From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Message Hash: 2ba6f2217d472ba125596374cc16e87c31c5fd72c9d105e3091bd89135143c62
Message ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951008192655.19552B-100000@panix.com>
Reply To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951008185136.29595B-100000@rwd.goucher.edu>
UTC Datetime: 1995-10-08 23:49:11 UTC
Raw Date: Sun, 8 Oct 95 16:49:11 PDT
From: Duncan Frissell <frissell@panix.com>
Date: Sun, 8 Oct 95 16:49:11 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Review: Assasins
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951008185136.29595B-100000@rwd.goucher.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951008192655.19552B-100000@panix.com>
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Assassins with Sly Stallone and Antonio Banderas with Julianne Moore as
the cyberspatial interest.
This may be the film derived in part from some writer-type's conversation
with our own Tim May.
Sly and Antonio get their contracts via computer from an anonymous
source. They favor Powerbooks. The source types on the tops of the
screens they type on the bottom. The Powerbooks must have built in
wireless modems because they are pretty casual about firing them up
wherever they happen to be.
Julianne is cute. Apparently being a net security expert/hacker is seen
as women's work in Hollywood with Sandra in the Net and what's her name
in Hackers. Also this sort of life interferes with your social contacts
because both Sandra and Julianne seem lonely. Julianne likes cats.
The screens look fake (like most Hollywood computer screens). There is
minor mention of encryption. Julianne is a "ghost" (self-described)
with no SS# or DL. She does have a car and apartment, however. As
always in these films, much of the action is motivated by a single
high-density floppy. It's amazing the amount of stuff they can get on
those disks.
Most of these character's problems could be solved if they would simply
transfer this info over the nets without having to meet in person. They
could also encrypt disks much more than they choose to.
Coincidentally, I saw both The Net and Hackers this weekend. It is hard
to decide which is the "best." Assassins is slick and Antonio makes a
great psycho. [Note to Sly --- Many of your problems as a professional
assassin could be solved by a few finishing shots to the head. --- I
thought they taught that on the first day in assassin's school.] I
suppose I liked Assassins best although Puerto Rico makes a poor stand-in
for an island tax haven. I like English accents on my tax
haven bankers.
DCF
"Who is ready to act as an advisor for a small fee to anyone out there
who wants to do a real net film."
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