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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 3000knows 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 onno studio would gamble that much money on a downerbut 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 industryincluding possibly some of the principles of DreamWorksknew 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/parts/island.asp
Send this link to everyone you knowor at least everyone you consider to be a fellow fan of films and fairnessespecially 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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