Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Movie Review: Network
Network (1976, Sidney Lumet) - 3.0
A news anchor finds out he’s about to be fired, so he announces on air that he’s going to kill himself live on tv. The network executives are annoyed at first, but eventually Faye Dunaway convinces them to give him a tv show where he can rant angrily all he wants, and it’s hugely successful even though the rants are extremely boring. I liked the concept, but the movie just wasn’t working for me, and Faye Dunaway’s performance is a bit too much. I honestly don’t understand how other people judge over-the-top-ness. Like, why do people complain about Nic Cage hamming it up all the time when Gary Oldman exists? Have you seen The Professional? Cage looks subdued in Vampire’s Kiss by comparison (slight exaggeration), and gives a way more self-aware, hilarious performance, but he’s the one who gets picked on while no one ever complains about fucking Gary Oldman. I’m not complaining about Gary Oldman, either. I like him, and I like his performance in The Professional, but he’s an insane over-actor. And as far as Network goes, I seriously don’t get how Dunaway could win an Oscar for her role in this, but get tons of shit for her role in Mommie Dearest. She’s over-the-top in Mommie Dearest, but it's appropriate as the performance actually matches the film. In Network, she stabs the top in the neck and shits in it, then flails her limbs around, shrieking, defiantly refusing to display any resemblance whatsoever to a real person. WHY DID SHE WIN THE OSCAR!?! Why doesn’t Nicolas Cage win every Oscar!?! I don’t get it. My rating for the movie is not based on all this, I didn’t like it regardless. The ending was good, I guess.
04/09/11: Streaming
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