Rifle, Ryoma, Monster, Unabomber, Splash

The Rifleman

Field of Vision | Vimeo | 7th May 2021

Illuminating origin story of the NRA, constructed entirely from archival footage. Harlon Carter, prime mover of the modern NRA, made his bones as a border patrol agent and convicted murderer before growing the organization into the political behemoth it is today. "In no other country in the world have so many free men been permitted so many weapons in peacetime" (18m 34s)

Sakamoto Ryoma Overthrows The Japanese Government

Mattias Pilhede | YouTube | 13th May 2021

Wild tale of power struggle in 1800s Japan: an ex-samurai who hates the West becomes enamored with it and decides to steer a fragmented Japan in a more democratic direction. "It's civil war time, and now it's time to pick a side: are you pro-shogun or pro-emperor? And now that you have picked a side...you're going to get assassinated" (6m 26s)

The Scariest Movie Monster

Throughline | Vimeo | 6th May 2021

...is the "Mutated Bear" from the 2018 sci-fi horror flick Annihilation, which "seizes the moment its victim realizes death will soon occur, and suspends this fear forever in its cry." The bear symbolizes our unconscious "shadow selves," and its human cry provokes sadness as much as fear. Warning: creepy images abound (9m 46s)

The Philosophy Of The Unabomber

Sisyphus 55 | YouTube | 15th May 2021

Ted Kaczynski—America's favorite anarcho-primitivist mail-bomber—was galvanized by the writings of Jacques Ellul, a Christian anarchist who thought that technological advancement makes us slaves to efficiency. But where Ellul advocated for unions and grassroots change, Kaczynski took a blunter approach (15m 38s)

Unsettling Video Of The Week

Animated short—breathtaking (literally) aquatic horror story

Watch The Viewer's recommendations each week as a handy YouTube Playlist.

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