Sypha Nadon on 11/11/2007 at 01:05
I thought the movie adaptation of "Less Than Zero" was horrid. Totally watered down, it's almost completely different from the Bret Easton Ellis novel, aside from the setting and the character's names. Having said that, the film certainly looks good. But it can't compare to the novel (as is often the case, anyway).
You know, one thing that annoyed me about the final season of "Friends" was they had yet another 80's flashback episode and all it boiled down to was making jokes about what people's hair looked like back then. Like any other decade, there was a ton of interesting stuff if you knew where to look. In particular, there was a lot of great music coming from the alternative scene and the subcultural underground, for example. Actually, even some of the mainstream music was pretty good. Hell, I'd rather listen to vintage Madonna than any of today's American Idol drones.
heretic on 11/11/2007 at 02:31
Quote Posted by Sypha Nadon
I thought the movie adaptation of "Less Than Zero" was horrid.
I agree to a point, but it would never have been released back then otherwise. Overall the theme remained intact, look what they did to American Psycho or The Rules of Attraction FFS.
That said it has 80's nostalgia 'out the ass.
..and welcome back
Sypha Nadon on 11/11/2007 at 02:35
"American Psycho" wasn't bad... at the very least, it was truer to the novel than "Less Than Zero" was. And I thought "Rules of Attraction" was the closest anyone's come to as pure an Ellis adaptation as possible (and even Ellis himself thinks so). I will say that "Zero" had some good acting, mainly from James Spader.
heretic on 11/11/2007 at 02:46
;) Fine then, I take back what I said about welcome back.
No...all in all I'd have to agree.
..and the spun out vet from Rules of Attraction deserves his own movie.
"I think you're a rich motherfucking motherfucker who owes me a fucking fuckload of motherfuckin' cash, that's what I think, you rich motherfuckin' motherfucker. You want some blow, motherfucker? You bring me my motherfuckin' cash, motherfucker!"
catbarf on 11/11/2007 at 03:00
Quote Posted by demagogue
I just watched
Wargames last night and suddenly everything "totally awesome and really cool" about the 80s came flooding back to me. Nevermind how much the technology has changed, the movie is agelessly cool.
I was born in '92, and my initial reaction upon seeing Wargames was:
Quote Posted by Me
Buddha fucking CHRIST, all you had to do to hack back then was
dial a number on your modem through your computer?
Ironically enough, we watched it during computer programming class.
As for the 80s in general... Meh. Rose-tinted glasses, much. Although I must say that there was some very good music back then. Much better than the tripe pumped out nowadays... I've seen the music video for Smooth Criminal a few dozen times and it never ceases to amaze me.
By the way, Blade Runner = pure awesome. If I could take Blade Runner hypodermically I would.
Oh, and am I the only person who's encountered someone who thought that Nineteen Eighty-Four was written in 1984?
fett on 11/11/2007 at 18:33
Van Halen's 1984 was recorded and released in 1984. Does that count?
demagogue on 11/11/2007 at 18:41
No no, it's supposed to be like "The Apple ][e will be released in 1984 so 1984 won't be like Nineteen-Eighty-Four" and the lady throws the hammer at the screen and all the suits get blasted by the wind ... and yeah, then it's like it can hack into any bank or phone company just by calling a phone number, which you get by just calling their secretary and pretending to be a guy out in the field. I have no idea where this post is going.
TBE on 11/11/2007 at 19:36
I got into several different computers in the 80s using the "War Dialer" for the Commodore 64. It was amazing how easy it was to get into some things. I once dialed into the bank of my home town. You enter "help" and they bring up all the commands. I never got much more than reports of the day for their business. Kinda sad as I was hoping to transfer mass funds into my account. :( I hit the phone number for the local Air Force Base too, and disconnected real soon after I found out where I was calling. One only has to watch War Games once or twice to find out what the feds do to hackers. Oh yeah, this was a 300 baud modem too. :( REALLY SLOW.
catbarf on 11/11/2007 at 19:52
Quote Posted by Taffer_Boy_Elvis
I got into several different computers in the 80s using the "War Dialer" for the Commodore 64. It was amazing how easy it was to get into some things. I once dialed into the bank of my home town. You enter "help" and they bring up all the commands. I never got much more than reports of the day for their business. Kinda sad as I was hoping to transfer mass funds into my account. :( I hit the phone number for the local Air Force Base too, and disconnected real soon after I found out where I was calling. One only has to watch War Games once or twice to find out what the feds do to hackers. Oh yeah, this was a 300 baud modem too. :( REALLY SLOW.
Wow... Just dialing a number... To someone of my generation that seems ludicrous.
DX-455 on 15/11/2007 at 13:18
Quote Posted by fett
Van Halen's 1984 was recorded and released in 1984. Does that count?
No. 1983
