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From: lauren%LBL-CSAM@vortex.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Wargames
Message-ID: <2541@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Jun-83 04:18:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.2541
Posted: Fri Jun 24 04:18:33 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 27-Jun-83 04:47:05 EDT
Lines: 39

From:  Lauren Weinstein 

Saying that "Wargames" presents "no worse" a view of computers
than most other television programs/films is no excuse.  As you
implied (and as we all know) the typical view is terribly inaccurate,
to put it very, very mildly.  It's even worse with Wargames, since
this particular film pretends it is "almost accurate".  The generic
mass media review I've seen of the film runs like:

Wargames:  An exciting, action-packed film that really knows its
           computers.

That is virtually an exact quote.  Dandy.  

As for the payphones -- hey, I don't make statements unless I have some
reasonable basis for backing them up.  Before I made my "1966" statement,
I checked with someone who has been in the vicinity of "The Mountain",
who informed me that, yes, the paystations in the area are
of the modern type which could not be subjected to the sort of attack
shown in the film.  In point of fact, virtually all new (and many old)
payphone mouthpieces have been either glued (or "wrenched" using a special
tool) into position for years.  Obviously they had to show an
"old-style" payphone in the film, since they probably tried (and failed)
to get the mouthpiece off of any of the "real" payphones at their location.

I repeat... Fantasy is one thing.  A film that pretends to be something
it's not is something else again.

--Lauren--

P.S.  The director of the film, at a local screening here in L.A., was
asked about the unscrewing of mouthpieces during a question and
answer period.  He replied that "... since the film's release, the phone
company has begun gluing on the mouthpieces."  This is simply untrue,
since such security measures have been taking place for years.  However,
this is typical of the sort of lies the production staff is making
to protect their film's "integrity".

--LW--