list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Catch-22 on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Catch_22/5462/default.aspx Title: Catch-22
Year: 1970
Director: Mike Nichols
Plot: Director Mike Nichols and writer-actor Buck Henry followed their enormous hit The Graduate (1967) with this timely adaptation of Joseph Heller's satiric antiwar novel. Haunted by the death of a young gunner, all-too-sane Capt. Yossarian (Alan Arkin) wants out of the rest of his WW II bombing missions, but publicity-obsessed commander Colonel Cathcart (Martin Balsam) and his yes man, Colonel Korn (Henry), keep raising the number of missions that Yossarian and his comrades are required to fly. After Doc Daneeka (Jack Gilford) tells Yossarian that he cannot declare him insane if Yossarian knows that it's insane to keep flying, Yossarian tries to play crazy by, among other things, showing up nude in front of despotic General Dreedle (Orson Welles). As all of Yossarian's initially even-keeled friends, such as Nately (Art Garfunkel) and Dobbs (Martin Sheen), genuinely lose their heads, and the troop's supplies are bartered away for profit by the ultra-entrepreneurial Milo Minderbinder (Jon Voight), Yossarian realizes that the whole system has lost it, and he can either play along or jump ship. Though not about Vietnam, Catch-22's ludicrous military machinations directly evoked its contemporary context in the Vietnam era. Cathcart and Dreedle care more about the appearance of power than about victory, and Milo cares for money above all, as the complex narrative structure of Yossarian's flashbacks renders the escalating events appropriately surreal. Confident that the combination of a hot director and a popular, culturally relevant novel would spell blockbuster, Paramount spent a great deal of money on Catch-22, but it wound up getting trumped by another 1970 antiwar farce: Robert Altman's MASH. With audiences opting for Altman's casual Korean War iconoclasm over Nichols' more polished symbolism, the highly anticipated Catch-22 flopped, although the New York Film Critics Circle did acknowledge Arkin and Nichols. Despite this reception, Catch-22's ensemble cast and pungent sensibility effectively underline the insanity of war, Vietnam and otherwise. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 14
Number of Lists: 24
Number of blog posts: 4
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Mon, 06 Jul 2009 21:53:47 GMTCatch-221970Mike NicholsDirector <a href="/players/P___104435/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Mike Nichols</a> and writer-actor <a href="/players/P____94069/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Buck Henry</a> followed their enormous hit <a href=/films/13901/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Graduate</a> (1967) with this timely adaptation of <a href="/players/P___169876/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Joseph Heller</a>'s satiric antiwar novel. Haunted by the death of a young gunner, all-too-sane Capt. Yossarian (<a href="/players/P____79913/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Alan Arkin</a>) wants out of the rest of his WW II bombing missions, but publicity-obsessed commander Colonel Cathcart (<a href="/players/P_____3629/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Martin Balsam</a>) and his yes man, Colonel Korn (Henry), keep raising the number of missions that Yossarian and his comrades are required to fly. After Doc Daneeka (<a href="/players/P____26814/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jack Gilford</a>) tells Yossarian that he cannot declare him insane if Yossarian knows that it's insane to keep flying, Yossarian tries to play crazy by, among other things, showing up nude in front of despotic General Dreedle (<a href="/players/P___116368/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Orson Welles</a>). As all of Yossarian's initially even-keeled friends, such as Nately (<a href="/players/P____25938/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Art Garfunkel</a>) and Dobbs (<a href="/players/P___111083/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Martin Sheen</a>), genuinely lose their heads, and the troop's supplies are bartered away for profit by the ultra-entrepreneurial Milo Minderbinder (<a href="/players/P___115561/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Jon Voight</a>), Yossarian realizes that the whole system has lost it, and he can either play along or jump ship. Though not about Vietnam, Catch-22's ludicrous military machinations directly evoked its contemporary context in the Vietnam era. Cathcart and Dreedle care more about the appearance of power than about victory, and Milo cares for money above all, as the complex narrative structure of Yossarian's flashbacks renders the escalating events appropriately surreal. Confident that the combination of a hot director and a popular, culturally relevant novel would spell blockbuster, Paramount spent a great deal of money on Catch-22, but it wound up getting trumped by another 1970 antiwar farce: <a href="/players/P____79456/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Robert Altman</a>'s <a href=/films/287702/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>MASH</a>. With audiences opting for Altman's casual Korean War iconoclasm over Nichols' more polished symbolism, the highly anticipated Catch-22 flopped, although the New York Film Critics Circle did acknowledge Arkin and Nichols. Despite this reception, Catch-22's ensemble cast and pungent sensibility effectively underline the insanity of war, Vietnam and otherwise. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide14Tag Target (>10)24433http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t111011mdz6.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Catch_22/5462/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_May_25_The_American_Soldier/625/42481/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 6/1/2009 2:01:21 PM
Body: Buffalo Soldiers is a fantastic one! It's about how people always need to be at war. In this army, when there is no war going on to fight externally, people create their own internal wars. It didn't get much distribution since it premiered like right after 9/11 so a lot of theaters wouldn't play a movie that seemd to be criticizing our army. Merc, you mentioned Full Metal Jacket and Dr. Strangelove, but what about Paths of Glory!?? And as for another civil war film, Ride With the Devil is probably my favorite. And my favorite book Catch-22 has been made into a pretty great film capturing a lot of the absurdity.
]]>Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:01:21 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme6/1/2009 2:01:21 PMBuffalo Soldiers is a fantastic one! It's about how people always need to be at war. In this army, when there is no war going on to fight externally, people create their own internal wars. It didn't get much distribution since it premiered like right after 9/11 so a lot of theaters wouldn't play a movie that seemd to be criticizing our army. Merc, you mentioned Full Metal Jacket and Dr. Strangelove, but what about Paths of Glory!?? And as for another civil war film, Ride With the Devil is probably my favorite. And my favorite book Catch-22 has been made into a pretty great film capturing a lot of the absurdity. http://www.spout.com/groups/The_Film_Library/They_Got_It_Right/512/22300/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: TheWorkingDead
Post To: The Film Library
Post Date: 11/28/2007 12:17:08 PM
Body: Until fairly recently, I've been known to have a knee-jerk, negative reaction to films based on books I love. Hell, even books I mildly dislike would usually rate better with me than the film version, and not always based on pure quality. A lot of that was snobbishness, a way to feel superior by telling myself the experience I had was better than the one most people in the theatre had. Of course, I've lightened up a bit, and now tend to go the other way. Where once a filmmaker changing a small detail from the book would get my ire up, I now hope for these deviations. In the end, I'll always have the book I read, and the movie should provide it's own unique experience.The movie that brought me to this way of thinking was actually the third Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban. I'd seen the previous two, but part three was the first one I saw after reading the books. My girlfriend, and many of my friends who had read the books, disliked the movie because of how much it left out. I loved it, partially for that very reason. While the first two films crammed in every detail and subplot that it could, they felt a little robotic, flat and hollow with no real emotion. The third film, by excising most of the subplots, focused solely on the emotional core of the book, and was able to breathe in that extra room. It's the first film of the series that I think could stand up as it's own work of art. The way I put it when explaining my point to angry Potter fans is; the first two films had the subplots, but missed the heart, while the third film lost the subplots but nailed the heart of the story.There are others that I think have succeeded due to their alterations of the source material, of course, but while I've gone over this topic elsewhere, I think I'll leave the floor and hear what you have to say. What are some of your favorite book-to-film adaptations?
]]>Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:17:08 GMTTheWorkingDeadThe Film Library11/28/2007 12:17:08 PMUntil fairly recently, I&#39;ve been known to have a knee-jerk, negative reaction to films based on books I love. Hell, even books I mildly dislike would usually rate better with me than the film version, and not always based on pure quality. A lot of that was snobbishness, a way to feel superior by telling myself the experience I had was better than the one most people in the theatre had. Of course, I&#39;ve lightened up a bit, and now tend to go the other way. Where once a filmmaker changing a small detail from the book would get my ire up, I now hope for these deviations. In the end, I&#39;ll always have the book I read, and the movie should provide it&#39;s own unique experience.The movie that brought me to this way of thinking was actually the third Harry Potter movie, Prisoner of Azkaban. I&#39;d seen the previous two, but part three was the first one I saw after reading the books. My girlfriend, and many of my friends who had read the books, disliked the movie because of how much it left out. I loved it, partially for that very reason. While the first two films crammed in every detail and subplot that it could, they felt a little robotic, flat and hollow with no real emotion. The third film, by excising most of the subplots, focused solely on the emotional core of the book, and was able to breathe in that extra room. It&#39;s the first film of the series that I think could stand up as it&#39;s own work of art. The way I put it when explaining my point to angry Potter fans is; the first two films had the subplots, but missed the heart, while the third film lost the subplots but nailed the heart of the story.There are others that I think have succeeded due to their alterations of the source material, of course, but while I&#39;ve gone over this topic elsewhere, I think I&#39;ll leave the floor and hear what you have to say. What are some of your favorite book-to-film adaptations? http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2007/9/28/20207.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 9/28/2007 4:05:38 PM
Body: Catch-22Would I have liked this as much if I hadn't read the book? That's hard to say.In some situations where you've read the book before you see the movies, you sense that you would have liked the movie more if you hadn't. Sometimes you get the sense that you would have liked the movie less. And it doesn't seem to have anything to do with how much you actually liked the book. Oh well it's an old argument.In this situation I LOVED the book. It's one of the best books I've read in a while. You know I'm maybe even thinking it's the best book I've ever read. It blends absurd humor and gritty realism in the most affecting way. I feel like I'm tapping into the core of humanity when reading it. It takes repetitive events and pushes the repetitiveness so often that it goes from amusing and silly, to unbelievable and annoying, back to something endearing and brilliant. I've never felt such strong duel emotions as the horror and joy of the absurd humor I felt as when reading the chapter where it is finally revealed what fully happens with Yossarian when he is with Snowden in his final moments.I'm not sure that a movie could ever capture the same feeling. And much of it is because of the same reason most movies based on books can't. The amount of events in the book is just too long to show on screen. But I was amazed at both the quality of the acting, and especially at the amount of money that was put into the money to film some of the most elaborate sequences. And many of them are done all in one long take! I was just commenting on how well this was done in Children of Men recently, but that wasn't even a comedy!Quite an unusual movie for Mike Nichols as he comments on in the DVD commentary. The stuff about the front screen projection is pretty interesting as well if you are curious about technical stuff like that. The scenes in the aircraft really are gorgeous.I think the casting of the movie is near perfect too. And John Voight would have been dead on perfect as Milo except that I was missing the so often mentioned big red moustache from the novel.Rating: 9/10
]]>Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:05:38 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog9/28/2007 4:05:38 PMCatch-22Would I have liked this as much if I hadn&#39;t read the book? That&#39;s hard to say.In some situations where you&#39;ve read the book before you see the movies, you sense that you would have liked the movie more if you hadn&#39;t. Sometimes you get the sense that you would have liked the movie less. And it doesn&#39;t seem to have anything to do with how much you actually liked the book. Oh well it&#39;s an old argument.In this situation I LOVED the book. It&#39;s one of the best books I&#39;ve read in a while. You know I&#39;m maybe even thinking it&#39;s the best book I&#39;ve ever read. It blends absurd humor and gritty realism in the most affecting way. I feel like I&#39;m tapping into the core of humanity when reading it. It takes repetitive events and pushes the repetitiveness so often that it goes from amusing and silly, to unbelievable and annoying, back to something endearing and brilliant. I&#39;ve never felt such strong duel emotions as the horror and joy of the absurd humor I felt as when reading the chapter where it is finally revealed what fully happens with Yossarian when he is with Snowden in his final moments.I&#39;m not sure that a movie could ever capture the same feeling. And much of it is because of the same reason most movies based on books can&#39;t. The amount of events in the book is just too long to show on screen. But I was amazed at both the quality of the acting, and especially at the amount of money that was put into the money to film some of the most elaborate sequences. And many of them are done all in one long take! I was just commenting on how well this was done in Children of Men recently, but that wasn&#39;t even a comedy!Quite an unusual movie for Mike Nichols as he comments on in the DVD commentary. The stuff about the front screen projection is pretty interesting as well if you are curious about technical stuff like that. The scenes in the aircraft really are gorgeous.I think the casting of the movie is near perfect too. And John Voight would have been dead on perfect as Milo except that I was missing the so often mentioned big red moustache from the novel.Rating: 9/10 http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmspotting/Re_Top_5_Fight_The_Power_Movies/304/13541/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Filmspotting
Post Date: 7/9/2007 4:45:11 PM
Body: Brazil. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. The Shashank Redemption. Catch-22. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Falling Down. Gattaca. I Stand Alone. The Fugitive.More when I think of them... maybe.
]]>Mon, 09 Jul 2007 20:45:11 GMTRisseladaFilmspotting7/9/2007 4:45:11 PMBrazil. Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. The Shashank Redemption. Catch-22. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Falling Down. Gattaca. I Stand Alone. The Fugitive.More when I think of them... maybe. http://www.spout.com/blogs/hairylime/archive/2007/2/26/5786.aspx Post By: HairyLime
Post To: HairyLime Blog
Post Date: 2/26/2007 10:32:00 AM
Body: Kudos to Alan Arkin - complete surprise in this category, but an often underappreciated actor (my favorite Alan Arkin roles: Grosse Pointe Blank, Wait Until Dark, Catch 22, Edward Scizzorhands, Glenngerry Glen Ross, Little Miss Sunshine)Kudos to Ennio Morricone, one of my favorite film composers, and a tribute long overdue (my favorite Morricone scores: Once Upon a Time in America, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down, Once Upon a Time in the West, Untouchables)Kudos to Martin Scorcese, long overdue for a TON of work equally worthyoverall show quality - give Ellen the boot, those sillouette dancers the boot, bring on much more film clip montages, when is Hollywood going to understand that film is the medium they excell in, not stagecraft - leave that to the Tonys -- I'd also appreciate more attention on the scores to the films and much less attention to the 'original song' categoryNot a Jack Black or Will Ferrell fan, but their segment was the funniest thing of the night. (besides the Wes Anderson commercial for Mastercard or the 'hello' commercial for the iPhone)Robbed: Borat, Little Children both should have been in the best picture category, or how about Nacho Libre for original screenplay? Catherine O'Hara in 'For Your Consideration'
]]>Mon, 26 Feb 2007 15:32:00 GMTHairyLimeHairyLime Blog2/26/2007 10:32:00 AMKudos to Alan Arkin - complete surprise in this category, but an often underappreciated actor (my favorite Alan Arkin roles: Grosse Pointe Blank, Wait Until Dark, Catch 22, Edward Scizzorhands, Glenngerry Glen Ross, Little Miss Sunshine)Kudos to Ennio Morricone, one of my favorite film composers, and a tribute long overdue (my favorite Morricone scores: Once Upon a Time in America, Tie Me Up Tie Me Down, Once Upon a Time in the West, Untouchables)Kudos to Martin Scorcese, long overdue for a TON of work equally worthyoverall show quality - give Ellen the boot, those sillouette dancers the boot, bring on much more film clip montages, when is Hollywood going to understand that film is the medium they excell in, not stagecraft - leave that to the Tonys -- I&#39;d also appreciate more attention on the scores to the films and much less attention to the &#39;original song&#39; categoryNot a Jack Black or Will Ferrell fan, but their segment was the funniest thing of the night. (besides the Wes Anderson commercial for Mastercard or the &#39;hello&#39; commercial for the iPhone)Robbed: Borat, Little Children both should have been in the best picture category, or how about Nacho Libre for original screenplay? Catherine O&#39;Hara in &#39;For Your Consideration&#39; http://www.spout.com/blogs/hairylime/archive/2007/2/20/5650.aspx Post By: HairyLime
Post To: HairyLime Blog
Post Date: 2/20/2007 8:23:00 PM
Body: In a discussion group recently the topic of 'book adaptations' has been brought up, and while I was watching this last night it occurred to me that this one is another good example of a successful 'book to movie' transformation that is neither too literal of a rote retelling, and stands on its own as a film.Caught the final third of this one a couple weekends ago while flipping channels, and then watched the rest of the movie yesterday evening. Not the first time I'd seen it (I've actually lost count how many times), and it struck me how very fresh and innovative it still seems 30 plus years after the fact. There wasn't really anything like it seen before, with its overlapping dialog, meandering storyline and counter-cultural viewpoints.Those brought up on the television series may find the flavor a little hard to digest, no neatly tied up plotlines, no laugh track, a subtler brand of humor.Gould and Sutherland are a great pairing, and would go on to costar in a few other 'anti-establishment' comedies after this to lesser success. Gary Burghoff is quite good as Radar and would go on to repeat the role on television (I actually find him funnier in the movie, more subversive, where he seems to turn into a cute little mascot on the television series), Bud Cort, John Shuck, Michael Murphy & Sally Kellerman would all go on to become Altman regulars, and Robert Duvall portrays a truly memorable Frank Burns, who is all the more frightful for his seriousness, where the television version is turned into a buffoonish caricature.A first feature by one of my favorite directors who unfortunately passed away last year, some other favorite Altman films: Nashville, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, 3 Women, Short Cuts, The Player, Gosford ParkSome other good 'anti-war' films and 'book adaptations': Catch 22, Slaughterhouse Five
]]>Wed, 21 Feb 2007 01:23:00 GMTHairyLimeHairyLime Blog2/20/2007 8:23:00 PMIn a discussion group recently the topic of &#39;book adaptations&#39; has been brought up, and while I was watching this last night it occurred to me that this one is another good example of a successful &#39;book to movie&#39; transformation that is neither too literal of a rote retelling, and stands on its own as a film.Caught the final third of this one a couple weekends ago while flipping channels, and then watched the rest of the movie yesterday evening. Not the first time I&#39;d seen it (I&#39;ve actually lost count how many times), and it struck me how very fresh and innovative it still seems 30 plus years after the fact. There wasn&#39;t really anything like it seen before, with its overlapping dialog, meandering storyline and counter-cultural viewpoints.Those brought up on the television series may find the flavor a little hard to digest, no neatly tied up plotlines, no laugh track, a subtler brand of humor.Gould and Sutherland are a great pairing, and would go on to costar in a few other &#39;anti-establishment&#39; comedies after this to lesser success. Gary Burghoff is quite good as Radar and would go on to repeat the role on television (I actually find him funnier in the movie, more subversive, where he seems to turn into a cute little mascot on the television series), Bud Cort, John Shuck, Michael Murphy &amp; Sally Kellerman would all go on to become Altman regulars, and Robert Duvall portrays a truly memorable Frank Burns, who is all the more frightful for his seriousness, where the television version is turned into a buffoonish caricature.A first feature by one of my favorite directors who unfortunately passed away last year, some other favorite Altman films: Nashville, McCabe &amp; Mrs. Miller, 3 Women, Short Cuts, The Player, Gosford ParkSome other good &#39;anti-war&#39; films and &#39;book adaptations&#39;: Catch 22, Slaughterhouse Five http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/war/MemberTagFilms.aspxwar
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