UK residents - "A Boy and His Dog" is on at 2.45am Tuesday morning, Channel 4

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I know this is a bit late, but record it. It's the most weirdass cult movie you'll ever see (let's hope Channel 4 show it in its proper Scope ratio). Stars Don Johnson as a loner who walks Post World War 4 earth with his talking dog Blood. In return for food, Blood sniffs out women for him to mate with. Then the movie gets sooo damn strange only a cult movie boffin could love it. It's a hard film to find, so it's a real privilege to have Channel 4 show it.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 2 May 2004 14:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I took a class with the director of photog a number of years ago. It was still a highlight in his career.

― Skottie, Sunday, 2 May 2004 14:14 (twenty-one years ago)

You know, I don't actually think it's a brilliant film. It's just so damn weird that it's one of these movies which genuinely deserves the term "cult classic". It's a really unique piece of work.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 2 May 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never seen the film, but I read the Harlan Ellison short story over 15 years ago - and it has a certain staying power/echo in the mind.

A few of Ellison's stories have had that effect on me, though I don't think he's that good a writer.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Sunday, 2 May 2004 14:24 (twenty-one years ago)

i saw it years back on C4 and have to agree with CRW in this instance.

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 2 May 2004 15:07 (twenty-one years ago)

CRW is OTM; it is genuinely odd and well worth watching. Perhaps alongside something like Romero's "Season of the Witch" (a curio from the same era).

― Tom May (Tom May), Sunday, 2 May 2004 15:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I never really enjoyed "Season of the Witch" (Romero - feminist director? Discuss), but I'd say if you want another ESSENTIAL cult curio then Romero's "Knightriders" is, like "A Boy and his Dog", another really, really unique movie. It's also a total underrated masterpiece from a director who has just hit the prime of his career.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 2 May 2004 16:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I don't think one was supposed to 'enjoy' SOTW; it was a quite downbeat satire on suburban values. With all sorts of weird goings-on and avant-garde sound design. I personally thought it worked well for what it was, and was certainly very unconventional in how it was put together. I've never heard of "Knightriders"; when was this made?

― Tom May (Tom May), Sunday, 2 May 2004 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I think Knightriders is from 1980 or 1981. The DVD is out of print; I've tried renting it online to no avail.

― Chris F. (servoret), Sunday, 2 May 2004 16:32 (twenty-one years ago)

You can still buy Knightriders from my fave online retailer www.dvdboxoffice.com

It's from 1981 and features the movie debut of one Mr Ed Harris, and Tom Savini in a rare turn as the main support. Also features appearances from "Dawn of the Dead" stars Scott Reiniger and Ken Foree.

― CRW (CRW), Sunday, 2 May 2004 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

The end is so classic.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Sunday, 2 May 2004 17:34 (twenty-one years ago)

this is my downstairs neighbor's favorite movie of all time.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

It definitely is a trip.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

one of my favorite movies too!

― A Nairn (moretap), Sunday, 2 May 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

"A Boy and His Dog" used to be in regular rotation on the US weekend cable program "Night Flight," along with "Fantastic Planet" and a bunch of other cult greats... anybody remember that one?

― sexyDancer, Monday, 3 May 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh oh! Make it a good night's triple bill of unique cult films and show "Spider Baby" after "A Boy and his Dog" and "Knightriders". I swear you'll not regret it.

― CRW (CRW), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to work in the locations department for one of Don Johnson's TV shows and one Friday night I went out with ADs and D.J. showed up. He's a rather intimidating asshattish kinda of guy but with a few drinks in me, I gathered the courage to ask him about A Boy and His Dog, which is undoubtedly my favorite of his. He looked at me strangely, almost bemusedly, and didn't say a word to me for the rest of the night, which turned out to be something of a relief.

― Michael White (Hereward), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:57 (twenty-one years ago)

nash bridges?

― RJG (RJG), Monday, 3 May 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes.

― Michael White (Hereward), Monday, 3 May 2004 17:10 (twenty-one years ago)

I think there's exactly one million "Don Johnson is an asshole" stories out there. www.thesmokinggun.com details some of the sexual-harrasment kind, I remember.

― sexyDancer, Monday, 3 May 2004 18:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Ugh. I don't even want to think about it. The crew were great, mind you. But the vibe when he was around - dire.

― Michael White (Hereward), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I remember seeing this film years ago, after reading considerable hype about it. I must admit, I thought it was pretty mediocre. I mean, what is so special about it? "weirdass cult movie" to me means something like "institute benjementa" or "themroc" or "The shout" or "la cabina". you know, something that makes you feel like yer brain's been reverse-wired in some way after you've seen it. "a boy and his dog" was just like average sci-fi. OK-ish.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:33 (twenty-one years ago)

See "Spider Baby" then and stop your moaning. But if you don't like "Suspiria" you're a lost cause.

― CRW (CRW), Monday, 3 May 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Shout"; now you're talking. That's a fantastic film... Alan Bates as the strangest curio of a character you'll ever see, in beautifully dreamlike North Devon locations... some of the most surreal scenes involving cricket ever, and some really *good music from Tony Banks*. :) And based on a Robert Graves short story. It's certainly more fully to my taste than SOTW or ABAHD, which I was nevertheless interested by.

― Tom May (Tom May), Monday, 3 May 2004 20:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The Shout is showing on new channel The Horror Station all this month.

― CRW (CRW), Monday, 3 May 2004 23:16 (twenty-one years ago)

i always thought the dude who voiced Blood was the same dude that voiced Kitt, the Knightrider, but i was wrong.

― thomas de'aguirre (biteylove), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:31 (twenty-one years ago)

So has anyone here checked out "Spider Baby"?

― CRW (CRW), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 00:34 (twenty-one years ago)

So whatever happened with that deal with Don Johnson trying to get into Switzerland with a few billion in stock certificates? That was one of those oddball news stories that was at the end of the newscast that I never heard about again.

"A Boy and His Dog" is a strange movie. The 70s low budget lighting definitely gives it a weird look. That time was good for low budget scifi. "Silent Running" is a favorite of mine that I would like to see again.

― earlnash, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 01:14 (twenty-one years ago)

What the hell was up with the pale faces?

― Girolamo Savonarola, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 03:58 (twenty-one years ago)

ahem we call them 'white people' now.

― Patrick Kinghorn, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 08:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Great film, but what a rubbish title for it.

I mean, yeah it is what it says on the tin, but at least calling it by the dogs name would have been better.

(Which I forget right now, it's been a while since I say it...)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 08:55 (twenty-one years ago)

(saw it, rather).

OK, the dog is called Blood. Hmm.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

POLL

― Dom Passantino, Saturday, 16 June 2007 16:51 (eighteen years ago)

nash bridges?

― RJG, Saturday, 16 June 2007 17:00 (eighteen years ago)

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