Cities take on a whole different personality when the sun goes down.

A big shout out to Alex for requesting this movie! Your name is now immortalized in my writings! In 60 years time, you’ll be able to print this very review out on a FUTURE! printer and send it into a literary authority for pricing. He or she will soundly laugh in your face and send you on your way, but at least it will get you out and about in your old age!

Okay, let me make this one quick because I have some sleeping to catch up on from a weekend where I saw too many movies. Let’s turn the clocks back a few years, shall we? Long before the movie known as Knowing totally burned down my trust bridge between me and director Alex Proyas. Let’s turn it all the way back to 1998, where techno was getting darker and angsty, the Matrix was brewing in the Wachowski Brothers’ brain stems, and we were living with a President who liked blowjobs on the down-low of the extra-marital kind. Back then, if you had told me a movie like Dark City was possible, I would have mightily doubted you. But assuaging doubts was something Proyas was good at back then, and I would have been put to shame once I saw one of the most cerebral films of the decade. It is a mind-bending sci-fi film that breaks barriers and takes more risks than I ever would have dared to as a filmmaker.

A big part of it is the story, written by Proyas himself. It is crafted so well, to the point that I am surprised that it is not based on a novel. It has all the makings of a great mystery, in the tradition of Raymond Chandler. Involving things as common as amnesia with things as unbelievably complex as the nature of time and the destiny of man as a species, we are taken from the noir to the nouveau and into the world of the extraterrestrial as Proyas weaves his tale of mystery and whispered truths into our minds with his cerebral, gut-punching cinematography and his intense special effects. The magic of Dark City is not the answers to these troubling questions, but how we arrive at the point of discovery.

The characters walk through half-remembered states of routine, living in a haze that seems almost manufactured. It seems like the world has always been that way, but nobody really knows for sure. The truth of their existence is more disturbing than they could imagine, but it’s always just out of their reach. Rufus Sewell plays an amazing amnesiac as the lead character Murdoch. He is really quite amazing here, pulling off what might be one of my favorite performances of his career. He’s fully committed in every way, and it’s his zest for discovery that makes the movie so fun to watch. Also intriguing is Kiefer Sutherland as the Doctor, a mysterious man seen around town in the company of strange, pale-faced men. His quirkiness is practically coming off the screen in chunks; I can’t remember seeing Sutherland so animated. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see him act so weird, so I suggest you relish it. William Hurt plays a detective similar to Phillip Marlowe who is in WAY over his head. He smolders with a low-voiced beat-down attitude that reminds me why I like William Hurt’s character acting so much. He adds so much to this, but you don’t ever notice it the first time, so just try to keep an eye out for him in this film. Do NOT keep an eye out for Jennifer Connelly, though, who plays Murdoch’s gal pal. She again looks helpless and weak throughout most of the film, and whether or not that was a character flaw,  it seems to me that too often I see her just ease up on any realistic emotional response and go for the Hollywood Shuffle. I think she has a lot of potential, but none of that shows up here in Dark City.

I could go on and on about this film. I really like it, and I think it’s a unique experience, even as far as Proyas’s filmography goes. But I am dog tired, so let me conclude by saying that if you were to see one sci-fi film from the 90s, I would probably make it Dark City. It’s well-crafted storytelling from start to finish, and it creates real movie magic by forcing us down this long, shadowy corridor of the mind, not allowing us to see the light until we’re all the way through. It’s amazing, and therefore I give Dark City 9 1/2 jittery Kiefer Sutherlands out of 10! A high recommendation!

Tomorrow we go to Boston for The Departed! Until then!!!

There’s something eerie about today. All of a sudden a wave of heat swept in, making the already dark and rainy city that much more oppressive. The sky is nothing but shades of grey, the lake reflecting only darkness, even the fields of green grass to have the colour drained out of them. In between every unenthusiastic spattering of rain, the water on the now-hot concrete boils – for some unknown reason it’s worse around the lake, the concrete roads and parks covered in a swirling mass of steam.

It’s all somewhat unsettling – feels like this is a void in the center of nothingness, a vortex leeching the life from the city. Like this place, this half-empty lake, has become a gateway to purgatory, drawing colour and mist into itself, even as it spews forth a wave of hopelessness. There’s not even any animal life here, all the usual swans and ducks have disappeared. Sucked into the nothingness? Or were they smart enough to escape while they still had a chance? Like I should’ve done, and never come back. I’m not the only one who can feel this – looking at what few people are around, they all look jaded, ashen grey, apathetic.

Despite the growing darkness, I’ll be glad when the sun finally moves from behind the clouds to below the horizon. At least that darkness is natural and comforting, not this surreal shadow covering everything. In the true shadow of night, I can’t see most of this dark city. The lights come on to illuminate little pockets of hope here and there, and it’s something, I guess. Maybe that’s why I like the night so much, why I’m most awake and aware when the sun goes down, and only seem to want to sleep all day – it’s easier when I can’t see the world around.

And here comes yet another way of mist, like the ghosts of those who’ve wasted their lives away in this place.

Ballarat is like a poet’s city – beautiful in it’s architecture and design, inspiring in the right light, but more commonly oppressive – but without the poetry. It’s just a location and a backdrop, with no tale woven into it. Just a still frame from an old silent movie.

Gods, I want out of this place.

Do You Remember The Past?

sebuah film jadul, lebih tepatnya tahun 1998 (tidak jadul jadul amat sih), tapi bagi saya itu adalah film yang cukup lama, hehehe, menarik dan unik, kebetulan saya mengincar film ini sudah cukup lama, tapi baru kesampaian ditonton sekarang, banyak orang membicarakan bahwa the matrix trilogy terinspirasi film ini, bahkan ada adegan adegan dalam the matrix mirip mirip dengan adegan dalam film dark city ini, dibintangi beberapa artis yang lumayan terkenal, seperti kiefer sutherland, william hurt, dan juga jennifer connely, dan ternyata sutradaranya adalah alex proyas, yang membesut I Robot-nya will smith dan juga knowing-nya nic cage, jadi mungkin tidak salah film ini sudah jadi incaran saya dari dulu, dan ternyata benar, kualitasnya tidak dapat diragukan lagi, another best sci-fi movie from proyas.

bercerita tentang seorang pria bernama john yang terbangun tidak sadarkan diri di tengah malam tepat jam 12 malam dan mendapati bahwa dirinya berada di sebuah kamar hotel yang didalamnya ada seorang mayat wanita yang baru saja terbunuh, merasa pusing dan panik john tidak ingat apapun sampai dia terbangun dari tidurnya, tiba tiba saja ada telepon dari seseorang untuk menyuruhnya pergi secepatnya karena akan ada sekelompok orang yang mengejarnya, dan john pun melarikan diri keluar hotel, tapi dia mendapati semua orang di hotel bahkan di luar hotel tersebut tertidur semua dengan keadaan tidak wajar, dan dia menyadari jika jam 12 malam tepat seisi kota tertidur tiba tiba dengan tidak jelas, dimanakah dia berada, dan siapakah dia?

film yang mungkin saya sebut bertemakan anti-reality, hehe, ya intinya film yang membalikan kenyataan bahwa kita semua ini hidup dalam dunia ini adalah tidak nyata, tema tema film seperti ini memang membuat saya selalu tertarik, seperti contoh mungkin ada vannila sky-nya tom cruise, the 13th floor, the matrix, dan masih banyak lagi mungkin film film yang mengusung tema ini, dark city pun disajikan dengan sangat sempurna oleh proyas, dengan latar belakang kota yang selalu diliputi malam, gelap, mencekam, dan sekaligus misterius makin menambah lengkap pencarian kebenaran atas apa sebenarnya yang terjadi di kota itu oleh john sendiri, dan anda akan menemukan jawabannya ketika film ini akan mencapai endingnya. enjoy this one, if u really a big fan of sci-fi movies.

Last night I watched Ink, a intriquing new fantasy by Jamin Winans which was recently released on dvd and brought to mind films like Donnie Darko, Brazil and Dark City. I really wasn’t sure what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised by it’s truely unique story and visuals.

The basic premise of Ink is that when we sleep at night there are two forces that may visit us, the one who bring us good dreams and of course the ones who deliver nightmares. These forces are often at odds with each other and are ultimately trying to influence our every move in life. Both sides when entering our world are invisible to us and one character, Ink is on a mission for the dark ones to steal the soul of a young girl  to gain acceptance into their ranks. The forces of good known as the Storytellers  fight to stop this from happening while trying to wake her dead beat dad from his meaningless & mundane daily conciousness to save his daughters soul on the other side.

This movie’s powerful plot, excellent visuals and haunting score  keep you in a state constant melancholy. At times there are even some impressive action sequences as well. One particularly is the first big battle in the little girl’s house which brilliantly shows how these beings exist in the real waking world. Almost every scene is this film is hazy and emotional on some level as if the whole experience is in fact a dream itself. The acting unfortunately varies a bit, though there are still some strong perfomances here. However at times the good acting can make the bad look a whole lot worse. Particularly from a character named Jacob, a pathfinder who can alter real life events and wears electrical tape over his eyes (though he does cause a pretty magnificent chain reaction scene) .

For a $250,000 budget this indie film definately delivers the goods. The CG is used tastefully and the films overall look is impressive. Every now then however some scenes creep into the movie that sadly reflect it’s lower budget. The hugley deformed main character Ink is well done also, even if at times I was certain his gigantic quivering prosthetic nose was going to drop from his face. I think anyone going into this film should not expect The Matrix (even though I did notice a little influence) but more so a heartfelt adult fantasy that will leave you pondering the power of your own dreams…

Obey...Resist...Cherry Cake!

With last week’s season finale of Mad Men, it seemed like a hole opened up in the universe where great TV spawned from.  Relax, fans of drama that keeps you guessing, AMC, the same network that hit one outta the park with their first original series sucks you into a wormhole with the revamp of the classic series The Prisoner.  I’d never watched the original, never even knew of its existence until this reboot which probably serves me just as well.  This latest incarnation is so full of….stuff…so much stuff I’m going to pull out my very own $0.25 word and call it phantasmagorical.  So much so, I fell like I’m actually tripping watching it.

The visual style is disorienting and if you blink, well, there’s a rewind button on your DVR remote for shows like this.  It’s Dark City meets Jacob’s Ladder meets Lost.  In fact, now that I’ve written it, I’m expecting Ben to walk out from that anchor, do some tuning, ask 6 of 9 where Locke is and convince you to get back to Shell Beach STAT.

The basic premise, well, the only thing I can relate, is that some guy (called 6) wakes up in a place called the Village, not knowing how he got there and convinced there is life beyond it.  The rest of the natives are an ensemble of happy residents, half-believers, and those actively trying to escape the ennui of their seeming shadow lives.  Quick cuts, time reorganizing, and the lights rolling as if you were strapped to a gurney (most obvious Jacob’s Ladder comparison) guarantee that you have to pay close attention in case the clues of what the F is going on are in front of you.  But I’m missing them and I’m developing a fear of large white cushy balls and little girls in school uniforms.  There must be a video game reference in this somewhere.

The show isn’t for the impatient.  There is no quick reveal and the point is surely misdirection so the ride and the mindplay are what are apt to suck you in.  In addition, the cast is impeccable….anyone want to dole out another award for Sir McKellan?  If you love a good mystery, love being taken for a sci-fi jaunt like a modern day Alice, then The Prisoner is a good bet to keep you entertained.  Check it out…with a full supply of red, green, and blue pills.  Just a little pinprick. 

The Prisoner is currently showing on AMC and, therefore, will be showing in heavy rotation and massive encore repeats until the next season of Mad Men.

I was thinking about film today, as I do pretty often, wondering what I’d pick if I tried to come up with a combo list of slightly strange sci-fi movies including some post apocalyptic stuff.  Films I liked.  Films that had an impact on me… couldn’t forget scenes from them, made me think a bit… that sort of thing.  This is what I came up with…. in no particular order.

2001: A Space Odyssey (68)

2010 (84)

A Boy and his Dog (75)

A Scanner Darkly (06)

Bicentennial Man (99)

Blade Runner (82)

Brave New World (80)

Capricorn One (77)

Cherry 2000 (87)

Damnation Alley (77)

Dark City (98)

Demolition Man (93)

Dreamscape (84)

Escape from New York (81)

Gattaca (97)

Handmaid’s Tale (90)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78)

Jacob’s Ladder (90)

Liquid Sky (82)

Logan’s Run (76)

Mad Max Movies (79-85)

Matrix Trilogy (99-03)

Metropolis (27)

Minority Report (02)

Mission to Mars (00)

Omega Man (71)

On The Beach (59)

Planet of the Apes Films (68-73)

Quatermass and the Pit (68)

Scanners (81)

Red Planet (00)

Silent Running (72)

Soylent Green (73)

Stargate (94)

Tank Girl (95)

The Running Man (87)

The Day The Earth Stood Still (51)

The Island (05)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (77)

The Andromeda Strain (71)

The Time Machine (60)

They Live (88)

The Thing (82)

V for Vendetta (05)

Total Recall (90)

Videodrome (83)

The Warriors (79)

Waterworld (95)

Westworld (73)

Zardoz (74)

as long as you can live without latte art, this has become my NEW favorite cafe in YYZ.  I love that Peter is committed to bringing unique coffee to YYZ, as Intelli, 49th, and Dark City are way too common here.  Having three espresso blends to pick from is very nice.  I love the big communal table, the fixtures on ceiling and walls… wallpaper, monocle to read.  and of course the beat….

I hope it is successful and remains here for my next trip, whenever that may be in 2010.

Ever had that vein in your forehead swell as you look, in frustration, at the hundreds of titles at your local video store? Ever been filled with mass confusion or paranoia that your hard earned bucks may be spent on yet another title starring Michael Dudikoff or Shannen Doherty? Well this little article is here to save you from that extra strain.

Over the course of this week, we will uncover twenty titles you need to seek out at your local DVD store. 

I have suggested range in all sorts of categories and will appeal to a large assortment of movie fans. The unique things about all these films is that they are limited or non theatrical releases and were probably abandoned by some studio head who didn’t believe in the project. When viewing these twenty films remember there must have been a reason to be released just to video and that they aren’t Academy Award winning films. I personally enjoyed each and every one of them on some level or another. Write me and let me know if there is a classic direct to video flick you really enjoy.

The list is laid out something like this. The title, year it was made, genre, synopsis and finally my rating. I hope to do more of these lists as I uncover some of the treasures hidden at the local videostore.

20. 61* (2001-TV) (Drama)

Roger Maris (Barry Pepper) and Mickey Mantle (Thomas Jane) race to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home run record.

This Billy Crystal directed film is one of the most delightful and pleasant surprises to come to the silver screen about the sport of baseball. You can really tell that when they made this film the people behind it loved the game of baseball.

The attention to detail and historical accuracy is very rewarding as Crystal gets two incredible performances out of the film’s stars Pepper and Jane. HBO has done it again. (4 of 5)

19. Beast, The (1988) (Action-Drama)

During the war in Afghanistan a Soviet tank crew commanded by a tyrannical officer find themselves lost and in a struggle against a band of Mujahadeen guerrillas in the mountains.

This little “tank” film is an incredible look at the struggle between the Russians and the Afghans. The performances from lead actors Steven Bauer and Jason Patric are filled with passion and frustration as the director brings you deep inside what is going on their minds. Think “Das Boot” in the desert.

Special note: This movie is really hard to find! If you find it message me! (4 of 5)

18. Chase, The (1994) (Action-Comedy)

Jack Hammond (Charlie Sheen) is sentenced to life in prison, but manages to get away from the police as he takes a girl (Kristy Swanson) hostage and drives off in her car.

The girl happens to be the only daughter of one of the richest men in the state. A chaotic chase begins which is filled with comedy, stunts and excitement.

“The Chase” reminded me a lot of those old “Smokey and the Bandit” films with a modern twist. The chemistry between Sheen and Swanson is superb, as the script and director don’t sway away from comedic elements.

The comedy is the real gem in this piece. (4 of 5)

17. Cutting Edge (1992) (Comedy)

DB Sweeney stars as Doug Dorsey, a hockey player forced to retire after an injury.

His only way back onto the ice seems to be to assist Kate (Moira Kelley), a spoiled brat figure skater who is trying to fulfill her dream of winning Olympic gold.

If Doug plays his cards right he might just get the gold medal that eluded him in hockey.

“Cutting Edge” is quirky, hilarious and is a pure delight. The film proves when you have two leads that have magical chemistry then you have one hell of a movie. (3.5 of 5)

16 . Dark City (1998) (Sci-Fi)

John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens alone in a strange hotel to find that he has lost his memory and is wanted for a series of bizarre murders.

While trying to piece together his past, he stumbles upon a seedy conspiracy controlled by a group of beings that possess the ability to put people to sleep and alter the city. Now Murdoch must find a way to stop them before they take control of his mind and destroy the very world he knows.

“Dark City” is one of those unique science-fiction films that are so very original you really have no idea what you are getting yourself into. It blends the power of “film noir” with conspiracy-oriented science fiction.

It is almost Kafka-like and really a sight to behold. Also “Dark City” director Alex Proyas (Crow) is one of those gifted visionaries that a lot of people don’t know about. Proyas could be the next Tim Burton if Hollywood would give him a chance. Can’t wait to see what he will do next.

If you can seek out the Blu-Ray version of this film, especially the director’s cut which gives more details on this captivating film.  (4 out of 5)

Dark City -เมืองเปลี่ยนสมอง หนังไซไฟที่สนุกมาก!!

Dark City หรือชื่อไทยคือ เมืองเปลี่ยนสมอง มนุษย์ผิดคน เป็นหนังไซไฟที่เคยลงโรงเข้าฉายในบ้านเราเมื่อ ปี ค.ศ. 1998 โดยฝีมือการกำกับและเขียนบทโดย Alex Proyas (เกิดที่อียิปต์และย้ายไปอยู่ที่ออสเตรเลียเมื่ออายุสามปี)

ข้อเขียนนี้ไม่ได้ Spoil หนังครับ สามารถอ่านได้อย่างสบายใจ…
อ่านต่อคลิ๊กที่ more ครับ…

ผมเพิ่งได้ดู Dark City ซ้ำรอบสองเมื่อวานนี้เองครับ จากดีวีดีราคาไม่แพงที่บริษัท ค่ายหนัง Right pictures นำออกมาขายใหม่ในรูปแบบดีวีดีราคาถูกพร้อมกล่องที่เป็นJacket สวมทับอีกที (ตอนที่เห็นครั้งแรกนี่ดีใจมากครับ เพราะคงไปหาวีดีโอเทปแบบเก่ามาคงไม่ได้แล้ว แต่นี่มา
เป็นแบบดีวีดีเลย ว๊าว เจ๋ง)

ต้องขอบอกว่าตอนที่ดูครั้งที่สองนี้ลืมเนื้อหาไปประมาณ 90 เปอร์เซ็นต์ของเนื้อหาทั้งหมดแล้วครับและที่สำคัญตอนจบที่ทำให้อึ้ง ทึ่ง (ไม่มีเสียว เพราะไม่ใช่หนังชมพู) ผมก็จำไม่ได้แล้ว ดังนั้นการได้ดูครั้งล่าสุดนี้ย่อมทำให้ให้รู้สึกตื่นเต้นไม่ต่างไปจากครั้งแรก และดูรู้เรื่องกว่าครั้งแรกด้วยเพราะตอนนั้นยังเป็นเด็กวัยละอ่อนอยู่ครับ เนื้อหาของหนังมันซับซ้อนระดับหนึ่งตอนนั้นก็เลยดูแล้วงงๆ

Dark City เปิดเรื่องออกมาด้วยการทำให้คนดูตั้งคำถามตามสไตล์หนังแนวไซไฟ (เรื่องนี้เรียกว่า Dark Sci-fi ดูจะเหมาะกว่า) ว่าเกิดอะไรขึ้นกับตัวเอกและการปรับสภาพที่หนังมักพูดถึงบ่อยๆคืออะไร

ในทางวิธีสร้าง plot นิยายแนวไซไฟ เราเล่นกับคำถาม What…if หรืออะไรจะเกิดขึ้นถ้า

จะเกิดอะไรขึ้นถ้า เมื่อคุณตื่นขึ้นมาพบว่าคุณได้กลายเป็นคนใหม่

จะเกิดอะไรขึ้นถ้า มีคนขโมยความทรงจำของคุณไปเพื่อทดลองในลองในเรื่องบางอย่าง

จะเกิดอะไรขึ้นถ้า คุณจำไม่ได้ว่าจะเดินทางไปหาดทรายที่คุณคุ้นเคยได้อย่างไร

จะเกิดอะไรขึ้นถ้า เมืองของคุณไม่คยมีกลางวันเลย
จะเกิดอะไรขึ้นถ้ามีบางอย่างที่คุณไม่รู้จักจับคุณทดสอบโดยเปลี่ยนความทรงจำเพื่อการดำรงไว้ซึ่งเผ่าพันธ์ของมันที่กำลังดับสูญ ตลอดเวลา 90 นาทีที่นั่งดู บอกได้คำเดียวว่าสนุกมากครับ แต่ท่านใดที่ชอบแนวบู้ล้างผลาญคงไม่ชอบเรื่องนี้ เพราะ Dark City เป็นหนังแนวไซไฟที่ทำให้เราต้องคิด

ตามไปกับเรื่องตลอดเวลา และการคิดตามที่ว่านี้ก็เป็นสิ่งที่ทำให้เราสนุกกับหนัง (เหมือนเรื่อง Knowing ที่ สนุกมาก แต่มีหนังสือหนังรายสัปดาห์เล่มหนึ่งดันมีข้อเขียนวิจารณ์จากนักเขียนประจำ คนหนึ่งที่เฉลยว่าสิ่งที่มีเตือนมนุษย์โลกคืออะไร เลวร้ายมาก… ไม่รู้ว่า บก. ปล่อยงานแบบนี้มาได้ไง!)

กลับมาที่ Dark City ครับ เทคโนโลยีหรือความรู้ที่นำมาใช้กับหนังที่พอจะเกิดขึ้นได้ในโลกของเรา (ไม่รู้ว่าปีไหนล่ะ แต่ผมคิดว่าคงอีกไม่นาน) คือการปลูกถ่ายความทรงจำอันใหม่ให้กับมนุษย์ ซึ่งเป็นแนวคิดหลักที่นำมาใช้ตลอดทั้งเรื่องตอนจบ หนังสรุปถึงแนวคิดที่ค้องการนำเสนอได้ดีครับ ตัวเอกของเรื่อง (พระเอกนั่นแหล่ะ) บอกกับตัวร้ายว่า “คุณไม่มีทางหาสิ่งที่คุณ
ต้องการในนี้ (พระเอกชี้ไปที่หัวตัวเอง) ได้หรอก เพราะมันไม่ได้อยู่ในนี้” มนุษย์เป็นสิ่งมีชีวิตที่ต่างจากสิ่งมีชีวิตอื่น (นอกโลก) ตรงที่มีจิตวิญญาณความเป็นมนุษย์นี่แหล่ะ เรื่องนี้ดูแบบมีปรัชญาแฝงก็ได้นะครับ

ลืมบอกไปครับว่า Alex Proyas เป็นผู้กำกับคนเดียวกันกับเรื่อง I, Robot , Knowing (เรื่องนี้ผมชอบมาก โดยเฉพาะฉากเครื่องบินตกต่อหน้าต่อตานิโคลาส เคส), Garage Days (เรื่องนี้ไม่คุ้นว่าเคยฉายในเมืองไทย), The Crow (ชื่อไทยคือ อีกาพญายม)
ไม่ควรพลาด Dark City ครับ ถ้าใครชอบแนวไซไฟ…ลืมบอกไปครับยุคนั้นมีอีกเรื่องครับเรื่อง Thirteen Floors เรื่องนี้ plot สนุกมากซับ

ซ้อน แต่ตอนนี้ยังไม่มีค่ายหนังใดนำมาปั๊มลงDVD ขายใหม่….

Oh, they are the best! They depict emotions in a raw, powerful form. And by revenge, I’m not talking about an underpaid, overworked guy sticking it up to boss’s ass. Nope. I am talking about when a loved one is murdered and the one who left behind takes justice into his own hands. The latest promising avenger movie is Law Abiding Citizen, starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (2009)

Butler’s character is the avenger. But the wonderful think about the film is he won’t be just taking care of the murderers that took his family’s life. He will also come after the prosecutor who cut a deal with them, the judge who let him and basically the whole system. Don’t worry, I didn’t give away any spoilers. It is all in the thriller. You can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMoP35u8oN0.

I for one can’t wait till it comes to a theater near me. Until it does, I decided to pay a visit to some of the revenge movies I love.

BRAVEHEART (1995)

It is a revenge movie. Yes, it is epic,and glorious and tells us how the real life Scottish folk hero led his people to freedom by fighting the English. But the urge to take revenge starts all that. Wallace was just an ordinary boy when his father was killed. But he was taken and raised by his uncle, who taught him to be an intelligent, world-savvy person. He came back to his town and he had no desire to fight. But then the English kill his wife- a woman he loved deeply and loved more than anything and everyone else. So, this drove him to edge. It is possibly one of the most noble acts of revenge, since he did not give up after finishing off his wife’s murderers and continued to fight for his and his countrymen’s freedom. All of the scenes are priceless. The movie has 5 Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director; both won by the film’s lead actor/director/producer Mel Gibson. If you haven’t seen it yet, and you are not against the concept of historical epic movies, you really shouldn’t miss this.

The Crow (1994)

Such a dark,gothic,powerful cult classic. A rock musician’s ( Eric Draven played by Brandon Lee) fiancée is raped and murdered. Moreover, he is murdered. The great thing about this movie is that the avenger is also dead, and yet he comes back to avenge his and his fiancée’s murders. It is also fascinating to watch as the bad guys go nuts trying to kill him because he just can’t be killed. After all, he is already dead. It would have been lovely to follow Brandon Lee’s projects after this one, but unfortunately he died during the making of this film, which adds to its dark atmosphere. Director Alex Proyas created a cult status for himself. Although Dark City was brilliant, he disappointed quite a few times with his other work. But hey, it is hard to measure up to a film like this.

Death Sentence (2007)

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLT-sNZH7CQ&feature=related

Although it is not as highly rated and regarded as the two movies above, it is a solid example of the genre. Kevin Bacon plays a dad whose son is murdered and the guilty will not receive a slightly deserving punishment. He loses it. He kills the guy who did it. But where the other revenge flicks would normally end, this one actually starts. Now the gang the bad boy belonged to goes after the dad and the remaining of his family, which might end up in dad having to take revenge once again, more brutally and absolutely. I think revenge flicks should not be judged the originality of the script. Not that I find this one refreshing in some parts, I do. But this kind of drama takes its power from the actors and how the director handles the shots. And this movie was beautifully done. Bacon is apt at playing any character, good and bad. But I am guessing the fact that he is a father in real life and really big on his family, and his own fears helped him bring out such a powerful performance. Watch it. It is exciting, disturbing and emotional. I am not exactly a fan of Saw movies. Haven’t even seen the first one. But now that I found out that the director of the first movie,James Wan, directed Death Sentence, I have this newly found respect for the guy. May he make more movies like this…

Desperado (1995) :

trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZdZv3kT9xk

Oh yeah. The movie that will make me love its director Robert Rodriguez regardless of how I feel about his other projects. This is a glorious,well-funded sequel to the more modest El Mariachi,which as good as it might have been, lacked one very important element: Antonio Banderas. In the first movie his girlfriend was murdered so now he seeks to avenge her death. Oh, and he has guitar case stuffed with the good guns and he will get rid of you if you try to get in his way.

The revenge movie’s lead is so undeniably significant. He needs to be likable. Yeah, sure it is
easy to identify with a guy whose loved one has been murdered- who loved that person so strongly that they risked their own lives in the name of taking justice in their own hands. He needs to look like a lover and a killer. Brandon Lee was charismatic in spite of his make-up-which added wonders to the cult image. Mel Gibson was tough,strong and masculine, and yet vulnerable, despite the traditional kilt. Antonio Banderas makes a wonderful action hero. He is hot,dark,well-built and passionate. What he lacks in height is more than made up to by his charisma and extreme good looks. Oh, he also sings, plays the guitar, uses his guitar as a weapon and meanwhile he does seduce and is seduced by the gorgeous Salma Hayek. Desperado is pure action, 0 drama and kick-ass entertainment. It doesn’t get deep.It just gets even. Kevin Bacon comes from the theater. He started in H0llywood as nice guy roles but he made a name for himself playing the bad guys. So he has no problem at all portraying a guy who is driven to the edge. In fact, he looks like he is made for it.
These movies are all different from each other but they have the core in common: You root for the good guy, you love the blood shed from the bad guys and the action sequences are brilliant. With the exception of Death Sentence, I have seen the rest many times.Which reminds me, I definitely should add the Kevin Bacon film to my collection. It sure as hell deserves a second viewing. I think for an actor, the action role doesn’t get better than a good revenge movie.

This website works on the idea of “complete transparency.” We don’t lie to each other. We don’t withhold information from each other. We tell each other like it is. We speak the truth and then follow through with that truth. As for me, originally this post was going to be a year in review for aliens/space. I was going to talk about recent alien movies and space movies. But I remembered two things: 1. I’ve already mentioned that I loved District 9 and I made a not-so-subtle reference to Moon, which was also a great movie. 2. Just because it is “Alien Week” doesn’t motherfucking mean that motherfucking Thursday won’t be motherfucking “aggressive”!

And as for you the commenters, you who post you want to F the S out of me. Well…

So today’s topic is not some “year in review” because who cares? It is October and the really big sci-fi alien movie isn’t until Christmas: Avatar. I’m very excited, but I feel like it won’t deliver. There is a ton of hype going into this movie and at the same time the footage they have shown thus far isn’t anything we haven’t seen before in a few other movies and/or a bunch of videogames. Although, I think the movie is 3-D, right? Or some of it? If it is just a movie about 7 foot blue creeps fighting in the jungle then I’ll still see it opening weekend, but I also saw Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer opening weekend, so that doesn’t mean too much. WHY THE FUCK DOES A SPACE SHIP HAVE A “HEMI” IN IT!?! I’m guessing I am the only one who saw that movie, but it is the worst. My train of thoughts is careening off a cliff…

LET’S KILL SOME ALIENS! Space aliens pose a great threat and usually are looking to pick a fight when they touch down on Earth. Today I’m going to cover a litany of aliens and how Kristen Stewart and I would kick the shit out of them! I am not to be fucked with! As for complete transparency, while writing the last paragraph a fly landed on the other side of my desk. I grabbed a stack of Post-It notes – yellow – and threw them at a high arching trajectory. The sticky note pad bombed towards the desk and landed perfectly obliterating the target. I had to use a Kleenex to wipe away the carnage! Watch the fuck out aliens! It’s clobberin’ time!

The Blob (1988)

Jordan: The Blob is truly a formidable opponent. It is a gelatiness mass that never stops moving forward, never stops eating, never stops killing, and is not scared of guns or fire. Not to be confused with Rosie O’Donnell, am I right!?! Hahah, whew. That was a good joke. A good referential joke that apparently never goes out of style. Back to the other “Blob”, it did have one weakness: the cold. This movie sucks and you should never see it, so the ending of the movie is that somehow they cover the Blob in liquid nitrogen and “flash freeze” the Blob and then it gets blown up into a bunch of pieces. So basically, the end of Terminator 2 minus the part where I cried for 10 hours when they lowered Arnold Schwarzenegger into the molten liquid. He was giving the thumbs up! BAHAHAHAH… it makes me cry every time.

But I digress, how would I beat the Blob if it landed on Earth looking to kill me? Easy, nothing. It is fucking fur-ree-zee-ing in Jersey City nowadays. Dawgz and I don’t believe in the idea of turning on the heat plus we both sleep with fans on, so I won’t need liquid nitrogen. I’ll just wait for the Blob on my couch and it’ll get “flash frozen” when I switch on the ceiling fan. After that? I’ll just wheel that frozen Blob out to the street on trash day. Those guys will take anything.

Kristen Stewart: Whatever city KS was in would be evacuated. Safety first. Without telling Kristen, Rob would lead Kristen into an open area where the Blob could easily find them and also be easily seen as it approached. Kristen would not be told ahead of time about the plan. She would be asking questions like “What’s that big green Blob? And why are we in the middle of the street, Rob? I want it.” And Rob would just keep KS’ attention occupied until the Blob was within 50 – 100 yards. When Rob is signaled through the tiny earpiece he is wearing for operation “Scorch Earth” to proceed he would turn to Kristen. He would stand directly in front of her and look her right in the eyes and say, “I am breaking up with you.” Then! He would jump out of the way and curl up in the fetal position making sure to cover his ears from the blast.

Kristen Stewart would take a shallow inhale breath. Three seconds would pass as the monster inched closer and everything else in the world was absolutely silent and waited… then… BOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!! A hot white solar flare would explode out of Kristen Stewart’s eyes and mouth! A wall of unimaginable destruction and a frightening cacophony of sounds like a million jet engines screaming in pain! That cursed power would tear apart everything in its path through space and time!

When the Blob was sufficiently destroyed, Rob would pull himself up and whisper to Kristen that is was a joke. And that they would be together forever. Then the wall would disappear and Kristen would go “OK, dude”. And that would be that.

Signs (2002)

Jordan: I hated this movie! It was so stupid. I hate M. Night Shamalamaadsf,n. I hate all of his movies. Including The Sixth Sense *gasp*. It sucked. I don’t care who is dead, that movie was badly acted. Oh wait, but the door knob was red and that symbolized SHUT UP! Instead of symbolizing something with your interior decorator, next time write a compelling script. Oh and his other movies have only gotten worse. Signs might be the one I hate the most. It is the dumbest of his movies. There are no great “signs” when you beating an alien to death with a baseball bat is the big mystery. I would kick the shit out of the aliens. They’re number one weakness is water and number two is GETTING THE SHIT KICKED OUT OF THEM WITH A BASEBALL BAT. I would wreck those aliens. Right now, I have a case of Poland Spring water bottles in the trunk of my car as well as three golf clubs: a driver, a 6 iron and a 3 iron. I’m like motherfucking Rambo to these aliens.

Kristen Stewart: She wouldn’t even get the chance to kill these aliens. I would be running wild killing every single one of them! I fucking hate that movie! I pray to God each and every night these stupid aliens exist and try to invade our planet. I would terrorize those MF-ers. I’d get one of those super-soakers with a back pack and an oak baseball bat and kill ‘em all. Or I would just stand on my front doorstep with a gardening hose turned to full blast with “Cowboys from Hell” blaring and wait for them to come to the slaughter! Kristen Stewart could relax and take more pictures of her long sinewy legs and of her wanting it, of course.

E.T. (1982)

Jordan: Yeah, that’s right! I would beat up ET! He is a serious security threat for the people of Earth and especially the youth of Earth. He almost exclusively interacts with children, he hides in their closets, he drinks beer, he has weird psychic connections causing children to kiss others, he can make bikes fly, he has intergalactic space ships, and his fingers glow. That is wild shit we cannot have just hanging out with our children. I have no children, but I wouldn’t trust them around ET. How would I “handle” ET? Well I like to drink beer so I would get his creepy ass drunk. I would win his affection over with a few pints of fermented hops. After that, when he was good and drunk I would sucker punch the shit out of him. He wouldn’t know what hit him. What’s up now, ET? You just got knocked the fuck out!

Kristen Stewart: Kristen is amiable young lady so she would be sweet and nice to ET. Eventually, ET would get weird and try to “penetrate” her mind with his telepathic powers. This will lead to his ruin. Kristen Stewart’s inner-monologue is her repeating “I want it”. In a thousand different voices, in every real and imaginary language conceived of by man, she endlessly repeats “I want it”. This would drive ET nuts and would effectively lead him to commit suicide to make the voices stop or would put ET in a catatonic coma. His eyes large in a dead stare, his mouth open drooling and his brain diseased with the infinite thought “I want it”.

Dreamcatcher (2003)

Jordan: Holy eff was this movie bad! I saw this idiocy in the theaters! Opening day! I went for two reasons: 1. I am a big Matrix fan and anime fan. Preceding the movie was going to be the debut of the Final Flight of Osiris, which was one of The Animatrix short films. So I went to see that which was cool. 2. I have a friend who is/was deathly afraid of aliens and we wanted to see him freak the eff out in the movie theater because this movie is supposed to be about a crazy ass alien invasion. In reality, this movie was everything that is bad with movies mashed together and then stamped and cut out into the form of an alien movie for us stupid enough to pay for it to consume like bologna. The aliens in the movie look like “lampreys” or better yet big vaginas with shark teeth. They have a plethora of powers ranging from telepathic to being able to enter a person’s body and take it over from the inside.

They seem pretty unstoppable in the movie up until the climax where, I shit you not, Donnie Wahlberg who plays a speech impediment having mentally handicapped childhood friend turns into a giant alien and kills the number 1 alien at a reservoir in a hand-to-hand combat battle of the ages. I mentioned him having a speech impediment specifically to bring up what is the funniest unintentional line in movie history “Mr. Gray it is time for you to go away.” This is already so fucking terrible when Donnie says it, but with the speech impediment it sounds like he says “Mr. Gay” and I’m juvenile so I laughed until I peed a little.

How would I defeat these giant toothed vaginas? If I learned anything from that movie, retards are really warrior aliens in disguise. There are tons of retards all over this damn country and/or planet. Dubya Bush was elected TWO terms! Rush Limbaugh was easily 10-20 million listeners daily! We could fight a million “Mr. Grays” and still have plenty of reserve forces.

Kristen Stewart:  I guess we do the same thing that we did with the Blob or figure out another way to weaponize her want. But why make the effort? She and I could re-watch some good alien movies like Stargate and literally let the retards save this planet. Kurt Russell, James Spader, the guy/girl from The Crying Game, and tons of Egyptian mythological references? Sign me up. “Give my regards to King Tut, asshole!” Brilliant.

Species (1995)

Jordan: Natasha Henstridge… drool…. Kill her? Hmmmm… How would I kill an inanely hot blonde who wants it? This is a tough one. I have so many ideas of things I would like to do to her. Who is to say if we do them enough that they won’t kill her, right? Generally speaking, too much of anything can kill you. Too many kisses? I haven’t seen any scientific studies that say disprove the theory you can kill something with too many of the softest gentlest kisses. So first I would try that out. A few times. Like too many times. Too many times that the scientific community would think I’m wasting my time just on this one theory, but I wouldn’t be. Then after that if she tried that tongue through the back of the head nonsense then I would shoot her with a gun. It isn’t hard too get a gun and I do have my line.

Kristen Stewart: Kristen would also try the “too many kisses” killing policy as well. I would be the unbiased impartial observer of their “research”. This “research” would go on for days and would take place in many settings: bed, shower, hot tub, petting zoo. Sometimes they would be dressed as cheerleaders. Who knows? That may affectivity of the experiment.

Dark City (1998)

Jordan: I love this movie! If you have never seen this movie then may I suggest SEEING IT! Also I would suggest fast forwarding through the opening credits. There is a director’s cut of the movie that removes the opening monologue by Kiefer Sutherland’s character, but if you don’t get that one then just fast forward through it. The movie is a great noir/mystery, but the studio had them put in an opening monologue that kind of ruins the movie before it even starts. Although, I’m going to talk spoilers so I’ll ruin the movie for you partially as well. Either way, great flick. How would I kill the “Visitors”? Better yet, why would I kill the Visitors? There is a chance they’ll hook me up with a really hot chick like Jennifer Connelly. They’ll put me to sleep from my current boring life and I could wake up married to Jennifer Connelly or someone else who is unbelievably hot. There is also a chance they’ll put me to sleep and I’ll wake up dead or a murderer. Hmmm… I’ll take those odds. Plus it doesn’t seem too hard to beat the Visitors as long as freaky Kiefer Sutherland can inject me in my forehead with his syringe. At that point my latent psychic abilities will manifest and I’ll kill the Visitors and shape the world so that Jennifer Connolly and I could live together forever.

Kristen Stewart: Oh know they didn’t! A bunch of aliens want to start a battle of psychic powers with Kristen Stewart? She will mop the floor with all those noun named alopecia albinos! Pretty much all they do is will objects into the air and hurl them at each other with their minds. Kristen can do that. I’m sure of it. I guarantee if something isn’t bolted to the floor Kristen Stewart can want it bad enough the object just flies over to her like a great magnet. As mentioned no one has taught her how to properly use these powers and hopefully no one will. I bet at this point she just writes off those moments where she wants a glass of water so bad it slides down the table to her hand as just something “freaky” that happened when she got super high. And I’ve mentioned that Kristen probably doesn’t sleep because she wants it so much she doesn’t have time to sleep so the Visitors wouldn’t be able to pull that trick on her. Kristen “Legs” Stewart is their worst nightmare.

War of the Worlds (2005)

Jordan: Oh, those motherfuckers are dead! MF-ing “Swine Flu”!!!!!!!! Those aliens couldn’t last a few days with the typical diseases, chemicals, and generally weird stuff in our air and water. Imagine what the H1N1 will do to them? They’ll disintegrate into dust the moment they enter Earth’s atmosphere. Didn’t they shoot down into the Earth to revive their old machines via lightning? But now with da’ flu, there would a huge thunder and lightning storm and with every bolt of lightning a dead alien body would fall out it. We would’ve won the war before we knew it even started.

Kristen Stewart: Ditto. Kristen should be in more alien movies. Just a thought.

Cloverfield (2008)

Jordan: I hated this movie! Ugh, I can’t believe I saw this crap. I could never imagine watching a single second of this movie again. Even as a goof, I couldn’t imagine watching any of it again. So stupid. A lot of people thought this movie was a rip-off of the South Korean movie The Host. There is a little difference between those two movies. The Host fucking rocks and Cloverfield fucking sucks. That’s the big difference. The word “rocks” and “sucks”. It is only a two letters which isn’t that big of a difference. Nevertheless, how would I defeat the monster in Cloverfield that has no name, plot surrounding it or discernable reason for existing? If I could somehow corner the monster and get it to watch Cloverfield, I’m pretty sure it would blow off its own head. It wouldn’t even need to watch the whole movie. Maybe the first 15 minutes where it is obvious that the movie won’t get any better, but dramatically worse. It would beg to me in its own screams and howls to turn the movie off and I wouldn’t. So like Macguyver it would fashion a gun out of random materials the monster had within reach and then put it in his mouth and blow out the back of its brain to end the torture.

Kristen Stewart: Oh God this post is getting long. She could do the same thing I just described. Or she could simply not be in Manhattan when the monster attacks and she would be fine before the military blows the stupid thing up. I’m not sure if that monster was an alien or not because it didn’t have a single shred of back story. Actually I think I have put more thought into this bit about killing that monster than when they made that stupid movie. Either way, that monster should die. Kristen could hang out in Brooklyn at some hipster party in Williamsburg and watch the US Army burn Midtown Manhattan to the ground because that monster sucked ass.

Transformers (2007)

Jordan: Seriously, if Shia LaBeouf can do it so can I. All I have to do is stick a cube in Megatron’s chest? What the hell is the big issue? I would run and run and then trip and fall on purpose. Megatron would think I was over and scoop and pick me up and then I would jam that cube in his chest. Once you know the solution, it is just time to put it into practice. And I would sucker punch Shia too.

Kristen Stewart: Besides the “jokes” about me wanting her to make out with Megan Fox or the blonde robot chick from sequel, I would say Kristen Stewart has a few options to kill the Decepticons. 1. She could easily do the Blob “blow a hole the size of the Grand Canyon” move described earlier. These Transformers are pretty tough, but they can get hurt by guns and explosions and Kristen Stewart’s want could light those MF-ers up like the Guns of the Navarone. 2. I think Kristen could use her want to lead the Autobots. The Autobots might be aliens and they might look like a bunch of transportation vehicles, but it has been well documented they have feelings and they can read feelings. Kristen would look them right in their big sad metallic eyes and pout her lips and bat her eye lashes and say softly “I want it”. And with that Kristen Stewart would be Commander-in-Chief of the most ass kicking alien robot gun toting interstellar army ever! And they would fight for her like they were snorting cocaine, gun powder, and steroids! You think Optimus Prime will mess you up now? Just imagine when he sees Kristen Stewart’s want!

Seriously? Well over 3000. I’ll edit for typos later.

Blade Runner – The Final Cut, 2007, Directed by Ridley Scott.

Contains Spoilers - For all versions of the film, and the Philip K. Dick novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep“

Early in the 21st Century, THE TYRELL CORPORATION advanced Robot evolution into the NEXUS phase – a being virtually identical to a human – known as a replicant.

The NEXUS 6 Replicants were superior in strength and agility, and at least equal in intelligence, to the genetic engineers who created them.

Replicants were used Off-world as slave labor, in the hazardous exploration and colonization of other planets.

After a bloody mutiny by a NEXUS 6 combat team in an Off-world colony, Replicants were declared illegal on earth – under penalty of death.Special police squads – BLADE RUNNER UNITS – had orders to shoot to kill, upon detection, any trespassing Replicant.

This was not called execution.

It was called retirement.

Bounty Hunter, 1992 A.D.

World War Terminus had left the Earth devastated. Through its ruins Rick Decard, bounty hunter, stalked in search of his renegade android prey. When he wasn’t ‘retiring’ then with his laster gun, he dreamed of owning a live animal – the ultimate status symbol in a world all but bereft of non-human life. Then, one bleak January day, Rick got his chance. He was assigned to kill six Nexus-6 androids, representing a total bounty of six thousand dollars.

But in Rick’s world, things were never that simple. His assignment quickly turned into a nightmare kaleidoscope of subterfuge, deceit – and the treat of death for the hunter rather than the hunted.

Blade Runner, like most Philip K. Dick adaptations, shares similar themes to the source material, however, scratch the surface and they’re really two different stories. Of course, Blade Runner wasn’t the first film to deviate from the source material – a recent example that springs to mind (mostly because I liked them both, and I’ve started working on my best of 2009 list) is the film adaptation of John Ajvide Lindqvists’ 2004 novel Låt den rätte komma in (Let The Right One In).

In that instance the film choses to embrace most of the same themes as the original book, however a number of sub-plots involving supporting characters, are removed completely, so as to focus solely on the friendship between Oskar and Eli. And, to be honest, it works. You’re left (imo, obviously) with a wonderfully written book, and an equally as good, though different, film. It’s not the perfect adaptation, but it’s a good recent example of a book -> film adaptation, where despite the changes to the plot, the central theme of the book remains.

In the case of Blade Runner, the writers, Hampton Fancher & David Peoples, choose to maintain one of the central plot points of the book – Deckards being tasked with the ‘retirement’ of the Nexus 6 Replicants, and virtually change everything else. As a result, Blade Runner is a quite appalling adaptation of Dicks’ original book. Which, consequentially, pissed off a lot of Dick Fans (there’s a self-deprecating joke in that last part, It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t quite put my finger on it )

But, consequentially, is it a bad film? Of course not Blade Runner isn’t held up as one of the premier works of Sci-Fi due to a lack of alternate choices – it’s held in such regard, because it’s a brilliant, thought provoking, hugely influencial (not just on newer directors, such as the Wachowski Brothers, but directors from Scotts’ era, such as Spielberg – check out A.I. again, and imagine a slightly darker looking Rouge City) film that, even now, 27 years after it’s release, in it’s initial form (and you’d better believe there’s more on that later ) still continues to raise questions.

However, as someone who owns (runs off to bookcase) 47 Philip K. Dick books, I can’t really get intot the review of the film, without first discussing some of the differences between the film, and the book – especially as there are some very, very significant changes, not only to the background and the plot, but perhaps more importantly, the central character.

A brief overview of Blade Runner

Title: Blade Runner (words that never appeared in the novel)

Takes place in Los Angeles in 2019

The artificial humans are called replicants, who are much more resistant to being killed and retaliatory when confronted; in the film, the replicants’ full life span was deliberately curtailed by a four-year limit

The film’s theme is on the nature of humanity (what does it mean to be human?) and how to distinguish replicants from humans

Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) is divorced, and a retired replicant hunter called ‘blade runner’ who is brought back into action to kill the returning replicants.

Rachael (Sean Young) is a replicant who is unaware she’s not human; she and Deckard fall in love

Zhora (Joanna Cassidy) is an exotic dancer, and Deckard shoots her in the back, and regrets it

Pris (Daryl Hannah) is an acrobatic replicant, completely different from Rachael; Pris and Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) (a major heroic figure in the film) are lovers

J.R. Sebastian is a mad-scientist genius (a top-level genetic engineer) who cannot leave Earth due to the Methuselah Syndrome

Deckard never takes the V-K test.

The head honcho over at Tyrell is Eldon Tyrell

A Brief overview of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

Title: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? – was an obscure reference to the fact that inhabitants lived in a society of the future where animals were virtually extinct and all but the rich had to substitute android replicas (such as an “electric sheep”) for real animals.

Takes place in San Francisco in 1992 (Reprints that were released following the films ’success’ change the date to 2021).

The artificial humans are called androids (“andies”), who live roughly four years because their cells cannot be replaced when they deteriorate.

The novel’s emphasis is on ecological themes, and the situation in which a nuclear world war caused life to be the way it is; key elements including the Penfield Mood Organ, the Empathy box, Buster Friendly, and Mercerism are not found in the film, as is the ever-present radioactive dust .

Rick Deckard is married to a wife named Iran, and he is an active android (also termed “andy’s”) or Sam Spade-style “bounty hunter” (the term ‘blade runner’ never appears in the novel); he also keeps an electric sheep (of the novel’s title) on the roof, wishing desperately he had the money to own a ‘real’ animal.

Rachael is known as Rachael Rosen – she is a schizophrenic human who cannot pass the V-K test. She is an android.

Luba Luft is an opera singer, and Deckard doesn’t kill her out of pity – another hunter does.

Pris is an android version of Rachael; Roy’s last name is spelled “Baty”.

JR is known as J.R. Isidore – he is a “chickenhead” idiot (radiation-brain damaged) not allowed to leave Earth due to his low IQ.

Deckard is proven by V-K test to be human.

Because the Tyrell Corporation is called the Rosen Corporation, the Character is known as Eldon Rosen.

So clearly, there are a few differences – the big stand out one I guess, being that in the novel, Deckard is proven to be a human (which allowed a further series of books to be produced after Dicks death, that continue Deckards story). One of the questions that’s raised, again and again, is that of Deckards humanity, or his lack of it – Is he human, or is he a replicant? It’s a question that’s been asked for years, and which wasn’t helped by the seemingly endless different cuts of the film. The list is near enough endless

Indeed, I suppose it’s fair to say that aside from being a renowned (now at least) Sci-Fi film, Blade Runner is just as famous for its rocky journey to the bigscreen – the initial reluctance of Philip K. Dick to sell the film rights, his initial rejection of the script, the lack of funding, the films initial reception, subsequent “editing”, and it’s revival over the years.

By the time the cameras started rolling on Blade Runner, back on March 9th 1981, it must have looked like an absolute box office cert. Although the adaptation of Dicks’ book had been down a rocky path upto that point – Scorcese had expressed an initial interest not long after the books release in ‘78 (according to Dick himself, though I’d take that with a pinch metric shite tonne of salt) before the film adaptation rights were eventually secured by Herb Jaffe in, If I’m remembering correctly (I’ll try and jump online before posting this to clarify some of the dates), 1972. According to reports and recolections, Dick hated the initial adaptation – I believe he wanted to know if the writer had sustained a head injury before starting, however, after that initial rocky start, the screenplay passed between different writers, before eventually arriving on the desk of Hampton Fancher, who wrote the draft that, in 1977 was finally given the greenlight.

By this point the producers had begun shopping the script around to potential directors, and through Michael Deeley, the script eventually entered Ridley Scotts radar. Initially, I believe, Scott declined the project, however, following his departure from the Dune adaptation, he eventually signed on the dotted line, and joined the project on February 21st 1980.

However, even then the film wasn’t ready to roll, despite pre-prodction costs continuing to rise. Philip K. Dick again raised concerns about the script, and the producers were having difficulty locking down a leading man, for the role of Deckard. The script had been developed with Robert Mitchum in mind, and producers had spent months wooing Dustin Hoffman, who eventually dropped out. In the end, after various other actors had been considered, such as Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman and Tommy Lee Jones, the producers eventually settled on Harrison Ford.

So flash forward to March 9th 1981, the day the cameras finally started rolling. As detailed above, the film had been on a bit of a rocky journey, but what could go wrong? At that point Ridley Scott had already made Alien, which speaks for itself. As for Harrison Ford? Well he was well on the road to worldwide super stardom, due to the success of Star Wars. The producers were no doubt further rubbing their hands, following worldwide reaction to Fords next film – Raiders of The Lost Ark. By the time the film started test screening, the producers must have been quietly expecting a near Star Wars-esque level of return…

However, the first test screening, in Denver & Dallas, was a near disaster. As a result the studio panicked, and ordred extensive changes, including the now infamous voice over, and the happy ending, in time for the films scheduled release, on June 25th 1982.

I guess it goes without saying, that the rest is history. Released on 1290 screens across the country, Blade Runner made $6.15m during it’s first weekend, compared to the $15m it had cost to get the film made. Audiences, who had perhaps been expecting a film more like Star Wars (due to Harriso Ford staring) were left dissapointed. The films box office was further damaged, by being released during the same period as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Thing, and perhaps worst of all, the film that would go on to become the highest grossing film of all time – E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.

However, despite the films poor box office return, the film did start to develop around it, a dedicated small fanbase., By the early 1990s, bootleg versions of the original, Denver / Dallas workprint began to surface, which further fulled the cult of Blade Runner. Although these bootlegs weren’t endorsed by Ridley Scott, the reaction to them lead to Scott screening his own 70mm projections of the “original cut”, which met with an enthusiastic response, and led, ultimately, to the development of a Directors Cut, which was eventualy released on VHS / Laserdisc, and then eventually, DVD (in a woefully bad Vanilla edition).

The 1992, 116 minute long Directors cut, saw the removal of Deckard’s voice-over, the re-insertion of the unicorn sequence, and the removal of the studio-imposed happy ending, and was developed with extensive input from Scott himself.

This version was classed as “the definitive version”, until around the middle of 2000, when Ridley Scott started working with Charles de Lauzirika on a true, final, directors cut of the film – the final cut. Scott and de Lauzirika worked on the project off their own initiative, and were forced to stop toward the end of 2001, due to legal issues surrounding the ownership of the film (due to the complexity behind the financing of the film, the actual rights were owned by different people and companies, and had subsequentially been sold, and re-sold, in the years since the films original release.).

Scott and de Lauzirika had wanted to release the film in 2002, to mark the 20th anniversary of the films release, however it wasn’t until 2006 that Warner Bros finally secured all the rights to the project, and announced a release date of December 2007, 25 years after the films original release.

So, what exactly are the differences between all the different versions? Below are various different reasons, copied from Wikipedia. I’ve put them inside an “InvisiText” tag, so that if you don’t wanna read it, you don’t have to

There are Seven different versions of Blade Runner have been shown, but the most well-known are the International Cut (1982), the Director’s Cut (1992)[1] and the Final Cut:

1. Original workprint version (1982, 113 minutes) shown to audience test previews in Denver and Dallas in March 1982. It was also seen in 1990 and 1991 in Los Angeles and San Francisco as a Director’s Cut without the approval of director Ridley Scott. Negative responses to the test previews led to the modifications resulting in the U.S. theatrical version, while positive response to the showings in 1990 and 1991 pushed the studio to approve work on an official director’s cut. It was re-released with 5-disc Ultimate Edition in 2007.

2. A San Diego Sneak Preview shown only once in May 1982, which was almost identical to the Domestic Cut with three extra scenes.

3. The U.S. theatrical version (1982, 116 minutes), known as the original version or Domestic Cut, released on VHS in 1983 and laserdisc in 1987.

4. The International Cut (1982, 117 minutes) also known as the “Criterion Edition” or uncut version, included more violent action scenes than the U.S. theatrical version. Although initially unavailable in the U.S. and distributed in Europe and Asia via theatrical and local Warner Home Video laserdisc releases, it was later released on VHS and Criterion Collection laserdisc in North America, and re-released in 1992 as a “10th Anniversary Edition”.

5. The U.S. broadcast version (1986, 114 minutes), the U.S. theatrical version edited for violence, profanity and nudity by CBS to meet broadcast restrictions.

6. The Ridley Scott-approved (1992, 116 minutes) Director’s Cut; prompted by the unauthorized 1990–1991 workprint theatrical release and made available on VHS and laserdisc in 1993, and on DVD in 1997. Significant changes from the theatrical version include: removal of Deckard’s voice-over, re-insertion of a unicorn sequence and removal of the studio-imposed happy ending. Ridley did provide extensive notes and consultation to Warner Bros. through film preservationist Michael Arick who was put in charge of creating the Director’s Cut.

7. Ridley Scott’s Final Cut (2007, 117 minutes), or the “25th Anniversary Edition,” released by Warner Bros. theatrically on October 5, 2007 and subsequently released on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray in December 2007 (U.K. December 3; U.S. December 18.) This is the only version over which Ridley Scott had complete artistic control as the Director’s Cut was rushed and he was not directly in charge. In conjunction with the Final Cut, extensive documentary and other materials were produced for the home video releases culminating in a five-disc “Ultimate Collector’s Edition” release by Charles de Lauzirika.

Workprint version (1982)

The full workprint version of the movie was released to the public on DVD as part of the five-disc boxed set containing the Final Cut, in 2007. It has the following differences:

* There is no voice-over, no “unicorn vision”, and no “happy ending”. However, Deckard does have a brief narration directly after Batty’s death.
* There is no opening crawl: a static screen of text, showing a dictionary definition of the word “Replicant”, replaces it.
* The scene in which Holden is shot by Leon (while giving the Voight-Kampff test) lasts slightly longer, and shows more of Holden after he is shot and comes to rest on the desk before it cuts to the next scene.
* In the scene at the Asian restaurant at the beginning, there is an insert shot of the dish Deckard orders. Also, we see Deckard eating his noodles (with great difficulty) while the waiter says “He say you Blade Runner”. In the Theatrical Release, we just see a cut to Deckard with his mouth extremely full of noodles.
* From Deckard’s arrival at the Bradbury building to the end of the film, the Vangelis music score is missing, presumably not yet composed at the time this version was made. It is replaced by placeholder music.
* Deckard is seen taking a few moments struggling to remove the tie that Zhora choked him with, before beginning to chase her.
* Batty addresses Tyrell as “father” (not “fucker”) when asking for more life, as in the Final Cut.
* When Batty kills Tyrell, the scene is a combination of the “violent” footage from the International Edition and the “non-violent” footage from the theatrical original. Batty still pokes out Tyrell’s eyes with his thumbs, but Tyrell is seen falling to the floor as in the original.
* When Pris attacks Deckard, the scene is again a combination of the International Edition and the original. Pris hits Deckard three times, and also holds him up by his nostrils. However, Deckard still shoots her only twice.
* The scene in which Batty pushes a nail through his hand is identical to the “non-violent” version in the Theatrical Release.
* There are no ending credits.

American Theatrical Release (1982)

The 1982 American theatrical version released by the studio included a “happy ending” (using leftover aerial footage from Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining) and voiceovers added. Although several different versions of the script had included a narration of some sort, Harrison Ford and Ridley Scott decided to add scenes to provide the information; but financiers rewrote and reinserted narration during post-production after test audience members indicated difficulty understanding the film. It has been suggested that Ford intentionally performed the voice-over poorly, in the hope it would not be used, but in a 2002 interview with Playboy magazine, Ford clarified: “I delivered it to the best of my ability, given that I had no input. I never thought they’d use it. But I didn’t try and sandbag it. It was simply bad narration.”

Ford also stated in 1999: “I contested it mightily at the time. It was not an organic part of the film.”

International Theatrical Release (1982)

The International Cut, or “Criterion Edition,” is similar to the U.S. theatrical release but has more violence in three scenes:

* When Batty confronts Tyrell in his bedroom, in addition to crushing Tyrell’s face with his hands, Batty pokes out Tyrell’s eyes with his thumbs, releasing a huge amount of blood.
* When Pris has somersaulted onto Deckard’s back, rather than hitting him three times and then dropping him (as she does in all other versions), she hits him twice, then inserts her fingers into his nostrils and releases her legs, holding him up by his nostrils for a few seconds before he falls to the floor. The shot of him falling to the floor is identical in all versions. Deckard also shoots Pris an extra time, and the scenes of her thrashing spasmodically on the floor after having been shot are slightly extended.
* At the end of the film, Deckard hunts Batty, who pushes a nail through his own hand, which again bleeds profusely.

The violent scenes in the International cut were later inserted into the Final Cut.

The Directors Cut (1992)

n 1990, Warner Bros. briefly allowed theatrical screenings of a 70 mm copy of the workprint version of the film, advertising it as a “Director’s Cut.” These sell-out screenings ran for two weeks at the NuArt Theater in Los Angeles, and the Castro Theatre in San Francisco. Ridley Scott publicly disowned this workprint version of the film as a Director’s Cut, citing that it was roughly edited, and lacked the score composed for the film by Vangelis. In response to Scott’s dissatisfaction (and in part because of the film’s resurgent cult popularity in the early ’90s), Warner Bros. decided to assemble a definitive Director’s Cut of the film, with direction from Scott, to be released for the 10-year anniversary in 1992.

They hired film-restorer Michael Arick, who had rediscovered the workprint of Blade Runner, and who was already doing consultation work for them, to head the project with Scott. He started by spending several months in London with Les Healey, who had been the assistant editor on Blade Runner, attempting to compile a list of the changes that Scott wanted made to the film. He also received a number of suggestions/directions directly from the director himself. Three major changes were made to the film, which most people agree significantly changed the feel of the picture:

* The removal of Deckard’s explanatory voice-over
* The re-insertion of a dream sequence of a unicorn running through a forest
* The removal of the studio-imposed “happy ending,” including some associated visuals which had originally run under the film’s end-credits. This made the film end ambiguously when the elevator doors closed.

The original sequence of Deckard’s unicorn dream was not found in a print of sufficient quality; the original scene shows Deckard intercut with the running unicorn. Arick was thus forced to use a different print that shows only the unicorn running, without any intercutting to Deckard. This footage was inserted into what had previously been a continuous tracking shot. As mentioned above, the restoration of the unicorn scene suggested a completely different ending to the film: Gaff’s origami unicorn means that Deckard’s dreams are known to him, implying that Deckard’s memories are artificial, and therefore he would be a replicant of the same generation as Rachael.

The cut did not include much of the “extra violence” included in the “International” version of the film.

Scott has since complained that time and money constraints, along with his obligation to Thelma & Louise, kept him from retooling the film in a completely satisfactory manner. While he is happier with the 1992 release of the film than with the original theatrical version, he has never felt entirely comfortable with it as his definitive Director’s Cut.

In 2000, Harrison Ford gave his view on the Director’s Cut of the film saying, although he thought it “spectacular,” it didn’t “move him at all.” He gave a brief reason: “They haven’t put anything in, so it’s still an exercise in design.”

Originally released as a single-disc DVD in March 1997, with both pan-and-scan and widescreen versions on different sides, the Director’s Cut was one of the first DVDs on the market. However, it is of low quality compared to DVDs of later standards, due to it being produced in the early days of the format. Warner Home Video re-released it with a new transfer in 2006 as a “Digitally Remastered Version.” The 1997 stereo (2.0) audio track remained unchanged, however.

The All Important, Final Cut (2007)

Scott found time in mid-2000 to help put together a final and definitive version of the film with restoration producer Charles de Lauzirika, which was only partially completed in mid-2001 before legal issues forced a halt to the work. Although the Special Edition DVD was originally rumored to be released in 2002 to coincide with the film’s 20th Anniversary as a three-disc set, Warner Bros. delayed the “Special Edition” release after legal disputes began with the film’s original completion bond guarantors (specifically Jerry Perenchio and Bud Yorkin), who were ceded the copyright to the film when the shooting ran over budget from $21.5 to $28 million.

After years of legal disputes, Warner Bros. announced in 2006 that it had finally secured full distribution rights to the film, and that there would be a three-stage release of the film. First, a digitally remastered single-disc re-release of the 1992 Director’s Cut was released on September 5, 2006 in the United States, on October 9, 2006 in Ireland and the UK, and in the following months in continental Europe. Second, Ridley Scott’s “Final Cut” of the film began a limited theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles on October 5, 2007, in Washington, DC at the Uptown Theatre on October 26, 2007, as well as Chicago on November 2, 2007, in Toronto on November 9, 2007 at Theatre D Digital’s Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Australia on November 15, 2007 at The Astor Theatre, Boston at the Coolidge Corner Theater on November 16, 2007, and Austin, Texas on November 18, 2007. The third and final phase — a multi-disc box set — was released on the DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray disc formats. The set includes the workprint, the two 1982 original theatrical versions (U.S. domestic and uncensored International cuts), the 2006-remastered Director’s Cut, the 2007 Final Cut, and bonus features; which was released in Europe on December 3, 2007 and in the U.S. on December 18, 2007. Two-disc and four-disc sets were also released, containing some of the features of the five-disc set. On November 10, 2008, The Final Cut premiered on national television, broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Differences between The Final Cut, and The Previous ‘Directors Cut’

The Final Cut contains the following differences (in order of appearance) from the 1992 Director’s Cut:

1. The fireballs in the opening refinery shot are correctly synchronized with the associated light play on the smokestacks. Some of these had been off-sync in earlier versions.
2. The iconic close-up of an eye overlooking the Hades landscape is no longer the static image seen in previous versions. The eye’s pupil now reacts to the fireball and the eyelids move realistically. Also, the reflection of the cityscape below appears to move ever so slightly.
3. The shot of Deckard waiting to eat at the White Dragon has been shortened, its editing reminiscent of the workprint version of the shot. This was done due to the removal of the voiceover.
4. The cables lifting Gaff’s police spinner are no longer plainly visible. Cables were also removed from another shot of a spinner late in the film, just before Deckard enters Sebastian’s apartment building.
5. In addition to English the voices on police radio during Gaff’s and Deckard’s flight to the police headquarters can be heard speaking German, Japanese and Swedish.
6. A repeated visual effects shot showing the city outside Gaff’s Spinner has been adjusted very slightly: The once-obvious radar dish has been removed in the second use of the shot.
7. As Deckard enters Bryant’s office, Bryant’s statement “I’ve got four skinjobs walking the streets” is no longer obviously a spliced-in re-recording.
8. Bryant’s line “One of them got fried running through an electrical field” is changed to “Two of them…” to remove the numerical inconsistency later on.
9. Bryant adds a new line about Leon being able to “lift 400 pound atomic loads all day and night”. This is from the workprint.
10. A new cityscape horizon has been added to the shot of Gaff’s Spinner coming in for a landing at the Tyrell Corporation.
11. Additional Spinner air traffic has been added in the distance outside the large window of Tyrell’s conference room.
12. When Gaff and Deckard first appear at Leon’s apartment, the landlord now says “Kowalski”, another small bit originally from the workprint.
13. A background behind Batty when he is first introduced speaking to Leon has been changed. As the shot was taken from a later scene, this has now been corrected to appear as if Batty is actually in the phone booth as Leon finds him.
14. The matte painting establishing the cityscape down the street from the Bradbury Building has been adjusted for improved realism, including fixing the perspective of the Pan-Am logo on one animated billboard.
15. The original full-length version of the unicorn dream has been restored. This is a much different version than the one that appeared in the Director’s Cut, and has never been in any version seen by the public prior to this one. Deckard is shown to be awake; previously he was asleep or nearly asleep.
16. The Unicorn’s horn has been digitally stabilized to minimize the unrealistic wobble of the horn appliance seen previously.
17. The sequence at the fish booth now shows Deckard leaving.
18. Deckard’s conversation with the snake merchant Abdul Ben Hassan has been altered so that the dialogue is no longer out of sync; Ford’s son, Ben, lip-synched the spoken dialog and his mouth was digitally placed over his father’s.
19. A shot of the busy crowds in the streets was restored. Immediately after that, a shot of two strippers wearing hockey goalie masks was restored. Finally, there’s a shot of Deckard talking to another police officer just prior to Deckard entering the Snake Pit. These three shots had previously appeared in slightly different form in the workprint version.
20. During Deckard’s pursuit of Zhora, Joanna Cassidy’s face has been digitally superimposed over that of the stunt double, Lee Pulford. This scene was re-filmed specifically for the Final Cut. Although great effort had been undertaken to replace the stunt double face with Cassidy’s, the tan-colored protective suit Pulford wore to protect against glass cuts is still visible.
21. A scar on Deckard’s face after his “retirement” of Zhora has been removed. Originally, the scene in which Deckard meets Bryant after retiring Zhora was to take place after his encounter with Leon, explaining the scar. This was done prior to the removal of the “sixth replicant,” creating a continuity error. Due to the re-ordering, the scar was always present before Deckard had actually received it.
22. When Batty confronts Tyrell, he says, “I want more life, father” from the workprint version, an alternate take intended for but never used in television broadcasts of the film, as opposed to the original line “I want more life, fucker.” The line also has a noticeably deeper tonal quality than the previous versions.
23. After killing Tyrell, Batty says “I’m sorry Sebastian. Come. Come,” when in the original he merely approached the frightened Sebastian. This is also from the workprint.
24. As Deckard moves through Sebastian’s apartment, the once-obvious shadows of the camera crew have been digitally removed from the back wall.
25. As Deckard flees Batty, the matte painting with a TDK neon sign has been cleaned-up a bit to look more realistic and the TDK sign itself added to a subsequent shot for better continuity.
26. All the violent scenes in the International Cut that were deleted in the U.S. theatrical release and Director’s Cut including Tyrell’s death, the confrontation between Deckard and Pris and the nail through Batty’s bleeding hand are restored to the Final Cut.
27. After Batty releases the dove, it now flies up into a dark rainy sky instead of a clear blue sky. Also, the original building (the undressed side of a soundstage) has been completely replaced with a more appropriate retrofit apartment building. The background has also been enhanced with a cluster of circa-2019 buildings more in keeping with the film’s dark futuristic setting.

So those are the differences, however, as we all now know (’cause Ridley Scott told us),

The Final Cut, is exactly that – THE. FINAL. CUT.

I don’t really think there’s much more I can say really. As I’m typing this up, I’ve got no idea of what’s been discussed on the podcast, nor what anyone else thought, but I am aware, that I may have gone on quite a bit, even by my own usual level of waffle. However, I guess you can’t talk about Blade Runner, without making reference to the impact the film has made.

Whilst I personally think there’s an argument to be made that the film owes a debt of gratitude to the original novel (despite the changes), to me, there’s no doubt that Blade Runner has been an extremely influencial film – both in terms of future films, but also in the form of books – Some people, for instance, will tell you that Blade Runner was the main influence for William Gibson, as he was developing Neuromancer, and that as a consequence, the very development of Cyberpunk, as a genre, comes as a result of Blade Runner.

Now, whilst that’s inaccurate, there is an undeniable similarity, as Gibson is the first to admit:

“…About ten minutes into Blade Runner, I reeled out of the theater in complete despair over its visual brilliance and its similarity to the “look” of Neuromancer, my [then] largely unwritten first novel. Not only had I been beaten to the semiotic punch, but this damned movie looked better than the images in my head! With time, as I got over that, I started to take a certain delight in the way the film began to affect the way the world looked. Club fashions, at first, then rock videos, finally even architecture. Amazing! A science fiction movie affecting reality!”

“…Years later, I was having lunch with Ridley, and when the conversation turned to inspiration, we were both very clear about our debt to the Metal Hurlant [the original Heavy Metal magazine] school of the ’70s–Moebius and the others. But it was also obvious that Scott understood the importance of information density to perceptual overload. When Blade Runner works best, it induces a lyrical sort of information sickness, that quintessentially postmodern cocktail of ecstasy and dread. It was what cyberpunk was supposed to be all about.”

So it’s clear from Gibsons’ quote, that there are undeniable similarities between his seminal Cyberpunk work, and Scotts work. In fact, up until about 10 years ago, Blade Runner was considered to be one of the seminal Cyberpunk-esque movies, until films like Dark City, Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and of course, The Matrix were released, all of which, whilst being thematically similar to Blade Runner, also borrow a lot of “style” – In preperation for this I re-watched The Final Cut of Blade Runner on Blu-Ray, and then once it had finished popped in the blu-ray for The Matrix, and stylistically, there are a huge number of similarities. In fact, for a fascinating article that explains some of the similarities between Blade Runner, Neuromancer, and The Matrix, feel free to check out this link.

So then, in summary. As a book adaptation Blade Runner fails, in my opinion, as although the basic plot remains the same, I personally think they changed to much, for it to be considered a faithful adaptation. As a film, however, and specifically, with regards to it’s impact and influence, whilst I don’t quite think it’s up there with Star Wars (I might not be a fan, but I can understand the impact, both culturally and on the film industry), it’s not all that far behind.

It’s also a fascinating study in how a few seemingly small changes, can make a vast, vast change to the source – the original theatrical release, and the Final Cut may, on paper, only be different by a few minutes, however, thematically, they’re miles apart.

სწავლის დაწყებამ და პირიქით სამუშაოს გარეშე დარჩენამ წელში გამწყვიტა :დ ძალიან მეზარეობდა ბლოგზე რაიმეს დაწერა, თუმცა დღეიდან  ძველებურ ტემპს დაუბრუნდება ჩემი ბლოგი.

ჩემი მეგობარი ილია ჭავჭავაძის სახელობის სახელმწიფო უნივერსიტეტში სწავლობს, დღეს საგნებს ირჩევდა და გაოცებული დავრჩი ისეთი საგნები ისწავლება მანდ.

“დემონოლოგია, ჯადოქრობა და ჯადოქრობები კულტურაში”

“გმირები, ღმერთები და ურჩხულები”

“გამოჩენილ მწერალთა სატრფიალო თავგადასავლები და მათი ასახვა ლიტერატურაში”

“ლამაზი და მახინჯი, ბორიტი და კეთილი, ქალი და მამაკაცი”

“სხეულის თავგადასავალი, ევროპული და ქართული ვერსიები”

“რა არის პოეზია? პოეტები და მუზები”

“შესავალი რომანტიკაში”

“შესავალი ელექტროაკუსტიკურ მუსიკაში”

“შესავალი პოპულარული მუსიკის წარმოშობისა და განვითარების ისტორია”

“როკ–მუსიკის სტილების ისტორიული მიმოხილვა”

“მუსიკა კინოსა და თეატრში”

“იდეების ისტორია”

“ფანტასტიკა ევროპულ ლიტერატურაში”

“ლიტერატურა და კინოხელოვნება – მსოფლიო ლიტერატურის შედევრების ცნობილი ეკრანიზაციები”

და ეს არის არასრული ჩამონათვალი იმ საგნებისა რომელთა გავლა ნებისმიერ ჭავჭავაძელს შეუძლია.  ძალიან ძალიან დამაინტერესა 20–მდე საგანმა მაშინ როცა თსუ–ში წელიწადში 2 საგანი ნუ მიმიზიდავს თავისი სახელით ხოლმე, ვაპირებ დავესწრო ამ ლექციებს(3–4 საგანს) და ვნახო კურსი ისეთივე საინტერესო თუ იქნება როგორიც სახელია.

ეს ამბავი ერთგვარი შესავალია ჩემი მტავარი სათქმელისა. ზემოთ ჩამოთვლილი საგნების განხილვისას თუ როგორი შეიძლებოდა ყოფილიყო თითოეული, ყველაზე დიდი ხანი  “ლიტერატურა და კინოხელოვნება – მსოფლიო ლიტერატურის შედევრების ცნობილი ეკრანიზაციებს” დავუთმეთ. რა არ გავიხსენეთ საყვარელი ეპიზოდები ფილმებიდან, ფრაზები, მუსიკა და ა.შ

სახლში რათქმაუნდა სამარშუტო ტაქსითი წამოვედი გზაში კვლავ ამ საგანს უტრიალებდა ჩემი გონება.

კლინტ მენსელის Death is the Road to Awe ჩაირთო, ალექს დე ლარჯმა წინ გადამირბინა, მაკმერფიმ კალათში ბურთი ისროლა, რალფ ფაინსმა ფანჯრიდან ბავშვს ესროლა. უცებ გაისმა სემუელ ელ ჯექსონის ხმა Do you know what the scariest thing is? To not know your place in this world, to not know why you’re here. ლეონარდ შელბიმ კიდევ ერთი ტატუ დაიმატა სხეულზე, რუფუს სიუელი კიდევ უფრო ჩაიძირა Dark City–ს ბინძურ სამყაროში, რობინ უილიამსი მიხვდა რომ თვითონ იყო Fisher King. ახალი და ახალი სახეები ჩნდებოდნენ ჩემს წინ, უეცრად ფილიპ სეიმურ ჰოფმანმის მიერ ნათქვამ ფრაზას მოვკარი ყური, რომელიც რობერტ დე ნიროს მიაძახა:Darling, I am more man than you will ever be, and more woman than you will ever get .ამ ფრაზას დიდი მითქმა–მოთქმა მოჰყვა, თუმცა ჰოლი ჰანტერმა განმუხტა სიტუაცია როდესაც პიანინოს მიუჯდა. პიანინოს რომელსაც შიშველი ჰარვი კეიტელი ნაზად უსვამდა ტილოს,  ფორესტ გამპმა ცეკვა დაიწყო, ნიკოლ კიდმანმა და ევან მაკგრეგორიმ სიმღერა.

Death is the Road to Awe ნელ–ნელა დასასრულს უახლოვდებოდა, კლინტის მუსიკამ ყველა მოაჯადოვა და დაადუმა. კრისტიან ბეილი ბავშობაში გადაეშვა, დედის ტუჩებს თითებით შეეხო და მხოლოდ ასე იცნო მშობელი, დაე სუს თავი ჰქონდა დახრილი, ხანდახან ამოიხედებოდა და გიჟივით იღიმოდა, დონი დარკო კურდღელს მისჩერებოდა, ვუდი ალენი ენი ჰოლიზე ოცნებობდა. 53 წამი რომ იყო დარჩენილი მენსელის მუსიკის დსრულებამდე , V(ვიი) ადგა, ჯოხი აღმართა. სამარისებულმა სიჩუმემ დაისადგურა. უეცრად გაისმა აფეთქების ხმა, მუსიკა და ცეცხლის ალი აირია ერთმანეთში. მე დავინახე Big fish–ი, შესასვლელი City of god-ში, მე ვიგრძენი როგორ მოვხვდი Fargo–ში და როგორ დაიწყო ბაყაყების წვიმა. ჩემი გადარჩენა სცადეს დეკარდმა, რეპლიკანტებმა, ვინსენტ ვეგამ და ჯულიუს უინფილმდა. მე Matrix–ში მოვხვდი საიდანაც ენჯიმ და ბორდენმა დამიხსნეს და ნაპოლეონ დინამიტთან მიმიყვანეს რომელმაც მხოლოდ ეს მითხრა: This is pretty much the worst video ever made.

გაოფლილს გამეღვიძა, “მარშუტკა” თითქმის ჩემს სახლთან იყო მისული. ძალიან ხშირად ვიძნებ ტრანსპორტში, მაგრამ ასეთი სიზმარი პირველად ვიგემე.

Every once in a while, there won’t really be a movie that piques my interest enough to shell out my dollars (sorry, Kate Beckinsale/WhiteOut and Sandra Bullock/lame stalker romcom).  So when this situation occurs, I’ll muse about the industry or try to come up with some entertaining angle.

*Speaking of which, if you haven’t answered my movie survey question on Facebook, please do so.  If you had ONE movie to recommend to someone, what would it be.  Top of your head.  GO!  (no judging to your face).

So what’s on my mind?  MOVIE TRAILERS.

The Setup: Since there have been movies, there has been someone promoting them.  From the days when actors would actually try to get people in theatre line-ups into their show to the multi-billion dollar ad campaigns they bombard us with now, movies need your attention.  The most frequent tool is the movie trailer, which in my opinion has gotten too revealing.

Remember when trailers enticed you to go to the theatre?  Didn’t reveal too much so you still had something to look forward to?  I recently saw a trailer for a new Jennifer Aniston movie, “Love Happens.”  I certainly don’t need to see the movie now.

IT GAVE AWAY EVERYTHING!  There’s actually a narrative to the trailer.  A beginning, middle and an end…tada!   Where’s the mystery? Trailers that cover too many bases are counterproductive to getting asses in the seats for two reasons.

1)   the economy sucks for everyone, everywhere right now so disposable income isn’t easy to come by.  Jennifer Aniston in a romantic comedy is pretty standard so what’s going to make us go to a movie?!  Well not knowing the storyline helps.

2)   We have A.D.D.  We can’t watch an hour of television without checking a website or sending a text.  If you are going to provide us star-studded 2.5 minute movies…Thanks!  Saved us time going to it so we can watch Dancing with the Stars…and check our messages…and re…hey, a squirrel!

What were trailers like in the 80s?  40s?  Here’s a few examples:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – 1986

Arsenic and Old Lace – 1944

I thought it might have something to do with length but it seems the standard time for a movie trailer is 2/2.5 minutes.  There are “teasers” which generally run less than a minute but these are for big movies which are just to generate word of mouth.  I wish these were the trailers but they don’t usually reveal enough (i.e.  building the Starship Enterprise with a generic Spock voiceover) and you can still expect a full trailer even after the teaser a few months later.

So pretty please, faceless movie industry marketing moguls, I’ll even go to your crap Jennifer Aniston movie if you don’t lay out the story like I’m a 3 year old.  I don’t want protagonists, antagonists, a plot and resolution all before I’ve seen your shiny new movie.  I just want a little mystery in my life.

Randomly Recommended
I’m basing my picks on movies that are not only great, but have great trailers:

Dark City – no false advertising here.  Dark, dark, dark.  Just the way I like my cities.  This is Jennifer Connelly before she was JENNIFER CONNELLY and before Kiefer Sutherland had Jack Bauer in his life.  It’s twisted,retro, sci-fi creepy which should really be it’s own genre.

Out of Sight – a movie I recommend any chance I get.  Sorry, I’m a sucker for George Clooney and yes, I know he plays basically a variation of the same guy in most of his movies.  Here he’s an unlucky bank robber spicing up some chemistry with Jennifer Lopez (pre-crazy diva baby factory).  Sexy as hell.  And with more big stars in it than I can list, see it.  It’s good for boys and girls.

In the winter of 1998, I saw Dark City in the theater, and it threw open the doors of my imagination like no film before it and few films since. I was one of the few. Released to mixed reviews and a confused marketing campaign — the studio, New Line Cinema, didn’t know how to promote its peculiar fusion of sci-fi, film noir, and existentialism, so they sold it as a horror movie — the film earned a meager $14 million at the United States box office and only $27 million worldwide … Read the rest of my review at Culturazzi.org

With TJ away the big words and concepts will play. Who would have thunk that the term German Expressionism would ever appear on an FBC episode. That’s right boys and girls, whip out your websters as Mike Stewart makes an appearance as the stunt phallic symbol of the show (felt the need to go wordier than cock there). Machiavellian rule is discussed as Kevin pussys out and says both (seriously you fucking ass make a decision). Comics Discussed: Filthy Rich, Chew, Fallen Angel, Avengers, Days Missing, and Ultimate Comics Spiderman and more. We head to the first Recording session as we discuss great first albums.

Get it at:
http://www.fbombcast.com, or download directly from here: http://media.libsyn.com/media/fbombcast/fbc48.mp3

Or play it here:

FBC 48: You can only do a podcast twice

Moon | Duncan Jones, 2009

Despite the scope and relative newness of the science fiction genre, it seems today increasingly unlikely that any new addition to it can exist without drawing heavily from its predecessors. Of course, most of the great and/or successful Sci-fi films have their roots in the efforts that came before them – The Matrix can thank Dark City, which can in turn thank Blade Runner – but most of them branched out in some way so as to defy convention. Recent additions to the genre such as Danny Boyle’s Sunshine, Joss Whedon’s Serenity or Marc Caro’s Dante 01 have all paraded their ambitious nature yet ultimately barely challenged the genre or indeed their viewers. Moon, the new film from David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones (a connection he wishes to play down despite its obvious advantages) falls squarely into this new and lacklustre group – a group that in general isn’t afraid to pilfer elements from more iconic Sci-fi films yet often stumbles when choosing its own direction. Moon doesn’t hide its striking similarities to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, either, and instead almost plays up this obvious influence. The film centers around a talented young astronaut named Sam Bell, played by Sam Rockwell, as he nears the end of a 3-year solo contract overseeing affairs on one of Lunar Industries’ moon stations. As the date of his return journey looms closer, Sam’s loneliness finally begins to take its toll in the form of vivid hallucinations that cause him to crash his roaming lunar vehicle and consequently slip into unconsciousness. Upon waking from this sleep, Sam unwittingly discovers the terrible truth about his job and his very existence.

Sam Rockwell’s character, Sam, is joined on his lonely lunar outpost by a talking robot named GERTY – voiced by Kevin Spacey – who we are encouraged to mistrust from the very beginning. Spacey utilises his best monotone voice (last heard in David Fincher’s Se7en) to turn GERTY into the film’s only sinister element, and thus drives home what is perhaps the most striking of all the film’s 2001 traits – artificial intelligence turned evil and the Big Brother effect. As with all the potentially interesting themes it deals with, however, Moon doesn’t address this particular idea with much conviction – the sinister robot idea is used to breed mistrust and aid suspense but little more than that. The film takes on such broad and important subjects as human psychology, the negative effects of solitude, perils of cloning, and idea of artificial human memories in a similarly shallow and blasé manner, as if these topics are mere products of the plot rather than doors to rooms that can be explored further. Moon also goes out of its way to exhibit more glaring plot-holes than you can shake a stick of Rockwell’s favourite gum at: why, with the international reputation of Lunar Industries at stake, was Sam allowed to contact Earth so easily and then leave at a moment’s notice, ready to spill his employer’s secrets to the world? We’ll never know the answer to such a question. It should be noted that I’m a fan of Rockwell’s work and am glad that he’s finally being considered/considering himself for leading roles, but if anything this performance only highlights his lack of range rather than convince us he’s actually growing as an actor.

Our Rating: