I'm trying to resist turning this into a blog about things on the internet that got me excited, but I couldn't pass this one up. It is the 20th anniversary of my (probably) favorite movie, Sneakers, and Slate has a series of articles about it! No one ever talks about this fantastic movie, so I was extremely happy to see a genuine discussion of its greatness. You can read about the score, the making of the film, and why it is a prescient masterpiece. You may never have heard of it, but it turns out that at least the National Reconnaissance Office in the '90s was a fan!
Who starred in this movie?, you may be asking. Oh, just a few no-names like Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Akroyd, David Straithairn, River Phoenix, James Earl Jones, and Ben Kingsley. And what is this masterwork of film about? It's a high-tech caper about code-breaking. And hidden identity and broken friendships. And lost love, teamwork, and trust. And hackers, the U.S. government, the Russians. And THE INFORMATION. I've seen this movie at least a dozen times, and it's so suspenseful that I can hardly stand it every time. Also, it is hilarious. I just realized I really enjoyed the RSA cryptography part of my Number Theory course in college BECAUSE OF THIS MOVIE, which came out before the advent of the internet.
I love this movie so much that my family gave me the DVD for Christmas several years ago. And when I pulled it out to watch with Dave last year, and the DVD box was EMPTY, I wasn't even that mad. Somewhere out there, someone else can enjoy the beauty that is Sneakers. I bought another copy instead. So, go forth and watch. You can even borrow my copy if you'd like. And let me know, so that we can make dorky jokes about "Setec Astronomy" together!
Who starred in this movie?, you may be asking. Oh, just a few no-names like Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Akroyd, David Straithairn, River Phoenix, James Earl Jones, and Ben Kingsley. And what is this masterwork of film about? It's a high-tech caper about code-breaking. And hidden identity and broken friendships. And lost love, teamwork, and trust. And hackers, the U.S. government, the Russians. And THE INFORMATION. I've seen this movie at least a dozen times, and it's so suspenseful that I can hardly stand it every time. Also, it is hilarious. I just realized I really enjoyed the RSA cryptography part of my Number Theory course in college BECAUSE OF THIS MOVIE, which came out before the advent of the internet.
post anything you want-- thinking about things that get you excited is what KEEPS YOU SANE in this "one dissertation one job one wedding" year!! :)
ReplyDeletei'm adding this movie to my netflix queue... i hadn't even HEARD OF IT until the slate articles started coming out! ahhh!
yessss! I really think you will enjoy it -- it's just the right combination of action, nerdiness, and humor. =)
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