Mock Up on Mu (2008)

Renowned Bay Area cinema maverick Craig Baldwin outshines his previous works, SPECTRES OF THE SPECTRUM and SONIC OUTLAWS, with a high-octane, pulp-inspired critique on the pillars of California's industry - military, entertainment, and religion. Baldwin's Mock Up on Mu (2008) is an eclectic kaleidoscope that delves into a myriad of themes, from the occult to Scientology, beatnik culture to jet propulsion, all through the lens of his signature style. The film orbits around the interwoven narratives of three seemingly unrelated characters, each contributing to the clandestine history of California in their own unique way. Jack Parsons, the dynamic inventor of solid rocket fuel and founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was also an ardent follower of Aleister Crowley; Marjorie Cameron, a multifaceted artist, beatnik, and occult practitioner; and L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction author who morphed into the founder of Scientology. Baldwin’s innovative approach transcends mere biographical profiling. He artfully merges their histories with a rich tapestry of archival footage extracted from his extensive collection of educational and governmental films, cleverly repurposing their original narratives to serve his creative vision. Baldwin weaves together his own live-action sequences, audio montages, and these "hijacked histories" to birth a novel cinematic form. This is a collage narrative where the documentary relics of the past don’t deliver truth, but instead infuse the film with a mesmerising blend of poetry, paranoia, and fantasy. Emerging from the symbolic debris of the twentieth century with a demonic intensity, Mock Up on Mu explores what Baldwin describes as "the repurposing of the popular imagination in postwar California." The film meticulously traces the parallel ascension and intertwining of New Age religious cults, the military/aerospace industrial complex, and modern mythology, from the enchantment of Disney to the dominion of Sci-Fi demigods.

Mock Up on Mu is a comedy movie featuring Damon Packard and directed by Craig Baldwin.

Mock Up on Mu is currently streaming on Fandor Amazon Channel.