A cinematic diet of anxiety, coffee, and chocolate...
Today's edition of Weirdhouse Cinema is a true delight: 1992's Split Second, starring the one-and-only Rutger Hauer as the gruffest cop ever in a dystopian struggle against a monstrous killer.
The film swims in an ocean of tropes, but manages to walk the line between cool and parody in such a way that the film largely works.
Plus, Split Second has a very strong visual sense of itself. Its grimy, flooded, industrial future-London really stands out. My only real complaint is that they somehow rejected a score by synth legend Wendy Carlos.
As we discuss in the episode, the chaotic and confusing aspects of the plot actually work rather well in this mystery/monster thriller. Monsters SHOULD emerge from places of mystery and ambiguity. It's a fun ride. Now let's have that trailer and the episode itself:
You can catch Weirdhouse Cinema every Friday in the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast feed. And you can currently rent or buy Split Second pretty much anywhere -- and the new Blu-ray looks amazing (though no Wendy Carlos alternate score, sadly).
Speaking of Carlos, here's a place where you can hear a sample of the tracks I mentioned.
As for other media mentioned in the podcast, here's the track by Grumbling Furs I brought up: The Ballad of Roy Batty.
What's NEXT on Weirdhouse Cinema? We'll be taking on our FIRST 1940s film with Dr. Cyclops. This film, released in 1940, was directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack of King Kong fame. It's hard to find right now, unless you're willing to buy a disc or you can find it on one of the classic movie channels. But it's worth it!
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