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This is a rallying cry! The emperor is fucking naked!
Ever get tired of the big guys trampling on the little guys? Ever want to poke the
eye out of some smarmy bastard with billions of dollars and an army of lawyers who
thinks he can make the rules?
This is your chance!
On July 22nd, DreamWorks Pictures is releasing the film The Island, directed by
Michael "Armageddon" Bay and starring Ewan McGregor and Scarlett
Johansson.
Anyone who's seen the trailer or a sneak preview and has also seen the film Clonus (also known as Parts: The Clonus Horror)—a film which
was shown on CBS, the Sci-Fi Channel, and even Mystery Science Theater 3000—knows
that the plots are way too similar to be mere coincidence.
Clonus tells the story of Richard, a resident of a contained utopian facility.
Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Richard hopes
to be chosen to go to "America", where everyone is happy. But Richard soon discovers
that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of his friends are actually
clones whose only purpose is to provide "spare parts" for their original
human counterparts. Realizing it's only a matter of time before he's "harvested,"
Richard and a beautiful fellow clone named Lena plot an escape to an outside world
they've never known. Relentlessly pursued by the forces of the sinister institute
that created him, Richard engages in a race for his life to literally meet his makers.
Compare
that with the summary for The Island on the Internet Movie Database!
It seems the main difference is the budget: The Island exceeded 100 million
dollars, which is 400 times the final budget of Clonus! Of course,
the big-budget film will have lots of chases and a happy ending tacked on—no
studio would gamble that much money on a downer—but that won't disguise its
true origins. And many, many others have made note of this: As of this writing,
if you search for "Clonus" and "The Island" together in Google, you get thousands
of hits, most
commenting on the extraordinary similarity!
The Internet Movie Database is considered the definitive source for information
about films. On the IMDb's page for The Island, if you click "Movie Connections",
it even says "Remake of 'Clonus' (1979)", and if you click on "Movie Connections"
for Clonus, it says "Remade as 'The Island' (2005)".
Yet, amazingly, the original makers of Clonus (director Robert S. Fiveson,
producer Myrl A. Schreibman, and screenwriters Bob Sullivan and Ron Smith) have
been completely shut out, receiving no credit, no compensation, no
anything. And that includes never being asked if it could be remade.
If one could trace the history of Clonus, one would find that at the time
it was made, many in the industry—including possibly some of the principles
of DreamWorks—knew and saw the film. So how do you think the Clonus
filmmakers feel right now?
Adding lots of chases and a happy ending doesn't make the idea original!
How can you help? How can you stick a fistful of money up the arrogant noses of
overpaid "talent" and lawyers? Simple: Unlock the real power of the Internet (no,
not porn!). Send this page to as many people as you know, people who love movies
and hate rich arrogant rip-off artists who hide behind walls of money. If you don't,
nothing bad will happen to you; But if you do, something good might happen!
The URL to this page is: http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/All_About_the_Island_and_Clonus.aspx
Send this link to everyone you know—or at least everyone you consider to be
a fellow fan of films and fairness—especially any of the following:
Anyone from DreamWorks, any entertainment attorneys, and any reviewers who might
be reviewing The Island when it comes out on July 22nd, so they can give
the originators of this idea the credit they deserve!
Do it for films!
Do it for fairness!
Do it because it will feel really good to yell, "Hey!! The emperor is fucking naked!!"
And then tell them what they can do with their money!
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