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Reviews
Orientation: A Scientology Information Film (1996)
What you always wanted to know about Scientology...
This educational film dives straight into what Scientology is and is not. It differentiates Scientology from psychology, etc., where "professionals" subtly tell you what you should think. Scientology's counselling -- called "auditing" from the Latin word "audire" (to hear or listen, which is what the counsellor mostly does) -- only guides the person to investigate and uncover his or her own best solutions.
Mostly, the film forever rid me of the idea that some compartment of my brain is where the "I" or the soul resides. I always thought/knew that I was/am a spirit and this film helped make me more secure and unshakeable in that knowledge.
It showed how the E-Meter works and why it is such a help in guiding a person to find the exact cause of some problem. You know how you wonder, "Is it this, or is it that, or maybe so-and-so?" The E-Meter's needle tells the counselor which way to direct your inner explorations.
The film straightforwardly goes into why the controversies about Scientology have arisen. But I won't reveal those tidbits.
It is not a commercial film. It can only be seen -- as far as I can gather -- at a Scientology church or mission, and no admission is charged.
I liked it because I thought it walked the middle of the road in telling people about Scientology.
If you think the real "you" might be something more than electrical charges running around a collection of neural pathways, and switching chemicals on and off, you'll probably like this movie. And if you think the real "you" might be able to improve your self, this film might reallyopen important doors to self-awakening.
Battlefield Earth (2000)
An under-understood movie
Word is that the DVD will fill in some holes between the movie and the book. The book was an unparalleled page-turner that kept me up all night. The DVD will apparently contain more continuity and be smoother than the movie. Some critics really "grokked" what the sense and plot of the movie was all about, its irony and satires. As for the other critics, well, they also didn't like Rambo or Clint Eastwood's movies (till he turned 50).
I go for clever turns of plot, action, the occasional laugh, and memorable lines. I personally think that Battlefield Earth has them all. (But too bad we didn't see more of Terl's paramour!)