Watched that for the first time over the winter. It was enjoyable enough, but I think some of the themes went over my head, and I have a hard time reconciling Voight and Roberts’ Oscar noms with their performances. Not bad per se, but hard to imagine either were among the best of 1985.
I’m guessing that it probably hit different at the time, if my assumptions about the film’s Cold War allegories are correct.
On the bonus features, Roberts talked about that. He said he didn’t understand how they got nominated because the distribution was screwed up and nobody saw the movie.
Voight explained that he had a bet with the producers that they would not get Oscars because the distributor, Cannon Group, was known for crap.
Oh, as a connoisseur of garbage, The Cannon Group is near and dear to my heart haha. Of course, being more immersed in the Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, JCVD-type Cannon output, it was refreshing to see their logo on a real “film”.
I long for a successor to their throne, even if I have to concede that their model barely functioned while they existed, let alone its viability in today’s environment lol. Ebert hit the nail on the head in 87: “no other production organization in the world today—certainly not any of the seven Hollywood majors—has taken more chances with serious, marginal films than Cannon.”
Watched that for the first time over the winter. It was enjoyable enough, but I think some of the themes went over my head, and I have a hard time reconciling Voight and Roberts’ Oscar noms with their performances. Not bad per se, but hard to imagine either were among the best of 1985.
I’m guessing that it probably hit different at the time, if my assumptions about the film’s Cold War allegories are correct.
On the bonus features, Roberts talked about that. He said he didn’t understand how they got nominated because the distribution was screwed up and nobody saw the movie.
Voight explained that he had a bet with the producers that they would not get Oscars because the distributor, Cannon Group, was known for crap.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cannon_Group,_Inc.
Voight won the bet. 😉
Oh, as a connoisseur of garbage, The Cannon Group is near and dear to my heart haha. Of course, being more immersed in the Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, JCVD-type Cannon output, it was refreshing to see their logo on a real “film”.
I long for a successor to their throne, even if I have to concede that their model barely functioned while they existed, let alone its viability in today’s environment lol. Ebert hit the nail on the head in 87: “no other production organization in the world today—certainly not any of the seven Hollywood majors—has taken more chances with serious, marginal films than Cannon.”