Welcome to episode 40. Today, we discuss the 80′s adventure hit, “War Games”.
Not familiar with the movie? Take a look at IMDB for more information.
Join Scott, Randy, Brian and Ibbott as we piss on a spark plug.
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Special thanks to Audible.com this week for sponsoring the show. As usual, a HUGE thanks to Scott Fletcher, the official announcer of Film Sack Central.
Hey! Why not leave us a nice review on iTunes if you like the show?
Up next week’s episode? The video game epic, Street Fighter.
Weird. Still not showing up in iTunes on my iPhone. Not a good start to a friday! A missing Film Sack on a new Friday is like having a PB&J without the jelly: just doesn’t make sense!
Just FYI, guys, the reason WarGames isn’t on Netflix right now is because MGM is going through bankruptcy and they’re getting ready to sell off their film catalogue. So this problem is going to affect any other MGM films you have planned for the podcast.
Any news on the iTunes problem? I need my team Jibbot and team Deluxaway!
I always am amazed when I see this movie how fast a connection they get with a 1200 baud modem. Every time he sent a message, there is almost an instant response. I want to see him sitting there for 10 minutes waiting for the upload/download to complete.
I thought the message was tic-tac-toe looks really cool on a 15 foot screen in the middle of NORAD.
And, wouldn’t creating a secret password be a huge security breach on a military system that controls nuclear weapons? I think Dr. Falken goes from being listed as “deceased” to spending the rest of his life in Leavenworth.
For your Star Trek connection, Michael Ensign appeared on Enterprise, Voyager, Deep Space 9, and Next Generation.
That sucks for MGM. end of an era.
Also that relaxed female announcer voice (“There is 1 min to impact”) reminds me of Team Fortress two. (“There is a spy in the base”)
Love “Short Circuit”, it MUST be on the list!
Tabb huh? Makes you wonder about Mr. Pibb?
In answer to Randy’s question: “What is it with your kids now that you absolutely refuse to relate with them over?” — My teen daughters have gotten into Manga and such. Try as I might I just cannot get into that. One of the series they read, “Chibi Vampire”, I call it “Cheesy Vampire.” Sometimes I’ll walk into the kitchen and say, I summon “Ancient Ladle of Soup Serving, take that Seto Kaiba!”
You MUST play Flatcher saying “It might help to beef up security around the WOPR.” followed by “Cheeseburger!”
I remember seeing this in the theater back when it was first released. I remember a scene, at the end of the film that was very much like the beginning. They were removing the computers from the missile silo and reinstalling the Air Force key operators. But I have never seen this scene on the video version. Does anyone else remember this scene?
I love War Games. It’s one of those movies I always watch ’til the end if I happen stumble upon it while channel surfing. I hate that it’s no longer on Netflix streaming. Fortunately I watched it before it was pulled. In fact it was one of the first movies I watched on Netflix streaming.
My only real tech gripe was the computer voice box. Sure, he had one in his bedroom. I’m okay with that. But when Bueller was on Dabney Coleman’s computer the same computer voice was talking back to him…without the speaker. Same thing in the command center at the end…same voice.
I loved this movie at the time, but it doesn’t hold up well for me. And the comment on the modem was dead on, that slow connection speed back then was atrocious. One a different note, might I suggest a Sacking of the early tom hanks film Joe Versus the Volcano, it also has Meg Ryan playing three roles, very well I might add. In any case, thanks guys keep up the good work, it always gives me joy to have this show to listen to on Fridays.
“WarGames isn’t on Netflix right now” – what!? So Ice Pirates (disc only) is a possibility too…? hehe.
I look forward to listening to this one as I only vaguely recall the movie.
OTOH, I am looking forward to LAUGHING at Street Fighter. What a steaming pile of poo!
The only decent Fighting Game turned Movie that I’ve seen is Mortal Kombat that managed a very good translation of what was already a cheesy game that didn’t take itself seriously.
JC’s Street Fighter, and Kristen Kreuk’s Chun Li SF movie both strayed too far from the source material to please anyone – fans and non-fans alike were left with nothing to love.
Trek connection, Stephen Lee played Sgt. Schneider in War Games, he also appeared twice in Star Trek: TNG episodes. Once as an alien bartender in “The Gambit, pt. 1″ and as Chorgan, leader of the ‘Gatherers’ in “The Vengeance Factor”.
Sorry missed another one. Michael Ensign played Beringer’s Aide in War Games and played Dr. Oratt, a Vulcan doctor in the Enterprise second season episode “Stigma”.
First of all, Time Crisis 4 is fantastic, Mr. Johnson!
On topic, it was a really interesting film. My favorite bit was the juxtaposition in the beginning with NORAD going nuts and the kids just goofing around back home with the game. The silliest bit was all that running away from that helicopter in the searchlight.
Ha! I love how someone else is annoyed with the Atari 2600 Pac Man sounds for just about any video game in any movie (or TV show). They still use that sound today! Ba-ban-ban-ba-ban-ban-ban-dooee-dooee-dooee-dooiieee!
I live in Colorado Springs, the town by the NORAD center in Cheyenne Mountain. You remarked in the podcast that you couldn’t believe that they would give a tour of the facility and it must have been Senators and their families.
I have been on the Cheyenne Mountain tour, and its not restricted, as far as I know. You do have to sign up ahead of time, and they might do a light background check, but nothing extensive.
We got to see one of the control rooms, not the main one, but none of the rooms are nearly as large as depicted in the movie. As you might imagine, space is at a premium inside a hollowed out mountain.
The neatest parts of the tour (for me) were the giant springs the buildings were mounted on and the underground lake for emergency fresh water supply.
Great podcast, keep ‘em coming.
That general was awesome. “After very careful consideration sir, I’ve come to the conclusion that yer new defense system SUCKS.”
@poqui Now I don’t feel all safe and warm inside knowing that they just let anybody go tour NORAD. If they are letting us see that…what the crap are they hiding!! Hold me.
I can’t believe that you guys missed the music trivia regarding the soundtrack to this film. Crosby, Stills, & Nash were originally hired for the title song (later released on Allies) but were tossed in favor of using a score instead. If memory serves it was a money issue but what isn’t? They (CSN) did however use footage from the film in the video for the song.
This isn’t the only Dabney Coleman movie with a video game-style vibe. Cloak & Dagger, anyone?
One of, what I call , my movies from the 1980s; the movies that defined my time growing up. I didn’t realize until the rewatching how much I didn’t understand. Looking back with my now eyes pretending to be me then, this movie should have scared me to death. I’m big on the Cold War and this movie is probably a big reason for it (that, and being 12 when the Berlin Wall came down). Even the computer mumbo jumbo didn’t bother me like in most hacker flicks. Well done movie. And I swear, again looking back, Ally Sheedy would’ve been my girl of choice to bomb the world and run off to Paris with. Oh, and it’s the only use of a “back door” that has ever seemed plausible to me. University guy says, “there’s probably a back door. I put one in all my programs, he probably did too.” So simple but made sense. Also, there should have been so much more done with that character. Skinny nerd was annoying, that guy knew things! Should have had a sequel with bearded guy!
Love this film. Because of no streaming you guys made me go out and get it. And I thank you for it.
Was it my imagination or was that Kirstie Alley’s voice on the NORAD computer?
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