Nerd Pride Radio

Anyone remember Taps?

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

I don't remember any of that. But I remember 10 year old me watching this on HBO and it was the most important movie of all time.

And this cast?!?!

Tom Cruise, Sean Penn, George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox (!), Giancarlo Esposito (!!!).

I'm thinking about watching this over the next two weeks. I'm positive it didn't hold up. Anyone want to join me on this Fool's Errand?

I'll try it.

I'm on a four day vacation this weekend with my two oldest boys, but you want to say we should have it watched by a week from Sunday? June 11?

I watched it a few years ago. If I recall correctly, it actually holds up fairly well. But I may be willing to watch it again to confirm if that’s really the case.

Timothy Hutton is 1000% going to hold up. I can't speak for the rest but I think it's going to hold up.

I will rewatch this if I can figure out where to get it.

Ya, it's not anywhere on streaming, was interested but may have to pass, unless it's at my library

I'm gonna spend the $2.99 to rent it, but that's the only option I found.

Is this on HBO? I have some sort of temporary access to HBO. Last I knew HBO you had to wait for something to appear on their schedule, but nowadays apparently you can call things up on command. However, I have no idea how to operate the devices - the remote control, the search menu, none of it. After years with no cable or TV beyond the local channel and netflix, I am fully adapted only to those things and the netflix search is beyond me as it is.

Shit! I forgot about this! (We had a lawyer quit and I've been traveling out of town four days a week this month.)

Next weekend?

What kind of excuse is that? Hire someone to replace you and get to watching! It will take me probably min 2 weeks to figure out, with the help of a kid, how to find this movie in the supposedly immediately accessible and vast array of choices available.

You’re right and I’m sorry. We had a firm meeting and decided to hire a sharpie-faced potato on an interim basis to replace me while I watch Taps this week. Whew. That feels good.

Sketchie Potato Head is doing great. Watched it last night. Will comment this weekend.

So look y'all. Not good. It suffered from the pacing of 70s movies- lots of slow, lingering shots on peoples' eyes, slow pans across the courtyard (so many slow pans across the courtyard), and a lot of dialogue that was "movie writer" dialogue, not the dialogue of a bunch of kid cadets between 10 and 17. But my biggest problem with the conceptual issue. The plot of this movie centers around a group of cadets in a military school that's going to be shut down and demolished to build condos (what an 80s villain- condo developers). After their headmaster (George C Scott- phoning it in a bit, but still great) has a heart attack and rushes off to the hospital, they cadets decide they are going to stay and, fully armed, defend their school from anyone trying to come in and force them out. I just couldn't sympathize with these kids. They're supposed to be the heroes and we're supposed to admire them because they're standing up against capitalism for honor and loyalty, but it just rung hollow for me. Ronnie Cox (always great, but SO great in this movie) plays the army colonel that's sent by the governor to try to convince the boys to stand down. We're supposed to see him as the conflicted bad guy, but the whole time I viewed all his actions as though he was the hero. I think this movie also suffered from our current experience with kids and guns and schools. I could remove myself from it, but it was weird to see a bunch of kids in full gear and automatic rifles playing the good guys.

Highlights: As I said, George C. Scott is always great, even when he's giving a subpar performance for him. Ronnie Cox is always great, and this might be my favorite performance by him. He really sells his role and is fantastic. Tom Cruise is the real standout from the cadets. We're used to always seeing him as the good guy/protagonist. But in this movie he plays the hyper-violent cadet who we're supposed to hate- and man do we. It's cool seeing Cruise play such an unlikable role so convincingly. Finally, Sean Penn (who we all know is a tour-de-force actor) gives such a nuanced, subtle performance as Tim Hutton's best friend and conscience. So good.