All The President's Men: Feb 21 See Post #34 (1 Viewer)

[CraigF]

Another fabulous Warner set of totally excellent content...I hope Warners and the marketing people who come up with these concepts are making LOTS of $$$ from them!

I would like to think some other studios are learning from them, but I haven't seen much evidence.

 

[MichaelBA]

NETWORK was shocking and almost unbelievable in 1976. And thirty years later it's tame and almost outdated already compared to the present.

 

[Robert Crawford]

However, if you look at the media and television today, it wasn't too far from the truth.





Crawdaddy

 

[Richard Matich]

My sister sat with her jaw dropped as she wached it only five years ago. The box set will be her birthday present. I have to get mine first though. Its going to be a suprise because all three films are her favorites of hers and she has no idea they are going to be released!!!

 

[Sam Favate]

Network is probably more relevant today that it was 30 years ago, considering that much of what the movie said would happen, did.

All three films are outstanding and deserving of special editions.

 

[MichaelBA]

Yup, but more than that today's media is WORSE than the one envisioned in NETWORK!

 

[Nathan V]

Should I buy this set? I've only seen Network, which is wildly entertaining and ridiculously great, one of the top 5 scripts of all time. How are the other two? Somebody told me Dog Day Afternoon is uninteresting; is he crazy? Have DDA and ATPM aged well? I love 70s movies so damn much. I love the color temperatures, the beige walls, the blue-gray streets with wind, people wearing overcoats. I love the attitudes, the looks, the texture of the sidewalks. Remember the cracks in the pavement the daylight exterior scenes of the Exorcist? Oh man, somebody help me.

 

[Paul.S]

Nathan et al.:

Maybe I'm an old f*ck already, but I'm a little wrecked at the number of guys asking if these movies are any good.

Each of these movies is not only outstanding, but a seminal work of the era. They are absolute must sees in the filmographies of Sydney Lumet, Al Pacino, Faye Dunaway and Alan Pakula. Lumet and Pakula (especially Lumet IMO) are directors who, if you aren't interested in/aware of, you should be.

 

[ZacharyTait]

I embarassingly admit that I've never seen Dog Day Afternoon and Network. To rectify that, I'll be picking this box set up movies unseen, since it'll be worth it for All the President's Men alone.

 

[MichaelBA]

 

[Holadem]

Nathan,

I subscribe to the George Kaplan school of thought when it comes to purchases - I only buy stuff that I am certain I will watch again. As such, I found Network and Dog Day Afternoon to be very good movies, but wouldn't go out of my way to watch them again.

All the President's Men however is an absolute masterpiece.

I generally don't but lately, the era has grown on me for some reason, so I will be seeking out the good stuff from that decade in coming weeks.

For you however, this set should be a no brainer!

--
H

 

[Vincent-P]

Yes, he unquestionably is. Some of my roommates and I rented it back when I was in college and we loved it. I think Network is my favorite out of the 3, but this one is a close second.

 

[Paul.S]

And btw . . .


Al Pacino's character holds up a bank to get money for his (male) lover's sex change operation. The movie was released in 1975.

This person may find it 'not of interest to him/her,' but I think it's fair to say--especially when placed in the context of the times--that plot element alone makes the movie far from "uninteresting."

 

[Paul.S]

Plus it's interesting to speculate on how many packs of cigarettes there were between the thinner voice of Sonny Wortzik and the "GIMME ALL YA' GOT!"/"I had kawfee with McCauley . . . HALF AN HOUR AGO!" bellow of Heat's Vincent Hanna 20 years later.

 

[Sam Favate]

The Seventies are regarded by a lot of people as one of the very best - if not the best - decades for movies, because of the adventurous, mature films that came out in those years that really expanded the perception of what movies can do, and what the movie-going experience can be. The Godfather I & II, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, Apocalypse Now, The Exorcist, even Jaws and Star Wars all justify that view. Filmsite.org calls the 1970s "the last golden age of American Cinema." The three films in this collection definitely contribute to those descriptions, and the decade would not have been the same without them.

 

[Nathan V]

Thanks for the feedback, gentlemen. That's what I wanted to hear At the very least, I know I'll be watching Network innumerable amounts of times as the years wear on. I do agree that the 70s were probably the best period for cinema in the last 50 years. Those movies really knock me out. As for individual years, 1969, 1960, and 1999 were pretty ridiculous too.

I would have to say I also subscribe to the thought that right now (late 90s on) we're in another golden era, what with the Latin American wave, return of Terrence Malick, technical advances, continued and expanding independent boom, number of great serious films, increased awareness of director's role in filmmaking by the public (largely thanks to dvd), etc etc.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[Holadem]

*GULP*

This line is making wonder if a whole subtext of the movie didn't fly over my head the one time I saw it.

--
H

 

[Haggai]

There isn't much at all that's "sub" about that particular part of the text in the movie, Holadem. Maybe you just weren't paying very close attention.

 

[Holadem]

Well, erm. um... yeah well, it didn't occur to me to look beyond the literal, as far as the story went, is what I meant. And maybe I did but just don't remember, it's been a coupla years, you know? :b.

--
H

 

[Haggai]

Actually, now I'm a bit confused. I thought you just meant that you didn't quite catch what was going on in the movie, which would be weird because it's spelled out pretty clearly. What's the "subtext" that you were just referring to a couple of posts back?