Ah, people were always lousy… But there was a world, once. 

Why it’s a left-wing film

The opening montage says it all. Various photographs reveal when the world’s downfall began, with the early days of American industrialization, and then take us straight through to present day (1972) with cluttered, claustrophobic shots of pollution, traffic, and over-population. In the year 2022, the end result of all this unbridled capitalism, technological advancement and baby-making is not a higher standard of living, an end to poverty, or the longer life expectancy we were promised. Quite the opposite. In Manhattan alone, there are 40 million people, half of them unemployed. The lucky ones barely sustain themselves on rationed food and water in small cramped apartments. The unlucky ones are homeless and sleep wherever they’re able to cram indoors to escape the smog and never-ending swelter of a year-round summer known as the Greenhouse Effect, another byproduct of that sinister free market.

But capitalism still isn’t dead. In fact, it’s more powerful than ever. Like African warlords, in this world if you control the food you control everything, and the big fat Soylent Corporation controls half the world’s food supply and seemingly all the political power. Naturally, the gap between rich and poor is now a canyon where a very elite few live the good life in swank high-rise luxury apartments complete with air conditioning, running water, real food, and “furniture,” or live-in prostitutes; accessories that come with the place.  

This only makes sense. After all, capitalism run amok is almost certain to bring us a patriarchal society run by selfish men.

At its core, director Richard Fleischer’s “Soylent Green” is anti-human. We know this because the film’s conscience is Sol Roth (a warm, wonderful Edward G. Robinson in his final role) and he tells us so with the above quote. People are the problem, the scourge of the world. There’s just too damn many of us and we are now paying the price for destroying everything. (more…)

I just finished voting for the Screen Actors Guild awards and after wading through the five “screeners” they sent me I started wondering about the leading men of today.In this day of confused metro-sexual male stars one might wonder where all the real men have gone. 

Look at the leading men of today. When I saw Leonardo DiCaprio as a tough guy in Gangs of New York I wasn’t sure if it was a drama or a comedy. Matt Damon isn’t too bad but I‘m not convinced he could take a punch. I like Bill Pullman but he looks like he is always on the verge of breaking into tears. George Clooney, please my sister could throw him down and twist him up like a pretzel.

Here are my top five unrecognized real men of filmdom. I skipped the obvious choices like The Duke and Clint and went for some guys who are well known but not often looked at as Alpha dogs. Can you imagine any of these guys sitting in anything but a leather barber chair? Can you see any of them wondering if they should get frosted tips or a mani-pedi? Just being a tough guy wasn’t enough for my list they also had to have the craft of acting down too! (more…)