The morbius glass schlock, horror, 80’s, grindhouse, sex and violence movie marathon – Escape From New York (1981) Director: John Carpenter.

I don’t like remakes, in fact most are terrible. There was a rumour that the classic John Carpenter flick Escape from New York was going to be remade, this may or maybe not true. Who knows, who cares. With the movie industry going to be sucked dry of finance not much is going be big budget, nor the luxury to remake stuff we have already seen. Or hope that a ‘cashed up’ population just wants to be entertained by big budget shit. Those days are gone for now.

Except for smart producers film makers like JJ Abrams, as I still feel that Cloverfield was one of the best releases of 2008. Somewhat of a review found here.

Maybe, just maybe Hollywood will break up into small underground type movies industries, where once porno film makers start to enter the non porn movie industry. As they upgrade to better digital cameras and begin to make schlock, horror crazy out there flicks. Is it possibly? (Ok you know I am being sarcastic). Just imagine Hollywood collapses and a 2nd wave of modern Grindhouse is born but goes straight to Bluray. Unless Sony goes belly up and they stop making Bluray movies (too expensive), then cinema, as far as originality, just might make a come back. But I kinda doubt that unless commercial real estate tanks to hell and cheap movie theaters are are reborn. Whatever the scenario, movie making might change forever with our current global recession.

Anyway, for it’s time (1981) Escape From New York was a (and I guess still kinda is) believable concept in a sci-fi kinda way (New York city becomes a maximum security prison, WW3, world gone mad etc etc ), with great characters and story. Some contemporary and modern day fears, especially the very real and tragic irony of a plane being hijacked by terrorists flying into New York. Although the portrayal of the terrorists or terrorist is an ultra militant political group (a suicidal communist terrorist – yes those evil people!), rather than Islamic. With the actual terrorist being a female. The hijacking scene sets the tone of the overall movie; there is just something so 1980’s about the opening scene of the hijacked (Presidents) plane. Great dialogue, you get the feel of the turmoil the world is in at that point in time (would you believe it’s 1997!).

Love this line from the script, Terrorist hijack scene (1st scene):

Tell this to the workers when they ask where your leader went . . .

We, the soldiers of the national
liberation front of America,

in the name of the workers

and all the oppressed of
this imperialist country

have struck a fatal blow to
the racist police stick!

What better revolutionary example
than to let the president perish

in the inhuman dungeon of
his own imperialist prison?

How cool is that line? Especially in light of how the overall scene unfolds (Plane crashes, but President escapes via escape pod and lands in NYC). Thus the movie begins.

Escape from New York kicked arse for it’s time, good action, dilaogue and has that overall 1980’s funky retro feel… yeah ‘retro’ feel. I dig it, so should you.

Check out the trailer: