Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113481/


Synopsis:

Quote

In the 21st century, information is the ultimate commodity. The most valuable of information is transported in mnemonic implants in the heads of professional mnemonic couriers like Johnny (Keanu Reeves - Speed) who offer both security and confidentiality for the right price. But Johnny has paid a heavy price of his own - He's dumped his own memories to make room for the programmes he smuggles. To buy them back he agrees to deliver priceless data, the most important data of the 21st century, data that has already set an army of professional killers on his trail. but the massive upload is too much for his brain and johnny must find the secret codes to download the information - or die.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113481/synopsis

The movie welcomes the viewer with the following scrolling message:

Quote
"The most valuable information must sometimes be entrusted to mnemonic couriers, elite agents, who smuggle data in WET-WIRED BRAIN IMPLANTS".

Thus already leaving the viewer with an impression that those people who have "wet-wired" brain implants have some kind of elevated status of speciality compared to those who don't.

Thematic PP elements:

1. There's an all around police state "doom and gloom" kind of setting in a littery kind of environment. Throughout the entire duration of the movie the atmosphere is dark and dreary and moments with daylight are only experienced when the main character reminisces about times gone past, way gone past. This may familiarize the viewer with the depressing nature of the times that lay ahead of us.
   
   
2. The moments of Johnny doing his downloading/uploading routine through his brain implant, are accompanied by flashy, colorful and cartoon-like computer generated images and graphics. This impresses the viewer with the obvious notion that brain implants are cool, trendy and flashy. There's also a sense or suggestion of excitement transmitted by the straining JM character to the viewer. The more excitement experienced by the JM character the more the viewer, typically craving for more excitement, will be attracted to its perceived cause, i.e. the brain chip.
   
   As an aside, this is also the reason why Hollywood tries to "up the sales" of violence by blending images of violence with that of sex, IMO.
   

Then there were a couple of interesting suggestive phrases uttered in the movie:

1. At one time JM goes: "I want to get online, I need a computer". Since the sympathy of movie lies with JM this helps to communicate a sense of urgency for the viewer to do the same, and that is precisely what they want.
   
2. There's a reference to a one Dr. Alcom, "All computer". Thus wedding the association of man and computer even more.
   

Soylent Green (1973)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/



Synopsis:

Quote

A tale of Earth in despair in 2022. Natural food like fruits, vegetables, and meat among others are now extinct. Earth is overpopulated and New York City has 40 million starving, poverty stricken people. The only way they survive is with water rations and eating a mysterious food called Soylent. A detective investigates the murder of the president of the Soylent company. The truth he uncovers is more disturbing than the Earth in turmoil when he learns the secret ingredient of Soylent Green. Written by Mystic80

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/plotsummary


Thematic PP elements:

1. The setting of the movie elaborates on a very simple but alarming scenario, which is, if we're heading for (global) overpopulation then this is what will happen to you. So right from the start, the public is imbued with fear for overpopulation. The distinction between what is overpopulation and what is not remains an arbitrary one though. Unfortunately however, as they always do, unquestionably the government will claim the role of decisive arbiter and trust on moral support of the docile and gullible public.
   
   This programs the public, again on the basis of fear, to accept and support governmental future measures aimed at combating and reducing over-population. The 'exemplary' precedent of the country of China comes to mind in which fear for overpopulation has successfully been solidified into an overall effective public support of birth restrictive policies.
   
2. The Elite are living the good life in totally cordoned off sections from 'the masses'. The discrepancy between the rich and the poor is thus accentuated and leaves the viewer a little more trained to, one day, accept this difference in standards of living.
   

Suggested PP elements:

1. The movie suggests a general sense of an elevated atmospheric temperature. The correlation of overpopulation with temperature seems evident. This may program the public to accept guilt and responsibility for it being the cause of global warming. As such, the groundwork for public acceptance of a carbon tax has been put into being.
   
2. Assaulting a police officer, even the lesser offensive ones, will get you life in prison, the movie explains. This will train the public to blindly accept the authority of the police, making them literally untouchable.
   
   
3. Rental apartments for the rich, by default, seem to come with inventory prostitutes ("furniture"). This familiarizes the public with the degrading and dehumanizing capacity a female might serve in the future.
   
4. There's a blatant form of 'assisted suicide' instituted for the elderly people. This helps train the public to accept some governmental imposed form of euthanasia, since it is implied that the earth cannot sustain itself bearing too many humans.
   

28 Weeks Later (2007)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0463854/



Gory context of the movie:
Society has plunged into a horrendous crisis where a part of the population has been transformed into raving mad creatures upon having been infected by some horrible transmuting virus (read: biological weapon). The hostile creatures ravage across the land trying to infect, by means of biting or vomiting, all the uninfected humans who come in their way.

Because of the severity of the national emergency situation, the country (UK) has transformed itself into a full blown police state, in which the military has totally usurped the task of the police and the rights of the people seem to have been totally neutralized.


Thematic PP elements:

1. Surveillance cameras everywhere (at least in downtown areas), with military snipers doing the extra bit of surveillance through their rifle scopes. This programs the public to accept and get used to all the cameras snooping all over the place as well as the presence of military walking about everywhere and interfering with everyone. The sniper surveillance part seems to serve to instill some extra fear into the public.
   
2. There's a mention of a presence of refugee camps and so-called "containment areas" (quarantine areas). This programs the public to get used to being herded as cattle and to accept living in camps or confined emergency spaces overseen by the military.
   
3. Streets are deserted, shops abandoned, there's lots of garbage, and a blatant lack of hygiene and thus the city is depicted as being in a general dystopian mess. Images of chaos and discord such as these, seem to instill fear into the public in case a viral epidemic should break out. More programming of futuristic dormant terror on the plates of the public.
   

Suggested PP elements:

1. Because of their utter indiscriminate, remorseless and extreme hostility, people sick by viral infection should not only be shunned literally like the plague but also be destroyed where ever and whenever possible. This programs the public, on the basis of fear, to prepare to part from family and loved ones once they get infected and sick. In addition, the communicated severity of the situation helps to generate acute antipathy of the uninfected towards the infected and sick.
   
2. Those people infected but who haven't actually become sick should be shunned as well, since they may make one sick through biting or spewing blood-vomit or even simply by kissing. This programs the viewer to prepare to part from friends and loved ones who are infected but who haven't manifested the accompanying disease (yet).
   
3. Because the military has difficulty in distinguishing between 'friendlies' (uninfected) and 'targets' (infected), just to be on the 'safe side', the military command decides to open fire on both parties. The public will thus be programmed to keep a distance from the infected even more so lest being confused for a 'target' by trigger happy military marksmen.
   
4. I'm less sure about the next one, but here we go - for completeness' sake. The life in the inner city gets totally obliterated by incendiary bombs. This may instill fear into the part of the public living in crowded cities (at least, downtown) during times of crises and emergencies.
   

Needless to say, the conclusion is that this is a particularly antipathetic movie towards those of us who may get infected by viral agents in the future.