“In the future there will be no wars. But there will be . . . ROLLERBALL.”
That’s the tagline from the 1975 sci-fi masterpiece, Rollerball. This film provides what I can only assume is a stunningly accurate glimpse into the distant future -- the year 2018! -- when corporations rule the world, individuality is discouraged, and grown men on roller skates chase a silver ball around in circles and beat the living snot out of each other with spiked leather gloves that appear to have been purchased at Rob Halford’s Fist-O-Rama.
This film was a real eye-opener, let me tell you. I learned many, many things about the future, which I will now attempt to impart as a personal service to you, my endearingly ignorant and culturally starved readers.
In the future . . . sci-fi movies will drag along at a crippled snail’s pace.
In the future . . . James Caan’s mother will carefully lay out his Garanimals for him every morning.
In the future . . . chairs will be much too small to sit in comfortably.
In the future . . . all homes and corporate buildings will look like they were built in the seventies.
In the future . . . an exhumed John Houseman will return to the silver screen and torture fellow cast members with tedious braggadocio about his award-winning role in The Paper Chase.
In the future . . . a nifty font will constantly remind everyone that they are living . . . in the future!
In the future . . . people will have several “Television Sets” in one house!
In the future . . . James Caan will look pretty damn good with his shirt off.
In the future . . . Quincy’s sidekick, Dr. Sam Fujiyama, will have abandoned the medical profession to pursue his lifelong dream of being an equipment strategist for the Houston Rollerball team.
In the future . . . professional athletes will need an equipment strategist to tell them how to use complex technological advancements such as “Shin Guards,” “Elbow Pads,” and “Football Helmets.”
In the future . . . James Caan will wear pants so tight that his crotch will look like a relief map of the Brazilian Highlands.
In the future . . . all grown men -- even James Caan -- will still look like total douche bags on roller skates.
Ah, but I don’t want to give away the whole film. I strongly encourage every one of you to watch this flaming turd on wheels so that you too can experience your own thrilling cinematic journey . . . into the future!
