theater of guts: 2019 After the Fall of New York

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

2019 After the Fall of New York

-Reviewed by Skunkape-

Directed by Sergio Martino 1983

2019 is Italy’s answer to the the success of John Carpenters’ Escape from New York. It’s directed by Sergio “Mountain of the Cannibal God” Martino. Martino didn’t just take the job for quick buck, he brings his A game thus making a movie that in my opinion may be inferior but just as entertaining as JC’s Escape. This is actor Michael Sopkiw’s first film playing Parsifal aka “Fake” Plisskin.

"oops, forgot my eye patch."

SNL news with Dennis Miller!

The Earth is a total wasteland all because of E.U.R.A.K (the Euro Afro Asian Unity) monarchy who dropped a nuclear weapon destroying almost all humanity. Which begs the question where were the Eurak’s when the bomb was dropped? The Eurak’s have set up their base in New York City where they rule and look for ways to procreate. You see when they nuked everything the radiation was so bad that not one human is fertile. When we meet our hero he’s competing in some kind of death race 2000 I guess you could say! As winner, the mutants of the Nevada dessert cheer and chant his name. Then a freaky robotic clown announces that he has won his own sex slave. He takes her on his futuristic motorcycle into the dystopian wasteland. Instead of getting down and dirty he sets her free, which is what you do if you love something, right? Parsifal then gets abducted by a spaceship and brought to Alaska. That’s where the Rebel Federation has set up their base. It's very Hoth like, but there are no Taun Tauns or Wampas to be found, just cheap looking models that wouldn’t fool your 3 year old brother.

The Alaska play set, Spaceship not included.

Among the Rebel Federation is the dreamy Edmund Purdom playing the President of the Pan American Confederacy. I say dreamy Edmund Purdom because Theater of Gut’s President and head writer Crankenstein just loves this guy (he’s smitten). It’s more of an inside joke actually but he seriously wouldn’t shut up about Purdom after watching Pieces for a whole week. So now that the rebels have Parsifal, President Purdom gives him an offer he can’t refuse. The mission is to sneak into NYC undetected and find the one fertile female before the Eurak’s do. In return for his services he is offered a seat on a spacecraft that will head to another planet, where life can start over contamination free. This plan will only work of course if he gets the girl. However, they don’t send him alone, two very special helpers are assigned to aid him. Bronx (Paolo Maria Scalondro) is the navigator, he is an ex resident of the city and knows his way around. Ratchet (Romano Puppo) is extra muscle and has lots of special skills to kick butt.

Along the way they encounter the Rat Eater King and his merry rat eaters. From that group they take in Giana, (Valentine Monnier). Also helping them is a little person appropriately named Shorty who is key in helping them locate the girl they seek. Another key player is Big Ape (George Eastman), they meet him hanging out with whole group of half man, half monkey men. Eastman was reluctant to play the role because of the makeup he had to wear but after the movie came out was glad he did, and I am too. Who else could’ve played that role?

Little People, Nuked World the reality show

"You think I should trim my eyebrows?"

After the Fall of NY on Broadway!

2019 is one of those post-nuke science fiction Italian movies that really delivers. Martino never lets the film drag. The sets are cheap but fun and interesting as our heroes navigate through the remains of NYC. It also contains some nice stunt work with lots of explosions and even a little gore here and there. Oliver Onions provides a mostly electronic score. Actually the credits say “with original music by Oliver Onions”, because we also get some music stolen from Margeriti’s Yor Hunter from the Future as a bonus. There is also a poor mutant bum (James Sampson) that plays the trumpet over the opening credits but Martino didn’t pay him. He only lives off the gratuity of tourists.