Wednesday, August 24, 2011

"Our human spirit is corrupted..."

I love this scene from the 1988 SciFi John Carpenter classic They Live.  When asked what They Live was really about, he responded with one word: "Republicans."



Of course this film came out during the depths of the Reagan recession when the rich were getting richer and the poor and working class were left to rot.  Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it?

If you've never seen it, They Live is campy, good fun.  It stars Roddy Piper (yes, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper the pro wrestler) and Keith David, a long-time character actor.  Piper's character starts out as a down-on-his-luck but basically upbeat conformist but through the course of the movie, he realizes the power elites are more than just rich guys.  There's something else going on.  And it's not good.  And he's gonna kick ass and chew bubblegum.  And he's all out of bubblegum.

Carpenter recently taped a video introduction to the film for a showing at The Alamo Drafthouse.  In it, he talks about his inspiration for the film and why it's so relevant today.

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