Logan's Run

Logan's Run (1976)
Director: Michael Anderson
Cast: Michael York, Richard Jordan, Jenny Agutter, Farrah Fawcett, Peter Ustinov
Memorable Line: "Run, runner!"

There are some memories and movies best left to the past and Logan's Run us one of those.

It's the 23rd Century and the people of the future are living a Utopian existence. All their needs are met -- they don't work and pleasure is at the center of the culture. The only drawback is the no lives past 30. Set into place for as long as these people can remember is the idea that at 30, they can go to a ceremony and "renew" into a new life, but underneath it all is a sinister truth. Some who reach 30 don't want to risk the ceremony and they try to run. It's the job of a sandman -- futuristic policeman -- to track down and eliminate these runners.

Logan-5 (York) and his partner, Francis-7 (Jordan), are Sandmen who are perfectly happy until Logan-6 is assigned by the master computer that oversees the operation of the city to find "sanctuary." Logan hooks up with a young woman,Jessice-6 (Agutter) and together they have to run and find their way to the secret of sanctuary.

The bottom line with Logan's Run is that it is really dated -- and not in a kitchy, funny way. The sets, the special effects and the miniatures are all terribly dated and unconvincing. To add to the problems, most of the acting is stilted and the script is full of contrivances and bad dialog.

I had hoped that I would travel down memory lane and enjoy a past treasure, but Logan's Run turned out to be best left to memory.

Star Wars

Star Wars - 1977
Director: George Lucas
Actors: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness
Memorable Line: "May the force be with you."

The quintessential GenX movie, Star Wars should be etched into the psyches of every kid to pass through the 1970's and 1980's...and beyond.

But in case you missed it, Luke Skywalker (Hamill) is simple farm kid on out of the way planet who is dreaming of adventure when it all too suddenly finds him. After encountering a old recluse (Guinness) on the planet, Luke finds that he may be apart of mystical group called the Jedi - warriors tapped into universal energy called "The Force." The plot accelerates from there as the duo hook up with petty space smuggler, Han Solo (Ford) and then with an on the run princess (Fisher) and leader of rebel forces pitted against the evil Empire troops led by the ruthless and fearsome Darth Vader. The group end facing off against the Empire's ultimate weapon - the Deathstar, with the fate the free universe at stake.

Groundbreaking in special effects, Star Wars dazzled audiences, but it was so much more than a special effects extravaganza. There is an engaging story and charismatic characters. The story is reminiscent of an old western with characters with white hats and black hats. Lucas called it a Space Opera. I just call it fantastic.

The cast is mostly unknowns except for Guinness who add a gravitas to the movie with his performance, but all the cast members provide convincing performances.

So, pop some popcorn and power up the DVD player, put in Star Wars and get ready for a real adventure.