Ridley Scott

The Lost Art of the Cinematic Moment Roger Avary and Joe Rogan began their sprawling dialogue by dissecting the mechanical soul of filmmaking—a craft that has transitioned from the physical to the ethereal. Avary, an Academy Award-winning screenwriter for Pulp Fiction, argues that the shift from film to digital has fundamentally altered the creative energy on a movie set. When cameras ran on actual celluloid, every second had a literal price tag. This "burning of money" created a tension that demanded preparation and presence. Actors and crew members sought to "capture lightning in a bottle" because the physical medium was finite. Today, the digital era has replaced that urgency with a "let it roll" mentality. Producers and executives now crowd around high-definition monitors in "Video Village," a luxury that did not exist when Orson Welles was hacking through studio concrete with a pickaxe to get the camera lower to the ground. Avary posits that while digital technology is a different kind of paint—watercolor versus oil—it lacks the depth and "unseen electricity" of film. Digital sensors catch light and bounce it back into the glass, creating a flatter image that modern directors try to mask with artificial lens flares and post-production filters. We are living in a cinematic landscape where the faults of old media—the dust, the scratches, the gate weave—are nostalgically simulated to give soul to a medium that has become increasingly sterile and analytically driven. The Algorithm and the White Paper Content creation has moved toward a standardized "white paper" approach, particularly within streaming giants like Netflix. These companies provide technical and narrative specifications that strip away individualistic flair in favor of audience retention metrics. Avary and Rogan note that the "inciting event" must now occur by a specific page number or minute mark because the modern audience, influenced by the "mind control device" of the smartphone, has a fractured attention span. This industrialization of storytelling has effectively marginalized the eccentric visionary in favor of the competent technician who can hit the required beats. The Haunting of Modern Horror and Sci-Fi Turning toward genre history, the conversation explored how modern remakes are often "haunted" by their predecessors. Avary highlighted the lineage of Nosferatu, tracing it from F.W. Murnau to Werner Herzog, and finally to the contemporary vision of Robert Eggers. Each iteration carries the ghosts of the previous one, reflecting the cultural anxieties of its time. Herzog’s version, for instance, was influenced by a post-war Germany that had no immediate cinematic fathers to look back to, forcing a jump back to the grandfather generation of expressionism. Contrast this with the current state of franchises like Star Trek. Avary, a self-described Trekkie whose household cycles through every series chronologically, expresses deep frustration with the "corporate propaganda" of current iterations. He argues that legendary creators like Gene Roddenberry and Rick Berman understood how to weave complex social commentary into the fabric of human storytelling. Modern "dweebs"—as Avary colorfully refers to showrunners like Alex Kurtzman—prioritize the message over the narrative, resulting in clunky dialogue and characters that lack the internal faults necessary for compelling drama. The "personal propaganda" of the auteur has been swallowed by the corporate directive. Beyond the Veil: Cartels, Power, and Hidden Files One of the most intense segments of the discussion involved Ridley Scott and his film The Counselor, written by Cormac McCarthy. Avary suggests that this film was a disaster upon release because it revealed a world that audiences were not yet ready to accept: a world where power is a singular, inescapable cartel. This cynical view of global systems transitioned naturally into a discussion regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files and the perceived apathy of the public. Avary referenced a viral video of a man in an Atlanta airport shouting about the files, noting that most people simply wanted to go about their lives. This "zombification" of the populace is, in his view, a result of both a sensory overload of information and a literal cognitive decline possibly linked to modern medical interventions. The mention of Epstein ordering 330 gallons of sulfuric acid immediately following his indictment served as a pivot point for a deeper exploration of "darker hypotheticals." While skeptics point to desalination plants, Avary finds the timing too coincidental, leaning toward the idea that we live in a reality where horrific acts are often masked by mundane industrial explanations. Predictive Programming and the 9/11 Anomaly Avary introduced the concept of "predictive programming," the idea that media prepares the public for future events or conditions them to accept specific realities. He pointed to Fight Club, produced by self-admitted Mossad agent Arnon Milchan, which depicted the collapse of financial skyscrapers just two years before the 9/11 attacks. The duo spent significant time analyzing the collapse of World Trade Center Building 7, which fell into its own footprint at free-fall speed. Rogan and Avary noted the "whoopsies" of data loss involving the SEC and IRS files housed in that building, suggesting that the official narrative requires a degree of "faith" that contradicts the testimony of the eyes. The New Chronology and the Falsification of History Perhaps the most radical idea discussed was the work of Anatoly Fomenko, a Russian mathematician who posits that the historical timeline has been artificially lengthened by roughly a thousand years. According to this "New Chronology," much of what we consider ancient history—Rome, Greece, Egypt—actually took place between the years 800 and 1600 AD. Avary explained that this manipulation served the land claims of various Eurasian powers and the Vatican, effectively erasing a massive civilization known as Tartaria from the collective memory. This theory suggests that history is a "cartoon" painted by those in power to justify the present. Rogan countered with the biological and astronomical records that seem to support a longer timeline, but Avary maintained that the "flatline" of progress during the Dark Ages is a suspicious narrative convenience. This thread of the conversation underscored a central theme of the episode: that nearly every foundational "fact" of our civilization, from the date on the calendar to the shape of the planet, is something we accept on faith rather than direct observation. The Simulation, Gravity, and the Return of Faith The dialogue eventually reached the edges of the universe, touching on the simulation theory championed by figures like Elon Musk. Avary argued that even "science" is frequently a naming convention for things we don't truly understand. He cited the Richard Feynman perspective that we can measure gravity but we cannot explain what it *is*. In Avary’s experiential worldview, the earth is flat because he cannot see the curvature from a plane, and he views the scientific insistence on a globe as a potential tool to make humanity feel insignificant and disconnected from a creator. While Rogan defended the scientific method and the data supporting a globular earth, Avary’s stance was more philosophical than literal. He is interested in the "provocateur" role—upsetting the consensus to find deeper truths. This search for meaning has led him toward faith-based media, such as the series The Chosen. He praised the show for its "punk rock" portrayal of Jesus, focusing on forgiveness in a Hollywood ecosystem fueled by wrath and revenge. Conclusion: The Auteur in the Age of AI Despite his skepticism of global institutions, Avary is embracing the next technological shift. He revealed that he is currently in production on three feature films using a proprietary AI technology stack. He noted the irony that while traditional studios are harder than ever to navigate, investors are eager to fund anything with the "AI" label. For Avary, AI is simply another tool in the visual effects arsenal, a way to reduce a million-dollar-a-minute process to a fraction of the cost. He believes this will empower a new generation of independent filmmakers to tell massive, epic stories outside the control of the "Pharisees of Hollywood." The conversation between Rogan and Avary serves as a reminder that we are living in a period of profound transition. As the lines between reality, simulation, and history continue to blur, the role of the storyteller becomes even more critical. Whether through the lens of a film camera or the algorithms of an AI, the goal remains the same: to find a flicker of truth in the dark.

Cinematic Portals to the Past Finding a historical film that balances accuracy with entertainment is a challenge, especially when navigating the fractured landscape of streaming rights. From the mud-soaked battlefields of the Crusades to the claustrophobic tension of World War II naval warfare, these selections offer more than just costume drama. They provide deep psychological insights into the figures who shaped our world, stripping away the polish of textbooks to reveal the raw human emotion underneath. Medieval Power Plays and Moral Decay Medieval history often serves as a mirror for modern power dynamics. The Last Duel uses a triple-perspective narrative to examine truth and gender in 14th-century France, while The King showcases Timothée Chalamet as a reluctant monarch navigating a court of vipers. For those seeking something more primal, The Northman offers a mythic, dreamlike look at Viking vengeance that feels closer to ancient folklore than standard Hollywood fare. These films emphasize that power rarely comes without a heavy moral cost. The Gritty Reality of Modern Warfare War films have shifted away from glorification toward visceral survival. All Quiet on the Western Front stands as a harrowing masterpiece of trench warfare, focusing on the systematic destruction of a young soldier's humanity. In contrast, Greyhound provides a lean, 90-minute masterclass in command and anxiety, placing viewers directly on the bridge of a destroyer during the Battle of the Atlantic. Both films reject hero tropes in favor of showing the crushing pressure of industrial-scale conflict. Grand Spectacles and Naval Legends No list of historical cinema is complete without the grand scale of Ridley Scott. While Gladiator remains the gold standard for Roman epics, his work on Kingdom of Heaven (specifically the director's cut) provides a massive, politically complex look at the Crusades. On the high seas, Master and Commander remains the definitive naval experience, capturing the Napoleonic era with unparalleled technical detail. Whether it is Russell Crowe in the arena or the rigging of a tall ship, these films prove that big-budget history can still be deeply intellectual.

Science fiction is reclaiming the throne in 2026. After a period of quiet, the genre is exploding back into the mainstream with massive budgets, legendary directors, and high-concept stories that demand a theater seat. From the return of established icons to the adaptation of modern literary masterpieces, the year ahead looks like a goldmine for fans of the speculative and the strange. Cosmic Survival and AI Justice The year kicks off with a focus on artificial intelligence and isolation. Mercy, starring Chris%20Pratt and Rebecca%20Ferguson, presents a high-stakes thriller where a detective has 90 minutes to convince an AI judge of his innocence. Shortly after, Ryan%20Gosling stars in Project%20Hail%20Mary, based on the Andy%20Weir novel. This project carries significant weight as it attempts to replicate the hard-science success of **The Martian**, placing a lone scientist light years from home on a desperate mission to save humanity. Titans of the Big Screen Legendary filmmakers are returning to their roots. Steven%20Spielberg is back with Disclosure%20Day, a film exploring the global impact of undeniable alien contact. Given his history with the genre, expectations are sky-high for a summer blockbuster that shifts the cultural needle. Meanwhile, Star%20Wars returns to cinemas for the first time in six years with The%20Mandalorian%20%26%20Grogu, signaling a major pivot for the franchise as it moves its most popular television characters back to the silver screen. The Culmination of Epic Trilogies December 2026 brings the heavy hitter: Dune:%20Part%20Three. Based on Dune%20Messiah, Denis%20Villeneuve concludes his trilogy by exploring the dark side of prophecy and power. This installment promises to be the emotional and visual climax of the modern sci-fi era, potentially cementing the series as this generation's defining space epic. Whether you prefer the grit of post-apocalyptic settings or the wonder of alien disclosure, 2026 offers something for every type of visionary enthusiast. Which of these worlds are you most ready to step into?