The bit with Eddie and the other nerd carrying on like an old married couple was oddly charming. There were a lot of moments in this movie that were just odd (eg, the corn on the cob) but made the movie all the more believable.
Demon dialing was one of the names from before the movie. Telecos and call centers were the main ones using that technique…from what this old woman remembers.
I just noticed that there’s apparently a sequel in the works. (It sounds more like an updated remake, actually.)
IMDB.com shows it as a direct to video:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0865957/
Sounds like an updated remake to me too.
Was the one i used on the commodore 64. It was very simple it asked for a prifix and then started dialing. 397-0001 397 - 0002 and so on. i would come home and look at a list of number and then try and connect to them. I managed to find an off shore Oil rig platform computer one time and could see some of it information. but that was the mosts i ever did. I think the move showed us what could happen if we depended to much on the tech world and sometimes today i fear if the Net went down we would all be confused on how to do the simple things. Like pay bills. order pizza and stuff from Ebay. 
The remake looks more like a rip off then a remake but I will hold judgment until i see what its about…
later
Walter
Yeah, I had one, but never used it (couldn’t hijack the phone long enough to make it worthwhile.) When did you have yours?
I guess it was around 1980 or 81 i am not sure. I was in 7th grade. I remember my father bring home the computer and saying here is the book i hear this thing will be important in the future so i grabbed the book and started working with it. I had the tape deck to load the programs to start with then got a 5 1/4 floppy that held like 360k but if you notched the other side you could double your space. but anyways i always thought the C64 was way ahead of it time for what you could do with it. The war dialer was fun but lost it fun after hours of trying to hack bbs’s
Aha! So you did use a war/demon dialer before the movie came out?
They were definitely in use before the movie, but the movie clearly lent them the name. I’ve heard the term demon dialer, but I can’t find any reason other than the movie that such apps became known as WARdialers since.
I’m pretty sure there was actually a machine called a Demon Dialer. Back in the days of rotary dials and REDIAL buttons. People used to use it to monopolize radio station call-in contests, hogging all the free tickets to Grease 2 and cases of TAB.
I’ll have to put War Games on my to-watch list (never seen it, but I do have the excuse that it was in theaters before my conception). However, just after I saw this thread today I checked toothpastefordinner.com, home of a favorite snarky webcomic. Today’s is particularly appropriate:
http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/122007/supercomputer-tired-of-this-question.gif
I quite like this movie, which has led to some ridicule directed towards me. I’ve heard the movie described as ‘awful’ (how dare they). It’s been a while since I’ve watched it though, I’ll have to give it go soon.
Quote “I’m pretty sure there was actually a machine called a Demon Dialer. Back in the days of rotary dials and REDIAL buttons”
They use this method of calling our homes at dinner time. By today standards they are much more high tech but they started using the same systems that DFX was referring to.
Truthfully, though, I see the old use – you know, getting a wrong number every now and then and hanging up – in a way better light than people calling my number to play me a bulls*** message to buy something.
Just my .02.
Wow! I still have not seen it! Well since I am on christmas break I owe it to myself to at least rent it
WarGames delivered via Netflix yesterday !!
Watching !! Thoughts:
Hey, a twenty-five year old Michael Madsen (looking about 19) in the opening scenes…He was great in Species…
Ally, oh Ally, you can almost see the first glimmer of ensuing wackiness in those eyes…
pre-Ferris Matthew…I hated the kid on One Day at a Time, the sitcom, but he sold this one very well !!
the WOPR…now fits onto a microchip 1 mm X 1 mm and is available on EBay for $12.95, free shipping.
And in Dolby Digital !!! Nice…
I still remember watching this at the movies and having to explain (in a whisper) to my date the logic chain whereas Matthew Broderick got in trouble ON PURPOSE in class, so that he might get sent to the principal’s office and be allowed to access the new school computer password for his nefarious grade-changing plan…however I can’t remember who my date was…
dxf : my six year old totally picked up on Eddie as the guy from Polar Express, all on his own !
“Dad, that’s the kid on Polar Express !” I hadn’t made the connection myself until your post, so to have him do it made my jaw drop.
My Favorite Quote : General Beringer: Mr. McKittrick, after very careful consideration, sir, I’ve come to the conclusion that your new defense system sucks.
Thanks so much for suggesting this one for rewatch…WarGames holds up very well, a whole cast of great or about to be great actors, suspense, humor, and nucular (sp???) war…good pick Chuck !!
DTA ??? I can’t wait !!!
I have a unique chance to get this movie for cheap; been thinking about getting it for a while but you folk pushed me over the top, i’ll pick it up in a few days
Do. I’ve always remembered it fondly, but revisiting it was just wonderful. It’s the best model of hacking/nerdom (and by “best” I mean, maps to my life) that I’ve ever seen on screen. Excepting the borderline-Rampant AI (Marathon FTW!) it’s an incredibly realistic movie. Which is exceptional for (a) a scifi movie of (b) its time.
I took your collective advice and Netflixed this. I liked it alot. I put Sneakers and Hackers on my Q too. I have seen some great movies from cast/forum advice.
Whomever has not seen “I Am Legend” should run, not walk, to get tickets now!
I liked those odd little scenes too. I think in some ways those types of moments disappeared from popular movies after the mid eighties. There are so many smart movies now, but the humor is so often cynical - or perhaps weighed down by life - compared to the eighties comedies. Often I really miss that simple, funny, daily life kind of humor. It’s comfortable and kind of nostalgic for me.
Timbuck: Sneakers is an absolute classic (for us anyway) - I mean, Robert Redford, Dan Aykroyd, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix, David Strathairn, Mary McDonnell, Ben Kingsley?? It’s the best. IMDB users rate it only a little above a 7/10 for some strange reason. Seriously, it’s an AWEsome movie.
Hackers is more of a fun movie. It’s not as well crafted and there are holes if you’re nitpicky, but it is a visual blast and the music combined with the action, sexiness, etc. keeps you feeling like a kid. It’s a lot of fun, especially if you put yourself back in a mid-90’s mindset when internet stuff was looming over the horizon, hot and new.
I’ll take your recommendation for I Am Legend. I’ve been wanting to see it anyway (along with The Golden Compass) and if you and others on the board like it, it’s a big boost in making my decision. Thanks!