AMERIKA (1987)

[lesbiassparrow]

Words cannot express the hilarity that this series gives me. It was based on an off-hand comment by Ben Stein (yes, the Ben Stein who doesn't believe in evolution) who was annoyed at some mini-series about nuclear war. With such a pedigree how can it fail????

It features:
Kris Kristofferson as a gnarly ex-presidential candidate, whom (for reasons that are not clear to me) the Russians do not shoot. In fact, they don't seem that keen on shooting anyone. Except for congress, that is. KK is about as charismatic as a small pickled onion. His charismatic expression is awfully similar to his I'm standing in a field looking gnarled expression.
Sam Neill as a Russian colonel who is in love with a really annoying actress. REALLY ANNOYING. She discovers patriotism halfway through the approximately 50 hours of this show
AN EVIL MAJOR WHO DESTROYS HOUSES.
A BUNCH OF OTHER OPPRESSED PEOPLE. Also Christine Lahti. Actually, she's the only decent thing in this show. Well, Sam Neill does his best, but he's saddled with the actress, which hampers him a bit.

I am sad to tell you that apparently America was captured with 3 helicopters, 2 tanks and 10 all terrain vehicles. THAT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE FORGOT HOW TO BE PATRIOTIC. IF ONLY THEY'D BELIEVED IN AMERICA! No, honestly, that seems to be the basic belief of this show.

ETA: I really want to watch more bad mini-series. Maybe it's time to rewatch that CBC Ben Hur with 'I'm no catamite' Ban Hur and his 'peel me a grape' admiral.

Comments

[misscam.livejournal.com]

.... This sounds awesome. In entirely the wrong way, of course.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

At times it is fabulously, amazingly awful. I think it may have killed the miniseries genre on American TV. That's how terrible it is.

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

Seriously, headdesk. ;)

And sincerely, most days I'm embarrassed as dren to be American. *sigh*

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

Well, apparently the Canadians forgot to be patriotic too, so they were also invaded. So it's not just Americans. Or Amerikans!

[jenlev.livejournal.com]

It's difficult you know....so many things to remember about being Amerikan. *veg*

[morwen_peredhil]

I wish there were a highlights vid for this, since there's no way I could endure thirteen hours of it (which is how you can tell I FORGOT HOW TO BELIEVE IN AMERICA AND IT WILL BE MY FAULT WHEN WE ARE INVADED BY THE RED HORDES AND WON'T I BE SORRY THEN THAT I DON'T HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL ARSENAL?).

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

NOW I KNOW WHO TO BLAME. (It is a real pity there's no highlights reel. There's far too much talking and not enough oppression and Russians shooting people for one to feel at all that America has become Amerika.)

[morwen_peredhil]

I guess I will just have to wait for the Red Dawn remake to come out later this year. Plucky teens save their town from invading North Koreans! I CAN'T WAIT.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

You know, the more you talk about this, the more I think I actually saw it when it aired. Skeery.

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

We all have dark secrets in our past. I can't believe I actually went looking for this thing!