Cast and Crew:  Steve DeJarnatt (Director); Basil Poledouris (Score); Laurence Fishburne, Brion James, Tim Thomerson, Robert Z’dar

What It’s About: When resident of the dystopian, declining America of 2017 Sam Treadwell (David Andrews) loses his companion robot Cherry (Pamela Gidley) to a romp in soapy water, the only possible source of a replacement is a robot graveyard located deep in “Zone 7”, a lawless region full of violent crazies.  Treadwell hires tracker E. Johnson (Melanie Griffith) to escort him into the Zone and back, but soon finds she’s more than he’s bargained for…

Why Watch it Today?:  Ben Johnson, who plays E. Johnson’s mentor Six Fingered Jake, was born today in 1918.  Johnson is joined by Harry Carrey Jr., no doubt hired to give Cherry 2000 more of the Western feel that is just one part of its DNA make-up (the rest is black comedy and Post Apocalyptic Sci-Fi).  It’s a small part, but typical of Johnson’s later years where he would make periodic appearances as a kindly old-timer, stealing the show from his younger co-stars.

Where to Get It:  Stream from Amazon, iTunes or Netflix

Other Choices:  Mighty Joe  Young, The Wild Bunch, The Last Picture Show, The Getaway, or Red Dawn.