Harry Potter
Banned
I know we'll just go back and forth on this but I highly doubt there would have been a title change if it were any other writer besides Gary.
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Did Gary Whitta write After Earth as Scientology propaganda?
- Thread starter onlyindreams
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I know we'll just go back and forth on this but I highly doubt there would have been a title change if it were any other writer besides Gary.
CornBurrito
Member
Meh, we have no way of really knowing. I've just noticed a trend in humorous/more accurate thread title changes in the recent week so I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt. It's not a big deal either way.
Harry Potter
Banned
Going way off topic here but I don't care - I've noticed title changes as well, most of the time I don't find it humorous, quite the opposite actually. I've seen threads where the OP might have some out the box idea and the thread gets a title change to make the OP looks like a complete ass, which just entitles everyone to pile on the OP. Cyber bullying at it's finest. Alright, I'm outta here.
Fantastical
Death Prophet
Posted in another thread...
Not really.
Signs above Unbreakable? No thank you.
Not sure why people are seriously debating the thread title change. Some redditor made a wall of text about Scientology propaganda that basically amounts to "oh look, Scientology is about suppressing fear and that's also a theme in this movie." Seriously, I read the whole thing, and it's it essentially boils down to some standard scifi stuff and then a few lines probably put into the movie by Smith. Given that the original thread title was "Did GAF's beloved Gary Whitta write After Earth as Scientology propaganda? WTF..." which doesn't even accurately represent what the redditor said, I feel entirely justified in the title change.
And for the record, the only GAFer I white knight is Timedog. (edit: though I will admit I have at least once avoided banning Harry Potter because I would feel bad doing it)
And for the record, the only GAFer I white knight is Timedog. (edit: though I will admit I have at least once avoided banning Harry Potter because I would feel bad doing it)
Because people constantly post conspiracy bullshit about celebs - particularly when it comes to Scientology - and their threads aren't modified.
I don't actually give a damn either way but it's pretty simple to understand why people are sceptical. People are arguing that if a similar thread were made about a Lindelof film it would be open season.
HalfBakedProphet
Member
if that writer was a member of GAF, I think they'd get the same treatment.
The fact Whitta is part of the community changes the equation. I don't know why that is so hard to understand.
Jackben
bitch I'm taking calls.
Thread title wasn't "did will smith slip Scientology ideas into this film."
Lets not pretend this is anything more than it is. Of course people are going to be more bothered by one of GAF's own getting shit on for false reasons (talk about the story's quality all you want but claiming it is propaganda for Scientology is bull) rather than a random celebrity.
It's not hard to understand. And yet the word cyber bully gets thrown around as if claiming someone's work is propaganda is just typical critic behaviour, par for the course and people defending Whitta in any way shape or form are just "sucking GAF celebrity dick"
Pure hipocrasy. Criticise the film on legitimate grounds or don't criticise at all.
CharlieDigital
Banned
Junior Asparagus
Member
Just because they have volcanoes doesn't necessarily mean anything...
Saw this on the rogerebert.com
Instantly thought of Dianetics:
This is a joke right? Tag quote aside, google image search volcano. Suddenly google and fucking nature itself will make you instantly think of Dianetics.
CharlieDigital
Banned
Wait you're actually serious? Of course the connection was instant, they're both fucking volcanoes. A volcano will look like a volcano, yes.
Shit people.
CharlieDigital
Banned
Sure, but it's not like I thought "Oh, volcano!"
More like "Hmm...reminds me of Dianetics"
Forgive me for I have a strong recollection of Dianetics from watching those infomercials in the late 80's/early 90's (?) with the volcano exploding
Edit: this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIIazHbErhc
As a kid, I always wondered what it was.
A Human Becoming
More than a Member
I didn't realize After Earth was the Whitta/Shyamalan project I read about here. The combination never sounded good to me.
Yes.
Yes. It just means he's a gun for hire.CornBurrito said:
I really hope his next movie is straight-up Muslim propaganda, even if he does it just to troll us.
There are people who claim that Lord of the Rings is Christian propaganda. Narnia is Christian propaganda. Golden Compass is Atheist propaganda.
When you find out the religions of the people in charge of these sorts of productions, I think it's normal to look for little connections and wonder if their religion had something to do with it.
Personally, I doubt Gary Whitta had anything to do with any Scientology references in the movie, and I wouldn't be surprised if Will Smith slipped them in. And I don't really care if either of them did, because they're harmless. But I am a little concerned because Scientology has been trying to burrow it's way into Hollywood and popular culture since Hubbard first thought of the scam. Any little movement is insidious.
Escape Goat
Member
I wonder how much of Whitta's work is left in the final product. Do the studios buy his scripts because they like the concept and general framework and dont want to get sued?
Unless Lindelof wrote it, right? Right?
on an old tested podcast i recall gary saying other than writing in will smiths character it's largely untouched from his original.
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Trent Strong
Banned
Whoa, I didn't know Will Smith was a scientologist. That sucks.
Count Dookkake
Member
Look for an interview he did with Oprah in which he uses the word "entities" ad nauseam.
If you are familiar with the basics, it is pretty, uh, clear.
Wiktor
Member
The real question is: why would it matter? It's irrevelant if a story is based on writer's own faith or not. All that matters is if the end result is good or not. Narnia is wonderful and the christian symbolism actually makes it a better story.
Similiarly, Battlefield Earth would have sucked even if you removed scientology from it.
you read the whole thing and then stomped your singular unrefined opinion down on the thread. that's some icky stuff.
while it's unlikely that whitta himself penned a loveletter to scientology, anyone familiar with the basic premise can see that there are more than enough nods to dianetics to warrant suspicion, given the creepy vanity project genesis of the movie's existence.
how these found their way in to the plot and for what purpose are anyone's guess, but it definitely doesn't help discussion to snark up the thread title with such a conclusive shut down.
Trent Strong
Banned
Well damn. His kids are probably going to be screwed up then.
Count Dookkake
Member
The film of BE actually has very little of that material in it, because it is only about half of the novel. The real Xenu nuttiness of that wonderful sprawling mess is only revealed in the last hundred or so pages.
I un-ironically recommend the book to people of sound mind who appreciate pulp sci-fi.
R.I.P. the word "propaganda"
??? - 6/1/2013
All inclusive word for art and messaging that promotes ideology, veteran of many wars. Spent retirement years getting the shit kicked out of it on the internet until it suffered fatal blows in a thread on Neogaf.
Now that I've read up, I see Scientology all over it. but scientology is basically sci-fi and considering it took a little bit for a couple guys to even point out the Scientology influence, I fail to see how it can be considered propaganda. I think you guys are just oversensitive to religious overtones. If you're of sound mind, it won't corrupt you, so chill lol
??? - 6/1/2013
All inclusive word for art and messaging that promotes ideology, veteran of many wars. Spent retirement years getting the shit kicked out of it on the internet until it suffered fatal blows in a thread on Neogaf.
Now that I've read up, I see Scientology all over it. but scientology is basically sci-fi and considering it took a little bit for a couple guys to even point out the Scientology influence, I fail to see how it can be considered propaganda. I think you guys are just oversensitive to religious overtones. If you're of sound mind, it won't corrupt you, so chill lol
Maybe he just needs better contacts, like directors who can make better movies.
Willkiller
Banned
I honestly don't understand, why are people saying Smith/Airbender butchered Whitta's script? IS it just because he posts here? I'm sure at some point down the line he's stated it's more or less the exact same thing as the original. He's posted saying he's really proud of his work and his Twitter picture is an AE poster, I'm sure if they fucked up his script he wouldn't have done those things.
vas_a_morir
Banned
I think title-changes are really uncalled-for most of the time. Moderators are supposed to moderate, but when they change the thread title, it's as if they think their position as moderator entitles them to a rhetorical advantage. Nothing in the thread title was against rules, was it? Nothing in the thread title was unclear about the intent and content of the thread, right? Just because you have an opinion, it does not mean you can change the thread title and shift the tone of the thread. "My opinion is more important than the OP's or anybody else's, so I will bully the OP by changing the thread title so his opinion appears discredited by the will of the community." That's what happened. And let's face it, if it wasn't Gary Whitta, it wouldn't have happened.
Boss Doggie
all my loli wolf companions are so moe
What makes Whitta loved by GAF anyway?
Some of the points in the Reddit post are too thin to sound credible, but there are obvious Scientology nods throughout. This is a Will Smith vanity project, and he's a Scientologist, so that's not exactly much of a stretch.
Do I think Whitta's part of some Scientology propaganda cabal? Of course not. He was hired to write a screenplay, and wrote a screenplay, which at worst is a sci-fi movie with some references to Scientology's mythos; hardly a brainwashing recruitment tool.
Do I think Whitta's part of some Scientology propaganda cabal? Of course not. He was hired to write a screenplay, and wrote a screenplay, which at worst is a sci-fi movie with some references to Scientology's mythos; hardly a brainwashing recruitment tool.
Tim the Wiz
Banned
I'd say it's more Smith-ian propaganda, obviously concocted to get his son a lead role in an action film beside him, with very clear parallels to their real relationship: legendary father guiding his overshadowed son through the family business. It's a star vehicle for the Smith family from top-to-bottom, and I'm not surprised he contacted M Night to direct this, someone he could hold a lot of leverage over creatively given recent difficulties, although there's not many people he doesn't have leverage over in Hollywood at this point, if any.
Ah . . . Will Smith is probably the last legitimate movie star in terms of foreign box-office sales not tied to an established property, even if RDJ has done quite well making himself near-irreplaceable in that realm with Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. He's also very clearly protective about that status (i.e. seeing Django as a risk he didn't want to take, which seems like a huge mistake right about now).
Ah . . . Will Smith is probably the last legitimate movie star in terms of foreign box-office sales not tied to an established property, even if RDJ has done quite well making himself near-irreplaceable in that realm with Iron Man and Sherlock Holmes. He's also very clearly protective about that status (i.e. seeing Django as a risk he didn't want to take, which seems like a huge mistake right about now).
He posts here.
Though, a more serious answer is probably that people remember when he used to write for PC Gamer.
Agreed with this (preferred The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable over every other Shyamalan film).
Byakuya769
Member
Beerman462
Member
This probably stuck out to more than anything else and is one of the reasons I don't care to see the movie. Judging by the trailers I'm guessing Will Smith is in the movie very little and what little Will seems to be in the movie isn't the Will Smith I see movies for, if that makes any sense. I also think it's funny people are bringing up Narnia/Golden Compass, because after seeing the trailers I thought this movie was going to be a mix of Avatar/Narnia.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
I'm trying to think back, but was he engaging us with discussion when Book Of Eli came out? I swear he was not as standoffish then, but maybe that was just when the DVD was releasing...
I can't imagine why Gary would come to this thread. People are trashing the movie before seeing it and basically trying to taunt him into defending himself. It's mob mentality, which I see a lot with a lot of movies.
I think of myself as a smart movie watcher: My husband and I love foreign films, comedies, comic book movies, horror, sci-fi, drama, musicals, documentaries, anything well writen and/or entertaining. I have to say that even I am a little curious about this movie. I'm not a fan of Scientology, Jaden Smith (though even I just realized I'm not sure why - I've not seen anything he's in, I've never given him a chance), etc.
Whether or not this is a "love letter to Scientology" (hint: it's not), I'll at least watch it to see if it is a good film because the story seems interesting to me. It may be bad but I happened to love Book of Eli (and thus Gary Whitta) and Will Smith has been entertaining me since I was a young kid (though I'll admit that I've avoided most of his recent movies). I've seen many movies with religious tones, themes, etc. that I've loved because the movie was good. I'm still a super confused person with no religion or solid beliefs who is turned off by most religious groups.
So...long story short... If it looks interesting, watch it. If not, don't. No need to buy into crazy theories or come to conclusions based on reviews you wouldn't trust otherwise.
I think of myself as a smart movie watcher: My husband and I love foreign films, comedies, comic book movies, horror, sci-fi, drama, musicals, documentaries, anything well writen and/or entertaining. I have to say that even I am a little curious about this movie. I'm not a fan of Scientology, Jaden Smith (though even I just realized I'm not sure why - I've not seen anything he's in, I've never given him a chance), etc.
Whether or not this is a "love letter to Scientology" (hint: it's not), I'll at least watch it to see if it is a good film because the story seems interesting to me. It may be bad but I happened to love Book of Eli (and thus Gary Whitta) and Will Smith has been entertaining me since I was a young kid (though I'll admit that I've avoided most of his recent movies). I've seen many movies with religious tones, themes, etc. that I've loved because the movie was good. I'm still a super confused person with no religion or solid beliefs who is turned off by most religious groups.
So...long story short... If it looks interesting, watch it. If not, don't. No need to buy into crazy theories or come to conclusions based on reviews you wouldn't trust otherwise.
hundreds of critics have seen it. basically everybody on Earth hates it. I'm sure Gary Whitta can defend himself if he wants, it has nothing to do with "mob mentality."
I like Gary Whitta, but this is the movie business. I'm sure he understands how hard it is and understands sometimes you win some and sometimes you don't.
RobotMafia
Banned
He used to write for PC gamer or something like that.
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
Editor in chief of PCGamer UK during its classic period.
vas_a_morir
Banned
You haven't seen it yet. It may very well be a love letter to Scientology. I mean, the guy who saw it already said it was. You, who have yet to see it, say it's not.
Tragicomedy
Member
Dude. ZeldaFan69 has replaced Ebert as the best critic alive.
vas_a_morir
Banned
How could you afford it?
You realize these type of movies generally write based on what the movie is going for, and if you actually read the reviews they will flat out say it's straight up entertainment so just enjoy it for what it is. Sounds like this movie however, would've been better off as a made for tv movie.
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