Unemployed Classicsessess...

During the course of the past several months I regret not keeping a running tally of my daytime films that occupy my time while I figure out how to make an income. I could no longer resist the temptation to post and give my first (and hopefully close to last) daytime review of a classic lost in the many, many “free” movies offered from Comcast.

Without any delay…John Carpenter’s 1988 socio-politico-economico masterpiece “They Live”. My professed man-love for all things related to the Russell/Carpenter dynamic duo has already been explored on the Lodge, but is it possible that the Pipper/David/Carpenter power trio reigns supreme in the 80’s Carpenter Canon? Like Green Day trumping The White Stripes, it’s possible that “They Live” is the Christmas Star on the Carpenter’s plastic-frosted tree.

To steal a segment from “Cheap Seats”, here are some things to look for:

*the tri-corders (I don’t even know if that’s a real word and I’m not going to bother to look it up) used by the Aliens to seek out the domestic human terrorists are identical to those used by Stanz and Egon while finding supernatural life in the downtown New York Library in the Lodge classic “Ghostbusters”, and since "Ghostbusters" was made four years prior, “They Live” gets marked down a half grade, not for the prop, but for not using the correct sound effects for the prop

*the fear that Meg Foster’s eyes put in to you during her limited scenes as Holly Thompson, for those of your unfamiliar with the work of Meg Foster, you might remember her as the original Chris Cagney from Cagney & Lacey, or as Rutger Hauer’s love interest in “Blind Fury”

*the total number of wrestling moves made by Rowdy Piper throughout the film, I think the unofficial count came to about 22, highlighted by an extended fight scene with Keith David in a random alley…

For those of you unfortunate souls not to have seen this classic, I’ll give you the full length plot review: Roddy Piper=drifter who stumbles upon some glasses that make him see the truth behind the world (possible Matrix copyright infringement alert) and that the “Power Alliance” (a combination of alien and human rich dudes, “think Trading Places”) run the world and keep everyone down by subliminal tactics and really bad paying jobs. Marxist theme’s aside, Carpenter’s ability to illustrate the Reagan-nomics so eloquently with the blank canvas that was Roddy Piper’s acting career and Meg Foster’s Hulk-ish eyes really demonstrates the modern day Degas at work.

Keeping with the Cheap Seats theme here we go again with “Do You Care”:

*despite being billed from Glasgow, Scotland, wearing a kilt and being introduced to bag pipes, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was in fact from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and is a lifelong Winnipeg Jets fan and went on an expletive filled tirade when interviewed for the Lodge about hockey in the state of Arizona

*David Keith was initially slotted for the role of Frank, but despite roles in Officer and a Gentleman and Firestarter was turned down for the Keith David coming off back to back smashes in Vietnam films Platoon and the Oscar winning Braddock:Missing in Action III

---UPDATE, I just looked at IMDB and my initial comment about the P.K.E. meters is true, they were exactly from Ghostbusters, the train just arrived from Crazy Town

And Finally, the greatest line in the movie, spoken with true-Canadian flare:

"I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble gum" was ad-libbed proving the point that Pipers Pit was all the screen test that Rowdy “not-Scottish” Piper needed to land one of the ten best 80’s films of all time.

Lodge Quiz: List your favorite role by a Pro-Wrestler in a film