As above so below

[Gary]

This film is a psychological thriller, in cinema's from August 29th. It sounds interesting! :)

Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. A journey into madness and terror, As Above, So Below reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all.

http://www.movieinsider.com/m11570/as-above-so-below/

A group of subterranean explorers encounter terror beneath the streets of Paris after descending into the city's ancient catacombs. Just when it seems their journey can't get any more nightmarish, the demons of their pasts strike back with a vengeance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

http://www.fandango.com/asabovesobelow_156060/plotsummary

Trailer on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83PpryYHHeY

 

[Laura]

I watched the trailer; not something I would want to spend my time watching I don't think.

As Above, So Below is a 2014 American found footage horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Dowdle and his brother Drew. The film is produced by Legendary Pictures and it's distributed by Universal Pictures, making it the first film in Legendary's deal with Universal.[2] It was released on August 29, 2014.[3][4] ...

As Above, So Below received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a rating of 33%, based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film currently has a rating of 45 out of 100, based on 4 critics.[7] The film opened to $470,000 in late Thursday night grosses on August 28, 2014.

 

[Gary]

I will probably get the dvd, it doesn't inspire enough me to beat a path to the cinema :)

I saw the date 1785 in the trailer, which is a few years prior to the French Revolution, so I am interested to see what they uncover relating to that chaotic period. Also, the concept of facing past demons / learning from our past, I find of interest too.

The Matrix, V for Vendetta it is not! :)

 

[rs]

I watched the trailer; not something I would want to spend my time watching I don't think.

As Above, So Below is a 2014 American found footage horror film directed by John Erick Dowdle and written by Dowdle and his brother Drew. The film is produced by Legendary Pictures and it's distributed by Universal Pictures, making it the first film in Legendary's deal with Universal.[2] It was released on August 29, 2014.[3][4] ...

As Above, So Below received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a rating of 33%, based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 5/10.[6] On Metacritic, the film currently has a rating of 45 out of 100, based on 4 critics.[7] The film opened to $470,000 in late Thursday night grosses on August 28, 2014.

Fundamentally, this is a horror film, not any kind of philosophical metaphor or analysis (like "The Matrix"). Lots of people like horror films; my bet is that this genre provides lots of food for STS types.

 

[Lizziespreparetogovegan]

I watched the trailer for this a while back. The concept is interesting (people facing their past and 'shadow selves' during an exploration of ancient catacombs) but ultimately it looks as if it just descends into the standard Hollywood 'shock-fest' with little depth or any thought provoking message. I kind of feel like I've seen the film after watching the trailer though no doubt there's some kind of macabre 'twist' at the end.

Apart from the mainstream fright-fest lovers it will likely appeal also to some who have an interest in the esoteric, having the hermetic title as it does. I can't help wondering if this particular movie may have some very negative programming for people who are drawn to it for that reason or whether such dark 'edge of your seat' films are good for the soul in general.

Anyway, having said that one of my worst fears is being trapped under ground so not one for me!

 

[griffin]

The phrase used as the title of this film, "As above, so below" traditionally refers to a view of society as controlled by a secret conspiracy of members of an elite, as well as a pithy observation that, in a feudal or otherwise stratified, class structured society, the lives and experiences of even the highly privileged have parallels in those of people in lower classes, perhaps reflecting that everyone is in the same boat.

Leaving aside the interesting issue of whether any such elite conspiracy that the phrase refers to in its first meaning actually exists, it's interesting to note that if such a conspiracy does exist, one of its prime objectives must be to influence the vast majority of people to believe that it doesn't actually exist. What better way to do so than to trivialize the phrase in mass consciousness by making a cheesy horror movie with that title?

 

[Laura]

The more ancient usage of the term "As above, so below," is the Hermetic maxim. It is also the term of the right of the pope to be pope, i.e. the "keys of the kingdom" in Matthew 18:18

"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

 

[Lizziespreparetogovegan]

The phrase used as the title of this film, "As above, so below" traditionally refers to a view of society as controlled by a secret conspiracy of members of an elite, as well as a pithy observation that, in a feudal or otherwise stratified, class structured society, the lives and experiences of even the highly privileged have parallels in those of people in lower classes, perhaps reflecting that everyone is in the same boat.

Leaving aside the interesting issue of whether any such elite conspiracy that the phrase refers to in its first meaning actually exists, it's interesting to note that if such a conspiracy does exist, one of its prime objectives must be to influence the vast majority of people to believe that it doesn't actually exist. What better way to do so than to trivialize the phrase in mass consciousness by making a cheesy horror movie with that title?

I always understood this saying to be one of the cornerstones of the ancient teaching of Hermes Trismegistus, revived in recent times in the book 'The Kyballion'. My own understanding of the phrase is that the Universe operates like a series of 'mirrors' or metaphors which reflect and compliment each other across the different planes of existence; physical, mental, spiritual etc.

added: Interesting though that when you type the phrase into google there's nothing about the traditional meaning on the first two pages, just links to various websites concerned with the film....

 

[gdpetti]

Film sounds like that one a number of years back about that group of women hikers/spelunkers who encounter unfriendly creatures in the caves. There's been a number of similar scenes in films over the years.... even Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.