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From: sstar.pa@XEROX.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.movies
Subject: Re: "Red Dawn"
Message-ID: <12544@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Aug-84 15:21:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.12544
Posted: Thu Aug 16 15:21:00 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Aug-84 03:12:22 EDT
Lines: 55

I've been in Canada since 1973, and this summer is my first extended
return visit to the U.S. since then. 

First it was Karate Kid.  Great reviews--a good movie for the kids and
the family.  No one seems to note that behind the apparant rejection of
the hard-hitting, get'em-when-they're-down philosophy  the film's high
points are when the Japanese karate instructor/maintenance man, knock's
the crap out of the bad guys, and when he teaches the little guy to do
the same.  Sure, there is talk about finding yourself, but the climax is
litterally a solid kick in the face.  Believe me, the kids next to me in
the theatre weren't yelling and screaming when the hero was trimming
bonzai trees.  They waited 'till the blood started flowing.  All the
little kids left the film practicing their karate and swearing vengence
on wrong-doers, meaning anybody they could beat up. 

The next day I went to the S.F. Zoo with a friend.  Some little twerp
comes walking along at a fast clip and bulldozes his way into us.  Then
he turns around, assumes his karate pose, and says, "Hey, let's start
something, fuck-ups."  So much for a pleasant afternoon at the zoo.
(Yeah, it's a true story.)

I won't do more than mention the random violence in recent weeks: the
MacDonald's Massacre, the car going down the sidewalk in L.A.,....

Then I saw Cloak and Dagger the other night.  A pretty good flick for
kids, and not-too-bad, simple-minded entertainment for adults, but--the
kid kills two baddies indirectly (car accident, cross-fire) and then
shoots a third in a one-on-one.  The director handled the violence
pretty well.  The kid really doesn't want to shoot, but is forced to
after receiving a fusilade of bullets that miss their (imaginary) mark.
(You'll have to see it to understand.)  So...we've got a  relatively
good treatment of  kiddie violence--and the body-count goes up.  

Red Dawn is number one at the box office this week.  What do we see?
Not simple commie-bashing, but a gung-ho
protect-our-families-thank-god-we-all-have-guns attitude in a strong
political statement.  When the commies arrive the first thing they do is
search for the form 4477 in the sporting goods store.  That's the form
that tells who in the county has a registered firearm.  Luckily our
heros load up a truck with unregistered guns, Coke, and chips.  Their
initiation rite requires drinking the warm blood of a freshly killed
deer.  After that, "You're a real hunter.  You'll never be the same."
And all those pinko sympathizers who want gun control laws can now
see--in TECHNICOLOR--that the only hope for America is a well-armed
highschool football team.

Abby Hoffman recently said, "Now we can't trust anyone under 30."
Ronnie just outlawed the Soviet Union.  I'm going back to Canada next
week (No--I didn't go there to dodge the draft.  I just happened to get
a job there.).  Are these films just a reflection of the popular
culture, or do they create it? 

Be careful at the zoo, and don't get any 12-year olds upset.

Spencer Star