term for regions outside the city – and finds him reading the book. After seeing Preston, Partridge claims he gladly pays the heavy price of feeling emotion; Preston executes him as Partridge slowly reaches for his gun. Preston accidentally breaks a daily vial of Prozium and is unable to replace it before going on the next raid. Brief episodes of emotion set in evoking memories, stirring feelings, and making him more aware of his surroundings. He intentionally skips additional doses of Prozium, hiding them behind the mirror in his bathroom. Partridge is replaced with an ambitious, career-conscious Brandt, who expresses admiration for Preston's "uncompromising" work as a Cleric. On a raid, they arrest Sense Offender Mary O'Brien. To Brandt's surprise, Preston prevents him from executing O'Brien, saying she should be kept alive for interrogation. Brandt grows suspicious of Preston's hesitation. Preston begins to feel remorse for killing Partridge and develops an emotional relationship with O'Brien. He uncovers clues that lead to meeting Jurgen, leader of the Underground. Jurgen is planning to disrupt Prozium production to spark a populace uprising and convinces Preston that Father must be assassinated. Vice-Counsel DuPont meets with Preston to reveal that there is a traitor in the upper ranks of the Clerics. Although DuPont appears to know it is Preston, he assigns him the task of unmasking the traitor. Relieved, Preston accepts and promises to locate the Underground's leadership. Meanwhile, O'Brien is set to be executed, and Jurgen advises against interfering believing it could sabotage plans for the revolution. Unable to bear her death, Preston attempts to stop the execution and fails. He has an emotional breakdown and is arrested by Brandt, who brings him before DuPont. Preston tricks DuPont into believing that Brandt is the traitor. Following Brandt's arrest, Preston is told that his home will be searched as a formality. He rushes home to destroy the hidden vials only to discover his son, who stopped taking Prozium after his mother died, already has. Jurgen tells Preston to capture the leaders of the resistance to regain government trust, hoping it will get Preston close enough to assassinate Father. Preston is granted an exclusive audience with Father only to discover that Brandt was not arrested; it was part of a ruse to expose Preston and the Underground. DuPont reveals he is Father, having secretly replaced the original Father who died, and that he doesn't take Prozium to suppress emotion. He taunts Preston, asking how it felt to betray the Underground. Enraged, Preston fights his way through an army of bodyguards to DuPont's office, confronting and killing Brandt in a katana battle. DuPont and Preston engage in a gun kata showdown. Preston wins as DuPont pleads for his life asking, "Is it really worth the price?" Paying homage to Partridge's last words, he responds, "I pay it gladly" and kills DuPont. He destroys the command center that broadcasts Father propaganda. Preston watches with satisfaction from above as the Underground destroys Prozium manufacturing plants, signaling the beginning of the revolution. Gun kata. Angus Macfadyen's character, Vice-Counsel DuPont, describes the fictional fighting style "gun kata" in the film: Through analysis of thousands of recorded gunfights, the Cleric has determined that the geometric distribution of antagonists in any gun battle is a statistically-predictable element. The gun kata treats the gun as a total weapon, each fluid position representing a maximum kill zone, inflicting maximum damage on the maximum number of opponents, while keeping the defender clear of the statistically-traditional trajectories of return fire. By the rote mastery of this art, your firing efficiency will rise by no less than 120 percent. The difference of a 63 percent increased lethal proficiency makes the master of the gun katas an adversary not to be taken lightly. Kata (型, かた) is a Japanese word for standard forms of movements and postures in karate, jujutsu, aikido, and many other traditional martial arts. The gun kata shown in "Equilibrium" is a hybrid of Wimmer's own style of gun kata (invented in his backyard) and the martial arts style of the fight choreographer Jim Vickers, with elements of the Chinese Wing Chun martial art style. Production. Filming began on October 19, 2000 and ended on December 10, 2000 Most of the filming used locations in Berlin, due to its unique mixture of fascist and modern architecture. According to the visual effects supervisor Tim McGovern, who worked alongside Wimmer, the fascist architecture was chosen "to make the individual feel small and insignificant so the government seems more powerful". The modern architecture of Berlin emphasizes the futuristic and stolid appearance of the city-state of Libria. Thick walls are represented by an abandoned East German military base, while the exterior of the city, where many of the surviving rebels reside, was filmed in decrepit neighborhoods of East Germany. In addition to the geographic location, a few European art directors also made substantial contributions to the production. "Equilibrium" locations include: Although making a science fiction movie, Wimmer intentionally avoided using futuristic technology that could become obsolete, and he also decided to set his story in an indeterminate future. "I wanted to create more of an alternate reality than get caught up in the gadgetry of science fiction," he explained. "In fact, there’s no technology in "Equilibrium" that doesn’t already exist. It’s more like a parallel universe, the perfect setting for a parable." Reception. Critical response. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 40% of critics gave the film positive reviews and an average rating of 4.8/10, based on 90 reviews, with the site's consensus stating ""Equilibrium" is a reheated mishmash of other sci-fi movies." Metacritic gave the film a score of 33 out of 100, based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". Elvis Mitchell of The "New York Times" dismissed "Equilibrium" for having heavily borrowed from "Fahrenheit 451", "Nineteen Eighty-Four", "Brave New World", and other science fiction classics. Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 stars out of 4, noting that ""Equilibrium" would be a mindless action picture, except that it has a mind. It doesn't do a lot of deep thinking, but unlike many futuristic combos of sf and f/x, it does make a statement." Wimmer said in a "Dreamwatch" magazine interview that "the paying customers seemed to get it," and said the critics "didn't seem to see that the film had a different message than" "Fahrenheit 451" or "1984". Responding to the critics' views, Wimmer later said, "Why would I make a movie for someone I wouldn't want to hang out with? Have you ever met a critic who you wanted to party with? I haven't." Box office. The film had an estimated production budget of $20 million. International pre-release sales had already made a profit, so the studio reduced the film's promotion and advertising budget to avoid the risk of the film losing money; as a consequence, theatrical release was limited. The film was shown in only 301 theaters at its widest release in the United States, earning $541,512 in its opening week, and only $1.2 million when it closed on December 26, 2002; the film earned $4.1 million internationally, for a total of $5.3 million worldwide. Alternative English Titles. This movie has also been released with other English titles in some countries: Comics. In 2017, American Mythology Productions published a three-issue comic book series set in the world of Equilibrium. It was written by Pat Shand and drawn by Jason Craig and Eliseu Gouveia.

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Aftershock (1990 film) Aftershock (or After Shock) is a 1990 action/science fiction film directed by Frank Harris, written by Michael Standing, starring James Lew and Michael Standing. It was distributed through Universal Pictures and filmed in 1988. Plot. After an event which appears to have been World War III (the cause is not explained in the movie) Commander Eastern is the leader of a futuristic society in a post-apocalyptic world. The society is fascist, and the citizens have a bar code tattooed on them, they no longer openly question their leaders. A radio host called " Big Sister" supports the efforts of the fascists, while paramilitary groups patrol the city A group of rebels, led by Col. Slater, seek to end the fascist rule. Willie (Jay Roberts, Jr.) and Danny (Chuck Jeffries) are two of those being held as troublemakers in prison. An alien, Sabrina, who has been observing the planet since the war, decides to visit Earth and unintentionally involves herself in the battle between the rebels and the fascists. She is captured by the security forces and is question by Oliver Quinn (John Saxon), leader of the paramilitary. As she does not fully understand English, she is unable to answer any of Quinn’s questions. Sabrina ultimately ends up in prison with several of the rebels, including Willie and Danny. Sabrina explains in broken English that her people intercepted a NASA probe and misinterpreted the data on the probe as Earth having an idealist society. She had traveled to Earth hoping to find ways to improve her society. In order to return home, Sabrina must get back to her landing site to use an energy cycle to return to her planet. After Sabrina, Willie and Danny break out of the prison they head to the rebel’s headquarters. Quinn is planning an assault on the rebel base. Sabrina is captured by a bounty hunter, (Chris De Rose), who gives her to Quinn. She again escapes. As the rebels regroup and Sabrina gets their computers working, they stage an attack on the fascist forces. Sabrina returns home as the rebels vow to continue to fight, Reception. Creature Feature gave the movie 2 out of 5 stars, praising staging of the martial art fights and the performance of Russ Tamblyn, but found little else to like Kim Newman found the movie to be cheap and repetitive. TV Guide gave the movie one of four stars, calling in a collection of post-apocalyptical clichés, although it noted that the cast was better than in many movies of this genre. Home Release. Released on VHS in 1990 and on DVD in 2001. As of September 2020, the movie is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

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White House Down White House Down is a 2013 American action film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by James Vanderbilt. In the film, a divorced US Capitol Police officer named John Cale attempts to rescue both his daughter Emily and the President of the United States James Sawyer when a massively destructive terrorist assault occurs in the White House. The film stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Joey King, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, and James Woods. Released on June 28, 2013 by Sony Pictures, "White House Down" received mixed reviews from critics toward the screenwriting and the clichéd storyline, although the performances and action sequences were praised. The film was a box office bomb, grossing over $205 million worldwide against budget of $150 million. "White House Down" was one of two films released in 2013 that dealt with a terrorist attack on the White House; the other, "Olympus Has Fallen", was released three months earlier. Plot. U.S. President James Sawyer makes a controversial proposal to remove military forces from the Middle East. Divorced veteran John Cale works as a Capitol Police officer assigned to Speaker of the House Eli Raphelson, whose nephew, Corporal Dawson, he saved while serving in Afghanistan. Cale hopes to impress his daughter Emily by interviewing for the Secret Service Presidential Detail, getting tickets for them to tour the White House. His interviewer, Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge Carol Finnerty, a college acquaintance, deems him unqualified for the job. Meanwhile, a bomb is detonated in the United States Capitol, collapsing the rotunda and sending Washington, D.C. into lockdown. Finnerty escorts Raphelson to an underground command center in the Pentagon, while Vice President Alvin Hammond is taken aboard Air Force One. A team of mercenaries led by ex-Delta Force operative Emil Stenz infiltrate the White House and overwhelm the Secret Service, seizing the building. The tour group is taken hostage in the Blue Room by white nationalist Carl Killick, but Cale escapes to search for Emily, separated during the tour. Retiring Head of the Presidential Detail Special Agent-in-Charge Martin Walker brings Sawyer to the PEOC beneath the White House Library. Inside, Walker kills Sawyer's detail, including fellow agent Ted Hope, revealing himself as the leader of the attack, apparently seeking vengeance against Sawyer for his Marine son, Kevin Walker, who was killed in a botched mission in Iran the year prior. Cale kills a mercenary, taking his weapon and radio, and rescues Sawyer after overhearing Walker. Walker brings in ex-NSA analyst Skip Tyler to hack the PEOC's defense system, but requires Sawyer to activate the nuclear football. Killick catches Emily filming the intruders on her phone and takes her hostage. Cale and Sawyer contact the command structure via a scrambled satellite phone in the residence, whereas Finnerty uses Emily's YouTube video to discover the mercenaries' identities. Cale and Sawyer try to escape via a secret tunnel, but find the exit rigged with explosives. They escape in the presidential limo but are chased by Stenz and fall into the White House pool. With Sawyer and Cale presumed dead in an explosion in the cabana, the 25th amendment is invoked; Hammond is sworn in as president. Cale and Sawyer, still alive, learn Hammond has ordered an aerial incursion to re-acquire the White House, but the mercenaries shoot down the helicopters. Learning Emily's identity from the video, Stenz takes her to Walker in the Oval Office. Hacking into NORAD, Tyler launches a missile at Air Force One from Piketon, Ohio, killing Hammond and everyone on board. Raphelson is sworn in as president and orders an air strike on the White House. Sawyer surrenders himself to save Emily. Walker, blaming Iran for Kevin's death, demands Sawyer use the football to launch nuclear missiles against various Iranian cities. Sawyer refuses, while Cale sets fire to several rooms as a diversion. Tyler inadvertently triggers the tunnel explosives and is vaporized. Killing most of the mercenaries and freeing the hostages with the help of tour guide Donnie Donaldson, Cale blows Stenz up with a grenade belt. Sawyer attacks Walker, but in the fight Walker uses Sawyer's handprint to activate the football and shoots Sawyer, much to Emily's fury. Before Walker can finally launch the missiles, Cale crashes a reinforced Chevrolet Suburban into the Oval Office and kills him with the car's rotary cannon. Emily runs outside and waves off the incoming fighter planes with a presidential flag, calling off the air strike. Sawyer survives thanks to a pocket watch once belonging to Abraham Lincoln that stopped Walker's bullet. With Finnerty's help, Cale realizes that Raphelson was the one who gave Walker the launch codes, having acted at the behest of the corrupt military–industrial complex. Believing Sawyer dead and that Cale will never be believed, Raphelson is tricked into confessing and arrested for treason. Sawyer names Cale his new special agent and takes him and Emily on an aerial tour of DC on Marine One, aboard which he receives word that France, Russia, China, Israel and Iran have agreed to his peace deal after learning of the events at the White House, calling for an end to all wars. Production. "White House Down" is directed by Roland Emmerich and based on a screenplay by James Vanderbilt, who is also one of the film's producers. Sony Pictures purchased Vanderbilt's spec script in March 2012 for , in what "The Hollywood Reporter" called "one of the biggest spec sales in quite a while". The journal said the script was similar "tonally and thematically" to the films "Die Hard" and "Air Force One". In the following April, Sony hired Roland Emmerich as director. Emmerich began filming in July 2012 at the La Cité Du Cinéma in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Cinematographer Anna Foerster shot the film with Arri Alexa Plus digital cameras. In 2012, Sony competed with Millennium Films, who were producing "Olympus Has Fallen" (also about a takeover of the White House) to complete casting and to begin filming. Release. "White House Down" was originally scheduled for a November 1, 2013 release, but was moved up to a June 28, 2013 release. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on November 5, 2013. Reception. Critical response. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 199 reviews, with a weighted average of 5.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads: ""White House Down" benefits from the leads' chemistry, but director Roland Emmerich smothers the film with narrative clichés and choppily edited action." At Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale. Roth Cornet of IGN gives it a 6.5/10, concluding: ""White House Down" is a pretty silly rehashing of previously tread action movie territory, but if you're willing to laugh along with (or even at) it, it can be a highly entertaining experience." Andrew Chan of the Film Critics Circle of Australia writes, "I am not entirely sure, whether I should be happy or sad that I laughed when someone got shot or bombed, but such is the manner of how the film is played out." Box office. "White House Down" grossed $73.1 million in the United States, and $132.3 million internationally, for a total gross of $205.4 million, against a budget of $150 million. The film made $24.8 million in North American during its opening weekend, coming in below expectations and finishing fourth at the box office.

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Seven Days in May Seven Days in May is a 1964 American political thriller film about a military-political cabal's planned takeover of the United States government in reaction to the president's negotiation of a disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union. The picture, starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Fredric March, and Ava Gardner, was directed by John Frankenheimer from a screenplay written by Rod Serling and based on the novel of the same name by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II, published in September 1962. Background. The book was written in late 1961 and into early 1962, during the first year of the Kennedy administration, reflecting some of the events of that era. In November 1961, President John F. Kennedy accepted the resignation of vociferously anti-Communist General Edwin Walker who was indoctrinating the troops under his command with personal political opinions and had described former President Harry S. Truman, former United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and other recent still-active public figures as Communist sympathizers. Although no longer in uniform, Walker continued to be in the news as he ran for Governor of Texas and made speeches promoting strongly right-wing views. In the film version of "Seven Days in May", Fredric March, portraying the narrative's fictional President Jordan Lyman, mentions General Walker as one of the "false prophets" who were offering themselves to the public as leaders. (John F. Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald purportedly fired rifle shots into the home of General Walker in April 1963.) As they collaborated on the novel, Knebel and Bailey, who were primarily political journalists and columnists, also conducted interviews with another controversial military commander, the newly appointed Air Force Chief of Staff, General Curtis LeMay, who was angry with Kennedy for refusing to provide air support for the Cuban rebels in the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The character of General James Mattoon Scott itself was believed to be inspired by both LeMay and Walker. President Kennedy had read "Seven Days in May" shortly after its publication and believed the scenario as described could actually occur in the United States. According to Frankenheimer in his director's commentary, production of the film received encouragement and assistance from Kennedy through White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, who conveyed to Frankenheimer Kennedy's wish that the film be produced and that, although the Pentagon did not want the film made, the President would arrange to be visiting Hyannis Port for a weekend when the film needed to shoot outside the White House. Plot. The story is set in 1970, six years in the future at the time of the film's 1964 release, and the Cold War is still a problem (in the 1962 book, the setting was May 1974 after a stalemated war in Iran). U.S. President Jordan Lyman has recently signed a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviet Union, and the subsequent ratification by the U.S. Senate has produced a wave of dissatisfaction, especially among Lyman's opposition and the military, who believe the Soviets cannot be trusted. A Pentagon insider, United States Marine Corps Colonel "Jiggs" Casey (the Director of the Joint Staff), stumbles on evidence that the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by its charismatic chairman United States Air Force General James Mattoon Scott who was a former fighter pilot, a war veteran, a flying ace, Medal of Honor recipient and an honorable patriot, intend to stage a "coup d'etat" to remove Lyman and his cabinet in seven days. Under the plan, a secret Army unit known as ECOMCON (Emergency COMmunications CONtrol) will seize control of the country's telephone, radio, and television networks, while Congress is prevented from implementing the treaty. Although personally opposed to Lyman's policies, Casey is appalled by the plot and alerts Lyman, who gathers a circle of trusted advisors to investigate: Secret Service White House Detail Chief Art Corwin, Treasury Secretary Christopher Todd, advisor Paul Girard, and Senator Raymond Clark of Georgia. Casey uses the pretense of a social visit to General Scott's former mistress to ferret out potential secrets that can be used against Scott, in the form of indiscreet letters he had written her. Meanwhile, the alcoholic Clark is sent to Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, to locate the secret base, and Girard leaves for the Mediterranean to obtain a confession from Vice Admiral Barnswell, who declined to participate in the coup. Girard gets the confession in writing, but is killed when his return flight crashes, while Clark is taken captive when he reaches the secret base. However, Clark convinces the base's deputy commander, Colonel Henderson, a friend of Casey's, not to be a part of the coup and to help him escape. They reach Washington, DC, but Henderson is abducted during a moment apart from Clark and confined in a military stockade. Lyman calls Scott to the White House to demand that he and the other plotters resign. Scott denies the existence of the plot, but takes the opportunity to denounce Lyman and the treaty. Lyman argues that a coup in America would prompt the Soviets to make a preemptive strike. Scott maintains that the American people are behind him. Lyman is on the verge of confronting Scott with the letters obtained from Scott's mistress when he decides against it and allows Scott to leave. Scott meets the other three Joint Chiefs, demanding they stay in line and reminding them that Lyman does not seem to have concrete evidence of their plot. Somewhat reassured, the others agree to continue the plan to appear on television and radio simultaneously on the next day to denounce Lyman. However, Lyman first holds a press conference, at which he is prepared to announce that he has fired the four men. As Lyman is speaking, Barnswell's hand-written confession, recovered from the plane crash, is handed to him and he delays the conference for half an hour. In the interim, copies of the confession are delivered to Scott and the other plotters. As the broadcast of the press conference resumes, Scott prepares to go forward with the coup anyway, but then gives up when he hears President Lyman announce that the other three plotters have tendered their resignations. The film ends with an address by Lyman to American people on the country's future, and leaves unanswered the question of General Scott's fate. Cast. Character names. Other than the billing, "Also starring Ava Gardner as Eleanor Holbrook" (Scott's mistress), none of the other characters is identified by name in the credits, thus although Kirk Douglas' "Jiggs Casey" and Andrew Duggan's "Mutt Henderson" are described in the book as having the given names of "Martin" and "William", respectively, those names are never mentioned in the film. Also, while Rod Serling's screenplay names the head of the White House Secret Service as "Art Corwin", in the film he is only referred to as "Art" or "Arthur". The surname "Corwin" was a tribute to the radio drama writer Serling described as his idol, Norman Corwin, while the given name "Art" was a nod to Serling's personal favorite, Art Carney, who played a fictionalized version of Serling in Serling's autobiographical 1959 "Playhouse 90" drama, "The Velvet Alley", as well as the reincarnated Santa Claus, "Henry Corwin", in "The Night of the Meek", Serling's 1960 Christmas episode of "The Twilight Zone". Production. Kirk Douglas and director John Frankenheimer were the moving forces behind the filming of "Seven Days in May"; the film was produced by Edward Lewis through Douglas's company Joel Productions and Seven Arts Productions. Frankenheimer wanted the screenwriter to be a partner in the production, and Rod Serling agreed to this arrangement. Douglas agreed to star in it, but he also wanted his frequent co-star Burt Lancaster to star in the film as well. Douglas enticed Lancaster to join the film by offering him the meatier role of General Scott, the film's villain, while Douglas agreed to take the role of Scott's assistant. Lancaster's involvement almost caused Frankenheimer to back out, since he and Lancaster had butted heads on "Birdman of Alcatraz" two years earlier. Only Douglas's assurances that Lancaster would behave kept the director on the project. Ironically, Lancaster and Frankenheimer got along well during the filming, while Douglas and the director had a falling-out. Frankenheimer was also very happy with Lancaster's performance, and noted in the long scene toward the end between Lancaster and March, probably his all-time favourite directed scene, that Lancaster was "perfect" in his delivery and that no other actor could have done it better. Most of the actors in the film Frankenheimer had worked with previously, a directorial preference. Frankenheimer, in the DVD commentary for the film, stated that he would not have made the movie any differently decades later and that it was one of the films he was most satisfied with. He saw it as a chance to "put a nail in the coffin of McCarthy". Many of Lancaster's scenes were shot later on as he was recovering from hepatitis. The filming took 51 days and according to the director the production was a happy affair, and all of the actors and crew displayed great reverence for Fredric March. Ava Gardner, whose scenes were shot in just six days, however, thought that Frankenheimer favored the other actors over her and Martin Balsam objected to his habit of shooting off pistols behind him during important scenes. Frankenheimer remarked that she was a "lovely person" and overwhelmingly beautiful, but at times "difficult" to work with. The director had formerly been in the military and had been inside the Pentagon so he didn't have to conduct much research for the film; he stated that the sets were totally authentic, praising the production designer. In addition, many of the scenes in the film were loosely based on real-life events of the Cold War to provide authenticity. In an early example of guerrilla filmmaking, Frankenheimer photographed Martin Balsam being ferried out to the supercarrier , berthed at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego (standing in for Gibraltar), without prior Defense Department permission. Frankenheimer needed a commanding figure to play Vice Admiral Farley C. Barnswell and asked his friend, well-known producer John Houseman, to play him, to which he agreed, on condition that he have a fine bottle of wine (which is seen during the telephone scene), although he was uncredited for the role. It was Houseman's American acting debut, and he would not appear onscreen again until his Oscar-winning role in "The Paper Chase" (1973). Frankenheimer also wanted a shot of Kirk Douglas entering the Pentagon, but could not get permission because of security considerations, so he rigged a movie camera in a parked station wagon to photograph Douglas walking up to the Pentagon. Douglas actually received salutes from military personnel inasmuch as he was wearing the uniform of a U.S. Marine Corps colonel. Several scenes, including one with nuns in the background, were shot inside Washington Dulles International Airport which had recently been built, and the production team were the first ever to film there. The alley and car park scene was shot in Hollywood, and other footage was shot in the Californian desert in 110 degree heat. The secret base and airstrip was specially built in the desert near Indio, California, and they borrowed an aircraft tail in one shot to make it look like a whole plane was off the picture. Originally the script had Lancaster die in a car crash at the end after hitting a bus, but finally this was edited out in favor of a small scene of him departing by taxi which was shot on a Sunday in Paris during production of "The Train" (1964). Getting permission near the White House was easier. Frankenheimer said that Pierre Salinger conveyed to him President Kennedy's wish that the film be made; "these were the days of General Walker" and, though the Pentagon did not want the film made, the president would conveniently arrange to visit Hyannis Port for a weekend when the film needed to shoot a staged riot outside the White House. Kirk Douglas recalled President Kennedy approving of the making of the film. The director considered the scene in which Douglas's character visits the president to be a masterful scene of acting which would have been technically very difficult for most actors to sustain. He had done similar scenes on many television shows, and every camera angle and shot was extensively planned and rehearsed as was the acting in the scene by the actors. Frankenheimer paid particular attention to ensuring that the three actors in the scene were all in focus for dramatic impact. Many of Frankenheimer's signature shots were used in scenes such as this throughout the film, including his "depth of focus" shot with one or two people near the camera and another or others in the distance and the "low angle, wide-angle lens" (set at f/11) which he considered to give "tremendous impact" on a scene. Some efforts were made in the film to have the movie appear to take place in the near future, for instance the use of the then-futuristic technology of video teleconferencing, and of the use of (more exotic) foreign cars in place of (more ordinary) American cars. The film also featured the then recently issued M16 rifle. David Amram, who had previously scored Frankenheimer's "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), originally provided music for the film; however Lewis was unsatisfied with his work. Jerry Goldsmith, who had worked with the producer and Douglas on "Lonely are the Brave" (also 1962) and "The List of Adrian Messenger" (1963), was signed to rescore the project (although a brief source cue by Amram remains in the finished film). Goldsmith composed a very brief score (lasting around 15 minutes) using only pianos and percussion; he later scored "Seconds" (1966) and "The Challenge" (1982) for Frankenheimer. In 2013, Intrada Records released Goldsmith's music for the film on a limited edition CD (paired with Maurice Jarre's score for "The Mackintosh Man" - although that film was produced by Warner Bros. while "Seven Days in May" was theatrically released by Paramount, the entire Seven Arts Productions library was acquired by Warner Bros. in 1967 (meaning both films are now owned by WB). Alternate ending. According to Douglas, an alternate ending was shot, but discarded:General Scott, the treacherous Burt Lancaster character, goes off in his sports car, and dies in a wreck. Was it an accident or suicide? Coming up out of the wreckage over the car radio is President Jordan Lyman's speech about the sanctity of the Constitution. This alternate ending echoes the novel, which ends with the apparent vehicular suicide of Senator Prentice. Reception. "Seven Days in May" premiered on February 12, 1964, appropriately in Washington, D.C. It opened to good critical notices and audience response. The film was nominated for two 1965 Academy Awards, for Edmond O'Brien for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration/Black-and-White for Cary Odell and Edward G. Boyle. In that year's Golden Globe Awards, O'Brien won for Best Supporting Actor, and Fredric March, John Frankenheimer and composer Jerry Goldsmith received nominations. Frankenheimer won a Danish Bodil Award for directing the Best Non-European Film and Rod Serling was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Written American Drama. Evaluation in film guides. "Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV" (1972–73 edition) gives "Seven Days in May" its highest rating of 4 stars, recommending it as "an exciting suspense drama concerned with politics and the problems of sanity and survival in a nuclear age", with the concluding sentences stating, "benefits from taut screenplay by Rod Serling and the direction of John Frankenheimer, which artfully builds interest leading to the finale. March is a standout in a uniformly fine cast. So many American-made films dealing with political subjects are so naive and simple-minded that the thoughtful and, in this case, the optimistic statement of the film is a welcome surprise." By the 1986–87 edition, Scheuer's rating was lowered to 3½ and the conclusion shortened to, "which artfully builds to the finale", with the final sentences deleted. "Leonard Maltin's TV Movies & Video Guide" (1989 edition) gives it a still lower 3 stars (out of 4), originally describing it as an "absorbing story of military scheme to overthrow the government", with later editions (including 2014) adding one word, "absorbing, "believable" story..." "Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever" follows Scheuer's later example, with 3½ bones (out of 4), calling it a "topical but still gripping Cold War nuclear-peril thriller" and, in the end, "highly suspenseful, with a breathtaking climax." "Mick Martin's & Marsha Porter's DVD & Video Guide" also puts its rating high, at 4 stars (out of 5) finding it, as "Videohound" did, "a highly suspenseful account of an attempted military takeover..." and indicating that "the movie's tension snowballs toward a thrilling conclusion. This is one of those rare films that treat their audiences with respect." Assigning the equally high rating of 4 stars (out of 5), "The Motion Picture Guide" begins its description with "a taut, gripping, and suspenseful political thriller which sports superb performances from the entire cast", goes to state, in the middle, that "proceeding to unravel its complicated plot at a rapid clip, "SEVEN DAYS IN MAY" is a surprisingly exciting film that also packs a grim warning", and ends with "Lancaster underplays the part of the slightly crazed general and makes him seem quite rational and persuasive. It is a frightening performance. Douglas is also quite good as the loyal aide who uncovers the fantastic plot that could destroy the entire country. March, Balsam, O'Brien, Bissell, and Houseman all turn in topnotch performances and it is through their conviction that the viewer becomes engrossed in this outlandish tale." British references also show high regard for the film, with "TimeOut Film Guide"'s founding editor Tom Milne indicating that "conspiracy movies may have become more darkly complex in these post-Watergate days of Pakula and paranoia, but Frankenheimer's fascination with gadgetry (in his compositions, the ubiquitous helicopters, TV screens, hidden cameras and electronic devices literally edge the human characters into insignificance) is used to create a striking visual metaphor for control by the military machine. Highly enjoyable." In his "Film Guide", Leslie Halliwell provided 3 stars (out of 4), describing it as an "absorbing political mystery drama marred only by the unnecessary introduction of a female character. Stimulating entertainment." David Shipman in his 1984 "The Good Film and Video Guide" gives 2 (out of 4) stars, noting that it is "a tense political thriller whose plot is plodding". Remake. The film was remade in 1994 by HBO as "The Enemy Within" with Sam Waterston as President William Foster, Jason Robards as General R. Pendleton Lloyd, and Forest Whitaker as Colonel MacKenzie 'Mac' Casey. This version followed many parts of the original plot closely, while updating it for the post–Cold War world, omitting certain incidents, and changing the ending. References. Notes

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Captive Women Captive Women is a 1952 American black-and-white post-apocalyptic science-fiction film. It stars Robert Clarke and Margaret Field. The film has a running time of 64 minutes. It deals with the effects of a nuclear war and how life would be afterwards. In the United Kingdom the film is known as 3000 A.D., the film's original title. Plot. The film opens with war footage from World War III ending with a nuclear attack. Long after the nuclear war, the last human survivors are divided into three tribes. Robert (Clarke) and Ruth (Field) are about to be married in the ruins of a post-apocalyptic New York City during a brief interlude in ongoing hostilities between their tribe (the Norms) and the rival tribe (the Mutates). The Mutates try to adhere to the tenets of the Christian Bible, but it is rejected by the Norms. However, raiders from a third tribe, the Upriver People, attack through the Hudson River Tunnel and capture Ruth and several other women because they desperately need fertile females. The warring tribes must put aside their differences to rescue the women, a joint effort that unfolds quite quickly in the short film. Ultimately, the Upriver People are defeated and are trapped in the tunnel as it is flooded. The women are recovered, and there are improved prospects for more peaceful relations among the tribes as the film concludes. Production. Jack Pollexfen and Aubrey Wisberg had a deal to make three films at RKO: "Captive Women", "Sword of Venus" and "Port Sinister". Albert Zugsmith became involved as an associate producer, taking 25% against Pollexfen and Wisberg's 75%. Pollexfen later said "our main problem in "Captive Women" was that we were battling Zugsmith too much to pay attention to the production". He says also that Howard Hughes, who then owned RKO, insisted the film be directed by Stewart Gilmore, who had been one of Hughes' leading editors, including on "The Outlaw". Filming started 9 July 1951. Robert Clarke recalled that Gilmore: He was lost. Completely. The poor man had tremendous problems; there were too many people in the cast, too many actors with no dialogue in the scenes , and the fact that they had over-extended themselves for special effects...The whole film was ineffectual. Pollexfen and Wisberg were trying to make a better picture— sometimes, Hollywood thinks that if you spend more money, you make a better picture. Well, this is one instance where that didn’t happen. Gilmore was in over his head — he didn’t know directing, and l don’t think he ever did another picture because he got a bad taste in his mouth from this one. William Schallert recalls that the film was rewritten during the shoot and actors had to constantly learn new parts. Pollexfen says the budget was around $85,000 of which he and his partner received a fee of $15,000 and Zugsmith was paid $2,500. At one stage the film was known as 3000 AD. Another original title was found 1,000 Years from Now, but RKO wanted a more sensational title. The ruins of New York are briefly shown in matte paintings by Block. In 1956, it was re-released by the name "1000 Years from Now". It was one of three films Albert Zugsmith made for RKO. It was Ron Randell's first science fiction film. Reception. Variety found the movie's plot to be plodding, with most of the good ideas left off screen, but the camera work was good, as was Ron Randall's acting. "The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction" found the movie of some importance as perhaps the first science fiction film to consider what the world might become some time after a nuclear war. "TV Guide" found that the movie was often inane and silly but that the halfway-decent visual effects helped the shaky film.

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This Is Not a Test (1962 film) This Is Not a Test is a 1962 American low-budget science fiction film directed by Fredric Gadette. Produced at the height of the Cold War, the film was one of a number of productions of the late 1950s and early 1960s based upon the premise of the outbreak of nuclear war. Plot. Starring a group of mostly unknown actors, "This Is Not a Test" begins with lone deputy sheriff Dan Colter (Seamon Glass) receiving orders to block a road leading into an unidentified city (dialogue indicates the location is somewhere in central California, however). Soon, he has detained several vehicles with a variety of occupants ranging from an elderly man and his granddaughter, to a man who has recently become rich and his alcoholic wife, to a trucker and a hitchhiker. The motorists and the police officer hear attack warnings over the police radio and begin to prepare for the inevitable bombing. The film focuses on the reactions to the impending attack by the motorists, and the officer's efforts to keep order. Complicating matters is the revelation that the hitchhiker Clint Delany (Ron Starr) is a psychotic who is wanted for murder. As the countdown to the missile attack continues, the men and women try desperately to convert a supply truck into an impromptu bomb shelter. As time goes by, the deputy's behavior becomes irrational and the film ends with the deputy trying to enter the closed-up truck where the others have sheltered just as the nuclear strike happens. What condition the survivors find when they exit the shelter is not disclosed. Home media. "This Is Not a Test" is presently in the public domain in the United States, and has been released in numerous DVD formats, on its own or in collections of similar films. Reception. TV Guide found the movie inept, though admitting it did try to make social commentary. Gary Westfahl mentioned that the film shows the ineptness that would come from ordinary people in the face of impending nuclear attack)

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Threads (1984 film) Threads is a 1984 British-Australian apocalyptic war drama television film jointly produced by the BBC, Nine Network and Western-World Television Inc. Written by Barry Hines and directed and produced by Mick Jackson, it is a dramatic account of nuclear war and its effects on the city of Sheffield in Northern England. The plot centres on two families as a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union erupts. As the nuclear exchange between NATO and the Warsaw Pact begins, the film depicts the medical, economic, social and environmental consequences of nuclear war. Shot on a budget of £400,000, the film was the first of its kind to depict a nuclear winter. It has been called "a film which comes closest to representing the full horror of nuclear war and its aftermath, as well as the catastrophic impact that the event would have on human culture." It has been compared to the earlier Academy Award-winning programme "The War Game" produced in Britain two decades prior and its contemporary counterpart "The Day After", a 1983 ABC television film depicting a similar scenario in the United States. It was nominated for seven BAFTA awards in 1985 and won for Best Single Drama, Best Design, Best Film Cameraman and Best Film Editor. Plot. Young Sheffield residents Ruth Beckett (Karen Meagher) and Jimmy Kemp (Reece Dinsdale) intend to marry due to her unplanned pregnancy. Meanwhile, as hostilities between the United States and the Soviet Union escalate, the Home Office directs Sheffield City Council to assemble an emergency operations team, which settles in a makeshift bomb shelter beneath the town hall. After a brief nuclear skirmish between the Americans and the Soviets in Iran, the people of Britain fly into a panic, resulting in riots and looting. "Subversives" (mainly consisting of peace activists and trade unionists) are arrested under the Emergency Powers Act. At 8:30am in Britain, Attack Warning Red is transmitted as a nuclear warhead air bursts over the North Sea, then another at nearby RAF Finningley. In the ensuing chaos, Jimmy disappears as he tries to find Ruth. Jimmy’s younger sister goes missing after going to the shops, and his parents retreat to their inner shelter after receiving severe burns from a subsequent explosion on the Tinsley Viaduct. Jimmy’s younger brother is killed by falling rubble in the street. Strategic targets, including steel and chemical factories in the Midlands, are also attacked, destroying two-thirds of all British homes and immediately killing 12 to 30 million people. The nuclear fallout prevents the remaining functioning civil authorities from fighting fires or rescuing those trapped under debris. Sheffield's emergency team is trapped under the destroyed town hall, and rescue is impossible due to the high levels of radioactivity and destruction of all surrounding roads. A few hours later, fallout descends upon Sheffield, fatally contaminating Jimmy's parents. Jimmy’s mother dies from a combination of radiation poisoning and the rapidly dropping temperatures. Searching for Jimmy, Ruth leaves her parents’ cellar shelter and goes to the Sheffield Royal Infirmary, where she realizes there is no longer electricity, running water or medicine. Ruth’s parents are subsequently beaten to death by looters for their stored food. A month after the attack, a makeshift internment camp is shown in operation in a derelict tennis court, where Jimmy’s sister is last seen. Meanwhile soldiers enter the ruins of the town hall, where they find the emergency staff have suffocated. Without the manpower or fuel to bury or burn the dead, an epidemic of communicable diseases spreads. The government authorizes capital punishment, and special courts execute criminals. The only viable currency becomes food, given as a reward for work or withheld as punishment. Jimmy’s father succumbs to his radiation sickness. The millions of tons of soot, smoke and dust in the upper atmosphere trigger a nuclear winter, lowering temperatures and preventing crop growth. Ruth flees to the Buxton countryside, where she gives birth to a daughter. A year after the war, sunlight begins to return, but crop cultivation remains poor due to the lack of equipment, fertilizers, and fuel. Damage to the ozone layer intensifies ultraviolet radiation, causing an increase in cataracts and cancer. Military and civil authorities dissolve in the face of depleted resources. A decade later, Britain's population has dropped to medieval levels of about 4 to 11 million people. Survivors work in the fields with primitive tools, and children born after the war are intellectually underdeveloped and speak a stunted form of English. Prematurely aged and blind with cataracts, Ruth dies in bed, survived by her 10-year-old daughter Jane. Sometime later, industry returns with limited electricity and steam powered technology, but the population continues to live in barbaric squalor. Three years after Ruth's death, Jane and two boys are caught stealing food. One of the boys is killed, and Jane and the other boy engage in a struggle for the food that degenerates into "crude intercourse". Months later, Jane gives birth in a makeshift hospital, and she screams at the sight of her baby. Production and themes. "Threads" was first commissioned (under the working title "Beyond Armageddon") by the Director-General of the BBC Alasdair Milne, after he watched the 1965 drama-documentary "The War Game", which had not been shown on the BBC when it was made, due to pressure from the Wilson government, although it had had a limited release in cinemas. Mick Jackson was hired to direct the film, as he had previously worked in the area of nuclear apocalypse in 1982, producing the BBC "Q.E.D." documentary "A Guide to Armageddon". This was considered a breakthrough at the time, considering the previous banning of "The War Game", which BBC staff believed would have resulted in mass suicides if aired. Jackson subsequently travelled around the UK and the US, consulting leading scientists, psychologists, doctors, defence specialists and strategic experts in order to create the most realistic depiction of nuclear war possible for his next film. Jackson consulted various sources in his research, including the 1983 "Science" article "Nuclear Winter: Global Consequences of Multiple Nuclear Explosions", penned by Carl Sagan and James B. Pollack. Details of a possible attack scenario and the extent of the damage were derived from "Doomsday, Britain after Nuclear Attack" (1983), while the ineffective post-war plans of the UK government came from Duncan Campbell's 1982 exposé "War Plan UK". In portraying the psychological damage suffered by survivors, Jackson took inspiration from the behaviour of the Hibakusha and Magnus Clarke's 1982 book "Nuclear Destruction of Britain". Sheffield was chosen as the main location partly because of its "nuclear-free zone" policy that made the council sympathetic to the local filming and partly because it seemed likely that the USSR would strike an industrial city in the centre of the country. Jackson hired Barry Hines to write the script because of his political awareness. The relationship between the two was strained on several occasions, as Hines spent much of his time on set, and apparently disliked Jackson on account of his middle class upbringing. They also disagreed about Paul Vaughan's narration, which Hines felt was detrimental to the drama. As part of their research, the two spent a week at the Home Office training centre for "official survivors" in Easingwold which, according to Hines, showed just "how disorganised [post-war reconstruction] would be." Auditions were advertised in "The Star", and took place in the ballroom of Sheffield City Hall, where 1,100 candidates turned up. Extras were chosen on the basis of height and age, and were all told to look "miserable" and to wear ragged clothes; the majority were CND supporters. The makeup for extras playing third-degree-burn victims consisted of Rice Krispies and tomato ketchup. The scenes taking place six weeks after the attack were shot at Curbar Edge in the Peak District National Park; because weather conditions were considered too fine to pass off as a nuclear winter, stage snow had to be spread around the rocks and heather, and cameramen installed light filters on their equipment to block out the sunlight. Although Jackson initially considered casting actors from Granada Television's "Coronation Street", he later decided to take a neorealist approach, and opted to cast relatively unknown actors in order to heighten the film's impact through the use of characters the audience could relate to. In order for the horror of "Threads" to work, Jackson made an effort to leave some things unseen: "to let images and emotion happen in people’s minds, or rather in the extensions of their imaginations." He later recalled that while BBC productions would usually be followed by phone calls of congratulations from friends or colleagues immediately after airing, no such calls came after the first screening of "Threads". Jackson later "realised...that people had just sat there thinking about it, in many cases not sleeping or being able to talk." He stated that he had it on good authority that Ronald Reagan watched the film when it aired in the US. Along with Hines, Jackson also received a letter of praise from Labour leader Neil Kinnock, stating "the dangers of complacency are much greater than any risks of knowledge." Broadcast and release history. "Threads" was a co-production of the BBC, Nine Network and Western-World Television, Inc. It was first broadcast on BBC Two on 23 September 1984 at 9:30 pm, and achieved the highest ratings on the channel (6.9 million) of the week. It was repeated on BBC One on 1 August 1985 as part of a week of programmes marking the fortieth anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which also saw the first television screening of "The War Game" (which had been deemed too disturbing for television in the 20 years since it had been made). "Threads" was not shown again on British screens until the digital channel BBC Four broadcast it in October 2003. It was also shown on UKTV Documentary in September 2004 and was repeated in April 2005. "Threads" was broadcast in the United States on cable network Superstation TBS on 13 January 1985, with Ted Turner presenting the introduction. This was followed by a panel discussion on nuclear war. It was also shown in syndication to local commercial stations and, later, on many PBS stations. In Canada, "Threads" was broadcast on Citytv in Toronto, CKVU in Vancouver and CKND in Winnipeg, while in Australia it was shown on the Nine Network on 19 June 1985. Unusually for a commercial network, it broadcast the film without commercial breaks; many commercial outlets in the United States and Canada that broadcast the film also did so without commercial interruption, or interrupting only for disclaimers or promos. In January 2018, journalist Julie McDowall led a distributed viewing of the film, encouraging the audience to share their reactions on Twitter under the hashtag #threaddread, as part of a campaign to ask the BBC to show the movie for the first time since 2003. Home media. "Threads" was originally released by BBC Video (on VHS and, for a very short period, Betamax) in 1987 in the United Kingdom. The play was re-released on both VHS and DVD in 2000 on the Revelation label, followed by a new DVD edition in 2005. Due to licensing difficulties the 1987 release replaced Chuck Berry's recording of his song "Johnny B. Goode" with an alternative recording of the song. In all these cases, the original music over the opening narration was removed, again due to licensing problems; this was an extract from the Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss, performed by the Dresden State Opera Orchestra, conducted by Rudolf Kempe (HMV ASD 3173). On 13 February 2018, "Threads" was released by Severin Films on Blu-ray in the United States. The programme was scanned in 2K from a broadcast print for this release, including extras such as an audio commentary with Director Mick Jackson and interviews with actress Karen Meagher, Director Of Photography Andrew Dunn, Production Designer Christopher Robilliard and film writer Stephen Thrower. This is also the first home video release in which the extract from the Alpine Symphony remains intact. On 9 April 2018, Simply Media released a Special Edition DVD in the UK, featuring a different 2K scan, restored and remastered from the original BBC 16mm CRI prints, which Severin did not have access to. This also featured the original music, for the first time on home video in the UK. Whereas the previous releases had no extra features, the Special Edition included commentaries and associated documentaries. Reception. Initial. "Threads" was not widely reviewed, but the critics who reviewed it gave generally positive reviews. John J. O'Connor of "The New York Times" wrote that the film "is not a balanced discussion about the pros and cons of nuclear armaments. It is a candidly biased warning. And it is, as calculated, unsettlingly powerful." Rick Groen of "The Globe and Mail" wrote that "[t]he British crew here, headed by writer Barry Hines and producer/director Mick Jackson, accomplish what would seem to be an impossible task: depicting the carnage without distancing the viewer, without once letting him retreat behind the safe wall of fictitious play. Formidable and foreboding, Threads leaves nothing to our imagination, and Nothingness to our conscience." In his movie guide, Leonard Maltin gave the film a rating of three stars (out of a possible four). He called "Threads" "Britain's answer to "The Day After"" and wrote that the film was "unrelentingly graphic and grim, sobering, and shattering, as it should be." Retrospective. Retrospective reviews have been very positive. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 92 based on 5 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim", whilst it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100% based on 11 reviews (with an average score of 8.75/10). The critical consensus reads: "An urgent warning against nuclear conflict, "Threads" is a chilling hypothetical that achieves visceral horror with its matter-of-fact presentation of an apocalypse." Peter Bradshaw of "The Guardian" called it a "masterpiece", writing: "It wasn’t until I saw "Threads" that I found that something on screen could make me break out in a cold, shivering sweat and keep me in that condition for 20 minutes, followed by weeks of depression and anxiety." Sam Toy of "Empire" gave the film a perfect score, writing that "this British work of (technically) science fiction teaches an unforgettable lesson in true horror" and went on to praise its ability "to create an almost impossible illusion on clearly paltry funds." Jonathan Hatfull of "SciFiNow" gave a perfect score to the remastered DVD of the film. "No one ever forgets the experience of watching "Threads". [...It] is arguably the most devastating piece of television ever produced. It’s perfectly crafted, totally human and so completely harrowing you’ll think that you’ll probably never want to watch it again." He praised the pacing and Hines' "impeccable" screenplay and described its portrayal of the "immediate effects" of the bombing as "jaw-dropping [...] watching the survivors in the days and weeks to come is heart-breaking." Both "Little White Lies" and "The A.V. Club" have emphasized the film's contemporary relevance, especially in light of political events such as Brexit. According to the former, the film paints a "nightmarish picture of a Britain woefully unprepared for what is coming, and reduced, when it does come, to isolation, collapse and medieval regression, with a failed health service, very little food being harvested, mass homelessness, and the pound and the penny losing all value." Awards and nominations. The film was nominated for seven BAFTA awards in 1985. It won for Best Single Drama, Best Design, Best Film Cameraman and Best Film Editor. Its other nominations were for Best Costume Design, Best Make-Up, and Best Film Sound.

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Service Call "Service Call" is a science fiction short story by American writer Philip K. Dick. It was first published in "Science Fiction Stories", July 1955. Plot. The plot centers on a man, Courtland, who one evening at his home is visited by a nervous and peculiar repairman. The repairman states he is answering a service call made from Courtland's address and wishes to repair some sort of appliance called a "swibble". Courtland is irritated by the disturbance. Having not made any appointment, nor having the slightest clue about swibbles, Courtland angrily sends the man away. Shortly later, Courtland gets curious about the man. He goes back to his door to see if he is still there. There is no sign of the man save for the crumpled service order on the ground. Courtland examines the paper to discover that the company the man works for will be founded 9 years in the future. Courtland phones his colleagues with an idea. The service man returns, confused and sure he has the correct address. Courtland and his colleagues discover the man works for an authoritarian bio-technology company from an alternate future.

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Team Yankee (video game) Team Yankee is a video game adaptation of the 1987 Harold Coyle's World War III novel "Team Yankee" that was developed by British studio Oxford Digital Enterprises for the Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS and Commodore CDTV systems. It was released in 1990 by publisher Empire Software, and was followed by two sequels that used the same game engine (titled "Pacific Islands" and "War in the Gulf"). "Team Yankee" is a mixture of real-time strategy and simulation game and uses a 3D environment and 2D sprites. The player is able to use several well-known late Cold War-era tanks and other armoured vehicles (M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley IFV, M113, T-72, T-62 and BMP-2). Reception. 1992 and 1994 "Computer Gaming World" surveys of wargames with modern settings gave the game two stars out of five, describing it as "an arcade-like product trying to pass as a simulation of modern tactical armored warfare". A full review by the magazine in 1992 criticized "Team Yankee"s lack of infantry (making the machines guns useless) or air power (despite the aircraft on the box art). The magazine concluded that it, while more realistic than "Pacific Islands", was not for "the hard-core wargamer, but are for people who enjoy a quick and relatively easy run-through of a tank game".

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NATO Commander NATO Commander is a strategy video game designed by Sid Meier for the Atari 8-bit family and published in 1983 by MicroProse. Ports to the Apple II, and Commodore 64 were released the following year. The player takes the role of the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO forces in Europe as they respond to a massive Warsaw Pact attack. The goal is to slow their advance and inflict casualties, hoping to force a diplomatic end to the war before West Germany is overrun. The same game engine was also used as the basis for "Conflict in Vietnam", "Crusade in Europe" and "Decision in the Desert". Gameplay. The scenario involves a Cold War Soviet invasion of West Germany. The player is given operational control of NATO land armies, while the computer controls the Soviets, and must repel the invasion by deploying his forces geographically and choosing their offensive or defensive roles. As the battle progresses, both operational and political factors influence the outcome. NATO may lose or win back cities and territory; according to the scenario chosen the player had the option to decide to stave off the Warsaw Pact onslaught by countercharging head-on, buying time for space awaiting a diplomatic solution, or mounting a counteroffensive. The game's interface has strong similarities to the seminal "Eastern Front" in the way the map is displayed and various orders are given to the units. However, "NATO Commander" takes place in real-time, with one second of time representing 5 minutes passing in the game. It also has more unit types including armor and infantry, armored infantry (mostly for reconnaissance), airborne troops and air forces and helicopters. The latter are useful for attacking Soviet units that are isolated or surrounded, which protects them from surface-to-air missiles from the Soviet side of the map. Another major change is the hidden movement system, which only displays Soviet units that are visible to the allied units. Air forces can be used for air superiority, ground attack or as a reconnaissance force to help reveal the hidden Soviet forces. The game has a variety of scenarios, each one larger than the last. The first is simply a limited encounter on the front, while the next include a counterattack around the Hannover-Hamburg axis, awaiting the French Army's mobilization or the Italian Army's decision to enter the fray or not. Tactical nuclear weapons and chemical weapons are available to both sides but their use often carried heavy image penalties and could initiate an escalation. In the end, either the player or the Soviets surrender, based on how much land and combat-ready forces remain. Reception. "Computer Gaming World" in 1984 criticized "NATO Commander" for being imbalanced in favor of the Warsaw Pact, but concluded that the game was one of the first combat games to take advantage of computer power, resulting in a "superb strategic simulation". A 1992 survey in the magazine of wargames with modern settings gave the game three stars out of five. and a 1994 survey gave it two-plus stars.

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DEFCON (video game) DEFCON (stylised as DEFCOИ and sometimes subtitled Everybody Dies in the North American version and Global Thermonuclear War in the European version) is a real-time strategy game created by independent British game developer Introversion Software. The gameplay is a simulation of a global nuclear war, with the game's screen reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war in films such as "Dr. Strangelove", "Fail-Safe", and especially "WarGames". The game has been available by download since September 29, 2006 through Introversion's web store and Steam. On 5 April 2007, publisher Encore announced they would be publishing the game in the United States, and had ordered an initial 50,000 copies of the game for retail. In the UK it was released for retail on 15 June 2007 and for a limited period included the developer's first game "Uplink". Gameplay. Players are given a 1980s vector graphics computer-themed world map, a varied arsenal of nuclear and conventional weaponry, and a primary objective: destroy as much of the enemy's population as possible while having as little of one's own population destroyed as possible. A typical game will see civilian casualties numbering in the millions (megadeaths) while players try their hand at annihilating their opponents. In most games, all sides take heavy losses, but the player with the highest score wins. Players' scores are determined according to one of three schemes: Default (gain 2 points for 1 megadeath caused, lose 1 point for 1 megadeath suffered), Survivor (gain 1 point per million survivors in the player's territory) or Genocide (gain 1 point for each megadeath caused); though functionally identical in a one-on-one conflict, each scoring scheme suggests large differences in strategy in larger multiplayer conflicts. Gameplay time can be varied by configuring the speed at which events progress from real-time (1 second in-game:1 second out-of-game) to 20* real-time. Most games last 30 to 40 minutes while real-time gameplay can last more than eight hours, depending on the mode of scoring. There is also an "Office" mode of play in which the game is permanently real-timed and can be minimised to run in the background of other computer activities, allowing the player to check in only when important events take place, and only for so long as it is necessary to modify the standing orders of each of the player's assets. The game offers six territories that may be selected by a player or assigned to an AI opponent. "DEFCON" is a streamlined real-time strategy game, with no unit production (except for automatic fighter regeneration), resource collection, or technology tree upgrades. Players choose and position their forces at the beginning of the game. A countdown system prevents games from disintegrating prematurely. Gameplay begins at alert level DEFCON 5 and counts down to DEFCON 1 (the highest alert level). Each upgrade in alert level brings more possibilities. Once DEFCON 1 is reached, the game proceeds until a certain percentage (80% by default) of the total number of nuclear missiles available to all players have been launched or destroyed. Once this occurs, a victory countdown begins (45 game minutes by default) and the final score is announced when this countdown runs out. A "DEFCON" game can host up to six human or AI players. DEFCON also features local multiplayer capability, i.e. on LAN. Alliances can be formed, broken, or renegotiated at will with human players. Alliances with CPU-controlled players can only be set at the start of the game. Allied players share radar coverage and line of sight, but there is no allied victory and there is only one winner. This means that almost all alliances are broken by the end of the game. Lead designer Chris Delay explains: The chat system features a public channel, in which all players may communicate, as well as channels private to specific alliances, and direct player-to-player private messaging. Diplomacy mode. All players start as members of a single alliance, and attempt to stay on top as the alliance disintegrates. The score is determined not by the enemy population killed, but by which territory has the highest percentage of survivors at the end of the game. Office mode. In office mode, the game runs in real-time and cannot be sped up. The game can be quickly forced to the background making the computer available for other use. While the game continues to run in the background, a system tray icon will notify the gamer of certain events as they occur. The office mode hotkey, sometimes referred to as the boss key, is activated by striking the escape key twice in rapid succession. A game in office mode lasts no more than six hours. The boss key is available in all game modes, but it is designed for this mode in particular. Modifications. Users can modify texture, sound, localization, etc. files that are found in the game's program files. The source code used to be available for purchase on Introversion's official store, however it has been removed in September 2016 and has not been available since then. A mod forum is available on the official forum, and a user-made list (open domain) is listed on the official website. Reception. "DEFCON" received "favourable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. "1UP.com" said, "This just may be the finest piece of 'budgetware' ever produced, with every bit as much to offer strategywise as RTS games three times its cost," praising the "elementary" interface and calling the strategic depth "enormous." "1UP" also praised the visuals, calling it "one of the best-looking PC games all year." "Edge" said "DEFCON" was "worth it for the presentation alone." "Eurogamer" commented that it was "the least ambitious of Introversion's games in terms of design," and "its limitations are ones of the game's basic scope," while praising "DEFCON" "as pure and direct a game as its inspiration." The editors of "Computer Games Magazine" presented "DEFCON" with their 2006 "Best Budget Game" award. It was a runner-up for their list of the year's top 10 computer games. It also won "PC Gamer US"s 2006 "Best Indie Game" award. A study by the Concordia University asked participants about nuclear war, including how likely they thought one could happen or they could survive one, and divided them into two groups: one that played DEFCON and the other that read articles about nuclear weapons. After asking the questions again, the study concluded that those who played DEFCON were less likely to believe that they would survive a nuclear war, but also less likely to believe one could happen. Game community. As of March 2021, the official online community is maintained on the instant messaging platform Discord.

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m2d2_wiki

F29 Retaliator F29 Retaliator is a combat flight simulator video game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean Software in 1989 Amiga and Atari ST, 1991 for the PC, and for the FM Towns and NEC PC-9801 in 1992-1993. Its working title was just "Retaliator". The game was developed during the end of the Cold War, based mostly on speculations on then-future aircraft that were expected to be in use by the year 2002, in particular based on the design of the Lockheed Martin F-22 and the Grumman X-29A. Gameplay. The graphics were detailed by the standards of the period, featuring cities, bridges, roads, islands, mountains and moving vehicles. The cockpit of either the F-22 or the X-29A has three multi-function displays available to set up in a number of configurations. The fantastic "future" weapons to choose from include a fighter-carried Tomahawk cruise missile, rearward-firing AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and a gigantic cluster bomb. The game includes four war scenarios (Arizona desert test and training sites, Pacific conflict, Middle East conflict and the World War III in Europe) each with several missions, with the total number of those adding up to 99. The last mission of the game can be any of three, and completion of each one leads to different game endings. The PC version allowed head-to head dogfighting using a null modem cable. Reception. The game received 4 out of 5 stars in "Dragon". "Computer Gaming World" described "F29" as a less-expensive alternative which "still offers a solid game-playing experience, with limitations". While noting limitations such as a small game environment, the magazine concluded that "despite its limitations, "F-29" is an enjoyable diversion" for those new to flight simulators. A 1992 survey in the magazine of wargames with modern settings gave the game three stars out of five, and a 1994 survey in the magazine gave it two stars out of five, describing it as "rather generic in nature". "Retaliator" was ranked the 36th best game of all time by "Amiga Power" in 1991. Legacy. A "Special Mission" add-on was released with "ZERO" magazine in 1990, featuring a battle against the alien spacecraft from the then-upcoming space combat game "EPIC". "Retaliator 2", announced in 1990 to be released in the first quarter of 1991, was never released as the team concentrated on finishing "EPIC" (released in 1992 and using an improved engine of "F29"). However, DID would later create three further, much more realistic F-22 simulators: "TFX" (1993), "" (1997), and "F-22 Total Air War" (1998).

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m2d2_wiki

Far Cry New Dawn Far Cry New Dawn is a 2019 first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. The game is a spin-off of the "Far Cry" series and a narrative sequel to "Far Cry 5". As a result, it features many pre-existing gameplay elements from the series, including a large open world, capturing of outposts, and AI or co-op companions; it also introduces several elements from RPG gameplay, including an upgradeable home base and increased reliance on crafting from limited supplies. The story is set seventeen years after the events of "Far Cry 5". After the nuclear exchange known as "the Collapse" devastated the world, survivors attempt to rebuild the community in Hope County. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in February 2019, and received generally mixed reviews from critics. The game's sales were lower than both "Far Cry Primal" and "Far Cry 5". Gameplay. Similar to its predecessors, "Far Cry New Dawn" is an action-adventure first-person shooter set in an open world environment which the player can explore freely on foot or via various vehicles. The game is set in the fictional Hope County, Montana and uses a reimagined version of "Far Cry 5"s map. The nuclear war portrayed in "Far Cry 5" has reshaped the landscape so that new areas have become available for the player to explore while others are inaccessible. The player assumes the role of a new character, whose gender and ethnicity can be customized. The Guns for Hire and the Fangs for Hire systems from "Far Cry 5" return, with the character being able to recruit human survivors and animals for combat assistance. In addition to new characters, the game's cast includes an array of returning characters from "Far Cry 5". The player character can also encounter several specialists who have their own personal missions, special abilities and story and help players to repair their weapons. New weapons are introduced in the game, including a "Saw Launcher" that fires the blades of circular saws. Players acquire new weapons and attachments, which can be upgraded to three different levels through crafting and finishing missions. Vehicles can also be crafted. Players can embark on treasure hunts and liberate different enemy encampments and outposts. Once liberated, they become fast travel points that enable players to quickly navigate the world. These outposts can be occupied and used to manufacture ethanol fuel or raided for resources which leaves the outpost open to "escalation", in which the Highwaymen may reclaim these camps. This allows the player to replay the outposts on higher difficulty settings. The game also features an upgradable home base named Prosperity, which would slowly expand and grow in size as players progress. The game also features a mode called "Expeditions", which allows the player to travel to other locations in the United States such as Louisiana to look for more resources and packages. As these regions are outside the main map and smaller in size, the development team was able to create more complex environments for Expeditions. Expedition missions can be completed with other players. Synopsis. Setting. The story is set seventeen years after the events of "Far Cry 5". After the nuclear exchange known as "the Collapse" devastated the world, survivors attempt to rebuild the community in Hope County. Their efforts focus on Prosperity, a township built on the remains of John Seed's ranch. The survivors are threatened by the Highwaymen, a roving band of organized bandits. The Highwaymen are organised into chapters, with the local chapter led by twin sisters Mickey and Lou (voiced by Cara Ricketts and Leslie Miller). The Highwaymen terrorize the landscape, forcing survivors into submission and stripping communities of resources before moving on. The remnants of the Project at Eden's Gate—the antagonists of "Far Cry 5"—have established their own community called New Eden. They have given up most forms of modern technology and isolated themselves in the north of Hope County. Despite embracing Joseph Seed's teachings, New Eden is wracked by internal division that arose after Joseph's disappearance. The game also features the return of the Deputy, now one of Joseph's acolytes known as the Judge; and Joseph Seed (Greg Bryk); the protagonist and main antagonist of "Far Cry 5" respectively. The player takes on the role of a new character dubbed the "Security Captain", who is part of a group that travels the country assisting other survivor groups in need. "Far Cry New Dawn" uses a smaller version of the Hope County map featured in "Far Cry 5". Large sections of northern and eastern Hope County are inaccessible after being irradiated. Some parts of the north can be accessed over the course of the story campaign. Many of the individual locations from "Far Cry 5" have been redesigned, either having been reclaimed by nature or repurposed by the Highwaymen. Some of these locations have new areas for the player to explore, such as cave systems, bunkers or buildings. Plot. In 2035, seventeen years after the events of "Far Cry 5", Hope County and the rest of the world is devastated by the nuclear war, the survivors that had taken shelter underground begin to emerge and rebuild society. The Hope County survivors found the settlement of Prosperity, but are soon attacked by the Highwaymen. Desperate for help, Carmina Rye (Reina Hardesty), the daughter of Nick (Steve Byers) and Kim Rye (Mayko Nguyen), appeals for help from Thomas Rush (Patrick Garrow), the leader of a group rebuilding communities across America. Rush and the Captain answer the call, but they are ambushed by the Highwaymen and confronted by Mickey and Lou, the twin sisters who lead them. The Twins attempt to forcibly recruit Rush, but he refuses and pushes the Captain into a nearby river. Carmina pulls the Captain from the river and informs them that the Twins have left with Rush in their custody. Carmina and the Captain travel to Hope County to receive guidance from Kim, who encourages them to travel around Hope County, unite scattered survivors, and build up Prosperity to a level where they can fend off the Highwaymen. The Captain heads out to secure resources and specialists for Prosperity, and manages to rescue Rush. Angered at Prosperity's defiance, the Highwaymen retaliate and attack the settlement, causing serious damage and casualties. With Prosperity in no condition to survive another attack, Rush suggests forming an alliance with another survivor group, the New Eden group led by Joseph Seed (Greg Bryk). Kim is reluctant to trust Joseph, but Carmina is confident that he is a changed man. With no other choice, the Captain heads out to negotiate with New Eden. They recover the Book, Joseph's personal bible, and turn it in to Ethan (Kyle Gatehouse), New Eden's current ruler and Joseph's son. Ethan reveals that Joseph had disappeared long ago and he is bitter over his abandonment. He then agrees to an alliance with Prosperity on the condition that the Captain bring back proof of Joseph's death. The Captain travels north following Joseph's trail and finds him living as a hermit in the wilderness. Joseph welcomes the Captain as a prophesied savior and reveals that in the aftermath of the nuclear war, he has done his best to atone for his past actions. Joseph offers the Captain an apple from a sacred tree, which triggers a powerful hallucination where the Captain is forced to battle a bestial personification of their own soul. Upon defeating the beast and waking up, the Captain returns to New Eden with Joseph with abilities called Eden's Gift. Against Ethan's wishes, Joseph designates the Captain as New Eden's shepherd, and commits his forces, among them being the Judge, the Deputy from the previous game who is hiding their identity out of shame and guilt over Hope County's destruction, to fight the Highwaymen. Meanwhile, Rush is captured by the Highwaymen again, but as the Captain goes to save him, the Twins execute him. This triggers Eden's Gift, giving the Captain superhuman strength and allowing them to beat the Twins until getting knocked out by a shotgun blast. Believing the Captain to be dead, the Twins decide to investigate New Eden about the source of the Captain's strength. The Captain recovers Rush's body and buries him at Prosperity. To find out what the Twins are planning next, the Captain infiltrates a Highwaymen meeting, where they discover Ethan has decided to betray New Eden, promising to show the Twins the location of the sacred fruit in return for burning down New Eden. The Captain confronts the Twins at New Eden and defeats them, resulting in Lou's death and a repentant Mickey either being executed or spared. Meanwhile, Ethan ignores Joseph's warnings and eats one of the sacred apples, but it triggers an inhuman transformation in his body, forcing the Captain to kill him. Realizing his actions only bring death and destruction, Joseph burns down the sacred tree and pleads for the Captain to kill him, which the Captain may choose to do or not. If the Captain does, the burning tree begins to snap apart immediately. If not, Joseph is left wailing for release while the Captain leaves. Returning to Prosperity, the Captain celebrates their victory with Carmina at Rush's grave, as Carmina states that despite the hardships and losses, there is hope for the future after all. Development. "New Dawn" is developed by Ubisoft Montreal in conjunction with Ubisoft Kyiv, Ubisoft Bucharest and Ubisoft Shanghai. According to art director Issac Papismado, the team had wanted to create a post-apocalyptic game set in the "Far Cry" series for a long time. The team intentionally avoided a dark and bleak tone as they felt that it would be a cliché and resolved to create a world that looks vibrant. Set seventeen years after "Far Cry 5", the world is undergoing a "super bloom" in which nature reclaims the world and gives the game a vibrant colour palette. To give Highwaymen a visual identity, the team invited Montreal artist Zilon to create the game's art and graffiti. Similar to "" and "Far Cry Primal", the game is a smaller production when compared to the series' main entries, a decision reflected by the game's lower launch price. Announced at The Game Awards 2018, the game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on February 15, 2019. Reception. "Far Cry New Dawn" received "mixed or average" reviews for the PlayStation 4 and PC versions and "generally favorable reviews" for the Xbox One version, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Daemon Hatfield, writing for IGN, gave the game a 7.5/10 score, with the review summary: "Ubisoft could've done more to refresh Hope County for "Far Cry: New Dawn", but there's still some good, chaotic fun to be had here." Alyse Stanley of Polygon criticised the game's narrative dissonance but said it worked well as an "anarchic sandbox" with satisfying gameplay and "hilarious" random encounters. Sales. In Japan, 26,285 physical units were sold during its launch week, making it the fifth best-selling game of any format for the week of February 11 to February 17. It was the best-selling retail game in the UK in its week of release according to Chart-Track, though its sales were significantly lower than "Far Cry 5" and spin-off "Far Cry Primal". It was the second best-selling retail game in Switzerland during its week of release. Awards. The game was nominated for the Tin Pan Alley Award for Best Music in a Game at the New York Game Awards, and for "Original Dramatic Score, Franchise" and "Performance in a Drama, Lead" with Cara Ricketts at the NAVGTR Awards.

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m2d2_wiki

World in Conflict World in Conflict is a 2007 real-time strategy (RTS) video game developed by the Swedish video game company Massive Entertainment and published by Vivendi Games for Microsoft Windows. The game was released in September 2007, receiving generally favorable reviews and several awards. The game is considered by some to be the spiritual successor of "Ground Control", another game by Massive Entertainment, and is generally conceived by its designers to be a real-time tactical game, despite being marketed as a RTS game. The game's setting and story takes place in an alternate 1989, in which an impending economic collapse and the failure to achieve aid diplomatically from the West, leads the Soviet Union to invading Western Europe, triggering World War III. The single-player story sees players assume the role of a United States Army officer who takes command of battalions of US and NATO forces; the main bulk of their operations focus on combating a surprise invasion of the United States from Seattle, Washington, as well as operations in Southern France, Russia, and New York. A March 2009 expansion pack, "", added additional content, including additional campaign missions in which players assume the role of a Soviet military officer who commands Soviet forces in Europe, Russia and the US state of Washington. The game offers multiplayer functionality, supporting up to 16 players online or over LAN. In December 2015, Ubisoft shut down the official Massgate servers that supported multiplayer functions, though the player community restored these functions in 2017, through an unaffiliated version of Massgate. Gameplay. "World in Conflict" focuses on real-time tactics (RTT) gameplay, in a similar manner to "Ground Control", a game also developed by Massive Entertainment, in which players deploy units onto a battlefield and must carefully make use of them to achieve victory, making use of support assets to further assist them. "World in Conflict" contains three factions: the United States, Soviet Union, and NATO. While players may only play as US and NATO forces during the single-player campaign, all three factions can be used in multiplayer games. During a game, players are given a pre-determined amount of reinforcement points, with which to purchase units with varying costs. Once the player deploys the units they purchase, they must wait 20 seconds for them to be airdropped to the field. If a unit is destroyed, the points are refunded to the player in order to allow them to bring in more units. During the single-player campaign, most missions vary what units the player can recruit, while some missions will offer the opportunity to recruit free units, though these cannot be replaced if destroyed. Each unit has strengths and weaknesses, such as mobile anti-air guns being most effective against enemy helicopters, and repair tanks being most effective at keeping vehicles and armor repaired. Each unit possesses a defensive ability, such as deploying smokescreens, while some units possess an offensive ability, such as marking targets for bombardment or using grenade launchers on enemy infantry. Once a unit's special ability(ies) has been spent, players must wait for them to recharge before they can be used again. In addition to controlling units, players may also call in tactical aid by spending tactical aid points. Points are primarily earned from destroying enemy units in battle. Tactical Aids allow the player to call in anything, from airstrikes on enemy positions, the deployment of paratroopers, to launching carpet bombing raids and tactical nuclear strikes. Tactical aids can allow up to three deployments, after which the player must wait until the support has recharged. In the single-player campaign, players are restricted by what tactical aid they can use, which can change during a mission. The game interface for "World in Conflict" has no framing in the game. A list of units occupies the bottom center, whereas the top right-hand corner contains the expandable reinforcement procurement list. The mini map is in the bottom left-hand corner, while the bottom right-hand corner contains the special abilities buttons (including unit formation). Players can also use a messaging system that is designed to allow conversation between individuals regardless of whether they are on the same server or playing the same game. "World in Conflict" features a fully rotational 360-degree camera. Single-player. The single-player campaign places players in the role of Lieutenant Parker (voiced by Alec Baldwin), a United States Army officer, who takes command of a company of troops from both the US and NATO, and who narrates the events of the game's campaign prior to each mission; he neither speaks during missions and cutscenes, nor is his face shown. During missions, players take on enemies scripted for them to deal while the AI handles the remainder of action on the battlefield, though a large portion of the action is still focused on the player, which is in contrast to the approach used in RTS titles, in which players are in charge of whole armies and thus responsible for most of the action on the battlefield. Unlike other game modes, players are restricted in missions by what units they can deploy and what tactical aid they can call in, sometimes having to rely on the units they begin with and acquire during a mission. The narrative of the single-player story owes much of its inspiration from both the "Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor" series (see the 'Influences' section below) Multiplayer. Multiplayer games support up to sixteen players and can be played on a LAN or over the Internet. Three types of maps are featured: domination maps, where players must control command points to win the game, assault maps, where one team defends a series of command points which the other teams assaults, and tug of war maps, where teams must fight to capture a series of command points on the front line, whereupon the line shifts towards a new set of points closer to the losing team. One side plays as either the United States or NATO, while the other as the Soviet Union. In multiplayer gameplay the player may choose one of four roles in battle: infantry, air, support, or armor. The infantry role gives access to various infantry squads such as anti-tank teams, snipers, and light transport vehicles whereas armor allows players to use various classes of tanks, the dominant direct fire land combat unit of the game. Players choosing the air role have access to attack, scout, and transport helicopters. Finally, the support role contains anti-air, artillery, and repair units. Each role's basic units can be purchased by everyone but are more expensive for players with a different role. In addition, each role has its own exclusive units that aren't available for purchase by other roles. The game ends when one side is completely dominant over the other, or when 20 minutes are up, in which case, whichever side is winning at the time is declared the winner. A bar is displayed at the top of the screen showing the status of both armies. After the game is over, the score sheet will be displayed, and the players' rank updated. The online component of the game uses the in-game massgate system, which is derived from "Ground Control". The system helps players keep track of friends, allowing them to see whether they are online or playing a game. Clans can be created and kept track of in-game, with features such as ranks and clan matches. Massgate includes leaderboards and a ranking system based on US Army military ranks. Players can increase their rank and leaderboard position in a way similar to Battlefield 2, by accumulating earnings and scoring points, medals, and badges. Achieving higher ranks becomes progressively more difficult. The leaderboard also keeps track of clan rankings. Plot. In the winter of 1988, the Soviet Union demands aid from the West in the midst of economic ruin. Negotiations between NATO and the U.S.S.R break down, and in June 1989, the Soviet Union invades and captures West Berlin. Several months later in late November 1989, a few months after the outbreak of World War III, Soviet forces launch a surprise invasion of Seattle, Washington. A combination of regular U.S. Army and National Guard soldiers, led by Lieutenant Parker and Captain Bannon, counter their advances to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians, before retreating due to the strength of the Soviet offensive. Joined by Colonel Sawyer, they continue to withdraw southwards, eventually leading a successful effort to retake the town of Pine Valley, halting further Soviet advances. A month later, Soviet forces launch an offensive towards Fort Teller, a military base located within the Cascade Mountains, in order to disable the United States' Strategic Defense Initiative project, unaware that it had been a failure. The U.S. had concealed this knowledge to ensure the Soviets would not attempt a nuclear strike. Parker, Sawyer, and Bannon - joined by Captain Webb - engage in a series of delaying battles en route to the town of Cascade Falls near the Fort, before forming a defensive line within the town. Learning that the advance is not stopping, Sawyer orders the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the area, then launches a tactical nuclear missile at the town. Bannon, remorseful over mistakes made earlier in the war and seeking redemption, sacrifices himself and his company to pin down Soviet forces, allowing Sawyer to withdraw the rest of his forces. The resulting nuclear blast eliminates Bannon and his company, along with the Soviet forces in the town, successfully halting the assault. Months earlier at the outbreak of the war, after diplomatic efforts from both sides had failed, Sawyer, Parker, and Bannon served in France as part of a NATO counteroffensive against a Soviet invasion near Marseille. Although successful, Bannon's negligence during a major operation results in the death of their French liaison, Commandant Sabatier. Following their success in France, Sawyer receives orders to take Task Force Raven, a special unit of NATO troops, to penetrate deep into Soviet territory to retrieve intelligence from a crashed prototype B-2 bomber, and then destroy the wreckage. While withdrawing from the area with the pilots from the downed bomber, Bannon accidentally kills surrendering Soviet civil-defense volunteers, leading Sawyer to reprimand him for his conduct and discipline. NATO forces then launch an assault on a Soviet naval yard in Murmansk detailed in the intelligence, in order to destroy submarines intended for an attack on U.S. Navy bases along the East Coast. The operation is a partial success, with only one submarine escaping due to Bannon's incompetence; it is later sunk by the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Returning to the U.S., Sawyer relegates Bannon to a support duty, while Parker assists U.S. Army Rangers in a counter-offensive against a surprise attack by Spetsnaz troops in New York City, who had taken control of several islands in the New York Bay. Parker's forces successfully prevent the Soviets from using chemical weapons against the city, while also saving the Statue of Liberty from destruction. Sawyer later sends Parker home to Seattle for leave, while reassigning Bannon to work at a National Guard depot there, just a few days before the surprise Soviet invasion. Returning to the present after the nuclear strike on Cascade Falls, Parker and Webb regroup with stragglers and soon reunite with Sawyer, whereupon they learn that the People's Republic of China has declared its intention to enter the war as a Soviet ally. The U.S. President, learning that a Chinese invasion fleet has been launched to reinforce the Soviet beachhead in Seattle, orders all U.S. forces in Washington to spearhead an assault to recapture the city, while also ordering a nuclear strike against the city, as a backup plan should this fail. Sawyer, desperate to avoid another Cascade Falls, orders his forces to attack before the Chinese can land, refusing to back down. After successfully breaking through the Soviet Army's defense perimeter around Seattle, and capturing Puget Sound to secure Soviet anti-ship missile launchers for use against the Chinese fleet, the reinforced U.S. battalions launch their counterattack. While Webb is injured during the conflict, Sawyer and Parker manage to hold out in the battle, effectively ensuring that the U.S. forces retake Seattle from the Soviets before the Chinese fleet arrives. Dealt a decisive blow by the outcome of the battle and unable to launch an amphibious assault of their own, the fleet consequently returns to China. As American soldiers rest from the intense battle since the invasion, Sawyer states that the war isn't over and that they may still be recalled to fight in other theatres. Development. In December 2015, the official Massgate servers were shut down by Massive Entertainment for several reasons, despite a community outcry. In early 2017, online multiplayer functionality and a new community-run Massgate were restored by a group of players unaffiliated with Ubisoft or Massive Entertainment. Influences. The game's designers have cited the 1984 film "Red Dawn" as one of their key influences. The film's main premise is the invasion of America by Soviet and Central American troops. Echoes of the film can be seen in the initial paratroop landings (though in the film they happen in Colorado) and in the use of civilian transports to disguise a Soviet invasion force; again, this differs slightly from the film. Also, in the "" expansion, the name of the Soviet invasion of Germany (and presumably the United States) is referred to as Operation Red Dawn. Another influence for the game, according to issue 7 of the WiC Journal, are the first-person shooter game series "Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor", and how the games give the player a relatively small role in a big conflict and will command small numbers of units at a time rather than whole hordes. The developers, still according to the journal, have also looked to the games "Battlefield 2" and "" for inspiration. Marketing. The collector's edition of "World in Conflict" comes in a limited edition collector's box art cloth packaging (with a Soviet flag on one side and Russian wording of "World in Conflict", and the US flag on the other with English "World in Conflict") and includes an authentic piece of the Berlin Wall, "Modern Marvels: The Berlin Wall" DVD by the History Channel, Behind the Scenes DVD and "World in Conflict" exclusive Creative HS-390 headset (Europe Only). Those who had preordered the game were given access to the Beta, the ability to preserve their username and clans, and either received the "Modern Marvels: Strategic Air Command" or the "Declassified: The Rise and Fall of The Wall" DVD by the History Channel depending upon which area of the world one was situated in. The collector's edition in Poland is different compared to collector's editions in other countries. It includes an exclusive "World in Conflict" wooden container, limited edition collector's box art packaging (Soviet or US flag), a full-sized flag of the US or Soviet Union, an exclusive "World in Conflict" poster, a T-shirt and cap with the "World in Conflict" logo and decorations, and a "World in Conflict" exclusive Trust Hs-2200 headset. The collector's edition available in Taiwan is also different, as there was no preorder scheme put into place there. It includes an exclusive flag of the Soviet Union, a "Modern Marvels: Strategic Air Command" DVD by the History Channel, Special translated behind the scenes DVD, Metallic packaging featuring the Soviet flag on the front, and the US flag on the back. The game was re-released under "World in Conflict Complete Edition" including the new expansion "Soviet Assault" all in one game. Reception. "World in Conflict" received "generally favorable reviews" from game critics according to the review aggregator Metacritic. GameSpot called the game "the studio's masterwork", giving it 9.5 out of 10. Awards. Prior to its initial release in September 2007, "World in Conflict" received several awards from its E3 presentation in 2007. After release, the game earned editor's choice awards from GameSpot, IGN and the Australian gaming magazine PC PowerPlay, as well as PC Zone's classic award. PC Gamer US also awarded the game its editor's choice award, as well as naming it the 2007 RTS game of the year. The game was included in the book "1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die". Sales. It topped weekly sales charts in North America, Germany, and Australia in the week it was released. Expansion. A new expansion of the game, World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, was released for Windows in March 2009. Plans to release the game under the same name for home consoles, the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, were dropped. The new edition included a brand new campaign from the Soviet perspective. New maps were included as well as new movies and cut scenes, however there were no new units included. On July 29, 2008, Activision dropped "World in Conflict: Soviet Assault" from production along with a number of other games putting the future of the game in question. On August 6, 2008, Activision Blizzard put Massive Entertainment up for sale. Massive Entertainment has since been acquired by Ubisoft. The game was released on March 13, 2009 in several formats. It was packaged under "World in Conflict: Complete Edition" which is the new retail collection, containing both "World in Conflict" and the expansion, "Soviet Assault". The complete pack was available through retail stores, Steam download and Direct2Drive download. "Soviet Assault" was also released separately as a download for owners of the original "World in Conflict", through Steam and D2D and also in a retail version.

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Red Storm Rising (video game) Red Storm Rising is a simulation video game based on Tom Clancy's 1986 novel "Red Storm Rising" and released in 1988 by MicroProse. The player is put in charge of an American SSN submarine in the Norwegian Sea Theater with the overall role of a hunter killer performing various missions in the context of the global conflict described in the book representing a campaign. Its original Commodore 64 version was co-designed and co-programmed by the famous game designer Sid Meier. Plot. As with in the book, the game concentrates on the Norwegian Sea theater, placing the player as captain of a single United States Navy nuclear-powered submarine tasked to disrupt Soviet forces in the area between the Kola Peninsula and the Greenland-Iceland-UK barrier. Missions may include interdiction of tanker fleets, stopping amphibious landing forces, eliminating Soviet wolf pack submarines and many others. The background story remains true to the book's plot but the final mission is always to prevent the Soviets from launching nuclear missiles by locating and eliminating their ballistic missile submarines. Gameplay. The player may choose from four different timelines. Starting in the early 1980s limits the player to "Permit", or early -class submarines, but the Soviets have weak sonar, whereas starting in the late 1980s allows the player to use the improved "Los Angeles" class and even the newer subs. Weapons improve accordingly, with Tomahawk missiles and improved Mark 48 torpedoes included in later timelines but the Soviets begin deploying nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and much better anti-submarine warfare ships. The goal of the game is always consistent: Inflicting as much damage as possible on the Soviets in the Norwegian Sea, thus allowing safe passage to supply convoys coming from America and preventing amphibious forces from conquering Norway and Iceland. In order to make contact with enemy forces, the player must navigate the sub in a map of the North Sea, depending on his sub's sensors as well as allied aircraft, satellites and SOSUS arrays to detect the Soviet forces. Success or failure of the missions impacts the progress of the war depicted by shifts in the front line on a simple map of Europe. If the player fails in a mission then Soviet forces capture more territory, but if he succeeds then NATO is able to resist the Soviet attacks. In the course of the campaign the player can gain rank and possibly earn medals as well. In the end of the war, a final score is calculated and the player is awarded a post-war rank if NATO wins the war; this rank can vary from commander to admiral depending on how successful they have been in their missions. A poor performance in the game, particularly in the final mission, means that the Soviets win the war and the player ends up with the rank of Tovarishch (comrade), becoming a political prisoner in a communist-ruled America. Reception. "Compute!" called "Red Storm Rising" a "must" for fans of Tom Clancy or military simulations. "Computer Gaming World" in 1988 and 1992 gave the game four and a half stars out of five, commending it for balancing realism and gameplay while noting deviations from realism, such as the durability of the player's submarine. The reviewer noted the game is "relatively easy to learn and win. This reviewer does not mean that the challenge is absent, but while the challenge is omnipresent, it is surmountable". In a 1994 survey of wargames the magazine gave the title three-plus stars out of five, stating that it was "one of the best on the market". In 1996, the magazine ranked "Red Storm Rising" as the 39th best PC game of all time, calling it "a modern submarine combat game unmatched even by today's offerings, the play balance of scenarios, campaigns and realism was near perfect." "Cold Waters", a "spiritual successor" to "Red Storm Rising", was released in 2017.

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Battle Shark Battle Shark (バトルシャーク) is a first person shoot 'em up arcade game released in 1989 by Taito. The player looks through a submarine periscope in order to destroy enemies, featuring simulated damage whenever the player gets hit by either an enemy torpedo or a missile. The player starts off with a limited amount of torpedoes, which slowly replenishes itself, so players must shoot accurately. Power-up targets appear throughout the games, which can increase the player's supply of torpedoes, repairs damage or add extra firepower in addition to the torpedoes. At the end of each stage, the player faces off against a Boss character. The Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) nominated "Battle Shark" for the "Most Inventive" award in 1990. The game was released for "Taito Legends" in 2005. Plot. The story in Battle Shark involves a third world war (World War 3 or WWIII). According to the description in the game's attract mode introduction, "extremely brutal fighting has been taking place on land, and now the battlefield is expanding into the oceans." Peace negotiations, the fictional allies then discover, are an enemy trap, and that the enemy has actually been buying time to create an underwater fortress at the bottom of the sea. "Battle Shark", with its driver, a navy soldier, must fight its way through hordes of enemy submarines, boats, and vehicles to track down the fortress, and ultimately destroy it. Reception. In Japan, "Game Machine" listed "Battle Shark" on their May 1, 1990 issue as being the sixth most-successful upright arcade unit of the month. At the 1990 AMOA Games Awards held by the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA), "Battle Shark" was nominated for the "Most Inventive" award.

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Theatre Europe Theatre Europe is a turn-based strategy video game developed and published by Personal Software Services. It was first released in the United Kingdom for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit home computers in 1985. It was later released in France by ERE Informatique in 1986, and was released in the United States by Datasoft later that year. It was also ported to the Tatung Einstein home computer in 1989, exclusively in the United Kingdom. It is the fifth instalment of the "Strategic Wargames" series. The game is set during a fictional war in Europe between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, in which both sides use nuclear and chemical weapons against each other. The main objective of the game is to fight conventional battles in continental Europe, whilst trying to avoid a worldwide nuclear holocaust. Throughout the game, various capital cities and their civilian populations will be destroyed by nuclear weapons; the game will only end once either side is forced to surrender or if the entire population of Europe perishes. In order to request a nuclear strike, the player was required to call a dedicated telephone number, which led to an automated message announcing the authorisation code. During development, the developers obtained extensive information and statistics of military strength from the Ministry of Defence and the Soviet embassy in London. "Theatre Europe" gained national controversy upon release, receiving criticism from both the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and "The Sun" newspaper. Some high street retail chains refused to sell the game upon release. Despite the controversy, the game received critical acclaim from reviewers. Praise was directed at its accuracy, playability and value for money. It won the "Best Strategy Game" award at the 1985 Golden Joystick Awards and was nominated for the "Game of the Year" title. Gameplay. The game is a turn-based strategy and revolves around a fictional conflict between the powers of NATO and allies of the Warsaw Pact. The player has the choice of choosing either NATO or the Warsaw Pact (collectively referred to as Soviet forces), or a "demo" computer versus computer option, where the game plays itself. The game takes place over a period of 30 in-game days, in which one day is equal to one "round". There are three types of difficulty; level one, in which unless provoked, the enemy will not use nuclear weapons, whilst levels two and three will enable the enemy to use nuclear and chemical attacks to prevent the player from winning the game. The main feature of the game is focused on a map of Europe and western Russia, which displays accurate terrain such as mountain ranges, major cities, borders and all military forces belonging to each side. The game also features an arcade sequence which involves shooting down enemy units in order to secure combat bonuses; this gameplay mode, however, can be ignored by changing the game's settings. If the arcade sequences are turned on, the player will be notified to choose a battle on the map. Depending on the area chosen, an illustration of a battle commencing in countryside or a city is presented with various forms of military equipment including aeroplanes, helicopters and tanks. The player must shoot down and destroy enemy units using their cursor, in similar style to "Missile Command". The outcome of the arcade sequence will affect the game; performing poorly will result in severe losses throughout that round. After combat has been resolved, the player must move and assemble their forces in continental Europe, which is known as the movement phase. Two special units are exclusively available to the Warsaw Pact: "the 1st Airborne Army which can be flown directly behind enemy lines, and the 1st Amphibious Army which can move over the sea to a tactical attack point". Units are moved by cursor, and only one may be moved at a time. Once all units have been moved within a round, the attack phase will begin. Any amount of friendly units may attack an opposing army; however, once a unit has been dispatched for battle it cannot be stopped until the current attack phase concludes. During the attacking phase, a separate screen displaying combat information, such as enemy numbers and casualties, is displayed. If the screen detailing the attacking phase has been turned off in the settings, the battle will instead be decided on warrants of air superiority and armaments. After battle sequences, the player will have the opportunity to rebuild their units by allocating a quantity of armament supplies, such as air support, which can be issued to any friendly unit on the map. After rebuilding ground units, the game will move onto an "air phase", which consists of commanding aircraft such as aeroplanes, bombers and a limited number of reserve air units. Several options for allocating air forces include: counter air strikes, reconnaissance on enemy movement, interdiction, assault breakers, and deep strikes. Counter air strikes involve attacks on enemy air bases, whereas interdiction involves aircraft being sent behind enemy lines in order to attack supply and movement networks. If interdiction aircraft are discovered in enemy territory, there will be a chance that the side will respond with a retaliatory nuclear strike. The remaining three aircraft options are to attack a single unit, strike enemy territory, and attack railways in order to disable enemy reinforcements, respectively. The game allows the player to request chemical and nuclear tactical strikes against the enemy. A chemical attack is automatically targeted at an enemy capital city, and will conclude with a readout announcing the outcome of the attack, such as civilian casualties. In order to launch a strategic nuclear attack, the player is given 30 seconds to call a dedicated 1-800 telephone number and obtain a special authorisation code from the automated answerphone message (the authorisation code was 'Midnight Sun'). Once the authorisation code has been received, the player will be given three separate options on how to proceed. Standby mode will postpone the nuclear launch, whereas a strategic launch will involve one nuclear warhead targeting a city. The third option, known as "Fire-Plan", will issue a full-scale nuclear strike across Europe and may result in a nuclear holocaust, which will end the game. Background and release. Personal Software Services was founded in Coventry, West Midlands, by Gary Mays and Richard Cockayne in 1981. The company were known for creating games that revolved around historic battles and conflicts, such as "Battle of Britain", "Bismarck" and "Falklands '82". The company had a partnership with French video game developer ERE Informatique, and published localised versions of their products to the United Kingdom. In 1986, Cockayne took a decision to alter their products for release on 16-bit consoles, as he found that smaller 8-bit consoles such as the ZX Spectrum lacked the processing power for larger strategy games. The decision was falsely interpreted as "pulling out" from the Spectrum market by video game journalist Phillipa Irving. Following years of successful sales throughout the mid-1980s, Personal Software Services experienced financial difficulties; Cockayne admitted in a retrospective interview that "he took his eye off the ball". The company was acquired by Mirrorsoft in February 1987, and was later dispossessed by the company due to strains of debt. In an interview with "Your Computer" magazine, Gary Mays stated that "Theatre Europe" received heavy criticism from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). The CND accused the developers of "bad taste", despite Cockayne claiming that the organisation never "looked into the product". During development of the game, Cockayne and Mays obtained figures and statistics of various military strength from the Ministry of Defence and the Soviet embassy in London. Cockayne asserted that the statistics the developers gained were realistically plausible, stating that he would let the "horrifying results speak for themselves" during the game. Game designer Alan Steel stated that during testing, he was "alarmed" to discover when the computer played itself, the Warsaw Pact always won a conventional war overwhelmingly, forcing NATO to either surrender or begin a nuclear war. Steel adjusted the game to give NATO a chance to win. "Theatre Europe" was first released in the United Kingdom for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari 8-bit home computers in 1985. It was then re-released in France and the United States for those consoles in 1986. Due to lobbying from the CND, high street outlets such as Boots and John Menzies refused to sell the game in their stores, with the former finding it "morally offensive". Reception. The game received critical acclaim upon release. Gwyn Hughes of "Your Sinclair" defended the accuracy and morality of the game, stating that it was not in "bad taste" and that the game was a "well researched program", which he thought would give the player an insight into the nature of modern war. Philippa Irving of "Crash" similarly stated that "Theatre Europe" offered more than a usual "run-of-the-mill" war game and heralded its simplistic nature, adding that novice gamers would "get in to it with ease". John Gilbert of "Sinclair User" added scepticism over the developer's intention of making something "so serious" as opposed to their other titles; however he praised the game as a "brilliant, if chilling" simulation. A reviewer writing for "ZX Computing" similarly stated that the game was "superbly chilling" and "extremely" well-presented. A reviewer of "Computer and Video Games" criticised the inferior graphics on the ZX Spectrum, stating that they were "a bit flawed" in comparison to the Commodore 64 version. Bill Harrington reviewed the game for "Computer Gaming World", and stated that " TE does a credible job of demonstrating the perils of escalation and dramatizing how slippery the slope to nuclear war might be, but is basically a game in search of a market." Mark Reed of "Computer Gamer" noted that the game attracted media attention, despite the objective of the game discouraging the use of nuclear weapons. Reed praised the presentation and gameplay, also stating that the use of a joystick and keyboard is "excellent". A reviewer from "Zzap!64" heralded the presentation and value for money, stating that it is overall "very special indeed". The reviewer also gave praise to the sound, suggesting that the game featured "one of the best pieces of micro music ever". "Antic" stated that the Atari 8-bit version's "execution is uneven". The magazine reported that the arcade portion "quickly becomes a nuisance" and NATO could not defeat the Warsaw Pact because of lack of balance, flaws that did not exist in the Commodore 64 version. Peter Connor of "Advanced Computer Entertainment" said that "Theatre Europe" was a "gift", in regards to its value of money and level of playability. In a 1994 survey of wargames "Computer Gaming World" gave the title two-plus stars out of five, stating that it was "rendered obsolete by history and game play". The game won the "Best Strategy Game" award at the 1985 Golden Joystick Awards and was also nominated for the "Game of the Year" title.

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The Third World War (video game) The Third World War, released in Japan as , is a 1993 turn-based strategy game for the Mega-CD developed by Micronet. A Sega Genesis version was planned but never released. Gameplay. You play against the computer as a nation of your choice in the present day or in the future. The game is similar to a computer game version of Risk. Each nation has its own strengths and weaknesses and the player is given a limited number of terms to develop their nation's society, technology, and military power. You have the option to play the game in different historical points in history, i.e. during the Cold War or in the future. The object of the game is to defeat the computer without starting world war three. The game failed to generate much commercial success due to its limited graphics, and difficulty the player often had in developing a military presence that could compete with the computer. Winning. Victory is achieved by one of two ways, a military victory or an economic victory. To achieve military victory, you must conquer 51 different nations. Once the 51st location is conquered, the victory will commence, and a small speech by your country's leader will ensue. Nations. You can choose one of 16 nations to lead. The United States of America, Russia, Japan, Germany, China, France, the United Kingdom, India, Brazil, Canada, Australia, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, or Libya. There are several other areas in the map that are gray in most game options, that are not selectable to control, but are conquerable (such as Cuba, Vietnam, Mexico, and Ethiopia for example). Reception. "Entertainment Weekly" gave the game a C and wrote that "Assuming the leadership of any one of 16 countries, players negotiate treaties, deploy armed forces, and shore up their economies in this complex, menu-driven brain strainer. But while it's hard to dislike any game that includes options like 'aid terrorism' and 'manipulate media,' "Third World War" is a bit dull-by the time the shooting starts, you'll probably have tuned in CNN to catch the real thing."

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Ciconia When They Cry Ciconia When They Cry is an episodic visual novel game series in development by 07th Expansion, collectively considered the fifth entry in the "When They Cry" series, following "Higurashi" and "Umineko". It follows people trying to prevent the outbreak of World War IV. It is released episodically for Microsoft Windows and macOS, by 07th Expansion in Japan and by MangaGamer internationally, and is planned to be four episodes long. The first, "Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones", was released on October 4, 2019; the second was planned for release in 2020, but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The series is written by Ryukishi07 and produced by Nakao Bōshi, and features art by Ryukishi07 and Remotaro, and music by several returning series composers. It was designed to be different from "Higurashi" and "Umineko", with a larger world compared to their isolated settings, and with the intent that the player can choose to just enjoy the story or optionally try to solve the mysteries themselves, a change influenced by the 1995 anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion". The story's set-up was also designed to be more condensed, with episode 1 roughly corresponding to the first half of "Umineko" in terms of plot progression. Overview. "Ciconia When They Cry" is a visual novel set after the end of World War III. It follows Gauntlet Knights – young people trained to use a new military technology called the Gauntlet, which allows its user to fly, fight, and repel attacks – who have become friends and aim to prevent the outbreak of a fourth world war. Development. "Ciconia When They Cry" is developed by 07th Expansion, with a scenario, original character designs and illustrations by Ryukishi07. The game is produced by Nakao Bōshi, and features graphics and coloring by Remotaro. The music is composed by returning "When They Cry" series staff, including Dai, Luck Ganriki, Xaki, and Uni Akiyama; and the opening theme is performed by Maria Sawada. The game is developed and released episodically, and is planned to be four episodes long. The game's title – "ciconia", a genus of birds in the stork family – comes from how the game focuses on child characters. While at a convention outside Japan, Ryukishi07 asked recurring 07th Expansion composer Gin Kreuz how to localize the title in Japanese to make it sound more appealing. Kreuz responded with "ciconia" as opposed to "chikonia". The latter, as Ryukishi07 claims, sounded similar to how a Japanese person would pronounce it. Convinced by how natural Kreuz's pronunciation sounded, Ryukishi07 opted for "ciconia", owing to its sound and how well he thought it fit the game's science fiction setting. Writing. Production of the first episode began in November 2017, while Ryukishi07 was working on the audio drama "Haworthia", which was used to test Ciconia's concepts. It was announced the following year in July 2018 with an illustration of its protagonist, under the working title "●● no Naku Koro ni" ("[Blank] When They Cry"), along with the expanded "Umineko" compilation "Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku", both of which were planned for release in Q4 2018. In October 2018, both were delayed until Q2/Q3 2019, due to inaccurate scheduling based on what Ryukishi07 had been physically capable of when he worked on "Higurashi" and "Umineko" about ten years prior, as well as due to the longer script compared to "Higurashi" and "Umineko" first episodes. Ryukishi07 intended for "Ciconia" to stand out from previous "When They Cry" games, and wanted change up some elements that had been recurring up until that point: he had for example specifically intended for the player to actively try to figure out the mysteries in "Higurashi" and "Umineko", but changed this for "Ciconia" to also let the player simply enjoy the story. This decision was influenced by the 1995 anime series "Neon Genesis Evangelion", which both presents a straightforward narrative and hints at larger mysteries of its world. Another change was the scope of the game's setting: the series had featured increasingly smaller settings, going from "Higurashi" isolated village to "Umineko" small island cut off from the outside world, so Ryukishi07 decided to create a "When They Cry" game set in a large world. To show gratitude to international fans of the series, he also specifically wrote the script to feature characters from around the world. "Ciconia" story was condensed compared to those in "Higurashi" and "Umineko": both of them were split into four "question arcs" and four "answer arcs", where their mysteries are set up and solved, with an initial episode mainly serving to introduce the characters and setting. Meanwhile, "Ciconia" was constructed to span four episodes, with its equivalents of the "question arcs" condensed to give more room for its "answer arcs", with Ryukishi07 describing the end of "Ciconia" first episode as equivalent to "Umineko" third or fourth episode in terms of plot progression. This was in part done due to time, as the series' release schedule had meant that it had taken two years for just "Umineko" "answer arcs" to come out. Music and visuals. The music tracks in the game were specifically composed to begin quickly, and give the listener a feeling for the song's mood within the first few seconds, as the developers wanted to avoid a situation where a scene ends before the player has gotten past a long prelude. As Ryukishi07 did not have the musical knowledge to describe what kind of music he wanted in the game, he would listen to a lot of music and send tracks that fit his vision to Dai, who would in turn write instructions based on those tracks for himself and the other composers. The game's character sprites were created in a collaboration between Ryukishi07 and Remotaro: Ryukishi07 would draw sketches of each sprite, and Remotaro would then draw the line art and paint the sprites. She would specifically try to preserve the style and charm of Ryukishi07's artwork, as she knew that there were fans of "Higurashi" and "Umineko" who were attached to Ryukishi's art, while still adding more details and trying to make the art shine with focus on texture, light and shadow. Release. At Sakura-Con 2019, Ryukishi07 and video game publisher MangaGamer announced that they would release the game simultaneously in English and Japanese, coinciding with Summer Comiket 2019 on August 9, 2019. In July 2019, however, 07th Expansion announced that the game had been delayed until late September 2019; it was then delayed again, with the first episode, "Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones", released on October 4, 2019 for Microsoft Windows and macOS. In Japan, it additionally got a physical release. The second episode was initially planned to be released in May 2020, and then delayed until later in the year. In November 2020, Ryukishi07 announced that it had been delayed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which he considered too similar to the catastrophic events of the game for him to release "Phase 2" at that time, describing it as a situation akin to if the monster Godzilla had attacked while the 1954 film was in production. The English localization is handled by the translation group Witch Hunt, who previously worked on the English translation of "Umineko". They are also working on a localization of "Umineko no Naku Koro ni Saku", but are on Ryukishi07's request prioritizing "Ciconia". The English language option was added to the Japanese physical release through a patch update in November 2019. Reception. The first episode of "Ciconia" was well received by players. Keiichi Yokoyama of "Automaton" was impressed with it, and said that its production values were noticeably improved compared to previous entries in the "When They Cry" series, but also described it as "for better or worse, a Ryukishi07 work".

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Fallout (series) Fallout is a series of post-apocalyptic role-playing video games—and later action role-playing games—created by Interplay Entertainment. The series is set during the 21st, 22nd and 23rd centuries, and its atompunk retrofuturistic setting and art work are influenced by the post-war culture of 1950s United States, with its combination of hope for the promises of technology and the lurking fear of nuclear annihilation. A forerunner of "Fallout" is "Wasteland", a 1988 game developed by Interplay Productions to which the series is regarded as a spiritual successor. The series' first title, "Fallout", was developed by Black Isle Studios and released in 1997, and its sequel, "Fallout 2," the following year. With the tactical role-playing game ', development was handed to Micro Forté and 14 Degrees East. In 2004, Interplay closed Black Isle Studios, and continued to produce ', an action game with role-playing elements for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, without Black Isle Studios. "Fallout 3", the third entry in the main series, was released by Bethesda Softworks, and was followed by "", developed by Obsidian Entertainment. "Fallout 4" was released in 2015 and starts in 2077, and "Fallout 76" released on November 14, 2018 and starts in 2102. Bethesda Softworks owns the rights to the "Fallout" intellectual property. After acquiring it, Bethesda licensed the rights to make a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) version of "Fallout" to Interplay. The MMORPG got as far as beta stage under Interplay, but a lengthy legal dispute between Bethesda Softworks and Interplay halted the development of the game and led to its eventual cancellation, as Bethesda claimed in court that Interplay had not met the terms and conditions of the licensing contract. The case was settled in early 2012. Origins. The ideas of the "Fallout" began with Interplay Productions' "Wasteland", released in 1988. At that time, Interplay was not a publisher and used Electronic Arts for distribution of the game. According to Interplay's founder, Brian Fargo, they wanted to explore a post-apocalyptic setting and created "Wasteland" for that. Sometime after release, Interplay decided to shift focus and become a publisher while still developing games. Fargo wanted to continue to use the "Wasteland" intellectual property, but could not negotiate the rights back from Electronic Arts. Still wanting to do something in a post-apocalyptic setting, Fargo and his team decided to make a new setting and game, determining what aspects of "Wasteland" were positives, and wrote and developed a new game around it, ending up with the first "Fallout" games, released nearly ten years after "Wasteland". Games. Main series. "Fallout" (1997). Released in October 1997, "Fallout" takes place in a post-apocalyptic Southern California, beginning in the year 2161. The protagonist, referred to as the Vault Dweller, is tasked with recovering a water chip in the Wasteland to replace the broken one in their underground shelter home, Vault 13. Afterwards, the Vault Dweller must thwart the plans of a group of mutants, led by a grotesque entity named the Master. "Fallout" was originally intended to run under the "GURPS" role-playing game system. However, a disagreement with the creator of "GURPS", Steve Jackson, over the game's violent content required Black Isle Studios to develop the new SPECIAL system. "Fallout"s atmosphere and artwork are reminiscent of post-World War II United States and the fear that the country was headed for nuclear war. "Fallout 2" (1998). "Fallout 2" was released in October 1998, with several improvements over the first game, including an improved engine, the ability to set attitudes of non-player characters (NPC) party members and the ability to push people who are blocking doors. Additional features included several changes, including significantly more pop culture jokes and parodies, such as multiple Monty Python and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"-referencing special random encounters, and self-parodying dialogue that broke the fourth wall to mention game mechanics. "Fallout 2" takes place eighty years after "Fallout", and centers around a descendant of the Vault Dweller, the protagonist of "Fallout". The player assumes the role of the Chosen One as they try to save their village, Arroyo, from famine and droughts. After saving the village, the Chosen One must fight the Enclave, the remnants of the pre-war United States government. "Fallout 3" (2008). "Fallout 3" was developed by Bethesda Game Studios and released on October 28, 2008. The story picks up thirty years after the setting of "Fallout 2" and 200 years after the nuclear war that devastated the game's world. The player-character is a Vault dweller in Vault 101 who is forced to flee when the Overseer tries to arrest them in response to their father leaving the Vault. Once out, the player is dubbed the Lone Wanderer and ventures into the Wasteland in and around Washington, D.C., known as the Capital Wasteland, to find their father. It differs from previous games in the series by utilizing 3D graphics, a free-roam gaming world, and real-time combat, in contrast to previous games' 2D isometric graphics and turn-based combat. It was developed for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 using the Gamebryo engine. It received highly positive reviews, garnering 94/100, 92/100, and 93/100 averages scores on Metacritic for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, respectively. It won IGN's 2008 Overall Game of the Year Award, Xbox 360 Game of the Year, Best RPG, and Best Use of Sound, as well as E3's Best of the Show and Best Role Playing Game. "Fallout 4" (2015). "Fallout 4", developed by Bethesda Game Studios, was released on November 10, 2015. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and takes place in Boston, Massachusetts, of the in-game New England Commonwealth and features voiced protagonists. The Xbox One version has been confirmed to have mods . Bethesda also confirmed mods for PlayStation 4, after lengthy negotiations with Sony. A virtual reality version of the game was released on December 11, 2017. "Fallout 4" takes place in the year 2287, ten years after the events of "Fallout 3". "Fallout 4"s story begins on the day the bombs dropped: October 23, 2077. The player's character (voiced by either Brian T. Delaney or Courtenay Taylor), dubbed as the Sole Survivor, takes shelter in Vault 111, emerging 210 years later, after being subjected to suspended animation. The Sole Survivor goes on a search for their son who was taken away in the Vault. Spin-off games. "Fallout: New Vegas" (2010). "Fallout: New Vegas" was developed by Obsidian Entertainment and released on October 19, 2010. The development team included developers who previously worked on "Fallout" and "Fallout 2". "Fallout: New Vegas" is not a direct sequel to "Fallout 3". Events follow four years after "Fallout 3" and offer a similar experience, but no characters from that game appear. The player assumes the role of a courier in the post-apocalyptic world of the Mojave Wasteland. As the game begins, the Courier is shot in the head and left for dead shortly before being found and brought to a doctor in the nearby town of Goodsprings, marking the start of the game and the Courier's search for their would-be murderer. The city of New Vegas is a post-apocalyptic interpretation of Las Vegas. "Fallout 76" (2018). "Fallout 76" is the first online multiplayer game in the franchise, with a choice to play solo if the player wishes. It is set in West Virginia, with a majority of monsters and enemies based on regional folklore. When the game was released, there were originally no human non-player characters in the game. Although with the recent "Wastelanders" update it received NPCs and character dialogue. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on November 14, 2018. Other games. These games were considered non-canon when Bethesda Softworks acquired the license. However, the canonicity status of is complex, despite the original Bethesda statement, multiple Bethesda-era games refer to its events. "Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel" (2001). "Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel" is the first "Fallout" game not to require the player to fight in a turn-based mode, and the first to allow the player to customize the skills, perks, and combat actions of the rest of the party. "Fallout Tactics" focuses on tactical combat rather than role-playing; the new combat system included different modes, stances, and modifiers, but the player had no dialogue options. Most of the criticisms of the game came from its incompatibility with the story of the original two games, not from its gameplay. "Fallout Tactics" includes a multiplayer mode that allows players to compete against squads of other characters controlled by other players. Unlike the previous two games, which are based in California, "Fallout Tactics" takes place in the Midwestern United States. The game was released in early 2001 to generally favorable reviews. "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel" (2004). "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel" became the first "Fallout" game for consoles when it was released in 2004. It follows an initiate in the Brotherhood of Steel who is given a suicidal quest to find several lost Brotherhood Paladins. "Brotherhood of Steel" is an action role-playing game, representing a significant break from previous incarnations of the "Fallout" series in both gameplay and aesthetics. The game does not feature non-player characters that accompany the player in combat and uses heavy metal music, including Slipknot, Devin Townsend, and Killswitch Engage, which stands in contrast to the music of the earlier "Fallout" games, performed by The Ink Spots and Louis Armstrong. It was the last "Fallout" game developed by Interplay. "Fallout Shelter" (2015). "Fallout Shelter" is a simulation game for Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The player acts as the Overseer, building and managing their Vault and its dwellers, sending them into the Wasteland on scouting missions and defending the Vault from attacks. Unlike the main entries in the franchise, this game has no ending and mostly revolves around attempting to keep the people who live in the vault, an intricate fallout shelter, alive. The game uses microtransactions, a form of in game purchases, that take the form of nuka-cola quantum, the game's "premium" currency, lunch boxes, an item that would give a random mixture of in-game items, pet carriers, something that would contain a pet, which can boost a single dweller's stats, and "mister handys", a robot who could harvest the games materials or be assigned to outside the vault to harvest bottle caps, the games currency. "Fallout Shelter" was released for iOS on June 14, 2015, Android on August 13, 2015, and for PC on July 15, 2016. On February 7, 2017, Bethesda launched "Fallout Shelter" on Xbox One. On June 10, 2018, Bethesda announced and launched "Fallout Shelter" on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. "Fallout Pinball" (2016). In late 2016, Zen Studios developed a virtual pinball game based on the "Fallout" universe as part of the "Bethesda Pinball" collection, which became available as part of "Zen Pinball 2", "Pinball FX 2" and "Pinball FX 3", as well as a separate free-to-play app for iOS and Android mobile devices. The pinball adaptation is based on "Fallout 4", while containing elements from previous installments as well. Canceled games. "Fallout Extreme". "Fallout Extreme" was in development for several months in 2000 but was canceled before leaving the concept stage. It was intended to be a squad-based, first and third-person tactical shooter to be released on Xbox and built on Unreal Engine. "Fallout Tactics 2". "Fallout Tactics 2" was proposed as a sequel to "", although it was originally conceived as a sequel to "Wasteland", the video game that inspired the "Fallout" series. It was developed by Micro Forté, but the production was canceled in December 2001 after the poor sales of "Fallout Tactics". "Van Buren", Black Isle Studios' "Fallout 3". "Van Buren" is the codename for the canceled version of "Fallout 3" developed by Black Isle Studios and published by Interplay Entertainment. It featured an improved engine with real 3D graphics as opposed to sprites, new locations, vehicles, and a modified version of the SPECIAL system. The story disconnected from the Vault Dweller/Chosen One bloodline in "Fallout" and "Fallout 2". Plans for the game included the ability to influence the various factions. The game was canceled in December 2003 when the budget cuts forced Interplay to dismiss the PC development team. Interplay subsequently sold the "Fallout" intellectual property to Bethesda Softworks, who began development on their own version of "Fallout 3" unrelated to "Van Buren". Main parts of the game were incorporated into "Fallout 3" and its add-ons as well as "Fallout: New Vegas". "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2". "Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2" is the canceled sequel to "Brotherhood of Steel". The development of the game started before the completion of the original, and its development caused the cancellation of the "Van Buren" project. Like its predecessor, the game would have used the Dark Alliance Engine. It was targeted for a Christmas 2004 release date. It featured fourteen new weapons and ten new enemies. The game would have used a simplified reputation system based on previous entries; depending on whether the player was good or evil, the game would play out differently. Each of the four characters that were playable had a different fighting style, therefore every new play-through would have been a different experience. It had two player co-op action for players to experience the game with their friends. The Dark Alliance Engine would be fleshed out to refine player experience. A new stealth system would have been added to the game. This system would have allowed players to stalk enemies or stealthily assassinate them with a sniper rifle. For characters that could not use the sniper rifle, Interplay added a turret mode allowing those characters to use turrets. "Fallout Online". "Fallout Online" (previously known as "Project V13") is a canceled project by Interplay and Masthead Studios to develop a "Fallout"-themed massively multiplayer online game. It entered production in 2008. In 2009, Bethesda filed a lawsuit against Interplay regarding "Project V13," claiming that Interplay has violated their agreement as development has not yet begun on the project. On January 2, 2012, Bethesda and Interplay reached a settlement, the terms of which include the cancellation of "Fallout Online" and transfer of all rights in the franchise to Bethesda. Since then, "Project V13" has been revived as a completely different project called Mayan Apocalypse, unrelated to "Fallout". Gameplay. SPECIAL. SPECIAL is a character creation and statistics system developed specifically for the "Fallout" series. SPECIAL is an acronym, representing the seven attributes used to define "Fallout" characters: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. SPECIAL is heavily based on GURPS, which was originally intended to be the character system used in the game. The SPECIAL system involves the following sets of key features: The SPECIAL system was used in "Fallout", "Fallout 2", and '. A modified version of the system was used in ', "Fallout 3", "", "Fallout 4" and "Fallout Shelter". Aside from "Fallout" games, modified versions of SPECIAL were also used in "" (also referred to as "Fallout Fantasy" early in production), a fantasy role-playing video game that involved spirits and magic in addition to the traditional SPECIAL features, as well as the canceled project "Black Isle's Torn". The Pip-Boy and Vault Boy. The Pip-Boy (Personal Information Processor-Boy) is a wrist-computer given to the player early in "Fallout", "Fallout 2", "Fallout 3", "Fallout: New Vegas", "Fallout 4", and "Fallout 76" which serves various roles in quest, inventory, and battle management, as well as presenting player statistics. The model present in "Fallout" and "Fallout 2" is identified as a Pip-Boy 2000, and both games feature the same unit, used first by the Vault Dweller and later inherited by the Chosen One. "Fallout Tactics" contains a modified version of the 2000 model, called Pip-Boy 2000BE, while "Fallout 3" and "Fallout: New Vegas" uses a Pip-Boy 3000. "Fallout: New Vegas" has a golden version of it, called the Pimp-Boy 3 Billion that is given to the player as a reward for completing a quest in a certain way. "Fallout 4" contains a modified version of the 3000, called the Pip-Boy 3000 Mark IV. "Fallout 76" contains a modified version of the Pip-Boy, called the Pip-Boy 2000 Mark VI, which is another version of the Pip-Boy 2000. The Vault Boy character is Vault-Tec's mascot, and is a recurring element in Vault-Tec products in the game world. This includes the Pip-Boy, where the Vault Boy illustrates all of the character statistics and selectable attributes. From Bethesda's "Fallout 3" onward Vault Boy models all of the clothing and weaponry as well. The character was originally designed by Leonard Boyarsky, based partly on Rich Uncle Pennybags' aesthetic from the "Monopoly" board game, and drawn for "Fallout" by George Almond for the first few cards and by Tramell Ray Isaac, who finalized the look of the character. Series overview. Setting. The series is set in a fictionalized United States in an alternate history scenario that diverges from reality following World War II. In this alternative atompunk "golden age", the transistor was never invented. As such, a bizarre socio-technological status quo emerges, in which advanced robots, nuclear-powered cars, directed-energy weapons, and other futuristic technologies are seen alongside 1950s-era computers and televisions. The United States divides itself into 13 commonwealths and the aesthetics and Cold War paranoia of the 1950s continue to dominate the American lifestyle well into the 21st century. More than a hundred years before the start of the series, an energy crisis emerged caused by the depletion of petroleum reserves, leading to a period called the "Resource Wars" in April 2052 – a series of events which included a war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East, the disbanding of the United Nations, the U.S. annexation of Canada, and a Chinese invasion and subsequent military occupation of Alaska coupled with their release of the "New Plague" that devastated the American mainland. These eventually culminated in the "Great War" on the morning of October 23, 2077, eastern standard time, a two-hour nuclear exchange on an apocalyptic scale, which subsequently created the post-apocalyptic United States, the setting of the "Fallout" world. Vaults. Having foreseen this outcome decades earlier, the U.S. government began a nationwide project in 2054 to build fallout shelters known as "Vaults". The Vaults were ostensibly designed by the Vault-Tec as public shelters, each able to support up to a thousand people. Around 400,000 Vaults would have been needed, but only 122 were commissioned and constructed. Each Vault is self-sufficient, so they could theoretically sustain their inhabitants indefinitely. However, the Vault project was not intended as a viable method of repopulating the United States in these deadly events. Instead, most Vaults were secret, unethical social experiments and were designed to determine the effects of different environmental and psychological conditions on their inhabitants. Experiments were widely varied and included: a Vault filled with clones of an individual; a Vault where its residents were frozen in suspended animation; a Vault where its residents were exposed to psychoactive drugs; a Vault where one resident, decided by popular vote, is sacrificed each year; a Vault with only one man and puppets; a Vault where its inhabitants were segregated into two hostile factions; two Vaults with disproportionate ratios of men and women; a Vault where the inhabitants were exposed to the mutagenic Forced Evolutionary Virus (F.E.V.); and a Vault where the door never closed, exposing the inhabitants to the dangerous nuclear fallout. 17 control Vaults were made to function as advertised in contrast with the Vault experiments but were usually shoddy and unreliable due to most of the funding going towards the experimental ones. Subsequently, many Vaults had their experiments derailed due to unexpected events, and a number of Vaults became occupied by raiders, mutated animals or ghouls. Post-War conditions. In the years after the Great War, the United States has devolved into a post-apocalyptic environment commonly dubbed "the Wasteland". The Great War and subsequent nuclear Armageddon has severely depopulated the country, leaving large expanses of property decaying from neglect. In addition, virtually all food and water is irradiated and most lifeforms have mutated due to high radiation combined with mutagens of varied origins. Despite the large-scale devastation, some areas were fortunate enough to survive the nuclear apocalypse relatively unscathed, even possessing non-irradiated water, flora, and fauna. However, these areas are exceedingly rare. With a large portion of the country's infrastructure in ruins, basic necessities are scarce. Barter is the common method of exchange, with bottle caps providing a more conventional form of currency. Most cities and towns are empty, having been looted or deserted in favor of smaller, makeshift communities scattered around the Wasteland. Many humans who could not get into the Vaults survived the atomic blasts, but many of these, affected by the radiation, turned into so-called "ghouls". While they were given an extended lifespan, many lost their hair and their skin decayed. Often, their voices became raspy giving them a zombie-like appearance. Ghouls often have a hatred towards humans due to jealousy or in response to discrimination. Ghouls typically resent any comparison to zombies, and being called a zombie is viewed as a great insult. If ghouls continue to be exposed to high levels of radiation, irreversible damage to their brains can cause them to become feral ghouls that attack almost anything on sight, having lost their minds. Influences. "Fallout" satirizes the 1950s and 1960s fantasies of the United States' "post-nuclear-war-survival", thus draws from 1950s pulp magazine science fiction and superhero comic books, all rooted in Atomic Age optimism of a nuclear-powered future, though gone terribly awry by the time the events of the game take place. The technology is retro-futuristic, with various Raygun Gothic machines such as laser weaponry and boxy "Forbidden Planet"-style robots. Computers use vacuum tubes instead of transistors (but still existed in a limited capacity), the architecture of ruined buildings feature Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and Googie designs, direct-energy weapons resemble those used by Flash Gordon, and what few vehicles remain in the world are all 1950s-styled. "Fallout"s other production design, such as menu interfaces, are similarly designed to resemble advertisements and toys of the Atomic Age. Advertising in the game such as billboards and brochures has a distinct 1950s motif and feel. The lack of retro-stylization was a common reason for criticism in spin-off games, as well as modern features on weapons and other models. A major influence was "A Boy and His Dog", where the main character Vic and his dog Blood scavenge the desert of the Southwestern United States, stealing for a living and evading bands of marauders, berserk androids, and mutants. It "inspired "Fallout" on many levels, from underground communities of survivors to glowing mutants." Other film influences include the "Mad Max" series, with its depiction of a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In the first game, one of the first available armors is a one-sleeved leather jacket that resembles the jacket worn in "Mad Max 2". Tabletop games. "Fallout: Warfare". "Fallout: Warfare" is a tabletop wargame based on the "Fallout Tactics" storyline, using a simplified version of the SPECIAL system. The rulebook was written by Christopher Taylor, and was available on the "Fallout Tactics" bonus CD, together with cut-out miniatures. "Fallout: Warfare" features five distinct factions, vehicles, four game types and 33 different units. The rules only require ten-sided dice. The modifications to the SPECIAL system allow every unit a unique set of stats and give special units certain skills they can use, including piloting, doctor, and repair. A section of the "Fallout: Warfare" manual allows campaigns to be conducted using the "Warfare" rules. It has been chosen for many awards and won game of the year. "Exodus". "Exodus" is a role-playing game published by Glutton Creeper Games using the d20 Modern/OGL system. At the beginning of the development this game was known as "Fallout: Pen and Paper – d20" however all connections to "Fallout" were dropped after a legal dispute with Bethesda. "Fallout". A board game titled "Fallout" was announced by Fantasy Flight Games in 2017 for a November release. "Fallout: Wasteland Warfare". The tabletop wargame "Fallout: Wasteland Warfare" was announced by Modiphius Entertainment in April 2017. It was released in March 2018. Legal action. Interplay was threatened with bankruptcy and sold the full "Fallout" franchise to Bethesda, but kept the rights to the "Fallout" MMO through a back license in April 2007 and began work on the MMO later that year. Bethesda Softworks sued Interplay Entertainment for copyright infringement on September 8, 2009, regarding the "Fallout Online" license and selling of "Fallout Trilogy" and sought an injunction to stop development of "Fallout Online" and sales of "Fallout Trilogy". Key points that Bethesda were trying to argue is that Interplay did not have the right to sell "Fallout Trilogy" on the Internet via Steam, Good Old Games or other online services. Bethesda also said that "full scale" development on "Fallout Online" was not met and that the minimum financing of 30 million of "secured funding" was not met. Interplay launched a counter suit claiming that Bethesda's claims were meritless and that it did have the right to sell "Fallout" Trilogy via online stores via its contract with Bethesda. Interplay also claimed secure funding had been met and the game was in full scale development by the cut off date. Interplay argued to have the second contract that sold "Fallout" voided which would result in the first contract that licensed "Fallout" to come back into effect. This would mean that "Fallout" would revert to Interplay. Bethesda would be allowed to make "Fallout 5". Bethesda would have to pay 12% of royalties on "Fallout 3", "Fallout: New Vegas", "Fallout 4" and expansions plus interest on the money owed. On December 10, 2009, Bethesda lost the first injunction. Bethesda shortly afterward tried a new tactic and fired its first lawyer, replacing him and filing a second injunction, claiming that Interplay had only back-licensed the name "Fallout" but no content. Interplay has countered showing that the contract states that they must make "Fallout Online" that has the look and feel of "Fallout" and that in the event Interplay fails to meet the requirements (30 million minimum secure funding and "full scale" development by X date) that Interplay can still release the MMO but they have to remove all "Fallout" content. The contract then goes on to list all "Fallout" content as locations, monsters, settings and lore. Bethesda has known that Interplay would use "Fallout" elements via internet emails shown in court documents and that the contract was not just for the name. The second injunction by Bethesda was denied on August 4, 2011, by the courts. Bethesda then appealed the denial of their second preliminary injunction. Bethesda then sued Masthead Studios and asked for a restraining order against the company. Bethesda was denied this restraining order before Masthead Studios could call a counter-suit. Bethesda lost its appeal of the second injunction. Bethesda filed motion in limine against Interplay. Interplay filed a motion in limine against Bethesda the day after. The trial by jury which Bethesda requested on October 26, 2010, was changed to a trial by court because the APA contract stated that all legal matters would be resolved via a trial by court and not a trial by jury. The trial by court began on December 12. In 2012, in a press conference Bethesda revealed that in exchange for 2 million dollars, Interplay gave to them full rights for "Fallout Online". Interplay's rights to sell and merchandise "Fallout", "Fallout 2" and "Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel" expired on December 31, 2013. Reception and legacy. The "Fallout" series has been met with mostly positive reception. The highest rated title is "Fallout 3" and the lowest is "Fallout 76" according to review aggregator Metacritic. Controversy and fandom. Not all fans are happy with the direction the "Fallout" series has taken since its acquisition by Bethesda Softworks. Notorious for their vehement support of the series' first two games, "Fallout" and "Fallout 2", members centered around one of the oldest "Fallout" fansites, "No Mutants Allowed", have cried foul over departures from the original games' stories, gameplay mechanics and setting. Minor criticisms include the prevalence of unspoiled food after 200 years, the survival of wood-framed dwellings after a nuclear blast, and the ubiquity of Super Mutants at early levels in the game. More serious criticisms involve the quality of the game's writing, lack of verisimilitude, the switch to a first-person action game format, and the reactiveness of the surrounding game world to player actions. In response, Jim Sterling of Destructoid has called fan groups like "No Mutants Allowed" "selfish" and "arrogant"; stating that a new audience deserves a chance to play a "Fallout" game; and that if the series had stayed the way it was back in 1997, new titles would never have been made and brought to market. Luke Winkie of Kotaku tempers these sentiments, saying that it is a matter of ownership; and that in the case of "Fallout 3", hardcore fans of the original series witnessed their favorite games become transformed into something else and that they are "not wrong" for having grievances. The redesigned dialogue interface featured in "Fallout 4" received mixed reception by the community. Unsatisfied fans created mods for the game, providing subtitles and allowing the player to know what their character would say before choosing it as it was in previous games in the franchise such as in "Fallout 3" and "Fallout: New Vegas". Though even taking the mods into account, Patricia Hernandez of Kotaku still criticized the writing of the game in her review, describing it as "thin", "You never have particularly long or nuanced conversations with the other characters. I like to play a Charisma-focused character, and I was disappointed." The success of the series, especially from the third chapter developed by Bethesda, has led to the birth of groups of fans who gather on social networks and also in various comic fairs, where it is not uncommon to come across Cosplayer in Power Armor but also characters made with generic post-apocalyptic costumes to which various characteristic objects of the game are added such as the iconic bottles of Nuka Cola or the Pip-Boy worn by the various protagonists. In Italy, for example, every year since 2011 a parade dedicated to Fallout has been held within the Lucca Comics & Games event, while in other comic book fairs, thematic areas dedicated to Fallout are often set up, where official memorabilia or created by passionate are shown. The video games in the series often cite other video-game products and not, but the saga has also been the subject of tributes in other franchises, for example in the fifth season of BoJack Horseman there is an anthropomorphic bird wearing a Vault suit while in the first Rage, also developed by Bethesda, features a Vault Boy bobblehead, a collectible used in more recent chapters to increase the character's abilities. Upon release, "Fallout 76" became the lowest rated title in the series due to its mixed reception and criticisms from reviewers. It has been the subject of several controversies since its release. Other media. In 1998, Interplay Entertainment founded the film division Interplay Films to make films based on its properties, and announced that a "Fallout" film was one of their first projects, along adaptations of "Descent" and "Redneck Rampage". In 2000, Interplay confirmed that a film based on the original "Fallout" game was in production with "" screenwriter Brent V. Friedman attached to write a film treatment and with Dark Horse Entertainment attached to produce it. The division was later disbanded without any film produced, but Friedman's treatment was leaked on the Internet in 2011. In 2009, Bethesda Softworks expressed its interest in producing a "Fallout" film. After four extensions of the trademark without any use, Bethesda filed a "Statement of Use" with the USPTO in January 2012. In the next month, instead of a "Fallout" film, a special feature was made, entitled "Making of "Fallout 3" DVD", which was accepted as a film on March 27 of the same year. This action removed the requirement to continue to re-register that mark indefinitely. In the DVD commentary of "Mutant Chronicles", voice actor Ron Perlman stated that if a "Fallout" film was made, he would like to reprise his role as the Narrator. In 2016, Todd Howard stated that Bethesda had turned down the offers of making a film based on "Fallout", but that he did not rule out the possibility. A "Fallout" television series based on the franchise was announced in July 2020. The series is created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan for Amazon Prime Video. The duo will also be writing and executive producing the series with their production company, Kilter Films, working alongside Bethesda Softworks and Bethesda Game Studios. Alongside Joy and Nolan, Kilter Films' Athena Wickham, Bethesda Softworks' James Altman, and Bethesda Game Studios' Todd Howard will also be executive producing the series.

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Battlefield 4 Battlefield 4 is a first-person shooter video game developed by video game developer EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is a sequel to 2011's "Battlefield 3," with the story taking place six years later during the fictional "War of 2020". The title was first released in October 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; then later in November for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. "Battlefield 4" was met with positive reception. It was praised for its multiplayer mode, gameplay and graphics, but was criticized for its single-player campaign and for numerous bugs and glitches in the multiplayer. It was a commercial success, selling over 7 million copies. Gameplay. The game's heads-up display (HUD) is composed of two compact rectangles. The lower left-hand corner features a mini-map and compass for navigation, and a simplified objective notice above it; the lower right includes a compact ammo counter and health meter. The top right displays kill notifications of all players in-game. On the Windows version of the game, the top left features a chat window when in multiplayer. The mini-map, as well as the main game screen, shows symbols denoting three kinds of entities: blue for allies, green for squadmates, and orange for enemies, this applies to all interactivity on the battlefield. Battlefield 4 options also allow colour-blind players to change the on-screen colour indicators to: tritanomaly, deuteranomaly and protanomaly. Weapon customisation is expansive and encouraged. Primary, secondary and melee weapons can all be customised with weapon attachments and camouflage 'skins'. Most weapons also have a default setting for different firing modes (e.g. semi-automatic, automatic fire), allowing the player to adapt to the environment they find themselves in. They can "spot" targets (marking their positions to the player's team) in the single-player campaign (a first in the Battlefield franchise) as well as in multiplayer. The game's bullet-dropping-system has been significantly enhanced, forcing the player to change the way they play medium to long distance combat. In addition, players have more combat capabilities, such as countering melee attacks from the front while standing or crouching, shooting with their sidearm while swimming, and diving underwater to avoid enemy detection. Standard combat abilities are still current including, reloading whilst sprinting, unlimited sprint, prone and vaulting. Campaign. The single-player campaign has several differences from the main multiplayer component. For the most part, the player must traverse mini-sandbox-style levels, in some cases using vehicles, like tanks and boats, to traverse the environment. As the player character, Recker, the player can use two campaign-only functions: the Engage command and the tactical binocular. The Engage command directs Recker's squadmates, and occasionally other friendly units, to attack any hostiles in Recker's line of sight. The tactical binocular is similar to a laser-designator, in the sense that it allows the player to identify friendly and enemy units, weapon stashes, explosives, and objectives in the field. By identifying enemies, the player can make them visible without using the visor, making them easier to mark for their teammates. At one point, Recker will briefly lose the tactical visor, forcing them to only use the Engage command to direct his squadmates on a limited number of enemies. The campaign features assignments that require specific actions and unlock weapons for use in multiplayer upon completion. Collectible weapons return along with the introduction of collectible dog tags which can be used in multiplayer. Weapon crates are found throughout all levels, allowing players to obtain ammo and switch weapons. While crates hold default weapons, collectible weapons may be used whenever they are acquired and level-specific weapons may be used once a specific mission assignment has been completed by obtaining enough points in a level. Multiplayer. "Battlefield 4"s multiplayer contains three playable factions—the United States, China, and Russia—fighting against each other, in up to 64-player matches on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One (24-Player on Xbox 360 and PS3). A newly reintroduced "Commander Mode", last seen in "Battlefield 2142", gives one player on each team a real-time strategy-like view of the entire map and the ability to give orders to teammates. Also, the Commander can observe the battle through the eyes of the players on the battlefield, deploying vehicle and weapon drops to "keep the war machinery going", and order in missile strikes on hostile targets. A spectator mode is included, enabling players to spectate others in first or third person, as well as use a free camera to pan around the map from any angle. On June 10, 2013, at E3, DICE featured the map "Siege of Shanghai", pitting the People's Liberation Army against the U.S. Marine Corps. The gameplay showcased Commander Mode; new weapons and vehicles; and the "Levolution" gameplay mechanic. The video displays the last of these at various points, including: a player destroying a support pillar to trap an enemy tank above it; and a large skyscraper (with an in-game objective on the top floor) collapsing in the center of the map, kicking up a massive dust cloud throughout the map and bringing the objective closer to ground level. Levolution also includes effects such as shooting a fire extinguisher to fill the room with obscuring clouds, car alarms going off when stepped on, metal detectors going off once passed through, or cutting the power in a room to reduce others' visibility. The maps included in the main game are "Siege of Shanghai", "Paracel Storm", "Zavod 311", "Lancang Dam", "Flood Zone", "Rogue Transmission", "Hainan Resort", "Dawnbreaker", "Operation Locker" and "Golmud Railway". The game modes on offer include "Battlefield"s Conquest, Domination and Rush; while adding two new game modes called Obliteration and Defuse, along with traditional game modes such as Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch. The four kits from "Battlefield 3" are present in "Battlefield 4" with minor tweaks. The Assault kit must now wait for the defibrillator to recharge after reviving teammates in quick succession. The Engineer kit uses PDWs, and carbines are available to all kits. The support kit has access to the new remote mortar and the XM25 allowing for indirect suppressive fire. The Recon kit is now more mobile and is able to equip carbines, designated marksman rifles (DMRs), and C4. Sniping mechanics also give with the ability to zero in your sights (set an aiming distance), and equip more optics and accessories than previous Battlefield games. The Recon kit is still able to utilize the MAV, T-UGS, and the Radio Beacon. New vehicles have also been introduced. With the addition of the Chinese faction, new vehicles include the Type 99 MBT, the ZFB-05 armored car, and the Z-10W attack helicopter. Jets have also been rebalanced and put into two classes, "attack" and "stealth". The attack jets focus is mainly air-to-ground capabilities, while stealth jets focus mainly on air-to-air combat. Another vehicle added in "Battlefield 4" is the addition of the RCB and DV-15 Interceptor attack boats, which function as heavily armed aquatic assault craft. Customization options have also been increased in "Battlefield 4", with all new camos available for every gun. A new "adaptive" camo has been introduced that can adapt the camo to the map being played without the player having to change camos every map. Camos can now be applied to jets, helicopters, tanks, transport vehicles and guns. Previously this option was introduced to parachutes but has been removed, emblems are now printed onto parachutes. Synopsis. Setting and characters. "Battlefield 4"s single-player Campaign takes place during the fictional "War of 2020", six years after the events of its predecessor. Tensions between Russia and the United States have been running at a record high, due to a conflict between the two countries that has been running for the last six years. On top of this, China is also on the brink of war, as Admiral Chang, the main antagonist, plans to overthrow China's current government. If he succeeds, Chang will have full support from the Russians, helping spark war between China and the United States. The player controls Sgt. Daniel "Reck" Recker, second-in-command of a U.S. Marine Corps squad callsigned "Tombstone". His squadmates include squad leader SSgt. William Dunn, Heavy Weapon Specialist SSgt. Kimble "Irish" Graves, and field medic Sgt. Clayton "Pac" Pakowski. Early in the Campaign, Tombstone is joined by CIA operative Laszlo W. Kovic, originally known as "Agent W." from "Battlefield 3"s Campaign; and Chinese Secret Service agent Huang "Hannah" Shuyi. The Campaign also sees the return of Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky from "Battlefield 3"s Campaign—still alive after the nuclear detonation in Paris six years ago, and under the Chinese military's custody for unknown reasons. Plot. Six years after the events in Battlefield 3, American squad Tombstone - consisting of Dunn, the squad's leader, Sergeant Recker, Irish, and Pac - attempt to escape from Azerbaijan with vital intelligence about a potential military uprising in China. After being trapped underwater while being pursued by Russian special forces, Dunn, critically wounded and trapped, sacrifices himself by ordering the squad to break the windscreen and escape. Reuniting with their commanding officer Captain Garrison, Tombstone learns that Admiral Chang, head of the Chinese army, has taken control of China with Russian support, and eliminated Chinese presidential candidate Jin Jié, a progressive politician seeking reforms within the Chinese government. The group finds themselves sent to Shanghai with orders to rescue two VIPs - a woman named Hannah, and her husband - with assistance from an intelligence agent named Kovic. Although the rescue is a success and Kovic takes the VIPs back to the USS "Valkyrie", a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, Tombstone becomes trapped in the city and forced to rescue civilians against Pac's protests. Shortly after returning to the "Valkyrie", Garrison assigns Kovic as head of the squad, and sends them to the USS "Titan", a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that had just been attacked, to recover its voyage data recorder before the wreckage sinks. Upon returning to the "Valkyrie", Tombstone finds the ship under assault by Chinese Marines. While the squad rescue Garrison, and the VIPs, Kovic is fatally wounded and passes control of the squad to Recker. Learning that China's air force is grounded due to a storm, Garrison assigns Tombstone to lend assistance to US forces planning to assault the Chinese-controlled Singapore airfield so that Chinese air superiority is weakened. Hannah volunteers to join Tombstone on their mission, much to Irish's chagrin. Despite the airfield being destroyed by a missile strike, Pac is separated from Tombstone during evacuation and assumed killed in the blast. Hannah then betrays Recker and Irish, allowing both to be captured by Chinese soldiers. Both men find themselves taken to a prison in the Kunlun Mountains for interrogation under Chang's orders. In his cell, Recker finds himself befriended by a Russian prisoner named "Dima" - a survivor of the Paris nuclear blast, now suffering from radiation poisoning. The pair escape from their cell, start a mass prison riot and use the chaos to make their escape, with Recker rescuing Irish along the way. As the Chinese military arrives to quell the riot, Hannah prevents the group from being recaptured by a group of soldiers. Although Irish mistrusts her, Hannah reveals her action was necessary for her mission, revealing her husband is, in reality, Jin Jié, who survived Chang's assassination attempt. The group makes use of a tram to get out of the mountains, only for it to be shot down by an enemy helicopter, killing Dima in the crash. Forced to make their way down on foot, hunting for food to survive, the group eventually find a jeep and drive towards the US-occupied city of Tashgar. During the journey, Hannah reveals how she lost her family to Chang's men after bringing Jin Jié to meet them, causing Irish to make amends with her for his behavior. Upon reaching Tashgar, the squad find US troops being besieged by both Chinese and Russian forces, and offer assistance to the US commander by destroying a nearby dam, flooding the area and eliminating the opposing forces. Learning the "Valkyrie" is within the region of the Suez Canal, Tombstone is airlifted to the ship, and arrives to warn the vessel that they are blindly heading towards Chang's navy. Assisting in stopping Chinese forces from boarding the ship, the squad soon find Jin Jié amongst other survivors, including Pac (who had survived Singapore). Knowing he must show his face, as Chinese forces had been fighting under the assumption he was dead, Jin Jié convinces Recker to let him show his face and calm tensions between the three forces. The assault quickly ends with Chinese forces beginning to spread the news of Jin Jié's return. Chang, desiring to prevent this and conceal the truth, proceeds to barrage the "Valkyrie" with his personal warship. Recker, Irish, and Hannah volunteer to board the warship and use explosives to destroy it. However, when the remote detonation fails, Hannah and Irish each volunteer to manually replacing the charges. If the player chooses not to do anything, Chang obliterates the "Valkyrie", thus killing Pac, Garrison and Jin Jié; if they send one of the two, the volunteer goes back to set the explosives, and is killed in the blast along with Chang, while the survivor and Recker are recovered by the "Valkyrie". During the credits, the player hears a new dialogue between Irish and Hannah, discussing their pasts, and how they have to keep moving forward with no regrets. Development. Electronic Arts president Frank Gibeau confirmed the company's intention to release a sequel to "Battlefield 3" during a keynote at the University of Southern California where he said "There is going to be a "Battlefield 4"". Afterwards, an EA spokesperson told IGN: "Frank was speaking broadly about the "Battlefield" brand—a brand that EA is deeply passionate about and a fan community that EA is committed to." On the eve of "Battlefield 3"s launch, EA Digital Illusions CE told Eurogamer it was the Swedish studio's hope that it would one day get the opportunity to make "Battlefield 4". "This feels like day one now," executive producer Patrick Bach said. "It's exciting. The whole Frostbite 2 thing has opened up a big landscape ahead of us so we can do whatever we want." "Battlefield 4" is built on the new Frostbite 3 engine. The new "Frostbite" engine enables more realistic environments with higher resolution textures and particle effects. A new "networked water" system is also being introduced, allowing all players in the game to see the same wave at the same time. Tessellation has also been overhauled. An Alpha Trial commenced on June 17, 2013 with invitations randomly emailed to Battlefield 3 players the day prior. The trial ran for two weeks and featured the Siege of Shanghai map with all of its textures removed, essentially making it a "whitebox" test. Due to mixed reception of the two-player Co-op Mode in "Battlefield 3", DICE decided to omit the mode from "Battlefield 4" to focus on improving both the campaign and multiplayer components instead. AMD and DICE have partnered for AMD's Mantle API to be used on Battlefield 4. The goal was to boost performance on AMD GCN Radeon graphic cards providing a higher level of hardware-optimized performance than was previously possible with OpenGL or DirectX. Initial tests of AMD's Mantle showed it was an effective enhancement for slower processors. DICE released an Open Beta for the game that was available on Windows (64 bit only), Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It featured the game-modes Domination, Conquest and Obliteration which were playable on the map Siege of Shanghai. The Open Beta started on October 4, 2013 and ended on October 15, 2013. Technical issues and legal troubles. Upon release, "Battlefield 4" was riddled with major technical bugs, glitches and crashes across all platforms. EA and DICE soon began releasing several patches for the game on all systems and DICE later revealed that work on all of its future games (including "Mirror's Edge", "" and "Battlefield 4" DLC) would be halted until "Battlefield 4" was working properly. In December 2013, more than a month after the game's initial release, an EA representative said, "We know we still have a ways to go with fixing the game – it is absolutely our #1 priority. The team at DICE is working non-stop to update the game." EA President Peter Moore announced in January 2014 that the company did not see any negative impact to sales as a result of the myriad of technical issues. He said any negative impacts to sales were actually due to the transition from current-generation (PS3, Xbox 360) to next-generation consoles (PS4, Xbox One), and that other video game franchises like "FIFA" and "Need for Speed" were experiencing similar effects. As a reward for players who bought the game early and continued to play it despite all of the bugs and glitches, DICE rewarded players in February 2014 with all-month-long, free multi-player content such as: bronze and silver Battlepacks, XP boosts and events, camouflage skins, shortcut bundles for weapons and additional content for Premium members. Because of the widespread bugs and glitches that were present, EA became the target of multiple law firms. The firm Holzer Holzer & Fistel, LLC launched an investigation into EA's public statements made between July 24 and December 4, 2013 to determine if the company intentionally misled its investors with information pertaining to, "the development and sales of the Company's Battlefield 4 video game and the game's impact on EA's revenue and projects moving forward." Shortly thereafter, the law firm Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP similarly filed a class action lawsuit against EA for releasing false or misleading statements about the quality of "Battlefield 4". A second class action lawsuit was announced only days later from the firm Bower Piven, which alleged that EA violated the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by not properly informing its investors about the major bugs and glitches during development that may have prevented the investors from making an informed decision about "Battlefield 4". Bower Piven sought out investors who lost more than US$200,000 to become the lead plaintiff. In October 2014, Judge Susan Illston dismissed one of the class action suits' original case on the grounds that EA did not intentionally mislead investors, instead its pre-release claims about "Battlefield 4" were a "vague statement of corporate optimism," "an inactionable opinion" and "puffery." Six months after the initial release of the game, in April 2014, DICE released a program called Community Test Environment (CTE), which let a limited number of PC gamers play a different version of "Battlefield 4" that was designed to test new patches and updates before giving them a wide-release. One of the major patches tested was an update to the game's netcode, specifically the "tickrate," which is how frequently the game and server would update, measured in cycles per second. Because of the size of "Battlefield 4" in terms of information, DICE initially chose to have a low tickrate. However, the low tickrate resulted in a number of issues including damage registration and "trade kills." The CTE program tested the game at a higher tickrate, among other common problems, and began rolling out patches in mid-2014. In October 2014, nearly a full year after the official release with major updates still being put out, DICE LA producer David Sirland said the company acknowledged that the release of "Battlefield 4" "absolutely" damaged the trust of the franchise's fanbase. Sirland said that the shaky release of "Battlefield 4" caused the company to reevaluate their release model, and plan on being more transparent and offer earlier beta tests with future installments, namely (at the time) with "Battlefield Hardline" (2015). Sirland also said: "We still probably have a lot of players who won't trust us to deliver a stable launch or a stable game. I don't want to say anything because I want to "do". I want them to look at what we're doing and what we are going to do and that would be my answer. I think we have to "do" things to get them to trust us, not say things to get them to trust us. Show by doing." Marketing. In March 2013, Electronic Arts opened the "Battlefield 4" website with three official teasers, entitled "Prepare 4 Battle". Each hints at three kinds of battlespace: air, land and sea. EA then continued to release teaser trailers leading up to the unveiling of "Battlefield 4" at the Game Developers Conference on March 26, 2013. The following day, "Battlefield 4"s first gameplay trailer, which doubled as a showcase for the Frostbite 3 engine was released. Shortly thereafter, EA listed the game for pre-order on Origin for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360; however, EA excluded any mention of the next generation consoles. In July 2012, "Battlefield 4" was announced when EA advertised on their Origin client that those who pre-ordered " (either Digital Deluxe or the limited edition)" would receive early access to the "Battlefield 4" beta, this has since been expanded to include any "Battlefield 3" Premium owners, and any Origin users who pre-purchase "Battlefield 4" Digital Deluxe Edition. Although players who qualify for access in more than one way will only be granted one beta pass for their account and is non transferable to other players. The "Exclusive" beta started on October 1, 2013, with the open beta that went live on October 4. The beta will be on three platforms, PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 and features the Siege of Shanghai map on the Conquest game mode. DICE revealed more "Battlefield 4" content in the E3 2013 event at June 10, 2013, such as multiplayer modes, and allowed participants to play the game at the same event. More information was released at Gamescom 2013 in Cologne, Germany, such as the "Paracel Storm" multiplayer map and Battlefield 4 Premium. Battlefield 4 Premium includes five digital expansion packs featuring new maps and in-game content. Two-weeks early access to all expansion packs. Personalization options including camos, paints, emblems, dog tags and more. Priority position in server queues. Weekly updates with new content. Double XP events, 12 Battle Packs. Battle Packs are digital packages that contain a combination of new weapon accessories, dog tags, knives, XP boosts, and character customization items, three are included with all pre-orders of the Origin Digital Deluxe edition. The service will also transfer your Premium membership from Xbox 360 to Xbox One or PS3 to PS4. Premium membership pre-orders started the day the service was announced (August 21, 2013). DICE has also announced that if you purchase the game for a current generation system (PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360) you will be able to trade it in for a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One version of the game for as little as $10. Additionally all PlayStation 3 and 4 copies will include a code in the box to redeem a digital copy on the PlayStation Store. An important strategy of DICE's market strategy to promote Battlefield 4 was the series of TV and web advertisements entitled "Only in Battlefield 4". Each one of these TV spots was narrated by a player of Battlefield 4 describing one of the unique experiences they encountered, along with a re-creation of the event using gameplay footage. These advertisements highlighted the free-form nature of the upcoming game, such as the destructibility of the environment and the dynamic nature of the game's combat engine. These events included things such as demonstrating the new "Levolution" feature, upgrades to gameplay, and unscripted moments that cannot occur in other games' multiplayer mode. Due to poor reception from gamers, on May 30, 2013, EA discontinued the online pass for all existing and future EA games including "Battlefield 4". A companion application was also released for iOS and Android. Downloadable content. "Battlefield 4" featured a total of five downloadable content (DLC) packs that included new maps and additions to gameplay. All five DLC packs were available two weeks prior to their scheduled release by players who had purchased Premium. Once support for Battlefield 4 Premium ended, DICE announced all future DLC would be free. "China Rising". On May 21, 2013, DICE unveiled "Battlefield 4: China Rising" on a Battlelog post and stated that it would include four new maps (Silk Road, Altai Range, Dragon Pass and Guilin Peaks) on the Chinese mainland, ten new assignments, new vehicles, as well as the Air Superiority gametype. It is available to those who pre-ordered the game at no extra cost. It was released to premium players on December 3, 2013 followed by a general release on December 17, 2013. "Second Assault". On June 10, 2013, DICE unveiled "Battlefield 4: Second Assault" during the Microsoft Press Conference at E3 2013. It was announced that it would be the first expansion pack to be released for "Battlefield 4" and would debut on the Xbox One. It was released on November 22, 2013, the same day the Xbox One was launched. The expansion features the return of four fan-favorite maps from "Battlefield 3" and introduces Capture the Flag as a new gametype. On February 18, 2014, Second Assault became available as Premium exclusive for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PC. It became available for non-Premium users on March 4, 2014. During January 29 – February 28, 2015, the expansion was free of charge to all EA Access subscribers. "Naval Strike". On August 20, 2013, DICE unveiled "Battlefield 4: Naval Strike" at Gamescom 2013. It involves dynamic combat on four new maps, Wave Breaker, Nansha Strike, Operation Mortar, and Lost Islands, which take place in the South China Sea and features a new mode called "Carrier Assault" inspired by "Battlefield 2142". The original release date was planned for March 25, 2014 for premium members and April 8, 2014 for non-premium members but was delayed several hours before release for Xbox One and PC without a new release date being set. On March 26, 2014, "Naval Strike" was released for premium members on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360. The Xbox One version was released for premium members on March 27, 2014, and the PC version was released on March 31, 2014. "Dragon's Teeth". At Gamescom 2013, DICE unveiled "Battlefield 4: Dragon's Teeth". Its maps take place in war-torn cities locked down by the People's Liberation Army. Dragon's Teeth was released on July 15, 2014 for Battlefield 4 Premium Members. For Non-Premium members it was released 2 weeks later on July 29, 2014. A new game mode included in this Dragon's Teeth DLC is called "Chain Link". There are four new maps included in Dragon's Teeth called "Lumphini Garden, Pearl Market, Propaganda and Sunken Dragon". There are 11 new Assignments and a new assault drone called the "R.A.W.R" that can be found on those four maps. "Final Stand". On August 20, 2013, DICE unveiled "Battlefield 4: Final Stand" at Gamescom 2013. "Final Stand" focuses on the conclusion of the in-game war of 2020. It includes four new maps and "secret prototype weapons and vehicles". The four maps that are included are "Operation Whiteout", "Giants of Karelia", "Hammerhead" and "Hangar 21". New weapons include the Rorsch X1 Handheld Railgun and some gadgets including the DS-3 and XD-1 Accipiter MKV, as well as a hovercraft tank based on the Levkov 1937 Hovercraft MBT. It was released for "Battlefield 4" Premium members on November 18, 2014, 00:01 and for non-Premium "Battlefield 4" players on December 2, 2014, 00:01. "Weapons Crate". The "Weapons Crate" DLC was announced by DICE on March 30, 2015, as a free DLC. The DLC added five weapons into the game: the Mare's Leg, AN-94, Groza-1, Groza-4 and the L86A2 along with the gamemode from Battlefield 3 'Gun Master' and many other stat changes. It was released in an alpha form in the Community Test Environment. It was released along with the Spring 2015 Patch on May 26, 2015. "Night Operations". In August 2015, DICE announced the expansion pack "Night Operations", a free DLC pack. The first map to be released was Zavod: Graveyard shift, a night time version of the "Battlefield 4" map Zavod 311, it was released with the Summer 2015 Patch. Two other night maps were also in development, a night time version of the map Siege of Shanghai and Golmud Railway, these maps were playable in the Battlefield 4 Community Test Environment but would remain unreleased as further development on Battlefield 4 ended. All three maps were developed by DICE LA and tested in the Community Test Environment with player feedback taken on board. "Community Operations". "Community Operations" was released on October 27, 2015, a free DLC pack. The map, Outbreak, is a medium-sized with much vegetation such as trees, shrubs, and grass for ambushing the enemies within. There are limited amounts of heavy vehicles such as tanks, LAVs and no anti-air vehicles. The map does not include air dominance such as stealth jets, scout helicopters and attack aircraft. This map was created by DICE Los Angeles and the "Battlefield 4" gaming community. The update contains major changes to weapons and vehicles. "Legacy Operations". "Legacy Operations" was released on December 15, 2015, a free DLC pack. The map is an updated version of the "Battlefield 2" map, Dragon Valley. It was released alongside the Winter Patch content update. "Premium". Premium is a downloadable pass that offers all of the downloadable content for a discounted price. Premium offers a range of personalization options and items, such as exclusive dog tags or camos. Premium contributes to the game by offering select days in which special events take place only for premium members. Reception. Critical reception. "Battlefield 4" received positive reviews from critics. Chris Watters of "GameSpot" gave praise to Obliteration Mode and the multiplayer elements but was otherwise unimpressed with the campaign. IGN's Mitch Dyer stated that ""Battlefield 4" is a greatest hits album of DICE's multiplayer legacy" for same versions. Evan Lahti of "PC Gamer" stated that although the game strongly resembles "Battlefield 3" it still manages to remain "a visually and sonically satisfying, reliably intense FPS". Commander Mode and the diverse map selection within multiplayer were also praised as being good additions to the game. "Joystiq"'s David Hinkle said that the game "drops players into a sandbox and unhooks all tethers, loosing scores of soldiers to squad up and take down the opposition however they choose". Hinkle praised the campaign elements, but found the multiplayer to not hold any surprises. "GameZone" Lance Liebl stated "Your success in Battlefield is up to you and how well you work as a team. And it's one of the most rewarding games I've played. Battlelog needs some refinement, and there's still way too many crashes, but the multiplayer more than makes up for all of it." Machinima's Lawrence Sonntag praised the Levolution feature and the multiplayer mode. However, several reviewers noted that the multiplayer part of the game had been released with a lot of game-breaking bugs on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, such as server crashes and lag. "Polygon" reviewed the game the day of its release, and gave it 7.5, then later downgraded their score to 4 after acknowledging that the game "was still barely playable for many players". DICE later acknowledged the issues with the multiplayer part of the game and said they were working to fix them, and that they would not work on expansions or future projects until the game problems were resolved. Despite this promise, the game's second expansion was released while numerous recurring problems had yet to be resolved. Ban in China. In late December 2013, shortly after the release of the "China Rising" DLC pack, China banned the sale of "Battlefield 4", requesting stores and online vendors to remove the game and encouraging those who have already purchased the game to remove it from their consoles and/or PCs. The game was viewed as a national security risk in the form of a cultural invasion as the DLC includes four maps on the Chinese mainland. An editorial from the "China National Defense Newspaper" (a subsidiary of the PLA Daily) published in December 2013 criticized the game for discrediting China's national sovereignty, and stated that while in the past the Soviet Union would often be used as an imaginary enemy in video games, the shift has recently turned to China. Sales. During the first week of sales in the United Kingdom, "Battlefield 4" became the second best-selling game on all available formats, only behind "". The game's sales were down 69% compared to 2011's "Battlefield 3". EA blamed the fall in demand on uncertainty caused by the upcoming transition to eighth generation consoles. According to NPD Group figures, "Battlefield 4" was the second best-selling game of November in the United States, only behind "". In February 2014, EA announced that the Premium service for the game had sold more than 1.6 million copies. In May 2014, the game had sold more than 7 million copies. Awards. According to EA, "Battlefield 4" received awards from over 30 gaming publications prior to its release. "Battlefield 4" appeared on several year-end lists of the best First-person shooter games of 2013, receiving wins from 18th Satellite Awards, and GamesRadar.

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ARMA 3 ARMA 3 is an open-world, realism-based, military tactical shooter video game developed and published by Bohemia Interactive exclusively through the Steam distribution platform. It was released for Microsoft Windows in September 2013, and later announced for macOS and Linux in August 2015. "ARMA 3" takes place in the mid-2030s, on the islands of Altis and Stratis in the Aegean Sea, and the South Pacific island of Tanoa. The islands feature photo-realistic terrain and water environments. Altis is the largest official terrain in the "ARMA" series with ground area covering approximately . The smaller island, Stratis, expands over an area of . The single-player campaign has the player take control of U.S. Army soldier Corporal Ben Kerry. During the campaign, the player is placed in a variety of situations, from lone wolf infiltration missions to the commanding of large-scale armored operations. The player is able to choose different objectives and weaponry (such as UAVs, artillery, and air support) according to their play style. Since its initial release, the "ARMA 3" platform has been actively maintained with multiple game engine updates, and extended by 14 DLC releases by Bohemia Interactive and partners. "ARMA 3" also has a very active modding community that has published nearly 90,000 mods, adding thousands of additional terrains, buildings, vehicles, weapons, placeable objects, missions, campaigns, and game mechanics enhancements, most of which are freely and easily available from the Steam Workshop. Despite its relative age, "ARMA 3" maintains a substantial player community, often being in the top 50 games (by active players) on Steam, with hundreds of official and community multi-player servers, community groups, and many dedicated "ARMA 3" mil-sim realism groups. Synopsis. Setting and characters. "ARMA 3" is set in the 2030s, when a new Eastern military alliance, known as the Canton-Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty (CSAT), led by Iran and China, is growing in global influence, while the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is on the decline. The main singleplayer campaign, "The East Wind", is set on the Republic of Altis and Stratis (Altis for short), a Mediterranean island nation comprising the islands Altis (based on Lemnos) and Stratis (based on Agios Efstratios). In 2026, a civil war erupts on Altis following a coup d'etat by the Altis Armed Forces (AAF). In 2030, a ceasefire is declared. A loyalist rebel group, the Freedom and Independence Army (FIA), rejects the new military government and wages a guerrilla campaign against the AAF. NATO peacekeeping forces are deployed to Altis, establishing a US-led joint NATO-AAF peacekeeping force, Task Force Aegis (TF Aegis). Five years later, NATO investment in the Aegean dwindles, and CSAT begins to subsidize the AAF and mobilizes its own forces in the Pacific. With the peacekeeping mandate nearing its end, NATO begins to withdraw from Altis, and tensions rise between AAF and NATO. The DLC campaign, "Apex Protocol", added in the "ARMA 3: Apex" expansion, is set on the Northern Division of a South Pacific island group nation known as the Horizon Islands Federation. The division is commonly known as Tanoa, the largest island in the division. The campaign takes place after the events of the base game campaign, following the regroup with NATO ending. "Remnants of War" is a story-driven DLC campaign added in the "Laws of War" DLC. The story focuses on Nathan MacDade, an EOD technician working for the International Development and Aid Project (IDAP for short), a humanitarian NGO. Other scenarios are explored as Nathan reminisces about past events. Some actions the player can take have moral consequences, which are reflected in the ending. The main player character of the singleplayer campaign features Corporal Ben Kerry, a US Army soldier assigned to the NATO peacekeeping contingent deployed on Stratis. Players also play as Sergeant Conway during the prologue. Other major NATO characters include Staff Sergeant Adams, General Armstrong, as well as Combat Technology Research Group (a NATO special operations group, CTRG for short, whose existence is officially denied by NATO,) personnel Captain Scott Miller, and Miller's second in command Lieutenant James. Major FIA characters include Kostas Stavrou, leader of northern FIA forces, and Nikos Panagopoulos, an FIA head. Players play as CTRG Group 15 operators in "Apex Protocol". "The East Wind". In 2034, a firing incident between the AAF and FIA leads to the breakdown of their ceasefire, and eventually escalates into open warfare. NATO-AAF relations deteriorate, and NATO peacekeepers are reduced to the smaller island of Stratis. By 2035, NATO prepares to fully withdraw from Stratis. On July 7, 2035, the AAF suddenly attacks the remaining NATO forces on Stratis, destroying their bases and killing their commander. Corporal Ben Kerry and Staff Sergeant Adams attempt to regroup with NATO survivors, but Adams is killed by a landmine. Kerry and other NATO survivors eventually regroup with a British special forces unit led by Captain Scott Miller. Miller organizes a number of ineffective guerrilla missions against the AAF, while his own squad conducts clandestine operations independently. Over the course of a few days, under group Alpha, Kerry helps destroy a helicopter to hide the position of the NATO survivors, breaks an AAF siege around a small village, assassinates a high ranking AAF commander, and helps attack Air Station Mike-26 to try and contact NATO MEDCOM (which fails). After making contact with an FIA operative by the name of Nikos Panagopolous, Kerry's group follows them to a cache, only to have it destroyed by AAF forces, with Nikos seemingly escaping. With the cache lost, Miller orders an attack on AAF positions in the south, but after overrunning a village, mortar fire hits Camp Maxwell where the NATO survivors are hiding. Despite Miller's orders, Kerry's team returns to camp to find it in ruins, with NATO survivors tending to the wounded. The next day, Miller manages to contact NATO command and arranges for a re-invasion of Stratis. To assist with the invasion, Miller leads the survivors to take control of a town on Stratis, called Agia Marina. However, CSAT reinforcements foil the operation, and Miller orders the survivors to head to Altis on two boats he prepared in a small cove. Miller states that the survivors will link up with the FIA upon arriving at Altis, but AAF attack jets attack and destroy the boats before they arrive at Altis. Kerry wakes up on Altis and manages to reunite with Lieutenant James, Miller's second in command, who laid in on a mountain after an FIA attack on Kavala (the former capital of Altis) failed miserably. Kerry is taken to the FIA and given charge of an FIA squad to ambush a convoy. During this part, Kerry can accidentally destroy the ammo truck, though it does not effect the outcome of the mission as CSAT carries out a massive counterattack and nearly exterminates the FIA, forcing them to move to a different camp near Gori. More missions pass as Kerry helps take down an outpost and capture a fuel truck (he can either use the fuel truck to blow up a ranking commander from CSAT and lower CSAT's reserves in later missions, or bring the fuel back and get a head start on other missions). In the next mission, Kerry helps an officer named Orestes defect, and uses him to either take down a helicopter or raid a CSAT repair depot. Eventually, the FIA learns that their main smuggler and figurehead, Nikos Panagopolous, has been spotted on the island of Stratis, and CTRG arranges a rescue operation to retrieve him. The operation is successful, and the FIA begins to become more emboldened in their strategy. Later on, the FIA learns that NATO main forces will be invading Altis, and plans their own operation to assist. During the operation, Kerry witnesses NATO heli gunships firing on FIA forces. Kerry manages to call off the attack through a downed NATO pilot. The next day, NATO commander Colonel Armstrong meets with Kerry and tells him that they were unaware of the FIA's activities around the AAC airfield. When Kerry asks about Miller, Armstrong responds that he has no knowledge of Scott Miller, and that British forces left Stratis many months ago. Mentioning Miller drives Armstrong to believe Kerry may be hostile, on top of the fact that he is the only survivor from Task Force Aegis on Stratis. Armstrong, under the callsign "Crossroads", orders Kerry to lead an FIA squad and assist in NATO operations. NATO manages to repel AAF and CSAT forces and secure most of Altis. Crossroads confirms that Miller is not hostile, but he warns Kerry to stay away from his team. During this time, tectonic activity on Altis increases sharply. With the AAF on the verge of defeat, Crossroads orders all NATO forces to regroup for one final offensive, Kerry is suddenly contacted by a dying Lt. James who provides his location to find him. Kerry can either regroup with NATO or disobey orders and find James. Canonically, Kerry regroups with NATO, and is ordered to lead a reconnaissance squad to mark out enemy positions and spearhead the offensive. The AAF surrenders shortly after the offensive begins. An epilogue set six weeks later shows peace returning to Altis, while Kerry, now Sergeant, works with the continued NATO presence to maintain peace. If Kerry looks for James, Kerry finds him at the site of a failed assault on a secret CSAT facility. James orders Kerry to find a truck loaded with a special device and take it to Miller, before dying. Kerry finds the truck in the facility and brings it to Miller. Kerry confronts Miller about his actions and the nature of the device, but Miller only hints that the device is responsible for the recent tremors. As they talk, CSAT suddenly launches a massive invasion against both NATO and the AAF, forcing NATO into withdrawal. Miller initially promises to return for Kerry after he takes the device off the island, but breaks the promise after he leaves, leaving Kerry alone to find a way off the island. "Apex Protocol". Following a major tsunami known as the Pacific disaster, the paramilitary crime syndicate, the Syndikat, rose to power in several regions on Tanoa. Finding the Syndikat's rapid expansion suspicious, NATO sends in CTRG Group 15 to investigate. CTRG Group 15, under callsign "Raider", deploys on Tanoa and conducts several operations against the Syndikat, destroying a Syndikat ammo depot and ambushing a Syndikat convoy. They discover evidence of CSAT support of the Syndikat. During an operation to capture the Syndikat's leader, Solomon Maru, Raider instead finds that they've been led into an ambush by the Chinese CSAT special forces Viper Team. Raider manages to escape from the ambush. Following the ambush, Raider conducts an operation to rescue CTRG asset "Keystone". Keystone turns out to be Captain Scott Miller, leader of CTRG Group 14, who had been tracking the special CSAT device since it left Altis, which is a tectonic weapon codenamed "Eastwind". Miller believes that Viper deployed Eastwind on Tanoa, causing the Pacific disaster, and supported the Syndikat, all to destabilize Tanoa. After rescuing Miller, CTRG raids a Viper black site on Tanoa to retrieve Eastwind. They find the black site already attacked and abandoned; Syndikat double-crossed CSAT before CTRG arrived, holding Eastwind ransom to blackmail against CSAT. CTRG did however recover files about CSAT's "Apex Protocol," which involves using operatives to destabilize strategically important nations so CSAT can provide assistance and foster CSAT support. CTRG tracks Eastwind to a large port, where CSAT attempts to deal with Syndikat to recover Eastwind, while Maru arms Eastwind. CTRG quickly attacks, fighting against both Syndikat and Viper, and manages to kill Maru, disarm Eastwind, and secure the device. Following the operation, CSAT's Apex Protocol is exposed to the whole world, leading to international condemnation, while Eastwind is now in NATO's possession. "Remnants of War". Days after the end of the NATO invasion of Altis, a civilian mechanic from the Altis town of Oreokastro returns to the town, after hearing news that his missing brother had appeared at the town's church in a recent firefight. As he searches the church, he is killed by a landmine. Several days later, journalist Katherine Bishop conducts an online interview with Nathan MacDade as he works on the disposal of explosive remnants of war at Oreokastro. Oreokastro, formerly a major FIA garrison and the site of an IDAP camp, was completely destroyed during the war and is now a ghost town. Nathan reminisces about Oreokastro's past as he conducts his work, and tells five stories surrounding Oreokastro during the war. Back at present, Katherine asks Nathan about who he thinks is most responsible for the destruction of Oreokastro: NATO, CSAT, AAF, FIA, or nobody. After Nathan responds, Katherine shows Nathan a draft of her report on the impacts the war had left on the life on Altis, the contents reflecting on the player's actions throughout the campaign. As Nathan completes the EOD operation, he bides Katherine farewell as he and his team pack up and leave Oreokastro, proceeding to their next cleanup site. Development. Bohemia Interactive officially announced the development of "ARMA 3" on May 19, 2011. In June 2012 an alpha version of the game was demonstrated at E3. In August 2013, Bohemia Interactive announced that they will release three downloadable content episodes for free after the game's initial launch. An alpha version of the game was released on March 5, 2013, allowing players to experience the game during development, as well as assist in development by reporting bugs and giving feedback on their experience. The beta version was released on June 25, 2013, and anyone who owned the alpha would have their copy automatically upgraded. The final version of "ARMA 3" was launched on September 12, 2013. At its launch, "ARMA 3" featured more showcase missions and the large island of Altis. "ARMA 3" uses a new version of Bohemia Interactive's Real Virtuality game engine. Downloadable content. Zeus. In February 2014 the first, free DLC for the game, entitled "Zeus", was announced. It allows players to use the game's Zeus mode in multiplayer where the player(s) designated as Zeus gain god-like powers and can control scenarios in real time using a full 3D overview of the match reminiscent of the game's Eden editor's primary interface. "Zeus" was released on April 10, 2014. Karts. Bohemia Interactive featured an April Fool's joke video on April 1, 2014. It announced a DLC Karts that would add a Go-kart racing into the game. The video was a parody of Jean-Claude Van Damme's Splendid Split video using the character of Scott Miller. The video became popular and fans liked the idea so Bohemia Interactive released the DLC on May 29, 2014. The DLC added 20 types of Karts and objects useful for creating tracks and driver models. "ARMA 3: Karts" is the first paid DLC for "ARMA 3". Helicopters. The "Helicopters DLC" is second premium DLC for Arma 3 and was released on November 4, 2014. Content exclusive for owners of this DLC includes two new heavy transport helicopters, NATO's CH-67 Huron, based on the CH-47 Chinook, and CSAT's Mi-290 Taru, based on the Ka-226. It also includes single-player scenario and time trials. The DLC was also accompanied by a platform update, which added new mechanics including firing from passenger seats of vehicles, sling loading with helicopters and an advanced flight dynamics model which is an improved version of the flight model from another Bohemia game, "Take On Helicopters". Marksmen. "Marksmen" is a premium DLC for Arma 3 released on April 8, 2015. Owners of the DLC get access to new equipment including new weapons, scopes, ghillie suits and single-player content. The DLC was supported by a free update for Arma 3, which included new mechanics for weapon resting, bipods, recoil, AI suppression and sound scape alongside new content and a game mode called End Game. "Apex" Expansion. "ARMA 3: Apex" is "ARMA 3"s first expansion, released on July 11, 2016. It was announced as part of Bohemia Interactive Roadmap for "ARMA 3" in 2015–2016. The expansion includes some free features for users which optimize the game and act as a visual update as well. The main features for this expansion are: Jets. "Arma 3: Jets" is the first piece of DLC developed in cooperation with a partner, Bravo Zero One Studios, adding gameplay improvements and new units to the game including planes and an aircraft carrier. It is included as part of DLC Bundle 2 and was released on May 16, 2017. Some of the aircraft included in the Jets DLC are NATO's F/A-181 Black Wasp II, based on a combination of the F/A-18E Super Hornet and F-22 Raptor of the U.S. Navy and Air Force, and To-201 Shikra, CSAT's counterpart, based on the Su-57 and Su-35. It also comes with an AAF operated jet, the A-149 Gryphon, based on the Swedish JAS 39 Gripen, and the NATO operated Sentinel UCAV, based on the X-47B. The DLC also includes many performance changes and the addition of a new interactive object, a nuclear-powered "Gerald R. Ford"-class aircraft carrier, the USS "Freedom" (CVN-83). This DLC also includes a large sensory overhaul, changing the way radar, laser and missile tracking functions. Some of the other overhauls included in the DLC include an extended damage model and a dynamic load out system. Malden 2035. To celebrate the 16th Anniversary of Operation Flashpoint, Bohemia Interactive announced it was working on a full recreation of one of the game's maps: the fictional Mediterranean island of Malden. It contained new assets as well as many already created for Altis and Tanoa, and was released free for all game owners in June 2017. Laws of War. This DLC was developed by Bohemia Interactive's new studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands under the code-name Orange, and pursued an aspect of warfare not often covered by other games. This DLC was released on September 7, 2017. The DLC added many new features, including a new faction called the International Development and Aid Project (which specialises in rapidly responding to crisis requiring humanitarian aid), a new miniature campaign for users to play, new vehicles, two new unmanned aerial vehicles, an APERS Mine Dispenser, cluster munitions, and various new clothing items. Tac-Ops Mission Pack. This DLC is included in DLC Bundle 2 and was released in late November, 2017. It includes three distinct singleplayer military "operations" (essentially mini-campaigns), each focusing on different aspects of ground combat. Each operation requires careful planning in order to succeed but offer high replayability as the decisions the player makes can affect the outcome. Other features include an "After Action Report" video, which includes insights for each operation from one of Bohemia Interactive's military consultants, new music tracks, new Steam achievements, and improvements to the game's scripting system in order to help players more easily create complex scenarios. Tanks. The "Tanks" DLC is a premium DLC released on 11 April 2018 focusing on armoured assets. Premium content includes three vehicles, an anti-tank launcher, and a mini-campaign. An accompanying platform update brought new handling and damage models for vehicles alongside expanded anti-tank launcher systems and additional content. Global Mobilization. This DLC was released on 29 April 2019. It includes a 10 mission singleplayer Campaign, four new factions (West Germany, East Germany, Poland and Denmark), 70 new vehicles (with new variants), 30 weapons (with new variants), 'various' infantry clothing, new terrain and gear, and 17 multiplayer scenarios. The DLC is set in Cold War West and East Germany during the 1980s, which includes the new map of Weferlingen which is and adds a new building style and 'fresh feel' to the Arma 3 series. Unlike other ArmA 3 DLCs, the Global Mobilization was developed by Vertexmacht. Contact. "Contact" is an expansion released on 25 July 2019 set in the fictional Eastern European country of Livonia in form of a new map. The DLC brings two new factions, the Livonian Defense Force and Russian Spetsnaz, along with new weapons and equipment. This DLC also contains a new campaign called First Contact, in which the player takes part in a military training exercise when an alien vessel enters the atmosphere. S.O.G Prairie Fire. This DLC was released on May 6th 2021. It includes a 6 mission co-op campaign with up to 14 players, 5 Singleplayer 'Showcase' missions, 4 new factions (US Armed Forces, People's Army of Vietnam, The Vietcong and Army of the Republic of Vietnam), 54 new vehicles (with multiple variants), 55 new weapons (with multiple variants), 41 different uniforms and a new terrain named 'Cam Lao Nam' (A combination of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam respectively). This DLC is set in the Cold War during the Vietnam War as part of Bohemia Interactive's Creator DLC Program. The new map is 300 km2 and contains the three countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, a first in the Armed Assault series. Like the Global Mobilization DLC it was developed by a third party studio known as Savage Game Design, created to make Vietnam War era games. Other content updates. The Bootcamp Update was released on 14 July 2014. It features training content, a Virtual Reality terrain, and a short campaign. The Bootcamp Campaign serves as the prequel to the main game. It follows Sergeants Conway and Adams one year prior to the Eastwind Campaign. The goal of this update was to introduce new players to the game's mechanics. The Nexus update was released on 1 December 2015. It brought an improved version of the official multiplayer mission "End Game", a spectator mode, and multiple improvements such as soldier protection, stamina, and an audio overhaul. The Eden update, released on 18 February 2016, added an in-game 3D editor, making the creation of missions easier. It also included launcher and server browser improvements, and an update to the audio system. A 'Visual Update' was released with the 1.60 update, in May 2016, in advance of the Apex update. As of 1 August 2018, the 1.84 update was released, together with the Encore content pack, which contains additional anti-air assets, fixed-wing armaments, and the fictional Liberty-class destroyer. On 8 December 2018, the 1.86 update added the Warlords multiplayer missions, based on a capture the island (CTI) scenario. Reception. "ARMA 3" has received favorable reviews, garnering a score of 74 out of 100 on the review aggregation website Metacritic based on 38 reviews and a user score of 7.6 based on 1048 ratings. Some reviewers praise the modifications Bohemia Interactive have done with the engine, animations and sound. However, others criticised the lack of single-player content on release. "PC Gamer" selected the game to be the simulation game of the year. "ARMA 3" also gained Czech game of 2013 Award for technological contribution to Czech video game output and was elected to be best Czech video game of the Year in Booom 2013. "Rock, Paper, Shotgun" selected "ARMA 3" to be 16th best FPS of all time and the 10th best Simulation Game of all time. The islands of Altis and Stratis also received much praise. "The Guardian" even included them along with Chernarus (the setting of "ARMA 2" and "DayZ") in its list of 10 most beautiful video game environments. It was announced on May 28, 2014, that the game had sold one million copies. In October 2015 sales had reached two million units, and in March 2017 it reached 3 million sales. The game has sold 5 million copies as of June 2019. Controversies. Espionage arrests. The Greek media reported on 10 September 2012 that two Czechs were arrested on the Greek island Lemnos and charged with espionage. According to Greek media reports, the two men claimed to be working for Bohemia Interactive in an official capacity, recording videos and taking photographs for the development of "ARMA 3". Under Greek law taking photographs of military installations and the like is prohibited for reasons of national security. Prior to the incident, the issue of the game causing potential threats to Greek national security was discussed in the Greek Parliament in 2011. The two were initially identified as David Zapletal and Pavel Guglava, although it was later confirmed that the two were actually Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta. The duo's employee status under Bohemia Interactive was confirmed, but the company later stated that they were on the island "with the sole purpose of experiencing the island's beautiful surroundings". Buchta and Pezlar refuted the charges of espionage, maintaining that they "went just to a holiday [...] to enjoy the beauty of the island", noting that the layout of the virtual island in the development studio "was practically done" prior to their arrival, and that any video or photographic recordings were intended for memorabilia purposes and that they would have little or no use in the game's development. After being held in custody for 128 days, the Greek government released the arrested developers from jail on 15 January 2013. While the two were imprisoned, Bohemia Interactive shut down access to one of the threads on their official forums titled "Greek Military" which was created on 1 August 2012. Bohemia Interactive has since made several statements regarding the situation on their official forums, discussing legal matters and warning users regarding the problems arising from photographing Greek military installations. As a result of the incident, on 2 February 2013, Bohemia Interactive announced that the name of the main island 'Lemnos' would change to 'Altis'. The Greek island of Lemnos was chosen as inspiration after Bohemia Interactive CEO Marek Španěl had visited the place on vacation. According to Bohemia Interactive, the name change is meant to emphasize the game is fiction. The game's smaller island named 'Stratis' remained unchanged. Ban in Iran. In September 2012, Iran's National Foundation of Computer Games and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps refused to allow the sale of "ARMA 3" because the game portrayed the CSAT faction (which was partially composed of Iranian soldiers in the main campaign) as an enemy of NATO.

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Tekken 6 is a fighting game developed and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is the sixth main and seventh installment in the "Tekken" franchise. It was released in arcades on November 26, 2007, as the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board. A year later, the game received an update, subtitled Bloodline Rebellion. Both versions also saw a limited release in North America. A home version based on the update was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on October 27, 2009. This was the first time a main installment was produced for a non-Sony console. It was ported for the PlayStation Portable on November 24, 2009. The game was produced by Katsuhiro Harada, who aimed to give the fights a strategic style while remaining faithful to the previous games in the series. While this version retains elements from the earlier games, "Tekken 6" introduces a new Rage system that increases the strength of the player characters when their health gets low. It also features a beat 'em up mode focused on a soldier named Lars Alexandersson who leads a coup d'état along with his underlings. Losing his memory in an attack against Jin Kazama's Mishima Zaibatsu special forces, Lars goes on a journey with a robot named Alisa Bosconovitch to learn his identity, so that he will be able to recover the subject of his mission. In this campaign mode, the player can win items by completing missions and enhance different power areas of any characters they choose to control. The game received generally positive reviews. Critics praised the visuals and the new fight mechanics but had mixed opinions about the handling of the Scenario Campaign. Nevertheless, the PSP port was also well-received for how faithful it was to the initial console versions. The game's sales have reached 3.5 million copies worldwide. It was later re-released with the spin-off "Tekken Tag Tournament 2" and "Soulcalibur V" for the PlayStation 3. A sequel, "Tekken 7", was released to Japanese arcades on March 18, 2015, and was ported to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One and released internationally on June 2, 2017. Gameplay. "Tekken 6" features bigger stages with more interactivity than its predecessors, including walls or floors that can be broken to reveal new fighting areas. The character customization feature has been enhanced, and certain items have implications in some aspects of the gameplay. A new Rage system gives characters more damage per hit when their vitality is below a certain point. Once activated, a reddish energy aura appears around the character, and their health bar starts to flicker in red. The Rage aura can be customized with different colors and effects to appear like fire, electricity, and ice, among others. Another newly added gameplay feature is the "bound" system. Every character has several moves that when used in a juggle combo will cause the opponent to be smashed hard into the ground, bouncing them off it in a stunned state, leaving them vulnerable to another combo or an additional attack. As of the "Bloodline Rebellion" update, successfully parrying a low attack will also put a character into a bound state. The console versions (excluding the PSP version) include an extra beat 'em up mode titled "Scenario Campaign", which bears similarities with the "Tekken Force" and "Devil Within" modes from previous installments. In this mode, the player can move freely in an environment similar to that of a third-person role-playing game. Players can also pick up weapons like poles and Gatling guns, along with lootable items, money, and power-ups which can be found inside crates that are scattered throughout the playing environment. Players can move freely between fights, but when a group of enemies is encountered, the gameplay switches to the traditional, two-dimensional "Tekken" style. This mode originally included offline single player only, but on January 18, 2010, Namco released a patch that allows online co-op for the Scenario Campaign. Both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game include an online versus multiplayer mode over the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. It includes Ranked Matches mode, where the player can promote their character to a higher ranking, and Player Matches mode, where the player's fights are not ranked and they can invite friends to have matches with them. The game uses a proprietary graphics engine running at 60 frames per second as well as a dynamic physics engine named the "Octave Engine", which simulates fluid dynamics and among other things, allows water to behave realistically according to how the characters move. The graphics engine has been designed with a focus on character-animation to make movements look smoother and more realistic. This led to many animations being remade to either reflect the impact and damage caused, or to create new possibilities in gameplay. The developers considered animation extremely important for a fighting game and wanted to make the game "look good in motion", whereas previous installments had been designed to "look good on still shots". Since "Bloodline Rebellion", the game has supported dynamic full-body motion blur, making "Tekken 6" the first fighting game to do so. Plot. Following Jin Kazama's victory against his great-grandfather, Jinpachi Mishima, in the previous King of Iron Fist Tournament, he is now the new head of the Mishima Zaibatsu special forces. Jin uses the company's resources to declare independence, becoming a global superpower, severing its national ties and openly declaring war against all nations over the following year. This action plunges the world into an extremely chaotic spiral, with a large-scale civil war erupting around the globe and even among the space colonies orbiting the planet. Meanwhile, Kazuya Mishima, Jin's father, who has risen to lead G Corporation, places a bounty on his son's head. In retaliation, Jin announces the sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament to lure Kazuya out. As the war continues to erupt, the field leader of Mishima Zaibatsu's Tekken Force, Lars Alexandersson, has rebelled from the army along with several of his soldiers. However, Lars loses his memory during an attack by the G Corporation and spends some time recovering it. Accompanied by an android, Alisa Bosconovitch, Lars ventures throughout the world, avoiding the Mishima Zaibatsu's manhunt for him while also trying to recover his past. It is eventually revealed that Lars is actually the illegitimate son of Heihachi Mishima, who has gone into hiding since his supposed demise in the last tournament, and has been trying to take the Mishima Zaibatsu from Jin's hands. After coming into contact with several allies, including his adoptive brother, Lee Chaolan, Lars confronts the G Corporation and Mishima Zaibatsu's headquarters. Jin reveals he had sent Alisa to spy on Lars' actions all along. Disabling Alisa's safe mode, Lars is forced to confront his former teammate, who leaves with Jin to Egypt. Helped by one of his allies, Raven, Lars goes to Egypt. He meets an astrologist named Zafina who provides them with information about the clash of two evil stars that will awake an ancient evil who will destroy the world. This evil, Azazel, is a demonic monster responsible for giving birth to the Devil Gene and is currently bound in an ancient temple. Lars confronts his half-brother Kazuya in front of the door leading to Azazel's chamber and fights him. Lars and Raven enter the chamber and confront Azazel, whom they seemingly defeat. Outside the temple, Lars confronts his half-nephew Jin, who uses Alisa to attack him. Lars is forced to damage Alisa and, enraged, beats up his nephew, when he mocks her uselessness. Following his defeat, Jin admits that his reason for launching the war was to awaken Azazel and destroy him, freeing the world from a greater threat than the war itself. Also, in doing this, he would free himself from the Devil Gene, as Azazel can only have a physical form through negative energies of the world. Revealing Azazel can only be destroyed by someone with the Devil Gene, Jin confronts and attacks the revived Azazel, sending them both plummeting to the desert. Lars requests Lee to use his technology to fix Alisa and goes to another mission. Raven unearths Jin's body in the desert and notes that Jin still has the Devil mark on his arm, implying that Azazel's demise did not free him from the Devil Gene. Characters. The game features a total of 39 original playable characters in Tekken 6 in arcade version, and 41 in "Bloodline Rebellion" and the console version. Seven new characters are introduced in Tekken 6, but two are not playable bosses, and in "Bloodline Rebellion" and the console version two additional characters. Almost all of Tekken 5 / Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection have been added to Tekken 6. Only Jinpachi Mishima and Jack-5 are not there. Development and promotion. Japanese gaming magazine "Famitsu" first announced in April 2006 that "Tekken 6" was to be developed for the PlayStation 3. The first trailer was revealed at Sony's E3 press conference that year. According to Video Games Daily, feedback from the first trailer was negative. However, project director Katsuhiro Harada said at that time the team was not working on "Tekken 6" full-time because they were busy developing "Tekken Dark Resurrection". Harada's main concern with "Tekken 6" was that it appeal to newcomers and older players. The game was released in Japanese arcades on November 26, 2007. It was the first game running on the PlayStation 3-based System 357 arcade board. Harada said Namco decided to make a "Tekken" installment for the Xbox 360 because of multiple fan requests. Response to the original arcade game was highly positive, but Harada said the team aimed to make more improvements to attract new players. He noted that feedback from the arcade's release in Japan had surpassed that of previous titles. For the updated release, the team wanted to include more playable characters than in "Tekken 5", make the techniques unique as well as more intuitive, and make the fights as brutal as possible. However, Harada revealed they had encountered difficulties making the cast balanced. As a result, Namco took notes from the characters' victories in the original arcades and modified the cast and rebalanced the game. To make battles more strategic, the Rage system was created. Another new element is the use of items by the characters. While Harada did not find this as unique as the Rage System, he felt it added more to the battles' fun factor. Like some games in the "Mortal Kombat" series, "Tekken 6" is notable for adding the element that allows players to throw enemies down to another area of the stage. This was added to create longer combos if the player has the opportunity, not for the sole purpose of inflicting more damage. A major obstacle in producing the game was Namco's idea to include game modes that allowed four simultaneous characters. This took major rework, especially for online mode. They avoided this for the spinoff "Tekken Tag Tournament", which only allowed alternating use of four fighters. Director Yuichi Yonemori also noted that the team wanted to make fights faster while adding these new mechanics. To provide more variety, each stage that could be destroyed was given its own sound effect and each character also had their own. On October 23, 2009, Namco Bandai released a "Tekken 6" themed Game Space on the North American version of PlayStation Home. "Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion" was first released as "Tekken 6" to Japanese arcades on December 18, 2008. It featured new characters, stages, items and customization options and gave the game a balance update to its characters and items. The console version of "Tekken 6" is based on this arcade version and was released for consoles, but under the name "Tekken 6". In October 2009, Namco announced the game's development had been completed, and it would be released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles. The online elements of "Tekken 6" were based on the ones from "". Harada announced the game's roster would be the largest in the series, and that after "Tekken 3" they were paying special attention to make sure each character is unique in appearance, personality and techniques and does not overlap with other characters. Preorders of the game included an artbook and a wireless controller. This new version features two new characters: Alisa Bosconovitch, an android built in the image of Dr. Bosconovitch's deceased daughter, and Lars Alexandersson, Heihachi Mishima's illegitimate son and leader of a rebellious Tekken Force faction fighting Jin's tyranny. This expansion also features a number of new items and customization options for characters to use during fights. Unlike previous console games, all the characters are unlocked when the game starts. Harada said the reason behind this was his belief that unlocking characters was outdated, and that online gamers would find their favorite characters faster. Unlike other new "Tekken 6" characters who were based on fan input, both Lars and Alisa were created using a different approach, focusing on their importance to the game's story. As a result, in the arcade version of "Tekken 6", most of Lars' identity was kept a mystery, leaving it to the console versions' Scenario Campaign mode to explain his role in the series, with Harada teasing about his potential attack on Jin Kazama's forces. Jin's characterization was changed from an anti-hero to a villain, something Harada had been planning to develop for years. However, his change of personality remained a secret to be explored in the story. Harada referred to the Scenario Campaign as a logical addition to the game. He believes the franchise is known for including bonus content in each installment, besides just being a recreation of the arcade game. He said the mode was meant to help the game appeal to a larger audience. A number of artists joined the team to create new outfits for a few characters: Lars, Jin, Kazuya and Zafina were also given additional outfits designed by Masashi Kishimoto, Clamp, Takayuki Yamaguchi and Mutsumi Inomata, respectively. Outfits for Anna Williams and Asuka Kazama were made by Mamoru Nagano, and Ito Ogure did one for Lili Rochefort. Although the scenario campaign was removed from the PlayStation Portable's port, the developers added background information for the characters in the arcade mode. Makoto Iwai, chief operating officer of Namco Bandai, said the developers tried to make the PlayStation Portable contain as much content as the original console versions. For this reason, the PSP port has new modes and stages not present in the original one. In late 2009, Harada hinted at the possibility of the game having downloadable content but said that whenever possible it would be made available free of charge. In January 2019, "Tekken 6" became playable on the Xbox One, thanks to its backwards compatibility function. Music. "Tekken 6" features a large cast of composers, including: Rio Hamamoto, Ryuichi Takada, Keiichi Okabe, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Shinji Hosoe, Yoshihito Yano, Ayako Saso, Go Shiina, Satoru Kōsaki, Akitaka Tohyama, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu Iwata, Yoshimi Kudo, Noriyuki Kamikura, Azusa Chiba, Kimihiro Abe, Mitsuhiro Kaneda, Keigo Hoashi, Keiki Kobayashi, and Kakeru Ishihama. Two soundtracks based on the main game and the PSP port were released. Shiina was in charge of the low key tracks. In retrospect he remembers enjoying the music for the game, most notably when rearranging tracks and composing a theme for Alisa. Reception. Critical response to "Tekken 6" among reviewers has been generally favorable, with the PS3 version scoring a 79 on Metacritic and the 360 an 80. "IGN" praised the additions to the game's mechanics and modes, as well as the large cast, which they felt should appeal to most gamers. "GameSpot" agreed, liking the new additions to the roster, most notably Zafina for her look and moveset. They noted that "Tekken" fans would enjoy the new mechanics as these meant practicing more combo styles, such as juggle combos. On the other hand, "Eurogamer" was more negative, stating that by the time the game was released there were other more appealing fighting games. At the same time, they conceded that it was far more popular than those in the East. They found the graphics superior to the recent fighter "Soulcalibur IV" but not as good as those of "Virtua Fighter 5". Nevertheless, Eurogamer felt the returning characters' combos felt familiar, and long-time players would enjoy playing them. VideoGamer.com made a similar comparison noting that while other fighting games might entertain gamers more, "Tekken 6" was faithful to the series' roots. This included its use of intense motion which the reviewer found easy to learn, though they had mixed opinions about the new mechanics that had to be learned. The PlayStation 3 version of the game garnered some criticism for its excessive load times when run without installing it previously, and its initially laggy online multiplayer component, which was later improved via updates. At first 1UP.com was negative towards the game's poor online mode, but once Namco patched it the score was revised upward. The game's Scenario Campaign mode was subject to mixed criticism as well. "IGN" regarded it as a disappointment, citing bland environments and repetitive enemies. VideoGamer.com also criticized the mode, saying it was not fun, and the plot involving the Mishima family was not enjoyable. "GameSpy" praised the game for its variety of traits taken from different types of games. "GameSpot" gave the plot-oriented Scenario Campaign mode far more positive comments, as well as the amount of replay value provided by the possibility of playing other characters besides Lars. Game Revolution also had mixed opinions. They noted the camera had some issues that might affect the moves' input—moves like Kazuya Mishima's Spinning Demon—which could easily still be performed to take down enemies without difficulties. The reviewer compared the style of the Campaign to role-playing games, referring to the way the player can power up the characters. The PSP version received positive reviews, with Metacritic giving it 82 out of 100. "IGN" said the portable version had greatly improved loading times compared to its console counterparts. GameZone regarded it as the "definitive version of the game", despite lacking the Scenario Campaign and the graphics of the main console; the port still managed to retain good graphics, the console's d-pad was felt to be far more useful than the one in the Xbox 360 controller. "GameSpot" and "Eurogamer" also shared similar opinions on how the PSP port managed to impress, retaining the large cast, and for its responsive controls. During its first week, the PlayStation 3 version of "Tekken 6" sold 103,000 units in Japan. According to Media Create, this made it the fastest-selling fighter. It remained so until August 2012 when the PS3 port of "Persona 4 Arena" broke the record with sales of 180,000 units. In May 2011, Namco Bandai reported it had become its best-selling game from 2010 with 1.5 million units sold. The game got to number three on the UK sales charts. In North America, the game sold over one million units as of August 2010. Upon its release in Japan, the PSP port sold 25,131 units. As of May 2011, Tekken 6 has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide. In 2009, "Tekken 6" was nominated for a Spike Fighting Game of the Year award but lost to "Street Fighter IV". However, it still won the Best PSP Fighting Game and Best PSP Fighting Game Readers' Choice from IGN. Legacy. In retrospective, Harada believes "Tekken 6", and "Tekken 5", managed to attract a new group of fans, something "Tekken 4" failed to do. For this game, Lars was given an alternate design created by manga author Masashi Kishimoto, famous for writing the series "Naruto". In 2009, CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama read in a "Weekly Shōnen Jump" magazine that Lars' third costume had been designed by Kishimoto and thought he should be included in the "Naruto" video game "". As a result, Matsuyama approached "Tekken 6" producer Suguru Sasaki and his team and asked them to allow him to include Lars in the game using Kishimoto's outfit. Once this was approved, the "Tekken" staff began assisting CyberConnect2 to adjust Lars' moves to fit the other characters in the "Naruto" game. When the work was concluded, Matsuyama was surprised at how well Lars fitted in with the game's cast. The first CGI scene from the game also influenced the developers to create a film titled "" which uses this type of animation. At the MCM London Comic Con 2009, a "Tekken 6" player named Eliot Smith-Walters was awarded the Guinness World Record for the longest winning streak in "Tekken 6", having won 68 consecutive matches. "Tekken 6" was followed by a spin-off titled "Tekken Tag Tournament 2". A sequel, titled "Tekken 7", was announced on July 13, 2014. More information on the sequel was made available during Bandai Namco's panel at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con International event. The game had a limited arcade release in Japan on February 18, 2015, followed by a full release on March 18, 2015. Harada states that "Tekken 7"s story mode was influenced by the Scenario Campaign from "Tekken 6" as he believes recent games in the franchise have tried elaborating more on the series' storytelling despite being a fighting game. "Tekken 6" was rereleased in 2015 with "Tag Tournament 2" and "Soulcalibur V" as "PlayStation 3 Fighting Edition" for its title console.

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Amerika (miniseries) Amerika is an American television miniseries that was broadcast in 1987 on ABC. The miniseries inspired a novelization entitled "Amerika: The Triumph of the American Spirit". "Amerika" starred Kris Kristofferson, Mariel Hemingway, Sam Neill, Robert Urich, and a 17-year-old Lara Flynn Boyle in her first major role. "Amerika" was about life in the United States after a bloodless takeover engineered by the Soviet Union. Not wanting to depict the actual takeover, ABC Entertainment president, Brandon Stoddard, set the miniseries ten years after the event, focusing on the demoralized U.S. people a decade after the Soviet conquest. The intent, he later explained, was to explore the U.S. spirit under such conditions, not to portray the conflict of the Soviet coup. Described in promotional materials as "the most ambitious American miniseries ever created," "Amerika" aired for 14½ hours (including commercials) over seven nights (beginning February 15, 1987), and reportedly cost US$40 million to produce. The miniseries was filmed in the Golden Horseshoe and southwestern Ontario Canadian cities of Toronto, London, and Hamilton, as well as various locations in the U.S. state of Nebraska – most notably the small town of Tecumseh, which served as "Milford", the fictional setting for most of the series. Donald Wrye was the executive producer, director, and writer of "Amerika", while composer Basil Poledouris scored the miniseries, ultimately recording (with the Hollywood Symphony Orchestra) eight hours of music – the equivalent of four feature films. Genesis. "Amerika" has an indirect connection to another notable ABC program, the 1983 television film "The Day After", which some critics felt was too pacifist for portraying the doctrine of nuclear deterrence as pointless. Stoddard cited a column in the "Los Angeles Herald-Examiner" by Nixon speechwriter (and later, television personality) Ben Stein that appeared a few weeks before "The Day After" aired. Stein wrote, in part: Stoddard acknowledged that Stein's remarks provided the inspiration for the series. Stein received a quitclaim fee for the idea and otherwise was not involved in the production of "Amerika". Originally envisioned as a four-hour made-for-TV movie entitled "Topeka, Kansas, U.S.S.R.", the project soon was expanded into a miniseries. Plot. Major characters. The storyline of "Amerika" primarily follows three political leaders: Major female characters, in addition to Ballard, include Peter Bradford's wife, Amanda (played by Cindy Pickett), Devin Milford's ex-wife, Marion (played by Wendy Hughes), and most notably, Devin's sister Alethea (played by Christine Lahti), who at the outset is prostituting herself to the local occupation leader. "Alethea is the center," noted Donald Wrye. "She is a metaphor for America – not just phonically – and it is she who discovers her moral core through(out) the course of the series." Lara Flynn Boyle played Bradford's teenage daughter, Jackie. The human drama of these characters intersects with the political intrigue of the Soviet plans for the breakup of the United States. Bradford, the pragmatist, clashes with Milford, the idealist; Bradford's wife is Milford's ex-girlfriend, who finds she still has feelings for Milford upon his release from the prison camp; Denisov appoints Milford's ex-wife, a powerful magistrate (and General Samanov's mistress), to serve as Bradford's deputy and assistant in Heartland; and Kimberly's renewed sense of U.S. pride ultimately affects her relationship with Denisov. Backstory. Towards the end of the 1980s, as the decline of the Soviet Union puts it in danger of losing the Cold War, the Soviet leadership makes a desperate gamble to rearrange the global balance of power. Four large thermonuclear weapons are detonated in the ionosphere over the United States. The resulting electromagnetic pulse (or EMP) destroys the nation's communications and computer systems, cripples the U.S. electrical grid, and affects any equipment that relies on computer technology, such as most late-model automobiles. With its ICBMs inoperative—and the National Command Authority unable to contact U.S. military forces abroad or their foreign allies in western Europe to launch a counterattack—the U.S. is forced to accept Soviet terms for surrender: unilateral disarmament, the end of the dollar as a reserve currency, and integration into the Soviet military/economic bloc. The United States quickly falls under Soviet military occupation under the command of Russian General Petya Samanov, and the U.S. President and U.S. Congress become mere figureheads for their Soviet overseers. Communications between the administrative areas have been cut off, and the damage to the electrical grid caused by the EMP attack has never been fully repaired. The above events are implied in the miniseries, although never directly explained. The description is taken from the novelization of the miniseries, "Amerika: The Triumph of the American Spirit" by Brauna E. Pouns and Donald Wrye (Pocket Books, 1987), based on Wrye's screenplay. Geopolitical situation. In 1997, a decade after its defeat, the contiguous United States is occupied by a United Nations peacekeeping force, the United Nations Special Service Unit (UNSSU), composed primarily of Communist state forces. The UNSSU in Milford is under a command of an officer from East Germany, Major Helmut Gurtman (played by Reiner Schöne). UNSSU troops periodically engage in destructive combined arms training exercises which are deliberately intimidating to the local population. Those Americans who engage in dissent are stripped of their privileges and sent to exile camps, where they are anathema to the Soviets and their fellow citizens. Association and communication with the exiles is prohibited and forbidden, although some risk their own remaining freedoms by offering humanitarian aid. Production quotas have been imposed, and foodstuffs rationed, with the surplus being shipped to the Soviet Union. Against this background, Bradford ascends to the leadership as Governor-General of Heartland. He acts the part of a collaborator, hoping to reform the Soviet occupation from within with ideals of the old United States. Milford is released from the prison camp, hoping to be reunited with his children and fight to end the occupation and restore the United States. Denisov hopes to "salvage as much as possible" of the old U.S., while realizing that the U.S. essentially must cease to exist as a nation in order to appease the Soviet Union's leadership. Climax and resolution. The Soviet leaders of the occupation are faced with the dual problem of keeping the U.S. pacified and convincing the Politburo that their fears of a revitalized U.S. are unfounded because the country can no longer pose a threat. The Politburo is not convinced, and considers exploding nuclear weapons over several unnamed U.S. cities as a warning to the U.S. people and to the world. Samanov and Denisov, both of whom want Soviet control of the United States to be relatively humane, are horrified by this idea. At great personal risk, Samanov convinces the Soviet leadership to accept a compromise plan. The United States will be divided into "client states" such as Heartland. Additionally, members of the United States Congress will be executed if they refuse to dissolve the nation's government and disperse in peace. When Samanov asks the assembled Congress to disband the legislative body and dissolve the United States government, the members angrily refuse to do so. Samanov walks out of the House of Representatives chamber and his men begin firing into the crowd of legislators. All members of Congress are killed in the attack, along with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Vice President. The United States Capitol building and the artwork in its rotunda are destroyed in a terrorist-style attack. After the act is carried out, Samanov surveys the damage and the dead bodies of the members of Congress. He then sits in the United States House of Representatives chamber and commits suicide. In the final episode of the miniseries, Heartland has seceded from the United States, with other regions to follow within the next few weeks. Instead, Heartland soldiers and local militia attack the local UNSSU compound. There is talk of a "Second American Revolution" that could undermine the Soviet Union's plans to break up the United States. The miniseries ends on a downbeat note, Devin Milford is shown about to make a nationwide speech telling Americans to revolt against the Soviet Occupation, however, Milford is shot to death. It is unclear if he managed to make a nationwide broadcast calling on Americans to resist the breakup of the United States, but based on the ending, it appears that the United States ceases to exist as a nation and is broken up into several independent countries. The Divided States of America. In this fictional timeline, the U.S. Congress divided the United States into multiple "administrative areas" in 1988, one year after the Communist takeover. These areas are intended to become polities modelled on the Soviet republics, joined together in a new North American Union. A map shown on screen reveals these administrative areas to be: In addition to these areas, Washington, D.C. comprises its own National Administrative District, South Florida is described by a character as the "Space Zone," and there is a passing reference to three "International Cities," one of which is San Francisco. Michigan is separated into two administrative regions, with the Lower Peninsula belonging to Ameritech, and the Upper Peninsula belonging to the North Central region. Alaska is described as never having been pacified, requiring continued engagement by Soviet troops, and there are pockets of armed resistance in the Rocky Mountains and in West Virginia. There is no mention of what has happened to Hawaii, or to U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and American Samoa. The Rust Belt (presumably "Ameritech") faces its own special problems. Most of its advanced factory equipment was removed at the start of the occupation and taken to the Soviet Union. The region suffers 50% unemployment as a result, and its residents are not permitted to leave, except to volunteer for factory work in the Soviet Union, from which no one has yet returned. Travel and communications between the various zones is heavily restricted, part of the "divide and conquer" plan of the Soviet occupation. Communist occupation elsewhere. Both the novel and miniseries imply that the Soviet Union has conquered other countries after the U.S. coup (it can be surmised, for example, that the EMP which disabled U.S. technology also would have crippled Canada and Mexico, a minor character says that he and his wife fled East Germany for the United States and remarked that "the promised land [had] become worse than what [they] left", and Denisov says at one point that "we control most of the world"). In this new world, Fidel Castro heads what is now called "Greater Cuba", embracing most of the Caribbean and Latin America, and Taiwan has been absorbed into China. North Korea has conquered and occupied South Korea and Korea is united under Communist rule. A politician named "Mbele" heads the "Socialist Republic of Southern Africa" which also includes South Africa, "Barghout" is the leader of "Iraqistan" which includes present-day Israel and all of the Arab world in both the Middle East and North Africa. Eastern Europe is in a state of unrest, echoing the turmoil in the former United States. The Soviet leader mentions being stationed in England before being posted in America, implying that Western Europe is also under Soviet control, much like America. National symbols. The flag of the occupation is the pale blue United Nations flag, with crossed U.S. and Soviet flags superimposed on the sides. The U.S. flag is shown without its stars, and this flag is displayed during the "Lincoln Week" ceremonies. The standard U.S. flag is outlawed, although one scene shows a group of war veterans marching with the old U.S. flag upside down, this being a distress signal. The U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," also is outlawed, but this does not stop a group of citizens from singing it (haltingly at first) after the "Lincoln Week" parade. Abraham Lincoln is included with Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin in propaganda. One of the signature scenes in the film is a twenty-minute, dialogue-free depiction of the celebration of "Lincoln Week" (a holiday replacing the Fourth of July), with both Lincoln and Lenin displayed on red banners that were most likely intended to be striking and startling to television audiences of the time. A new Pledge of Allegiance is given by "rehabilitated" political prisoners upon release from the U.S. gulags. While the prisoners are told that they are free to refuse to make this pledge, the circumstances under which it is administered suggest otherwise. The pledge states: Social criticism and commentary. Although it aired only two years before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, "Amerika" implied that American apathy and an unwillingness to defend freedom on the part of many citizens made the Soviet takeover rather easy. At one point, a key Soviet official observes that their plans for conquering the United States succeeded far beyond their wildest dreams, because once the nation had been defeated, the U.S. turned inward, not caring about national issues, seeking only to retain a piece of the prosperity that had once been theirs. "[The Soviet coup] worked because you lost your country before we ever got here," says the Soviet leader. "You had political freedom, but you lost your passion [...] How could we not win?" This theme is echoed by Devin Milford later in the film: Further dialogue, by politician Peter Bradford, lashes out at apathetic U.S. attitudes: A speech delivered by one child (Devin Milford's son) demonstrates the extent of Soviet indoctrination in the new U.S.: General Samanov sums up the futility of the hypothetical Soviet domination: Ratings. The first two nights of "Amerika" garnered big ratings, but audience numbers dropped thereafter, and the overall miniseries averaged a 19 rating and a 29 share of American television households, compared to a 46 rating/62 share for "The Day After". "It wasn't as big a hit as its supporters had hoped," said Ted Koppel, "but it wasn't a disaster, either." "Amerika" was the second-highest rated miniseries of the 1986–87 U.S. television season. Although a 35 share reportedly had been promised to advertisers, Stoddard was happy with the performance of "Amerika", claiming that all or part of the miniseries had been watched by 100 million people – a ratings bonanza for ABC, then in third place among the three major networks. Critical reception. "Amerika" received mixed reviews; the series created controversy with some. Certain critics and viewers felt it was too long and unrealistic, others argued that it would be damaging to Soviet-American relations, and a spokesperson for the United Nations objected to it being portrayed as an occupying force under Soviet control. Some conservatives felt that Soviet brutality was greatly underplayed; conversely, a number of liberals dismissed the entire miniseries as right-wing paranoia. At various points, the program was scrapped, delayed, and rewritten. Prior to the show's airing, several left-wing magazines, including "The Nation", "The Progressive", "Tikkun" and "Mother Jones" carried articles strongly criticizing "Amerika". The American Friends Service Committee also protested against "Amerika". For its part, the Soviet Union threatened to shut down the ABC News Moscow bureau, although this threat was not carried out and indeed seemed to strengthen ABC's resolve regarding the miniseries."We’re going to run that program come rain, blood, or horse manure," said ABC president John B. Sias, after the yet-to-be-aired "Amerika" had generated more controversy and viewer response than any other ABC program in history, including "The Day After". "Amerika" was preceded by an ABC special addressing the considerable controversy prior to its airing ("The Storm Over Amerika"), and was followed by an "ABC News Viewpoint" panel discussion moderated by Ted Koppel, with Brandon Stoddard, Donald Wrye, and others addressing the issues along with questions and comments from a live studio audience in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After seeing the first episode and reading the shooting script, Tom Engelhardt stated that "Amerika" had "a plot line that makes suspension of disbelief into an act of grace." In its summary of the 1986–87 US television season, "TV Guide" called the miniseries "arguably the most boring miniseries in a decade," adding that "ABC's "Amerika" tried to hold America hostage for seven tedious nights (and a stupefyingly dull 14½ hours) by conjuring up a fuzzy vision of a Communist occupation of the U.S." Availability. "Amerika" has not been shown on U.S. television since its original telecast on ABC. A VHS box set of the miniseries was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment in 1995, but no official DVD release is available. Portions of the soundtrack by Basil Poledouris were released on CD by Prometheus Records in 2004 (in a limited edition of 3,000 copies). The novelization is widely available from used-book sellers and online auction sites. The miniseries itself can be found pirated on YouTube. Parodies. In February 1987, the miniseries was parodied on the NBC show "Saturday Night Live" as "Amerida," in which a debt-ridden United States is mortgaged to Canada and subsequently repossessed. It posited Wayne Gretzky as the Prime Minister of Amerida. The U.S. protagonist (played by Canadian actor Phil Hartman) longs for a country "where you don't have money that's all the colours of the rainbow" and "you can spell words like colour and flavour without a 'u'." To calm him down, his wife makes the offer of a beer: "How about a Labatt's, eh?" The flag of "Amerida" was the U.S. flag with the stars replaced by a white maple leaf. The satirical Canadian radio program "Double Exposure" parodied the series in a sketch called "Kanada with a K", in which "Joe Klark with a K" rescues the nation from "Comrade Ed".

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A Description of the Famous Kingdome of Macaria A Description of the Famous Kingdome of Macaria is a work of utopian fiction, published in England in 1641. It carried the name of Samuel Hartlib, who published it, but is now attributed to Gabriel Plattes. A short text of fifteen pages, it reads, according to Amy Boesky, like a political address, and it was explicitly framed as an address to Parliament. It is written as a dialogue, and is in the tradition of the "Utopia" of Thomas More — Macaria is an island mentioned in "Utopia" — and the "New Atlantis" of Francis Bacon. Hugh Trevor-Roper takes it to be an important formulation of the ultimate political ambitions of Hartlib and his followers (and in particular John Dury), in the form of a reformed Christian society and welfare state. It covers the issues of economic development, taxation and education. Much of the content drew on Henry Robinson's "Englands Safety" from earlier in the same year.

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Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place described in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon" by British author James Hilton. Hilton describes Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, gently guided from a lamasery, enclosed in the western end of the Kunlun Mountains. Shangri-La has become synonymous with any earthly paradise, particularly a mythical Himalayan utopia – an enduringly happy land, isolated from the world. In the novel, the people who live at Shangri-La are almost immortal, living hundreds of years beyond the normal lifespan and only very slowly aging in appearance. The name also implies an exoticized Orientalist perspective. In the ancient Tibetan scriptures, the existence of seven such places are mentioned as "Nghe-Beyul Khembalung". Khembalung is one of several "beyuls" (hidden lands similar to Shangri-La) believed to have been created by Padmasambhava in the 9th century as idyllic, sacred places of refuge for Buddhists during times of strife (Reinhard, 1978). Etymology. The phrase "Shangri-La" most likely comes from the Tibetan ',"Shang" – a district of Ü-Tsang, north of Tashilhunpo" + ', pronounced "ri", "Mountain" = "Shang Mountain" + "", Mountain Pass, which suggests that the area is accessed to, or is named by, "Shang Mountain Pass". Location. Academic scholars have debunked the myth of Shangri-La and argued that this has less to do with an unexplored place and is more connected to a Western fantasy of the Eastern world. Ancient sources with similar descriptions. In China, the poet Tao Yuanming of the Jin Dynasty (265–420 AD) described a kind of Shangri-La in his work "The Tale of the Peach Blossom Spring" (). The story goes that there was a fisherman from Wuling, who came across a beautiful peach grove, and he discovered happy and content people who lived completely cut off from the troubles in the outside world since the Qin Dynasty (221–207 BC). Some scholars believe that the Shangri-La story owes a literary debt to Shambhala, a mythical kingdom in Tibetan Buddhist tradition, which was sought by Eastern and Western explorers. Shambhala is a core concept in Tibetan Buddhism that describes a realm of harmony between man and nature that is also connected with the Kalachakra or "wheel of time". The Shambhala ideal is described in detail in the "Shambhala Sutra", a historical text written by the Sixth Panchen Lama which describes some of the Shambhala locations as being in Ngari, the western prefecture of Tibet. Folklore from the Altai Mountains describe Belukha Mountain as a gateway to Shambhala. The Kunlun Mountains (崑崙山) offer another possible place for valleys like the Shangri-La, since Hilton specifically described the “Kuen-Lun” mountains as its likely location in the book. However, Hilton is not known to have visited or studied the area. Parts of the Kunlun Mountains lie within Ngari, mentioned in the "Shambhala Sutra". Possible sources for Hilton. In a "New York Times" interview in 1936, Hilton states that he used "Tibetan material" from the British Museum, particularly the travelogue of two French priests, Evariste Regis Huc and Joseph Gabet, to provide the Tibetan cultural and Buddhist spiritual inspiration for Shangri-La. Huc and Gabet travelled a round trip between Beijing and Lhasa in 1844–1846 on a route more than north of Yunnan. Their famous travelogue, first published in French in 1850, went through many editions in many languages. A popular "condensed translation" was published in the United Kingdom in 1928. Current claimants. Hilton visited the Hunza Valley in northern Pakistan Kashmir, close to the Chinese border, a few years before "Lost Horizon" was published; hence it is a popularly believed inspiration for Hilton's physical description of Shangri-La. Being an isolated green valley surrounded by mountains, enclosed on the western end of the Himalayas, it closely matches the description in the novel; also, in an ironic reversal on the story, due to increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation, inhabitants of the high-altitude parts of the valley appear to age quickly. Today various places, such as parts of southern Kham in northwestern Yunnan province, including the tourist destinations of Lijiang and Zhongdian, claim the title. In 2001, Zhongdian County in northwestern Yunnan officially renamed itself Shangri-La County, Xiānggélǐlā in Chinese (香格里拉). Places like Sichuan and Tibet also lay claim to the real Shangri-La. In 2001, Tibet Autonomous Region put forward a proposal that the three regions optimise all Shangri-La tourism resources and promote them as one. After failed attempts to establish a China Shangri-la Ecological Tourism Zone in 2002 and 2003, government representatives of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and Tibet Autonomous Region signed a declaration of co-operation in 2004. Recent searches and documentaries. American explorers Ted Vaill and Peter Klika visited the Muli area of southern Sichuan Province in 1999, and claimed that the Muli monastery in this remote region was the model for James Hilton's Shangri-La, which they thought Hilton learned about from articles on this area in several "National Geographic" magazines in the late 1920s and early 1930s written by Austrian-American explorer Joseph Rock. Vaill completed a film based on their research, "Finding Shangri-La", which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007. However, Michael McRae unearthed an obscure James Hilton interview from a "New York Times" gossip column in which he reveals that his cultural inspiration for Shangri-La, if it is anywhere, is more than 250 km north of Muli on the route travelled by Huc and Gabet. Between 2002–2004 a series of expeditions were led by author and film maker Laurence Brahm in western China which determined that the Shangri-La mythical location in Hilton's book "Lost Horizon" was based on references to northern Yunnan Province from articles published by National Geographic's first resident explorer Joseph Rock. On 2 December 2010, OPB televised one of Martin Yan's "Hidden China" episodes, "Life in Shangri-La", in which Yan said that "Shangri-La" is the actual name of a real town in the hilly and mountainous region in northwestern Yunnan Province, frequented by both Han and Tibetan locals. Martin Yan visited arts and craft shops and local farmers as they harvested crops, and sampled their cuisine. Television presenter and historian Michael Wood, in the "Shangri-La" episode of the BBC documentary series "In Search of Myths and Heroes", suggests that the legendary Shangri-La is the abandoned city of Tsaparang in upper Satluj valley of Ladakh in India, and that its two great temples were once home to the kings of Guge in modern Tibet. The Travel Channel in 2016 aired two episodes of "Expedition Unknown" that followed host Josh Gates to Lo Manthang, Nepal and its surrounding areas, including the sky caves found there, in search of Shangri-La. His findings offer no proof that Shangri-La is or was real. Usage. Shangri-La is often used in a context similar to "Garden of Eden," to represent a paradise hidden from modern man. It is sometimes used as an analogy for a lifelong quest or something elusive but much sought; for a man who spends his life obsessively looking for a cure to a disease, such a cure could be said to be that man's "Shangri-La." It also might be used to represent a sought-for perfection in the form of love, happiness, or Utopian ideals. It may be used in this context alongside other mythical and famous examples of similar metaphors such as El Dorado, The Fountain of Youth, and The Holy Grail. In popular culture. There are a number of cultural usages of the Shangri-La idea that have developed since 1933 in the wake of the novel and the film made from it. World War II. The current presidential retreat known as Camp David was briefly named “Shangri-la” by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II after the city in James Hilton’s novel. Roosevelt looked at the view from the mountains and proclaimed “this is Shangri-la”. President Eisenhower would later go on to change the name in honor of his grandson David. An unusual consequence of the Doolittle Raid of 1942 came after, when (in the interests of secrecy) President Franklin Roosevelt answered a reporter's question by saying that the raid had been launched from "Shangri-La". The true details of the raid were revealed to the public one year later, in April 1943. In 1944, the US Navy commissioned the , with Doolittle's wife Josephine as the sponsor. In astronomy. In 2006 the International Astronomical Union gave the equatorial, dark, low-lying area of Saturn's moon Titan the name Shangri-La.

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Spensonia Spensonia is a fictional Utopian country created by the English author and political reformer Thomas Spence. Spence laid out his ideas about Spensonia in a series of literary works published in the late 18th century: Spence issued these works in several editions, creating a complex bibliography. Since he also developed and advocated his own scheme of language reform, he released his Spensonian works in both standard spelling texts and in his own Spensonian alphabet. Spence's utopian writings are significant in that he was the first to apply Enlightenment ideas about democracy and majority rule to the genre, and also the first to attempt a utopian response to the Industrial Revolution. Spence's utopian works "were directed explicitly at the major institutions, economic and political, of the time. In so doing he provided the model of most future utopias." Plot. Spence united these utopian writings with a frame story about shipwrecked English mariners. When a ship carrying English merchant brothers is stranded on a remote island, the brothers decide to take the arrangement they had aboard ship, the "Marine Constitution" given to them by their father, and apply it to their life on land; and so they create a commonwealth of collective ownership. The land of the island is the property of the collective, and individuals rent it for their own uses. They organize their own democratic government to manage their new social system. Their society thrives and flourishes. Men and women are equal. Spensonia maintains cordial relations with other republics, and extends political asylum to refugees from tyranny. There is an official religion, a sort of vague deism, though all other religions are tolerated. News of the island of Spensonia is brought back to England by a figure named Captain Swallow.

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Daemon (novel series) Daemon and Freedom™ comprise a two-part novel by the author Daniel Suarez about a distributed, persistent computer application, the Daemon, that begins to change the real world after the original programmer's death. Plot. Upon publication of the obituary for Matthew A. Sobol, a brilliant computer programmer and CTO of Cyberstorm Entertainment, a Daemon is activated. Sobol, dying of brain cancer, was fearful for humanity and began to envision a new world order. The Daemon becomes his tool to achieve that vision. The Daemon's first mission is to kill two programmers Joseph Pavlos & Chopra Singh who worked for CyberStorm Entertainment and unknowingly helped in the creation of the Daemon. The program secretly takes over hundreds of companies and provides financial and computing resources for recruiting real world agents and creating AutoM8s (computer controlled driverless cars, used as transport and occasionally as weapons), Razorbacks (sword-wielding robotic riderless motorcycles, specifically designed as weapons) and other devices. The Daemon also creates a secondary online web service, hidden from the general public, dubbed the Darknet, which allows Daemon operatives to exchange information freely. Daemon implements a kind of government by algorithm inside the community of its recruited operatives. What follows is a series of interlocking stories following the main characters: Detective Pete Sebeck is called in to investigate the death of Pavlos. However, when a connection is made between the two programmers and Cyberstorm, the FBI takes over led by Agent Decker. For being the first authority figure in the investigation, the Daemon selects Sebeck against his will to serve the Daemon, which frames Sebeck for its creation as a multi-million scheme and a hoax. The US government, though knowing the truth, fasttracks Sebeck's trial and executes him eight months later. Sebeck makes peace with his wife, who loves him despite Sebeck's having an affair, but his son Chris remains estranged, and he proclaims his innocence while dying from lethal injection. However, Sebeck later awakens to learn that the Daemon faked his death and assigned him the task to prove that humanity deserves its freedom from the Daemon. Joined by a fellow operative named Laney Price, Sebeck vanishes into America. Jon Ross, a Russian hacker and identity thief, is questioned by the FBI and brought into the investigation by Sebeck. Unfortunately, traditional investigation methods are useless against Sobol's Daemon program. Ross eventually deduces that the Daemon can anticipate their every move, seemingly one step ahead of anyone who tries to interfere with its operation. Even after being named in the Daemon hoax (and put on the FBI's most wanted list), Ross willingly helps the US government to stop the program. Assigned to the NSA's anti-Daemon task force, with Agent Phillips, he is a firsthand witness to Loki's attack on the installation and barely survives the massacre that follows. With his immunity deal rescinded, he vanishes underground with the intent on destroying the Daemon on his own. Agent Roy "Tripwire" Merritt a decorated FBI agent is brought in to secure Sobol's property, when several FBI agents and police officers are killed by an automated Hummer that attacks anyone who approaches. A longtime military officer and expert in hostage situations, he realizes that Sobol's estate is a death trap and red herring, but fear of the Daemon forces his hand and his team is ordered to secure the site regardless. His team is quickly killed, and he remains the lone survivor, infiltrating the house and accidentally triggering a bomb, which levels the property. Blamed for the failure, he is relieved of duty but is later brought onto the anti-Daemon task force by the Major. When Loki is revealed to have infiltrated the building, Roy pursues him, against orders. Fearful of the publicity that the chase will generate, the Major kills Roy himself. Despite being an enemy to the Daemon, he becomes a folk hero of the Darknet, known as "The Burning Man" by the Darknet users, who respect him for his tenacity. NSA Agent Natalie Philips, a genius workaholic government cryptographer. Phillips joins the investigation shortly after the FBI is called in. Eventually, she is placed in charge of the anti-Daemon task force, but she finds plenty of interference from the Major. She is attracted to Jon Ross (the attraction is mutual), but she quickly states that national security will take precedence and their relationship will remain professional. Phillips objects to the murder of Sebeck to protect infected corporate systems from the Daemon's wrath. One of a handful survivors from Loki's attack, Phillips is blamed for the failure and relieved of duties. Brian Gragg aka "Loki Stormbringer" is a sociopathic loner and avid gamer. He makes a living through identity theft and other cyber crimes. After running afoul of some hackers from the Philippines, he allows his partner in crime, Jason Heider, to be killed in his place. Needing to lie low, Loki is recruited by the Daemon by outthinking a hidden game level in one of Sobol's games. Loki is the first Daemon operative and quickly becomes one of the most powerful operatives. His behavior, though useful to the Daemon, is hated and feared even by other Darknet members. His first major act is to infiltrate the anti-Daemon task force. When found out, he quickly triggers an attack, which leaves most of the people and agents there dead. He is pursued by Roy Merritt, as he escapes and witnesses the Major executing Roy, vowing to kill the Major for betraying his own man. The Major, unnamed throughout the series, is introduced as a secret DOD liaison assigned to the daemon task force. Soon, everyone who encounters him realizes that his history is checkered, and his loyalty remains with the military-industrial complex now under attack by the Daemon. When Loki massacres the task force, he quickly contains the situation by destroying all evidence (including leveling the building) and personally executing Roy Merritt, fearful that Merritt's pursuit of Loki will attract too much attention. Realizing that they have underestimated the Daemon and its network, the Major retreats and prepares to wage a secret war against the Daemon and its agents. Anji Anderson is a recently fired reporter, whose good looks have hindered her career for years. Having been relegated to fluff pieces and put on the air to be pretty, she is quickly recruited as a Daemon operative, her job to investigate stories that benefit the Daemon and help push its propaganda. Her main effect in the story is to help frame Sebeck. She eventually becomes the spokesman for the Daemon. Charles Mosely is a former drug dealer and convicted killer recruited by the Daemon, which helps him to escape prison by transferring him first to minimum security and then releasing him altogether. With a new identity, he travels to a Daemon-controlled office where he is interrogated by the Daemon's AI and is deemed acceptable to serve. He eventually becomes a security operative, assigned jobs such as executing criminals, participating a massive worldwide assassination of spammers who corrupt the internet. Mosley's only request is for the Daemon to locate his missing son and protect him. Ray is both found and sent to live with Daemon agents, who will raise and educate Ray in a safe family-like setting. Dutton purchase. On June 25, 2008, the Dutton imprint of the Penguin Group purchased "Daemon" and the rights to the sequel "Freedom™" from Verdugo Press. Film adaptation. Walter F. Parkes, who produced the 1983 film "WarGames", had optioned the film rights to "Daemon" with Paramount Pictures, but they likely reverted to Suarez on 8 December 2012.

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Kirinyaga (short story) "Kirinyaga" is a science fiction short story by American writer Mike Resnick, published in 1988; it is the first chapter in the book by the same name. The story was the winner of the 1989 Hugo Award for Best Short Story and the 1989 SF Chronicle Award. It was also nominated for the 1989 Nebula Award for Best Novelette as well as the 1989 Locus award. Plot summary. The story is set on Kirinyaga, an artificial orbital colony that recreates an African savannah environment. The protagonist is Koriba, the "mundumugu" (priest or shaman) of a Kikuyu tribe living there. Koriba was raised in the mainstream modern world and has several graduate degrees, but came to resent bitterly how "Western" ways displaced African traditions. Later, he led a group of Kikuyu colonists to Kirinyaga to recreate a traditional Kikuyu society. A generation later, the residents live as their pre-modern ancestors did, as illiterate subsistence farmers and herders, with no access to or even knowledge of the larger world. They follow Kikuyu traditions in everything, guided by Koriba, who is one of the last survivors of the founding group. Koriba has a hidden computer terminal and conducts all contact with Maintenance, the agency which operates the machinery that provides Kirinyaga's artificial environment and keeps its orbit stable. Kikuyu tradition says that a child born feet first is a demon. Koriba kills such a child, causing a breach with Maintenance. Maintenance sends an investigator to see if they need to interfere with and regulate the Kikuyu traditions. Koriba is unbending in his insistence that Maintenance not interfere with Kikuyu traditions no matter how much they dislike them. In the end Maintenance informs Koriba that they will not tolerate the killing of infants. Koriba begins to train the young men of the tribe as warriors, in preparation for armed resistance to Maintenance. Creation. Kirinyaga was written as a submission for a planned anthology edited by Orson Scott Card, entitled "Eutopia", in which all stories would be about a group attempting to create a utopian society. Each story would be told from the perspective of a member of that society who believed in that idea of utopia. Resnick requested and received permission to submit the story to a magazine in addition to the anthology. The originally-planned anthology was never published.

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Aria (manga) Aria (stylized as ARIA) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kozue Amano. The series was originally titled Aqua (stylized as AQUA) when it was published in Enix's "Monthly Stencil" magazine from 2001 to 2002, and retitled when it was transferred to Mag Garden's "Comic Blade", where it continued serialization from November 2002 to April 2008. "Aqua" was collected in two "tankōbon" volumes, and "Aria" was collected in twelve volumes. Hal Film Maker has adapted the manga into several anime television series. A first season was broadcast in 2005, a second season in 2006, an OVA released September 2007, and a third season in 2008 that ended around the same time as the manga serialization. A new OVA, called "Aria the Avvenire", was released in the 10th anniversary Blu-ray box sets of the anime series between December 2015 and June 2016. A new film to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the anime series titled "Aria the Crepuscolo" premiered on 5 March 2021. A new anime film titled "Aria the Benedizione" will premiere in winter 2021. ADV Manga released English translations of the first three volumes of "Aria" in 2004, before dropping the license. Tokyopop then acquired the English-language rights to "Aqua" as well as "Aria". Tokyopop released the two volumes of "Aqua" on October 2007 and February 2008, and six volumes of "Aria" between January 2008 and December 2010. The anime is licensed in North America by The Right Stuf International, which released all three seasons in box sets under its Nozomi Entertainment imprint between 30 September 2008 and 2 March 2010. The series is set in the 24th century on a terraformed Mars, now named Aqua, and follows a young woman named Akari Mizunashi as she trains as an apprentice gondolier (known as Undines). The series has been praised for its calm pacing, optimistic worldview, beautiful art, and, for the anime, the quality of the soundtrack. Story. "Aqua" and "Aria" take place in the early 24th century, starting in 2301 AD, in the city of Neo-Venezia (ネオ・ヴェネツィア "Neo Venetsia", literally "New Venice") on the planet Aqua (アクア "Akua", formerly Mars, sometimes stylized as in the manga with the base text for "Mars" serving as a gloss), which was renamed after being terraformed into a habitable planet covered in oceans around 150 years beforehand. Neo-Venezia, based on Venice in both architecture and atmosphere, is a harbor city of narrow canals instead of streets, traveled by unmotorized gondolas. At the start of "Aqua", a young woman named Akari arrives from Manhome (マンホーム "Manhōmu", formerly Earth, sometimes stylized as with the base text for "Earth" serving as a gloss) to become a trainee gondolier with Aria Company, one of the three most prestigious water-guide companies in the city. Her dream is to become an Undine, a gondolier who acts as a tour guide (see "Terms" below). As she trains, Akari befriends her mentor Alicia, trainees and seniors from rival companies—Aika, Alice, Akira and Athena—and others in the Neo-Venezia city. "Aqua" covers Akari's arrival on Aqua and her early training as a Pair, or apprentice, while "Aria" continues her training as a Single, or journeyman, culminating in the graduation of her, Aika, and Alice as full Prima Undines. Each chapter is a slice of life episode of Akari's exploration of the worlds of gondoliering, Neo-Venezia, and Aqua itself. Amano frequently uses several pages of lush art to depict an environment, showing the wonder of both everyday activities as well as one-of-a-kind events. It has been described by reviewers as very similar in tone and effect to "Yokohama Kaidashi Kikō". Characters. Aria Company. Aria Company is a very small water-guide company that starts with only two employees. Its uniforms are lined with blue, and its president (and namesake) is Aria Pokoteng. Himeya Company. Himeya Company is the oldest and currently second-ranking water-guide company in Neo-Venezia. It employs 80 Undines, with a uniform lined with red. Its president is Hime Granzchesta. Orange Planet. Orange Planet is the largest water-guide company in Neo-Venezia, employing 81 Undines (including 20 Primas). Its uniforms are lined with yellow, and its president is Maa. Cats. Because blue-eyed cats are considered lucky on Aqua, all Undine companies have a blue-eyed cat as a mascot, who is given the title President. Cats on Aqua have been bred to be as intelligent as humans, though they cannot speak. Terms. Several terms of the world of Aqua are derived from elemental mythology: Development. According to her original afterword to "Aqua" volume 2, Kozue Amano's goal in writing the series was to have readers find happiness in small things and to not focus on their failures. In another afterword, she stated that writing "Aria" has forced her to pay attention to the four seasons and that she hopes the series shows her appreciation for them. Amano developed a 24-month calendar system for Aqua, based on Mars's real orbital period of 668.6 local days (see "Timekeeping on Mars"), making every season 6 months long. Amano marked the passage of time and the seasons throughout the series through such means as Akari explicitly telling her correspondent the time of year and depicting seasonal observances such as fireworks at the end of summer ("Aqua" volume 2, Navigation 9 and "Aria" volume 4, Navigation 20), New Year's Eve ("Aria" volume 2, Navigation 9), or birthdays of characters ("Aria" volume 10, Navigation 46). In the universe of "Aqua" and "Aria", Neo-Venezia's builders modeled it after the city of Venice before its demise in the 21st century, including counterparts to such public landmarks as the Piazza San Marco and the Bridge of Sighs. In creating Neo-Venezia, Amano also based some of the fictional locations of the series on real Venetian locations. Examples include: Other locations on Aqua that Amano based on real places include the Japanese shrine visited in "Aria" volume 1, based on Fushimi Inari-taisha near Kyoto. Adaptation as an anime. As part of the preparations for first season of the anime adaptation, the production crew led by director Jun'ichi Satō made a trip to Venice for location research. As a result of filming the movements of gondoliers sculling, they had to redraw the animation of Undines rowing in the first episodes to make it realistic. Satō said that seeing a gondolier use his paddle to toss a bottle out of the water inspired the scene in episode 11 of "Aria the Animation" where Alicia does the same with a ball, which was not in the manga. As part of the production company's commitment to adapting the manga faithfully and gesture of consideration toward the voice actors, they provided the collected volumes of "Aqua" and "Aria" to date, rather than requiring them to purchase their own or giving stacks of photocopies. According to Jun'ichi Satō, it was a struggle to fit the available material into the 13 episodes of the first season, which focused closely on Akari. The title of the second season, "Aria the Natural", came about because he had 26 episodes to work with, letting him treat the story in a more "natural" manner, allowing the series to develop other characters more. Choro Club and Takeshi Senoo composed 30 works of music for the first season of the anime and 15 for the second. Jun'ichi Satō and sound designer Yasuno Satō assigned Choro Club and Takeshi Senoo abstract themes instead of plot points, which was an unfamiliar method for the composers who did not have much experience working for anime shows. Takeshi Senoo and the three members of Choro Club make a cameo appearance as musicians in episode 23 of "Aria the Natural". Jun'ichi Satō has commented that the lyrics for the songs "Barracole" and "Coccolo", sung by Eri Kawai as the voice of Athena Glory, were gibberish. The lyrics for the first two seasons' theme songs were also initially meant to be gibberish, but after reading the manga Eri Kawai decided to write Japanese lyrics: "I read the original manga and wrote the lyrics, using my image of Neo-Venezia as a starting point. Then did my best to match words that flowed with the melody." Kawai made demo recordings for Yui Makino as a guide for her performance of the theme songs. Takeshi Senoo has described "Smile Again", the second ending theme song of "Aria the Natural," as a song about the end of summer, and envisioned it being sung by Erino Hazuki as Akari. Media. Manga. The manga was written and illustrated by Kozue Amano, and has a complicated publishing history. "Aqua" was originally published by Enix in "Monthly Stencil" magazine from 2001 to 2002 and collected in two "tankōbon" volumes. When the series moved to Mag Garden's "Comic Blade" magazine in November 2002, the title changed to "Aria". Mag Garden later re-released the two volumes of "Aqua" with additional material and new covers. Serialization completed in April 2008. In all, the 70 serialized chapters of "Aqua" and "Aria" were collected in 14 "tankōbon" volumes, each volume containing five chapters covering a season of the year. Each volume is called a "voyage" and each chapter a "navigation". In English, "Aria" (but not "Aqua") was originally licensed by ADV Manga, who dropped the license after publishing three volumes. The North American license for "Aqua" and "Aria" was picked up by Tokyopop, which began releasing the series starting with the first volume of "Aqua". The series has been licensed in France by Kami, in Germany by Tokyopop Germany, in Italy by Star Comics, in Indonesia by M&C Comics, in South Korea by Bookbox, in Spain by Editorial Ivrea, in Taiwan by Tong Li Comics, and in Thailand by Bongkoch Comics. Anime. "Aqua" and "Aria" were adapted by Hal Film Maker as a 54-episode anime television series comprising two seasons titled "Aria the Animation" and "Aria the Natural", an original video animation (OVA) titled "Aria the OVA: Arietta", and a third season titled "Aria the Origination". The series was directed by Junichi Sato with character designs by Makoto Koga, and broadcast on the TV Tokyo Network between 2005 and 2008. All three seasons have been released on DVD in Japan. A special OVA series, "Aria the Avvenire", received an event screening on 26 September 2015. It was animated by TYO Animations. The series is licensed in North America by The Right Stuf International. A DVD box set of the English subtitled first season was released on 30 September 2008 under its Nozomi Entertainment imprint. The second season was released in two box sets on 29 January and 24 March 2009. The third season box set, including the "Arietta" OVA and the bonus episode numbered 5.5, was released on 2 March 2010. On 12 August 2017, Right Stuf launched a Kickstarter campaign to produce an English dub and a Blu-ray release for the first season of the series, which ended on 11 September 2017 with a total of $595,676 raised, which is $230,000 over the final stretch goal of dubbing the entire franchise, including the 10th Anniversary special OVA series, "Avvenire". The series is licensed in Australia by Siren Visual. The series is licensed in Korea by Animax Asia, in Taiwan by Muse Communications, in France by Kaze, and in Italy by Yamato Video. The series was also broadcast in Italy on the Rai 4. Films. It was announced on 14 April 2020 that the franchise would debut a new work scheduled for winter 2020 in celebration of the series' 15th anniversary. On 22 July 2020, it was announced that the new work would be an anime film titled "Aria the Crepuscolo", which premiered on 5 March 2021. The film was produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Takahiro Natori, with the main staff members reprising their roles. After the film "Aria the Crepuscolo"'s release, a new anime project titled "Aria the Benedizione" was announced, which will serve as the third and final installment of the "Blue Curtain Call" trilogy. On 21 March 2021, it was announced that the anime project is a film that will premiere in winter 2021. The cast and staff from the previous film reprised their roles. Soundtracks. Several soundtrack albums were released for "Aria", including an album for each of the three seasons of the anime, two piano music collections, a song collection, and a tribute album. Singles were released for the opening and closing themes for all three anime seasons, the OVA, and the two visual novel adaptations. Most of the releases charted on the Oricon charts, with the highest ranking album being "Aria the Natural Vocal Song Collection" at 30th, and the highest ranking single being "Euforia", the opening theme for "Aria the Natural", at 18th. Drama CDs. Four series of drama CDs have been released. The first series was produced before the anime began and uses different voice actors; the other three were produced in conjunction with the three seasons of the anime, using the anime voice actors. Additional drama CDs were included as bonus materials for each volume of "Aria Perfect Guide". Radio CDs. An "Aria" radio show called "Aria the Station" was broadcast on the internet through onsen.ag and Animate throughout November 2006 in conjunction with the three seasons of the anime. The 115 episodes were later compiled on "radio CDs" released in three seasons. Each volume contains a CD-ROM with the radio episodes in MP3 format plus an audio CD containing additional material. The radio show starred Erino Hazuki as Akari Mizunashi and Chinami Nishimura as President Aria Pokoteng, with other voice actors from the anime as guests reprising their respective roles. Video games. The Alchemist company produced two visual novel video games for the PS2 based on "Aria". Both were released in regular and special editions on the same day. Other books. Art books. Four art books were published by Mag Garden containing drawings and sketches for "Aqua" and "Aria" by Kozue Amano: Mag Garden published a fifth art book containing additional artwork used in the anime, video games, drama CDs, and merchandising: In addition, three poster books have been published, each containing ten A2-format posters: Guide books. Four guide books to "Aria" have been released by Mag Garden: Additionally, Shinkigesha published guide books for each of Alchemist's two "Aria" video games, containing background materials, character profiles, and plot summaries covering all outcomes of the game: Novels. "Aria" has also been adapted as series of light novels published by Mag Garden, with two released as of December 2008: Monthly Undine. "Monthly Undine" is a spin-off facsimile of the Undine-focused magazine mentioned in the "Aria" universe. Six issues of "Monthly Undine" have been released as of March 2021 with a different character on each cover, each containing a collectible item. The first three magazines contain toy house parts with Himeya Company's Akira and Aika, toy house parts with Aria Company's Alicia and Akari, and toy house parts with Orange Planet's Athena and Alice respectively. When the three magazines' collectible items (toy house parts) are combined, they form a miniature "ARIA Company" building. The President Cat Picture books. In March 2007, Mag Garden published a series of three "Aria" picture books. Each hardcover book contains a full-color short manga story focused on a cat president, and includes an additional collectible item written and illustrated by Amano Kozue. Sheet Music. Shinko Music published a selection of sheet music called "Aria the Best Selection" () in July 2008. It contained the themes from the three anime seasons of "Aria". Reception. In Japan, new volumes of "Aria" routinely reached the best-seller list for manga, and had sold over 3 million copies as of July 2007, representing 11% of all manga volumes ever sold by its publisher to date. In 2009, this number increased to 4 million. The English translation of the "Aria" manga was described by a reviewer at "The Comics Journal" as "quite conceivably the best comics series ever created for elementary-school girls," calling it "a masterpiece of storytelling and illustration, gorgeous to look at and a feast for the young imagination in its ability to present an inviting, fully realized world." "Aqua" and "Aria" together have been praised for their joyful calm, vividly depicted futuristic world, moments of magic, and sense of whimsy. Amano's artwork is praised for her crisp lines and details, especially in the backgrounds and landscapes. Amano has also been criticized for confusingly giving every character a name that begins with A, for letting some slice-of-life stories "drift too far out," and for making Akari's character too sweet and effusive. In 2006, the anime of "Aria" was ranked in the top 100 animated television series of all time in a poll by TV Asahi. As of June 2007, the first two seasons of the anime adaptation had sold more than 300,000 DVDs. The anime has been praised for its quiet atmosphere, beautiful visuals—especially the backgrounds and character designs—and exceptional soundtrack. Anime News Network described the first season as "a gorgeous future fantasy populated with loveable characters", where "each episode is a finely fashioned tone poem steeped in a love of the slow rhythms of everyday life and told with an elegant self-possession that places it light-years beyond the vulgar moralizing of most "uplifting" stories." IGN contrasted "Aria" with "Maria-sama ga Miteru" as another series where not much happens, noting that "Maria-sama ratchets up the tension level whenever possible, though, and never mind that all the drama revolves around something completely inconsequential. Aria, on the other hand, is calm and relaxed. It freely admits that the plot is not the point." Several reviewers cited the characters as key to the appeal of the series, though some criticized the characters as unrealistic; the voice acting of Erino Hazuki (Akari) and Junko Minagawa (Akira) were particularly praised. Several reviewers point out that the series does not fit all tastes, being a slow-paced drama with an optimistic outlook.

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The Birds (play) The Birds () is a comedy by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed in 414 BC at the City Dionysia where it won second place. It has been acclaimed by modern critics as a perfectly realized fantasy remarkable for its mimicry of birds and for the gaiety of its songs. Unlike the author's other early plays, it includes no direct mention of the Peloponnesian War and there are few references to Athenian politics, and yet it was staged not long after the commencement of the Sicilian Expedition, an ambitious military campaign that greatly increased Athenian commitment to the war effort. In spite of that, the play has many indirect references to Athenian political and social life. It is the longest of Aristophanes' surviving plays and yet it is a fairly conventional example of Old Comedy. The plot of the play revolves around Pisthetaerus, an Athenian who convinces the birds to create a great city in the sky, and thus regain their status as the original gods. Pisthetaerus eventually transforms into a bird-like god himself, and replaces Zeus as the king of the gods. Plot. The play begins with two middle-aged men stumbling across a hillside wilderness, guided by a pet crow and a pet jackdaw. One of them advises the audience that they are fed up with life in Athens, where people do nothing all day but argue over laws, and they are looking for Tereus, a king who was once metamorphosed into the Hoopoe, for they believe he might help them find a better life somewhere else. Just then, a very large and fearsome bird emerges from a camouflaged bower, demanding to know what they are up to and accusing them of being bird-catchers. He turns out to be the Hoopoe's servant. They appease him and he returns indoors to fetch his master. Moments later the Hoopoe himself appears—a not very convincing bird who attributes his lack of feathers to a severe case of moulting. He is happy to discuss their plight with them and meanwhile one of them has a brilliant idea—the birds, he says, should stop flying about like idiots and instead should build themselves a great city in the sky, since this would not only allow them to lord it over men, it would also enable them to blockade the Olympian gods in the same way that the Athenians had recently starved the island of Melos into submission. The Hoopoe likes the idea and he agrees to help implement it, provided of course that the two Athenians can first convince all the other birds. He calls to his wife, the Nightingale, and bids her to begin her celestial music. The notes of an unseen flute swell through the theatre and meanwhile the Hoopoe provides the lyrics, summoning the birds of the world from their different habitats—birds of the fields, mountain birds and birds of the trees, birds of the waterways, marshes and seas. These soon begin to appear and each of them is identified by name on arrival. Four of them dance together while the rest form into a Chorus. On discovering the presence of men, the newly arrived birds fly into a fit of alarm and outrage, for mankind has long been their enemy. A skirmish follows, during which the Athenians defend themselves with kitchen utensils they find outside the Hoopoe's bower, until the Hoopoe at last manages to persuade the Chorus to give his human guests a fair hearing. The cleverer of the two Athenians, the author of the brilliant idea, then delivers a formal speech, advising the birds that they were the original gods and urging them to regain their lost powers and privileges from the johnny-come-lately Olympians. The birds are completely won over and urge the Athenians to lead them in their war against the usurping gods. The clever one then introduces himself as Pisthetaerus (Trustyfriend) and his companion is introduced as Euelpides (Goodhope). They retire to the Hoopoe's bower to chew on a magical root that will transform them into birds. Meanwhile, the Nightingale emerges from her hiding place and reveals herself as an enchantingly feminine figure. She presides over the Chorus of birds while they address the audience in a conventional parabasis: The Chorus delivers a brief account of the genealogy of the gods, claiming that the birds are children of Eros and grandchildren of Night and Erebus, thus establishing their claim to divinity ahead of the Olympians. It cites some of the benefits the audience derives from birds (such as early warnings of a change in seasons) and it invites the audience to join them since birds easily manage to do things mere men are afraid to do (such as beating up their fathers and committing adultery). Pisthetaerus and Euelpides emerge from the Hoopoe's bower laughing at each other's unconvincing resemblance to a bird. After discussion, they name the city-in-the-sky Nephelokokkygia"," or literally "cloud-cuckoo-land" (Νεφελοκοκκυγία), and then Pisthetaerus begins to take charge of things, ordering his friend to oversee the building of the city walls while he organizes and leads a religious service in honour of birds as the new gods. During this service, he is pestered by a variety of unwelcome visitors including a young versifier out to hire himself to the new city as its official poet, an oracle-monger with prophecies for sale, a famous geometer, Meton, offering a set of town-plans, an imperial inspector from Athens with an eye for a quick profit, and a statute-seller trying to peddle a set of laws originally written for a remote, barely-heard-of town called Olophyx. Pisthetaerus chases off all these intruders and then retires indoors to finish the religious service. The birds of the Chorus step forward for another parabasis. They promulgate laws forbidding crimes against their kind (such as catching, caging, stuffing, or eating them) and they end by advising the festival judges to award them first place or risk getting defecated on. Pisthetaerus returns to the stage moments before a messenger arrives with a report on the construction of the new walls: they are already finished thanks to the collaborative efforts of numerous kinds of birds. A second messenger then arrives with news that one of the Olympian gods has sneaked through the defenses. A hunt is organized, the goddess Iris is detected and cornered and soon she wafts down under guard. After being interrogated and insulted by Pisthetaerus, she is allowed to fly off to her father Zeus to complain about her treatment. Hardly has she gone when a third messenger arrives, declaring that men in their multitudes are now flocking to join the new city-in-the-sky. Another set of unwelcome visitors arrives as advertised, singing due to the inspiration of the new city. One is a rebellious youth who exults in the notion that here at last he has permission to beat up his father. The famous poet, Cinesias, is next, waxing incoherently lyrical as the poetic mood takes hold of him. Third is a sycophant in raptures at the thought of prosecuting victims on the wing. All of them are sent packing by the Pisthetaerus. Prometheus arrives next, sheltering under a parasol because he is an enemy of Zeus and he is trying not to be seen from the heavens. He has come with advice for Pisthetaerus: the Olympians are starving because men's offerings no longer reach them; they are desperate for a peace treaty but Pisthetaerus shouldn't negotiate with them until Zeus surrenders both his sceptre and his girlfriend, Sovereignty—she is the real power in Zeus's household. His mission accomplished, Prometheus departs just moments before a delegation from Zeus arrives. There are only three delegates: the brother of Zeus, Poseidon, the oafish Heracles and some even more oafish god worshipped by barbarians called Triballians. Pisthetaerus easily outwits Heracles, who in turn bullies the barbarian god into submission, and Poseidon is thus outvoted – the delegation accepts Pisthetaerus's terms. He is proclaimed king by a heavenly herald and he is presented with Zeus's sceptre by Sovereignty, a vision of loveliness. The festive gathering departs amid the strains of the wedding march: "Hymen O Hymenai'O! Hymen O Hymenai'O!" Historical background. When "The Birds" was performed in 414 BC, Athenians were still optimistic about the future of the Sicilian Expedition, which had set out the year before under the joint command of Alcibiades, who had promoted it enthusiastically, and Athens' most experienced general, Nicias, who had opposed the venture. In spite of this public optimism, there was ongoing controversy in Athens over the mutilation of the Hermai, an act of impious vandalism that had cast ominous doubts over the Sicilian Expedition even before the fleet had left port. The vandalism had resulted in a 'witch-hunt' led by religious extremists and endorsed by priests of the Eleusinian Mysteries, leading to the persecution of rationalist thinkers such as Diagoras of Melos. Alcibiades himself was suspected of involvement in anti-religious activities and a state ship 'Salaminia' was sent to Sicily to bring him back to trial. However, he managed to escape from custody and a reward of one talent of gold was subsequently offered by the Athenian authorities to anyone who could claim responsibility for his death. Alcibiades had already been a controversial figure in Athenian politics for some years before then – he had combined with Nicias to bring about the ostracism of the populist leader Hyperbolus. Hyperbolus was a frequent target of satire in Aristophanes' plays, a role previously filled by Cleon, who had died in 422. Places and people mentioned in "The Birds". Aristophanes wrote for the amusement of his fellow citizens and his plays are full of topical references. The following explanation of topical references in "The Birds" is based on the work of various scholars (commonplace references to conventional gods are omitted): Places Foreigners Poets, artists and intellectuals Athenian politicians and generals Athenian personalities Historic, religious and mythical figures Discussion. It has been argued that "The Birds" has suffered more than any other Aristophanic play from over-interpretation by scholars. Political allegory featured prominently in 19th century interpretations: Cloudcuckooland could be identified with the Sicilian Expedition as an over-ambitious scheme, Athenians could then be identified with the birds, and their enemies with the Olympian gods. The 20th century has also come up with allegorical interpretations—for example, Pisthetaerus has been interpreted as a metaphor for Alcibiades. Cloudcuckooland has been understood by some scholars as a comic representation of an ideal polis and it has also been understood as a cautionary example of a polis gone wrong; according to yet another view, however, the play is nothing more than escapist entertainment. The friendship between Pisthetaerus and Euelpides is realistically portrayed in spite of the unreality of their adventure. The keynote of their friendship is good-humoured teasing of each other for one another's failings (e.g. lines 54–5, 86–91, 336–42) and the proof of their friendship is the ease with which they work together in difficult situations, largely due to Euelpides' willingness to concede the initiative and leadership to Pisthetaerus. The father-son relationship between Philocleon and Bdelycleon in "The Wasps" and the husband-wife relationship between Cinesias and Myrrine in "Lysistrata" are other examples of Aristophanes' ability to depict humanity convincingly in the most unconvincing settings imaginable. Toynbee, in his "Study of History", argues for a link between "The Birds" and the New Testament, pointing out significant examples of correspondence: He believes that the New Testament was influenced by a literary tradition that began with Aristophanes. The major difference is that Aristophanes presents these ideas as comic fantasy, while the New Testament treats them as profoundly serious revelation. "The Birds" and Old Comedy. "The Birds" resembles all the early plays of Aristophanes in key aspects of its dramatic structure. Such resemblances are evidence of a genre of ancient drama known as Old Comedy. Variations from these 'conventions' are significant since they demonstrate either a trend away from Old Comedy, a corruption in the text or a unique dramatic effect that the author intended. Variations in this play are found in the following conventions:

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Dinotopia Dinotopia is a series of illustrated fantasy books, created by author and illustrator James Gurney. It is set in the titular "Dinotopia", an isolated island inhabited by shipwrecked humans and sapient dinosaurs who have learned to coexist peacefully as a single symbiotic society. The first book was published in 1992 and has "appeared in 18 languages in more than 30 countries and sold two million copies." "Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time" and "Dinotopia: The World Beneath" both won Hugo awards for best original artwork. Since its original publication, over twenty "Dinotopia" books have been published by various authors to expand the series. A live-action television miniseries, a short-lived live-action TV series, a 2005 animated film, and several video games have also been released. Background. Gurney's assignments for "National Geographic" required him to work with archaeologists to envision and paint ancient cities that no one alive today has ever seen. This inspired him to imagine his own, so he painted "Waterfall City" and "Dinosaur parade". These were originally done as art prints for collectors. He later decided to create an imaginary island based on these paintings. Rather than digital tools, Gurney used "plein-air studies, thumbnail sketches, models photographed in costume and original cardboard or clay maquettes" to create 150 oil paintings for his 2007 Dinotopia book. He called the series "Dinotopia": a portmanteau of "dinosaur" and "utopia". Many have claimed that some scenes in the film "" (particularly those in the city of Theed on Naboo) unfairly copy images from Gurney's books. Gurney acknowledges the resemblance but has remained positive about it. In 1994, director George Lucas had met with producers to discuss some of the concepts and visuals behind a "Dinotopia" movie that was never made. The island. Upon the hidden island of Dinotopia, humans and dinosaurs live and work together in harmony with one another and with the Earth itself. It is a place of beauty and wonder lost to the rest of the world. The island is surrounded by a storm system and dangerous reefs that prevent safe travel to or from the island. Aside from a highly diverse ecosystem ranging from deserts to mountains to swamps, Dinotopia also has an extensive system of natural and man-made caves. Series overview. "Dinotopia" began as an illustrated children's book called "Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time". It was a cross-over success, appealing to both children and adult readers, which led James Gurney to write and illustrate three more books called "Dinotopia: The World Beneath," "Dinotopia: First Flight" and "Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara". They all deal with the adventures of Arthur and Will Denison to one degree or another. These are considered the main books of the series and establish the fictional world in which the others are set. Gurney keeps abreast with recent paleontological discoveries and has written then-newly discovered dinosaurs into his books, for example, including "Giganotosaurus" in "The World Beneath" and "Microraptor" in "Journey to Chandara" A children's flip-up version of the first book was also issued. The "Dinotopia Digest" series consists of sixteen young adult novels penned by several different authors. These books feature other characters who are not specifically involved with the events of the main books, although characters from the main books (particularly the Denisons) have appeared in minor or cameo roles. Two full-length adult fantasy novels were also issued with Gurney's authority, written by Alan Dean Foster: "Dinotopia Lost" and "The Hand of Dinotopia". Several video games, as well as a TV miniseries, a short-lived TV series, and an animated children's movie, were also produced. These are also set in the "Dinotopia" universe, but do not tie in directly with the main series. Most of them take place in the modern world, unlike the books, which are mostly set in the mid-19th century. Main books. The plot of the main "Dinotopia" books concerns Arthur Denison and his son, Will, and the various people they meet in their travels in Dinotopia. In the fashion of authors such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first and fourth books are written as if they were Arthur's journals, with Gurney going so far as to explain in the introductions how he happened to come across the old, waterlogged volumes. "A Land Apart from Time". In "Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time" (1992), the Denisons are shipwrecked near Dinotopia and, after making it ashore, are found by the people of the Hatchery. The Hatchery is a place where dinosaurs are born, tended by both dinosaurs and humans. The Denisons then set out to explore the island, hoping to find a means of returning to their old lives. Arthur and Will undergo a broad journey, circling the island, as they endeavor to learn the customs and culture of their new neighbors. Arthur in particular develops an interest in the scientific accomplishments of the natives, which far exceed that of any human culture. Among the subjects he studies are the flora of the island, the partnership of its inhabitants, and the existence of a place known as the World Beneath. This World Beneath is an explanation for Dinotopians surviving the saurian extinction; according to the story, most of the Earth's dinosaurs were destroyed, whilst a few hid in vast caverns. These few became the original Dinotopians. No one has entered the World Beneath for centuries, but Arthur intends to do so. His son Will, on the other hand, has chosen to train as a messenger of the sky; a Skybax rider, who lives in symbiosis with his mount, the great "Quetzalcoatlus" (nicknamed Skybax), a species of pterosaur. Training alongside Will is a girl called Sylvia, with whom Will falls in love. The natives refer to this and any other profound bond as "Cumspiritik", which literally means "together-breathing." (Romana Denison of the later Dinotopia film series is said to be Will's daughter.) Arthur, for his part, travels into the World Beneath, at the same time that Will and Sylvia are learning to fly with the Skybax. When he returns, he is fascinated by the ancient relics found there and is convinced that they may be key in enabling him to leave or explore the island. Meanwhile, Will and Sylvia learn and master Skybax flight. When at last they have been accepted as Riders, they travel to meet Arthur and his "Protoceratops" guide Bix, but are distracted on the way by a thunderstorm. Luckily, they survive and arrive on time to meet their kin. Will is at the time too young to marry Sylvia, but it is promised that they will. Arthur recognizes that his son has grown up, and they each accept the changes that are results of their new lives on the island. "The World Beneath". The first sequel, "Dinotopia: The World Beneath" (1995) focuses mainly on Arthur Denison's return expedition to the World Beneath and opens with Will fly testing an invention of his father, the Dragoncopter – a steam engine ornithopter modeled on the dragonfly. The Dragoncopter fails and Will is narrowly saved by Cirrus, his Skybax mount, before the Dragoncopter plummets into a waterfall. After returning from his first expedition in "A Land Apart From Time", Arthur presents two items he discovered – a sunstone and half of a key – to the council at Waterfall City in an attempt to get a second expedition into the World Beneath. A musician named Oriana Nascava comes forward with the missing half of Arthur's key, claiming it to be a family heirloom. She is only willing to give it up if she is allowed to accompany Arthur in his expedition, a term that he reluctantly accepts. Together with Bix as a guide and the scandalous Lee Crabb, the group travels to the shady Pliosaur Canal where they board a submersible in order to take an underwater route to the World Beneath. Meanwhile, Will and Sylvia have been assigned to accompany a sauropod caravan through the Rainy Basin and keep a watch for predatory "Tyrannosaurus". However, Cirrus flies Will to ancient ruins in the jungle of which the "Tyrannosaurus" are strangely protective. Arthur, Oriana, Bix, and Lee continue to explore the caverns underneath Dinotopia where they come across instantly germinating fern spores, uncut sunstones that appear to store ancestral memory, and mechanical limbs that twitch when the sunstone is brought near. Eventually, they reach an enormous man-made chamber filled with abandoned walking vehicles modelled after prehistoric animals, left behind by the ancient civilization of Poseidos, which they nickname "Strutters". Arthur, Oriana, and Bix commandeer a ceratopsian strutter while Crabb takes a strutter modeled after a sea scorpion and they both climb out of the World Beneath, ending up in the Rainy Basin. They join the sauropod convoy, but are attacked by a pack of "Tyrannosaurus" and "Allosaurus", during which Crabb escapes in his strutter and the head of the ceratopsian strutter is ripped off. But the controls remain undamaged. However, afterward, it still works properly (and can be driven and controlled) without a head. But it behaves strangely. After escaping the carnivores, Arthur realizes that the "Tyrannosaurus" at the ruins may have been guarding the mythical ruby sunstone, and takes his strutter back into the Rainy Basin with Oriana and Bix to discover it. Along the way, they come across a trapped juvenile "Giganotosaurus" and free it. The grateful father, named Stinktooth, protects Arthur and his companions from the tyrannosaurs and allows them passage into the ruins. Inside the temple, Bix reveals that in the past, people have escaped the island and brought with them culture from Dinotopian civilizations, influencing ancient Egyptian and Greek civilizations. However, they are too late, as Crabb has arrived first and taken the ruby sunstone. Vowing to escape Dinotopia and bring back an army of strutters to plunder the island, he destroys Arthur's strutter with his sea scorpion and escapes. Riding on top of Stinktooth, Arthur chases Lee into the sea and pulls the sunstone out of the power socket in the strutter before Lee can escape. During this chase, Arthur's journal is lost to the ocean where it will be discovered by Philippine sailors and eventually make its way to the library where James Gurney discovers it. At the end, the ruby sunstone is lost, a new romance is suggested between Arthur and Oriana, and Crabb is placed under guard by a pair of "Stygimoloch". "First Flight". "Dinotopia: First Flight" (1999) was a prequel published by Gurney and included a board game. The main protagonist of the story is Gideon Altaire, a flight school student living in the capital city of Poseidos off the Dinotopian mainland, in which all organic life (save for humans) has been replaced by mechanical counterparts. After discovering an injured "Scaphognathus" named Razzamult, Gideon discovers that the city is planning to launch an attack on the mainland and conquer all of Dinotopia and that they have stolen the ruby sunstone from the pterosaur home of Highnest. Gideon sneaks into a factory and discovers an enormous air scorpion attack strutter under construction. He locates and steals the ruby sunstone and frees a group of captive pterosaurs before escaping to the mainland in a police skimmer. He arrives only to find the island already under attack. He discovers and enlists the help of a band of indigenous creatures- Binny, a "Necrolemur", Bandy, a "Plesictis", Bongo, a "Plesiadapis", and Budge, an "Estemmenosuchus". During their trek towards Highnest, they are ambushed by a spider-like attack strutter which proceeds to steal the ruby sunstone. Gideon and his band reach Highnest, where they help the pterosaurs evacuate the eggs, then take to the air atop their pterosaurs to engage the air scorpion. During the battle, Gideon manages to pull the ruby sunstone out of the flying machine's power socket, causing it to crash and stopping the invasion of Dinotopia. Gideon is presented as the first ever Skybax rider, although the species he rode wasn't a "Quetzalcoatlus northropi". "Journey to Chandara". A fourth Dinotopia book by James Gurney, "Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara", was published in October 2007. In it, Hugo Khan, the mysterious and reclusive emperor of Chandara, an empire long since isolated from the rest of Dinotopia, has heard of Arthur Denison and Bix's exploits and sends them a personal invitation to his court. Along the way, the duo encounter several new locals, including a town called Bilgewater made completely out of salvaged ships that the inhabitants believe will carry them into another world, an old musician named Cornelius Mazurka and his companion "Therizinosaurus" Henriette in the ruins of an old city, and Jorotongo, a consistently festive and completely nomadic village composed of pilgrims from the "Sunflower", sister ship to the "Mayflower". Eventually, they meet Lee Crabb en route at Sauropolis, who escapes from his "Stygimoloch" guards and steals the invitation. Without proper passes for the border guards, Arthur and Bix are forced to sneak through the swamp of Blackwood Flats while evading packs of carnivorous "Allosaurus". After passing through the mountain city of Thermala, the duo encounter Neighbor Dooh, a bandit who steals all the possessions of passing travelers and compensates them with the possessions of the previous victim. Although Arthur loses all of his scientific equipment, he is given a set of desert robes which allow him and Bix to blend into a Chandaran caravan and pass the border without harassment from the guards. They stop by the ruins of Ebulon, where Arthur finds Will and Sylvia preparing for an air-jousting tournament. Soon after that, they make their way to the capital city of Chandara. By the time they arrive, they find themselves with few possessions left to barter save for ideas, so Arthur sets up shop in the Marketplace of Ideas. During the night, the writings at Arthur's stand catches the attention of the emperor and he and Bix are invited into the court. Once at the court, they discover that Lee Crabb has also entered the court under the guise of Arthur Denison and is attempting to gather up a stockpile of weapons, arguing that he is preparing for a "Tyrannosaurus" invasion. Hugo Khan finally reveals himself to be a small "Microraptor", and the real Denison promptly exposes Crabb. Khan punishes Crabb by assigning him to be a chef for a band of "Acrocanthosaurus" Shaolin-monks, who ate their last chef after he failed to satisfy them. To commemorate Arthur and Bix's presence on the court, Hugo Khan flies out during the night to find a child in sorrow. The next day, Arthur, Bix, and a handful of the Emperor's selected entertainers arrive at the house of and greet Rita Rose and Jeffer, an orphaned "Europasaurus" hatchling who has lost the ability to walk. At the end of the day, Hugo Khan expresses his wish for Chandara to be reopened culturally to the rest of Dinotopia. Arthur and Bix accept the Emperor's offers to stay in Chandara for a while to fully discover the city and its culture. Other books in the series. From 1995, James Gurney worked with a number of other authors on a series of short novels for children using the Dinotopia characters and themes, published by Random House: TV miniseries. A 2002 four-hour TV miniseries produced by Hallmark Entertainment was also based on James Gurney's work, and was advertised as the first "mega-series" (3-night series). The show featured new characters such as Zippo (changed to Zippeau for the TV series to avoid legal issues with the lighter maker Zippo), a troodon who is said to have worked with Sylvia; the sunstones, a technology restricted to the lost city of Poseidos in the books, are commonplace in the miniseries. The failure both of the sunstones and of Dinotopian officials to adhere to the underlying meanings of their culture's philosophy caused several discontented people – a leader-in-training, Zippeau himself, and two twentieth-century Dolphinbacks, Karl and David – to embark on a quest that led ultimately to the World Beneath. The series is presented as a sequel of sorts to the books: Will Denison's daughter followed her father into the Skybax corps (an order acknowledged to be founded by Gideon Altaire), Oriana's granddaughter is the female protagonist, the character Zippo is said to have been the dinosaur partner of Sylvia (here the Nursery overseer and not a Skybax rider), and Lee Crabb's son Cyrus features as the antagonist. TV series. A TV series of thirteen episodes was produced later in 2002 as a result of the success of the miniseries, but none of the cast of the miniseries reprised their roles. In the later TV series, a group of people known as Outsiders live outside the laws of Dinotopia and pose an additional danger aside from the featured antagonists, which include "Pteranodon", "Tyrannosaurus", and "Postosuchus". ABC originally planned to launch the series in September 2002, but decided to wait until Thanksgiving. ABC was somewhat disappointed by the initial 5.7 million viewers and the poor ratings, but continued to air the series for a little while longer, pointing out that it had been an "odd viewing night overall." The series was finally canceled in December. Only six of the thirteen episodes were aired on ABC, but all thirteen were broadcast the following year in Europe and were released onto a three-disc DVD box set. Science-fiction veteran David Winning directed two episodes of the series, and location shooting lasted for three months near Budapest, Hungary. Georgina Rylance played Marion Waldo, and Lisa Zane portrayed her old friend LeSage, the leader of the Outsiders. Michael Brandon, Jonathan Hyde, and Erik von Detten also star in the series. DVD releases. Artisan Entertainment released the complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time on 20 January 2004. This release has been discontinued and is out of print. On 15 March 2016, Mill Creek Entertainment re-released the complete series on DVD in Region 1. Other media. Animated film. There is also a 2005 traditionally animated movie called "Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone". This film deviated from the original books even more than the miniseries by featuring Ogthar, a mythical ruler of the World Beneath (mentioned in the miniseries), as a human warlord rather than a benevolent, if commanding, emperor. It featured an all-star cast, including Alyssa Milano, Malcolm McDowell, Jamie Kennedy, Michael Clarke Duncan, Kathy Griffin, Wayne Knight, George Segal, Diedrich Bader, Tara Strong, and Alec Medlock. Video games. A number of "Dinotopia" video games have been produced:

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Utopia (book) Utopia (, "A little, true book, not less beneficial than enjoyable, about how things should be in a state and about the new island Utopia") is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535), written in Latin and published in 1516. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social, and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. Title. The title "De optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia" literally translates, "Of a republic's best state and of the new island Utopia". It is variously rendered as any of the following: The first created original name was even longer: "Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia". This translates, "A truly golden little book, no less beneficial than entertaining, of a republic's best state and of the new island Utopia". "Utopia" is derived from the Greek prefix "ou-" (), meaning "not", and "topos" (), "place", with the suffix "-iā" () that is typical of toponyms; the name literally means "nowhere", emphasizing its fictionality. In early modern English, "Utopia" was spelled "Utopie", which is today rendered "Utopy" in some editions. In the English language "Utopia" is pronounced the same as "Eutopia" (the latter word, in Greek ["Eutopiā"], meaning “good place,” contains the prefix ["eu-"], "good", with which the of "Utopia" has come to be confused in the English pronunciation). This is something that More himself addresses in an addendum to his book' "Wherfore not Utopie, but rather rightely my name is Eutopie, a place of felicitie". Contents. Preliminary matter. The first edition contained a woodcut map of the island of Utopia, the Utopian alphabet, verses by Pieter Gillis, Gerard Geldenhouwer, and Cornelius Grapheus, and Thomas More's epistle dedicating the work to Gillis. Book 1: Dialogue of Counsel. The work begins with written correspondence between Thomas More and several people he had met in Europe: Peter Gilles, town clerk of Antwerp, and Hieronymus van Busleyden, counselor to Charles V. More chose these letters, which are communications between actual people, to further the plausibility of his fictional land. In the same spirit, these letters also include a specimen of the Utopian alphabet and its poetry. The letters also explain the lack of widespread travel to Utopia; during the first mention of the land, someone had coughed during announcement of the exact longitude and latitude. The first book tells of the traveller Raphael Hythlodaeus, to whom More is introduced in Antwerp, and it also explores the subject of how best to counsel a prince, a popular topic at the time. The first discussions with Raphael allow him to discuss some of the modern ills affecting Europe such as the tendency of kings to start wars and the subsequent loss of money on fruitless endeavours. He also criticises the use of execution to punish theft, saying thieves might as well murder whom they rob, to remove witnesses, if the punishment is going to be the same. He lays most of the problems of theft on the practice of enclosure—the enclosing of common land—and the subsequent poverty and starvation of people who are denied access to land because of sheep farming. More tries to convince Raphael that he could find a good job in a royal court, advising monarchs, but Raphael says that his views are too radical and would not be listened to. Raphael sees himself in the tradition of Plato: he knows that for good governance, kings must act philosophically. He, however, points out that: More seems to contemplate the duty of philosophers to work around and in real situations and, for the sake of political expediency, work within flawed systems to make them better, rather than hoping to start again from first principles. Book 2: Discourse on Utopia. Utopia is placed in the New World and More links Raphael's travels in with Amerigo Vespucci's real life voyages of discovery. He suggests that Raphael is one of the 24 men Vespucci, in his "Four Voyages" of 1507, says he left for six months at Cabo Frio, Brazil. Raphael then travels farther and finds the island of Utopia, where he spends five years observing the customs of the natives. According to More, the island of Utopia is The island was originally a peninsula but a 15-mile wide channel was dug by the community's founder King Utopos to separate it from the mainland. The island contains 54 cities. Each city is divided into four equal parts. The capital city, Amaurot, is located directly in the middle of the crescent island. Each city has not more than 6000 households, each family consisting of between 10 and 16 adults. Thirty households are grouped together and elect a "Syphograntus" (whom More says is now called a "phylarchus"). Every ten Syphogranti have an elected "Traniborus" (more recently called a "protophylarchus") ruling over them. The 200 Syphogranti of a city elect a Prince in a secret ballot. The Prince stays for life unless he is deposed or removed for suspicion of tyranny. People are re-distributed around the households and towns to keep numbers even. If the island suffers from overpopulation, colonies are set up on the mainland. Alternatively, the natives of the mainland are invited to be part of these Utopian colonies, but if they dislike them and no longer wish to stay they may return. In the case of under-population the colonists are re-called. There is no private property on Utopia, with goods being stored in warehouses and people requesting what they need. There are also no locks on the doors of the houses, and the houses are rotated between the citizens every ten years. Agriculture provides the most important occupation on the island. Every person is taught it and must live in the countryside, farming for two years at a time, with women doing the same work as men. Parallel to this, every citizen must learn at least one of the other essential trades: weaving (mainly done by the women), carpentry, metalsmithing and masonry. There is deliberate simplicity about these trades; for instance, all people wear the same types of simple clothes and there are no dressmakers making fine apparel. All able-bodied citizens must work; thus unemployment is eradicated, and the length of the working day can be minimized: the people only have to work six hours a day (although many willingly work for longer). More does allow scholars in his society to become the ruling officials or priests, people picked during their primary education for their ability to learn. All other citizens, however, are encouraged to apply themselves to learning in their leisure time. Slavery is a feature of Utopian life and it is reported that every household has two slaves. The slaves are either from other countries (prisoners of war, people condemned to die, or poor people) or are the Utopian criminals. These criminals are weighed down with chains made out of gold. The gold is part of the community wealth of the country, and fettering criminals with it or using it for shameful things like chamber pots gives the citizens a healthy dislike of it. It also makes it difficult to steal as it is in plain view. The wealth, though, is of little importance and is only good for buying commodities from foreign nations or bribing these nations to fight each other. Slaves are periodically released for good behaviour. Jewels are worn by children, who finally give them up as they mature. Other significant innovations of Utopia include: a welfare state with free hospitals, euthanasia permissible by the state, priests being allowed to marry, divorce permitted, premarital sex punished by a lifetime of enforced celibacy and adultery being punished by enslavement. Meals are taken in community dining halls and the job of feeding the population is given to a different household in turn. Although all are fed the same, Raphael explains that the old and the administrators are given the best of the food. Travel on the island is only permitted with an internal passport and any people found without a passport are, on a first occasion, returned in disgrace, but after a second offence they are placed in slavery. In addition, there are no lawyers and the law is made deliberately simple, as all should understand it and not leave people in any doubt of what is right and wrong. There are several religions on the island: moon-worshipers, sun-worshipers, planet-worshipers, ancestor-worshipers and monotheists, but each is tolerant of the others. Only atheists are despised (but allowed) in Utopia, as they are seen as representing a danger to the state: since they do not believe in any punishment or reward after this life, they have no reason to share the communistic life of Utopia, and will break the laws for their own gain. They are not banished, but are encouraged to talk out their erroneous beliefs with the priests until they are convinced of their error. Raphael says that through his teachings Christianity was beginning to take hold in Utopia. The toleration of all other religious ideas is enshrined in a universal prayer all the Utopians recite. Wives are subject to their husbands and husbands are subject to their wives although women are restricted to conducting household tasks for the most part. Only few widowed women become priests. While all are trained in military arts, women confess their sins to their husbands once a month. Gambling, hunting, makeup and astrology are all discouraged in Utopia. The role allocated to women in Utopia might, however, have been seen as being more liberal from a contemporary point of view. Utopians do not like to engage in war. If they feel countries friendly to them have been wronged, they will send military aid, but they try to capture, rather than kill, enemies. They are upset if they achieve victory through bloodshed. The main purpose of war is to achieve that which, if they had achieved already, they would not have gone to war over. Privacy is not regarded as freedom in Utopia; taverns, ale-houses and places for private gatherings are non-existent for the effect of keeping all men in full view, so that they are obliged to behave well. Framework. The story is written from the perspective of More himself. This was common at the time, and More uses his own name and background to create the narrator. The book is written in two parts: “Book one: Dialogue of Council,” and “Book two: Discourse on Utopia.” The first book is told from the perspective of More, the narrator, who is introduced by his friend Peter Giles to a fellow traveller named Raphael Hythloday, whose name translates as “expert of nonsense” in Greek. In an amical dialogue with More and Giles, Hythloday expresses strong criticism of then-modern practices in England and other Catholicism-dominated countries, such as the crime of theft being punishable by death, and the over-willingness of kings to start wars (Getty, 321). Book two has Hythloday tell his interlocutors about Utopia, where he has lived for five years, with the aim of convincing them about its superior state of affairs. Utopia turns out to be a socialist state. Interpretations about this important part of the book vary. Gilbert notes that while some experts believe that More supports socialism, others believe that he shows how socialism is impractical. The former would argue that More used book two to show how socialism would work in practice. Individual cities are run by privately elected princes and families are made up of ten to sixteen adults living in a single household. It is unknown if More truly believed in socialism, or if he printed Utopia as a way to show that true socialism was impractical (Gilbert). More printed many writings involving socialism, some seemingly in defense of the practices, and others seemingly scathing satires against it. Some scholars believe that More uses this structure to show the perspective of something as an idea against something put into practice. Hythloday describes the city as perfect and ideal. He believes the society thrives and is perfect. As such, he is used to represent the more fanatic socialists and radical reformists of his day. When More arrives he describes the social and cultural norms put into practice, citing a city thriving and idealistic. While some believe this is More's ideal society, some believe the book's title, which translates to “Nowhere” from Greek, is a way to describe that the practices used in Utopia are impractical and could not be used in a modern world successfully (Gilbert). Either way, Utopia has become one of the most talked about works both in defense of socialism and against it. Interpretation. One of the most troublesome questions about "Utopia" is Thomas More's reason for writing it. Most scholars see it as a comment on or criticism of 16th-century Catholicism, for the evils of More's day are laid out in Book I and in many ways apparently solved in Book II. Indeed, Utopia has many of the characteristics of satire, and there are many jokes and satirical asides such as how honest people are in Europe, but these are usually contrasted with the simple, uncomplicated society of the Utopians. Yet, the puzzle is that some of the practices and institutions of the Utopians, such as the ease of divorce, euthanasia and both married priests and female priests, seem to be polar opposites of More's beliefs and the teachings of the Catholic Church of which he was a devout member. Another often cited apparent contradiction is that of the religious tolerance of Utopia contrasted with his persecution of Protestants as Lord Chancellor. Similarly, the criticism of lawyers comes from a writer who, as Lord Chancellor, was arguably the most influential lawyer in England. It can be answered, however, that as a pagan society Utopians had the best ethics that could be reached through reason alone, or that More changed from his early life to his later when he was Lord Chancellor. One highly influential interpretation of Utopia is that of intellectual historian Quentin Skinner. He has argued that More was taking part in the Renaissance humanist debate over true nobility, and that he was writing to prove the perfect commonwealth could not occur with private property. Crucially, Skinner sees Raphael Hythlodaeus as embodying the Platonic view that philosophers should not get involved in politics, while the character of More embodies the more pragmatic Ciceronian view. Thus the society Raphael proposes is the ideal More would want. But without communism, which he saw no possibility of occurring, it was wiser to take a more pragmatic view. Quentin Skinner's interpretation of Utopia is consistent with the speculation that Stephen Greenblatt made in "". There, Greenblatt argued that More was under the Epicurean influence of Lucretius's "On the Nature of Things" and the people that live in Utopia were an example of how pleasure has become their guiding principle of life. Although Greenblatt acknowledged that More's insistence on the existence of an afterlife and punishment for people holding contrary views were inconsistent with the essentially materialist view of Epicureanism, Greenblatt contended that it was the minimum conditions for what the pious More would have considered as necessary to live a happy life. Another complication comes from the Greek meanings of the names of people and places in the work. Apart from Utopia, meaning "Noplace," several other lands are mentioned: "Achora" meaning "Nolandia", "Polyleritae" meaning "Muchnonsense", "Macarenses" meaning "Happiland," and the river "Anydrus" meaning "Nowater". Raphael's last name, Hythlodaeus means "dispenser of nonsense" surely implying that the whole of the Utopian text is 'nonsense'. Additionally the Latin rendering of More's name, Morus, is similar to the word for a fool in Greek (μωρός). It is unclear whether More is simply being ironic, an in-joke for those who know Greek, seeing as the place he is talking about does not actually exist or whether there is actually a sense of distancing of Hythlodaeus' and the More's ("Morus") views in the text from his own. The name Raphael, though, may have been chosen by More to remind his readers of the archangel Raphael who is mentioned in the Book of Tobit (3:17; 5:4, 16; 6:11, 14, 16, 18; also in chs. 7, 8, 9, 11, 12). In that book the angel guides Tobias and later cures his father of his blindness. While Hythlodaeus may suggest his words are not to be trusted, Raphael meaning (in Hebrew) "God has healed" suggests that Raphael may be opening the eyes of the reader to what is true. The suggestion that More may have agreed with the views of Raphael is given weight by the way he dressed; with "his cloak... hanging carelessly about him"; a style which Roger Ascham reports that More himself was wont to adopt. Furthermore, more recent criticism has questioned the reliability of both Gile's annotations and the character of "More" in the text itself. Claims that the book only subverts Utopia and Hythlodaeus are possibly oversimplistic. In "Humans and Animals in Thomas More’s Utopia", Christopher Burlinson argues that More intended to produce a fictional space in which ethical concerns of humanity and bestial inhumanity could be explored. Burlinson regards the Utopian criticisms of finding pleasure in the spectacle of bloodshed as reflective of More's own anxieties about the fragility of humanity and the ease in which humans fall to beast-like ways. According to Burlinson, More interprets this decadent expression of animal cruelty as a causal antecedent for the cruel intercourse present within the world of Utopia and More’s own. Burlinson does not argue that More explicitly equates animal and human subjectivities, but is interested in More’s treatment of human-animal relations as significant ethical concerns intertwined with religious ideas of salvation and the divine qualities of souls. In "Utopian Justifications: More’s Utopia, Settler Colonialism, and Contemporary Ecocritical Concerns", Susan Bruce juxtaposes Utopian justifications for the violent dispossession of idle peoples unwilling to surrender lands that are underutilized with Peter Kosminsky’s "The Promise", a 2011 television drama centered around Zionist settler colonialism in modern-day Palestine. Bruce’s treatment of Utopian foreign policy, which mirrored European concerns in More’s day, situates More’s text as an articulation of settler colonialism. Bruce identifies an isomorphic relationship between Utopian settler logic and the account provided by "The Promise’s" Paul, who recalls his father’s criticism of Palestinians as undeserving, indolent, and animalistic occupants of the land. Bruce interprets the Utopian fixation with material surplus as foundational for exploitative gift economies which ensnare Utopia’s bordering neighbors into a subservient relationship of dependence, in which they remain in constant fear of being subsumed by the superficially generous Utopians. Reception. Utopia was begun while More was an envoy in the Low Country in May 1515. More started by writing the introduction and the description of the society which would become the second half of the work and on his return to England he wrote the "dialogue of counsel", completing the work in 1516. In the same year, it was printed in Leuven under Erasmus's editorship and after revisions by More it was printed in Basel in November 1518. It was not until 1551, sixteen years after More's execution, that it was first published in England as an English translation by Ralph Robinson. Gilbert Burnet's translation of 1684 is probably the most commonly cited version. The work seems to have been popular, if misunderstood: the introduction of More's "Epigrams" of 1518 mentions a man who did not regard More as a good writer. The title of the book has since eclipsed More's original story and the term is now commonly used to describe an idyllic, imaginary society. Although he may not have directly founded the contemporary notion of what has since become known as Utopian and dystopian fiction, More certainly popularised the idea of imagined parallel realities, and some of the early works which owe a debt to "Utopia" must include "The City of the Sun" by Tommaso Campanella, "Description of the Republic of Christianopolis" by Johannes Valentinus Andreae, "New Atlantis" by Francis Bacon and "Candide" by Voltaire. The politics of "Utopia" have been seen as influential to the ideas of Anabaptism and communism. While utopian socialism was used to describe the first concepts of socialism, later Marxist theorists tended to see the ideas as too simplistic and not grounded on realistic principles. The religious message in the work and its uncertain, possibly satiric, tone has also alienated some theorists from the work. An applied example of More's Utopia can be seen in Vasco de Quiroga's implemented society in Michoacán, Mexico, which was directly inspired by More's work. During the opening scene in the film "A Man for all Seasons", Utopia is referenced in a conversation. The alleged amorality of England's priests is compared to that of the more highly principled behaviour of the fictional priests in More's Utopia, when a character observes wryly that "every second person born in England is fathered by a priest." In 2006, artist Rory Macbeth inscribed all 40,000 words on the side of an old electricity factory in Norwich, England.

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Gandhara (song) is a song by Japanese rock band Godiego, serving as their 7th single. Referring to the historical Buddhist land on the Indian subcontinent, "Gandhara" was used as the ending theme song for the first season of the television drama , known in the English speaking world as "Monkey". "Gandhara" was originally released in Japan on October 1, 1978, but it was later released in the United Kingdom in 1980 to coincide with the British broadcast of "Monkey". "Gandhara" reached number 2 on both the Oricon and "The Best Ten" charts in Japan, while the British release reached 56 on the UK Singles Chart. Godiego recorded the song in both Japanese and English, with a hybrid Japanese & English version being included on the releases in the UK. The entirely English version appears on the album "Magic Monkey" in Japan. Covers. Monkey Majik covered "Gandhara" as one of the tracks on their single "MONKEY MAJIK×MONKEY MAGIC".

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The Other Side of the Horizon The Other Side of the Horizon is a 1984 Hong Kong "wuxia" television series starring Andy Lau, Lawrence Ng and Angie Chiu. Produced by TVB with Raymond Lee serving as producer, the series ran on its channel Jade from 3 to 28 September 1984. Plot. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, a "Demon Region" appeared in the martial world. The "Demon Region" left a trail of destruction and gave hardships for the livelihood of people. In order to eliminate the "Demon Region", the Wudang Sect dispatches a group of elite disciples to attack. The disciples fail to do so and Mo Chan-chi (Chu Tit-wo), head of the Sect, pushes the blame to disciples Fu Ching-wan (Andy Lau) and Mo-yung Pak (Lawrence Ng). Because of this, the entire martial world is hunting after Fu and Mo-yung, and the two of them eventually take refuge to the "Demon". Fu and Mo-yung, however, were surprised to discover that the "Demon Region" is not an actual demon region, but is in fact, is an utopian society. It also turns out that Fu and Mo-yung were actually sent undercover by the Wudang Sect to investigate the "Demon Region". Under the sabotage of Mo-yun, the citizens of the "Demon Region" turn against each other and massacre one another. Fu, on the other hand, was deceived by Mo, which led Fu Chin-san (Shih Kien), leader of "Demon Region", to consume poisoned wine. "Demon Region" was ultimately destroyed by the many sects of the martial world. However, unexpected to Fu, who is in deep regret, Fu Chin-san turns out to be his biological father. When he was about to confront Mo Chan-chi about this matter, he accidentally kills Mo, who at the time was battling with Mo-yung. Because of this, Fu, who was named the "Young Warrior of Wudang", is now known as the "Son of the Demon Region". Mo-yung is then appointed as the successor to the head of Wudang where he kills Fu Chin-san, who has lost his martial arts ability due to consuming poison. Originally like brothers, Fu and Mo-yung have now become sworn enemies, leading the martial world into a bloody storm.

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Uchronia The term uchronia refers to a hypothetical or fictional time period of our world, in contrast to altogether-fictional lands or worlds. The concept is similar to alternate history, but uchronic times are not easily defined but are placed mainly in some distant or unspecified point before current times, and they are sometimes reminiscent of a constructed world. Some, however, use "uchronia" to refer to an alternate history. The word is a neologism from the word utopia (Greek "u-topos", meaning "no-place"), replacing "topos" with "chronos" (time). It was coined by Charles Renouvier as the title of his 1876 novel "Uchronie (L'Utopie dans l'histoire), esquisse historique apocryphe du développement de la civilisation européenne tel qu'il n'a pas été, tel qu'il aurait pu être" ("Uchronia (Utopia in History), an Apocryphal Sketch of the Development of European Civilization Not as It Was But as It Might Have Been"). The term has been applied to Philip K. Dick's "The Man in the High Castle" and Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America".

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Southland Tales Southland Tales is a 2006 American dystopian comedy thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly. The film features an ensemble cast including Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, and Justin Timberlake. Original music was provided by Moby. The film is an international co-production of the United States, Germany and France. The title refers to the Southland, a name used by locals to refer to Southern California and the Greater Los Angeles area. Set in the then-near future of 2008, the film is a portrait of Los Angeles, and a satiric commentary on the military–industrial complex and the infotainment industry. In 2021, Kelly announced that there are developments to expand the film into a franchise. Synopsis. On July 4th, 2005, in a fictionalized United States alternate history reality, two towns in Texas (El Paso and Abilene) were destroyed by twin nuclear attacks, killing thousands and triggering a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions, sending America into a state of anarchy and hysteria, as well as a Third World War (a fictionalized version of what the nation may have become under the War on Terror), with the US government re-introducing the draft. The PATRIOT Act has extended authority to a new agency known as US-IDent, which keeps constant surveillance on citizens—even to the extent of censoring the Internet and requiring fingerprints to access computers and bank accounts. In response to the recent fuel shortage in the wake of global warfare, the German company Treer designs a generator of inexhaustible energy, which is propelled by the perpetual motion of ocean currents, called "Fluid Karma". However, its inventor Baron von Westphalen and his associates are hiding the fact that the generators alter the ocean's currents and cause the Earth to slow its rotation, and that the transmission of Fluid Karma to portable receivers (via quantum entanglement) is ripping holes in the fabric of space and time. In near-future 2008, Los Angeles (referred to as "The Southland" by locals) is a dystopian city on the brink of chaos overshadowed by the growth of an underground neo-Marxist organization. The film follows the criss-crossed destinies of Boxer Santaros, an action film actor stricken with amnesia; Krysta Now, a psychic ex-porn star in the midst of creating a reality TV show; and twin brothers Roland and Ronald Taverner, whose destinies become intertwined with that of all mankind. The Taverner twins are revealed to be the same person by the engineers of Treer, duplicated when Roland traveled through a rift in space-time, while Boxer has become the most wanted man in the world despite his political ties and his having the fate of the future, in the form of a prophetic screenplay foretelling the end of the world, in his hands. Cast. Amy Poehler and Wood Harris appear as Neo-Marxist activists. Zelda Rubinstein and Beth Grant portray Dr. Katarina Kuntzler and Dr. Inga Von Westphalen, members of the baron's entourage. Janeane Garofalo appears as General Teena MacArthur. Cheri Oteri plays Zora Carmichaels, while Jon Lovitz plays violent police officer Bart Bookman who is in love with Zora. Holmes Osborne plays conservative Senator Bobby Frost, and Will Sasso plays Fortunio Balducci. Production. Kelly wrote "Southland Tales" shortly before the September 11 attacks. The original script involved blackmail, a porn star, and two cops. After the attacks, Kelly revised the script. He said, "[The original script] was more about making fun of Hollywood. But now it's about, I hope, creating a piece of science fiction that's about a really important problem we're facing, about civil liberties and homeland security and needing to sustain both those things and balance them." He described the film as a "tapestry of ideas all related to some of the biggest issues that I think we're facing right now . . . alternative fuel or the increasing obsession with celebrity and how celebrity now intertwines with politics". With the film's premise of a nuclear attack on Texas, Kelly wanted to take a look at how the United States would respond and survive while constructing a "great black comedy." Kelly's breakthrough film, "Donnie Darko", was released in the United States on October 26, 2001, the same day the PATRIOT Act was signed. Two months before "Southland Tales" was released, he announced the launch of Darko Entertainment. Kelly said: "["Southland Tales"] will only be a musical in a post-modern sense of the word in that it is a hybrid of several genres. There will be some dancing and singing, but it will be incorporated into the story in very logical scenarios as well as fantasy dream environments." Kelly said the film's biggest influences are "Kiss Me Deadly", "Pulp Fiction", "Brazil", and "Dr. Strangelove". He called it a "strange hybrid of the sensibilities of Andy Warhol and Philip K. Dick". The film often references religious and literary works; a policeman says, "Flow my tears," in reference to a Philip K. Dick novel of that name. ("Taverner" is the name of the main character in the same book and suffers identity problems of his own.) Pilot Abilene (Justin Timberlake) quotes Biblical scripture from the Book of Revelation in narrating the film and allusion is made both to Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken", "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" and an altered version of T. S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men". Casting. In March 2004, Kelly and Cherry Road Films began development of "Southland Tales". Filmmakers entered negotiations with actors Seann William Scott, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Lee, Janeane Garofalo, Tim Blake Nelson, Amy Poehler, Kevin Smith, and Ali Larter. Musician Moby was approached on composing and performing the film's score. Kelly consciously sought out actors that he felt had been pigeonholed and wanted to showcase their "undiscovered talents." Filming. Filming was slated to begin in July 2004, but after a year, it had not begun. Dwayne Johnson joined the cast in April 2005, and principal photography was slated to begin August 1, 2005 in Los Angeles. Filming began on August 15, 2005, with a budget of around US$15–17 million. Post-production. Kelly sent the organizers of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival a rough cut of "Southland Tales" on DVD assuming that it would not be accepted. Much to his surprise, they loved it and wanted the film entered in competition for the Palme d'Or. He stopped editing the film and was also unable to complete all of the visual effects in time for the screening. Kelly's film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2006 with a length of 160 minutes. Kelly describes the negative reaction at Cannes as a "very painful experience on a lot of levels" but ultimately felt that the film "was better off because of it". After the film's festival release, "Southland Tales" was purchased by Sony Pictures. Universal Studios had originally optioned the U.S. rights, but after the Cannes screening, it was sold to Sony, although Universal still retained some international rights. Kelly sought more financing to finish visual effects for the film, and he negotiated a deal with Sony to cut down on the film's length in exchange for funds to complete the visual effects. Kelly edited the film down to the basic storylines of the characters portrayed by Scott, Gellar, and Johnson. The director also sought to keep the musical number performed by Timberlake, based on "All These Things That I've Done" by The Killers which he felt was the heart and soul of the film. Editorial changes were made to restructure the order of the film's scenes, including re-recording all of Timberlake's voice-over. The director also added 90 new visual effects shots to the film and removed 20 to 25 minutes of footage from his initial cut. Soundtrack. "Southland Tales: Music from the Motion Picture" is the original soundtrack of Richard Kelly's 2007 film "Southland Tales". The soundtrack for "Southland Tales" was released in stores and online on November 6, 2007. Amongst the songs not available on the soundtrack but featured in the film are Muse's "Blackout", The Killers' "All These Things That I've Done", and Blur's "Tender". Additionally, tracks from Radiohead, Louis Armstrong, Beethoven, Kris Kristofferson, and several tracks from Moby's "Hotel:Ambient" are likewise absent from the album. The reason for the exclusion of some of these tracks, like the song by The Killers was as a result of a dispute with the record label. The track "Memory Gospel" was used from time to time by the CBC Radio One program "Q" in the background of an opening monologue given by host Jian Ghomeshi. Release. Marketing. "Southland Tales" was initially planned to be a nine-part "interactive experience", with the first six parts published in six 100-page graphic novels that would be released in a six-month period up to the film's release. The feature film comprises the final three parts of the experience. A website was also developed to intertwine with the graphic novels and the film itself. The idea of six graphic novels was later narrowed down to three. The novels were written by Kelly and illustrated by Brett Weldele. Kelly wrote them while making the film and found it very difficult as it pushed him "to the edge of my own sanity", as he remarked in an interview. They have been collected together into one single volume: The titles of the parts in the film are: Theatrical release. The film premiered May 21, 2006, at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, where it was poorly received. After significant edits, the final version premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 22, 2007. The film was originally scheduled to be released in the United States on November 9, 2007 in partnership with Destination Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films, but in eventually opened in limited release in California on November 14, 2007. It opened in Canada, as well as nationwide in the United States, in just 63 theaters, on November 16, 2007. The film was released in the UK on December 7, 2007 exclusively to UK cinema chain Cineworld in a limited number of locations. Home media. The Region 1 DVD was released on March 18, 2008 in North America and the Region 2 release was on March 31, 2008 in the United Kingdom. The film was released on Region 4 DVD in Australia on April 30, 2008. Special features include a 33-minute documentary "USIDent TV: Surveiling the Southland" and a 10-minute animated short film "This Is the Way the World Ends" (which was not included on the R2 and R4 editions). On March 25, 2009, the R2 DVD was released in France. Kelly has claimed on his MySpace blog that he had very little time for the DVD as he was starting shooting on his next feature, "The Box". However, he has stated several times that if Sony commissioned one (based on the sales of the current DVD), he would happily be involved in a "Director's Cut" DVD in the future with more special features and deleted scenes from the Cannes cut. On September 8, 2008, it was announced that it would be one of the five films being released on Blu-ray on November 18, 2008. The only new special feature announced was an audio commentary by Kelly. On October 26, 2020 Arrow Video announced a Remastered version approved by Richard Kelly will be released on Blu-ray on January 26, 2021. This release will include both the original theatrical cut and the Cannes cut. Reception. Box office. "Southland Tales" grossed $275,380 in limited release at the North American box office and $99,363 in Turkey and United Kingdom for a worldwide total of $374,743, against a production budget of $17 million. Cannes Film Festival. Along with two other American filmmakers (Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" and Richard Linklater's "Fast Food Nation"), Kelly's follow-up to "Donnie Darko" was in competition for the coveted Palme d'Or at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was screened on May 21 at the Grand Lumiere Theater. Many critics responded unfavorably to the film's long running time and sprawling nature. Roger Ebert described the Cannes screening as "The most disastrous since, yes, "The Brown Bunny"." Salon.com critic Andrew O'Hehir called the Cannes cut "about the biggest, ugliest mess I've ever seen." Jason Solomons, in "The Observer" (UK), said that ""Southland Tales" was so bad it made me wonder if [Kelly] had ever met a human being" and that ten minutes of the "sprawling, plotless, post-apocalyptic farrago" gave him the "sinking feeling that this may be one of the worst films ever presented in [Cannes] competition." A handful of the American and European critics, however, were more positive. "The Village Voice" critic J. Hoberman, for example, called "Southland Tales" "a visionary film about the end of times" comparable in recent American film only to David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive". Critical response. , the film holds a 39% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 102 reviews with an average rating of 4.63 out of 10. The site's consensus states: ""Southland Tales", while offering an intriguing vision of the future, remains frustratingly incoherent and unpolished." On Metacritic, the film had a score of 44 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Glenn Kenny, in his review for "Premiere" criticized the film's style, "Kelly's camera placement and framing are at best textbook and at worst calamitously mediocre." In her review for the "Los Angeles Times", Carina Chocano wrote, "You get the sense that Kelly is too angry to really find any of it funny. It's easy to empathize with his position, not so easy to remain engrossed in a film that's occasionally inspired but ultimately manic and scattered." David Edelstein's review in "New York" magazine criticized the film's writing, "Kelly aims high and must have shot off his own ear, which is the only way to account for the dialogue." On the program "Ebert & Roeper", Richard Roeper and guest critic Michael Phillips gave the film a negative review. While Roeper called the film "Two hours and twenty-four minutes of abstract crap," Phillips felt that "the film has a head on its shoulders despite the fact that it can't find any direction" but nevertheless gave the film a thumbs down. J. Hoberman defended the film, yet again, in his review for the theatrical cut. "In its willful, self-involved eccentricity, "Southland Tales" is really something else. Kelly's movie may not be entirely coherent, but that's because there's so much it wants to say." Manohla Dargis also gave the film a positive review in "The New York Times", writing, "He doesn't make it easy to love his new film, which turns and twists and at times threatens to disappear down the rabbit hole of his obsessions. Happily, it never does, which allows you to share in his unabashed joy in filmmaking as well as in his fury about the times." The film remains enigmatic to many viewers and even some of its makers. In a 2011 interview, Justin Timberlake himself said, "To me, "Southland Tales" is performance art. I still don't know what that movie is about ["laughs"]." In a 2013 interview, Kelly said he considered this work as "the thing that I'm most proud of, and I feel like it's sort of the misunderstood child or the banished child." Future. In January 2021, Richard Kelly announced that developments are underway to expand the film into a franchise with intention being that the original cast return. The filmmaker explained that the original film is chapters 4-6, while a prequel project will explore chapters 1-3 with intentions being to do so through an animation medium; while additional projects can explore events that take place in 2024. Kelly later expressed regret in releasing the latter chapters first through the original film, stating that this placed the audience at a disadvantage. The filmmaker stated that discussions are ongoing as to whether the projects should be released as films or in a long-form format through a streaming service.

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m2d2_wiki

Tomorrowland (film) Tomorrowland (also known as Project T in some regions and subtitled A World Beyond in some other regions) is a 2015 American science fiction film distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. Directed by Brad Bird, who co-wrote the film's screenplay with Damon Lindelof, from an original story treatment by Bird, Lindelof, and Jeff Jensen, it stars George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robertson, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Kathryn Hahn, and Keegan-Michael Key. In the film, a disillusioned genius inventor (Clooney) and a teenage science enthusiast (Robertson) embark to an intriguing alternate dimension known as "Tomorrowland," where their actions directly affect their own world. Walt Disney Pictures originally announced the film in June 2011 under the working title "1952", and later retitled it to "Tomorrowland", after the futuristic themed land found at Disney theme parks. In drafting their story, Bird and Lindelof took inspiration from the progressive cultural movements of the Space Age, as well as Walt Disney's optimistic philosophy of the future, notably his conceptual vision for the planned community known as EPCOT. Principal photography began in August 2013, with scenes shot at multiple locales in five countries. "Tomorrowland" was released in conventional and IMAX formats on May 22, 2015. Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews from critics, earning praise for its original premise, acting, action scenes, visual effects, and themes, but criticism for the screenplay and perceived lack of focus on the titular city. The film grossed $209 million and finished up being a box office bomb worldwide against a total production and marketing cost of $280 million, losing Disney $120–150 million, though these figures do not take into account revenue from home media, merchandising, and syndication. Plot. In 1964, a young boy named Frank Walker attends the 1964 New York World's Fair to sell his prototype jet pack, but is rejected as it does not work. Frank is approached by a young girl, Athena, who hands him a blue lapel pin with an orange “T” embossed on it, telling him to follow her onto Walt Disney's “It's a Small World” attraction at the Fair's Pepsi-Cola Pavilion. Frank obeys and sneaks onto the ride, where the pin is scanned by a laser, and he is transported to Tomorrowland, a futuristic cityscape, where advanced robots fix his jetpack, allowing him to fly and join the secretive world. Frank passes the narration to the optimistic teenager Casey Newton. In the present, Casey repeatedly sabotages the planned demolition of a NASA launch site in Florida. Her father, Eddie, is a NASA engineer, but faces losing his job. Casey is eventually caught and arrested. At the police station, she finds a pin in her belongings. While touching it, the pin transports her to Tomorrowland. Her adventure is cut short when the pin's battery runs out. With help from her younger brother Nate, Casey finds a Houston memorabilia store related to the pin. The owners attack her when she is unable to divulge where she got the pin, insisting that Casey knows about a "little girl." Athena bursts in and defeats the owners, actually Audio-Animatronics, who self-destruct, blowing apart the shop. After Casey and Athena steal a car, Athena reveals she is an animatronic, purposed to find and recruit people who fit the ideals of Tomorrowland. Athena drops Casey off outside an adult Frank’s house in Pittsfield, New York. The reclusive, cynical Frank declines Casey’s request to take her to Tomorrowland, having been banished from it years ago. Inside Frank’s house, Casey finds a probability counter marking the end of the world. Frank warns her that the future is doomed, but she disagrees, thus lowering the counter’s probability. Animatronic assassins arrive to kill Casey, but she and Frank escape, meeting Athena in the woods outside Frank's house. Frank resents Athena for lying to him about her true nature, but reluctantly agrees to help them get to Tomorrowland. Using a teleportation device, the trio travel to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Frank explains that Gustave Eiffel, Jules Verne, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison co-founded Plus Ultra, a secret society of futurists, creating Tomorrowland in another dimension, free to make scientific breakthroughs without obstruction. The trio use an antique rocket hidden beneath the Eiffel Tower – called the "Spectacle" – to travel to Tomorrowland. There, they find Tomorrowland in a state of decay. David Nix, Tomorrowland’s governor, greets them. They travel to a tachyon machine, invented by Frank, which accurately predicted the worldwide catastrophe. Casey refuses to accept the world will end, causing the future to temporarily alter. While Frank attempts to convince David to listen, he refuses and intends to have the group leave Tomorrowland. Casey realizes the tachyon machine is telling humanity that the world will end, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. They confront David, who admits he tried to prevent the future by projecting such images to humanity as a warning. Instead, they embraced the apocalypse, refusing to act to make a better future for their world. Believing that humanity simply gave up, David has also given up and intends to allow the apocalypse to happen. Casey, Frank, and Athena attempt to use a bomb to destroy the machine, leading to a fight with David. The bomb is accidentally thrown through a portal to an uninhabited island on Earth, the explosion pinning David’s leg. Athena sees a vision of the future where Frank is shot by David, and she jumps in the way of his attack, mortally wounding herself. Making peace with Frank, Athena activates her self-destruct sequence, destroying the machine which falls on David, killing him. In the present, Casey and Frank lead Tomorrowland, recruit Eddie and Nate, and create a new group of recruitment animatronics like Athena, whom they were addressing at the beginning of the film. Given pins, the animatronic children set out to recruit new dreamers and thinkers for Tomorrowland. Production. Development. In 2010, Damon Lindelof began discussions with Walt Disney Studios about producing a modern science-fiction Disney film, with Tomorrowland as a basis. The project was greenlit by Walt Disney Pictures' president of production, Sean Bailey in June 2011 with Lindelof signed on to write and produce a film with the working title of "1952". Lindelof asked Jeff Jensen — who had previously published material on Lindelof's "Lost" television series — if he was interested in contributing to story elements. Jensen agreed and began to research the history of the Walt Disney Company, particularly Walt Disney's fascination with futurism, scientific innovation and utopia, as well as his involvement with the 1964 New York World's Fair and Disney's unrealized concept for EPCOT. In May 2012, Brad Bird was hired as director. Bird's story ideas and themes were influenced by the fading of cultural optimism that once defined society in the 1950s, '60s, and early '70s, stating that, "When Damon and I were first talking about the project, we were wondering why people's once-bright notions about the future gradually seemed to disappear." While keeping information about the plot secret, when asked in November 2012 whether the project would be "", Bird denied the rumor, but confirmed that "Tomorrowland" would be a science-fiction film, with Lindelof adding that the film would not center on extraterrestrials. Coincidentally, Bird had been tapped to direct "Star Wars: Episode VII", but turned down the offer in order to work on "Tomorrowland". Later that month, George Clooney entered negotiations to star in the film. In February 2013, Hugh Laurie joined the film. In July 2013, Britt Robertson was cast. On January 23, 2013, nearly a week before the title change, Bird tweeted a picture related to the project. The image showed a frayed cardboard box labeled "1952", supposedly uncovered from the Walt Disney Imagineering developmental unit, and containing items like archival photographs of Walt Disney, Technicolor film, envelopes, a vinyl record, space technology literature, a 1928 copy of an "Amazing Stories" magazine (which introduced Philip Francis Nowlan's Buck Rogers character), and an unidentified metal object. On August 10, 2013, Bird and Lindelof gave a presentation at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, where they opened the "1952" box and revealed many of its contents. Later that day a pavilion was unveiled on the D23 Expo show floor which presented the items for close inspection by guests. There was also an accompanying iPhone app which took viewers through the exhibit much like one would experience at a museum. Michael Giacchino was hired to compose the film music. Originally, the film included overt references to Walt Disney's involvement with "Plus Ultra", the fictional organization founded by Gustave Eiffel, Jules Verne, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison — including the idea that Disneyland's Tomorrowland was intended to be a cover-up for the real one developed by the group — however, the scenes and dialogue were omitted from the final cut of the film. Pixar Animation Studios created an animated short film, narrated by Maurice LaMarche, that explained the backstory of "Plus Ultra", which was planned to be incorporated into an excised scene where a young Frank Walker is transported beneath the "It's a Small World" attraction, and through an informative series of displays, reminiscent of Disney dark rides. Filming. Principal photography commenced in Enderby, British Columbia on August 8, 2013, and also filmed in Vancouver. In October, Kathryn Hahn was cast as a character named Ursula. That same month, it was announced that part of the filming would take place in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. In November, scenes depicting the Newtons' hometown were shot at New Smyrna Beach, and the Carousel of Progress attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida. On February 3, 2014, additional filming took place at the It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland in California, and wrapped on February 6. The film's production designers incorporated the designs of Space Mountain and Spaceship Earth as architectural features of the Tomorrowland cityscape. Per a suggestion by Bird during production, the Walt Disney Pictures opening production logo features the Tomorrowland skyline instead of the studio's conventional fantasy castle. Industrial Light & Magic created the visual effects for "Tomorrowland." During post-production, a number of scenes featuring actress Judy Greer as Jenny Newton, Casey's (Robertson) late mother were cut in order to improve the film's runtime. Greer's role was reduced to minor cameo, while actor Lochlyn Munro, who portrayed Casey's live-in uncle Anthony, had his scenes removed completely. Music. The musical score for "Tomorrowland" was composed by Michael Giacchino, a recurrent collaborator of Bird's. A soundtrack album was released digitally on May 19, 2015 followed by a physical release on June 2, 2015. Songs not included on the album, but featured in the film include "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" and "It's a Small World (After All)," both written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, and "I Got Mine" by The Black Keys. Release. Alternate reality game. The Optimist, an alternate reality game, was created by Walt Disney Imagineering with Walt Disney Studios to create the world of Tomorrowland and to introduce the movie to the Disney theme park fanbase. It occurred in a fictionalized version of Disney history and players interacted with multiple characters that led them on a hunt across a variety of places with clues and puzzles leading to more. It ran from July 3, 2013 to August 11, 2013. It led players around the Anaheim area and within Disneyland itself and culminated at the D23 Expo. Theatrical. "Tomorrowland" held its world premiere at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California on May 9, 2015. The film was released on May 22, 2015 in theaters and IMAX, and was the first film to be released in Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema in North America. Despite owning the trademark to the word "Tomorrowland" in the United States since 1970, Disney released the film in the United Kingdom as "Tomorrowland: A World Beyond", and as "Project T" in several European markets, including the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, because ID&T had previously registered the trademark in 2005, for their electronic musical festival of the same name. In compliance to Disney's ownership of the trademark in the United States, ID&T renamed the American version of their music festival as TomorrowWorld. Home media. "Tomorrowland" was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download on October 13, 2015. Upon its first week of release on home media in the U.S., the film debuted at number 3 at the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart, which tracks overall disc sales, and number 4 at the Blu-ray Disc sales chart with 47% of unit sales coming from Blu-ray. Reception. Box office. "Tomorrowland" grossed $93.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $115.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $209 million, against a production budget of $180–190 million. "The Hollywood Reporter" estimated that the film cost $280 million to produce and market, and noted that the financial losses by Disney finished anywhere between $120 and $150 million. According to them, "Tomorrowland" was the third original tent-pole film of 2015 to flop, following "Jupiter Ascending" and "Seventh Son". Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures distribution chief, Dave Hollis, commented on the film's debut performance, saying, ""Tomorrowland" is an original movie and that's more of a challenge in this marketplace. We feel it's incredibly important for us as a company and as an industry to keep telling original stories." In the United States and Canada, "Tomorrowland" was released on May 22, 2015 from 3,970 theaters in its opening weekend. On its first three-day weekend, it earned $33 million, coming in at first place after a close race with "Pitch Perfect 2" which grossed $30.8 million. During the four-day Memorial Day weekend, it earned $42.7 million — the lowest opening for a big-budget tentpole since Disney's "", which opened to $37.8 million in 2010. Considering the film's $190 million budget ($280–330 million, including marketing costs), many media outlets considered the film's opening in the U.S. and Canada a box office failure. Critical response. The website's critical consensus reads, "Ambitious and visually stunning, "Tomorrowland" is unfortunately weighted down by uneven storytelling." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Peter Travers of "Rolling Stone" gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Brad Bird's "Tomorrowland", a noble failure about trying to succeed, is written and directed with such open-hearted optimism that you cheer it on even as it stumbles." Stephanie Merry of "The Washington Post" gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Maybe the ultimate goal of "Tomorrowland" remains obscure because once you know where the story is headed, you realize it's a familiar tale. The movie can conjure up futuristic images, but the story is nothing we haven't seen before." Moira MacDonald of "The Seattle Times" gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Though it's made with great energy and inventiveness, there's something ultimately muddy about "Tomorrowland"; it's as if director Brad Bird got so caught up in the sets and effects and whooshing editing that the story somehow slipped away." Colin Covert of the "Star Tribune" gave the film two out of four stars, saying "A well-oiled machine of visuals, and yet a wobbling rattletrap of storytelling, the sci-fi fantasy "Tomorrowland" is an unwieldy clunker driven into the ditch at full speed." James Berardinelli of Reelviews.net gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "For a while, it doesn't matter that the plot meanders. The story seems like a jigsaw puzzle inviting us to solve it. That's the fun part. However, when the resolution is presented, it underwhelms." A. O. Scott of "The New York Times" gave the film a negative review, saying "It's important to note that "Tomorrowland" is not disappointing in the usual way. It's not another glib, phoned-in piece of franchise mediocrity, but rather a work of evident passion and conviction. What it isn't is in any way convincing or enchanting." Steven Rea of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Unlikely to be remembered in decades to come – or even in months to come, once the next teenage dystopian fantasy inserts itself into movie houses." Ty Burr of "The Boston Globe" gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Rapturous on a scene-by-scene basis and nearly incoherent when taken as a whole, the movie is idealistic and deranged, inspirational and very, very conflicted." Stephen Whitty of "The Star-Ledger" (Newark) gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Strip "Tomorrowland" down to its essentials, and you get an ending out of "I'd like to teach the world to sing" and a moral which boils down to: Just be positive, OK? So OK. I'm positive "Tomorrowland" was a disappointment." David Edelstein of "Vulture" gave the film a positive review, stating that ""Tomorrowland" is the most enchanting reactionary cultural diatribe ever made. It's so smart, so winsome, so utterly rejuvenating that you'll have to wait until your eyes have dried and your buzz has worn off before you can begin to argue with it." Inkoo Kang of "TheWrap" also wrote a positive review, saying ""Tomorrowland" is a globe-trotting, time-traveling caper whose giddy visual whimsies and exuberant cartoon violence are undermined by a coy mystery that stretches as long as the line for "Space Mountain" on a hot summer day." Brian Truitt of "USA Today" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "A spectacular ride for most of it, and while you're a little let down at the end, you kind of want to jump back on and do it all over again." Linda Barnard of the "Toronto Star" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Brad Bird presents a gorgeously wrought, hopeful future vision in "Tomorrowland", infusing the family film with enough entertaining action and retro-themed whiz bang to forgive an awkward opening and third-act weakness." A.A. Dowd of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a B–, saying "Bird stages the PG mayhem with his usual grasp of dimension and space, his gift for action that's timed like physical comedy. He keeps the whole thing moving, even when it begins to feel bogged down by preachiness and sci-fi exposition." Forrest Wickman, of "Slate", said the film's "politics might be a little incoherent, or naïve. It is a kids' movie, after all." Anthony Perrotta of "Entropy" commented that the film was inspired by the beliefs of both Walt Disney and Ayn Rand, similarly to Andrew Ryan, the villain in BioShock who constructed Rapture, a city that resembles Tomorrowland in its secrecy and intention to encourage scientific development of idealists by isolating them from the rest of the world. Amy Nicholson of "LA Weekly" gave the film a B+, saying "Bird has made a film that every child should see. And if his $190 million dream flops, he'll be asking the same question as his movie: When did it become uncool to care?"

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m2d2_wiki

Things to Come Things to Come (also known in promotional material as H. G. Wells' Things to Come) is a 1936 British black-and-white science fiction film from United Artists, produced by Alexander Korda, directed by William Cameron Menzies, and written by H. G. Wells. The film stars Raymond Massey, Edward Chapman, Ralph Richardson, Margaretta Scott, Cedric Hardwicke, Maurice Braddell, Derrick De Marney, and Ann Todd. The dialogue and plot were devised by H. G. Wells as "a new story" meant to display the "social and political forces and possibilities" that he had outlined in his 1933 story "The Shape of Things to Come", a work he considered less a novel than a "discussion" in fictional form that presented itself as the notes of a 22nd-century diplomat. The film was also influenced by previous works, including his 1897 story "A Story of the Days to Come" and his 1931 work on society and economics, "The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind". The cultural historian Christopher Frayling called "Things to Come" "a landmark in cinematic design". Plot. In the city of Everytown in southern England, businessman John Cabal (Raymond Massey) cannot enjoy Christmas Day, 1940, with the news everywhere of possible war. His guest, Harding (Maurice Braddell), shares his worries, while another friend, the over-optimistic Pippa Passworthy (Edward Chapman), believes it will not come to pass, and if it does, it will accelerate technological progress. An aerial bombing raid on the city that night results in general mobilisation and then global war. Months later, Cabal, now a Royal Air Force airman piloting a Hawker Fury, shoots down an enemy aircraft dropping gas on the British countryside. He lands and pulls the badly injured enemy pilot (John Clements) from the wreckage. As they dwell on the madness of war, they put on their gas masks, as poison gas drifts in their direction. When a young girl runs towards them the wounded pilot insists she take his mask, choosing to accept death to save her life. Cabal takes the girl to his aeroplane, pausing to leave the doomed man a revolver. The pilot dwells on the irony that he may have gassed the child's family and yet he has sacrificed his own life in order to save her. A gun shot is then heard. The war continues into the 1960s, long enough for the people of the world to have forgotten why they are fighting. Humanity enters a new dark Age. Every city in the world is in ruins, the economy has been devastated by hyperinflation, and there is little technology left apart from weapons of war. By 1966 the enemy's armies and navies have been defeated, but their greatly depleted air force is deploying a biological weapon called the "wandering sickness" in a final desperate bid for victory. Dr. Harding and his daughter struggle to find a cure, but with little equipment it is hopeless. The plague kills half of humanity and extinguishes the last vestiges of government. By 1970, the warlord Rudolf (Ralph Richardson), known as the "Boss", has become the chieftain of Everytown and eradicated the pestilence by shooting the infected. He has started yet another war, this time against the "hill people" of the Floss Valley to obtain coal and shale to render into oil so his ragtag collection of prewar planes can fly again. On May Day 1970, a sleek new aeroplane lands in Everytown, startling the inhabitants who have not seen a new machine in many years. The pilot, John Cabal, emerges and proclaims that the last surviving band of engineers and mechanics known as "World Communications" have formed a civilisation of airmen called "Wings Over the World", based in Basra, Iraq. They have outlawed war and are rebuilding civilisation throughout the Near East and the Mediterranean. Cabal considers the Boss and his band of warlords to be brigands, but offers them the opportunity to join them in rebuilding the world. The Boss immediately rejects the offer and takes Cabal prisoner, forcing him to work for his mechanic Gordon, who struggles to keep the Boss's biplanes airworthy. Gordon takes an Avro 504K up for a test flight and heads for Iraq to alert World Communications. Gigantic flying wing aircraft arrive over Everytown and saturate its population with sleeping gas globes. The Boss orders his air force to attack, but the obsolete fighters inflict little damage. The people awaken shortly thereafter to find themselves under the control of Wings Over the World and the Boss dead from a fatal allergic reaction to the sleeping gas. Cabal observes, "Dead, and his old world dead with him ... and with a new world beginning ... And now for the rule of the Airmen and a new life for mankind". A montage follows, showing decades of technological progress, beginning with Cabal explaining plans for global consolidation by Wings Over the World. By 2036, mankind lives in modern underground cities, including the new Everytown. Civilisation is at last devoted to peace and scientific progress. All is not well, however. The sculptor Theotocopulos (Cedric Hardwicke) incites the populace to demand a "rest" from all the rush of progress, symbolised by the coming first manned flight around the Moon. The modern-day Luddites are opposed by Oswald Cabal, the head of the governing council and grandson of John Cabal. Oswald Cabal's daughter Catherine (Pearl Argyle) and Maurice Passworthy (Kenneth Villiers) insist on manning the capsule. When a mob later forms and rushes to destroy the space gun, used to propel the projectile toward the Moon, Cabal launches it ahead of schedule. Later, after the projectile is just a tiny light in the immense night sky, Oswald Cabal delivers a stirring philosophical monologue about what is to come for mankind to his troubled and questioning friend, Raymond Passworthy (Chapman), the father of Maurice. He speaks passionately for progress and humanity's unending quest for knowledge and advancement as it journeys out into immensity of space to conquer the stars and beyond. He concludes with the rhetorical questions, "All the universe or nothing? Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be? ..." Production. "Things to Come" sets out a future history from 1940 to 2036. In the screenplay, or "treatment" that Wells published in 1935, before the film was released, the story ends in "A.D. 2054". Wells is sometimes incorrectly assumed to have had a degree of control over the project that was unprecedented for a screenwriter, and personally supervised nearly every aspect of the film. Posters and the main title bill the film as "H. G. Wells' Things to Come", with "an Alexander Korda production" appearing in smaller type. In fact, Wells ultimately had no control over the finished product, with the result that many scenes, although shot, were either truncated or not included in the finished film. The rough-cut reputedly ran to 130 minutes; the version submitted to the British Board of Film Censors was 117m 13s; it was released as 108m 40s (later cut to 98m 06s) in the UK, and 96m 24s in the United States (see below for later versions). Wells's script (or "film treatment") and selected production notes were published in book form in 1935 and reprinted in 1940 and 1975. An academic edition annotated by Leon Stover was published in 2007. The script contains many scenes that were either never filmed or no longer exist, although the extant footage also includes scenes not in the published script (e.g. the Boss's victory banquet after the capture of the colliery). Wells originally wanted the music to be recorded in advance, and have the film constructed around the music, but this would have impeded editing, and so the score, by Arthur Bliss, was fitted to the film afterwards in a more conventional way. A concert suite drawn from the film has remained popular; as of 2015, there are numerous recordings of it in print. After filming had already begun, the Hungarian abstract artist and experimental filmmaker László Moholy-Nagy was commissioned to produce some of the effects sequences for the re-building of Everytown. Moholy-Nagy's approach was partly to treat it as an abstract light show, but only some 90 seconds of material was used, e.g. a protective-suited figure behind corrugated glass. In the autumn of 1975 a researcher found a further four sequences which had been discarded. The art design in the film is by Vincent Korda, brother of the producer. The futuristic city of Everytown in the film is based on London: a facsimile of St Paul's Cathedral can be seen in the background. Reception. "Things to Come" was voted the ninth best British film of 1936. It was the 16th most popular film at the British box office in 1935–36. Writing for "The Spectator" in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a mixed review. Although Greene made it clear that "a third of the film is magnificent", the second third (as the world of tomorrow reverts to barbarism and anarchy) seemed implausible, and the last third of the film with the introduction of the "Great Conspiracy" (an international force of airmen bent on restoring Earth's former glory) begins to lose all interest for Greene. The optimism and idealism comes off as naive for Greene. Science fiction historian Gary Westfahl has stated: ""Things to Come" qualifies as the first true masterpiece of science fiction cinema, and those who complain about its awkward pace and uninvolving characters are not understanding Wells's message, which is that the lives and actions of individuals are unimportant when compared to the progress and destiny of the entire human race". During early development of what would become "", Arthur C. Clarke had Stanley Kubrick watch "Things to Come" as an example of a grounded science fiction film; Kubrick, however, disliked it. After seeing "2001", Frederik Pohl of "Galaxy Science Fiction" complained in a 1968 editorial that "Things to Come" was the most recent serious film with a large budget, good actors, and a science fiction screenwriter. The film is recognised by American Film Institute in these lists: Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 93%, based on 28 reviews, with an average rating of 7.46/10. The site's consensus reads, "Eerily prescient in its presentation of a dystopian future, "Things to Come"'s special effects may be somewhat dated, but its potent ideas haven't aged at all". Duration, releases, and surviving versions. The rough-cut of the film was 130 minutes in length, while the version submitted for classification by the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) was 117m 13s. By the time of the 21 February 1936 UK premiere and initial release, this had been reduced to 108m 41s, while the American print premiered on 18 April 1936 was further cut to 96m 31s. By late 1936, a 98m 07s print was in circulation in the UK, and a 76m 07s print was resubmitted for classification by the BBFC and was passed – after further cuts – at 72m 13s for reissued by Exclusive FIlms in 1943. The 96m 31s American print was cut down to 93m 19s by the removal of three sections of footage for a reissue by British Lion Films in 1948, and subsequently to 92m 44s by the removal of one more segment. A continuity script exists for a version of approximately 106m 04s, which contains all the material in the 96m 31s and 92m 44s versions, plus a number of other sequences. It is not known if a version of this duration was actually in circulation at any time, or if it was simply an intermediate stage between the premiere and release versions. For many years, the principal surviving version of the film was the 92m 44s print (in countries using PAL or SECAM video systems, it runs to 89m exactly). From at least the late-1970s until 2007, this was the only version "officially" available from the rights holders in the UK. In the United States, although the 92m 44s version was most prevalent, a version was also in circulation that included the four pieces of footage that were in the 96m 31s print, but not the 92m 44s version, although due to other cuts, actually ran shorter than the latter. Home video. A cut version of the 92m 44s print was digitally restored and colourised by Legend Films, under the supervision of Ray Harryhausen (who had no connection with the making of the film) and released on DVD in the United States in early 2007. In May 2007, Network DVD in the UK released a digitally restored copy of the 96m 31s version, the longest version remaining of the film. The two-disc set also contains a "Virtual Extended Version" with most of the missing and unfilmed parts represented by production photographs and script extracts. In 2011 Network released an updated and expanded version of this edition on Blu-ray in HD. The Criterion Collection released the 96m 31s print on DVD and Blu-ray in North America on 18 June 2013. This includes the unused Moholy-Nagy footage as an extra. Copyright status. Although the film lapsed into the public domain in the US in 1964 due to non-renewal, copyright remained in force in the UK, the European Union, and elsewhere. In the UK, copyright for films as "dramatic works" subsists for seventy years after the end of the year of release, or the death of either the director, the writer (or author of original story), or the composer of original music, whichever is the latest. As the composer, Arthur Bliss, did not die until 1975, copyright will not expire until after 31 December 2045. The current copyright holder is ITV Global Entertainment Ltd., while the longest surviving original nitrate print is held by the BFI National Archive, a copy of the 96m 31s print donated by London Films to the newly formed National Film Archive in March 1936. The film came back into copyright in the US in 1996 under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), which, among other measures, amended US copyright law to reinstate copyright on films of non-US origin if they were still in copyright in their country of origin. The URAA was subsequently challenged in "Golan v. Gonzales", initially unsuccessfully, later with partial success, but the challenge was ultimately defeated in "Golan v. Holder" and a new principle established that international agreements could indeed restore copyright to works which had previously come into the public domain.

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Diary of a Nudist Diary of a Nudist, also known as Diary of a Girl Reporter, Diary of a Naturist, Girl Reporter Diary, Nature Camp Confidential, Nature Camp Diary or Nudist Confidential, is an American 1961 nudist film produced and directed by Doris Wishman. Plot. Arthur Sherwood (Casserly), editor-in-chief of "The Evening Times", stumbles upon a nudist camp and smells a good story. He assigns girl reporter Stacy Taylor (Decker) to join the camp so she can write an exposé on the nudists' indecent lifestyle. Stacy becomes convinced of the sincerity of the nudist philosophy, however, and refuses to write a negative report. Sherwood joins the camp to complete the project, only to decide for himself that nudism is happy and wholesome.

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The Other Side of the Horizon The Other Side of the Horizon is a 1984 Hong Kong "wuxia" television series starring Andy Lau, Lawrence Ng and Angie Chiu. Produced by TVB with Raymond Lee serving as producer, the series ran on its channel Jade from 3 to 28 September 1984. Plot. During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, a "Demon Region" appeared in the martial world. The "Demon Region" left a trail of destruction and gave hardships for the livelihood of people. In order to eliminate the "Demon Region", the Wudang Sect dispatches a group of elite disciples to attack. The disciples fail to do so and Mo Chan-chi (Chu Tit-wo), head of the Sect, pushes the blame to disciples Fu Ching-wan (Andy Lau) and Mo-yung Pak (Lawrence Ng). Because of this, the entire martial world is hunting after Fu and Mo-yung, and the two of them eventually take refuge to the "Demon". Fu and Mo-yung, however, were surprised to discover that the "Demon Region" is not an actual demon region, but is in fact, is an utopian society. It also turns out that Fu and Mo-yung were actually sent undercover by the Wudang Sect to investigate the "Demon Region". Under the sabotage of Mo-yun, the citizens of the "Demon Region" turn against each other and massacre one another. Fu, on the other hand, was deceived by Mo, which led Fu Chin-san (Shih Kien), leader of "Demon Region", to consume poisoned wine. "Demon Region" was ultimately destroyed by the many sects of the martial world. However, unexpected to Fu, who is in deep regret, Fu Chin-san turns out to be his biological father. When he was about to confront Mo Chan-chi about this matter, he accidentally kills Mo, who at the time was battling with Mo-yung. Because of this, Fu, who was named the "Young Warrior of Wudang", is now known as the "Son of the Demon Region". Mo-yung is then appointed as the successor to the head of Wudang where he kills Fu Chin-san, who has lost his martial arts ability due to consuming poison. Originally like brothers, Fu and Mo-yung have now become sworn enemies, leading the martial world into a bloody storm.

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Thirty Years of Adonis Thirty Years of Adonis is a 2017 film by the Hong Kong film-maker Scud, the production-crediting name of Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung. It is a story of a young man who is a Beijing Opera actor. He decides to pursue acting, and soon becomes a commercial sex worker for men and women. The movie explores several themes traditionally regarded as 'taboo' in Hong Kong society and features full-frontal male nudity in several scenes. It is the seventh publicly released films by Scud. The six other films are: "City Without Baseball" in 2008, "Permanent Residence" in 2009, "Amphetamine" in 2010, "Love Actually... Sucks!" in 2011, "Voyage" in 2013, and "Utopians" in 2015. The movie features footage from "Utopians"). His eighth film, "Naked Nation", is currently in production. Plot. "Thirty Years of Adonis" explores the philosophy of life and death, religious beliefs and karma through an erotically charged story. Yang Ke is a 30-year-old man who dreams of becoming a famous star. He is an attractive man who can effortlessly charm both men and women. However, his fate leads him to the underworld of masculine sex workers. Despite his faith and his willingness to give, he remains a prisoner to his karma. Hell awaits when heaven seems near, and the ultimate truth is revealed in a heart-breaking moment from which there is no return. Languages. In the movie, three languages are spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.

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Meet the Robinsons Meet the Robinsons is a 2007 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 47th animated film produced by the studio, it is loosely based on the 1990 children's book "A Day with Wilbur Robinson" by William Joyce. Directed by Stephen Anderson, the film's voice cast includes Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams, Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West, Ethan Sandler, Tom Kenny, and Anderson. "Meet the Robinsons" was released in standard and Disney Digital 3-D versions on March 23, 2007 in the United States and March 30, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. On an estimated budget of $150 million, it acquired $169.3 million at the box office. Plot. Lewis is an aspiring 12-year-old inventor who grew up in an orphanage, whose inventions have been scaring off potential parents. He works all night on a machine to scan his memory to locate his birth mother, who abandoned him at the orphanage when he was a baby. While taking the scanner to his school's science fair, Lewis meets 13-year-old Wilbur Robinson, a mysterious boy claiming to be a time cop from the future. Wilbur needs to recover a time machine that a man wearing a bowler hat has stolen. Lewis tries to demonstrate the scanner, but it has been sabotaged by the Bowler Hat Guy and falls apart, throwing the science fair into chaos. Lewis leaves while the Bowler Hat Guy, with the help of a robotic bowler hat named Doris, repairs and steals the scanner. Wilbur meets Lewis at the orphanage and asks him to repair the scanner. Lewis agrees to do so only if Wilbur can prove he is telling the truth, which Wilbur does by taking them in a second time machine to the year 2037, which is extremely advanced technologically. When they arrive, Lewis realizes he can simply use the time machine to meet his mother; the resulting argument makes them crash. Wilbur asks Lewis to fix the time machine, and Lewis agrees on the condition that Wilbur has to take him to visit his mother afterwards. Reluctantly, Wilbur agrees and hides Lewis in the garage. Lewis accidentally leaves, however, and ends up meeting the rest of the Robinson family except for Cornelius, Wilbur's father and the main creator of most of the time's inventions, who is away on a business trip. Having followed Lewis, the Bowler Hat Guy and Doris try to kidnap him, but the Robinsons beat them back. The Robinsons offer to adopt Lewis, but change their mind when they learn that he is from the past. Wilbur admits to lying to Lewis about taking him back to see his mom, causing Lewis to run off in disgust. The Bowler Hat Guy and Doris approach Lewis and offer to take him to his mother if he fixes the memory scanner. Upon doing so, however, they take Lewis hostage. The Bowler Hat Guy reveals that Cornelius Robinson is, in fact, Lewis' future self, and that he himself is a grown-up version of Lewis' roommate, Michael "Goob" Yagoobian. Because he was kept awake by Lewis' work on the scanner, Goob fell asleep during an important Little League game and failed to make an important catch that cost the game. Goob became so bitter as a result that he was never adopted and remained in the orphanage long after it closed. Doris is "DOR-15", one of Lewis' failed and abandoned inventions. They both blamed Lewis for their misfortunes and decided to ruin his life by stealing the memory scanner and having Goob claim credit for it, who will then have Doris be mass-produced. Leaving Lewis behind, they take off with the scanner. However, it is revealed that Doris tricked everyone, and that by changing the past, Goob has allowed the mass-produced Doris hats to enslave humanity and render the future post-apocalyptic. Lewis repairs the second time machine, confronts Doris in the past and destroys her by promising to never invent her, restoring the future to its Utopian self. After persuasion from Lewis, Wilbur tries to ask the adult Goob to join the family, but he runs away, apparently ashamed by what he has done. Back in Wilbur's time, Lewis finally meets Cornelius face to face. Cornelius explains how the memory scanner started their successful career, and persuades Lewis to return to the science fair. Wilbur takes Lewis back, but makes one stop first: as he promised, he takes Lewis back to the moment when his mother abandoned him. Though Lewis approaches his mother, he ultimately decides not to interact with her, realizing the family he will come to have with Wilbur and others. Wilbur drops Lewis off in his own time and leaves. Lewis heads to the fair, but en route wakes up Goob just in time for him to make the winning catch, thereby preventing his villainous ways. Back at the fair, Lewis asks for one more chance to demonstrate his scanner, which this time succeeds. He is adopted by Lucille, one of the science fair judges, and her husband Bud, who nicknames him "Cornelius" and takes him home. The film ends with a quote which reiterates the message of not dwelling on failures and "keep moving forward", attributed to Walt Disney. Cast. †Note: The character of Lewis was voiced by both Daniel Hansen and Jordan Fry. Daniel Hansen voiced Lewis at the beginning of the film's production, and when the studio needed Lewis' lines changed, they had Jordan Fry re-dub many segments. Production. Originally titled "A Day with Wilbur Robinson", production began in June 2004, and was scheduled for a 2006 release. During the film's production, Walt Disney Animation Studios' storyboard artist Stephen Anderson decided to direct the film due to his personal connection to Lewis, since they both grew up adopted. The studio planned to adapt Joyce's style to the film, but due to his involvement stylistically in Blue Sky Studios' "Robots", the style was slightly reworked. While still taking cues from his retro style, influenced by everything from Technicolor movies to '40s architectural design, the crew also took inspiration from the company Apple. Unlike their previous film "Chicken Little", a film starring CG animals, the animation crew had the challenge to animated CG humans. They took inspiration from Pixar's "The Incredibles" when animating the characters. They also took inspiration from Disney animated classics, such as "Alice in Wonderland", "Cinderella", and "Peter Pan", and from Warner Brothers cartoons to capture the 1950s aesthetic. While the film was in production, The Walt Disney Company announced on January 24, 2006 that it would be acquiring Pixar, and as a result, John Lasseter became the chief creative officer of both Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. When he saw an early screening for the movie, he told Anderson that he did not find the villain scary or threatening enough, and suggested that he make some changes. Ten months later, almost 60% of the film had been scrapped and redone. The villain had improved and was given a new sidekick, a dinosaur chase had been added, and the ending was changed. Release. Over 600 REAL D Cinema digital 3D-equipped theaters presented Disney Digital 3-D version of the film. The 3D version was preceded by the 1953 Chip 'n Dale 3D short "Working for Peanuts".<ref name = "/Film"></ref> The final credits of the 3D version were left two-dimensional, except for the names of those who converted the film to 3D. Home media. The DVD and Blu-ray versions were both released on October 23, 2007. Both versions feature 1.78 widescreen aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, plus music videos, the "Family Function 5000" game, deleted scenes, and other bonus features. The DVD's audio commentary contains Anderson's narration, occasionally interrupted by himself as the Bowler Hat Guy. The Blu-ray also includes uncompressed 5.1 audio and a BD-J game, "Bowler Hat Barrage!". A 3D Blu-ray was released on November 8, 2011. As of January 2008, the DVD had sold approximately 4 million copies. Reception. Critical reception. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 67% of critics gave the film positive reviews based on 141 reviews, with an average rating of 6.34/10. The site's critics consensus states, ""Meet the Robinsons" is a visually impressive children's animated film marked by a story of considerable depth." Metacritic reported the film had a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 27 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". "Realmovienews" stated that it has "a snappy plot that demands close attention as it whizzes back and forth in the space-time continuum, touching on serious ideas and proposing some rather disturbing alternate realities. And the witty story twists are handled with rare subtlety and intelligence. In the end it may get a little weepy and inspirational. But it's so charming that we don't mind at all". Danny Minton of the "Beaumont Journal" said that "The Robinsons might not be a family you want to hang out with, but they sure were fun to meet in this imaginative and beautiful 3-D experience". Andrew L. Urban of "Australian Urban Cinefile" said that "Walt Disney stood for fantasy on screen and this is a loving tribute to his legacy". Kyle Smith of the "New York Post" named it the 10th best film of 2007. Conversely, A. O. Scott of "The New York Times" wrote: ""Meet the Robinsons" is surely one of the worst theatrically released animated features issued under the Disney label in quite some time", while Lisa Schwarzbaum of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a "C" and said "This is one bumpy ride". Box office. The film grossed $25,123,781 on its opening weekend, falling behind "Blades of Glory". Over its theatrical run, it grossed $97,822,171 in the United States and Canada and $71,510,863 in other territories, totaling $169,333,034 worldwide. Soundtrack. The soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on March 27, 2007. Contributors to the album beyond the Danny Elfman score include the Jonas Brothers, Rufus Wainwright, Rob Thomas, Jamie Cullum, The All-American Rejects, and They Might Be Giants. The track "Little Wonders", recorded by Rob Thomas, reached number 5 on the "Billboard" AC chart and the top 20 in Australia and Canada. The song "This Much Fun" by Cowboy Mouth, which was featured in the trailer, was not featured in the film or on the soundtrack. The song "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" was originally from the Disneyland attraction General Electric's Carousel of Progress. Video games. "Disney's Meet the Robinsons" video game is available from Buena Vista Games for PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo GameCube, Nintendo DS, and PC. The independent England-based company Climax Group developed their own adaption for the Game Boy Advance. Cancelled sequel. Disneytoon Studios originally planned to make a sequel to the film, tentatively titled "Meet the Robinsons 2: First Date". However, when John Lasseter became Walt Disney Animation Studios' new chief creative officer, he called off all future sequels Disneytoon originally planned, including sequels to "Chicken Little" (2005) and "The Aristocats" (1970), and refocused on spin-off films and original productions.

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The Smurfs and the Magic Flute The Smurfs and the Magic Flute (, lit. "The Flute of Six Smurfs") is a 1976 Belgian animated film starring the Smurfs, directed by their creator, Peyo. Although the film premiered in 1976 in Belgium, and 1979 in the United Kingdom, it was not released in the United States until 1983, in the wake of the characters' newfound popularity. Although the Smurfs play a major part, they do not appear until 35 minutes into the film. It is set in the Middle Ages and mainly concerns Johan and Peewit, a young squire and his jester sidekick. Johan and Peewit were created by Peyo in 1952 and it was in their adventures that the Smurfs were first introduced in 1958. The film was not produced by Hanna-Barbera, the creators of "The Smurfs" television series, but by Brussels' Belvision Studios and Éditions Dupuis. The voice talent from that show was not present in either English version. Instead, the work was handled by a non-union crew whose members had previously appeared in anime dubs for U.S. television for the American dub, while a non-union British crew was used for the UK English dub. A presentation of independent film company Atlantic Releasing in the United States, "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute" grossed over US$19 million. The film's success led to the creation of Clubhouse Pictures, Atlantic's children's film division. The English dub of the film was presented in Dolby Stereo sound. Plot. The Smurfs and the Magic Flute was set at a castle during the Middle Ages. One day a merchant brings musical instruments to sell to Peewit, the court jester, but because Peewit is such a terrible musician, the King throws the merchant out before Peewit arrives. However, he has left behind a flute that has only six holes. The King throws it into the fireplace in his room, which starts to emit green smoke. When the fire is put out, Peewit retrieves the flute from the ashes unharmed. He cleans it and starts playing it for the whole castle, realizing that it causes everyone to dance when it is played. That night a man named Matthew McCreep learns from the merchant that the same flute he had been looking for is at the castle. He heads over to the castle and steals the flute from Peewit. The king sends Peewit and the young knight Johan out to catch McCreep, who uses the flute to rob people of their money. However, McCreep uses the flute to stop them. Johan and Peewit then go to the house of Homnibus the wizard. Using a spell called Hypnokenesis, the wizard sends Johan and Peewit to Smurfland where the magic flute was built. Upon arriving, they meet a Smurf who leads them to the village. Papa Smurf greets the two of them and tells them that they will make a new flute in order to counter McCreep's flute. The Smurfs head into the forest and chop down a huge tree to get wood from the tree trunk's very centre as only this kind of wood can be useful in crafting a magical flute. Afterwards, they celebrate with a party. However, just as Papa Smurf is about to give the flute to Johan and Peewit, the two are warped back to the wizard's house. Homnibus tries the spell again but passes out from a headache. Meanwhile, McCreep, who has now stolen over 7,000 gold pieces, arrives at the castle of his secret partner, Earl Flatbroke. McCreep tells Flatbroke of his plan to go to an island to hire people for an army to raise war on the King's castle; two Smurfs had been listening to this. Back at the wizard's house, the Smurfs regroup with Johan and Peewit and give them the magic flute. Then they head to the port of Terminac where McCreep sets sail for the island. However, they are too late. Papa Smurf tells Johan and Peewit about Flatbroke's castle and Johan comes up with a plan. Flatbroke receives a letter from McCreep (written by Johan) to come to the island. He heads over to Terminac to board a ship where Johan and Peewit are also on board in disguise as well as Papa Smurf and three others. They head to the island where Johan and Peewit tail Flatbroke. Suddenly, Peewit comes face to face with McCreep and they both start playing their flutes to each other. They both become exhausted soon after, but Peewit knocks out McCreep with a final note. With McCreep and Flatbroke being brought back to the castle and all the stolen money recovered, Peewit now has two magic flutes. Johan tells him that the flutes are dangerous and must be brought back to the Smurfs, but Peewit begins to carve a phony flute to give to them instead. At the castle, Johan and Peewit give the flutes back to the Smurfs, and after they leave, Peewit starts playing the flute, only to realize (to his horror) that it has no effect on the townsfolk; it is rather the fake flute he had made, much to his frustration. Inspiration. The film is based on "La Flûte à six trous" ("The Flute with Six Holes"), which appeared in the Belgian weekly comic "Spirou" magazine in 1958/59. Subsequent book publications renamed it as "La Flûte à six Schtroumpfs" ("The Flute with Six Smurfs"), which was also the French title of the film. In 2008, a prequel "Les Schtroumpfeurs de flûte" ("The Flute Smurfers") was published, marking the 50th anniversary of the original story to introduce the Smurfs. This story tells of how the Smurfs make the magic flute and how it ends up in the hands of a human merchant. Production and release. Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs, oversaw the production of "La Flûte à six schtroumpfs" at Brussels' Belvision in 1975. The film was based on Peyo's comic album of the same name, and the ninth to feature his duo of characters, Johan and Peewit. The music score was written by Michel Legrand, a recent Oscar winner for "Summer of '42" and the original "Thomas Crown Affair". It was released a year later in its native Belgium, and in some European territories subsequently. A book adaptation of the film, by Anthea Bell, was published in Great Britain by Hodder and Stoughton in 1979 (). The film was first dubbed and released in English in the United Kingdom by Target International in 1979, but it was not until the success of Hanna-Barbera's "The Smurfs" cartoon that "Flute" began to gain widespread attention: in the early 1980s, Stuart R. Ross, head of First Performance Pictures Corporation, and also the North American rightsholder to the Smurfs characters themselves, acquired the American rights to the film for US$1,000,000. In doing so, he sold those rights to Tribune Entertainment (television), Vestron Video (home video), and Atlantic Releasing (theatrical). The American English dubbing for the film was not provided by the Hanna-Barbera cast members, but by non-union talent who were contributing at the time to American versions of imported anime. John Rust, the director of this dub, appeared as one of the voices. The North American release of "Flute", courtesy of Ross' First Performance and Atlantic, despite not doing well critically grossed US$11 million out of a maximum 432 venues, the highest on record for a non-Disney production until "The Care Bears Movie" in 1985, and was among Atlantic's all-time top five movies at the box office. Thanks to its success, Atlantic released several more animated features, many of which were distributed by their short-lived children's subsidiary, Clubhouse Pictures. The theatrical poster for the film boasted, "It's the Smurfs' ONE and ONLY full-length motion picture...ever!" Prior to "Flute", however, a black-and-white compilation feature, "Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs", was released in Belgium in the mid-1960s, and had been forgotten by the time this film debuted in the US in 1983. The film features Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, Hefty Smurf (named "Strong-man Smurf" in the UK dub) Handy Smurf, Clumsy Smurf, Greedy Smurf (named "Sweetie" in the American dub), Poet Smurf, Farmer Smurf, and a new character, Festive Smurf ("Actor Smurf" in the American dub) – who loved to sing and dance and whose priority was wanting to have a party. However, unlike the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, all the Smurfs (with the exception of Papa Smurf, Grouchy Smurf, and Brainy Smurf) look alike and do not have their trademark attributes, just like in the original comics. The humor is also closer to the one from the comics. Rather than being symbolically "thrown away", Brainy Smurf is constantly being whacked with a hammer by the other Smurfs simply for "talking too much". As their characters weren't yet introduced when the story the film is based on was published, the characters of Gargamel, Azrael and Smurfette are not present in the film. The UK dub is different from the American version. Many of the names are changed (for example, Johan and Peewit's names become John and William, respectively), and several Smurfs are called by different names. The UK dub also gives The Smurfs almost the exact same voice (with the exceptions of a few of them like Papa Smurf and Grumpy Smurf), unlike the US dub which gives The Smurfs more distinctive voices from one another. There are two dubs of the movie in the United States, one of which where Johan is referred to as John, much like the UK dub, and Papa Smurf has a higher pitched voice; this dub is only available on VHS in the United States. The version broadcast on television has Johan's name restored with all lines mentioning his name redubbed, and Papa Smurf has a completely different voice. Due to the different voice cast than the TV series, some of the characters either sound partly or completely different than in the series. The film was originally released on VHS and laserdisc in September 1984 by the aforementioned Vestron Video. In 1987, Children's Video Library released the film in a 43-minute cut, excising over half an hour of material, reissued later in the decade by the discount Video Treasures and Avid Home Entertainment labels. In 2008, Televista released the movie on DVD, which carried the second American dub as seen on television sourced from a 35mm print, MorningStar Entertainment also had plans for a DVD release that same year, but they scrapped it for unknown reasons. In 2010, a remastered edition of the UK dub was released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK by Arrow Films and Fabulous Films and in 2012, the two companies partnered with Shout! Factory for a Region 1 DVD release in North America. Due to Arrow Films' ownership of the movie, the American dub has not been released on any platform since Televista's DVD. Reception. Of "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute", animation historian Jerry Beck wrote in his "Animated Movie Guide": Is the film any good? It is passable entertainment for Smurfs completists only. Otherwise, mom and dad will have a tough time sitting through this one. There are no standout sequences, nothing particularly endearing, nor is it artistically interesting. It is a bland television cartoon stretched out to fill 74 minutes. As part of 1980s pop culture, the Smurfs are classic icons, and nostalgia value alone might be worth giving the film a look. The film was a big hit at the box office and, along with "The Care Bears Movie", helped launch Clubhouse Pictures and started the trend of animated films getting big screen releases in the 1980s.

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Garden of Eden (1954 film) Garden of Eden is a 1954 nudist film directed by Max Nosseck. It was co-produced by Walter Bibo (born on 13 April 1903 in New York City), and Norval E. Packwood. Outdoor scenes were filmed at Lake Como Family Nudist Resort in Lutz, Florida. Karen Sue Trent (Joan in this film) went on to co-star as "Penny Woods" on "Leave it to Beaver" several years later. Plot. After East Coast businessman Jay Randolph Lattimore approves the designs for a new gymnasium he is donating, he discusses with his attorney and an associate how he has recently undergone a complete personality change: Susan, the widow of Lattimore's son Tom, who was killed in the war, confronts the gruff, bitter Lattimore with the news that she and her six-year-old daughter Joan will no longer be dependent upon him and are leaving his house to move to Miami, where she believes she can resume her modeling career. Although Lattimore states he will not allow Susan to leave with his granddaughter, he later observes them as they say goodbye to the housekeeper and drive away. Early in the morning, on the outskirts of Tampa, Susan is confused by a detour in the highway, and the car breaks down in a remote area. Fortunately, another driver, Johnny Patterson, is on the road and attempts to fix the car. When he realizes a professional mechanic is required, he invites Susan and Joan to rest at the nearby Garden of Eden resort until a garage opens. After making them comfortable in a cabin at the "members only" resort, Johnny leaves to arrange to have the car worked on, but fails to advise Susan and Joan that they are in the middle of a nudist colony. Meanwhile, the abandoned car has been found by a Highway Patrol unit and Lattimore is advised. After a short nap, Susan awakens, looks out the cabin window and is surprised to see Joan, and other children, playing without any clothes on. Several naked adults also pass by. When Johnny returns to explain that he is arranging to have her car repaired, Susan tells him that she thinks that the children are delightfully natural naked, but is not convinced about the adults and decides to remain in the cabin until the car is ready. Johnny tells Susan that he is an actor and also works at the camp. Lattimore, meanwhile, receives a phone call from the police advising him that Susan and Joan are safe at the Garden of Eden, which he assumes is a motel. After Johnny discovers that the car repair will take several days, Susan, fully dressed, wanders outside to meet several of the nudists, including a theater director, who expresses an interest in her acting ability. Later, Joan asks her mother if she feels funny being the only person with clothes on. Susan is then invited by a male resident, naked from the waist up, to take a ride around the camp's lake in his motorboat. Susan asks to be dropped off on the other side of the lake, where she lays down, falls asleep and dreams of disrobing and swimming naked in the lake. In the dream, Johnny swims up to her, but she is embarrassed by their nudity and asks him to leave. When Susan wakes up, Johnny is there with an update on the car and she tells him that that evening the director has asked them to perform a scene together from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Later, during the performance for the clothed theater group, Lattimore arrives at the camp's entrance demanding to take Joan home with him. However, some members persuade him that he is tired and angry and should rest overnight and resume discussions in the morning. Before going to sleep, Lattimore visits Joan, who tells him that she is happy there and wonders why he is so grouchy and makes her mother cry. Early the next morning, unaware that he is in a nudist camp, Lattimore leaves his cabin for a stroll and meets the theater director, whom he recognizes as a famous Shakespearean actor, but is stunned when the man goes swimming naked. After observing more nudists, Lattimore phones his lawyer demanding that he take action against Susan and Joan, but the lawyer refuses as, he too, is a nudist. Later, Lattimore meets Johnny and apologizes for his conduct the night before and, after wandering around the camp and observing how relaxed everyone is, becomes enthused about nudism and decides to become a member. As Susan is putting Joan to bed, Lattimore comes to apologize to Susan for his years of hateful behavior. When Johnny shows up to take Susan to dinner, he announces that the baby sitter cannot come but he has arranged for Lattimore to do the job. Johnny and Susan leave as Lattimore begins to tell his granddaughter a bedtime story. Back in the present, Lattimore ends his account of his conversion and his plans to donate a gymnasium to the camp. In the interim, Susan and Johnny have married and are rehearsing a play. All then head for the camp, where they go swimming naked together. Court case. In the late 1950s "Garden of Eden" was the subject of a court case, "Excelsior Pictures vs. New York Board of Regents". The New York State Court of Appeals ruled that onscreen nudity was not obscene, and this ruling opened the door to more open depictions of nudity in film.

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Je Suis Auto Je Suis Auto is an upcoming Austrian social science fiction indie comedy film directed by Johannes Grenzfurthner and Juliana Neuhuber. Chase Masterson is voicing the title character "Auto", a self-driving taxi, and Johannes Grenzfurthner plays Herbie Fuchsel, an unemployed nerd critical of artificial intelligence. The film is a farcical comedy that deals with issues such as artificial intelligence, politics of labor, and tech culture. The film is distributed by monochrom. Synopsis. The plot of the film is currently unknown, but it is confirmed that the story starts with an ill-tempered mafioso who needs to deliver a suitcase full of money. He enters a self-driving taxi to get to his destination, but doesn't know that his ride is ontologically challenged. Cast. The film features several cameo appearances by Austrian media personalities such as Chris Lohner, Eva Billisich, Conny Lee and Joesi Prokopetz. Production. In June 2018, monochrom announced at their event "monocon" that they are working on a new science fiction comedy film. The script was written by Grenzfurthner and Neuhuber, based on a story idea by Grenzfurthner, who has been working in the field of artificial intelligence and art before, for example lecturing at the Royal United Services Institute, or by publishing books about the subject. Principal photography on the film began in August 2018, in cooperation with the production team of "Traum und Wahnsinn". Directory of Photography was Thomas Weilguny, with whom both Grenzfurthner and Neuhuber have frequently worked before. Chase Masterson recorded her voice part in Vienna in November 2018.

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Forbidden Planet Forbidden Planet is a 1956 American science fiction film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, produced by Nicholas Nayfack, directed by Fred M. Wilcox, that stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, and Leslie Nielsen. Shot in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope, it is considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s, a precursor of contemporary science fiction cinema. The characters and isolated setting have been compared to those in William Shakespeare's "The Tempest", and the plot contains certain analogues to the play, leading many to consider it a loose adaptation. "Forbidden Planet" pioneered several aspects of science fiction cinema. It was the first science fiction film to depict humans traveling in a faster-than-light starship of their own creation. It was also the first to be set entirely on another planet in interstellar space, far away from Earth. The Robby the Robot character is one of the first film robots that was more than just a mechanical "tin can" on legs; Robby displays a distinct personality and is an integral supporting character in the film. Outside science fiction, the film was groundbreaking as the first of any genre to use an entirely electronic musical score, courtesy of Bebe and Louis Barron. "Forbidden Planet"'s effects team was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 29th Academy Awards. In 2013, the picture was entered into the Library of Congress' National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Tony Magistrale describes it as one of the best examples of early techno-horror. Plot. In the 23rd century, the United Planets starship "C-57D" reaches the distant planet Altair IV to determine the fate of an Earth expedition sent there 20 years earlier. Dr. Edward Morbius, one of the expedition's scientists, warns the relief ship not to land, saying he cannot guarantee their safety, but "C-57D" Commander John J. Adams ignores his warning. After landing, Adams and Lieutenants Jerry Farman and "Doc" Ostrow are met by Robby the Robot, who transports them to Morbius' residence. Morbius describes how, one by one, the rest of the expedition was killed by a "planetary force" and that their starship, the "Bellerophon", was vaporized as the last survivors tried to lift off. Only Morbius, his wife (who later died of natural causes), and their daughter Altaira were somehow immune. Morbius offers to help them prepare to return home, but Adams says he must await further instructions from Earth. The next day, Adams finds Farman trying to seduce Altaira by kissing her; furious, he dresses down Farman and criticizes Altaira for her naivety around the crewmen and what he considers her excessively-revealing clothing. She reports the incident to Morbius, claiming that she never wishes to see Adams again, though she later designs new, more conservative clothing to appease Adams. That night, an invisible intruder sabotages equipment aboard the starship. Adams and Ostrow attempt to confront Morbius about this the following morning. While waiting, Adams goes outside to talk to Altaira. He apologizes for his behavior and they kiss. When they are unexpectedly attacked by Altaira's pet tiger, Adams disintegrates it with his blaster. When Morbius appears, Adams and Ostrow learn that he has been studying the Krell, a highly advanced native race that perished overnight 200,000 years before. In a Krell laboratory, Morbius shows them a "plastic educator", a device capable of measuring and enhancing intellectual capacity. When Morbius first used it, he barely survived, but his intellect was permanently doubled. Morbius takes them on a tour of a gigantic Krell underground machine complex, a cube long on each side, still functioning and powered by 9,200 thermonuclear reactors, operating in tandem. Afterwards, Adams demands that Morbius turn over his discoveries to Earth. Morbius, however, states that "humanity is not yet ready to receive such limitless power". Adams orders the crew to erect a force field fence around the starship to prevent further sabotage. It proves ineffective when the invisible intruder returns and murders Chief Engineer Quinn. The next day Morbius warns Adams of his premonition of further deadly attacks, similar to what happened with the "Bellerophon". That night, the invisible creature returns and is outlined in the fence's force field. The ship's blaster weapons have no effect and the creature kills Farman and two other crewmen. Morbius, asleep in the Krell lab, is startled awake by screams from Altaira. At the same instant, the roaring creature vanishes. Later, while Adams tries to persuade Altaira to leave, Ostrow sneaks away to use the Krell educator. He is fatally injured, but with his dying words, Ostrow tells Adams that the great machine was built to create anything from thought alone. He says that the Krell forgot one thing, however: "monsters from the id". Their own base subconscious desires, given free rein and unlimited power by the machine, brought about their quick extinction. Adams asserts that Morbius' subconscious mind created the creature that killed the original expedition and attacked his crew. Morbius refuses to believe him. After Altaira tells Morbius that she intends to leave with Adams, Robby detects the creature approaching. Morbius commands Robby to kill the monster, but the robot knows the monster is a creation of Morbius's subconscious mind and shuts down rather than harm him to stop it. Adams, Morbius, and Altaira take refuge in the Krell laboratory, but the creature melts its way through the doors. Morbius finally accepts the truth. He confronts and disowns the creature, but is fatally injured by the backlash. The id monster vanishes. Before Morbius dies, he persuades Adams into activating a planetary self-destruct sequence and tells them to leave the planet immediately. At a safe distance, Adams, Altaira, Robby, and the surviving crew watch the destruction of Altair IV. Adams then comforts Altaira by saying that this tragedy will serve as a reminder that, "... we are, after all, not God." The starship departs for Earth. Production. The screenplay by Irving Block and Allen Adler, written in 1952, was originally titled "Fatal Planet". The later screenplay draft by Cyril Hume renamed the film "Forbidden Planet", because this was believed to have greater box-office appeal. Block and Adler's drama took place in the year 1976 on the planet Mercury. An Earth expedition headed by John Grant is sent to the planet to retrieve Dr. Adams and his daughter Dorianne, who have been stranded there for twenty years. From then on, its plot is roughly the same as that of the completed film, though Grant is able to rescue both Adams and his daughter and escape the invisible monster stalking them. The film sets for "Forbidden Planet" were constructed on a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) sound stage at its Culver City film lot and were designed by Cedric Gibbons and Arthur Lonergan. The film was shot entirely indoors, with all the Altair IV exterior scenes simulated using sets, visual effects, and matte paintings. A full-size mock-up of roughly three-quarters of the starship was built to suggest its full width of 170 ft (51 m). The starship was surrounded by a huge, painted cyclorama featuring the desert landscape of Altair IV; this one set took up all of the available space in one of the Culver City sound stages. Principal photography took place from April 18 to late May 1955. Later, many costume and prop items were reused in several different episodes of the television series "The Twilight Zone", most of which were filmed by Rod Serling's Cayuga Productions at the MGM studio in Culver City, including Robby the Robot, the various C-57D models, the full-scale mock-up of the base of the ship (which featured in the episodes "To Serve Man" and "On Thursday We Leave for Home"), the blaster pistols and rifles, crew uniforms, and special effects shots. At a cost of roughly $125,000, Robby the Robot was very expensive for a film prop at this time; it represented almost 7% of the film's $1.9 million budget and equates to at least $1 million in 2017 dollars. Both the electrically controlled passenger vehicle driven by Robby and the truck/tractor-crane off-loaded from the starship were also constructed especially for this film. Robby also starred in the science fiction film "The Invisible Boy" (1957) and later appeared in many TV series and films. The animated sequences of "Forbidden Planet", especially the attack of the Id Monster, were created by veteran animator Joshua Meador, who was loaned to MGM by Walt Disney Productions. According to a "Behind the Scenes" featurette on the film's DVD, a close look at the creature shows it to have a small goatee beard, suggesting its connection to Dr. Morbius, the only character with this physical feature. Unusually, the scene in which the Id Monster is finally revealed during its attack on the Earth ship was not created using traditional cel animation. Instead, Meador simply sketched each frame of the entire sequence in black pencil on animation stand translucent vellum paper; each page was then photographed in high contrast, so that only the major details remained visible. These images were then photographically reversed into negative and the resulting white line images were then tinted red, creating the effect of the Id Monster's body remaining largely invisible, with only its major outlines illuminated by the energy from the force-field and blaster beams. Reception. "Forbidden Planet" had its world premiere at the Southeastern Science Fiction Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina on March 3 and 4, 1956, and opened in more than 100 cities on March 23 in CinemaScope, Eastmancolor, and in some theaters, stereophonic sound, either by the magnetic or Perspecta processes. The film received positive reviews from critics. Bosley Crowther of "The New York Times" wrote that everyone who worked on the film certainly "had a barrel of fun with it. And, if you've got an ounce of taste for crazy humor, you'll have a barrel of fun, too." "Variety" wrote: "Imaginative gadgets galore, plus plenty of suspense and thrills, make the Nicholas Nayfack production a top offering in the space travel category." "Harrison's Reports" called the film "weird but fascinating and exciting," with "highly imaginative" production. Philip K. Scheuer of the "Los Angeles Times" wrote that the film was "more than another science-fiction movie, with the emphasis on fiction; it is a genuinely thought-through concept of the future, and the production MGM has bestowed on it gives new breadth and dimension to that time-worn phrase, 'out of this world.'" John McCarten of "The New Yorker" called the film "a pleasant spoof of all the moonstruck nonsense the movies have been dishing up about what goes on among our neighbors out there in interstellar space." "The Monthly Film Bulletin" of Britain praised the film as "an enjoyably thorough-going space fantasy," adding, "In tone the film adroitly combines naivete with sophistication, approaching its inter-planetary heroics with a cheerful consciousness of their absurdity that still allows for one or two genuinely weird and exciting moments, such as the monster's first advance on the spaceship." The Philadelphia film critic Steve Friedman ("Mr. Movie") told interviewers that "Forbidden Planet" was his favorite film. He watched it 178 times. According to MGM records the film initially earned $1,530,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,235,000 elsewhere resulting in a profit of $210,000. "Forbidden Planet" was re-released to film theaters during 1972 as one of MGM's "Kiddie Matinee" features; it was missing about six minutes of film footage cut to ensure it received a "G" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. Later video releases carry a "G" rating, though they are all the original theatrical version. The American Film Institute nominated the film for their top 10 science fiction films. The score was nominated for AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. Home media. "Forbidden Planet" was first released in the pan and scan format in 1982 on MGM VHS and Betamax videotape and on MGM laser disc and CED Videodisc; years later, in 1996, it was again re-issued by MGM/UA, but this time in widescreen VHS and laserdisc, both for the film's 40th anniversary. But it was The Criterion Collection that later re-issued "Forbidden Planet" in CinemaScope's original wider screen 2.55-to-1 aspect ratio, on a deluxe laserdisc set, with various extra features on a second disc. Warner Bros. next released the film on DVD in 1999 (MGM's catalog of films has since remained under ownership of Turner Entertainment, currently a division of WarnerMedia). Warner's release offered both cropped and widescreen picture formats on the same disc. For the film's 50th anniversary, the Ultimate Collector's Edition was released on November 28, 2006, in an oversized red metal box, using the original film poster for its wraparound cover. Both DVD and high definition HD DVD formats were available in this deluxe package. Inside both premium packages were the films "Forbidden Planet" and "The Invisible Boy", "The Thin Man" episode "Robot Client" ("Robby The Robot", one of the film's co-stars, was also a guest star in both "The Thin Man" episode and "The Invisible Boy") and a documentary "Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, The 1950s and Us". Also included were miniature lobby cards and an 8 cm (3-inch) toy replica of Robby the Robot. This was quickly followed by the release of the "Forbidden Planet" 50th Anniversary edition in both standard DVD and HD DVD packaging. Both 50th anniversary formats were mastered by Warner Bros.-MGM techs from a fully restored, digital transfer of the film. A Blu-ray edition of "Forbidden Planet" was released on September 7, 2010. Novelization. Shortly before the film was released, a novelization appeared in hardcover and then later in mass-market paperback; it was written by W. J. Stuart (the mystery novelist Philip MacDonald writing under the pseudonym), which chapters the novel into separate first person narrations by Dr. Ostrow, Commander Adams, and Dr. Morbius. The novel delves further into the mysteries of the vanished Krell and Morbius' relationship to them. In the novel, he repeatedly exposes himself to the Krell's manifestation machine, which (as suggested in the film) boosts his brain power far beyond normal human intelligence. Unfortunately, Morbius retains enough of his imperfect human nature to be afflicted with hubris and a contempt for humanity. Not recognizing his own base primitive drives and limitations proves to be Morbius' downfall, as it had for the extinct Krell. While not stated explicitly in the film (although the basis for a deleted scene first included as an extra with the Criterion Collection's LaserDisc set and included with both the later 50th anniversary DVD and current Blu-ray releases), the novelization compared Altaira's ability to tame the tiger (until her sexual awakening with Commander Adams) to the medieval myth of a unicorn being tamable only by a virgin. The novel also includes some elements never included in the film: For one, Adams, Farman, and Ostrow clandestinely observe Morbius' house overnight one evening, but see or hear nothing. When they leave they accidentally kill one of Altaira's pet monkeys. When Dr. Ostrow later on dissects the dead animal he discovers that its internal structure precludes it from ever having been alive in the normal biological sense. The tiger, deer, and monkeys are all conscious creations by Dr. Morbius as companions ("pets") for his daughter and only outwardly resemble their Earth counterparts. The novel also differs somewhat from the film in that it does not directly establish the great machine as the progenitor of the animals or monster; instead only attributes them to Morbius' elevated mental power. The Krell's self-destruction can be interpreted by the reader as a cosmic punishment for misappropriating the life-creating power of God. This is why in the film's ending, Commander Adams says in his speech to Altaira "... we are, after all, not God". The novel ends with a postscript making a similar observation. Soundtrack. "Forbidden Planet"s innovative electronic music score, credited as "electronic tonalities", partly to avoid having to pay any of the film industry music guild fees, was composed by Bebe and Louis Barron. MGM producer Dore Schary discovered the couple quite by chance at a beatnik nightclub in Greenwich Village while on a family Christmas visit to New York City; Schary hired them on the spot to compose his film's musical score. While the theremin (which was not used in "Forbidden Planet") had been used on the soundtrack of Alfred Hitchcock's "Spellbound" (1945), the Barrons' electronic composition is credited with being the first completely electronic film score; their soundtrack preceded the invention of the Moog synthesizer by eight years (1964). Using ideas and procedures from the book "" (1948) by the mathematician and electrical engineer Norbert Wiener, Louis Barron constructed his own electronic circuits that he used to generate the score's "bleeps, blurps, whirs, whines, throbs, hums, and screeches". Most of these sounds were generated using an electronic circuit called a "ring modulator". After recording the basic sounds, the Barrons further manipulated the sounds by adding other effects, such as reverberation and delay, and reversing or changing the speeds of certain sounds. Since Bebe and Louis Barron did not belong to the Musicians Union, their work could not be considered for an Academy Award, in either the "soundtrack" or the "sound effects" categories. MGM declined to publish a soundtrack album at the time that "Forbidden Planet" was released. However, film composer and conductor David Rose later published a 7" (18 cm) single of his original main title theme that he had recorded at the MGM Studios in Culver City during March 1956. His main title theme had been discarded when Rose, who had originally been hired to compose the musical score in 1955, was discharged from the project by Dore Schary sometime between Christmas 1955 and New Year's Day. The film's original theatrical trailer contains snippets of Rose's score, the tapes of which Rose reportedly later destroyed. The Barrons finally released their soundtrack in 1976 as an LP album for the film's 20th anniversary; it was on their very own Planet Records label (later changed to Small Planet Records and distributed by GNP Crescendo Records). The LP was premiered at MidAmeriCon, the 34th World Science Fiction Convention, held in Kansas City, MO over the 1976 Labor Day weekend, as part of a 20th Anniversary celebration of "Forbidden Planet" held at that Worldcon; the Barrons were there promoting their album's first release, signing all the copies sold at the convention. They also introduced the first of three packed-house screenings that showed an MGM 35mm fine grain vault print in original CinemaScope and stereophonic sound. A decade later, in 1986, their soundtrack was released on a music CD for the film's 30th Anniversary, with a six-page color booklet containing images from "Forbidden Planet", plus liner notes from the composers, Bebe and Louis Barron, and Bill Malone. A tribute to the film's soundtrack was performed live in concert by Jack Dangers, available on disc one of the album "Forbidden Planet Explored". Costumes and props. The costumes worn by Anne Francis were designed by Helen Rose. Her miniskirts resulted in "Forbidden Planet" being banned in Spain; it was not shown there until 1967. Other costumes were designed by Walter Plunkett. Robby the Robot was operated by diminutive stuntman Frankie Darro. He was fired shortly after an early scene began, having had a "five-martini lunch" prior to the scene being shot; he nearly fell over while trying to walk while inside the expensive prop. In late September 2015, several screen-used items from "Forbidden Planet" were offered in Profiles in History's Hollywood Auction 74, including Walter Pidgeon's "Morbius" costume, an illuminating blaster rifle, blaster pistol, a force field generator post, and an original Sascha Brastoff steel prehistoric fish sculpture seen outside Morbius' home; also offered were several lobby cards and publicity photos. On November 2, 2017, the original Robby the Robot prop was offered for auction by Bonhams, and it earned US$5.3 million, including the buyers premium. It set a new record for TCM-Bonhams auctions, surpassing the US$4 million earned for a Maltese Falcon in 2013, making it the most valuable film prop ever sold at auction. In popular culture. It is stated in the opening narration that humanity first landed on the Moon in the last decade of the 21st century. The narration also mentions that all planets of our solar system were visited by 2200 AD and a faster than light drive was developed shortly afterward. An Australian radio adaptation using the original electronic music and noted local actors was broadcast in June 1959 on "The Caltex Radio Theatre". In Stephen King's "The Tommyknockers", Altair-4 is frequently referenced as the home planet of the titular alien presence. In the authorized biography of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, he notes that "Forbidden Planet" "was one of [his] inspirations for "Star Trek"". Elements of the "Doctor Who" serial "Planet of Evil" were consciously based on "Forbidden Planet". In the novel "Strata" by Terry Pratchett the main characters get stranded on a disc world which is driven completely by underground machinery. Close to the end, an explicit reference is made "Didn’t you ever see "Forbidden Planet"? Human movie. They remade it five, six times". "Forbidden Planet" and star Anne Francis are named alongside ten other classic science fiction films in the opening song "Science Fiction Double Feature" in the stage musical "The Rocky Horror Show" and its subsequent film adaptation. The British musical "Return to the Forbidden Planet" was inspired by and loosely based on the MGM film, and won the Olivier Award for best musical of 1989/90. A scene from the science fiction TV series "Babylon 5", set on the Epsilon III Great Machine bridge, strongly resembles the Krell's great machine. While this was not the intent of the show's producer, the special effects crew, tasked with creating the imagery, stated that the Krell's machine was a definite influence on their Epsilon III designs. The Time Tunnel pilot episode featured a matte shot of huge underground buildings and people running across a walkway above a giant power generator, in homage to the scene of the Krell's underground complex. "The Outer Limits" episode "The Man with the Power" revisits the premise of a person's subconscious manifesting as a destructive, murderous entity. "Forbidden Planets", a science fiction short story anthology inspired by the film, was released by DAW Books in 2006 as a mass-market paperback. 's DLC Old World Blues uses multiple references, including Doctor Mobius as a reference to Morbius in the film, the protectrons being modeled after Robby the Robot, and The Forbidden Dome being based on the film's title. In the first Mass Effect game, while examining the planets in the Gagarin system of the Armstrong Nebula, specifically on the planet's Junthor survey feed, a reference is made to "Monsters from the id". Author George R. R. Martin cites "Forbidden Planet" as his favorite science fiction film and that he owns a working Robby the Robot 1:1 replica made by Fred Barton Productions. In the Firefly film “Serenity”, one of the vehicles they examine on the planet Miranda has "C-57D" stenciled on its side. In Columbo TV series episode entitled "Mind Over Mayhem" (first aired in February 1974) a robot called "MM7" is featured. Its top half is almost identical to Robby the Robot as he appears in the 1956 film. Differences in the hands, chest panel, and a metal skirting replacing the legs suggest it is not the original film prop. Robby the Robot makes many cameo appearances in television and film: Examples include episodes of "The Perry Como Show", "Hazel", "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis", "The Twilight Zone", "The Banana Splits", "Mork and Mindy", "Wonder Woman", "The Man from UNCLE", "Ark II", "Lost in Space", "Space Academy", "Project UFO". and "The Love Boat". Robby was also featured in the films: "The Invisible Boy", "Invasion of the Neptune Men", and "Hollywood Boulevard". He also has appeared on numerous magazine covers, record sleeves, and in some TV commercials. Cancelled remake. New Line Cinema had developed a remake with James Cameron, Nelson Gidding, and Stirling Silliphant involved at different times. In 2007, DreamWorks set up the project with David Twohy set to direct. Warner Bros. re-acquired the rights the following year and on October 31, 2008, J. Michael Straczynski was announced as writing a remake, Joel Silver was to produce. Straczynski explained that the original had been his favorite science fiction film, and it gave Silver an idea for the new film that makes it "not a remake", "not a re-imagining", and "not exactly a prequel". His vision for the film would not be retro, because when the original was made it was meant to be futuristic. Straczynski met with people working in astrophysics, planetary geology, and artificial intelligence to reinterpret the Krell back-story as a film trilogy. In March 2009, Straczynski reported that the project was abandoned, and that a new script was requested.

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The Beach (film) The Beach is a 2000 adventure drama film directed by Danny Boyle and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland, which was adapted for the film by John Hodge. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tilda Swinton, Virginie Ledoyen, Guillaume Canet, and Robert Carlyle. It was filmed on the Thai island of Ko Phi Phi Le. The film was a moderate box office success but received mixed-to-negative reviews from critics. DiCaprio was nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor (lost to John Travolta as Terl from "Battlefield Earth" and as Russ Richards in "Lucky Numbers"). In spite of that, All Saints's song "Pure Shores" topped the UK charts. Plot. Richard, a young American seeking adventure in Bangkok, stays in a drab travelers' hotel on Khao San Road where he meets a young French couple, Françoise and Étienne, and he immediately becomes attracted to Françoise. He also meets Daffy, who tells him of a pristine, uninhabited and restricted island in the Gulf of Thailand with a beautiful hidden beach and lagoon. Daffy explains that he and other travelers settled there in secret several years earlier, but difficulties arose and he chose to leave. Daffy commits suicide, leaving Richard a map to the island. Richard convinces Françoise and Étienne to accompany him to the island, and the three travel to Ko Samui. After getting locked out of his bungalow during a thunderstorm, Richard meets two American surfers who have heard rumors of the island, including huge amounts of cannabis supposedly growing there. Before departing, Richard leaves them a copy of the map. En route to the island, Richard becomes infatuated with Françoise. After swimming to the island from a neighboring one, they find a large cannabis plantation guarded by armed Thai farmers. Avoiding detection, they make their way across the island and meet English cricket fan Keatey, who brings them to a fully functioning community of travelers living on the island, totally in secret. Sal, the community's English leader, explains that the farmers allow them to stay so long as they keep to themselves and do not allow any more travelers to come to the island. Richard lies that they have not shown the map to anyone else, which satisfies Sal. The trio become integrated into the largely self-sufficient and leisurely community. One night, Françoise privately invites Richard to the beach where she tells him that she is falling in love with him and they make love. Despite hoping to keep it secret, the community finds out. While angry, Étienne says he will not stand in their way if Françoise is happier with Richard. Tensions rise between Richard and Sal's South African boyfriend Bugs. When Richard gains popularity by killing a shark with his knife, Bugs mocks him over the shark's small size. Richard mocks him back for his jealousy. When Sal selects Richard to accompany her on a supply run to Ko Pha Ngan, Bugs warns him to keep his hands off her. While there they encounter the American surfers Richard met in Ko Samui, who are preparing to search for the island and mention Richard's map. Richard lies to Sal that he did not give them a copy, and she coaxes him into having sex with her in exchange for her secrecy, despite the two having their respective partners. On their return to the island, Richard lies to Françoise about having sex with Sal and continues his relationship with her. Things return to normal until a shark attack kills one of the community's fishermen, Sten, and leaves another, Christo, severely injured. Sal refuses to compromise the community by bringing medical help, and Christo is too traumatized to travel to the mainland by sea. His worsening condition affects the group's morale, so they isolate him in a tent, despite Étienne's objections. When the surfers from Ko Pha Ngan turn up on the neighboring island, Sal furiously orders Richard to observe them until they cross over, then send them away and destroy their map. She also tells everyone that she and Richard had sex, which leaves Françoise angry and heartbroken, causing her to return to Étienne. Isolated from the group, Richard begins to lose his sanity, stalking the cannabis farmers, stealing some of their personal items while they sleep, and imagining that he is conversing with the deceased Daffy. The surfers reach the island, but are discovered and killed by the farmers. Shocked at witnessing their deaths, Richard tries to gather Françoise and Étienne to leave the island. Étienne refuses to leave Christo, whose leg has become gangrenous, so Richard euthanizes Christo by suffocation. Richard is captured by the farmers and brought before the community, along with Françoise and Étienne. The farmers are furious with the community for breaking their deal to not allow any more newcomers. The lead farmer gives Sal a gun loaded with a single bullet and orders her to make a choice: kill Richard and the group will be allowed to stay, or else they must all leave immediately. Sal pulls the trigger, but the chamber is empty. Shocked by her willingness to commit murder, the other members of the community abandon Sal, leave the island, and go their separate ways. Later, back in the United States, Richard receives an email at an Internet cafe from Françoise with a nostalgic group photograph of the beach community in happier times. Production. Ewan McGregor was cast as the main character before leaving due to disputes with the director. It was speculated that Boyle was offered additional funding under the condition that DiCaprio be cast and his character made American. Whilst promoting "T2 Trainspotting" on The Graham Norton Show, the dispute was discussed in more depth, with McGregor stating "It was a mis-handling and a mis-understanding over the film and it's a big regret of mine that it went on for so very long... and it didn't matter about The Beach, it was never about that. It was about our friendship. I felt like Danny's actor and it made me a bit rudderless." Boyle stated, "I handled it very very badly and I have apologised to Ewan for it. I felt a great shame about it and how it was handled." Members of the cast and crew were involved in a boating accident during production. It was reported that the incident involved both Boyle and DiCaprio. No one was injured. The beach seen in the film is not the same as in real life. There is a gap between mountains on the actual beach in Thailand. The special effects crew digitally added some of the surrounding mountains during the post-production phase. Boyle has been cited saying that the look of the jungle scenes in the film was inspired by the Nintendo game "Banjo-Kazooie". The waterfall scene, where DiCaprio and others jump from a high cliff to the water below, was filmed in Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand, at the Haew Suwat Waterfall. The map in the film was illustrated by the author of the book that "The Beach" was based upon, Alex Garland. He received credit for this as the cartographer. Release. The film opened February 11, 2000 in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The budget of the film was US$50 million. The film opened at number 2 at the box office in both the UK and the US, with a weekend gross of $15,277,921 in the United States and Canada behind "Scream 3", and a gross of £2,418,321 in the United Kingdom behind "Toy Story 2" . Global takings totaled over US$144 million, of which US$39 million was from the United States and Canada. Director Boyle spoke negatively of the film, telling a Philadelphia audience in 2017 that he realized halfway through filming that he "didn't like any of the characters." Home video. The film has been released on VHS and DVD. The standard DVD release included nine scenes that were deleted from the film, including an alternative opening which to an extent resembles the one in the novel, were later included in a Special Edition DVD release, along with Danny Boyle's commentary on what might have been their purpose. There is also an alternative ending which depicts Sal committing suicide and everyone loading up on a boat from the raft. Soundtrack. The soundtrack for the film, co-produced by Pete Tong, features the international hits "Pure Shores" by All Saints and "Porcelain" by Moby, as well as tracks by New Order, Blur, Underworld, Orbital, Faithless, Sugar Ray, and others. Leftfield's contribution to the soundtrack, "Snakeblood", was found to have sampled Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Almost" without permission, leading to a lawsuit; band member Neil Barnes said he forgot to remove the sample from the finished track. The songs "Synasthasia" by Junkie XL, "Out of Control" by The Chemical Brothers, "Fiesta Conga" by Movin' Melodies, "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley, "Neon Reprise" by Lunatic Calm and "Smoke Two Joints" by Chris Kay and Michael Kay were also included in the movie but omitted from the soundtrack. The teaser trailer for the film featured "Touched" by VAST. The film score was composed by Angelo Badalamenti, and a separate album containing selections of his score was released as well. Reception. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 20% based on 119 reviews, and an average rating of 4.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""The Beach" is unfocused and muddled, a shallow adaptation of the novel it is based on. Points go to the gorgeous cinematography, though." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 43 out of 100, based on 34 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Critics suggested that DiCaprio's fame post-"Titanic" might have contributed to the financial success of this film, which came out less than three years after the James Cameron blockbuster. CNN's Paul Clinton said "Leonardo DiCaprio's main fan base of screaming adolescent girls won't be disappointed with "The Beach". The majority of the film displays the titanic-sized young heartthrob sans his shirt in this story about the pseudo-angst and alienation of a young man from the United States escaping civilization and his computer-obsessed generation." He agreed with most others that "The Beach" was "nothing to write home about". DiCaprio was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actor for his work on the film. Controversies. Damage to filming location. Controversy arose during the making of the film due to 20th Century Fox's bulldozing and landscaping of the natural beach setting of Ko Phi Phi Leh to make it more "paradise-like". The production altered some sand dunes and cleared some coconut trees and grass to widen the beach. Fox set aside a fund to reconstruct and return the beach to its natural state; however, lawsuits were filed by environmentalists who believed the damage to the ecosystem was permanent and restoration attempts had failed. Following shooting of the film, there was a clear flat area at one end of the beach that was created artificially with an odd layout of trees which was never rectified, and the entire area remained damaged from the original state until the tsunami of 2004. The lawsuits dragged on for years. In 2006, Thailand's Supreme Court upheld an appellate court ruling that the filming had harmed the environment and ordered that damage assessments be made. Defendants in the case included 20th Century Fox and some Thai government officials. The large increase in tourist traffic to the beach as a result of the film resulted in environmental damage to the bay and the nearby coral reefs, prompting Thai authorities to close the beach until 2021. Portrayal of Thailand. After the film premiered in Thailand in 2000, some Thai politicians were upset at the way Thailand was depicted in the film and called for it to be banned. The depiction of the drug culture was said to give Thailand a bad image and having a statue of Buddha in a bar was cited as "blasphemous". Possible spin-off. In a 2019 interview with The Independent, Danny Boyle revealed that a television series based on his film has been written by Amy Seimitz. The proposed series is set to take place before the events from the 1996 novel, although it will be updated to occur 20 years later, in 2016.

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Utopians (film) Utopians is a 2015 film by the Hong Kong film-maker Scud, the production-crediting name of Danny Cheng Wan-Cheung. It is the story of a university student who becomes deeply attracted to his (male) professor, and whose life changes as a result. The film received its world premiere on 31 October 2015 at the New Directors Film Festival in Japan. "Utopians" explores several themes traditionally regarded as 'taboo' in Hong Kong society and features full-frontal male nudity in several scenes. It is the sixth of seven publicly released films by Scud. The six other films are: "City Without Baseball" in 2008, "Permanent Residence" in 2009, "Amphetamine" in 2010, "Love Actually... Sucks!" in 2011, "Voyage" in 2013 and "Thirty Years of Adonis" (which features footage from "Utopians") in 2017. His eighth film, "Naked Nation", is currently in production. "Utopians" includes a scene in which the main character, played by mainland China actor Adonis He Fei, is shown masturbating his erect penis as he sighs with pleasure until he ejaculates. Plot. "Utopians" is a coming-of-age story about a young student, Hins Gao (Adonis He Fei), who unexpectedly finds himself deeply attracted to his male professor, Antonio Ming (Jackie Chow). Despite having had a conservative upbringing, Hins wants to get close enough to Ming to understand him. The experience transforms his life and comes to define his adult identity. The story is described as a "visually stunning paean to open love and pan-sexuality freely blending straightforward narrative and fantasy elements". Production. The film's director, Scud, says that he drew inspiration for the film from the writings of Plato and the culture of Ancient Greece, which he describes as the "best era of mankind" when being gay was mainstream, and that "the dream of a utopian life" is one where education "serves to enhance love instead of forbid it", and that this became clear to him ever since he was aware of the sexual alternatives available. Scud says that he fell into depression after making his fifth film, "Voyage", and was considering ending his career. But one day a 19-year-old boy came to him and talked about his story of having fallen in love with a policeman, and about a Japanese writer whose work Scud had read extensively when he was younger. He felt his next film should pay tribute to the period of enlightenment brought about by great philosophers and artists. Scud says that Utopians took only weeks to write and shoot. He also experimented with a more "democratic" method of film-making by consulting the cast on the roles they most preferred to take and encouraging them to resolve matters among themselves, much like the situation in ancient times. Casting was conducted openly in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, with over 300 attending in Hong Kong on a particularly stormy day. The film's leading man, Adonis He Fei, is an actor from mainland China. His agent provided a resume so that He could fit "Utopians" into his busy filming schedule. Languages. In the movie a four languages are spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and English. Even though much of the film is centered around Hong Kong, the main characters speak Mandarin-Chinese among each other, e.g. Hins, his mother, his girlfriend and Ming. The other languages are spoken in much shorter segments. This multitude of languages is also reflected in the transcription of the Chinese characters of the title () given by the producer which is Cantonese and reads "tung lau hap woo", whereas one would expect a transcription in Mandarin pinyin for such a mostly Mandarin spoken movie which would be "tóng liú hé wū".

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Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series) Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between September 1979 and April 1981 on NBC, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film before the series aired. The film and series were developed by Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens, based on the character Buck Rogers created in 1928 by Philip Francis Nowlan that had previously been featured in comic strips, novellas, a serial film, and on television and radio. Overview. Television film. The first made-for-TV movie was released theatrically in March 1979 as "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". The film made $21 million at the North American box office, prompting Universal to move ahead with a weekly series later that year. The film, which was also released internationally, featured all of the main protagonist characters who would appear in the weekly series, and also included Princess Ardala of the planet Draconia, and her henchman, Kane. Series. The theatrical film also served as a pilot and two-part first episode for the series, entitled "Awakening". Several scenes were edited, some to remove the more adult dialogue in the film including when Buck refers to Wilma as "ballsy", and later when he says "shit", and a scene in which Buck kills Ardala's henchman, Tigerman, was edited to allow the character to return in later episodes. Also, some new and extended scenes were added for the TV version, including several scenes within Buck's new apartment, which was the setting for a new final scene in which Dr. Huer and Wilma try to persuade Buck to join the Defense Directorate. This scene ends with Buck actually declining their offer, though he opts to join them in an unofficial capacity by the first episode of the series proper, "Planet of the Slave Girls". Including the two-part pilot episode, the first season comprised 24 episodes, with four of the stories being two-parters. The tone of the series was lighter than the pilot movie, and showed a more positive picture of future Earth. The Inner City was now known as New Chicago, and it was established that human civilization had spread once again across the planet, and also to the stars. After the movie pilot, no reference to barren radioactive wastelands was made, and in several episodes, the world outside is shown as lush and green. The mutants seen in the pilot film were no longer seen, and Buck sometimes ventured outside New Chicago with no hazards encountered. As opposed to the isolationist planet seen in the film, Earth no longer has an invisible defense shield surrounding it and is shown to be the center of an interstellar human-dominated government, sometimes called "the Federation" or "the Alliance", with its capital at New Chicago. During the first season, references were also made to other "new" Earth cities such as New Detroit, New Manhattan, New Phoenix, New Tulsa, Boston Complex, and New London. A "City-on-the-Sea" was also seen, mentioned as being the former New Orleans. Wilma Deering and Dr. Huer were the only Defense Directorate personnel seen in every episode, though several others were seen in individual episodes. Most Defense Directorate personnel regard Buck as being at least an 'honorary' captain, in reference to his 20th-century U.S. military rank, but his membership in Earth's defense forces is unofficial. Nevertheless, Buck often flies with the fighter squadrons, and uses his 20th-century U.S. Air Force background to assist in their training. Dr. Huer regularly meets, greets, and otherwise deals with representatives of other sovereign powers. Huer was also seen in military uniform (at formal occasions), thus indicating he is or was a member of the military. Travel between the stars was accomplished with the use of "stargates": artificially created portals in space (similar in appearance to wormholes), but referred to as "warp" travel on at least one occasion by Wilma Deering. Stargates appear as a diamond-shaped quartet of brilliant lights in space that shimmer when a vessel is making transit. Some people find the transit through a stargate to be physically unpleasant (transit resembling a "spinning" of the spacecraft). Buck's dislike of them is shown in part one of the episode "Planet of the Slave Girls" and again in part two of the episode "The Plot to Kill a City". To portray futuristic-looking buildings on Earth, the show used stock shots of the remaining national pavilions of Expo 67, particularly the French and British pavilions as well as shots of the Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Juanin Clay, who played Major Marla Landers in the first-season episode "Vegas in Space", was originally cast as Wilma for the TV series (Erin Gray had initially opted not to return after the pilot film, but she later changed her mind). Wilma's personality was softened considerably in the series. While she was still seen a strong, confident and consumate professional in her work, she had a much more relaxed attitude and a warmer relationship with Buck. A potentially romantic relationship between Buck and Wilma was hinted at, but rarely expanded upon, and in the first season, Buck was involved (to some degree) with a different woman almost every week. Producers demanded that Wilma have blonde hair and dye jobs were needed to lighten Erin Gray's brunette locks. During the final episodes of the first season, Gray was allowed to return to her natural hair color, and Wilma was dark-haired throughout season 2. Buck's best-known enemy during the first season was Princess Ardala, played by Pamela Hensley, whose desire was to conquer and possess both Earth and Buck himself. She appeared in four separate stories, including the pilot film, two single episodes ("Escape from Wedded Bliss" and "Ardala Returns"), and the two-part first-season finale ("Flight of the War Witch"). The opening title sequence for the series included stock footage from the Apollo 4 and Apollo 6 launches. The series had an overall budget of $800,000 per hour of air time, according to "Starlog" issue #32 (March 1980). Former actor Jock Gaynor served as producer for 20 episodes. Although reasonably popular with viewers, the first season failed to receive much critical acclaim. One vocal critic of the series was Gerard himself, who pushed for more serious storytelling and often clashed with the producers and the network (NBC) over the show's tone and handling. He would often arbitrarily refuse to perform some of the more comical lines in the scripts he was given, complaining that Buck was just a "wise-ass" who was making one joke after another, and would often rewrite scripts himself to place more emphasis on his own character at the expense of others (for example, in the episode "Escape From Wedded Bliss", the script originally called for Buck to be rescued from the Draconians at the end by Wilma, but Gerard vetoed the idea). Unhappy with the show's direction, Gerard became increasingly difficult to work with, which led to tensions on set. A meeting between him and writers/script editors Anne Collins and Alan Brennert went badly and they quit the show midway through the first season. Gerard himself was threatened with legal action by the network if he continued to cause problems and hinder the production. In the November 1980 issue of "Starlog", Gerard even said he had hoped the series would not be picked up for a second season because he had no wish to go through another season like the first one. Second season. Production of the second season was delayed by several months due to an actors' strike. When production resumed in the fall of 1980, the series had a new set of producers (headed by John Mantley, who had primarily worked on television westerns) and the format of the series was changed. Instead of defending the Earth from external threats, Buck, Wilma and Twiki were now a part of a crew aboard an Earth spaceship called the "Searcher" on a mission to seek out the lost "tribes" of humanity who had scattered in the five centuries since Earth's 20th-century nuclear war, a theme present in Glen A. Larson's previous science-fiction television series, "Battlestar Galactica". Another notable change in the second season was the disappearance of many of the regular characters of the first season, such as Dr. Huer, Dr. Theopolis, Princess Ardala, and Kane. However, several new characters were added: The character of Wilma Deering was softened in the second season as the producers attempted to tone down the militaristic "Colonel Deering" image (who often gave Buck orders) and to make her more feminine. Another change in the second season was the sound of Twiki's voice. Because of illness, Mel Blanc was briefly replaced by Bob Elyea as the voice of Twiki for the first seven episodes of the second season. After recovering, Blanc returned to the role for the final six episodes of the season, though no explanation was given for the change in Twiki's voice. The substance of the storylines also changed in the second season. Less emphasis was placed on militaristic ideals and, with a few exceptions, Gerard scaled back the humor in the second season in favor of more serious episodes (with the final episode of the series ending on a somber note as a result). Buck's and Wilma's relationship became slightly more romantic during the second year, though most romantic activity was implied and took place off-screen. Moreover, the second season deals with more serious concepts such as evolution, ecology, racism, pollution, war, nuclear power, identity, the self, and religion. It also draws on mythology as exemplified by Hawk's people, who are variants on the bird people found in ancient tales around the world and makes special reference to the moai of Easter Island. An episode also included a story about satyr creatures. In additon to its parallels to Larson's previous television series "Battlestar Galactica", the second season is similar in theme to "", with the "Searcher" roaming through space much like the USS "Enterprise" had, Buck being the maverick explorer true to the style of Captain James T. Kirk, and the serious, rather stoic Hawk being a revamped version of Mr. Spock. Even Wilma, to some extent, had been remodeled after Lt. Uhura from "Star Trek", often dressed in a miniskirt uniform and regularly sitting at a communications console on the bridge of the "Searcher". Although initially pleased with the change in personnel, Gerard again became unhappy with the show. At the time of production, Gerard spoke highly of new showrunner John Mantley, but in a retrospective article in the mid-1990s, he was more critical of him and the "Star Trek"-esque style of the second season. Ratings dropped significantly after the season premiere and, coupled with an increasingly problematic star, NBC canceled the series at the end of an 11-episode strike-abbreviated season. No finale storyline was produced, with the final episode broadcast being a normal standalone episode. Cast. Guest stars on the series included Peter Graves, Lance LeGault, Jamie Lee Curtis, Markie Post, Dorothy Stratten, Leigh McCloskey, Trisha Noble, Richard Moll, Jerry Orbach, Gary Coleman, Jack Palance, Sam Jaffe, Sid Haig, Vera Miles, and Buster Crabbe (who played Buck Rogers in the original 1930s "Buck Rogers" film serial), playing Brigadier Gordon (a reference to his other famous role, Flash Gordon). Joseph Wiseman also appeared in the episode "Vegas In Space" playing the character Morphus, and was also briefly seen in the theatrical version of the pilot as Emperor Draco (Princess Ardala's father), but his appearance was edited out of the television version. Several actors who had played villains in the 1960s "Batman" television series also guest-starred, including Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin, Roddy McDowall, and Julie Newmar. Concept and broadcast history. Inspired by the success of "Star Wars", Universal began developing "Buck Rogers" for television, spearheaded by Glen A. Larson, who had a production deal with the studio. Production began in 1978. Initially, Larson and Universal had planned on making a series of "Buck Rogers" TV movies for NBC. The pilot for Larson's other science-fiction series, "Battlestar Galactica" (1978), had been released theatrically in some countries and in key locations in North America and had done well at the box office. Universal then opted to release the first "Buck Rogers" TV movie theatrically on March 30, 1979. Good box-office returns led NBC to commission a weekly series, which began on September 20, 1979, with a slightly modified version of the theatrical release. The production recycled many of the props, effects shots, and costumes from "Battlestar Galactica", which was still in production at the time the pilot for "Buck Rogers" was being filmed. For example, the "landram" vehicle was made for the "Galactica" series, and the control sticks used in the Terran starfighters in the pilot movie were the same as those used in Galactica's Viper craft. The Terran starfighters were also concept designer Ralph McQuarrie's original vision of the Colonial Vipers. The new series centered on Captain William Anthony "Buck" Rogers (played by Gil Gerard), a NASA/USAF pilot who commands "Ranger 3", a spacecraft that is launched in May 1987. Due to a life-support malfunction, Buck is accidentally frozen for 504 years before his spacecraft is discovered adrift in the year 2491. The combination of gases that froze his body coincidentally comes close to the formula commonly used in the 25th century for cryopreservation, and his rescuers are able to revive him. He learns that civilization on Earth was rebuilt following a devastating nuclear war (later established as occurring on November 22, 1987), and is now under the protection of the Earth Defense Directorate. The series followed him as he tried (not always successfully) to fit into 25th-century culture. As no traceable personal records of him remained, he was uniquely placed, due to his pilot and combat skills and personal ingenuity, to help Earth Defense foil assorted evil plots to conquer the planet. In many respects, this version of Buck Rogers was more similar to James Bond or Steve Austin than Nowlan's original character, and Buck would often go undercover on various covert missions. Buck is aided in his adventures by his friend and sometimes romantic interest, Colonel Wilma Deering (played by Erin Gray), a high-ranking officer and starfighter pilot. He is also assisted by Twiki, a small robot or "ambuquad", as they were known. Twiki was played mainly by Felix Silla and voiced mainly by Mel Blanc (who had previously voiced Daffy Duck as Duck Dodgers in spoofs of the early Buck Rogers and other science-fiction serials) using a gruff voice very similar to the one he used for Barnyard Dawg. Twiki became Buck's comic sidekick and communicated with an electronic noise that sounded like "biddi-biddi-biddi", but also spoke English (usually after saying "biddi-biddi-biddi-biddi" for several seconds). Twiki's English usually consisted of 20th century slang that he learned from Buck. Also aiding Buck was Dr. Theopolis or "Theo" (voiced by Eric Server), a sentient computer in the shape of a disk about 9 inches wide with an illuminated face. He was capable of understanding Twiki's electronic language, and was often carried around by him. Theo was a member of Earth's "computer council" and one of the planet's scientific leaders. During the first season, Buck and Wilma took their orders from Dr. Elias Huer, played by Tim O'Connor, the head of the Defense Directorate. Some episodes suggested Huer was the leader of the entire planet, though this was never made completely clear. The series' chief villain (at least in the first season) was Princess Ardala (played by Pamela Hensley), whose goal was to conquer the Earth while making Buck her consort. She was aided by her henchman Kane (played in the pilot film by Henry Silva and in the series by Michael Ansara). All of these characters were featured in the original comic strip except for Dr. Theopolis and Twiki (whose closest counterpart in earlier versions would likely be Buck's human sidekick, Buddy Wade). Kane (or Killer Kane as he was then known) was also featured in the 1939 film serial and was actually the chief villain himself, rather than Ardala's henchman (Ardala did not appear in the film serial). The pilot film depicted human civilization as fairly insular, with an invisible defense shield that surrounded the entire planet, protecting it from invaders. Civilization was restricted to a few cities; the main city seen in the pilot and weekly series was New Chicago, which was also known as the Inner City. Travel beyond the Inner City was hazardous, as much of the planet was said to be a radioactive wasteland inhabited by violent mutants (as Buck discovered when he visited the derelict remains of old Chicago). Episodes. International broadcast. The series was originally shown in the UK by ITV, beginning in late August 1980, with the feature-length two-part episode "Planet of the Slave Girls" (the pilot film, which had been released theatrically in Britain in summer 1979, was not actually shown on British television until 1982). ITV broadcast "Buck Rogers" in an early Saturday evening slot, where it competed against, and beat, the BBC's long-running science fiction series "Doctor Who" also started its 18th season that day. As a similar effect had occurred a few years earlier when several ITV stations screened "Man from Atlantis" against "Doctor Who"; this prompted the BBC to move "Doctor Who" to a new weekday slot for its next season in 1982, though "Buck Rogers" had been cancelled in the US by then. The BBC would air the "Buck Rogers" series on BBC Two in 1989 and again in 1995-1996. Forces TV later broadcast the show several times from November 2018. The series also aired in Canada on CTV, on the same day and time as the NBC airings. Home media. The theatrical version of the pilot film was released on VHS, Betamax and Laserdisc in 1981. A handful of the episodes were issued in the US in 1985 by MCA Home Video. Those episodes were "Vegas in Space", "Space Vampire", "Return of the Righting 69th", "Unchained Woman", "A Blast for Buck", "Happy Birthday Buck", "Space Rockers" and "The Guardians". In 1987, a single episode, "Ardala Returns", was released by Goodtimes Home Video, a budget release company. The same MCA tapes were re-released in the late 1990s. In other countries, several series episodes were released on VHS in the late 1990s. Australia released 10 volumes, covering all first season episodes through "Space Rockers". Universal Studios released the complete series on DVD in North America (Region 1) on November 16, 2004. While it does contain every episode from both seasons, the pilot episode included is the theatrical version and not the TV version. The set contains five double-sided discs. The series was released on DVD in Europe (Region 2), though each season was released separately as opposed to in one set like the Region 1 release. Season 1 was released on November 22, 2004 and season 2 on October 31, 2005, neither of which had the same cover artwork or menu screens as the Region 1 release. Notable differences are the addition of subtitles for various European languages. On January 24, 2012, Universal Studios re-released Season One as a six disc set in North America. The discs were single-sided for this release, in contrast to the double-sided discs released in 2004. Season Two was re-released with single-sided discs on January 8, 2013. As a bonus feature, the second season set includes the television version of the original pilot film, "Awakening", the first time this version has been released on DVD. On August 17, 2016, Madman Entertainment released the series on Blu-ray to Australia and New Zealand in 1080p. The eight-disc set includes each episode in HD. Extras include theatrical version of the Pilot episode and feature-length version of "Flight of the War Witch" (both in standard definition), the syndicated two-part version of "Journey to Oasis" (in HD), textless opening and closing credits sequences, opening credits without voice-over narration, and isolated music and effects audio tracks on each episode. The Blu-ray sets have been released in various other countries since. As of 2019, all the episodes are available for streaming for free on the NBC app. Kino Lorber announced a Region 1 Blu-ray set to be released on November 24, 2020. It includes the movie (in HD for the first time on home media) and seasons 1 & 2. Reception. Contemporary assessments of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" were generally mixed. In his book "Sci-Fi TV from Twilight Zone to Deep Space Nine", writer James Van Hise claimed the show's scripts "just never took advantage of what they had at hand" and criticized Larson's version of "Buck Rogers" as a cynical attempt to exploit one of the most loved characters in American popular culture. John Javna's book "The Best of Science Fiction TV" included "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" on its list of the "Worst Science Fiction Shows of All Time" (along with "The Starlost", "" and "Manimal"). Journalist Bill Lengeman also strongly criticized the program, stating "the acting is so wooden that Ed Wood himself (no pun intended) would surely have gone weak in the knees and wept openly upon witnessing it." Lengemen also called the "Buck Rogers" episode "Space Rockers" the worst episode of TV science fiction he had ever seen. On a more positive note, writing in the UK's "Observer" newspaper in October 1980 (shortly after the series began showing there), journalist Clive James stated "the best comic-strip science fiction on at the moment is "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". The hardware looks good and Wilma Deering looks simply sensational, like Wonder Woman with brains." "Filmink" thought the series did not live up to its pilot, in particular the Buck-Wilma-Ardala triangle, arguing "the writers forgot the simple motivations and characterisations. Poor old Wilma was disempowered and shunted to the side where she held Buck’s water while he had adventures and was thus no threat to Ardala (this was reportedly due to Gil Gerard’s sooking over the prominence given to Wilma on the show). They also forgot Ardala’s motivation was to use Buck politically to get an edge on her 23 siblings, not just because she found him hot. Pamela Hensley was everything you wanted in a silly ‘70s sci fi epic and on one hand the producers knew it (they kept bringing her back) but on the other they didn’t know how to exploit it." Merchandise. Two novels were published by Dell Publishing based on this series, both by Addison E. Steele. The first () was a novelization of the pilot film. The second, "That Man on Beta" (), was adapted from an unproduced episode script. A fumetti book entitled "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" was published by Fotonovel Publications in 1979, reproducing the theatrical version of the pilot episode. Gold Key Comics published fourteen issues of a "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" comic book based upon the show. The comic book started with issue number two, picking up the numbering from an issue published in 1964 in the style of the old comic strips. Following an adaptation of the pilot film, starting with issue five, new adventures were created in the series continuity. The first three issues (two - four) were reprinted in a "Giant Movie Edition" which was distributed by Marvel Comics (despite Marvel being a competitor to Gold Key). Artists on the series included Al McWilliams, Frank Bolle and José Delbo. The comic outlived the series by several months. Issue number ten was never published and this comic book series was cancelled after issue number sixteen. The comic book remained within the continuity of Season 1 and did not feature any characters from Season 2. A strip based on the television series also ran in two publications in the UK: "Look-In" with 64 weekly installments covering 10 separate adventures between autumn 1980 and early 1982, and "TV Tops", which picked up the rights from 1982 for two shorter runs. Both were also based on the format of the first year of the series. Two sets of action figures were produced by Mego, including a 12" line and a series of 3.75" figures and scaled spaceships. Milton-Bradley produced a Buck Rogers board game and a series of jigsaw puzzles. Other companies produced a variety of tie-ins. Monogram produced 1/48 scale injection-molded model kits of the Earth Defense Directorate Starfighter and the Draconian Marauder from 1979 through 1981. Die-cast toys were released by Corgi, Topps trading cards, and a painted metal lunch box. In 2011, Zica Toys began production of a new line of action figures based on the TV series. These 8" action figures are loosely based on Mego designs, but as noted above, Mego did not produce an 8" line of Buck Rogers figures, so Zica's line is actually the first line of 8", cloth-costumed action figures based on the TV series. Characters planned include Buck Rogers, Hawk, Killer Kane, Tigerman, and Draconian Warriors. The popularity of the TV series led to the revival of the Buck Rogers newspaper strip, daily and Sunday, drawn by Gray Morrow and written by Jim Lawrence. The strip ran from September 9, 1979 to October 26, 1980, and was reprinted in its entirety, with the Sundays in color, in a large trade paperback.

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United Federation of Planets The United Federation of Planets (UFP), in the fictional universe of "Star Trek", is the interstellar government that sent Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and the crew of the starship "Enterprise" on its mission of peaceful exploration. Commonly referred to as "the Federation", it was introduced in the . The survival, success, and growth of the Federation and its principles of freedom have become some of the "Star Trek" franchise's central themes. The Federation is an organization of numerous planetary sovereignties, and although viewers are never told about the internal workings of the government, many episodes refer to the rules and laws that the Federation imposes on the characters and their adventures. Development. Early in the first season of "Star Trek", Captain Kirk had said the "Enterprise"s authority came from the United Earth Space Probe Agency. Bases visited in the series were labeled "Earth Outposts". In August 1966, Gene L. Coon was hired by Gene Roddenberry as a writer for "Star Trek". Actor William Shatner credits Coon with injecting the concepts of Starfleet, Starfleet Command and the United Federation of Planets into the show. One of the first teleplays Coon was credited with was "A Taste of Armageddon", where an ambassador on the "Enterprise" is referred to as a Federation official. Eventually, with the series as allegory for the current events of the 1960s counterculture, placing great emphasis on an anti-war message and depicting the United Federation of Planets, a vast interstellar alliance founded on the enlightened principles of liberty, equality, justice, progress, and peaceful co-existence, as an idealistic version of the United Nations. Reception. The optimistic view of the future present in the Federation has been highlighted as unique among most science fiction, showing how "evolved" and "civilized" the future could conceivably be. Much debate has centered around how the materialist application of a post-scarcity economy in the Federation is incompatible with its own idealist ethics. It has been described, along with the series as a whole, as a vehicle to explore what it means to be human, as well as exploring mankind's efforts to build a better society. Other writers have noted that "Star Trek"s Federation has the same logistical and philosophical difficulties of other utopian economic and political schemes that make it seem unrealistic. In 2020, "Screen Rant" noted the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" episode "First Contact" for exploring the United Federation of Planets and how it sometimes struggles with contact with aliens. In-universe portrayal. Like many things in "Star Trek", episodes and films may reference entities or laws within the Federation, but viewers are never given a broad view of its inner workings. Many contemporary terms are assigned to the Federation, but parallels to current government bodies and their roles and responsibilities are pure speculation on the part of fans and critics. In-universe references to the Federation include: Future of the Federation. In the episode "Calypso", taking place at an unknown time in the distant future, the character of Craft refers to the Federation as the "V'draysh". Little is said about the Federation, except that it is at war with Alcor IV, and that the V'draysh people are searching for artifacts from ancient human history. The writer of this episode, Michael Chabon, confirmed that the name "V'draysh" is a syncope for the word "Federation". In the third season of "", taking place in the 32nd century, the Federation's flag appears with only six stars, instead of dozens in the 23rd and 24th century. The "Discovery" episode "That Hope Is You, Part 1" introduced The Burn, a cataclysmic event which happened in the 31st century. Dilithium, the power source of all starships, suddenly went inert, causing any starship with an active warp core to overload and explode. The Federation could not determine the cause of The Burn, nor predict if it would happen again. Afterwards, countless worlds seceded or could not be contacted for various reasons. Subsequently, the amount of Federation member worlds shrank from 350 at its peak to just 38. The ongoing plot thread of "Discovery"'s third season is to determine what caused The Burn and possibly restore the Federation to its former glory. Non-canon references. In non-canon sources like the original 1975 "Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual", Johnson's "Worlds of the Federation", and roleplaying games, the Federation's five founding members were Earth (or Terra), Vulcan, Tellar, Andor, and Alpha Centauri. Some non-canon works assert that founding member Alpha Centauri is home to a human race (transplanted by the Preservers from classical third-century BC Greece) known as, variously, Centaurans, Centaurians, or Centauri. The 1980-to-2188 historical guide "Star Trek Spaceflight Chronology" posits the Federation as being incorporated at 'the first Babel Interplanetary Conference' in 2087. In books such as the "Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual" and the novel "Articles of the Federation", the Federation's founding document is the Articles of Federation.

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Dysfunctional Systems Dysfunctional Systems is a visual novel created by Canadian studio Dischan Media. The story follows Winter Harrison, a "mediator"-in-training, as she attempts to resolve chaotic situations in different worlds. The first of several planned episodes, "Learning to Manage Chaos", was released on April 4, 2013 In February 2014, Dischan launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for another two episodes of the story. Although the campaign met and exceeded its funding goals, the project was cancelled on January 2, 2015. The series was restarted with the release of a prequel episode, "Dysfunctional Systems: Orientation" on July 24, 2017. Gameplay. "Dysfunctional Systems" is a visual novel series, where the player reads text to progress the story. At certain points, the novel will present the player with a choice of different dialogue or actions for the series protagonist, Winter Harrison, which will affect events and their consequences. The novel includes a "codex" feature, where the reader can find background information on the current world, such as its geography and politics, as well as topics related to the problems the world is experiencing. The novel also implements a "profile" feature. The choices made during a play-through of an episode can be saved in a profile, such that their consequences can be carried over to the next episode. Story. Setting and characters. In "Dysfunctional Systems", Earth bears a utopian society with a school called "School Mediātōrum", composed of individuals called "mediators". Mediators are humans who resolve chaotic situations in other worlds. Though these worlds exist in different planes, and range in themes from "dystopian, to futuristic or fantastical", it is believed that the chaos of any one world can adversely affect Earth as well. The protagonist of the series, Winter Harrison, is a 14-year-old mediator-in-training. A moral individual, she still finds the concept of "other worlds" hard to grasp. On her second mission (the focus of "Episode 1") she is paired with Cyrus Addington, a tough and infamous senior mediator, to act as her guide and mentor. "Episode 1: Learning to Manage Chaos". In the first episode, Winter and Cyrus travel to Sule, a sporadically-progressing industrial planet. They arrive in Brighton, a poor and minor country on Sule. There, the two find that the President of Brighton is attempting to negotiate his society's freedom from its oppressor, the wealthy state of Gabrea. The key object of his threat is an untested nuclear bomb, waiting to be launched at Gabrea via intercontinental ballistic missile. Cyrus devises a plan to contain the chaos: to assassinate the President and have him declared a martyr. Cyrus' plan horrifies Winter; at this point, the player can choose whether Winter will go along with Cyrus' plan, or to rebel against him and try to reason with the President instead. If Cyrus' plan is taken, the President is killed and his government decides to launch the weapon at Gabrea. If Winter's plan is taken, she and Cyrus manage to convince the President to change his mind and fire his weapon into a nearby sea as a warning shot instead. However, in both cases, the detonation of the weapon goes badly wrong, igniting the atmosphere and completely destroying Sule. Winter and Cyrus are teleported back to the school on Earth just in time, where they are immediately treated for radiation poisoning that they had obtained before Sule's destruction. Winter is carried back to her room, where she recounts to her room-mate Waverly of Sule's demise. The next day, Waverly fends off well-wishers from seeing Winter, then helps her to her debriefing, ending the episode. Development. In Dischan's earlier work, "Juniper's Knot", the player can unlock bonus art featuring the protagonists of the story with two other characters, Winter and Cyrus. On January 5, 2013, Dischan leader Jeremy Miller announced the company's first series of visual novels, titled "Dysfunctional Systems". On June 5, 2013, Dischan posted Episode 1 of "Dysfunctional Systems" on Steam Greenlight. On September 26, 2013, Episode 1 was released on Steam. Kickstarter campaign. Despite reporting "decent sales" of Episode 1, Dischan admitted that the project was not a financial success. Dischan turned to the crowd-funding site Kickstarter to raise funds for the production of the second and third installments of the novel. The campaign was opened for funding in February 2014, with the goal of raising C$49,000. By the end of the campaign in March 2014, the campaign had successfully raised C$67,450. Because the original goal was exceeded, Dischan stated that it would add more characters and environments to the second and third episodes than they had originally intended, as well as producing a bonus visual novel depicting Winter's first week as a mediator-in-training. The project was cancelled in a January 2, 2015 announcement by Dischan and began issuing partial refunds through Kickstarter to backers. Soundtrack. The soundtrack to Episode 1, written and performed by Kristian "CombatPlayer" Jensen, was released on 4 April 2013. It is distributed with Episode 1 and can also be played in the jukebox within the game. Reception. "Dysfunctional Systems - Episode 1" received positive reviews from critics, with the primary issue raised being its brief length. Nadia Oxford of Gamezebo scored the game 4/5 stars, commending the art, music and story, but criticizing the slow pace and lack of player interaction overall. Andrew Barker of RPGFan scored the game 80/100, saying that while the art was good and the setting and characters showed promise, the game is "held back" by its short length and he recommended players to hold off on purchasing it until the entire game was released. Kristina Pino of Japanator said that while she liked the artwork, the story "[took] a while to really get moving", and she did not feel a large amount of interest in seeing what happened next, also calling it too short.

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Vividred Operation is a Japanese anime television series produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Kazuhiro Takamura. The series aired in Japan between January and March 2013 and is licensed in North America by Aniplex of America. Two manga adaptations have been published by ASCII Media Works. A PlayStation 3 video game adaptation by Bandai Namco Games was released in June 2013. Plot. In the near future, an invention known as the has solved all of the world's energy-related problems five years ago. This powerful machine creates energy from the sky and now lies in the centre of an artificial, man-made island called Blue Island. On another such island named Izu Ōshima, a girl named Akane Isshiki lives a peaceful life with her family. Her grandfather Kenjirou is a smart yet eccentric scientist who is also the inventor of the Manifestation Engine. Because of his invention, the world has entered a new era of peace. However, this peace didn't last for long. Suddenly without warning, an alien force known as the attack and invade Earth. Their prime objective is to destroy the Manifestation Engine so that they can send the world into chaos. Despite the human military forces hitting them with all they've got, they prove to be no match to the Alone's immense power. Just when all hope seems lost, Kenjirou gives Akane a special key which will allow her to access the , the only thing that can defeat the Alone. Now wearing a and possessing abilities unlike anything she ever imagined, Akane fights to protect the world from the Alone. She also recruits her classmates Aoi Futaba, Wakaba Saegusa and Himawari Shinomiya to join her in the fight. However, a mysterious girl is planning secretly behind the scenes to sabotage their efforts of defeating the Alone. Media. Manga. A four-panel comic strip manga series, illustrated by Kotamaru and titled , was serialized between the November 2012 and May 2014 issues of ASCII Media Works' "Dengeki G's Magazine". The first "tankōbon" volume was released on July 27, 2013; the second volume was released on May 27, 2014. A second manga, illustrated by Keito Koume and titled "Vividred Operation", was serialized between the May 2013 and April 2014 issues of "Dengeki G's Magazine". Two volumes, the first containing chapters published before the serialization, were released between February 27, 2013 and April 26, 2014. Anime. The anime series, produced by A-1 Pictures, aired in Japan between January 11 and March 29, 2013 and was simulcast on Crunchyroll and Hulu. The series is directed by Kazuhiro Takamura, who had also worked on "Strike Witches", and is written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, with character designs by Takamura. Hidari and Redjuice (a member of Supercell) handled the show's concept design. The series was released on six Blu-ray Disc and DVD compilation volumes in Japan between March 27 and August 28, 2013. Aniplex of America released the series on subtitled DVD in North America on December 17, 2013. The series makes use of six pieces of theme music: one opening theme and five ending themes. The opening theme is "Energy" by Earthmind. The first four ending themes are used for one episode each: "We Are One" by Ayane Sakura and Rie Murakawa for episode two, "Stereo Colors" by Ayane Sakura and Yuka Ōtsubo for episode three, "Stray Sheep Story" by Ayane Sakura and Aya Uchida for episode four, and by Maaya Uchida for episode five. The fifth ending theme, "Vivid Shining Sky" by Ayane Sakura, Rie Murakawa, Yuka Ōtsubo, Aya Uchida and Maaya Uchida, is used for episode six and onwards. Video games. A video game developed by Banpresto, "Vividred Operation: Hyper Intimate Power", was released by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network on June 20, 2013. A minigame titled was released on the PlayStation Network on March 28, 2013. Reception. Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network gave "Vividred Operation" a B+ based on the first six episodes, saying, "The series' execution makes it easy to enjoy the story's strengths and hard to hold its many, many weaknesses against it." Dan Barnett of UK Anime Network gave the first three episodes an 8 out of 10, calling it "not to be missed", although he noted that ""Vividred" can't seem to decide what kind of an audience it's going for and has instead diluted the experience by trying to go for all of them at once. The show sits in a bit of an odd place where it'll be too tame for the majority of the audience who loved "Strike Witches", yet at the same time it's still too racy and male-friendly to appeal to the young girls who are traditionally the audience for magical girl shows."

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Epodes (Horace) The Epodes ( or "Epodon liber"; also called Iambi) are a collection of iambic poems written by the Roman poet Horace. They were published in 30 BC and form part of his early work alongside the "Satires". Following the model of the Greek poets Archilochus and Hipponax, the "Epodes" largely fall into the genre of blame poetry, which seeks to discredit and humiliate its targets. The 17 poems of the "Epodes" cover a variety of topics, including politics, magic, eroticism and food. A product of the turbulent final years of the Roman Republic, the collection is known for its striking depiction of Rome's socio-political ills in a time of great upheaval. Due to their recurring coarseness and explicit treatment of sexuality, the "Epodes" have traditionally been Horace's least regarded work. However, the last quarter of the 20th century saw a resurgence in scholarly interest in the collection. Names. The modern standard name for the collection is "Epodes". Deriving from the Greek "epodos stichos" ('verse in reply'), the term refers to a poetic verse following on from a slightly longer one. Since all poems except "Epode" 17 are composed in such an epodic form, the term is used with some justification. This naming convention, however, is not attested before the commentary of Pomponius Porphyrion in the second century AD. Horace himself referred to his poems as "iambi" on several occasions, but it is uncertain if this was intended as a title or only as a generic descriptor, referring to the dominant metre used in the collection: the iamb. In the ancient tradition of associating metrical form with content, the term had by Horace's time become a metonym for the genre of blame poetry which was habitually written in iambic metre. Both terms, "Epodes" and "Iambi", have become common names for the collection. Date. Horace began writing his "Epodes" after the Battle of Philippi in 42 BC. He had fought as a military tribune in the losing army of Caesar's assassins and his fatherly estate was confiscated in the aftermath of the battle. Having been pardoned by Octavian, Horace began to write poetry in this period. His budding relationship with the wealthy Gaius Maecenas features in several poems, which locates most of the work on the "Epodes" in the 30s BC. The finished collection was published in 30 BC. The dramatic date of the collection is less certain. Two poems ("Epodes" 1 and 9) are explicitly and respectively set before and after the Battle of Actium (31 BC). The remaining poems cannot be placed with any certainty. However, it emerges that they are all set in the tumultuous decade between the death of Caesar and Octavian's final victory. As such, the "Epodes" are considered a crucial witness to Rome's violent transition from a republic to an autocratic monarchy. The iambic genre. The "Epodes" situate themselves in the tradition of iambic poetry going back to the lyric poets of archaic Greece. In the following quotation from his "Epistles", Horace identifies the poet Archilochus of Paros as his most important influence: Dating to the seventh century BC, the poems of Archilochus contain attacks, often highly sexualised and scatological, on flawed members of society. Two groups in particular are targets of his abuse: personal enemies and promiscuous women. The above-mentioned Lycambes features in many of Archilochus' poems and was thought to have committed suicide after being viciously slandered by the poet. Horace, as is indicated in the above passage, largely followed the model of Archilochus with regards to metre and spirit, but, on the whole, the "Epodes" are much more restrained in their verbal violence. While Horace does not borrow extensively from him, Archilochian influence can be felt in some of his themes (e.g. "Epod." 8 and 12 as a variation on the "Cologne Epodes") and poetic stances (e.g. addressing fellow citizens or hated enemies). Another significant iambic predecessor of Horace was Hipponax, a lyric poet who flourished during the sixth century BC in Ephesus, Asia Minor. Writing in the same vein as Archilochus, his poems depict the vulgar aspects of contemporary society. In contrast to the previous iambic tradition, he has been described as striking a discernibly satirical pose: through the use of eccentric and foreign language, many of his poems come across as humorous takes on low-brow activities. His influence is acknowledged in "Epode" 6.11–4. The Hellenistic scholar and poet Callimachus (third century BC) also wrote a collection of iambi, which are thought to have left a mark on Horace's poems. In these poems, Callimachus presented a toned-down version of the archaic iambus. Horace avoids direct allusions to Callimachus, a fact which has sometimes been seen as a strategy in favour of the style of Archilochus and Hipponax. Metre. The metrical pattern of "Epodes" 1–10 consists of an iambic trimeter (three sets of two iambs) followed by an iambic dimeter (two sets of two iambs). Possible caesurae are indicated by a vertical line. In the trimeter, all longs (—) before the caesura may be replaced by two shorts (∪ ∪). In the dimeter, only the first long may be so replaced. x — ∪ — x | — ∪ | — x — ∪ — x — ∪ — x — ∪ — Poems 11–17 deviate from this pattern and, with the exception of 14 and 15, each exhibit a different metre. Most of these metres combine iambic elements with dactylic ones and include: the second and third Archilochian, the Alcmanic strophe, and the first and second Pythiambic. "Epode" 17 presents an anomaly: it is the only poem in the collection with a stichic metre. The term 'stichic' denotes a succession of identical verses. In this case, the poem consists of eighty-one identical iambic trimeters. Therefore, 17 is the only "Epode" that may not technically be described as an epode. Contents. "Epode" 1 is dedicated to Horace's patron, Maecenas, who is about to join Octavian on the Actium campaign. The poet announces that he is willing to share the dangers of his influential friend, even though he is unwarlike himself. This loyalty, the poem claims, is not motivated by greed but rather by genuine friendship for Maecenas. "Epode" 2 is a poem of exceptional length (70 verses) and popularity among readers of Horace. It envisions the tranquil life of a farmer as a desirable contrast to the hectic life of Rome's urban elite. Each season holds its own pleasures and life is dictated by the agricultural calendar. At the end of the poem, a money-lender named Alfius is revealed as the speaker of the epode, leaving the reader to ponder its sincerity. In "Epode" 3, Horace reacts to an excessive amount of garlic he has consumed at one of Maecenas' dinner parties: its strong taste has set his stomach on fire. Comparing the ingredient to the poison used by witches such as Medea, he playfully wishes that his host be stricken by the same condition. "Epode" 4 criticises the pretentious behaviour of a social climber. The main charge levelled at the man is that he used to be a slave and has now risen to be a military tribune, thereby offending those who traditionally occupied such positions. The poem also imagines the heckling of passers-by on the Via Sacra. Critics have stated that the target of the epode resembles Horace's own biography. "Epode" 5 details the encounter of a young boy with the witch ("venefica") Canidia. Together with a group of fellow witches, she plans to use his bone marrow and liver to concoct a love potion. Unable to escape from his entrapment, the boy utters a vow to haunt the witches in his afterlife. The poem is the longest in the collection and is particularly notable for its portrayal of witchcraft. In "Epode" 6, Horace envisions himself as the successor of the Greek iambographers Archilochus and Hipponax. Should someone be brave enough to provoke him, he will bite back with the fervour of his Greek models. "Epode" 7 is addressed to the citizens of Rome. Set in the context of Octavian's civil war, the poet scolds his fellow citizens for rushing to shed their own blood instead of fighting foreign enemies. The poem and its opening line ( "Where, where are you rushing in your wickedness?") are famous for their desperate attempt to prevent renewed civil warfare. "Epode" 8 is the first of two 'sexual epodes'. In it, Horace lambasts a repulsive old woman for expecting sexual favours from him. Although she is wealthy and has a collection of sophisticated books, the poet rejects her ageing body. "Epode" 9 extends an invitation to Maecenas to celebrate Octavian's victory in the Battle of Actium. Octavian is praised for having defeated Mark Antony, who is portrayed as an unmanly leader because of his alliance with Cleopatra. "Epode" 10 strikes a more traditionally iambic note. In the style of Hipponax' "Strasbourg Epode", the poet curses his enemy Mevius. Horace wishes that the ship carrying Mevius will suffer shipwreck and that his enemy's corpse will be devoured by gulls. In "Epode" 11, the poet complains to his friend Pettius that he is mad with love for a boy named Lyciscus. The poem is a variation on the idea that love may make the lover's life unbearable. It thus has much in common with Roman love elegy. "Epode" 12 is the second of two 'sexual epodes'. Like in poem 8, the poet finds himself in bed with an ageing woman. This time, Horace is criticised for his impotence — which he blames on the woman's repulsive body. The poem is known for its obscene sexual vocabulary. "Epode" 13 is set at a symposium, an all-male drinking party. Drinking with one's friends is presented as an antidote to both bad weather and worries. The second half of the poem tells how the centaur Chiron gave the same piece of advice to his pupil Achilles. "Epode" 14 returns to the theme of poem 11: the inhibiting effects of love. Horace apologises to Maecenas for not having completed as promised a set of iambics. The reason for this failure, he adds, is the powerful grip of love. "Epode" 15 continues the motif of love by commenting on the infidelity of one Neaera. Having sworn an oath of loyalty to the poet, she has now run off to another man. The poem contains a well-known pun on Horace's "cognomen" Flaccus ( "... if there is anything manly in a man called floppy"). "Epode" 16 weaves together strands from "Epodes" 2 and 7. After lamenting the devastating effects of civil warfare on Rome and its citizens, Horace exhorts his countrymen to emigrate to a faraway place. This vision of a rural lifestyle as an alternative to a depressed state of affairs shows characteristics of escapism. The final "Epode" (17) takes the shape of a palinode, a type of poem which serves to retract a previously stated sentiment. Here, the poet takes back his defamations of Canidia in poem 5. Still occupying the position of the captive boy, he begs the witch for mercy. His request is shrugged off by Canidia who thus has the last word of the collection. Themes. Victimhood is an import theme within the collection. Although Horace assumes the strident persona of the iambic poet for most of the "Epodes", critics have described that the roles of aggressor and victim are regularly reversed. In the two erotic poems (8 and 12), for example, the poet is forced to retaliate viciously because his sexual potency has been called into question. Similarly, his toothless tirade against the use of garlic comes after the poet has been poisoned by the same ingredient. Central to discussions of victimhood in the "Epodes" is Horace's fascination with the witch Canidia and her coven. She features prominently in two poems (5 and 17) which together make up nearly a third of the collection. The Latinist Ellen Oliensis describes her as a "kind of anti-Muse": Horace finds himself forced to write poems in order to assuage her anger. In keeping with the overall depiction of women in the collection, the witch is reduced to her repulsive sexuality which the poet is nevertheless unable to resist. This weakness in the face of Canidia is illustrated by the fact that she speaks the last word of the "Epodes". Features such as these have made the "Epodes" a popular case study for the exploration of poetic impotence. The dramatic situation of the "Epodes" is set against the backdrop of Octavian's civil war against Mark Antony. Anxiety about the outcome of the conflict manifests itself in several poems: while "Epodes" 1 and 9 express support for the Octavian cause, 9 displays a frustration about the precarious political situation more generally. The wish to escape to a simpler, less hostile environment comes to the fore in two lengthy poems (2 and 16) and strikes a tone much like that of Virgil's early work, the "Eclogues" and "Georgics". One result of decades of civil war is the increasing confusion of friend and foe, which can be seen in Horace's attacks on Maecenas (3) and the upstart military tribune (4). Palpable throughout much of the "Epodes" is a concern for the poet's standing in society already familiar to readers of the "Satires". In this regard, Horace's friendship with the wealthy Maecenas is of particular interest. Horace, the son of an ex-slave, seems to have felt some uncertainty about their cross-class relationship. A good example of this is "Epode" 3: in response to an overly garlicky dinner, Horace hopes that Maecenas will suffer from a similar garlic overdose. The humorous curse against his social superior has been interpreted as the poet standing his ground in a socially acceptable way. The opposite dynamic can be observed in "Epode" 4. Here, the poet, apparently oblivious of his low social status, joins a mob of citizens in ridiculing a former slave who has risen to become a Roman knight. Reception. The "Epodes" have traditionally been Horace's least regarded work, due, in part, to the collection's recurring coarseness and its open treatment of sexuality. This has caused critics to strongly favour the political poems (1, 7, 9, and 16), while the remaining ones became marginalised. Leaving few traces in later ancient texts, the "Epodes" were often treated as a lesser appendix to the famous "Odes" in the early modern period. Only the second "Epode", an idyllic vision of rural life, received regular attention by publishers and translators. Nevertheless, during the Victorian era, a number of leading English boarding schools prescribed parts of the collection as set texts for their students. The last quarter of the 20th century saw a resurgence of critical interest in the "Epodes", bringing with it the publication of several commentaries and scholarly articles. In the wake of this resurgence, the collection has become known for what the classicist Stephen Harrison describes as "hard-hitting analyses" of the socio-political issues of late-Republican Rome. One feature that has proved of enduring interest is the collection's eccentric portrayal of witchcraft. Examples of this include a hostile review of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published in the "Southern Literary Messenger" in 1852. The anonymous reviewer criticised the book's educational message, describing it as "the song of Canidia."

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Terra Ignota Terra Ignota is a planned quartet of science fiction novels by the American author Ada Palmer. The series consists of "Too Like the Lightning" (2016), "Seven Surrenders" (2017), "The Will to Battle" (2017), and "Perhaps the Stars" (planned for first half of 2021). Set in the year 2454, they follow the events that lead the world to war for the first time after three centuries of peace following the end of the nation state. The novels have won several awards and the first was a finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel. Setting. Following the advent of technology allowing cheap transportation to any point in the world within two hours and a series of religious wars known as the Church Wars, the 22nd century saw the death of the nation state. Replacing this was a series of Universal Laws which apply to everybody and a group of Hives, which are non-geographical nations with voluntary membership. Each Hive has its own legal system, as well as unique systems of government, language, manner of dress, and most have a capital city. By the year 2454, there are seven remaining Hives, as well as three groups of Hiveless. All minors are Graylaw Hiveless until they pass their Adult Competency Exam and declare an allegiance. An important tenet of the system of voluntary membership of Hives is that it must be possible to be a member of no hive. As such, there are a set of laws that govern all humanity set forth by the Universal Free Alliance known as the Black Laws. These laws primarily prohibit actions that will result in significant loss of human life or destruction of natural resources, harm a minor, or deprive an individual of the ability to call for help via trackers. Blacklaw Tribunes, the representatives of those without a Hive, have a veto power on any new Black Laws proposed. An additional set of Consensus Laws, known as Gray Laws, reflect reasonable laws frequently recommended to preserve common peace, and ban destructive behaviours such as violence, theft, and exploitation. These laws apply to Minors and those without mental facilities to give informed consent to opt out. Above these is a set of Character Laws known as White Laws, which are used by those that believe that restrictive laws are conducive to moral behaviour, and ban recreational substances and violence, and certain sexual activities. Any adult not a member of a Hive can choose which set of laws they wish to follow and be protected by. The Six-Hive Transport system is a global network of flying cars operated by a Humanist bash', and is the primary mode of travel in the series. Utopia operates its own car system, separate to the primary one used in the series. The Utopian system is slightly slower than the primary one, but has 100% fewer accidents. "Set-sets" are people who have been molded from before birth to have their nervous systems rewired in order to be able to carry out complicated calculations. Eureka Weeksbooth, a Cartesian set-set, is said to have 45 senses mapped to various nerves, including remapped pain nerves, and is more effective at running the car system than any supercomputer humanity is able to build. Nurturists are people who believe that as set-sets are not able to change or grow or normally interface with life, their creation is cruel and should be banned. In the series, the question of set-sets is a moral question that causes social tensions, and has in the past caused riots. Surveillance is universal; individuals are equipped with personal "trackers", devices that allow for telecommunication and record a person's whereabouts (as the name suggests), but these can be switched off. Style and influence. The books start with an in-fiction internal title page of authorizations, disclaimers and trigger warnings. Palmer explained in an interview that French books of the Ancien Régime period listed the authorities having approved them for censorship purposes, and that such lists provide insights as to the preoccupations and priorities of the society in which they were published. Mycroft, a member of the "Servicer" program, for convicted but paroled criminals, is the primary narrator of the book, and for the most part it follows his activities from the March the twenty-third to March the twenty-seventh, 2454. Mycroft also describes some events that he is not directly implicated in, but which have been relayed to him since the conclusion of the action by others, or which he witnessed through another character's "tracker", universally-worn technology that allows the wearer to, among other things, call other trackers, take a photograph, and instantly search an Internet-like network of information; he also admits to imagining some scenes, in keeping with the intimate narrative voice used throughout the novel. There are occasional "interludes" by other narrators and sections which have been added by later in-universe editors and revisers, such as the Latin translations given in Chapter 21 by someone under the moniker "9A". The novels make frequent direct addresses to the reader to create a "personal relationship" between the author and the reader, inspired by "Jacques the Fatalist" from Diderot, which provides the epigraph, and other pieces of eighteenth-century literature. Palmer felt there is a particular "emotional experience" when one reads this kind of book, and so adopted the style herself, to further the connection to the eighteenth century in the world of the series. Similarly, the narrator makes frequent reference to his act of actually writing of the book, and the scrutiny he is under from some other characters, who have apparently acted as editors and censors. Palmer has stated that "a number of the major themes come from Enlightenment literature: whether humans have the ability to rationally remake their world for the better, whether gender and morality are artificial or innate, whether Providence is a useful way to understand the world and if so what ethics we can develop to go with it." "Too Like the Lightning" features frequent references to Voltaire, referred to as the Patriarch. Throughout the first three books of the series, Mycroft engages in dialogues with the reader, whose responses and objections to Mycroft are also given, and "The Will to Battle" also features dialogues with Thomas Hobbes. Languages. Many different languages are spoken throughout the course of the series. Most dialogue is usually rendered in English, but to indicate other languages, and other mediums of communication, various orthographic conventions are used. For the most part, different quotation marks are used for each language. To represent words spoken in Japanese, corner brackets 「 like this 」 are used, while French and Greek speech receive guillemets « like this ». Inverted question and exclamation marks ¡¿like this?! are used to distinguish speech in Spanish. German receives no special punctuation, but text that is translated from German preserves the rules of noun-capitalization of that language, "so the Text looks like this, with all the Nouns capitalized". Masonic Latin, as well as J.E.D.D. Mason's own variety, is often left untranslated, and italicised, but is usually followed by an English translation in brackets, supplied either by Mycroft or 9A. Despite these being the seven languages that Mycroft speaks, occasionally other languages do appear, and they have their own conventions: for instance, when a character speaks Hindi, the full stop is replaced by the Hindi "poorna viraam" ("।") (U+0964 "Devanagari Danda"). Set-sets communicate only via text seen through trackers, and their dialogue is enclosed in less-than and greater-than signs, with all text rendered in lower case letters. Other text appearing over trackers is also enclosed in less-than and greater-than signs, but with proper capitalization. Gendered language. By default, almost all characters use gender-neutral language, with "they/them" the predominant pronoun used. Mycroft, the primary narrator, finds his world's obsession with gender-neutrality oppressive, so often uses gendered pronouns to refer to other characters, assigning genders based on the characters' personalities and roles, as they relate to traditional Western gender roles. For instance, Chagatai is referred to using "she/her" pronouns because of their fierce, lioness-like strength when protecting their nephew from attack. The author has explained that Mycroft frequently "misuses" gendered pronouns, just as people in real life often make mistakes when using gender-neutral pronouns. Also, in its chapter at the start of "Seven Surrenders", Sniper advises the reader to not "trust the gendered pronouns Mycroft gives people, they all come from Madame". Mycroft sometimes varies the gendered pronouns he gives characters. For instance, Carlyle is mostly referred to using she/her pronouns starting with "Seven Surrenders", whereas in the first book Carlyle is referred to with he/him pronouns. Plot. "Too Like the Lightning". Set in the year 2454, the novel is a fictional memoir written by Mycroft Canner, a brilliant, infamous, and paroled criminal who often serves the world's most powerful leaders. Mycroft frequents the Saneer-Weeksbooth home, at which an important stolen document has been planted. The mystery of why and by whom serves as a focal point which draws many different characters, vying for global power and peace, into involvement with the family. Meanwhile, Mycroft tries to protect and conceal a child named Bridger, who has the power to make the unreal real. March the twenty-third, 2454. Carlyle Foster has been assigned as the new sensayer (a professional spiritual guide) of the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash'. He enters their home suddenly and witnesses the death of a living toy soldier, brought to life by Bridger's miracle. Martin Guildbreaker has also arrived at the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash' to investigate a crime: the unpublished Seven-Ten List (ranking the world's ten most influential people) was stolen from the "Black Sakura" news office and planted in the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash'house as though to frame them for grand theft. Martin meets and interrogates Ockham Saneer, head of the bash'. Mycroft is summoned to Tōgenkyō by Chief Director Hotaka Andō Mitsubishi. Hotaka and his wife Danaë interrogate Mycroft about the potential use of the "Canner Device" (which allows the user to travel untraced) in the "Black Sakura" theft. March the twenty-fourth, Renunciation Day. Mycroft and Censor Vivien Ancelet calculate the economic and cultural impact of this year's publication of the Seven-Ten lists. Vivien recognizes the statistical sequence 33-67; 67-33; 29-71, because his former co-worker Kohaku Mardi wrote it on a wall in his own blood before he died. Mycroft divulges that the statistics predict the tipping point of global destabilization. Mycroft and Vivien agree privately to do anything they can to prevent this catastrophe. The six Hive leaders approve J.E.D.D. Mason to lead the investigation of the crime. Switching narrators briefly, Martin Guildbreaker dictates his investigation interview, where he begins to learn about the conspicuous suicides and car crashes which have been subtly affecting world politics. March the twenty-fifth. Mycroft returns to the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash' to find Bridger distressed: Dominic Seneschal has found Bridger's cave and confiscated many items. Mycroft wants to hide Bridger somewhere new, away from the bash'house, but Thisbe is suspicious. Carlyle finds out Mycroft is the infamous serial killer Mycroft Canner who tortured, murdered, and ate the seventeen Mardi bash' members years ago. Julia Doria-Pamphili, Mycroft's court-appointed sensayer, arrives. Carlyle and Julia travel together and discuss how Mitsubishi bash' members are now employed in the Censor's Office, European Parliament, the Humanist Praetor's office, the C.F.B., and the "Black Sakura". March the twenty-sixth. Saladin, Mycroft's secret lover and accomplice, has found and wants to kill Tully Mardi, the only remaining Mardi. Mycroft asks Saladin to kill Bridger if he is about to be captured. Thisbe and Carlyle go to Paris to the 'black hole' which Eureka says J.E.D.D. Mason frequents. It turns out to be a secret, Eighteenth-Century era themed, high-security Gendered Sex Club, where they worship J.E.D.D. (Jehovah Epicurus Donatien D'Arouet) Mason as a God. They find out that the world leaders often secretly assemble here, united by Madame D'Arouet and her illegitimate son, J.E.D.D. Mason. Saladin finds Bridger in distress, takes him to a safe house, and decides to hunt down Dominic Seneschal. March the twenty-seventh. A final interlude by Martin Guildbreaker commences: a consultation with Commissioner General Ektor Papadelias. By examining the pattern of car crashes and Cato Weeksbooth's suicidal episodes, they realize the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash' is carrying out targeted assassinations, ostensibly in order to maintain the world political status quo and prevent war. They debate the kill-dozens-to-save-thousands ethics of pursuing this investigation. If these assassinations are revealed, war may begin. "Seven Surrenders". "Seven Surrenders" describes the final three days of Mycroft's history of the "seven days of transformation", March 26–29, 2454. Ockham meets with Ganymede, Andō, and European Prime Minister Casimir Perry, to discuss what steps should be taken in the face of recent events. They propose using O.S., the nickname for the secret system of strategic assassinations that has benefited world peace for the past twelve generations by killing individuals to alleviate economic, social, and political tensions in the world. Carlyle finds herself lured into a meeting with Dominic, her newly-reassigned sensayer. The session is interrupted by the arrival of the Utopian Voltaire Seldon, who had tracked the activated Canner Device to Dominic's room, and demands its surrender. After breaking her down thoroughly, Dominic convinces Carlyle to work with her to harness Bridger's power for J.E.D.D. Mason. Desperate to preserve Bridger, Mycroft tries to get through to Carlyle, but she switches off her tracker before he can finish. Mycroft finds Saladin in a cage in Madame's "Salon de Versailles", where he had been held after his own capture. Cornel MASON demands an explanation about Apollo Mojave's coat, and the immense number of lethal weapons stored within it. Mycroft reveals that the Mardi bash' had been preparing itself for war, while subtly trying to precipitate a global war, believing that war is inevitable, and it would be better to get it out of the way while they are around to advise on it than to have it later when more advanced technologies would mean greater bloodshed, possibly at the expense of the success of Utopia's Mars terraforming project. After Sniper's kidnappers return it, the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash' holds a meeting of O.S., to decide whether or not to obey President Ganymede's ordered hit, should it come. Carlyle is discovered hiding and listening in, and Thisbe drags her away. Carlyle confesses that she has been willfully acting as Conclave Head Julia Doria-Pamphili's pawn in her struggle against Danaë Mitsubishi, who herself has also been developing a secret network infiltrating all the Hives. A Cartesian set-set working on the investigation into O.S., finds themself irresistibly drawn to kill an O.S. target. They beg not to be sent to jail, and after reassurance from Guildbreaker, they reveal the breadth and depth of the impact O.S. Papadelias arrests Julia Doria-Pamphili and the majority of the Saneer-Weeksbooth bash', after Sniper is named the thirteenth O.S. When Carlyle confronts the Hive leaders gathered at Madame's, Casimir Perry reveals himself to be Merion Kraye, a disgraced European politician who assaulted Danaë and fathered Carlyle. Having arranged for Sniper to be present to broadcast the scene with its ever-present cameras, Perry-Kraye grabs Ganymede and falls through the window that separates Madame's salon from the Flesh Pit, and the scandal of Madame's salon is revealed to the world. Later, J.E.D.D. Mason begins to give a report to the world, confirming the recent scandals and urging reason, but is interrupted by a bullet to the head from a Sniper doll across the Forum, brought to life by Bridger out of fear. Sniper publishes evidence and declares that J.E.D.D. Mason was a threat to the Hive system, since they were set to gain complete control over each Hive, thus erasing the freedom of choice from the system. As Dominic chases the assassin through Romanova, Bridger appears and resurrects J.E.D.D. with a potion before disappearing again. As the leaderships of the Humanists, Cousins, and Mitsubishi plan reforms to their government and new leaders to take their place, Prime Minister Perry-Kraye gathers as many European officials and Ministers as he can into the Parliament in Brussels, which is then destroyed by missiles. Mycroft finds Bridger hiding in a closet in the Sniper Doll Museum. He refuses to come out, and apologizes that he can't handle the war that is coming. He puts on the uniform of a World War II soldier, and transforms himself into the Major, who is revealed to be the legendary hero Achilles. Mycroft and Achilles mourn the loss of Bridger, then begin to plan for the war to come. "The Will to Battle". Following the events of "Seven Surrenders", the world is experiencing higher tensions. Mycroft, from a position three months later, narrates how the history presented in the first two volumes was compiled and prepared for release; in contrast, this volume has been written for posterity, rather than public release, so is less closely edited by the Ninth Anonymous (9A). This is marked by several stylistic changes, including the presentation of conversations as simple dialogues, as if in a script. Mycroft's sanity is failing, and he had numerous dialogues with deceased friends, such as several of the Mardi bash' and Apollo Mojave, and with Thomas Hobbes and the reader, some involving the reader speaking directly to Hobbes. J.E.D.D. Mason decides to take action, as a means of facilitating a dialogue with his peer, the God of this universe. As such, he begins to pursue the unconditional surrender of all hives so that he can remake the world into a place where the assassinations of O.S. are not needed to maintain stability. Opposing him is a faction led by Sniper and Tully Mardi, both in hiding, with the world split in opinion. J.E.D.D. Mason continues to gain power, being revealed as heir to the Masonic throne and being legitimized as the heir to the King of Spain. Several inciting incidents look like they might cause a war, such as riots sparked by a ban on the sale of land to the Mitsubishi, until J.E.D.D. Mason declares his intentions, clarifying the start of the war, and proposes a truce to last until the end of the forthcoming Olympic Games, as was the tradition in Ancient Greece. Meanwhile, alliances are formed. Achilles, transformed from the toy known as the Major into a human by Bridger's suicide, helps world leaders prepare for war, stockpiling food and increasing medical facilities so that the upcoming war is as humane as it can be. Achilles helps begin the training of Servicers to serve as soldiers and commits to helping Utopia, whom he allies with the Masons. After being kidnapped by Dominic and Madame in order to make contact with Sniper, an assailant attempts to kill Mycroft and later kidnaps Sniper. Sniper's disappearance is hidden, and they are returned in time for the Olympic Games. The assailant is revealed to supposedly be a surviving Merion Kraye/Casimir Perry, assisted by Croucher. In order to prevent the destruction of the planet, Utopia destroys all facilities capable of creating Harbingers, weapons capable of great destruction, including viral laboratories and nuclear facilities. They also kidnap all people with the knowledge of how to create them. As this has affected all other Hives, they offer reparations in the form of assets and intellectual property. Furthermore, they give the Hives the means to spy on each other to ensure that no further Harbingers are created. As war is declared, the Utopian undersea city of Atlantis is attacked, and Mycroft seemingly killed, though he somehow survives. The rest of the narrative is written by 9A, explaining their relation to Mycroft and the following events. The novel ends with the world newly at war. Publication history. The worldbuilding process took five years, and was first inspired when Palmer heard the line in "Romeo and Juliet" that gives the first book its name. Palmer states that the original inspiration was for a structure involving the loss of something precious at the midpoint, and that the outline and worldbuilding grew out of that. The Mycroft character was developed after most of the other central characters, but before the plot. Palmer found out that she had sold the story to Tor Books at San Antonio Worldcon 2013, five years after she had first submitted it. By the time the first manuscript had been sold, Palmer had written drafts for the second and third. Reception. NPR qualifies the book as "dense and complex" and the worldbuilding as a "thrilling feat", comparing with Gene Wolfe and Neal Stephenson worlds. The critic describes "Too Like The Lighting" as "one of the most maddening, majestic, ambitious novels – in any genre – in recent years" but deplores the abrupt ending. The New York Review of Science Fiction compares the narrator with Alex from "A Clockwork Orange". Paul Kincaid in "Strange Horizons" was disappointed by the gender treatment in "Too Like the Lightning", deploring the direct abandon by the narrator, preferring the style in "Ancillary Justice". They consider the book concepts had the potential to be "one of the most significant works of contemporary science fiction" but fails to "[live] up to its aspirations". Awards. "Too Like the Lightning" was a finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Novel, and won the 2017 Compton Crook Award for the best first novel in the genre published during the previous year.

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Age of X-Man Age of X-Man is a 2019 Marvel Comics crossover storyline featuring the X-Men. The name and premise are similar to the 1995 storyline "Age of Apocalypse", but change it into an utopia led by Nate Grey (X-Man). Publication history. The X-Men comics got a franchise-wide relaunch in 2018. The ongoing titles "X-Men Gold", "X-Men Blue", and "X-Men Red" were closed, and "Uncanny X-Men" was relaunched instead. This comic started the arc "X-Men Disassembled", and the press release said that it was "an epic tale of mystery and tragic disappearance, with an adventure so earth-shattering, it could very well be the X-Men’s final mission". This comic was written by Ed Brisson, Kelly Thompson and Matthew Rosenberg, with art by Mahmud Asrar, R.B. Silva, Yildiray Cinar and Pere Pérez, all of whom had been working in X-Men comics. The arc ended with X-Man transporting most mutants into an alternate reality of his own creation; from that point on the "Uncanny X-Men" comic starred Cyclops, Wolverine and a handful of mutants that remained. The storyline continued in other comic books, set in the aforementioned alternate reality: "Age of X-Man: The Marvelous X-Men" by Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson and Marco Failla, "Age of X-Man: NextGen" by Ed Brisson and Marcus To, "Age of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler" by Seanan McGuire and Juan Frigeri, "Age of X-Man: Prisoner X" by Vita Ayala and German Peralta, and "Age of X-Man: Apocalypse and the X-Tracts" by Tim Seeley and Salva Espin. The story ended with the one-shot "Age of X-Man Omega", that returned the mutants to their reality. The X-Men franchise had a new relaunch after it, "Dawn of X", led by Jonathan Hickman. Controversies. The comic "Uncanny X-Men" #5 features X-Man destroying the Padmanabhaswamy Temple, as well as other iconic places of worship, for antireligion reasons. The character said "I cleansed the world of its fake houses of worship and false prophets." Rajan Zed, the president of Universal Society of Hinduism, rejected it as offensive, and said that "Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled." "Uncanny X-Men" #17 features the death of Wolfsbane, a shape-shifting mutant, beaten to death by a mob. Commentators from Women Write About Comics, and The Beat considered the scene a case of transmisogyny, that would trivialize the violence against trans people. The writer Matthew Rosenberg apologized for it on his Twitter account. Wolfsbane would later be resurrected in the Dawn of X story line.

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Allen (Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1) "Allen" is the two-part season premiere of the eighth season of the American animated television series "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" (under the alternative title of "Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1"), and the 101st and 102nd episodes of the series overall respectively. Both parts of "Allen" originally aired in the United States on May 8, 2011 and May 15, 2011, respectively on Adult Swim. In the first part, Master Shake freezes himself in Dr. Weird's lab and awakes up nine years later disoriented and with no knowledge of the whereabouts of Frylock and Meatwad. In the second part, Shake discovers the world is now controlled by a god-like figure named Allen who kills anyone who misbehaves in order to maintain the world as a Utopia where everyone has respect for one another. "Allen" is the first episode of the series to be branded under an alternative title, and the first part marks the final appearance of Dr. Weird. The script for the beginning of the first part was read live by the main cast at Dragon*Con in 2010, months before the episode originally aired on television. This is the first two-part episode since "Last Last One Forever and Ever" and "Rabbot Redux"; no other multi-part episodes have premiered since. Both parts later aired together back-to-back in a half-hour block on May 29, 2011. Both parts ranked #1 in their respective time slots on basic cable with all key adult demographics, and the May 29, 2011 airing was seen by 1.675 million viewers. Both parts have been made available on DVD, and other forms of home media, including on demand streaming. Plot. Part 1. The newly formed "Aqua Unit Patrol Squad", a detective squad made up of Master Shake, Meatwad, and Frylock, anthropomorphic fast-food items, are under their latest investigation at an abandoned house to find out if a man is having a sexual affair with the woman they are working for. After Frylock leaves because of a debate over the new show not being any good, Shake and Meatwad fall asleep. Later, when they wake up, a construction worker, whom they believe to be the person having an affair with their client, begins to demolish the house. Shake believes this to be an insurance scam, and that he may be trying to hide "evidence" by tearing the house down. He puts on a beret, a fake mustache, and a poor French accent, and walks over to the construction worker. He tells him that his name is Jacques and that he just moved into the neighborhood, wondering what the man was doing. The construction worker replies that he is tearing the house down. Shake tries to cajole info out of the construction worker about the supposed insurance scam/sexual affair, but he does not budge. Meatwad then tells Shake that they are at the wrong house, and that the man tearing the house down got sent by the city, as it has been vacant for ten years. Shake even admits that the person they are looking for is small and white, while the man in front of them is large and black. After the construction worker orders them to leave, Shake rips off his disguise and accent and orders the construction worker to tell him what kind of back-room operation he had to have to look like that. Later, at the hospital, Shake is badly injured, to the point where he cannot move, and Meatwad must hand him water. Shake, with his voice very weak, brags about beating the man up. Meatwad then tells Shake that he checked with their client and that she was not even married, ruling out that she had a husband, or that she even had an affair, since she was single. Frylock reveals that the woman really wanted them to find her cat. Shake then comes up with the notion that the man that beat him up took the woman's cat, and framed them by saying that they are detectives. Shake wants her phone records, as well as everyone she has emailed. Frylock then complains that the "new show" still isn't any good, and that they should go back and do what they used to do. Shake then comes up with another plan: hypersleep. They go to Dr. Weird's castle at the South Jersey Shore to "borrow" hypersleep chambers and freeze themselves for nine years. The reason for this is because crime will surely have increased by then, so as a result they will have more business. After they all get into the chambers, Shake freezes himself, and Frylock leaves because he sees it as a terrible, hair-brained scheme. After nine years, Shake awakens, and sees that there was a monster named Danny in the chamber that was making love to his face on and off the entire time so he could deposit his eggs into him. Shake (now sporting a full beard) is disgusted by this, and then jumps at the sight of Danny being electrocuted by lightning. Shake gets a cab ride to an abortion clinic and discovers that "everything is free now" because everyone is supposed to be good. After he gets an abortion, protesters outside are also shot by lightning, as is the doctor that performed the abortion on Shake. Shake then goes back to his home, now in Seattle, and is horrified to discover that no one is there. Part 2. Shake goes over to his neighbor Carl's house (now repainted and with random junk in the yard) to discover that he had moved away, and instead, a man named George Lowe lives there, under the alias "Mister Beefy". George shows him an area to rent that is in a bad section of town. It, however, is free. Kids run away with items in the room and get blasted by the lightning. Shake does not feel like buying it, and then George says that everything is free, vulgarly. Then a blast of lightning kills George. Shake makes a run to a phone booth and leaves many unsuccessful messages on Frylock's answering machine to come and pick him up (Frylock and Meatwad now live in an apartment). Frylock, after having enough of his messages, destroys his answer machine. Shake wanders around for a moment, and is then stopped by some friendly gangsters who ask Shake if he needs directions. Shake is frightened by them and is surprised that they do not want to kill him. One of the gangsters then pulls out a knife and is then electrocuted by the lightning after mentioning Allen and threatening him. Shake questions the other gangster about this Allen, and he tries to walk away from Shake, pretending to not know what he is talking about. Shake is then abducted and thrown into a tiny room with thousands of small monitors inside. The room has a banner outside that reads, "BEHAVE FOR THE ALLEN". It is supposed to say alien, but "Allen" says they, "fucked it up." Allen says that the monitors track all bad deeds around the entire world, and when spotted the perpetrators are electrocuted, so that the Earth can remain good. Allen then explains to Shake that he is the meanest person on the planet, and that he is going to electrocute him. But Shake responds that he has on a "forcefield"; Allen believes this, and refrains from killing him. Frylock and Meatwad then go right next to the room where Allen and Shake are located and Meatwad tells Frylock a plan he has. Allen tells Shake that he has an abusive father, who forced him to do the job he is doing, after Allen and his friend Tommy have a party and Tommy ruined his father's pool table. Shake then tells Allen that he knows his father, and that his father is going out of town on business. Allen sees this as the perfect opportunity to party with his friend Tommy, and tells Shake to do his job. Meatwad's plan starts, with him saying tiny swears such as "doody" and "butt", while Frylock goes all out and says things like "suck my fry dick". Allen blasts and kills Frylock and gives Shake his powers and goes up out of the room, leaving Shake in charge. But before he can go up to the party room, it catches fire because Tommy was smoking, and Allen argues with his father. Shake then flicks a button which puts a shield on the tower, and Allen's father electrocutes and kills him for "his own good". Production. Both parts of "Allen" were written and directed by series creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro who have written and directed every episode of the series. The first part originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programing block, Adult Swim, on May 8, 2011 with the second part airing a week later on May 15, 2011. Both parts aired together in a half-hour block on May 29, 2011. The first part features a guest appearance from Steven Wright who voiced Danny. The second part features an appearance from Matt Berry who voiced the lead character and Allen and cameo appearances from Michael K. Williams and Donnie Blue as well. The beginning script for the first part was read live by the main cast: Dana Snyder, Carey Means, and Dave Willis at the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" panel at Dragon*Con in 2010, several months before the episode officially aired on television. This episode is the first episode not to premiere under the "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" brand as it was the first to air when each season was given an alternative title. The first part features the first and only cold opening since the season three episode, "The Cloning", which features the final appearance of Dr. Weird. Reception. The original American broadcast of the first part on May 8, 2011 was watched by 1.846 million viewers, and ranked #1 in its time slot on basic cable with all key adult demographics and men 18–34 and 18–24. The original American broadcast of the second part the following week on May 15, 2011 was watched by 1.798 viewers, and ranked #1 in its time slot on basic cable among adults 18–24, alongside the premiere of the "Superjail!" episode "Jailbot 2.0". When both parts were re-aired together in a half-hour block on May 29, 2011, it was watched by 1.675 million viewers. Home release. Both parts of "Allen" were released on DVD in Region 1 as part of the "Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1: Season 1" DVD set on October 11, 2011, along with seven episodes from season seven and the remaining eight episodes from the eighth season. The set was released and distributed by Adult Swim and Warner Home Video, and features "Terror Phone 3" as a special feature, the set also features completely uncensored audio on every episode. The set was later released in Region 4 by Madman Entertainment on November 30, 2011. Both parts of "Allen" are also available in HD and SD on iTunes, the Xbox Live Marketplace, and Amazon Video.

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m2d2_wiki

The Blazing World The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World, better known as The Blazing World, is a 1666 work of prose fiction by the English writer Margaret Cavendish, the Duchess of Newcastle. Feminist critic Dale Spender calls it a forerunner of science fiction. It can also be read as a utopian work. Story. As its full title suggests, "Blazing World" is a fanciful depiction of a satirical, utopian kingdom in another world (with different stars in the sky) that can be reached via the North Pole. According to novelist Steven H. Propp, it is "the only known work of utopian fiction by a woman in the 17th century, as well as an example of what we now call 'proto-science fiction' — although it is also a romance, an adventure story, and even autobiography." "Blazing World" opens with a poem written by William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle. Cavendish's book inspired a notable sonnet by her husband, William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which celebrates her imaginative powers. The sonnet was followed by a letter to the reader written by Margaret Cavendish herself. In the letter to the reader, Cavendish divides "Blazing World" into three parts. The first part being “romancial”, the second “philosophical”, and the third “fancy” or “fantastical”. The first “romancical” section describes a young woman being kidnapped and unexpectedly being made Empress of The Blazing World. The second “philosophical” section describes the Empress' knowledge and interest in the natural sciences and philosophy. She discusses these topics with the scientists, philosophers, and academics of "The Blazing World." In the final “fantastical” section, the Empress acts in the role of a military leader during an invasion. She clothes herself in jewels and special stones that give her the appearance of a deity. When the Empress triumphs over the naval battle, the Blazing World is described again as a utopic empire. Finally, Cavendish ends "Blazing World" with an Epilogue to the Reader. In this Epilogue she describes her reasons for writing "The Blazing World". She compares creating The Blazing World to the conquests of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. A young woman enters this other world, becomes the empress of a society composed of various species of talking animals, and organises an invasion back into her world complete with submarines towed by the "fish men" and the dropping of "fire stones" by the "bird men" to confound the enemies of her homeland, the Kingdom of Esfi. The work was initially published as a companion piece to Cavendish's "Observations upon Experimental Philosophy" and thus functioned as an imaginative component to what was otherwise a reasoned endeavour in 17th-century science. It was reprinted in 1668. Genre and implications. Scholar Nicole Pohl of Oxford Brookes University has argued that Cavendish was accurate in her categorisation of the work as "a 'hermaphroditic' text". Pohl points to Cavendish's confrontations of seventeenth century norms, with regard to such categories as science, politics, gender, and identity. Pohl argues that her willingness to question society's conceptions while discussing topics that were considered in her era best left to male minds, allows her to escape into an exceptional gender-neutral discussion of said topics, creating what Pohl labels, "a truly emancipatory poetic space." Northeastern University professor Marina Leslie remarks that readers have noted that "The Blazing World" serves as a departure from the habitually male-dominated field of utopian writing. While some readers and critics may interpret Cavendish's work as being restricted by these characteristics of the genre of utopia, Leslie suggests approaching interpretations of the work while remembering Cavendish as one of the first, more outspoken feminists in history, and especially in early writing. Leslie contends that in this sense, Cavendish utilised the utopian genre to discuss issues such as "female nature and authority" in a new light, while simultaneously expanding the utopian genre itself. Dr. Delilah Bermudez Brataas elaborates on utopias' impact on gender and sexuality in her thesis for Tufts University. She points out that initially, utopias were sexually fluid worlds. Therefore, they challenged gender conventions. Cavendish's "Blazing World" demonstrates how sexual and gender-fluid these spaces are, mainly when women write them. Brataas elaborates on this statement further and describes the genre's appeal in earlier times. This period, combined with gender conventions at the time, makes utopia an appealing genre for Cavendish. Utopias offer women a space that can be primarily feminine and makes them feel empowered. Writing a utopia offered Cavendish the opportunity to create a world of her own, one over which she has complete agency and no limits. In her epigraph, Cavendish even reminds the reader that she owns this world and suggests that they are unwelcome and should create their own if they dislike it. Brataas points out how her decisions when building this world reflect her gender ideals, such as spaces for women's education and women as independent figures and authorities. Leslie also believes that "The Blazing World" incorporates many different genres, "which include not only travel narrative and romance but also utopia, epic, biography, cabbala, Lucianic fable, Menippean satire, natural history, and morality play, among others…” Oddvar Holmesland of University of Edinburgh agrees that "The Blazing World" is creative in its genres, writing that "the term 'hybridisation' aptly captures Cavendish's method of blending established genres and categories into a new order, and of presenting her fantasy empire as versimilar." University of Georgia professor Sujata Iyengar points out the importance of the fact that "The Blazing World" is clearly fictional, a stark contrast to the scientific nature of the work it is attached to. Iyengar notes that writing a work of fiction allowed Cavendish to create a new world in which she could conceive of any possible reality. Such liberty, Iyengar argues, allows Cavendish to explore ideas of rank, gender, and race that directly clash with commonly held beliefs about servility in her era. Iyengar goes as far to say that Cavendish's newfound liberty within fictional worlds provides her an opportunity to explore ideas that directly conflict with those that Cavendish writes about in her nonfiction writing. Jason H. Pearl of Florida International University considers "The Blazing World" as one of the earliest examples of the novel, "adding the modifier 'early'...to indicate a period in the novel's history when experimentation was more common, when strange incidents conveyed in strange ways could be expected from prose fiction." Pearl also believes it to contain an "interaction and opposition between two tributary forms: the lunar voyage, a subgenre of utopian writing, and natural philosophy, which helped inform notions of possibility and plausibility in representations of the natural world." However, Pearl also considers it "a revision to the lunar voyage ... one of its revisions is to pull the destination earthward, literally and figuratively, making its various possibilities of difference somehow more accessible." The University of Memphis professor Catherine Gimelli Martin compares "The Blazing World" to another early example of the genre: Thomas More’s "Utopia". She describes Cavendish’s focus as knowledge, whereas More’s is money. Unlike More, Cavendish uses gold in her world as a tool for decoration yet devalues it entirely otherwise. Additionally, she forbids commoners from using gold at all. Martin suggests that in "The" "Blazing World", this class system eliminates any competition for gold like that seen and discussed in More’s "Utopia". World. Pearl has commented on the surrealism of the world, as well as (paradoxically) its similarity to our own. He writes, “The Lady’s experience is described as ‘so strange an adventure,’ in ‘so strange a place, and amongst such wonderful kind of creatures,’ ‘none like any of our world’...It seems anything is possible here,” and that, “near as it is, the Blazing World boasts a multitude of otherworldly marvels," but also believes that "the interstitial passageway exists as a wrinkle in space, a connecting disconnection that permits the Blazing World’s narrow reachability and legitimises its radical differences.” By "interstitial passageway," Pearl is referring to the unseen, unexplained path the protagonist and her captors traverse in the beginning of the story to reach the Blazing World. Political views. Throughout "The Blazing World," the Empress asserts that a peaceful society can only be attained through the lack of societal divisions. To eliminate potential division and maintain social harmony in the society the text imagines, Cavendish constructs a monarchical government. Unlike a democratic government, Cavendish believes only an absolute sovereignty can maintain social unity and stability because the reliance on one authority eliminates separations of power. To further justify the monarchical government, Cavendish draws upon philosophical and religious arguments. She writes, "it was natural for one body to have one head, so it was also natural for a politic body to have but one governor … besides, said they, a monarchy is a divine form of government, and agrees most with our religion." Cavendish's political views are similar to those of English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. In his 1651 book, "Leviathan", Hobbes famously upholds the notion that a monarchical government is a necessary force in preventing societal instability and "ruin", As a notable contemporary of Cavendish, Hobbes' influence on her political philosophy is apparent. In "The Blazing World", Cavendish even directly mentions his name while cataloguing famous writers: "Galileo, Gassendus, Descartes, Helmont, Hobbes, H. More, etc". Influence. In Alan Moore's graphic novels chronicling the adventures of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", the Blazing World was identified as the self-same idyllic realm from which the extra-dimensional traveller Christian, a member of the first League led by Duke Prospero, had come in the late 1680s. The league disbanded when Christian returned to this realm, and it was to where Prospero, Caliban, and Ariel also departed many years later. In China Miéville's "Un Lun Dun", a library book entitled "A London Guide for the Blazing Worlders" is mentioned, suggesting that travel between the two worlds is not all one-way. In 2014, Siri Hustvedt published the novel "The Blazing World", in which she describes Harriet Burden's brilliant but convoluted attempts at gaining recognition from the male-dominated New York City art scene. Hustvedt has Burden refer to Margaret Cavendish as a rich source of inspiration at many occasions. Nearing the end of her life, Burden is comforted by Cavendish's work: "I am back to my blazing mother Margaret" (p. 348), she writes in her notebook. Blazing World was originally published as a conjoined text along with Cavendish's Observations on Experimental Philosophy, which was a direct response to scientist Robert Hooke's Micrographia which was published only a year before. Advances in the field of science and philosophy in the early modern period had a huge influence on Cavendish and were a major component of The Descriptions of a New World, Called the Blazing World. This influence can be seen directly in Blazing World, with nearly half the book consisting of descriptions of the Blazing World, its people, philosophies, and inventions. One of these inventions is a microscope, which Cavendish critiques alongside the experimental method itself in the Blazing World. This integration of scientific advances could be one of the reasons Blazing World is considered by some to be the first sci-fi novel. In 2021, Carlson Young released the film "The Blazing World", which she directed, co-wrote, and starred in. The film's credits state that it is "inspired by Margaret Cavendish and other dreams".

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m2d2_wiki

When the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town When the Robbers Came to Cardamom Town () is a 1955 Norwegian children's book written and illustrated by Thorbjørn Egner, which tells the story of Kardemomme by (Cardamom Town). It is considered one of the most important works in Norwegian children's literature. The book includes many songs which are connected to the story. The story has been adapted into a play and television program. Plot summary. The book is about the peaceful town of Kardemomme and the people there, as well as the only characters which stir up serious trouble. They are the three robbers, Casper, Jasper and Jonathan who live outside the town and regularly enter to steal the things they need. The robbers get arrested and are treated well in jail. In the end they are reformed, and in the final chapter, they become the heroes of the day when they extinguish a fire in the tower of the town. Finally, Casper becomes the town's fireman, Jasper becomes the town's circus manager and Jonathan becomes a baker. Music. The music, "Kardemommeviser", was released on EP in 1955 and LP in 1975. Theme park. The setting of Kardemomme by was made into part of a theme park in Kristiansand Zoo in 1991. Thorbjørn Egner lived to see the theme park under construction, but not to see it completed. Law. Law of Cardamom () is the only law in Cardamom Town. The law is simple and liberal: Songs. Some of the songs from the book/play were issued on the EP album in 1955. The 1975 album (with Egner playing the "Jonathan" character) was awarded the Spellemann award. Film adaptation. The book was made into a film in 1988, directed by Bente Erichsen.

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m2d2_wiki

Wasobyoe Wasōbyōe, or Strange Tales of Foreign Lands, also known as The Japanese Gulliver, is a 1774 narrative work by the pseudonymous author Yukokushi. It is a utopian fiction that has been compared to Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels". The book was presented in an English version by Basil Hall Chamberlain in 1879. The name Wasōbyōe (also the name of the story's protagonist) is derived from that of Zhuang Zhou, "wasō" meaning Japan and "byōe" being a Japanese form of Zhuang Zhou's family name. The story promotes Taoist concepts over their Confucian equivalents, and Chamberlain suggested that its parable-like structure was intended to replicate the style of the "Zhuangzi". In the tale, the titular Wasōbyōe sets out by boat from his native Nagasaki on a business trip, but is blown off course by a typhoon. He is shipwrecked in the Land of Perennial Youth, where he lives for 200 years, and he subsequently visits a number of other fictitious countries, including the Land of Idlers, the Land of Shams, the Land of Ancient Customes, the Land of Paradox and the Land of Giants. "Wasōbyōe" was popular in its day, and spawned at least two sequels, "Wasōbyōe kohen" (1779) by Sawai Iro and "Wasōbyōe zokuhen" (1854) by Kokunen Kocho Sanjin. In 1797 Santō Kyōden wrote a play based on the work, "Wasobyoe gojitsu hanashi", and Takizawa Bakin modelled his book "Musobyōe kocho monagatori" on Yukokushi's tale. An erotic parody, "Ikai kikei Oshobobo", appeared in 1776.