GTGC #213 The Running Man

This week we examine a film loosely based on the novel The Running Man, by Stephen King, writing as Richard Bauchman. Arnold is up to his usually cheekiness, full of efficient distribution of violence and perhaps violent one-liners. It's so 80's-tastic and yet very much a film for contemporary thinking and we would love you all to tune in.

We begin this week as always talking about our opinion of the film and generally find this to be pretty disposable (spoiler alert). However, despite its overall schlockiness, we find this film to to be ripe for analysis.

The show warms up with this week's game, our favorite manhunt films. Be sure and listen closely here dear listener, because though we mention several films that have been mentioned and even the subject of previous episodes, there are some gems in here to add to your GoodTrash syllabus.

Once we get down to analysis, we begin with a conversation about the prescience of a film made in 1987 that depicts a future 2017. This leads to a conversation about the cycles of anti-fascist cinema of the 80's, the early 2000's and today. We then move to a discussion of the misogyny of this film and it's relationship to rape culture and the difficulty of filming confrontations between men and women. Finally, our conversation moves to a discussion of the surveillance state, reality TV, and the difficulty of disappearing in the 21st century.

Get into it!