Future shock is the feeling of being overwhelmed by too much change in too short a time span. It's a feeling that has become known as "life" in our modern world. All this technology was supposed to make life easier. And still, we have to ask, "Where is my goddam jetpack?" We need drinks for these movies. Fortunately, for our wine pairings, the future is now.
Zardoz is, well, I'm at a loss for words. The 1974 Sean Connery film is a trippy visit to a post-apocalyptic wasteland in which regular folks toil away to serve one-percenters. A big stone idol rules the land. Speaking of stoned, the costuming crew must have been high. Connery's bikini-meets-bandolero outfit goes quite nicely with his ponytail and kinky boots. He carries a handgun, but the skimpy costume affords him no place to holster it.
Wait, what, did you say Sean Connery? Oh, yes. All part of his post-007 rebranding effort. Maybe he should have waited for a sequel to Darby O’Gill and the Little People. It is said that those leaving the theater after watching Zardoz advised those waiting in line to save their money. As with so many of the entries in the futuristic post-apocalyptic film catalog, Zardoz has developed a cult following. This is despite the title sounding like it should have been the name of a sleep aid. Ask your doctor if Zardoz is right for you.
There is a New Zealand IPA called Future Shock, but we can get an IPA without going international. For that matter, we can get a great Syrah/Grenache blend as close as Paso Robles. Thibido Winery's Future Crossings sells for $65, and it sports a name that sounds Cajun but looks Italian. Gotta love that.
Blade Runner is the original 1982 vision of despair from Sir Ridley Scott. The bleak look of Los Angeles in the year 2019 has been recycled in countless sci-fi movies. I don't know why the film was set only 37 years in the future. Did the producers think that the movie would not live beyond the theaters? Maybe they simply couldn’t foresee a future where films would be available through something called "streaming," a barren landscape littered with unrelenting advertisements, much like their prediction of L.A.
We love Harrison Ford looking and sounding just about as weary and bored as he could possibly be, hunting replicants so they can be "retired." This is the sort of retirement that comes with no pension, by the way. But M. Emmett Walsh as the top cop is a boss casting move. "I need ya, Dex. I need the old blade runner. I need your magic."
In Blade Runner, Ford's Deckard drinks Johnnie Walker Black Label 12-year old whisky. Scotch drinkers, put on your kilt and have at it, but don't try to get away with Connery's costume from Zardoz. For we winos, try Mas des Infermières, from Scott's estate in France's Luberon region. That area shares borders with both the Rhône Valley and Provence, so it's bound to be good. It starts at around $25. Accept no replicants.
1973's The Last Days of Man on Earth is a British black comedy called The Final Programme, which was rebranded under the Last Days title for the rest of the world. Here's the difference between a British thriller and one from America. The American one utilizes a gun as its main source of fear. The British one uses a chessboard.
The script was reworked from a book by Michael Moorcock. The author reportedly had to inform the cast that their lines were meant to be funny, which is called Getting Off on the Wrong Foot. Critics didn't exactly like the film. One sci-fi critic thought it was disastrous and predicted that viewers would want their money back even if they saw it on TV. Good luck getting a discount on your cable bill.
There are no ill wishes here, but as Amsterdam and Trafalgar Square get the post-apocalyptic treatment, it's nice that it wasn't L.A. or New York, for a change. Boss casting note: Sterling Hayden gets another role as a deranged military man, Major Wrongway Lindbergh, to go along with his Brig. Gen. Jack D. Ripper from Dr. Strangelove.
Last Days does have quite a following, largely due to the Moorcock book series. His concept of the Eternal Champion as a balance between the opposing forces of Law and Chaos leaves me wondering where the hell it was hiding during the Republican National Convention.
An Eternal Champion deserves an Eternal Wine, from Walla Walla, Washington, which is a place that's just fun to say. They identify as being in the Airport District, which doesn't sound like a very pastoral location for a winery. We assume their airport is not quite as busy as LAX. But, as hope springs eternal, so does Syrah. Eternal has ten single-vineyard Syrahs on offer. Stop by while you're in the Airport District and do a flight.
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