This review - along with nearly 200 others - can be found in my book. Buy it HERE!
STRANDED (1987)
As much as I didn't want to follow a running theme, a certain leitmotif seems to have materialized. Call it a keynote. Time and time again, I'm encountering random, off-the-wall films that failed to find footing with mainstream audiences. Stranded is one such title. I've never heard anyone make even a passing reference to this sci-fi sleeper. A problem could be the presentation, as it was relegated to a "regional release" by New Line. Still, it has the bells and whistles of a studio picture. The narrative develops in real-time. A woman and her bratty, bumptious granddaughter are visited by extraterrestrials on an otherwise ordinary weeknight. I suppose it could have happened on a Saturday. It doesn't matter!
The aliens are docile and benevolent. They are seeking refuge, however, from a steely assassin who cannot be described as docile or benevolent. Cops get involved, which only complicates matters. Ill-tempered rednecks also get involved, but I don't want to reveal too much of the plot. Stranded is wholly engrossing. I dug the interstellar players, especially the automaton guard. The special effects department is stately, but it doesn't showboat. What I mean is that the visuals never supersede the storytelling. An honorable mention goes out to Flea, of all people. Yes, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers appears as Jester, the scamp of the alien lot. If you're lucky enough to spot Stranded on VHS, wrest it from the shelf posthaste. Because you can't have my copy.
No comments:
Post a Comment