1976 · drama
Network
Directed by Sidney Lumet2h 2m1976
When veteran anchorman Howard Beale is forced to retire his 25-year post because of his age, he announces to viewers that he will kill himself during his farewell broadcast. Network executives rethink their decision when his fanatical tirade results in a spike in ratings.
Our read: Network (1976) reads as a sombre, steady, grounded drama entry — measured in intensity, mid-stakes in scope, cold in temperature, nihilistic in outlook.
Sombre, steady, measured drama, grounded in texture. Nihilistic, mid-stakes, cold.
- sombre
- intense
- twisty
Watching Network tonight? Spin for your lens.
Everyone on the couch spins once and gets one craft to watch for. After the credits, compare what you caught.
Your lens for tonight
?
Everyone on the couch gets one craft to watch for. Spin the wheel to get yours. Sound on: the narrator reads your mission.
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How Network feels to watch.
Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.
What watching it is actually like.
“You want scalding media satire where every rant still feels frighteningly current.”
Skip it tonight — Skip if cynical seventies boardroom talk and bleak endings will wreck your night.
Eight films that feel like this one.
Closest in the twelve-axis space, not “people also liked”. All films like Network, with why →
Discussion
Make it a movie night.
Pick a mood, get a film the whole couch will enjoy, and give everyone something to watch for.
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