Sci-fi spoofs: an underrated art form?

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Or is it? How does one define art and more precisely how does one define form? Is form bound to shape or is it intrinsically different from an ontological perspective?

1. Neopatriarchial objectivism and cinematical conceptualism as seen in G.O.R.A. (2004)

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This cinematic narrative relates to the archetypal struggle of the individual vs society as a whole. Here the aforementioned individual is embodied by a figure of the Everyman or the closest representation of the Everyman in modern society, a used carpet salesman named (interestingly enough) Arif.

Any enlightened viewer is bound to know that the meaning of that name is tantamount to the English word "Knowledgeable." This is no shallow exercise in onomastics as we can see that this is indeed a direct reference to Thomas Moore's Utopia . The parallels between Arif and Raphael Hythloday are certainly intended as are the Neo-Platonic elements borrowed from the 16th century classic. Thus these shouldn't be construed as antinomic to the inner workings of structure in the shifting paradigm that we've already mentioned.

From a Lacanian interpretation we had to emphasize the notion that neopatriarchial objectivism suggests that consciousness is used to disempower the proletariat. Furthermore the name Arif is indisputably of Arab origins thus denoting a break from the Turkish vernacular used in the cinematic narrative albeit a minor one. This rupture is furthered by the inclusion of Arabic songs and music in the movie which create a subsequent displacement that is at the core of the cinematical conceptualism which is defined in the narrative.

A further dsplacement is introduced when the protagonist is abducted by extra-terrestrial humanoids from the planet G.O.R.A. and becomes embroiled in their plans concerning the future of planet Earth. What is at stake is not as much the survival of human life as the exploration and slef discovery of alien sexual identity and even the definition of what is intrinsically a fictional questioning of both genre and sexual identity.



2. Underlying narratives of cinematic stasis in The Attack of the Giant Moussaka (1999)

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Quantum theory implies that space-time is a self-contained continuum without boundaries. In A brief history of time, Stephen Hawking states that "the whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired."

This aptly applies to I epithesi tou gigantiaiou mousaka (The Attack of the Giant Moussaka) as we are left facing the speculative void that is a major element in the uncanniness that is at the core of the cinematic narrative. Das Unheimliche as defined by Dr Sigmund Freud in 1919 partakes in the creation of what is defined as cognitive dissonance and results from the paradoxical simultaneity of attraction and repulsion on the experiencing subject's part thus leading to the rejection of the aforesaid object.

Thus Freudian analysis would indicate when applied to The Attack of the Giant Moussaka that the topos (as it is understood in post Derridaist literary criticism) is rejected and never rationalized.

Hence the reaction of the transexual protagonist who is struggling with self realization and coming to terms with the alimentary predicament embodied by the gigantic Greek dish that threatens Athens physically without any explanation. This thinly veiled reference to the vagina dentata instrumental in gender castration is later reinforced by the shiny grey spandex outfits of the alien bimbos in the flying saucer.

These aliens commonly form a trinity on screen, a structural element which harks back to the the three Fates of Greek mythology and interestingly enough to the three Witches in Shakespeare's Macbeth as well. The bringing together of myths is done in an offhand manner which is in many ways reminiscent of Joyce's early work. In the universality at stake in the narrative we can contemplate the conflation of stasis and movement as the kinetic element becomes cinematic.



3. SARS Wars (2004) or a postmodern characterization of alienative elements in industrial society

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Nobel Prize laureate Elias Canetti described Kafka's The Metamorphosis as "one of the few great and perfect works of the poetic imagination written during this century".

The alienation of the individual brings up the outdated nature versus nurture debates which is represented in Khun krabii hiiroh (SARS Wars) by the importance and relevance of learning and experience through teaching and personal growth in what has been referred to as "Thailand's Citizen Kane" on supposedly more than one occasion.

In L'armata Brancaleone the plague outbreak played only a minor role whereas in SARS Wars it can be said to be a major part in the actual characterization of alienative elements that are brought to the fore as the outbreak spreads to Bangkok. The ensuing depiction of a mythopoetical reality leads to the convergence of various conflicting structural tropes as the Type 4 strain turns victims into zombies, a straight if obvious metaphor for alienated individuals.

It also demonstrates that although the protagonist may postulate that reality is distinct from consciousness in the end sexuality is capable of significance as meaning keeps eluding us. The sword wielded by the non-prosaic hero is yet another phallic symbol hinting that the inner struggle revolving around the protagonist's sexuality is nevertheless never resolved. Such a proposition is not entirely at odds with a more holistic vision as it is propounded and expounded by Gestalt psychologists.

Thereby the resolution is bound to provoke in the audience a cathartic release of emotions akin to Schadenfreude. The conflict with the overwhelmingly sexually challenging transvestite villain is indeed more important than the surface and is a direct testimony to the impact of postmodernism on society as a whole and may explain why this cinematic narrative will undoubtedly permeate Western cultural zeitgeist in the near future.



Defining art and form is ultimately left to the viewer's discretion who alone is habilitated to make such a decision in a postmodern world in which the individual has no choice but to be at odds with society and can only define one's own self in opposition to others. Or as the Poet once said: "Futuaris nisi irrisus ridebis"