Red Dawn is going to be on TNT tonight

[Renew Deal]

The original with the Soviets, not the remake. Starting at 11:15 EDT

[Kaleva]

1. Wolverines!!

[hfojvt]

37. and Michigan is in the Sweet Sixteen!!

WOLVERINES!!!!!

[Ilsa]

2. I always thought it was one of the

Stupidest movies ever made. I know, I probably hurt someone's feelings. But, duh.

Let's all get scared of Putin right now!

[edbermac]

8. It IS one of the stupidest movies ever made!

But that is what's so fun about watching it.

WOLVERINES!!!

[Hawaii Hiker]

9. Its one of those guilty pleasure movies like

"Roadhouse"...

[Paolo123]

11. lol

Roadhouse is mine as well.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

61. Roadhouse ...

[blueamy66]

78. Just watched it yesterday.

good fun

[Journeyman]

10. It reminds me of a comic I saw decades ago about Reagan . . .

A family on vacation is stopping to admire a statue erected near the Southern border. The plaque explains that on this site, Ronald Reagan gave the speech in which he declared that the Red menace was gathering on the Southern border and that, should we drop our guard, they would swarm over the Rio Grande and occupy the nation (seemingly without a shot fired from our side).

The father is motioning to his wife to come closer. "Look here, dear," he says. "It's an hysterical monument."

[Scootaloo]

21. It's terrible, yet it's also a total blast to watch

Sort of like "Dragonheart." The acting is so bad, the premise is so laughable, but it's still so sincere.

[theboss]

44. I actually think the acting is pretty good

That's part of what makes it so entertaining. It's not Deniro and Keitel in Mean Streets, but all the young actors are more than competent and somehow manage to create distinct characters out of the nonsense they are fed.


Swayze and Sheen obviously have charisma to spare. Sheen was a pretty talented actor at one point.

C. Thomas Howell was actually pretty good until Soul Man obliterated his career.

Harry Dean Stanton is always amazing. His "Avenge Me" speech should have been laughable and it is still weirdly touching.

Lea Thompson and Jennifer Grey actually manage to make something out of two really under-written "girlfriend" parts. Lea Thompson may hold the record for most "Good performances in awful movies."

And Powers Goddamn Booth shows up for a while.

[el_bryanto]

28. I think it has fueled a lot of self destructive fantasies

"Hey lets all go hide in the hills and take down the evil and destructive forces that have invaded America."

Bryant

[theboss]

43. It is insanely stupid and wildly entertaining

I thought the AV Club summed it up perfectly in its review of the remake:

"The original 1984 action staple Red Dawn may be a dumb reactionary fantasy, born of lingering anti-Soviet paranoia and Second Amendment zealotry, but there can be no doubt that its vision of Americans fighting the Reds on their home soil comes straight from John Milius’ ball sack."

That movie triggered more lunch conversations in sixth grade than anything I could ever imagine. I think a few us WANTED the Russians to invade so we could shoot them and impress girls.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

62. "I think a few us WANTED the Russians to invade so we could shoot them and impress girls"

So fucking true.

[theboss]

65. Granted, I lived in West Virginia so guns would have been pretty easy to get

But there were no guns in my house nor in my three best friends' houses. And I had never been camping at that point.

I think I assumed that I could get one of my grandpa's ancient hunting rifles and figure it out while freezing to death in the woods. But Kelly in Sixth Grade math was going to notice me after I saved America, damn it.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

69. I've never owned a gun ...

... and I'm a city boy who hates camping, but I knew I had the chops to take on the invading Russians and Cubans.

WOLVERINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pinboy3niner]

3. 10pm Pacific. nt

[TexasTowelie]

4. Crimea river, you're poot'n me on?

[Boom Sound 416]

12. Really Russian to that one aren't ya

[pinboy3niner]

14. The historical context is Khruscial to the discussion. nt

[Boom Sound 416]

15. Stop Stalin and admit you love the movie.

[pinboy3niner]

17. Only you could comintern me around

Okay yes. It's a guilty pleasure.

[Boom Sound 416]

19. I just the love the script.

I'm proliterate.

[pinboy3niner]

20. I'll try to find it on the web the next time I gulag on. nt

[Boom Sound 416]

22. Damn! I got nothing

This is Bolshevik!

[pinboy3niner]

23. We all get an 'E' for effort--nobody gets bad Marx. nt

[Boom Sound 416]

24. Thanks. I was just Lenin off steam, but

You earned Chernobyl prize with this thread.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

64. You must be working some sort of Engle.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

5. Alexander Haig gave it a thumbs up

"Red Dawn," nevertheless, became a cult favorite among conservatives. Former Secretary of State Alexander Haig in 1984 praised the film for capturing "the stresses of patriotism, the emotions of love and, above all, the futility of war." (Granted, Haig was then a board member of the film's studio, MGM-UA.) As recently as 2009, "Red Dawn" ranked No. 15 on a list of "Best Conservative Movies" compiled by the National Review online.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/red-dawn-remakes-1984-original-1.4221597

[lame54]

30. I would love to see that list

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

41. Here

http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,6630,00.html/#/photoessay/image/0219091608_M_movies_1lives_450-jpg

[flamingdem]

6. Saw it in Times Square when it was first in theaters

Love it!

[hrmjustin]

7. Liked it as a kid.

[Boom Sound 416]

13. "We Live Here!"

[clffrdjk]

16. Crap I missed it!

[LeftyMom]

18. Somehow I escaped an 80's childhood without ever seeing that one.

But I have an ongoing project to rewatch every terrible 80's family-ish movie with my kid (and with adult eyes I'm amazed how offensive so many of them are!) so I appreciate the reminder and I'll set the DVR.

Today's terrible 80's movies were a double feature of Gremlins and the Tim Burton Batman.

[theboss]

45. Tim Burton's Batman is kind of tremendous

I can see not liking the sequel. And I can certainly see hating the Non-Burton sequels. But the first one is remarkable to look at if nothing else.

Gremlins is probably a matter of taste, but I think Joe Dante is a bit of a forgotten genius.

[Feron]

72. You have to see Commando (if you haven't already).

So bad it's good and it's highly quotable.

Red Dawn is just a cheesy action flick. If you go in with that expectation then you won't be disappointed.

They Live is a much better "fight the man" type of 80s action movie.

[Jesus Malverde]

25. I called it during.... sochi

Wolverines!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4466703



Rolling out the old memes.

[JustAnotherGen]

32. Thanks for the

Eye candy on a Monday afternoon! Sorry - woman of a certain age -

Look at that - even there . . .

Nobody puts baby in a corner!

[MosheFeingold]

54. Jennifer Grey

I always thought she was very pretty.

She ceased to be anything unique when she ruined her nose with plastic surgery.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

68. I loved her nose!

I thought I was the only one that liked her better with her nose.

[Blue_Tires]

63. I'll go to war alongside Lea Thompson anytime, anyplace...

[kiawah]

26. Avenge Me!

Avenge Me!!!!!

[El Supremo]

56. Beat me to it.

One of the stupidest scenes in Hollywood history.

[theboss]

66. "Harry Dean Stanton" is the balls

It's impossible for him to do anything that is not awesome.

[FSogol]

27. Red Dawn is a right-wing masturbatory fantasy.

Totally laughable.

[hrmjustin]

31. Still a good movie.

[FSogol]

34. What about the scene where they fill up a truck radiator by peeing in it?

Average adult bladder holds 300 ml (0.079 gallons)
Average truck radiator holds 5 gallons

That would be over 63 urinations!

What about the scene where the secret to taking over America is by invading the Midwest and shooting one liberal history teacher?


I'll stand by my masturbatory right wing fantasy comment.

[hrmjustin]

35. Fair enough.

As I said upthread I liked it as a kid.

Not something that appeals to me today.

[LanternWaste]

48. It's bemusing to watch the subjective content of a thing debated over as though it were absolute...

It's bemusing to watch the subjective content of a thing debated over as though it were absolute and objective.

Much as the sap who deconstructs humor routines to tell us how invalid it is. Though more often than not, I see it less as critical deconstruction, and more as someone rationalizing a thin patina of cleverness over an otherwise dull surface.

[FSogol]

49. I hadn't realized "Red Dawn" was high comedy. Thanks!

[theboss]

50. John Milius - being John Milius - actually gives a ridiculously detailed explanation of the invasion

It helps to have watched it 50 times and have a photographic memory.

You have to watch the pre-credit sequence.

NATO dissolves as the German Greens force a pull out. At the same time, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador fall to a Communist Insurrection. Meanwhile, Russians are starving due to a bad wheat harvest.

Granted, this is crazy, but it explains how the US became isolated and how the Soviets are able to invade before anyone knows what the heck is going on.

Somehow, Soviet commando units infiltrate the US via commercial airlines and secure "passes" in the Rockies (I guess it is 1872 and this is important). This is coordinated with nuclear attacks on communication points - like Washington DC and Omaha- and missle silos (with missles presumably launched from Mexico and Cuba). At the same time Cubans and Nicaraguans come across as "illegals" and attack major SAC bases. I'm guessing all this explains why the Soviet Union is not a smoking tire fire in the first twenty minutes of the movie.

Are you with me so far?

Now Cuba and Nicaragua invade through Mexico while the Soviets go through Alaska, down through Canada and try to link up with the Southern Army in the Midwest.

Now, California is "Free" while Denver is under seige and the two armies have never met up so it looks like the battle lines are somewhere in the Midwest - which seems like a weird place for an invading army to want to be. Those supply lines are ridiculously long.

[FSogol]

53. LOL: Thanks, I take it all back, that's completely reasonable.

[theboss]

55. John Milius is a libertarian gun fetishist

But he is also kind of genius.

He wrote "I love the smell of napalm in the morning," "Go ahead. Make my day," and the USS Indianaopolis monologue in Jaws.

What is sort of wonderful about Red Dawn is just how damn committed it is to one brilliant - but crazy - person's vision. I mean, the remake couldn't even decide who the bad guys were.

[FSogol]

67. Yeah, I remember an article on Milius where

whenever he accepts a project, he makes the producers buy him a gun. Money isn't Milius' idea of a physical reward for doing something.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

71. If I remember correctly, there is a nuclear exchange between Russia and China ...

I think Powers Boothe's character speaks about it. "A billion dead Chinese" or something like that.

[theboss]

73. Get it right.

So who's on our side?

600 million screaming Chinamen.

Last I heard there were a billion screaming Chinamen.

There were.

/Throw whiskey onto fire like a badass.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

74. How could I have forgotten that!!!

Brilliant dialogue!

[theboss]

76. That's why it's tough to hate Milius

I don't think Tom Clancy ever wrote a single memorable line. His stuff is techno porn.

But Milius gives you a fucking life philosophy every fifteen minutes in his movies.

It's ludicrous, but he fucking sells it.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

77. I just remember thinking that this movie is too crazy to really happen ...

... but I loved it, nonetheless!

[theboss]

80. It was possible to have a war with the Soviets

We were just all going to be dead within the first 24 hours though.

If you ever want to read a really good, well researched, completely impossible book, get "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank. It's a great book from 1959 about America after a nuclear war, but it doesn't seem to have any real understanding of fallout.

It's about life in this small town of Florida that is about 30 miles from Orlando (which is hit by one and maybe two missles). It's also about 100 miles away from Tampa and Jacksonville, both of which are also destroyed. Somehow, the town survives and never deals with fallout or is overrune by refugees or ends up with horrible diseases out of the Middle Ages.

Still...good book.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

81. I love reading apocolyptic type military confrontation books.

Do you have other recommendations?

Thanks!

[Lurks Often]

90. Try The Third World War by Sir General John Hackett

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_World_War:_The_Untold_Story
or even Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising

Both are good examples of how the US & USSR could slide into a war without it resorting to a full scale nuclear exchange

[theboss]

92. Alas, Babylon has very little about the war itself

The main character's brother works for whatever the equivalent of NORAD was in 1959. He thinks the Soviets are looking for a reason to attack before the US overcomes them in numbers of missles. (I think this is basically the missile gap argument in reverse).

The Soviets meanwhile are menacing an aircraft carrier. A US pilot fires a missile at a MIG, misses, and blows up a harbor in Syria - which, I guess, gives them the excuse they need.

Then everything blows up.

[Boom Sound 416]

83. That was such a great read.

I was 13 or 14. We lived in Jacksonville.

My father would remind us how real the threat was every now and then when news would happen or when we visited a base.

[lame54]

29. Of course - anything Russian is trendy right now...

just don't bring back Yakov Smirnoff

[Capt. Obvious]

36. Because Red Dawn is never on

[Wounded Bear]

33. It's "Breakfast Club" for the gun nut crowd...

Oh, and I remember sort of enjoying it at the time.

[Boom Sound 416]

86. I think think reservoir dogs is breakfast club for the gun crowd

[1000words]

38. GD =/= T.V. Guide

Lounge, maybe?

[Iterate]

39. ...and so the takeover begins.

Never let down your guard.

[Capt. Obvious]

40. This OP is the first wave attack

disguised as commercial charter flights same way they did in Afghanistan in '80.

[Iterate]

42. I do remember the original version of that one. Plenty of bad actors

and it wasn't very funny. Nasty.

Come to think of it there was an Olympics connection there too. Hmmm, and the Red Dawn remake. Let's just make sure to scuttle the talk of a North Korean Olympics.

[theboss]

52. We'll stop them butt cold in the Lounge

The whole thing will become pretty conventional then.

[chrisa]

58. The Cooking and Baking group has resorted to eating rats, and sometimes... eachother.

It's Medieval.

[theboss]

60. You think you're tough arguing about the ACA every day?

There's half a million scarecrows in the Arkansas group who'd give anything for one mouthful of what you got.

[Capt. Obvious]

82. What about Politics 2014 forum?

Last edited Mon Mar 24, 2014, 08:07 PM - Edit history (1)

Are they sitting this one out?

[brooklynite]

46. I understand the Russian troops arrived...

...in order to support free and fair elections.

[DirkGently]

47. Best guilty-pleasure Swazye movie, aside from Roadhouse.

Merciless, mud-stained Lea Thompson mowing down the "mole" because she has absolutely no more craps to give is a scene for the ages.

Not in a good way, but still.

WOLVERINES!

[theboss]

51. I thought C Thomas Howell shot the mayor's son

Lea Thompson gets the drop on Powers Booth.

What's the capital of Texas?

Austin.

Wrong, commie. It's Houston.

[DirkGently]

57. Ohh -- you're RIIGHT!

She and Nobody Puts Baby in a (Commie) Corner still turned into hardened killers though. C. Thomas was the one carving notches on his AK, I think.

Haha -- Houston. Powers Boothe is always +1,000,000 points. Always.

[theboss]

59. Do not make a mistake about this movie in my presence.

If I'm not mistaken, the girls always end up manning machine guns, and Lea Thompson looks sexy as hell while laying down cover fire.

Baby is a fanatic in this movie. Remember she gets wounded and asks for a grenade. They leave her behind and she takes out a commie with her last act. It's also implied that she was either raped or nearly raped before escaping to her grandfather's cabin.

[DirkGently]

70. So much trashy goodness, all in one place.

The cast really was superior to the material. The Cuban commander guy was great. He'd seen ragtag bands of insurgents before and knew what these "Wolverines" might be capable of! And Powers Boothe never met a ludicrous line of dialogue he wasn't capable of awesome-ing his way through.

I remember the grenade scene now -- gawd. Never equalled until Vazquez and the Lieutenant in the air duct in Aliens.

GAck. Still might take a peek tonight though.

[theboss]

75. It's really a tremendously charismatic cast

William Smith - an all-time "Hey It's That Guy" - delivering that insane speech about "becoming a fox" in Russian.

That movie is just littered with people who were in all kinds of cool 70s films.

If you look at the cast beyond the kids, you see people that Tarantino would have killed to work with. Harry Dean. Peckinpah vets. Blacksploitation vets.

[doc03]

79. That stupid movie is on one of the cable channels

almost every week. Come on a bunch of high school kids fighting the Russians, I guess it supports the 2nd Amendment meme.

[Boom Sound 416]

84. Funny

The first thing the invading Cubans and Russians do after setting up an FOB was raid the municipal gun registry.

[steve2470]

85. FR gonna be dead tonight because all the freepers will be watching it nt

[FSogol]

87. Look for an epidemic of people shooting themselves accidentally.

[steve2470]

88. yes lol nt

[TransitJohn]

89. Who pays for cable anymore?

[WatermelonRat]

91. I remember watching a version with joke subtitles for the Russian dialogue.

It's certainly a stupid movie, but I won't deny I found it entertaining.