Megaville
Encyclopedia
Megaville is an independent
/low-budget direct-to-video
1990
American
science fiction
film, starring Billy Zane
in his first lead role. Megaville is a neo-noir
psychological thriller
which utilizes elements of science fiction such as cyberpunk
and existentialism
.
remain—the bleak, oppressive, and totalitarian "Hemisphere," and the sprawling and futuristic "Megaville." Megaville has an elected president, but the entire system is rife with corruption
. All forms of media are encouraged in Megaville, but this freedom has aided moral decay with the distribution of pornography and violent movies. Outside Megaville lies the Hemisphere; whereas Megaville is clean and ordered, the Hemisphere is in a state of decay. Travel from the Hemisphere to Megaville is restricted with few exceptions to the powerful. An outwardly totalitarian regime governs the daily life of civilians in the Hemisphere and the people live in fear of the "CKS" (the secret police
). All forms of media are illegal in the Hemisphere.
Raymond Palinov is an unassuming citizen of the Hemisphere. Palinov is loyal to the Hemisphere regime; he is career-minded and has achieved the rank of captain within the media police. Palinov's methods are highly efficient, but on one particular raid, Palinov finds himself drawn to a spaghetti western
and cannot pull away from it. One of his men destroys the television set with a sledge hammer and Palinov is ostracized by his superior for the incident. After Palinov nearly loses his job, he begins to exhibit strange character traits. During a rally in which outlawed media recordings are shown to the media police as examples of contraband, Palinov laughs out loud at a comedy clip. Palinov then appears to have a complete mental breakdown
and loses consciousness. Whereas most agents would have been terminated following such an incident, Palinov is spared. Palinov is found to be exhibiting unusual brain activity and is sent for an examination. Palinov explains to Dr. Vogel that he has been having bizarre flashbacks and seeing memories in dreams which are not his own. Dr. Vogel tells Palinov he believes the strange behavior is due to years of exposure to media "filth" and initiates a procedure which will remove the unexplained brain activity and restore Palinov's personality in its entirety. The procedure doesn't work and Palinov's mental episodes become steadily worse.
Palinov is contacted by Mr. Duprell, the director of the CKS, with an infiltration assignment. The Hemisphere war against all forms of media is about to intensify with news of the introduction of a new form of media. It is known as "Dream-A-Life" (DAL) and projects hallucinations of the customer's choice into their brain. However, some customers in Megaville have been left with psychosis or started new lives in a fantasy world. The government of Megaville has already deemed DAL legal and its use has become prevalent with the help of a mysterious figure in the Megaville underworld known as Mr. Newman. Duprell explains that Palinov bears a striking physical resemblance to Newman's only known contact in the Hemisphere, Mr. Jensen. Palinov's mission is to assume Jensen's life and infiltrate the criminal underworld of both the Hemisphere and Megaville, discover who Newman is working with, and who Newman's contacts are in the Hemisphere. In order to assist his infiltration, Palinov is implanted with some of Jensen's memories.
Palinov meets Jensen's jilted lover, Christine, a former demolitions expert for the armed forces who went AWOL after being ordered to kill civilians. Christine demands that Jensen take her to Megaville; if he does not she will open up a briefcase full of explosives and kill both of them. Christine and Palinov travel to Megaville and meet Newman, who refuses to reveal any information about his operation. Meanwhile, the president of Megaville, who has decided DAL is not safe, is assassinated. Palinov suspects that Mr. Newman is involved, but the only witness is the president's personal aide, who is now permanently trapped in a DAL induced hallucination. When Palinov attempts to remove the headset, the aide is shot in broad daylight by Newman. Duprell contacts Palinov through a hidden implant in his brain and informs him to close the deal with Newman or his mother will die; Duprell explains he no longer wants to stop DAL but now wants in on the deal. Palinov refuses and Duprell attempts to kill him via the implant. Palinov's mother saves him by destroying Duprell's transmitting device, but is then murdered. However, before she dies she reveals the truth to Palinov; she is not his mother and he is actually Jensen with Palinov's mind implanted. Palinov escapes with Christine into the Mojave desert
, where they are pursued by members of Megaville's underworld; all except Palinov are killed in a shoot-out.
Duprell has been watching Palinov through his mind, which Palinov finally realizes. Palinov uses a DAL device so that Duprell will see Palinov's fantasy of exposing Duprell's activities on a Megaville national broadcast, which Duprell sees as reality. Palinov says all the evidence of the conspiracy is in a briefcase at Christine's apartment. Duprell opens it and detonates the bomb inside. Newman reveals to Palinov that he is Jensen's biological father and claims he wishes they had spent more time together before shooting Palinov. Newman then notices his leg is handcuffed to Palinov and he is now trapped in the desert.
which was closed at the time due to damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
.
, Italy
, in 1991 (although it lost to a Spanish language
film, Amantes).
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
/low-budget direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
1990
1990 in film
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film, starring Billy Zane
Billy Zane
William George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
in his first lead role. Megaville is a neo-noir
Neo-noir
Neo-noir is a style often seen in modern motion pictures and other forms that prominently utilize elements of film noir, but with updated themes, content, style, visual elements or media that were absent in films noir of the 1940s and 1950s.-History:The term Film Noir was coined by...
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
which utilizes elements of science fiction such as cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
and existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
.
Cast
- Billy ZaneBilly ZaneWilliam George "Billy" Zane, Jr. is an American actor, producer and director. He is probably best known for his roles as Caledon Hockley in Titanic, The Phantom from The Phantom, John Wheeler in Twin Peaks and Mr...
as Agent Raymond Palinov/Jensen - J.C. Quinn as Mr. Newman
- Kristen ClokeKristen ClokeKristen Ann Cloke is an American actress.-Personal life:Cloke was born in Van Nuys, California and attended California State University, Northridge. She is associate artistic director of The Alliance Repertory Company in Burbank, California, where she writes, produces and directs. She is married...
as Christine - Grace ZabriskieGrace ZabriskieGrace Zabriskie is an American actress. She has appeared in many popular American films but, she is best known for her work in television. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, and Big Love.-Early life:Zabriskie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana...
as Palinov's mother - Raymond O'ConnorRaymond O'ConnorRaymond O'Connor is an American character actor.-Career:Raymond O'Connor has been in a number of films, some small roles and some large roles as well...
as Mr. Taylor - Daniel J. TravantiDaniel J. TravantiDanielo Giovanni "Daniel J." Travanti is an American actor best known for his starring role as Captain Frank Furillo in the 1980s television drama Hill Street Blues.-Biography:...
as Director Duprell - Stefan Gierasch as Dr. Vogel
- John Lantz as Secretary of State Mr. Heller
- Bryan Clark as Megaville President Hughes
- Leslie Morris as Presidential Aide, Mr. Vargas
- Vincent Guastaferro as the hotel clerk
- Jim O'Doherty as Megaville TV Reporter
Plot
In the future, national boundaries have been broken down and two giant super-statesSuperstate
A superstate is an agglomeration of nations and/or states, often linguistically and ethnically diverse, under a single political-administrative structure. This is distinct from the concept of superpower, although these are frequently seen together...
remain—the bleak, oppressive, and totalitarian "Hemisphere," and the sprawling and futuristic "Megaville." Megaville has an elected president, but the entire system is rife with corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
. All forms of media are encouraged in Megaville, but this freedom has aided moral decay with the distribution of pornography and violent movies. Outside Megaville lies the Hemisphere; whereas Megaville is clean and ordered, the Hemisphere is in a state of decay. Travel from the Hemisphere to Megaville is restricted with few exceptions to the powerful. An outwardly totalitarian regime governs the daily life of civilians in the Hemisphere and the people live in fear of the "CKS" (the secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
). All forms of media are illegal in the Hemisphere.
Raymond Palinov is an unassuming citizen of the Hemisphere. Palinov is loyal to the Hemisphere regime; he is career-minded and has achieved the rank of captain within the media police. Palinov's methods are highly efficient, but on one particular raid, Palinov finds himself drawn to a spaghetti western
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
and cannot pull away from it. One of his men destroys the television set with a sledge hammer and Palinov is ostracized by his superior for the incident. After Palinov nearly loses his job, he begins to exhibit strange character traits. During a rally in which outlawed media recordings are shown to the media police as examples of contraband, Palinov laughs out loud at a comedy clip. Palinov then appears to have a complete mental breakdown
Mental breakdown
Mental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and loses consciousness. Whereas most agents would have been terminated following such an incident, Palinov is spared. Palinov is found to be exhibiting unusual brain activity and is sent for an examination. Palinov explains to Dr. Vogel that he has been having bizarre flashbacks and seeing memories in dreams which are not his own. Dr. Vogel tells Palinov he believes the strange behavior is due to years of exposure to media "filth" and initiates a procedure which will remove the unexplained brain activity and restore Palinov's personality in its entirety. The procedure doesn't work and Palinov's mental episodes become steadily worse.
Palinov is contacted by Mr. Duprell, the director of the CKS, with an infiltration assignment. The Hemisphere war against all forms of media is about to intensify with news of the introduction of a new form of media. It is known as "Dream-A-Life" (DAL) and projects hallucinations of the customer's choice into their brain. However, some customers in Megaville have been left with psychosis or started new lives in a fantasy world. The government of Megaville has already deemed DAL legal and its use has become prevalent with the help of a mysterious figure in the Megaville underworld known as Mr. Newman. Duprell explains that Palinov bears a striking physical resemblance to Newman's only known contact in the Hemisphere, Mr. Jensen. Palinov's mission is to assume Jensen's life and infiltrate the criminal underworld of both the Hemisphere and Megaville, discover who Newman is working with, and who Newman's contacts are in the Hemisphere. In order to assist his infiltration, Palinov is implanted with some of Jensen's memories.
Palinov meets Jensen's jilted lover, Christine, a former demolitions expert for the armed forces who went AWOL after being ordered to kill civilians. Christine demands that Jensen take her to Megaville; if he does not she will open up a briefcase full of explosives and kill both of them. Christine and Palinov travel to Megaville and meet Newman, who refuses to reveal any information about his operation. Meanwhile, the president of Megaville, who has decided DAL is not safe, is assassinated. Palinov suspects that Mr. Newman is involved, but the only witness is the president's personal aide, who is now permanently trapped in a DAL induced hallucination. When Palinov attempts to remove the headset, the aide is shot in broad daylight by Newman. Duprell contacts Palinov through a hidden implant in his brain and informs him to close the deal with Newman or his mother will die; Duprell explains he no longer wants to stop DAL but now wants in on the deal. Palinov refuses and Duprell attempts to kill him via the implant. Palinov's mother saves him by destroying Duprell's transmitting device, but is then murdered. However, before she dies she reveals the truth to Palinov; she is not his mother and he is actually Jensen with Palinov's mind implanted. Palinov escapes with Christine into the Mojave desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, where they are pursued by members of Megaville's underworld; all except Palinov are killed in a shoot-out.
Duprell has been watching Palinov through his mind, which Palinov finally realizes. Palinov uses a DAL device so that Duprell will see Palinov's fantasy of exposing Duprell's activities on a Megaville national broadcast, which Duprell sees as reality. Palinov says all the evidence of the conspiracy is in a briefcase at Christine's apartment. Duprell opens it and detonates the bomb inside. Newman reveals to Palinov that he is Jensen's biological father and claims he wishes they had spent more time together before shooting Palinov. Newman then notices his leg is handcuffed to Palinov and he is now trapped in the desert.
Production
Much of the filming for "the Hemisphere" scenes, especially the CKS headquarters, took place over a two day period, on the weekend of the 17–18 February 1990. It took place at the Oakland City HallCity hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
which was closed at the time due to damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
.
Festival
Megaville was nominated for the title of "best film" at the international Mystfest special interest festival in CattolicaCattolica
Cattolica is a town and comune in the Province of Rimini, Italy, with 16,233 inhabitants.-History:Archaeological excavations show that the area was already settled in Roman times....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, in 1991 (although it lost to a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
film, Amantes).