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comment by mk
mk  ·  4538 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Remembering 1984's Red Dawn and worried about the 2012 Remake
So I watched it again. It is exactly what I rememebered it to be. It doesn't take more than 5 minutes before their teacher is gunned down and they are heading for the hills.

What I didn't remember was Robert's suicide by helicopter. They guy was just played-out, I suppose. He had gone to the other side with the execution of Daryl, and knew that there was no going back.

I also was struck by how weak the ending was. Supposedly, Jed and Matt are creating a distraction by going A-team on the Cubans and Russians while Danny and Erica escape to Free America (FA), but given that they were in the mountains, I don't see how attacking the town would have been necessary for them to cross more mountains. I suppose they needed a climatic fight, but it seemed totally unecessary. Maybe it was suicide too.

It did awaken some memories I had as a kid, terrified of WW3, but mostly it was just over-the-top and fun. "Avenge me boys! Avenge me!" -Holy crap.

Too bad that Jennifer Gray got a nose job. It really worked for her.





kleinbl00  ·  4538 days ago  ·  link  ·  
As dramas go, it's less than brilliant. Also keep in mind: it started life as a Lord Of The Flies exploration of the evils of war, and ended life as a pro-Reagan paean to violence. There's gonna be some whiplash in there.

From a screenwriter's standpoint, you're in a tough spot: you've got a bunch of teenagers fighting off the Russians, when the American Military can't do the same. There's no good way to resolve that. The smart move would be to say "we're breaking for the frontlines" from the get-go but then you don't get to harry the evil occupiers of Calumet.

Like I said, there were about 27 months that that movie could reasonably have existed in in the entire history of the United States. That movie doesn't get made in 1983, it doesn't get made in 1987. And that's what I love about it - it's not a brilliant work of fiction, it's a cultural anomaly that outlines the insanity of the Reagan era better than most.

http://www.amazon.com/Clothes-Have-No-Emperor-Chronicle/dp/0...

mk  ·  4538 days ago  ·  link  ·  
That book looks hilarious.

Don't get me wrong, it was great to watch it. It's one of those movies that is burned into my psyche. Probably because it was placed at such a rare moment in time. -Red Dawn and War Games.

Funny, I mentioned to my buddy that it had strong notes of 'Lord of the Flies', particularly with Robert's transformation.

kleinbl00  ·  4538 days ago  ·  link  ·  
War Games: Hollywood's first attempt at Cyberpunk. I've always wondered what that movie would have looked like with, say, Tony Scott at the helm instead of John Badham.
mk  ·  4537 days ago  ·  link  ·  
I had to look them up. I had no idea that Ridley Scott had a little brother director. Looking at their work, neither one really grabs me. Except for True Romance by Tony Scott. That was a pretty great film, -at least I remember it as one. Gotta love Brad Pitt taking a back seat to Christian Slater.

Another movie from 1984 that stuck with me was Cloak & Dagger. Maybe it was because the roleplaying game in the beginning, or the video game tie-in. I loved that about E.T. It also had that Home Alone meets the Cold War feeling.

Someone missed a real opportunity to have a rag-tag gang of kids fight Al Qaeda...

kleinbl00  ·  4537 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Cloak and Dagger could have been such a great film. Same with DARYL, same with Little Nikita. To be perfectly honest, the ship from Flight of the Navigator still has a pretty big grip on my brain.

It entertains me that you've never heard of Tony Scott. He's probably one of the biggest directors today. Charles Mudede from The Stranger once described Ridley Scott as "look how cool this reflection is in this puddle" and Tony Scott as "Isn't it cool the way the wind rustles the curtains."

This link's for you:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/530656-true-romance-15-y...

mk  ·  4537 days ago  ·  link  ·  
Thanks. Great read.
AhimMoonchowsen  ·  4538 days ago  ·  link  ·  
"I've always wondered what that movie would have looked like with, say, Tony Scott at the helm instead of John Badham".

-There would be a lot more smoke!

thenewgreen  ·  4537 days ago  ·  link  ·  
kleinb100 I watched it too and was overcome with nostalgia. Not for the propaganda or even the movie itself but rather for the days when we would re-enact the movie as kids. The scene you refer to with Robert essentially committing suicide was particularly fun to "act out" as a kid.

RPG's were the shit.

Playing "Red Dawn" when it was cold enough to see your breath outside was a plus. The bird call that Jed uses throughout the movie was one we tried to emulate but never could. AVENGE ME BOYS! Was definitely a moment we relished.

Seeing Jennifer Gray's blue coat punctured with red-bloody-bullet holes as she holds the grenade... -Damn good stuff. (agreed that the nose job was a really bad call)

I forgot that Robert was played by C Thomas Howell: http://hubski.com/pub?id=1589

I've really enjoyed this thread guys. Thanks.