Futureworld: When Technology Comes Together

February 1st, 2010

I’ve been rather “meh” about all this social media stuff recently, but today had one of those moments when everything came together and for a brief, shining moment, it was all worthwhile.

I have a secret list entitled “Movies I Really Want To See, But Probably Never Will” due to their obscurity, unpopularity, and subsequent unavailability. One flick on the list is the seventies sci-fi Futureworld (starring Peter Fonda and Blythe Danner), a sequel to Westworld, which starred Yul Brenner as a relentless robot cowboy plus James Brolin, Richard Benjamin, and Star Trek’s Majel Barret as a robot hooker (not kidding). I have a weakness for the whole, schlocky seventies dystopian sci-fi genre, right down to the secret stash of horrid Logan’s Run comic books. And yes, that includes Zardoz.

Anyhow, I was browsing my Twitter feed and saw geekaren tweet that she was watching the elusive Futureworld. I immediately asked if it was that particular Futureworld, while checking Netflix, where it’s not available. The reply: Futureworld is for sale at iTunes and for rent via Amazon Video On Demand. A quick check on Speedcine confirms this. And the last missing piece: Amazon Video On Demand is available through the Netflix Watch Instantly box hooked up to our television. Oh yeah.

So to sum up: my long time dream of digital video nirvana is finally coming true, plus it’s great when all the information coursing through social media, occasionally fills a very specific need. You could say seeing this one flick again occupies a line on my “bucket list.”

Much thanks to geekaren, and if anyone in the future happens across Toomorrow, starring Olivia Newton John, please let me know.