YOUR SEPTEMBER 2002 RANDOM MOVIE CLUB RESULTS ARE IN! The Preshow Entertainment was PREVIEWS OF THE 1960s AND 1970s TV SHOWS.
These are clips that I believe ABC gave their affiliates to view off air, although I'm sure some of them aired on broadcast TV. Some of you may remember these shows. But even if you weren't alive then, or didn't care, it's still a wonderful reel to watch. To name a few, THE F.B.I., TOMA, LOVE ON A ROOFTOP, RAT PATROL, and a favorite of mine- THE SECOND HUNDRED YEARS. This tape sends you back to childhood, even if you weren't a child then. The announcers all talk like they did in the 1960s commercials. That was just the style of the time. Of course now, it's almost parody.
September's Random Movie was: WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
Similarly to the preshow, this movie works if you're seeing it for the first time. But if you saw it in the theaters when it first opened, it was really special. There wasn't a lot of press on it, and no one knew quite what to expect. In fact, I remember during the opening Baby Herman cartoon thinking that it was cool that they're showing a cartoon before the movie, not realizing it IS the movie.
Danny DeVito, I mean, Bob Hoskins plays Eddie Valiant, who hates Toons because his brother was killed by a Toon. What can I say about a kid's movie where the lead drinks liquor through most of it, and borrows cigarettes from teens? I say, "see it again."
Clever beyond belief, it almost undermines itself with the gimmick. Almost. But it doesn't. The trick is, and I'm sure this was a big part of their vision, they presented a story that would have worked without the gimmick....and didn't rely on it (it should be noted that it was a book first). It's faux-noir beat for beat, and parodied. Then they add the device. In my opinion, that's a lot of the brilliance of Roger Rabbit. Too many movies depend on effects. But I suppose I'm not telling you anything new here. And how 'bout Warners and Disney getting in bed together?
The bottom line is that this is a great movie. A special movie. I'm not sure it's timeless, but it sure is smart. The general consensus of the RMCers? "I forgot how good this movie is."
