#john darko

[aunti-christ-ine]

For this Caturday: A nostalgic (?) reminder of "They're eating the cats!"

😾

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

John Darko

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LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 19, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUL 20, 2023

A little more than two years ago, on July 9, 2021, President Biden signed an executive order to promote competition in the U.S. economy. Echoing the language of his predecessors, he said, “competition keeps the economy moving and keeps it growing. Fair competition is why capitalism has been the world’s greatest force for prosperity and growth…. But what we’ve seen over the past few decades is less competition and more concentration that holds our economy back.”

In that speech, Biden deliberately positioned himself in our country’s long history of opposing economic consolidation. Calling out both Roosevelt presidents—Republican Theodore Roosevelt, who oversaw part of the Progressive Era, and Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who oversaw the New Deal—Biden celebrated their attempt to rein in the power of big business, first by focusing on the abuses of those businesses, and then by championing competition. 

Biden promised to enforce antitrust laws, interpreting them in the way they had been understood traditionally. Like his progressive predecessors, he believed antitrust laws should prevent large entities from swallowing up markets, consolidating their power so they could raise prices and undercut workers’ rights. Traditionally, those advocating antitrust legislation wanted to protect economic competition, believing that such competition would promote innovation, protect workers, and keep consumer prices down. 

In the 1980s, government officials threw out that understanding and replaced it with a new line of thinking advanced by former solicitor general of the United States Robert Bork. He claimed that the traditional understanding of antitrust legislation was economically inefficient because it restricted the ways businesses could operate. Instead, he said, consolidation of industries was fine so long as it promoted economic efficiencies that, at least in the short term, cut costs for consumers. While antitrust legislation remained on the books, the understanding of what it meant changed dramatically.

Reagan and his people advanced Bork’s position, abandoning the idea that capitalism fundamentally depends on competition. Industries consolidated, and by the time Biden took office his people estimated the lack of competition was costing a median U.S. household as much as $5000 a year. Two years ago, Biden called the turn toward Bork’s ideas “the wrong path,” and vowed to restore competition in an increasingly consolidated marketplace. With his executive order in July 2021, he established a White House Competition Council to direct a whole-of-government approach to promoting competition in the economy. 

This shift gained momentum in part because of what appeared to be price gouging as the shutdowns of the pandemic eased. The five largest ocean container shipping companies, for example, made $300 billion in profits in 2022, compared to $64 billion the year before, which itself was a higher number than in the past. Those higher prices helped to drive inflation. 

The baby formula shortage that began in February 2022 also highlighted the problems of concentration in an industry. Just four companies controlled 90% of the baby formula market in the U.S., and when one of them shut down production at a plant that appeared to be contaminated, supplies fell dramatically across the country. The administration had to start flying millions of bottles of formula in from other countries under Operation Fly Formula, a solution that suggested something was badly out of whack. 

The administration’s focus on restoring competition had some immediate effects. It worked to get a bipartisan reform to ocean shipping through Congress, permitting greater oversight of the shipping industry by the Federal Maritime Commission. That law was part of the solution that brought ocean-going shipping prices down 80% from their peak. It worked with the Food and Drug Administration to make hearing aids available over the counter, cutting costs for American families. It also has worked to get rid of the non-compete clauses which made it hard for about 30 million workers to change jobs. And it began cracking down on junk fees, add-ons to rental car contracts, ticket sales, banking services, and so on, getting those fees down an estimated $5 billion a year. 

“Folks are tired of being played for suckers,” Biden said. “[I]t’s about basic fairness.”

Today, the administration announced new measures to promote competition in the economy. The Department of Agriculture will work with attorneys general in 31 states and Washington, D.C. to enforce antitrust and consumer protection laws in food and agriculture. They will make sure that large corporations can’t fix food prices or price gouge in stores in areas where they have a monopoly. They will work to expand the nation’s processing capacity for meat and poultry, and are also promoting better access to markets for all agricultural producers and keeping seeds open-source. 

Having cracked down on junk fees in consumer products, the administration is now turning to junk fees in rental housing, fees like those required just to file a rental application or fees to be able to pay your rent online. 

The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission today released new merger guidelines to protect the country from mass layoffs, higher prices, and fewer options for consumers and workers. Biden used the example of hospital mergers, which have led to extraordinary price hikes, to explain why new guidelines are necessary. 

The agencies reached out for public comment to construct 13 guidelines that seek to prevent mergers that threaten competition or tend to create monopolies. They declare that agencies must address the effect of proposed mergers on “all market participants and any dimension of competition, including for workers.”

Now that the guidelines are proposed, officials are asking the public to provide comments on them. The comment period will end on September 18. 

One of the reporters on the press call about the new initiatives noted that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has accused the Biden administration of regulatory overreach, exactly as Bork outlined in a famous 1978 book introducing his revision of U.S. antitrust policy. An answer by a senior administration official highlighted a key element of the struggle over business consolidation that is rarely discussed and has been key to demands to end such consolidation since the 1870s. 

The official noted that small businesses, especially those in rural areas, are quite happy to see consolidation broken up, because it gives them an opportunity to get into fields that previously had been closed to them. In fact, small businesses have boomed under this administration; there were 10.5 million small business applications in its first two years and those numbers continue strong. 

This is the same pattern the U.S. saw during the Progressive Era of the early twentieth century and during the New Deal of the 1930s. In both of those eras, established business leaders insisted that government regulation was bad for the economy and that any attempts to limit their power came from workers who were at least flirting with socialism. But in fact entrepreneurs and small businesses were always part of the coalition that wanted such regulation. They needed it to level the playing field enough to let them participate.  

The effects of this turnaround in the government’s approach to economic consolidation is a big deal. It is already having real effects on our lives, and offers to do more: saving consumers money, protecting workers’ wages and safety, and promoting small businesses, especially in rural areas. It’s another part of this administration’s rejection of the top-down economy that has shaped the country since 1981. 

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[rotor25]

Warsaw AV: the greatest hi-fi show on earth!

[johndarko-blog]

Started From the Bottom, Now We Here...

Here's some truth... I started from the bottom and now I'm here. I've slept on sofas and sometimes wondered how I was going to make it through the week. Went hungry and experienced my own tragedies. Yet, that's never stopped me from hard work and holding on to the possibility of greener pastures. Hope is an incredible thing once you've fully embraced it. But that was then, and I want to address the now. Life since has been nothing short of amazing. Everyday has been getting increasingly better and I tend to reflect my joy in social situations I.E. via parties, Instagram photos, status updates, tweets, etc. If the next person has the right to share a picture of his or her meal at Baja Fresh - or some sort of event worth sharing, then who am I to judge the importance or the intentions of the action? It is what it is. It's not that serious. We all like to share. Look, I'm constantly changing everyday of my life... I'm learning the world is much bigger than I was brought up to imagine. Then one day I woke up and realized no matter what; I am doing exactly what I want to regardless of recourse or possible misfortune. Chasing dreams takes an extreme amount of risk and bravery. Life is too short to not enjoy it. Every second. So whomever can agree, I applaud thee and say right off the bat; that you deserve every bit of your success. Basically what I'm trying to say is; I'm not that kid anymore waving around a screenplay gasping for attention (which is fine) - I'm fucking happy and excited that the grass is actually greener on the other side. So excuse me if I seem a little douchey, take it for what it is and judge all you want. Because I'll take that as a reflection of how you see yourself. I'm doing me, so worry about you. And to certain individuals out there; knock off the hating ass bullshit. It's not a good look. I mean... is life supposed to be anything but spectacular? Hop on a plane, go to a place that scares you, swim to Hawaii, fly to Mars, whatever!!! Don't have money to? Save. Work it out. Or don't. Your choice. But above all, before you judge... Look in the mirror. To all my friends, I love you dearly. To those that diss directly or indirectly, you'll never hear a reply for it. Best. JD.

[johndarko-blog]

Past, Present, Future

Allow me to reintroduce myself... My name is John Darko and I make movies and produce a ton of other cool shit. I'm blessed beyond explanation.

And my life is getting increasingly better by the minute

I'm trying my best to convey this without sounding like a complete "hippie" or one of those overly optimistic cats whom sometimes warrant a reality check... But it's true, everything can be illuminated. Just jump out of the dark for a second. 

ANYHOW: I'm working on a few things that contractually I cannot discuss (BOOO!) BUT I can give a little insight...

1) I will be back behind the camera (Directing) in a few months. http://insearchofadam.com  <--- THAT IS ALL, for now.

2) I jumped back into the music biz, and it has been crazy fun to have been apart of the assembly of "probably the greatest thing to happen to rock music this year!" Last year I had the pleasure of directing a music video for the band "On Being Human" and now we are working together on a new record, and a hybrid concept film which still remains to be a secret. In due time.

For now, here's that video... Watch it, love it. 

3) I have a twitter http://twitter.com/johndarko go follow me and RT all of the dumb sh*t I say. And please tell the powers that be over at TWITTER HQ to give me my "verified status". K thanks.

4) I will be posting here more often, a new layout is coming, YES I HAVE GONE CORPORATE. So, check back within the next few weeks or so. It's a pretty massive change. I promise. 

I guess that takes care of the present & future.

So enjoy the past... See ya next time! 

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John Darko's 'Killcam Live' Social Horror Gets First Teaser & Website

http://www.firstshowing.net/2011/john-darkos-killcam-live-social-horror-gets-first-teaser-website/

"...A few months ago we brought you news on the Zombies Ate My Neighbors adaptation from up-and-coming director John Darko, and while that's definitely still in development, Darko has been working on another interesting film in the meantime. He has been directing a unique new social horror project titled Killcam Livethat features an interactive website and more. A teaser trailer and website have launched, and we have even more official news on the "social horror" project. The film will follow group of college students as they willingly participate in an experiment to study the effects of communicating solely through social media."

Killcam Live to be First Interactive Social Networking Film

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/48275/killcam-live-be-first-interactive-social-networking-film

Okay now, this is a good idea. All of us have sat in front of a movie and just hung our heads at the direction it took. Either some of the characters were too dopey or the story dragged, but we've all wished for an opportunity to grab a movie halfway through viewing it and change the outcome. Well, gorehounds, Killcam Live is going to give you that chance this Halloween.

Killcam: Live Breaks 1MM Viewers on Stickam

http://www.tubefilter.com/2011/12/01/killcam-live-stickam/

Live interactive horror project Killcam: Live has added over 1.1 million viewers to its rapidly growing “Killmunity.” The project, directed by John Darko, debuted on October 31st and runs through the end of the year. Killcam: Live stars April Wade, Ben Begley, Tracy Clifton, Derrick Oliver, Sam Weller, Emily Dykes, Diahnna Nicole Baxter, Billy Towers, Mirai Booth-Ong, and Rolence Patugan.

Waterstone eyes Doha hub in deal with Qatari Innovation Film

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Kalligheri and Stephen Bowen’s Waterstone Entertainment are teaming up with Qatar-based Innovation Films to develop and produce film and television projects in Qatar and will kick off with The Greatest Salesman In The World.

http://www.screendaily.com/news/corporate/waterstone-eyes-doha-hub-in-deal-with-qatari-innovation-film/5042233.article

The deal is believed to be the first between Hollywood and a Qatari production company and will see Waterstone will open an office in Doha, Qatar. Kalligheri, Bowen and John Darko will produce for Waterstone while Innovation Films head Ahmed Al Baker and his co-head of parent company Innovation Group Mohammad Al Hamadi and Mohammad Al Ibrahim will do so for Innovation Films.

Old-School Video Gamers, Rejoice! Zombies Ate My Neighbors Movie In The Works!

http://perezhilton.com/tag/john_darko/#.UDGWQtBWoaU

Remember the good ol' days of Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, andMortal Kombat II?

Of course you do, and for those of you slightly less mainstream gamers out there, you might also remember a Super Nintendo game calledZombies Ate My Neighbors.

Filmmaker Donnie John Darko remembers the game, and he's currently seeking financing for a Zombies script, which he wrote based on the cult classic video game.

Word is the film will be done independently, and wheels seem to be moving along for the project pretty smoothly thus far.

Sounds like a fun, campy, zombieriffic nostalgia fest!

We're game!

Tags: independent, john darko, mortal kombat ii, nostalgia, super mario kart, super mario world,super nintendo, zombieriffic, zombies ate my neighbors

Horror-Comedy ‘Zombies Ate My Neighbors’ in Development, Based on the ’90s Video Game

http://www.slashfilm.com/horrorcomedy-zombies-ate-neighbors-development-based-90s-video-game/

Ready for another zombie movie? How about another zombie comedy? Well, ready or not, here another one comes: A screenplay based on the cult classic video game Zombies Ate My Neighbors has been written, and now the film is starting to come together. It’s being described as “John Hughes meets Judd Apatow meets George A. Romero”, which sounds like an ultimate pairing of things-everyone-loves, assuming it can be done right.

Life After ‘Saw’ Turns Out to Still Be Scary

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/movies/saw-franchise-creators-are-back-with-insidious.html

MOST of “Insidious,” the new film from James Wan and Leigh Whannell that opens April 1, takes place not in a dank, rust-stained industrial-size men’s room, but in a perfectly respectable middle-class house. There are no visible hacksaws, manacles or face masks wired with explosives intended to blow a jaw apart. No one is dismembered or disemboweled. In fact, there is no bloodshed of any sort.

John Darko/FilmDistrict

Lin Shaye in a scene from “Insidious,” which the creators intend as “an elevated genre film.”

Zombies Ate My Neighbours Onscreen Good neighbours become good... undead

http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=30070

You'd be forgiven for feeling like you're drowning in a sea of potential action zom-coms at the moment, but anyone who owned a SNES in the 1990s may prick up their ears at the news that a film adaptation of Zombies Ate My Neighbours is in the early stages of development.

...John Darko has written the script and is co-producing. Darko has recently been shooting second unit and stills for James Wan and Leigh Whannell's Insidious: an association that shouldn't stop him from landing some useful connections for financing. No director or cast are attached yet, but it seems reasonable to assume that Darko is eyeing the gig behind the camera himself.

Lockdown: Red Moon Escape

http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/-lockdown-red-moon-escape/5041746.article

While it is intriguing to see the worldwide domination of the zombie film reach Arab cinema, in truth the region needs no real assistance from Western-orientated horror genres. Genre films featuring Djin – Arab ghosts – have been made in the past, though there has yet been a locally originated feature film that really embraces horror.

Producers: Mohammed Alibrahim, Ahmed Al Baker, John Darko, Khalid Al Jaber

Cinematography: Shadab Khan

Music: Gregory M Johnson

Main cast: Mishal Al Dosari, Mariam Al Essa, Jassim Mohammed, Abdulaziz Al Durani, Mahmood Al Mahmood, Faisal Al Baker

[johndarko-blog]

Fans Are Responding to Killcam: Live's Unique Interactive Horror Experience

Over 1,000,000 live participants!!! Congratulations team. Was a pleasure working with all of you...

A little bit of press from our friends over at Dread Central. 

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About a month ago we told you about April Wade and Canyon Prince's Killcam: Live, a hybrid web series/live action horror adventure that not only entertains audiences but invites them to become part of the action, to interact with the characters in the story, in real time, just as death is knocking on their door. Already almost a million viewers have become part of the growing "Killmunity".

The project, directed by John Darko, premiered on October 31st and runs through December. Killcam: Live stars April Wade, Ben Begley, Tracy Clifton, Derrick Oliver, Sam Weller, Emily Dykes, Diahnna Nicole Baxter, Billy Towers, Mirai Booth-Ong, and Rolence Patugan.

All the links you need to get involved and start following the action are in the press release below. I've been peeking in from time to time myself and love the idea behind this project. It adds a new level of realism that you can't get from a traditional film, no matter how clear your Blu-ray copy may be.

From the Press Release With almost a million live views and counting, viewers from every continent have become part of a growing "Killmunity", participating in a LIVE interactive horror project. With viewers interacting directly with characters from the ongoing storyline, Killcam: Live is single-handedly changing the way that audiences are interacting with their entertainment.

Like a wildfire sweeping the net, Killcam: Live has set multiple records with streaming powerhouse Stickam , and website killcamlive.com has already called audiences to stand witness to the brutal killings of three of the story's main characters and one surprise death brought about by the cries of the interactive audience. With each new week more and more "super fans" are being born, transitioning from curious bystanders to actual characters in the story itself. Audience members have created entire blogs devoted to play-by-play breakdowns of the episodes and the characters in them.

Each week viewers participate in a "Cill Contest", ripping footage from the episodic narrative and live footage and cutting together their own recap videos to bring new viewers up-to-date. With four weeks left in the story, there's no telling what will come next. No one is safe! Not even the audience.

Killcam: Live is the transmedia brainchild of producer April Wade (@actoraprilwade) and filmmaker Canyon Prince (@canyonprince). Part digiseries, part interactive real time experience, and part feature film, Killcam: Live is the next stage in the evolution of storytelling. The project follows a group of students as they willingly agree to participate in a social experiment put on by their charming psychology professor Michael Grayson (played by J. Michael Briggs). The experiment is meant to explore the effects of current human dependence on technology and social media as the majority form of communication. During the ongoing experiment, the students will be isolated from each other and their only way to communicate with the outside world will be through social media. However, someone has a different agenda in mind as things start to take a turn for the worse.

Every Thursday through December, an episode will play out online, moving the story forward in typical narrative format. The following Monday through Thursday morning of each week will host a LIVE 72-hour period in which one of the students will be trapped in a room, awaiting their horrific fate. During that period, the audience will be able to interact with the character via video, Facebook, Twitter (@killcam_live) and online chat. The audience will be able to inform the characters (in real time) what is happening and possibly even aid them in their escape...or demise.

"We are looking to bring a heightened level of interactivity to the audience" says Wade, "and we feel that this projects is on the cutting edge of a new age of storytelling. As filmmakers today, we have an international platform for our stories that never existed before and I am thrilled to be experimenting with creative ways to use social media to shape the film."

Prince adds, "We're moving farther and farther away from a traditional storytelling model. As people continue to consume more and more content via mobile devices, it's detrimental and entirely counter-productive for us not to take advantage of the enormous opportunities that interactive multiple screen storytelling opens up." Wade and Prince, along with Spence Griffeth, who penned the screenplay, developed the concept and story. Shot on the Red MX One, the narrative episodic of the show, as well as the feature film wraparound, was helmed by John Darko, lensed by David M. Brewer and executive produced by Ahmed al Baker and Mohammad Il Abrahim. Recently Darko and Brewer worked closely together on James Wan and Leigh Whannell's feature film Insidious from Lionsgate.

http://www.dreadcentral.com/ news/48964/ fans-are-responding-killcam-liv es-unique-interactive-horror-experience

[johndarko-blog]

Set Sail - 11.11.11

Good morning. It's been a while since my last entry, or to be more specific, it's been sometime since I sat down and creatively wrote from the heart. By origin I am an artist by any means necessary. But sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the wind, and it feels like I've thrown out my anchor some time ago. I'm just waiting for it to catch some proverbial ground.

Look, I'll be honest... I'm afforded more in life than most are, and I say this with the utmost of sincerity and appreciation whereas the majority of individuals in my position won't even seem to care. Believe me, I've met a colorful palette of dream-chasers. All of them interesting to the tenth degree, yet (with the exception of a few) seem to be missing a constituent element. Which in my opinion is humility.

I don't care who you are. To get to where you are at now, there HAD to be some sort of struggle or adversity you battled with to realize change is imminent. Each and every living person on this planet is different from the other, we are cut from the same cloth but carry a unique signature; and I believe this changes and evolves as time goes on.

For instance, as children we don't expect the world to express itself in any other way than how we would perceive our day. And I can faintly remember waking up to the sound of my mom's cooking coupled with the morning news my father would always frequent. Fast forward to school, friends, television then sleep. At this stage you wouldn't anticipate domestic violence, a messy divorce and a family divide with years of trauma to follow.

But that's my particular, and I know for damn sure some had it worse.

It takes just a step to walk a thousand miles towards what you think might be the right direction. And after a few missteps you'll realize that there is no "definitive right" there's just forward. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are all a product of what was, be it an illuminated place - or - a darkened hallway. The signature we carry reflects how we adapted to the situation. This is what makes us beautiful. This is how we learn to appreciate every breath given and taken. This is what propels the earth forward. 

And as I'm writing this, I can't help but to feel saddened by the absence of my mother and father. Although I've realized nothing will ever separate our love for each other. So I'm comforted in that absolute truth.

Life is good now and I suppose it has always been; in relation to everything above. It's moving fast and I'm adjusting my sails. The anchor reference from the top of this entry was a metaphor to wanting to slow down to appreciate the sights before I wander out again. But come what may, I am not afraid.

I'm turning 30 in just a few weeks, yet I still feel like a kid. A lot of me is still figuring this stuff out, which is the fun part in my opinion. I'm allowed to make mistakes and to fumble en route to the goal line, contrary to what my friends and partners might want or demand. It's cleverly disguised as being irresponsible, but it's obvious I think otherwise.

Live, love, cry, dance, fall, get back up, try, run, walk, move, laugh, fly, create, vent, let go, sleep, wake up, fight, struggle, realize, appreciate and most importantly smile. Become the first of you and never look back, but don't forget what made you into the beautiful person you are today. And embrace your humility as it will always be part of you; YOUR SIGNATURE. 

Thanks for reading. 

John Darko

[johndarko-blog]

Nostalgia

Wrote this back in 2008. I'm glad I was able to readjust. I'm happier than I've ever been. Life is all about the contrast folks ; )

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http://johndarko.blogspot.com/2008/06/will-work-for.html

Hey everybody. Thought I'd talk a little bit about my current job situation and for that matter everybody else's. For the past three and a half months, I've had my nose to the grindstone. I've been getting up early, circling the classifieds, phoning companies direct, combing internet websites and what have you but still no luck. I've came pretty close to the tune of a few interviews. But even then I had to come back and resell myself to every higher up until I can finally get the obligatory "we're just going to go with someone else" speech. I've even been promised jobs in return for my services. Nice try but no cigar. The funny thing is...I'm not complaining. The farther and farther I get in this industry, the more and more I start to understand how it works. It's natural to feel like you're failing when facing the monolith that is Hollywood. Think about it, this place is the Mecca for the common American dream. Only in Hollywood (and well maybe New York) can you walk down the boulevard and meet tons of would be signers, dancers, actors, writers, painters, directors...hell, the place where they film "American Idol" is only a hop, skip and a jump away from my apartment. Irony in it's finest moment, if you ask me.

Everyday we fight to be heard and sad to say, it's one fierce competition after another.

So I'll give anybody credit for making it out here to fulfill a dream, swimming with the sharks and testing the waters to see what you're made of. No matter what, this world will still spin and propel forward. We should act accordingly. But I figured that I'll take a rest from this ravenous cat and mouse game. Only long enough to re-connect with my creative side. I need to sharpen the blades, reload on some ammo. Finish a script or two. Then it's time to unload on this city. Figuratively of course.

Every now and then, you have to look at your cards and readjust. Wait for the good hand. Hang in there friends! Remember, you've made it this far.