Scientology Ramps Up Campaign Against 'Going Clear,' Targets Academy Members

[onager]

The Hollywood Reporter - ?October? ?07?, ?2015

The Church of Scientology really doesn’t want Alex Gibney to win an Oscar for his documentary "Going Clear."

Since the film — a scathing critique of the controversial church and its celebrity adherents, including Tom Cruise and John Travolta, based on Lawrence Wright’s best-selling book — won three Emmys in September, the filmmaker says he has been the subject of an increasingly hostile harassment campaign that has included a Scientology-backed “documentary” and outreach to members of the Academy’s doc branch, the group that selects the Oscar contenders...

As Gibney and Going Clear make a run at an Oscar, the stakes are perhaps higher for Scientology. If Gibney wins and is given a worldwide stage on which to speak out against the church (with Travolta, Cruise or other Hollywood Scientologists possibly sitting in the audience), it would be a public relations nightmare for the church and its leader, David Miscavige.

“The church of Scientology stakes a claim on Hollywood, and so it’s not surprising that it would be threatened by the possibility that that community would examine the church more closely,” says Wright. “That’s what I think is causing the more feverish attention to the documentary.”

For this reason, Rinder believes the actions by Scientology members against the documentary are being “at least approved, if not dictated” by Miscavige himself.

“I guess their intention is to intimidate or to get people to think that they should be afraid of speaking out,” Rinder says. “But honestly, I think they have exactly the opposite effect.”

https://www.yahoo.com/movies/scientology-ramps-up-campaign-against-going-145629951.html

[beam me up scottie]

1. Well this is going to get interesting.

It will be awesome if they win an Oscar.

[AlbertCat]

3. A controversy about the Oscar is even better than winning...

....and that seems to have already started.

Oscars are VERY often given to not the best product. Being nominated is enough of an honor.



I mean, if "Amadeus" can win for its tacky ugly sophomoric costumes over costumes from like "The Bostonians" or "Passage to India".... who cares who wins? (that's when I stopped watching or caring)

[JNelson6563]

12. If Braveheart could beat out Rob Roy for anything

Tells me all I need to know.

[mr blur]

4. Have you seen it bmus? I certainly wouldn't like to be Travolta, sitting in the audience,

while his 'friends' and peers try not to snigger at the memory of him sitting in his little soldier suit and claiming that only $cientology can save the world.

[onager]

6. Or Tom Cruise jumping around like a Hobbit on crack

i.e., the Cruise performance during the El Ron birthday party in "Going Clear." When David Miscarriage was awarding Cruise "$cientology's highest medal." I need to watch that documentary again.

Travolta's appearance in his "soldier suit" reminded me of one thing - his awesome $cientology superpowers haven't helped him one bit when it comes to doing a Southern accent. He can't do that accent and shouldn't even try - he doesn't sound Southern, he sounds like a drunk and possibly brain-damaged dope from New Jersey. (I think those clips were shot during the making of "The General's Daughter.&quot

I was hoping for more clips from "Battlefield Earth." Which at least did one service for humanity - it consumed a huge chunk of Travolta's personal fortune which he can't spend to promote $cientology.

The production company knew that "B.E." would be a giant gobbling space turkey, and wisely insisted that Travolta put his own money into it.

[mr blur]

8. It was Forest Whitaker that I felt sorry for.

Does he owe Travolta a lot of money or something?

[onager]

9. Ha! The very first item in IMdb trivia for "B.E."

Forest Whitaker expressed his regret for participating in this movie.

I went searching for more on that but found very few details. One article about Whitaker said he only did "B.E." for the money. At the time he was trying to finance some of his own projects.

Travolta took a steep pay cut upfront (and put his own money into it). He was planning to make a fortune when "B.E." achieved great financial and critical success. And even more off the sequel...



The IMdb "Trivia" section is full of interesting stuff about "B.E." Sounds like the production company was using Standard Hollywood Creative Accounting. But got caught at it and sued out of existence:

The investor, Intertainment, sued producer Franchise Pictures for fraud. Franchise claimed the budget was $75 million instead of the actual budget of $44 million. Franchise Pictures were sentenced to pay Intertainment $121.7 million in damages and went bankrupt. Intertainment only financed the film because it came as a package deal with The Art of War (2000) and The Whole Nine Yards (2000).

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185183/trivia

[beam me up scottie]

10. Parts of it yes, and I wonder how many Scientologists will skip the ceremony.

If I was a member of that cult I sure wouldn't want to be sitting in the audience when they show the clips.

[progressoid]

2. Oh please, please, please,

This must win.

Also read that Leah Remini has been talking trash about Scientology on her reality show.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. I always wonder why any religion gets so upset

when it is condemned by people who they consider outsiders. If they have the truth, it really shouldn't matter to them what others say about them.

But I suppose when you have some bizarre beliefs, it is good to keep them secret.

[edhopper]

7. The problem with Scientology

is they extorted the IRS into giving them religious status in the 90s. Without that they would be bankrupt. There are fewer than 25,000 active Scientologist in this country. And that number is falling.

http://www.villagevoice.com/news/scientologists-how-many-of-them-are-there-anyway-6717701

Take away the IRS status and they shrink onto oblivion. Perhaps this movie will make the government rethink their bad decision.

When I saw the film, my thought was "Why isn't Miscavige in jail?"

[mountain grammy]

11. One giant tax scam.. they all know it.

Disgusting and outrageous. Tax all religious institutions, they're all the same scam.

The documentary is excellent. I hope it wins an Oscar.

[cleanhippie]

13. I give L. Ron much credit for pulling that off.

If there's two things I admire about Mr. Hubbard it is his ability to replicate the draw of more traditional religions for his own transparent and personal gain, then get the government to subsidize the whole thing based on nothing more than "If you're going to subsidize those religions, you have to subsidize mine."

Sadly, the IRS lost the only plausible chance it's ever had or going to have to pull the tax-exempt status from all religion. A missed opportunity, to say the least.

[edhopper]

14. That was his plan

but if you saw the film, you know that in the 90s Mscavige walked into the office of the IRS, who were about to pull their status and bankrupt them, and extorted a decision to let them have religious status.
And it seems they are still too cowardly to revisit this.

[olddots]

15. wonder if Paul Haggis will show up

at the awards and hope he doesn't have to sit near the inner sanctum .