Blockbusters and Birdwalks

"The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation."

This is the third part of a six-part series about American movies from 1976. 

Part 1 focused on John G. Avildsen’s “Rocky”. Part 2 focused on James Fargo’s “The Enforcer”. Part 4 will focus on John Cassavetes’s “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie”. Part 5 will focus on Brian De Palma’s “Obsession”. Part 6 will focus on John Guillermin’s “King Kong”.

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Referenced media:

• “Bless the Beasts and Children” (Stanley Kramer, 1971)
• “Rocky” (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
• “42” (Brian Helgeland, 2013)
• “Gran Torino” (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
• “Jaws” (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
• “Star Wars” (George Lucas, 1977)
• “Taxi Driver” (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
• “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie” (John Cassavetes, 1976)
• “All the President’s Men” (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
• “Family Plot” (Alfred Hitchcock, 1976)
• “Eat My Dust!” (Charles B. Griffin, 1976)
• “Grizzly (William Girdler, 1976)
• “Drive-In” (Rod Amateau, 1976)
• “Silent Movie” (Mel Brooks, 1976)
• “Blazing Saddles” (Mel Brooks, 1974)
• “History of the World, Part I” (Mel Brooks, 1981)
• “Logan’s Run” (Michael Anderson, 1976)
• “The Omen (Richard Donner, 1976)
• “The Outlaw Josey Wales” (Clint Eastwood, 1976)
• “Futureworld” (Richard T. Heffron, 1976)
• “Saturday the 14th” (Howard R. Cohen, 1981)

"My darling, my blood."

"War is always good for certain companies that are in the war. The business of war."

"When you can't escape, and you constantly rely on everyone else, you learn to cry by smiling."

This is the second part of a six-part series about American movies from 1976. 

Part 1 focused on John G. Avildsen’s “Rocky”. Part 3 will focus on Michael Ritchie’s “The Bad News Bears”. Part 4 will focus on John Cassavetes’s “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie”. Part 5 will focus on Brian De Palma’s “Obsession”. Part 6 will focus on John Guillermin’s “King Kong”.

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Referenced media:

• “Dirty Harry” (Don Siegel, 1971)
• “Rocky” (John G. Avildsen, 1976)
• “Magnum Force” (Ted Post, 1973)
• “Sudden Impact” (Clint Eastwood, 1983)
• “Jackass” (Jeff Tremaine, 2002)
• “The Dead Pool” (Buddy Van Horn, 1988)
• “All in the Family” (Norman Lear, 1971-1979)
• “Gran Torino” (Clint Eastwood, 2008)
• “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” (David Zucker, 1988)
• “Sledgehammer” (Alan Spencer, 1986-1988)
• “Pulp Fiction” (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
• “In the Head of the Night” (Norman Jewison, 1967)
• “Noir Alley” (Eddie Muller, 2017-now)
• “Village of the Damned” (Wolf Rilla, 1960)
• “The Lineup” (Don Siegel, 1958)
• “Over the Top” (Menahem Golan, 1987)
• “Charly” (Ralph Nelson, 1968)
• “RoboCop” (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
• “Serpico” (Sidney Lumet, 1973)
• “Death Wish” (Michael Winner, 1974)
• “The Outlaw Josey Wales” (Clint Eastwood, 1976)
• “Police Woman” (Robert L. Collins, 1974-1978)
• “Coming Home” (Hal Ashby, 1978)
• “Platoon” (Oliver Stone, 1986)
• “Full Metal Jacket” (Stanley Kubrick, 1987)
• “Blow Job” (Andy Warhol, 1964)
• “Rabid” (David Cronenberg, 1977)
• “Annie Hall” (Woody Allen, 1977)
• “Cross of Iron” (Sem Peckinpah, 1977)
• “Star Wars” (George Lucas, 1977)
• “Smokey and the Bandit” (Hal Needham, 1977)
• “Swamp Thing” (Wes Craven, 1982)
• “Cagney & Lacey” (Barbara Avedon and Barbara Corday, 1982-1988)

"Random thoughts for Valentine's day, 2004. Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap."

"They don't make mistakes. They don't do random. There's always an objective. Always a target."

This is the first part of a six-part series about American movies from 1976. 

Part 2 will focus on James Fargo’s “The Enforcer”. Part 3 will focus on Michael Ritchie’s “The Bad News Bears”. Part 4 will focus on John Cassavetes’s “The Killing of a Chinese Bookie”. Part 5 will focus on Brian De Palma’s “Obsession”. Part 6 will focus on John Guillermin’s “King Kong”.

***
Referenced media:

• "Rocky IV” (Sylvester Stallone, 1985)
• “Transformers: The Movie” (Nelson Shin, 1986)
• “Rocky Balboa” (Sylvester Stallone, 2006)
• “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot” (Roger Spottiswoode, 1992)
• “Oscar” (John Landis, 1991)
• “Samaritan” (Julius Avery, 2022)
• “Rocky II” (Sylvester Stallone, 1979)
• “Star Wars” (George Lucas, 1977)
• “Rocky III” (Sylvester Stallone, 1982)
• “Rocky V” (John G. Avildsen, 1990)
• “First Blood” (Ted Kotcheff, 1982)
• “F.I.S.T.” (Norman Jewison, 1978)
• “All the President’s Men” (Alan J. Pakula, 1976)
• “Bound for Glory” (Hal Ashby, 1976)
• “Taxi Driver” (Martin Scorsese, 1976)
• “Network” (Sidney Lumet, 1976)
• “Raging Bull” (Martin Scorsese, 1980)
• “Creed” (Ryan Coogler, 2015)
• “Creed II” (Steven Caple, Jr., 2018)
• “Jaws” (Steven Spielberg, 1975)
• “Three Men and a Baby” (Leonard Nimoy, 1987)
• “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (James Cameron, 1991)
• “Marathon Man” (John Schlesinger, 1976)
• “Harlan County, U.S.A.” (Barbara Kopple, 1976)
• “The Song Remains the Same” (Peter Clifton and Joe Massot, 1976)
• “Carrie” (Brian DePalma, 1976)
• “Assault on Precinct 13” (John Carpenter, 1976)
• “The Last Tycoon” (Elia Kazan, 1976)
• “A Star is Born” (Frank Pierson, 1976)
• “Tracks” (Henry Jaglom, 1976)
• “Freaky Friday” (Gary Nelson, 1976)
• “King Kong” (John Guillermin, 1976)
• “Nickelodeon” (Peter Bogdanovich, 1976)
• “The Enforcer” (James Fargo, 1976)
• The Eagle Has Landed” (John Sturges, 1976)
• “Pumping Iron” (George Butler, 1977)
• “Fun with Dick and Jane” (Ted Kotcheff, 1977)
• “Wizards” (Ralph Bakshi, 1977)
• “Slap Shot” (George Roy Hill, 1977)
• “Black Sunday” (John Frankenheimer, 1977)
• “Eraserhead” (David Lynch, 1977)

"I wake up like this every morning."