California Screaming; The Movie
California Screaming; The Movie
This film not yet rated
Genre: Surreal Horror
Theatrical Release: November 4, 2009
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger as the Governator, other cast have asked for their names to be withheld
Director: Rob Reiner
Expected Cost: untold billions
Summary:
Hollywood announced this week a release date for the newest disaster megafilm starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. California Screaming is a modern horror story void of heroes and set in the Golden State. Facing complete economic catastrophe, Schwarzenegger reprises his role as state Governor to face down the litany of problems a citizenry has created for itself, including:
· Budget shortfall of over $24 billion
· Revenues falling nearly 18% over the prior year
· Expected revenues $800M short of expectation
Synopsis:
This film and story redefine ‘disaster.’ Impossible circumstances conspire to deliver the most outrageous set of human-created challenges occurring at precisely the most inopportune moment. The situation is compounded by Californians’ historical and illogical unwillingness to fork over ever larger chunks of their earnings, while demanding that others pay for prized social programs. Putting trophy social programs at risk, the many governmental characters insist that population knows not what it is doing. The Governator and the Legislature wind up pitted against the population as well as against one another.
Since reaching a compromise disaster pan over the summer, state leaders are out of ideas to avoid the same problems from reoccuring. And with the disastrous national budget, stimulus and possible health care takeover, the situation from this past summer will look tame compared to what the statehouse and legislature will face this year.
Legislators would be wise to remember that each tax increase proposal from this past session met resounding defeat, leaving the once vaunted, socially responsible leadership without any tools to continue building utopia on the world’s most beautiful coast. Trying to be the voice of reason, Schwarzenegger fails in his attempts to find a middle ground between new taxation and spending cuts. A poignant moment occurs when the Governator laments taking the job on the Jay Leno Show.
Although the film is without a clear protagonist, there are multiple bad guys, leaving the audience feeling helpless as the storyline spirals depressingly downward. State revenues from personal income taxes decline by nearly 40% percent. Revenues from corporate taxes fall by over 50% percent and revenues from sales taxes sink by over 7 percent in year one alone. And that was just for the past budget.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass described one reconciliation plan as having “something for everyone to hate.” The story provides something for every audience member to hate as well. The film is a tragedy of errors when former adversaries try to come together on a plan to solve the crisis but are confronted with a public unwilling to participate in the reconciliation.
As the state is confronted with difficult choices including scrapping the prized welfare programs or dumping benefits to illegal aliens, a climax is reached as the July 4, 2010 holiday approaches when California faces a drop-dead date. At that point, CA will be completely out of money- again. Schwarzenegger, on a last gasp effort, contacts the President for help because he is unwilling to undertake the difficult duty for which he was hired. The President, well… viewers will have to find that out on release day.
The complexity of the storyline is made difficult to understand because of the extreme simplicity of the solution. All could have been avoided had sanity prevailed earlier in the decade before spending was allowed to spiral out of control. Director Rob Reiner fails to insert the responsibility message preferring to develop the tragic leadership characters of those that have found themselves in now unwanted political roles.
Painfully missing is the usual assignment of responsibility for the troubles. Political leaders are reluctant to confront voters with the fact that demand for excessive services and benefits combined with an unwillingness to pay has lead their state to the brink. Voters believe they were hoodwinked into believing they could have these services and benefits and compel someone else to bear the cost. Deceit and mistrust runs through every on-screen relationship. California Screaming wants for a single adult role; an adult to just say ‘no’ to the clowns that are more interested in re-election than in problem resolution. But maybe this is just California in microcosm.
The film attempts to reconcile combatants. Moments of introspection appear as the Governator confronts state congressional leaders with proof of their past misdeeds while admitting his own faults. These fail to provide any direction to the story. Sadly, the Governator’s efforts turn up some good will but no results and both sides slip back into posturing that originally contributed to the problem.
Ultimately, the film takes a circular route back to its starting point – no resolution, just characters campaigning for support from a public that has long since given up. Completing the tragedy, the public ultimately rejects its own role in the disaster. Breaking the cycle requires a brave hero (restate the need for a truly adult character) to throw himself or herself on the sword of electoral defeat to do the right thing and lead the charge to severely cut programs.
‘California Screaming’ at least is an apt title. The circular storyline is predictable and awaits a hero from outside to bail the state and its people out of the trouble. The film leaves hanging the childish dream that the President or some benevolent force will recognize the people’s agony and intervene with money from heaven and an admonition to work together in the future.