The intersection at Broadway and 72nd Street on New York's West Side is officially known as Sherman Square. To heroin ad
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cryptoflovecraft — 3 years ago(January 11, 2023 04:07 PM)
Nice write-up, Sophie. Powerful, devastating and very realistic film. I just watched it for the first time last night but I doubt I'll ever watch it again because it's just too depressing (which says a lot about the effectiveness of the film). Great performances by Pacino, Winn and the other actors.
New York City in the 70s and early 80s was such a dirty, gritty crime-ridden place, at least based on just about any movie made in NYC at the time. The New York presented in The Panic in Needle Park is no exception. The aimless lives of junkies, the shooting galleries, the flophouses, the overdoses, the unforgiving streets with their cold distant passersby, and the constant lying and scamming just to get another fix are all here in this film - it's an alternate reality that few people are even aware of. Having known some junkies throughout my life, I think this film perfectly depicts the lifestyle.
Born To Win, a black comedy starring George Segal and Karen Black (and Robert De Niro in a bit part), is very similar and nearly as good imho. Both films came out in 1971 and tell similar stories.
My rating: "10/10" -
Sophievirus — 3 years ago(January 16, 2023 07:54 PM)
lol finally sth we can agree on
thanks for replying and giving some background here. NYC in the 70s really looks like a ****hole in this movie and others. i do know a bit about the history of the city and what caused this, but not so much in detail. there are parts in Berlin that do remind me of all this tho. i live in such a part myself, i think that's the reason why the movie resonated with me so much and why i could connect with the characters and all that lifestyle so much. i lost a couple of people due to OD's, too, my ex-roomie being one of them.
i havent seen Born to Win (havent heard of it either), but i'll look out for it now.
suck it. -
TaraDeS — 3 years ago(January 17, 2023 01:36 PM)
by cryptoflovecraft January 11, 2023 05:07 PM
Member since September 3, 2017
Nice write-up, Sophie. Powerful, devastating and very realistic film. I just watched it for the first time last night but I doubt I'll ever watch it again because it's just too depressing (which says a lot about the effectiveness of the film). Great performances by Pacino, Winn and the other actors.
New York City in the 70s and early 80s was such a dirty, gritty crime-ridden place, at least based on just about any movie made in NYC at the time. The New York presented in The Panic in Needle Park is no exception. The aimless lives of junkies, the shooting galleries, the flophouses, the overdoses, the unforgiving streets with their cold distant passersby, and the constant lying and scamming just to get another fix are all here in this film - it's an alternate reality that few people are even aware of. Having known some junkies throughout my life, I think this film perfectly depicts the lifestyle.
Born To Win, a black comedy starring George Segal and Karen Black (and Robert De Niro in a bit part), is very similar and nearly as good imho. Both films came out in 1971 and tell similar stories.
My rating: "10/10"
Nice bump of a 1-year-old Sophie-OP, Crypto!
And after Sophie-mousy
discussed so hard with you for months (heroine Sophie said so!) and did lead you back to the correct political faction, you're BFF now. 
Noted. -
cryptoflovecraft — 3 years ago(January 18, 2023 01:01 AM)
Nice bump of a 1-year-old Sophie-OP, Crypto!
And after Sophie-mousy
discussed so hard with you for months (heroine Sophie said so!) and did lead you back to the correct political faction, you're BFF now. 
Noted.
What are you implying? That I'm conspiring with Sophie now?…. Good grief!
We're still political opposites. None of that has changed. -
Woodyanders — 3 years ago(January 11, 2023 04:11 PM)
Kiel Martin plays a junkie in this film. Martin was a heavy smoker and alcoholic who wound up dying from lung cancer at the tragically young age of 46.
You've seen Guy Standeven in something because the man was in everything.