Fortunatus: The Newman-Cruise Drugstore

[Abishai100]

The iconic American movie superstars Paul Newman and Tom Cruise have both made very culturally symbolic films such as Hud, The Verdict, Nobody's Fool, A Few Good Men, Minority Report, and Edge of Tomorrow.

It was in Martin Scorsese's poignant billiards-culture film The Color of Money that the two appeared side-by-side (as an age-worn hustler named Eddie and his young protege named Vincent).

Understanding how Newman and Cruise blend together in the cinematic mosaic (and therefore art history) helps us evaluate why an iconic film such as The Color of Money would represent an American disposition regarding 'Fortunatus ethos.'

When I first read William Shakespeare's seminal contract-inquisition play The Merchant of Venice, I started thinking about the value of money, wealth, risk, trust, and betrayal (and the negotiation-mastery character of Portia) and how a 'fortune-meditation' film such as The Color of Money could capture civilization's cute curiosity about gambling (and doom), which is why I'm a big fan of revelant film Casino.

This is the new dialogue IMO prompted by our capitalism-subjective and consumerism-loaded 'TrumpUSA.'

What does President Trump think about Third World TV?



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NEWMAN: You'll find that celebrities either love or hate gambling...
CRUISE: Rich and famous people can either splurge in Vegas or find no interest in the lottery...
NEWMAN: Americans love toys and fantasy-worlds (i.e., Walt Disney).
CRUISE: The princely American comic book character Richie Rich was adapted into a popular kids' cartoon.
NEWMAN: Richie Rich was a rich-boy who used his wealth to defeat evil.
CRUISE: Yes, that's rather optimistic compared to, say, Reaganomics and 'TrumpUSA.'
NEWMAN: I actually liked the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City (New Jersey).
CRUISE: It was gaudy but cute, but consumerism confidence in 'Planet Hollywood culture' has diminished.
NEWMAN: That's because of the sarcasm towards capitalism reflected in new age films (e.g., Celebrity).
CRUISE: Is America the new Roman Empire?
NEWMAN: I would say America is the new British Empire...
CRUISE: What's your favorite Hollywood film?
NEWMAN: Hmmm....maybe Giant (Rock Hudson, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor).
CRUISE: I like my own film Days of Thunder (Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, and yours-truly).
NEWMAN: I don't want to become a 'media negotiator' like Orson Welles in my old age...
CRUISE: We want to send youngsters (who love cinema) the right message --- celebrity implies generosity!
NEWMAN: Everyone wants a genie in the age of TV...
CRUISE: I'm a big fan of I Dream of Jeannie...

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[Abishai100]

Immortals?


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Snake-Eyes (Tom Cruise) and Destro (Paul Newman) met at the Wingate Hotel in New Jersey before planning a citizen-vigilante attack on an Iselin opium-smuggling operation called The Eastern Smoke. Snake-Eyes and Destro were usually enemies but decided to join forces to tackle this new human menace demoralizing communities in the high-trafficked U.S. Garden State of New Jersey. They left their respective armies (G.I. Joe and Cobra) for a 'joint-mission sabbatical,' which was secretly endorsed by both G.I. Joe commander Duke and Cobra's prime-leader (the terrible) Cobra Commander.

Snake-Eyes and Destro had troubles dealing with The Eastern Smoke, but Snake-Eyes befriended the female lawyer and 'vizier' of her group named Estella the Baroness. Snake-Eyes and Estella became very close and Estella started managing Wingate Hotel branches for him across the United States. This became a profitable 3-year venture, and at he end of it, Destro wanted Snake-Eyes to rejoin him on his mission against The Eastern Smoke. Snake-Eyes felt too 'immersed' in Estella's world to care enough about Destro's 'special mission.'

Snake-Eyes and Destro became legends, and everyone remembered how they changed the socio-psychological and even linguistic (e.g., media/arts/entertainment jargon) atmosphere surrounding new age vigilantism, and people were comparing Snake-Eyes to Eliot Ness. They became 'pro-democracy celebrities,' and were offered the chance to hold positions in Congress. It was great! Soon, comic book artists and writers began advertising and re-presenting their 'incredible feats,' and this created lucrative commerce-centric dialogue regarding the interaction with pro-socialism oriented diplomats and pro-capitalism oriented diplomats.

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[Abishai100]

The Train!


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Tom Cruise (aka, 'Snake-Eyes') was building elaborate model strain set environments and landscapes for a future Utopian mission (perhaps working his old ally Paul Newman, also known as the Cobra consultant Destro. Snake-Eyes was very happy with his complete indoor museum of model train set mystical hobbyist trophy-cheering. That's when God and Satan tempted Snake-Eyes at his house with an improbable dialogue/debate.

SNAKE-EYES: Why are you so interested in my collection of model train sets?
GOD: Your fascination with civilization infrastructure (i.e., railroads) is impressive...
SATAN: There's too much cynicism regarding modernism.

SNAKE-EYES: My train sets are beautiful and well-detailed!
GOD: We're not charging you with complacency with some self-evaluated formulation of mediocrity...
SATAN: What's the connection between hobbyism (e.g., toys) and pornography TV (i.e., broadcast/video technology)?

SNAKE-EYES: The hallmark of the age of consumerism (e.g., Starbucks, Facebook, Wall Street, etc.) is credit cards.
GOD: Do you despise American Express and Visa?
SATAN: There's nothing irredeemable about traffic-oriented 'tokens' such as bazaar-related 'credit card passports.'

SNAKE-EYES: Do you think capitalism achievers (e.g., Bill Gates) exemplify the positive face of profiteerism?
GOD: Intellectual creativity in commercial designs (e.g., home computing) are representative of idealism...
SATAN: There's something stimulating about mercantilism-oriented joviality (e.g., Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade).

SNAKE-EYES: My favorite negotiator-character in the history of literature is Portia (William Shakespeare).
GOD: Portia believed contract reliability was vital for sane bureaucratic honesty (e.g., checks-and-balances)!
SATAN: Portia was cunning enough to determine how evaluations of 'ethics ethos' impacted governance dialogue.

SNAKE-EYES: What is more important than personal happiness?
GOD: Empathy...
SATAN: Ambition.

SNAKE-EYES: I'm a big spiritual cheerleader of pedestrianism religiosity (e.g., Mummers Parade).
GOD: No one thinks your model train sets are childish, superficial, or bureaucratic!
SATAN: There should be counter-culture reminiscent 'free love religion' on Eurasian trains...

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[Abishai100]

Dystopia


Here's a hypothetical dialogue between American celebrity Tom Cruise (advocate of Scientology) and a fictional idealistic Internet-blogging self-proclaimed 'vigilante' named Scarecrow (real name --- Ajay Satan) about the contours of modernism-relevant traffic idealism which can either bolster or destroy 'TumpUSA' capitalism-optimism.

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CRUISE: You can't fight psychopaths with consumerism idealism (e.g., RadioShack)!
AJAY: Perhaps, but you can engage society cynicism with 'IQ propaganda' (e.g., Artificial Intelligence).
CRUISE: Do you think that modern age American celebrities (e.g., Leo DiCaprio) care about education?
AJAY: I think any well-organized society meditates on the metaphysical value of the humility created by knowledge.
CRUISE: Do you care about the philosophical parameters of Calvinist electionism biases?
AJAY: I do not refrain from critiquing the myopia of bigotry.
CRUISE: You should watch and cheer the Kentucky Derby.
AJAY: I like that veterinarians (practitioners of equine medicine) opt to attend the iconic horse-race at Churchill Downs.
CRUISE: There's a terrific James Bond film about horse-racing starring Christopher Walken.
AJAY: I want to write a book someday about Jason Voorhees (horror-film ghoul) and Snow White (fairy-tale maidservant).
CRUISE: Do Jason and Snow White contend with each other in your book?
AJAY: I'm not sure, but I want Snow White to exhibit magical telekinetic powers when she meets Jason in the forest.
CRUISE: Why the forest?
AJAY: I believe in 'fantasy landscape-building.'
CRUISE: Neighborhoods need bureaucratic vigilance (e.g., bloc-based curfew-enforcement).
AJAY: I'm actually a big fan of bike-cops.
CRUISE: I guess you're a fan of the TV show ChiPs.
AJAY: I think indulging in the notion that violent anti-Orwellian passions are 'romantic' creates dangerous threats to commerce.
CRUISE: Commerce is not always sanity...
AJAY: I believe our (arguably) capitalism-subjective U.S. President (Donald Trump) exemplifies 'consumerism-rituals.'

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