I Am Fishead

I am Fishead: A documentary about how psychopaths and antidepressants influence our society – a provocative snapshot of the world we live in.

Directed and Produced by
Misha Votruba and Vaclav Dejcmar
Length: 80 min.
Released: Sep 11 2011

It is a well-known fact that our society is structured like a pyramid. The very few people at the top create conditions for the majority below. Who are these people? Can we blame them for the problems our society faces today? Guided by the saying “A fish rots from the head.” we set out to follow that fishy odor. What we found out is that people at the top are more likely to be psychopaths than the rest of us.

Who, or what, is a psychopath? Unlike Hollywood’s stereotypical image, they are not always blood-thirsty monsters from slasher movies. Actually, that nice lady who chatted you up on the subway this morning could be one. So could your elementary school teacher, your grinning boss, or even your loving boyfriend. The medical definition is simple: A psychopath is a person who lacks empathy and conscience, the quality which guides us when we choose between good and evil, moral or not. Most of us are conditioned to do good things. Psychopaths are not. Their impact on society is staggering, yet altogether psychopaths barely make up one percent of the population.

Broken into three parts, our search for the fishead starts in New York City, on Wall Street, where a big chunk of the world power is concentrated. This small plot of city land is where the economic crisis erupted and what we found there has far-reaching consequences, both for the psychopaths and us normal folk.

The second part of the film touches on how, for a small number of people, overuse of antidepressants can result in behaviors that appear to mimic some psychopathic features. Although overuse of these medications will not produce psychopathy, they may stifle emotion and decrease the user’s ability to feel empathy. They also may have the opposite effects, “normalizing” emotional experience and empathy. More than one-third of the Western population uses and, in some cases, abuses these drugs. But why? So why do we want to take a pill that flattens or normalizes our normal feelings? We think something sure smells fishy again.

It is not too far fetched to say that for the first time in history we not only praise psychopaths in the highest positions of power, but in many cases, they became our role models. On top of that, we don’t seem to think it’s a problem. In the third part, we come back to the idea of us, the normal people in our day-to-day life. How much different are we from the average psychopath? By embracing a superficial culture, each of us maybe unwillingly supports the fishead. Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”

Through interviews with renowned psychologist Professor Philip Zimbardo, leading expert on psychopathy Professor Robert Hare, former President of Czech Republic and playwright Vaclav Havel, authors Gary Greenberg and Christopher Lane, professor Nicholas Christakis, among numerous other thinkers, we have delved into the world of psychopaths and heroes and revealed shocking implications for us and our society.

Watch below, hosted on YouTube, or this alternate YouTube source, or on Disclose TV.

Night of the Templar

Here lies a tale of passion, loyalty, deceit, betrayal…and revenge. They were Warriors. They were Crusaders. Under the leadership of the righteous GREGOIRE, this band of brothers in the Holy Order of the Knights Templar selflessly fought back-to-back, defending GOD and the “True Cross.” Until one dark night of utter betrayal…

B-Movie Addiction says…

Night of the Templar (alternatively titled ‘Knights Templar’) is a unique movie to say the least. It’s a medieval revenge story wrapped in a modern-day horror mystery wrapped in a suspense thriller. It’s somewhat all over the place, and you do need to pay attention to sort out what’s what since there are two parallel plot-lines. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself wondering what the hell is going on.

The story begins in the year 1095 CE, following a leader of a band of templar knights named Gregoire (Paul Sampson) during the crusades. We see him at the pointy end of a sword uttering a curse to the unseen man holding the sword that he will return from the grave to send him and his accomplices to hell. The film cuts between modern day and 1095 as we learn more about the characters and exactly what happened with the Templars.  As the story unfolds, we learn that the reason for the betrayal is as minimal as the acting from the female cast. Greed. Plain old greed. Templars want to get laid and have money while doing it. Gregoire says no. Murder and betrayal follow.

The modern-day plot focuses on a fantasy-weekend getaway to a European castle, almost in a reality TV show format except that there is a looming purpose over it. Everyone starts to recognize that they are the reincarnations of the templars, good and bad, after reading the story over the course of the night thanks to a conveniently placed coffee-table version of the story left out. It’s done in a NeverEnding Story-esque style, the guests read the story out loud between scenes of what happened in the past to Gregoire. Surprisingly, the story begins to come alive! People start getting murdered, the first by… *gasp*… someone dressed as a templar knight. The murder mystery begins to kick in when bodies start turning up in slightly stranger ways: a body nail-gunned to the wall, a cook’s tongue removed. The difference in methodology between the templar’s holy justice and just plain cruel murder gives reason to believe there is slightly more to the tale. And I do mean slightly.

This movie is not really that complex to figure out if you are paying attention. It’s shockingly straight forward as it goes on. The host of the weekend, the reincarnated Gregoire, discovers the bodies and without emotional reaction says brilliant phrases such as “great… I have to cook… and clean…” Not to mention right from the beginning he experiences stigmata-type pains of getting stabbed in the back, literally, by his former comrades. The guests take turns in voicing their opinions on whether they would have supported or betrayed Gregoire, letting you figure out who they are or could possibly be rather quickly.

The murder scenes are laughably bad. The actual killing is done slightly off camera while they zoom in on the faces. Despite the lameness, there’s something incredibly satisfying in seeing a Scream-style knifing committed by a templar knight. The big battle at the climax is equally is terrible. “I shall cut you ten times! One for each life of excess!” is screamed by Gregoire as he achieves his justice. The fighting is just as corny as the dialogue. The two big matches are between the young knight and a 60 year old priest and a young girl vs. David Carradine. Not really blockbuster action, it’s pretty funny and I think it was meant to be. One of the battles is even won through the power of love.

A big part of the strange allure is the strange cast of characters and their actors as well. Udo Kier plays a mysterious priest, whose motives are unclear through most of the movie. Billy Drago plays the chef named Shauna in full drag. Super creepy. Norman Reedus, a.k.a Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead, makes an appearance as an asshole who enjoys choking himself while receiving fellatio. David Carradine plays the local shopkeeper who has a couple incredibly corny scenes. Awesome to see him in one of his last hurrahs. Paul Sampson has a really unique and awkward screen presence that’s strangely addicting to watch. The combination results in a blend of strange awkward creepiness that somehow works.

And with all that said, this review is like the movie itself… All over the place. I actually did enjoy this movie a lot despite the sarcasm. It’s allure lies in just how weird it is. From Paul Sampson’s strange Boston/Little Nicky accent to his templar speech delivered like an Oprah “…and you get a car! and you get a car!” pointing with his sword at his knights. It’s just loveable. A definite guilty pleasure. It looks good too. For an indie film the production quality and camera work is quite exceptional. Interesting semi-twist at the end too, that will give you something to talk about whoever you’re watching it with.

Night of the Templar is definitely worth a watch. It will keep you entertained from start to finish. It’s a loveable oddity in film, venturing far from the path of Hollywood predictability. Watch the trailer below and the film on PutLocker, WatchFreeInHD, HDPlay or SockShare.

Thieves by Law

Thieves by Law, or Ganavim Ba Hok is a documentary film charting the rise of Russian organized crime in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union. In the film several noted crime figures are interviewed, a number of which are currently wanted by Interpol.

The term “thieves by law,” which refers to the uppermost echelon of the Russian criminal world, was born in the 30s. Some people say it might have something to do with “Chekists,” or the early Soviet secret service (what later became the KGB). At first, thieves by law followed a strict code: a thief by law had to serve time in jail, and had no right to have a family, a registered address, or belongings, surviving only by criminal means.

This is a look “inside” the Russian mafia at the men who call themselves “thieves by law”. In theory those that call themselves “thieves by law” are to have no home, no property of their own, no wife, no family. They are to have nothing that will tie them down and divert their attention from the brotherhood or give them pause. The film focuses on three men who have survived the prisons, the wars and the other nastiness to become “respected” men of means, with money and families.

Watch the trailer below and the documentary on YouTube source one or two.