Better Late Than Never on "The Running Man"

Another old movie I recently saw for the first time the other day was "The Running Man". I'm really excited for the updated "Running Man" directed by Edgar Wright, so I wanted to see the original to get an idea of what I will be getting myself into. I fully understand that Edgar Wright is going to make a more competent and better looking movie, and that these two movies are based on an older Stephen King book, but I often opt for movie interpretations over books. I usually see the movie first and then read the book. I know that's backwards for some, but that's how I do it.

Anyway, I was pretty excited to watch the first "Running Man" movie. I have found that, since I'm older now, going back to 80's sci-fi action movies is a ton of fun. They're so broad and zany and funny and I have such a good time watching them now. I recently rewatched "Total Recall" and was so much more into it now than I was when I first saw it as a kid. I used to be weirdly scared of movies like that when I was a child, but now I truly adore them. I had this feeling going into "The Running Man". And this movie was everything I wanted it to be.

Right off the bat it is no wonder why Arnold Schwartzenegger was such a big action star back in the day. He didn't have to say much, he was hunky and strong and he knew that action was his genre. He is so watchable. This performance was so similar to his work in "Total Recall" and I loved that about it. Honestly, you could watch any action/sci-fi movie from this era starring Schwartzenegger and it is the same performance. He knew what to do, the writers knew how to write him and the directors just let him go off. It is perfect for the genre and era.

Maria Conchita Alonso gave a very good performance in this over the top movie. She added a levity and she wasn't on screen just to be a damsel in distress or a love interest for Schwartzenegger. She was tough and knew how to stand up for herself. When she pulled her hair back in a ponytail after being dropped into the game, you knew she was ready to fight. I loved it.

Some of the "stalkers", the people dropped into the game to hunt the contestants, were absolutely wild. We had a dude with an axe using it as a hockey stick. There was another guy with a saw who hung out with a guy that could sing and use electricity to their advantage. And then we had Jim Brown, Fireball, who could fly and had a gun that shot fire, and Jesse Ventura, the washed up "stalker" who thinks he can still play the game. These guys were sadistic and wild. They were also hilarious. Each had a pun that they would say, and when Shwartzenegger would end them, he made sure to tell them his own related pun. It was very funny.

And then we had Richard Dawson. I only remembered him from "Family Feud". He always creeped me out when I watched reruns of that show. It felt like he was groping every female contestant. That is pretty much what he did in this movie, but this time around he was allowed to curse. He was evil and insane and he gave a good performance. I read that many people said this was just him in real life, so I guess it was an easy role for him.

All in all this movie was so fun. I didn't realize how funny the movie was going to be, and it made me kind of miss when they did action movies like these. I hope, and am pretty certain that the new movie will bring all of the fun that the original had.

"The Running Man" is a great and fun watch. I cannot recommend this movie enough, especially if you watched them when you were younger. Go revisit this movie, it is one of the better ones out there. And it has me prepped for the new version. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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R.I.P. Jim Brown

Jim Brown passed away last week. I would have written about it then, but I had already written other stuff. Today I need to talk about this tragic passing.

Brown was an all time great football player. He was one of the greatest college players to ever do it. He was amazing at Syracuse. He was an All American twice. His number is retired by the school. He is on the CFB150 list. He's in the college football hall of fame. He also played basketball and did track and field. He was an amazing collegiate athlete. His pro career was even better. He had 12,000 plus rushing yards. He averaged 5.2 yards a carry. Read that again. That is incredible. He had 106 rushing touchdowns. He is a pro football hall of famer. He averaged 100 yards a game for his entire career. He's been named to every NFL Anniversary team that has ever existed. His number is retired by the Cleveland Browns. He may be the greatest running back of all time.

Jim Brown was much more than just a football player. After football Brown became an actor, and a damn good one at that. He has been in many shows and movies. Stuff like "The Dirty Dozen", the lead role in "100 Rifles", "Three the Hard Way", "CHiPS", "Knight Rider", "TJ Hooker", "The A-Team", "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", "Mars Attacks", my personal favorite, "He Got Game", "Any Given Sunday", "She Hate Me"and "Draft Day", among many others. He was considered by many as "black Superman" or "black John Wayne". That was how much gravitas he held as an actor. Again, he did all of this after his record setting football career. He was also a massive Civil Rights Activist. In the 50's he was upfront and personal with his thoughts on racial issues. He was part of the Cleveland Summit that also included Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Bill Russell and Carl Stokes. They all stood with Muhammed Ali and supported his decision to not enter the Vietnam War draft. Brown founded the Black Economic Union which helped to promote economic opportunities for minority owned businesses. Brown also helped fuel the Amer-I-Can Foundation. This foundation sought to divert gang members and prisoners from violence by teaching them life skills.  He was able to establish the Watts truce through this foundation. Brown let the world know how he felt about the dislike towards minorities. He put his money to good work and put in hard work. He didn't just talk the talk, he walked it too. He spoke up and acted on what he was saying. He backed it all up.

Outside the acting and civil rights activism, Brown found the time to be a color analyst for CBS in the late 70's. He was the first black televised boxing announcer in 1965. He co-wrote a book. He was a color commentator for UFC. He was an executive advisor to the Browns from 2008 until his passing. This was a person  who loved a full life. He did have issues in his life, assault charges, divorce, meeting with certain former "presidents", but all in all Brown was an amazing football player who lived his true life. He was his true self. He talked and acted. He didn't hide. He was a person of action. When I saw he passed I was kind of in shock. I mean, 87 is a good long life, but I expected Brown to be around for a very long time. I will always go back to the Finals game he attended in Cleveland and see LeBron James bow to him. That was the biggest sign of respect one incredible athlete can give to another.

Rest in Peace Jim Brown. You will be missed. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.