We begin things with a discussion of the 1978 film Capricorn One, which was about a Mars landing hoax which was suspiciously similar to Moon hoax theories. This leads to some discussion on the moon hoax theory, in general, and how Bruce's opinion on the subject has changed over the years. We then talk about what the filmmakers may have been trying to convey with Capricorn One.

This leads to some discussion on the transition from Carter to Reagan and what may have been motivating Reagan during his presidency. Bruce details the film Red Dawn and how it was used as a propaganda piece during the Cold War. We then discuss the most famous friendly alien movie, which happened to come out during Reagan's presidency, ET. We get Bruce's opinion on the longstanding debate, within Ufology, as to how "in the know" Steven Spielberg may be to the UFO enigma.

Moving the chronology along, we then talk about the George Bush Sr. years as president and how the depiction of aliens in those films took on a more sinister tone. This leads to Bruce responding to the "Devil's advocate" question of why the president of the United States would even want to effect the movies that came out during his administration. This leads back into our discussion on presidents and how, since Bush Sr. was very connected to the intelligence community, what he may known about UFOs and how that may be reflected in the movies from his era.

This leads us into the Clinton years and how, despite the previously noted tonal changes depending on party affiliation, the UFO & ETs continued to be portrayed in a mostly negative light. Bruce does note Men in Black as an exception and points out how the film adds a new layer and unique take to the portrayal of how the government is dealing with the UFO phenomenon. We speculate on why the UFO movies of Clinton's era didn't seem to fit the normal pattern and this segues into some discussion on how, at certain times with certain issues (such as 911), party lines dissolve on an issue and how the UFO enigma may be one of those issues.

Wrapping up the discussion on Hollywood v. The Aliens, we look at one of the big themes of the book: by propagandizing UFOs so much over the last 50 years, has the government actually made it impossible to disclose the truth about the subject and have anyone believe it? We then speculate on whether or not the government made a major tactical error by not revealing what they knew about UFOs much sooner than now.

Picking up a nuggets that fell through the cracks earlier in the interview, Bruce talks about 1953's Invaders from Mars and how it may have been conveying what those "in the know" were feeling about UFOs and aliens at that time.

Looking at the world of movies and TV shows since the publication of Hollywood v. The Aliens was published in 1997, we find out how Bruce sees the "education program" shaping up over the last dozen years. He details what he thinks were the two most influential programs: Stargate SG1 and Roswell. Bruce reveals how the film Twilight seems to lift much of its story from Roswell. We talk a bit about what sort of non-UFO films may contain government secrets as well and we hear about Shooter and Manchurian Candidate as strong possibilities.

We ponder how the portrayal of what the government knows about UFOs and aliens has changed over the years as, perhaps, their knowledge got more advanced. This leads to some discussion on the nature of how the government handles secrets.

Smashing the 4th wall, we find out from Bruce if he's considered writing another UFO book, even if it doesn't deal with the Hollywood aspect of the phenomenon. We find out if there is any chance for a re-release of Hollywood v. The Aliens with some additional material covering the last 12 years. We also find out if there is any particular reason why Bruce has been so "off the grid" over the last decade or so in Ufology. He also shares his take on UFO conventions and why they are a "mixed bag." He also shares his take on the perceived connection between UFOs and religion.

Moving back into the timeline of entertainment fare and presidents, we find out how the phenomenon was portrayed during George W. Bush's administration. Bruce explains how there seemed to be less UFO movies, but generally more films about evil "others" or "outsiders." He talks about the film Darkness Falls as an example of this motif. We also get Bruce to speculate on where he sees "the program" heading as the Obama administration unfolds.

We then look at the genre of films and TV shows that were based on esoteric materials. This leads to Bruce talking about the Sci Fi series Dark Skies and how it was claimed to be sourced from "inside information" but is actually based on the work of William Cooper. This leads to some discussion on William Cooper and his mysterious death. We also talk about Fire in the Sky and Bruce talks about the changes in the film that differed from the actual account of Travis Walton's abduction. This segues into us getting Bruce's take on the purported Nordic-looking aliens and how they fit into how he sees greys as robots.

We also look at the reality TV genre which has exploded since the year 2000 and if Bruce sees any elements of the "education program" at work in reality TV. Bruce talks about UFO Coverup:Live, the infamous "Strawberry Ice Cream" alien "expose," and how there may have been some testing of the waters there with the live studio audience who watched the special. This leads to some brief discussion on why Bruce thinks most reality shows are fake and his take on Ghost Hunters.

Thanks to the great folks @ theusofe.com, we then start get Bruce's take on a number of UFO / alien films which came out post-1997 & Hollywood v. The Aliens beginning with Starship Troopers and Bruce explains what he thinks the real motivation behind that film was. Next, we cover Contact and Bruce speculates on what the message might have been behind both the film and book. Then we cover Mission to Mars which conveys a lot of the base information which Bruce has seen at work, under the surface, over the years in other films, notably the Mars connection. This raises the question of where the line is drawn between something seeded by the government and at what point it is part of the collective mythos of the mainstream. Bruce also addresses the idea of a "Mars conspiracy" by the gov't, aimed at making people think there is life on Mars.

This leads to some discussion on how some theories (notably the Moon Hoax & Face on Mars) are consistently a punchline for the media and if that indicates more or less veracity to the theories. Bruce talks a bit about the Jack the Ripper story and the theories that there was some Masonic connection there.

The next film we discuss is The Fifth Element and Bruce details some of the esoteric underpinnings behind that movie. We then talk about the infamous Battlefield Earth, which leads to Bruce talking about L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology. The conversation segues into some discussion of Ghosts of Mars and how it was an homage to Nigel Kneale's 3rd Quartermass film. We move on to talk about Signs and the Tom Cruise War of the Worlds.

Asking if there is any movie, in particular, that Bruce has seen since the book came out that really piqued his interest, as far as the theme of Hollywood v. The Aliens and talks about, perhaps surprisingly, Hellboy. We then discuss Steven Spielberg's Taken miniseries and get Bruce's take on the series, plus the parts he found particularly accurate, despite calling it "epic junk." We wrap up contemporary esoteric TV shows with, of course, a fairly lengthy discussion on Lost, which Bruce says is "unquestionably tied to this."

Closing out our epic conversation, we find out what might be next from Bruce Rux, including an interest in a surprising topic, and reflect on our marathon interview.

Bruce Rux was an actor for twenty years, and is still current on his Actors' Equity card though he hasn't performed on stage since the early 1990s. He appeared in perhaps eighty shows, winning numerous acting awards in several states. Bruce received his BA in theater from Loretto Heights College in Denver in 1979, and an MA in Mass Communications, emphasis on playwriting, from Kansas State University in 1988. In 1980-81, he performed for a year with Wayne State University's prestigious Hilberry Classical Repertory Theater in Detroit, toward an MFA that was never completed. He won the first annual Jerome D. Johanning Playwriting Award in 1987 at K-State, for his four act historical drama, The Grave Affair, which he directed as an American College Theater Festival entry the same year. He has written several plays since. For the past ten years, he has been an upscale security officer (USO) for Wackenhut.

Bruce has studied UFOs his entire life. After the Mars Observer probe failure in August of 1993, Bruce wrote to share his findings with several researchers in the field and with a few elected representatives. As a result, he found himself invited on ancient astronaut author Zecharia Sitchin's first tour of Egypt in the Spring of 1994. During that trip, Bruce decided to write a book containing the results of his own UFO research and conclusions, which resulted in Architects of the Underworld: Unriddling Atlantis, Anomalies of Mars and the Mystery of the Sphinx in 1996. The following year, he wrote a companion volume that turned out to be even more massive, Hollywood Vs. the Aliens: The Motion Picture Industry's Participation In UFO Disinformation. Both were published by Frog Books in Berkeley, now part of Random House.

topics discussed:
1 hr 59 min
7.8.09
429
Bruce Rux

Volume 3 of 3