Movie #121 - Robocop

"Part man. Part machine. All cop. The future of law enforcement."

One of my favourite movies coming out of the 1980's, only because I am a big fan of science fiction and I like action movies that have some possibilities for the future. Coming off the popularity of The Terminator just a few years earlier, Robocop is a movie about a cyborg police officer who is used to clean up the crime-riddled futuristic version of Detroit.

The futuristic predictions of this movie are definitely those being used or implemented today. There is references to GPS tracking devices, large scale photon weapons, metallic armor, and even cybernetic technology. Also, RC driven technology is portrayed throughout this film, quite an imagination from Paul Verhoeven and his production crew.

Verhoeven's big break into mainstream Hollywood was through the cult success of Robocop. Through the first installment, Verhoeven was able to get other projects such as Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers, and Hollow Man just to name a few. Unfortunately, all had mixed success with Basic Instinct and Total Recall being his most renowned.

Peter Weller, on the other hand, didn't really parlay his role as Robocop into other successful roles. Coming out of small roles on television and B-rated movies, Weller was cast to play Robocop, a role that curtailed his ability to land bigger roles shortly afterwards. Weller was type cast into science fiction roles throughout his career and even the Robocop role in the unsuccessful sequel in 1990.

This film does have a strong supporting cast, with appearances from Ronny Cox, Miguel Ferrer, Paul McCrane, and Kurtwood Smith. All went onto solid cast members on television, most notably Ferrer on Crossing Jordan, McCrane on ER, and Smith on That 70's Show.

In fact, its Smith's role as the main villain that makes me laugh the most whenever I watch this film, because Robocop is getting his ass kicked by Foreman's Dad and the surgeon from ER. Quite funny when you start crossing more notable roles into other bodies of work. It ends up becoming a fun game when you start referencing previous roles for various actors in movies and television. I suggest you give it a try - the game itself tends to be quite fun when you know this much about movies and television.

Movie #38 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day

"It's nothing personal."

If I were to think back over all of the movies I have seen in my 27 years, I would like to think that Terminator 2: Judgement Day ranks high on influential films that I have seen. This thought stems from a variety of factors:

1991 - This year marks the period in which I became a big fan of the hobbies that I still enjoy today. I started collecting sports cards in 1991 and I was given the freedom to enjoy my love for movies with access to local video stores such as Streetsville, Ontario's Queen Video, in which I had access to over 10,000+ VHS films for a tremendous price point of 5 movie rentals for 5 days for $5.

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Surprisingly, this was the jump start of the persona that is the Governator. Not that his previous films such as Conan, Terminator, or Total Recall didn't do that already, Terminator 2 was the culmination of all of his efforts rolled into one of biggest blockbusters of the decade.

T-1000 - Awesome. At age 11, I honestly thought the concept of a liquid metal killing machine was fantastic and got my imagination going. It didn't motivate me to become an engineer or develop anything with computers, but it gave me the chance to appreciate that CGI was here to stay and that anything could be made to look and feel "real" on the screen with just a simple click of a few buttons. Computers were here to stay and T2 represented the virtual boom of the computer age, something I grew up in.

These 3 factors alone make this movie an important pillar in my hobby and obsession with the movies I like. Whenever I see this film, I always watch it in its entirety... the movie itself is well written, perfectly cast, and still provides a sense of suspense in the pursuit of John Connor. I have especially liked the parodies of this film done by the Simpsons, since it is one of my favourite movies.

What makes this movie work is the casting of Robert Patrick (T-1000) and Edward Furlong (John Connor). Without a strong Connor in the role, you don't feel the importance of his life or his character. Without a strong villain, who in this case is also a shape shifter and 10x stronger and faster than Arnold, you really don't have a movie. I always vouch that the villain makes the movie and what this villain is able to do really puts you in your seat.

If you have not yet seen T2: Judgement Day after 17 years, pick it up. It is definitely one to enjoy even now after so many years. A big screen, HD television viewing for the first time would be ideal as it would truly capture the essence of what was intended for the audience.