Rollerball. The year 2018 in film in comparison with reality.

Forty-three years ago, Norman Jewison made a film about future where governments are gone and whole world rules by corporations. They control all sides of life: food, medicine, transport and of course sport. The big popularity of the last has a rollerball. The game is not only famous in running for ball on roller skates and motorcycles on a round arena, but also happening cruel scenes between players.

In this film, as we can see, the Earth a peaceful place without troubles with a famine and deceases, where the last war was a far time ago and it was between corporations. Also we can see a some of authoritarian elements when hero of the film Jonathan E tries in libraries to find an information about Corporate Wars. Books is part of past now and all information went to a computer system.

Society became indifferent to life. Similar to kids they’re using a gun as a toy and when a bursting shell was shot near to them – only laugh from their mouths and no thought about a vulnerability. A non-stop smiling doctor easily ready to take a life and he only asks your sign.

In “Rollerball” a woman is using as a furniture for man (similar function they have in other flick of seventies “Soylent Green”.) and like any thing is changing. No one female has an against word on this.

The film occurs in 2018. Now is this year as we remember. I’ll take only a Western civilization model, because a peace are different and action of “Rollerball” happens in those countries eventually.

We still have governments, but authors didn’t make a mistake on corporations. They have a great influence on all spheres of life. If you want to get a salary – you must open an account in one of them banks. Troubles with health – pay one of them for treatment. When you’re watching news this network belongs to one of corporations. Any device that you’re using were created in one of those corporations. Any film studio is part of conglomerate now – the structure controls different industries. In modern world everything went to a business where no place for art and only for money. Corporations had influence on politic before “Rollerball”, but not on all. Any sport game is about business in 2018 as going FIFA World Cup shows it from beginning.

We haven’t the rollerball, but have a mixed martial arts in cruelty. Full contact fight on near to bare hands with all almost possible tactics except kick under belly and to a knee.    

In wars, the planet isn’t a peaceful. In Syria and Iraq goes different struggles between many sides inside of one nation, Kurdish nation wishing the independence, bordering and far-away countries have their goals. Not quiet in Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan and sometimes happen bloody collides between Israel and Palestine. Many conflicts in Africa and Asia. The government of Mexico more ten years fights with drug cartels. Role corporations in wars lies through private military companies as infamous Academi (Blackwater in past.). Of course, examples with corporations not connected with armed weapons also exist as it was before “Rollerball” with, for example, notoriously United Fruit Company’s actions in Latin America, but cases similar to the film are never happen.      

In reality the troubles with starving people are staying on sharp position and the last news talking about Yemen and Africa.

Medicine went far since 1975 and found a cure from some stages of cancer and AIDS (in time of film this word didn’t exist.), but not ideal as in “Rollerball”.

Today at home, you can find any information and read any book from the device. Paper format is still exist, but not a popular. Everything is going to take a digital form as similar was in film. However, you mustn’t go to somewhere and asking a machine to find something when it possible to do through a computer or a smartphone. The United States isn’t have the authoritarian control, but some books can’t to appear because it goes against politician views of men who belong to it, for example. In books were written long time ago you can’t find in libraries, because can contain description of sexual scenes, drug using, offensive language and et cetera what goes versus their puritanical and political correct life.

NB. Also in curse words, American Library Association including “nigger”, which can’t be a swear, because it always meant a description of man of black race. It looks strange when representors of those people use that word between talks with themselves. “Wrong words” in books are correcting as it was in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn of Mark Twain and Ten Little Niggers of Agatha Christie was changed on And Then There Were Gone. Same as rewrite history.          

Fortunately, most of the Western people aren’t indifferent to others, but society of 2018 has an own negative sides. It expresses in far positions to minorities, women and non-white races. You can be sued if say without any curse just a little disagreement in any aspect with those kind of people. Free of views are very problematic thing now as shows the win of Donald Trump on the last presidential election where disappointed in result people wished the impeachment to incumbent when in past after this event everything went to quiet. Modern society is subject of sissy, some share of infantilism and faith to socialism.                      

“Rollerball” appeared in cinemas 25th June 1975. In same day, forty-three years later, after re-watch of the film, I look back on 2018 in the movie representation and in the fact. Would I prefer 2018 created by William Harrison and directed by Norman Jewison? Definitely so! Some things aren’t good as existence of authoritarian elements, attitude to women and indifferent society, but not all people similar to that. A lot of them with a commonsense. I like this world for absence of the smartphones and far political correct society. About personal taste, I’ll say that interior of home of Jonathan E, buildings, inside appointments are more likeable than contemporary design which tries to be a specific, but uncomfortable and too fast is becoming a tedious. However, but most of all, I like 2018 in view of “Rollerball”, because I never see the sportsman who can go against of corporation (in real cases also a dictatorship country.). Who prefers honor to career and willn’t participate in games are taking a place in a criminal state.                               

Escape Plan 2: Hades

Sylvester Stallone has a rare quality for modern cinematography. The individuality. In his case, I like when he’s interfering in filming process, because it always going to good. More thirty times Sly pointed as one of the writers. I know stories when a script was before Stallone’s rework. For example, James Cameron’s vision of “Rambo: First Blood Part II” had a non-serious comedian tone with John Travolta on this part. It would be catastrophic and didn’t make character’s name is common. Sly didn’t only made the great action scenes of “one man war”, but take the high accent about American soldiers still in Vietnamese prisons. I have the respect to this Man as an actor, director, screenwriter and the primary thing as the person. News about a couple of sequels of “Escape Plan” made me glad, but back-to-back production with short filming terms and budgets for DVD films had a place for disturb. Only in mister Stallone I have trusted.

As a writer myself, I thought on modern computerized world and had the idea about an old-school man against a modern person with high technology behind. I’m happy to had found in “Escape Plan 2” realizations in this way. With big impressions, I’ve looked on depended on machines a jail’s construction where weren’t a walking security around and all procedures were making by a computer. Prisoners put in conditions for fighting for things, which created who controls this place. This moment very sharp reminded me different in scale the societies living by the rules, limits and installations. I saw it.

If taking only the concept side of the script – it’s a perfect. In full look it filled of undeveloped details. Kidnapping of the head of corporation on the street with dozens of people or a many “how” like a man who is stealing devices man. Episode in Breslin company where antagonists in the masks storming the building and capture only one person. What about other personnel? Villains know those people will look for and bring troubles, but didn’t take any action on them. “Escape Plan 2” have questions of this kind. Some my pretensions about prison. It was said, the captives are corporate workers, businessmen and hackers. In short form are office workers. However, they more look similar to street gangs in behavior and their bodies say about preference to a gym. From my personal view, the jail cook plot was needless and I would exclude this character for reason all facility stays on high technologies. Screenplay shortage reflects in line as it was in the building relationship Breslin’s team member with a head of Negro band. The contact starts aggressively from last side and goes to fight immediately, but in the second meeting the black guy speaks with tenderness. Unelaborated places of story plot also have feel in bad editing where the action are jumping in locations and a little changes with a quantity of people. Few minutes ago, the warden was walked with bunch of men, but in next with him scene he’s alone. So sad that a character of a good actor was finished in this way.

The technical part is fantastic and thankfully to mister Stallone. Without a doubt, Sly told to Steven C. Miller how to make. It’s easy to compare with other works of director.

NB. In social network, the Italian Stallion published a video of making of the action scene of “Escape Plan 3: Devil’s Station” where everybody are following to him and listening his commands, even the director.

The film was made on a brilliant professional level. No primitive and predictive moves in storytelling lines (except the last combat between Breslin team member and one very bad guy.), astonishingly written dialogues, master directing, all action. I’ve a got a pleasure from everything of this, but with the last scene, looked as the end of episode of TV-series, all of that were recalling me the straight-to-video spirit.

Sylvester Stallone is one of the last to whom I have sure it willn’t an awful film. His influence to “Escape Plan 2: Hades” made a movie better. Just only a more time for elaborating of the screenplay. If I have an opportunity to see “Escape Plan 3: Devil’s Station” in cinema theater as it was with second part, I’ll use it. Even obviously understanding the rush result, I will go, because “Escape Plan 2” has a many attractive things for which I can re-watch the film again.