The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the year of L.A.’s ‘Big Bang’

Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by Larrikin on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @01:43AM (#34877563)

That movie was always strange to me as a person who watched it in kindergarten. It was in my memory peak cinema, with an amazing tie in of reusable cups from the best restaurant chain (Pizza Hut)that lived in my house for years later and I drank out of regularly. As a kid I loved pretending to be able to fly around the sky.

But I've never met anyone in my generation that has ever seen it and even people older than me barely remember it existing.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by fingerlocks on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @02:29AM (#34877906)

I’m from your generation and my only memory of the film was a lot of talking and very little action. Have you seen it as an adult? Curious how it holds up.

Wikipedia’s page is interesting, apparently its got a cult following now.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by sircastor on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @03:18AM (#34878272)

I was about 13 when it came out. Watching some clips recently, it’s exactly as I remember it. I can confirm that it feels slow to start. I think most movies used to take a good 15 minutes to get going. These days they’re very out-of-the-gate.

I’m one of the cult followers I guess. It’s a shame to me that it never got a sequel. It’s fun pulp fiction in the style of Indiana Jones.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by voltaireodactyl on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @03:27AM (#34878340)

For the record: it holds up brilliantly.

James Hornet’s score alone is worth the ride — still used as a primary temp track for figuring out the edits of new movies.

Effects are the best practical work has to offer.

Timothy Dalton as Errol Flynn with an Aryan secret is phenomenal, having the most fun of his career. Jennifer Connelly is a full on movie star hitting her stride. Alan Arkin at his peak grumpy old man stage. And Billy Campbell deserved a better career.

And the story is pure old fashioned American underdog finds a unique advantage and uses it to take on the bad guys to save the girl. It’s damn near perfect tbh.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by QuizzicalCarbon on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @07:31AM (#34880354)

Seconding the great score.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by fractallyte on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @11:36AM (#34883139)

Don't forget the poster, by John Mattos! One of the finest movie posters ever: http://www.johnmattos.com/film.php

Detail: https://www.artcenter.edu/gallery/detail/569d6e434d9b6f9a563...

I emailed him a while back, and he told me the original artwork wasn't in his possession, and he had no idea where it was...

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by sircastor on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @12:19PM (#34883764)

And Terry O'Quinn as the eccentric millionaire aviator inventor.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by voltaireodactyl on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @03:24AM (#34878318)

Rocketeer is among the finest action adventure movies ever made, and deserves to be hailed much more widely than it currently is.

The reason it is not is simple bad luck: out of all the movies it could have opened against, it managed to open against the single film that (at that time) could outdo it in its own action-adventure game, the defining work of the genre: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Even Rocketeer couldn’t overcome that.

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by boomboomsubban on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @04:08AM (#34878659)

"The Rocketeer" opened June 21, 1991. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" opened June 12, 1981. From Wikipedia

>The (Rocketeer) opened #4 behind Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, City Slickers and Dying Young

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Re:The Hollywood sign debuted 100 years ago in 1923, the yea... by voltaireodactyl on Tuesday February 21, 2023 @04:16AM (#34878717)

You’re absolutely right — I got my inventive, genre-redefining blockbusters mixed up. Instead of Raiders I should have said Terminator 2, which Rocketeer did compete with. James Cameron remains a defining figure in that space.

I am stung by the correction because it’s nice to imagine oneself infallible, but I appreciate it nonetheless.

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