I went out through another door past more
video games. Two young boys were playing a Josie and the Pussycats
fighting game. 'Why aren't the girls here?' I thought. The
fighting game looked exactly like it was drawn by Don DeCarlo. One
of the kids was performing a finishing maneuver with Josie. She was
leaping into the air (her orange sweater rising up) then coming down in
a spin, her feet kicking out in circles. Very Streetfighter/Capcom-ish.
The girl she was fighting was hit multiple times by Josie's feet and, in
true Capcom finishing style, flew back in slow motion, hitting the ground
all knocked out. I was impressed that the animation was detailed
enough to show the woman's pants slip a bit as she landed, showing the
slightest bit of underwear. While the players waited for the next
round to start, I looked at the background of the game. It was as
if Don DeCarlo had tried to draw a magic kingdom version of Hell.
It was all orange desert, with flames licking the background, and a huge
orange castle in the shape of a
laughing face (which looked like an evil
Josie). Very detailed game, and I thought that it was the reason
why the movie was going to be made. I also wondered about why the
girls back at the pinball game weren't playing it.
Then I was back to check on my hand cart;
it had fallen over. I picked it up but I was no longer in the store,
I was at home. I turned to the living room were Dave and Weeb were
watching TV. Dave tossed me the remote and I turned the channels, wondering
where Jackie was. I turned to a popular Prince video that he had
written about black history month. I tried to change the channel
because I didn't like the song but it wouldn't change. I heard Jackie
in the next room, and tried to more desperately to change the channel because
I knew she liked the song and would want to watch it. In fact, I
could hear her singing the song in the kitchen as she put away
groceries. I tried to change the
channel but it wouldn't; Dave and Weeb laughed as Jackie came in the room
and I threw the remote down.
But Jackie took the remote control and changed the channel again to "Elvis Rides Again." It was a new movie we had all heard about that combined footage from a movie that young Elvis had never completed and used new actors interacting with the digital footage to get it out on the market. I sat down to watch the movie with my roommates.
Although I got the idea that it was midway
through the movie, the first scene I saw of "Elvis Rides Again" is set
during some sort of rebellion that is taking place in a company owned town.
Workers are rebelling and company killers are gunning them down.
Sharpshooters on the roofs are cutting down the people. Two thieves,
who have come to rob the town, get embroiled in the shootout and are drawn
to help the people when they see the rebellion's mysterious leader, Elvis.
There's a dynamic intro shot of Elvis as the two thieves peer over a roof.
As the camera peers with them, we see the street for the first time, filled
with bodies and action, and standing in the
middle firing his rifle is Elvis, young
and charismatic.
Then Elvis and what's left of his followers run from the town. The two thieves run to follow him. My roommates and I groan as we realize that the two thieves are played by Henry Morgan and Jamie Farr of MASH. This almost guarantees that the movie, once promising, is going to be nothing more than typical TV cheese.
The scene cuts to a dinner where wealthy
men are dining, discussing the situation in the town and ribbing the company
owner, a ruthless tycoon, for not doing anything to help it. The
ruthless tycoon, Lorne Greene, is saying that the problem is the rebellion's
leader, but that he has just learned the leader's weakness. Sam Waterson
is sitting at the table along with everyone else and he looks alarmed.
Cut to an under the table shot of him pulling out a pistol and aiming it
at Lorne Greene. Greene says that the leader has only three things,
and one of them is his weakness, will be his downfall. The other
businessmen at the table laugh, and one asks "what is
this, a riddle? What are the three
things?" Close up on Sam Waterson, ready to blast away. Lorne says,
"he has three things. One is a secret...one is a friend....and one
is a razor." Sam contemplates the riddle and puts away the gun.
The rest of the businessmen all roar laughter at Lorne, telling him he's
making things up so as not to look helpless, but Lorne just smiles enigmatically
and then walks away from the table. Close-up on Sam, who is trying
to figure out what Lorne meant.
I turn to my roommates. "I can't tell if this is going to be good or going to be lousy." "I know!" Jackie says to me. Then I wake up.