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Stardate 11.13.2020: Running Away With It - A Look Back At 1987's 'The Running Man'

11/13/2020

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The dirty little secret about Science Fiction films?  They've always been commentaries on the state of our world.

In some ways, we -- as a species -- like to think that we're better than we are.  We like to think that we don't lie and cheat or engage in all kinds of borderline nefarious behaviors, but we do.  In fact, there could be no drama in our lives -- both that we lives and what we see on the big or small screen -- if there were no conflict, and so very much of conflict revolves around what we might classify as 'bad behavior.'  We have always been about pursuing something greater than we are, and we probably always will be.  It's just how we're wired.

Naturally, this doesn't mean that everything we do is tainted, though I could make an argument for that as well.  Flawed people created flawed things, and these flaws will forever plague us in our pursuit to craft the perfect product, the perfect event, the perfect being, even the perfect experience ... and that experience is what drives so much of The Running Man's commentary.

This particular pursuit of trying to find 'the best' details Ben Richards (as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his attempt to put his life back together after refusing (as a police officer) to endanger the lives of those he had been tasked to protect.  In this grim tomorrow, society has reverted back to watching gladiatorial-style games, the ultimate one being 'The Running Man,' a show that pits convicts against one another in the quest to survive.  But -- in order to do so -- one must outlast some of the bloodiest methods of execution ever broadcast on television.

Clearly, the film is making a statement about us in ways we don't often like to acknowledge.  While it's obviously poking fun at television's never-ending quest to garner the highest ratings, Man is also indicted the culture that supports the ritual blood lust associated to violent confrontations.  Just like we can't help ourselves but slow down to look over at the accidents on the side of the freeway -- perhaps secretly hoping we see something no person should have to -- we cheer and root for our victors to vanquish our enemies, and we're often very accepting of the most violent coup de grace possible.

Indeed, isn't that why a muscular strongman the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger would be catapulted to the likes of a major action star?  After all, Humphrey Bogart wouldn't have done a role like this, and neither would Gregory Peck.  But scripts like The Running Man are perfectly crafted for Arnold aesthetically.  He's the ultimate action figure brought to life, so he must be provided with an equally imposing storyline.  He is who audiences aspire to be in conflicts like those portrayed in this film, so let it be said that he's perfectly cast.

Interestingly enough, the film really only performed on average as par with other Science Fiction gems 'the Arnold' has been part of.  His work in the Terminator franchise boasts far more successful box office receipts, and many would argue that 1990's Total Recall is perhaps the actor's highwater mark in film.  Predator also opened in 1987 (in the summer with The Running Man coming in the late fall), so perhaps audiences were suffering from a case of Arnold overload and, thus, stayed away from the flick.  It was still mildly successful, true; but I suspect it didn't gross what those involved thought it could.

The film is fondly remembered by the audience who embraced it, and Man even received some praise back in 2017 (upon its thirtieth anniversary) for correctly predicting the state of the world in which we live.  (If you're interested in knowing more about that, simply head on over to the feature's Wikipedia.org entry for details.)  I found it largely forgettable, almost to the point of suggesting that were Schwarzenegger not involved with it who knows whether or not it would be even on anyone's radar three decades later.  It's entirely predictable, shackled with a barely obligatory romance (the beautiful Maria Conchita Alonso deserved better), and plays out in high camp fashion so often that there's never any true sense of dread.  It's a film I hoped to like but didn't ... and not the first.

As to its central cynicism about our world?

Meh.  That kind of thing had been done before.  1975's Rollerball immediately comes to mind.  The Norman Jewison picture is also a bit imperfect -- an occasionally leaden performance by James Caan robs some of the quieter moments of greater impact -- but it said many of the same things more than a decade earlier, and it even went a bit further about indicting our society for relishing bloodshed in a capitalist setting.  As I said above, I think we've always been this way, will likely always be this way, and are waiting for the next cinematic incarnation to merely remind us of our cultural shortcomings.  But Rollerball shuns camp whereas Running Man embraces it, and that will always make the former the better film in my opinion.

Still, I do 'Celebrate SciFi' around here, so I wanted to offer a few quick thoughts on its anniversary today.  As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!

-- EZ
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Stardate 11.10.2020: Remembering Cherry 2000

11/10/2020

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On this day all the way back in the year 1987, the SciFi/RomCom Cherry 2000 premiered quietly in the great nation of Austria, giving the young Melanie Griffith one of her earliest silver screen roles of note.  Just a year before, the actress lit up the screen in the critically acclaimed Something Wild (from Jonathan Demme), so Cherry was a marked departure: Wild's 'Audrey Hankel' was an unpredictable free spirit while Cherry's 'E. Johnson' was a tough, no-nonsense kinda guy good with a gun and quick with a quip.  Yes, she may've turned a bit warm and gooey in the right moments (that tends to happen in the traditional RomCom, peeps), but the appeal of her character was the demonstrated grit it took to survive in the film's 'Badlands' and her willingness to do what was necessary to get the job done.

Not a lot has been written about the film (at least, not that I've been able to locate).  For those interested, it looks like on Amazon (reviewed here) that there was one of those Special Edition style releases done back in 2015 via Kino Lorber available which boasts a commentary from director Steve De Jarnatt that could be worth a purchase.  (It's sad that video rental stores have fallen into obscurity, no?)  Griffith is joined by David Andrews, Tim Thomerson, and the late Pamela Gidley in the principle roles; and there are some familiar faces like Brion James, Marshall Bell, and Laurence Fishburne in small ones.  I certainly don't think the film set the box office ablaze wherever and whenever it played (I'm not seeing any numbers even provided by the public postings on IMDB.com), but I do recall the film creating a bit of an excitement when it was released on home video in the United States.

As for the story?

Those of you following the developments in the sex doll industry of today might be tickled pink to know that such a robotic companion figures central to Cherry 2000 as that's the make and model of Sam Treadwell's mechanical mate in the film.  In the year 2017, it would seem that human copulation has become passe, and successful businessmen pair up with these Cherrys in lieu of the more conventional flesh-and-blood housewife.  As tends to happen in B pictures of every era, Earth has falled into disarray (there are hints of a previous Apocalypse with society broken between the big city, these small Old West style towns, and the Badlands).  When Treadwell's Cherry suffers a catastrophic malfunction, he needs to obtain a new processing chip to re-animate her.  He learns that these can likely only be found in the wasteland, so he hires the resourceful E. Johnson as a guide.  Anyone with half-a-brain knows that these two are eventually destined to fall in love, so the fun of a film like Cherry 2000 is that inevitable road trip to happiness that's fraught with adventures along the way.

Essentially, Cherry's story is a metaphor for life and love: you get out of any relationship what you put in.  When you're living an existence with a partner programmed to provide you with every pleasure, the question becomes, "Are you truly being fulfilled?"  Treadwell's idyllic marriage was always only one system failure away, and it took such devastation to eventually pull him out of the routine to show him what he was truly missing in his life was the unbridled spontaneity a journey alongside E. Johnson could deliver.  By contrast, E. is used to serving as guide largely to those who take a back seat to her commands; as Sam either deliberately or accidentally keeps throwing her off-track, the woman comes to understand that she's a better woman when relying on her instincts.  It's when her instincts tell her that she's falling for Sam that she truly finds a purpose other than driving and fighting.

Love is found, but it isn't without sacrifice.  In the big finish, Sam finally realizes that Cherry's perfection isn't the attention he craves; and, thus, he lets her go, albeit kinda/sorta heartlessly leaving her to her own curious wiles in the desert frontier.  (Never fret, as she does find her own 'partner' in the comic finale.)  Unwilling to give up her career, E. sacrifices what she believes could be a life of happiness by instead ensuring that she finishes the job: she truly believes she's given Sam what he wants, and -- ever the fighter -- she agrees to "go down with the ship" (as it were) by giving him and his Cherry the distraction they need to escape the film's villains.  It's this shared sacrifice that textually means Sam and E. are truly meant to be: sacrifice leads to personal epiphany, and our lovers are re-united the way couples are in cinematic fashion.

Though imperfect (don't even get me started), Cherry 2000 is still one of those B Movies that deserves being discovered.  The flick has more than its fair share of eye-rolling moments, and Michael Almereyda's adaptation of the Lloyd Fonvielle story never quite strikes a perfect balance between comedy and camp.  Still, the characters are given enough heart to make even the smallest audience root for them to find the happiness they do (even in a wasteland), and who among us can't appreciate 'love conquers all' message of a man choosing flesh-and-blood over the potential Skynet fiasco some other franchise delivers?

If you haven't seen it, then check it out.  Why, it's only an incredible 33 years young today!

​-- EZ
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Stardate 11.03.2020: miscellany For A Super Voting Day Here In the U.S.!

11/3/2020

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Hey, peeps!  Happy U.S. Presidential Election Voting Day!

It's a great day to be an American.  This is, perhaps, our most sacred day, going to the polls and casting the votes for our future leaders.  Whether you're a Democrat or a Republican or whatever else suffices for a political party out there, I certainly wish you well.  Get out there.  Cast your ballot.  Make a difference.  And graciously accept winning or losing no matter how much it may personally affect you: at the end of the day if we're all still breathing, consider that a win.

Not all that much to report from SciFiHistory.Net Headquarters today, but I did put up a series of small(ish) posts on the MainPage area of the Site.  Nothing all the grand or earth-shaking, per se, though I suspect some of you might find something of merit if you take a gander.  Naturally, I'll put up more if I see something worthy of our collective attention.  Here's just a summary below of what you have waiting for you if you dare:

Real-Life Stormtroopers Stops Real-Life Wrong-Way Driver!
This is one of those heartwarming stories that makes the Web from time-to-time: an off-duty police officer who happens to be in her Star Wars costume happens across a crime-in-progress and saves the day.  These aren't the droids you're looking for, I'm told.

1985's 'My Science Project' Coming Home For The Holidays
Kino Lorber has a vast library of flicks from the past, and whenever I see one that falls into the realm of Science Fiction and Fantasy I'm willing to give it a shout.  This 1985 flick wasn't as grand as it could've been, but it maintains a solid cult status for those who know it.

Talk About Your 'Mint Condition,' Check Out The New Zealand Mint!
I mention in this blurb that I've been meaning to give the New Zealand Mint a ShoutOut for some time, and what better time than the present wherein fans near and wide are prepping for some holiday shopping?  Put Gold on the list, my dear.  Gold!

1987's 'The Barbarians' Are Ready To Rumble ... On Blu-ray
It's rare that a legitimate Fantasy film be made and presented by folks who -- let's say -- didn't exactly take it seriously, but The Barbarians is that rare gem that's worth a single view.  Well, why not make that view on Blu-ray?  And it's just in time for the holidays, too!

Batman V. Superman Lands In The Emergency Room
The 2016 DC Comics flick from Zack Snyder suffered through an awful lot of hate, but must all of it be bad?  It would seem that an ER doctor thought that the warehouse fight scene deserved a bit of medical attention, and I thought his diagnosis was worth sharing.

'Parallel' - What Would You Do With What You Knew?
Parallel universe stories have always been interesting, and this forthcoming release certainly has generated some positive buzz from showings on the film festival circuit.  Coming attraction looks solid, so let's hope this one can go the distance.

-- EZ
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