Posted on 11/05/2011 7:40:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
That’s true, but imo, he and Young were both too stiff, even for replicants.
Probably because they have lost their skill.
We all love bad movies.
I hear you, but Star Trek is also a liberal’s wet dream. The worst liberals I know say things like “why can’t society be more like Star Trek?”
Which is a warning sign. Their Star Trek is a unrealistic utopia (no money, everyone works to better themselves) mixed with a military dictatorship (you all better do what the Captain says).
A society with your aspects of Star Trek (a prosperous meritocracy) would be fine - don’t misunderstand me - but I worry about the liberals’ take on it. They have a horrific blood-spattered record when it comes to trying to force society to adopt their utopias.
So is Star Wars, but I see the conservatism in that as well. The Force (faith in God) and the deception used by the dark side to use gov't power to control the universe are perfect examples of liberalism.
Philip K Dick was a bit crazy but as good a Sci Fi writer as there was, up there with Heinlein and Herbert.
The movie is an adequate retelling of the book but it is hard to translate a great Sci Fi book to the screen, witness all the attempts at Dune and things like Starship Troopers, which were butchered.
The world is still a dangerous place, not only for children. But those who control the cultural memes believe it is better not to warn anyone of that fact. IMO, that is because they want compliant, weak subjects who are easily controlled when confronted by violent, seemingly irrational threats.
I have watched Blade runner with the sound off. The milieu is so well-realized. I am also a fan of Dick’s written work. Dystopia+noir is almost irresistible to me because it can teach us to recognize the results of our present actions. That is also the message in the original folktales as re-written by the Grimms.
Some of the truly wonderful parts of Blade Runner:
1) The city design and culture. There have been some magnificent city designs in recent years, such as Gotham City in the original Batman. But Los Angeles in Blade Runner could have still been interesting as a travelogue. Lots of development there with minimal background.
The massive structures of giant corporations, the indifference to pollution with giant, fire belching smokestacks, a formerly overpopulated city, now semi-depopulated, with a strange pseudo-language of English, Mexican, Chinese, and German. Lots of more subtle bits, such as the outlawing of owning real wildlife, and a police state mentality, at least among the police, but tremendous technological innovations like flying cars and interplanetary war on “off-world colonies”.
2) The great music of Vangelis. A best selling soundtrack that is good, if unusual, in its own right. Synthesized but driven and forceful. At the same time it includes pseudo throwback music that could almost come from the European roaring 20’s.
3) Costume and hair design. Only the main characters are 1940s detective noir in appearance. Outside of that little group, the typical science fiction look. This really helps focus on the central core of humans. The use of cigarette smoking had a great impact in that movie, as it did in the movies of the 1940s.
4) Some of the acting. There was a need for more character development, especially among the androids. The writing for them should have focused more on the noir aspects. In short, in the 1940s version they were escaped black convicts and their women, and Ford was a police detective brought in, not to arrest them, but kill them all, because the government wanted them dead, not captured. It really changes the complexion of the story, no?
Picture the male androids instead as black, WWII combat veterans, who mutinied against bad white officers trying to send them on a suicide mission against the enemy. So the Army court martials them and sentences them to hang. Then they escape. They hope that by getting to their former commanding general, he will somehow make all things right.
BTW, Blade Runner is on of my favorite movies. But like some other posters, I am worried the new Blade Runner will be become too PC and therefore unwatchable.
Hard boiled reply: Blade Runner? Yeah, I liked it. Why? There isn’t any. Like that dame you shoulda known better about. It just worked and you can’t forget her.
That’s the snake!
I have avoided that film, not sure why. I had no idea!
You have to assume here that as the Moslem states prepared to destroy the Kaffir with nukes all the Christians in North Africa were evacuated to safety.
Blade Runner was a touchstone for sci-fi movie making. I didn’t feel the story or the acting were overly strong, but the look and feel were incredible compared to other sci-fi movies of the time. It’s a textural thing for me. And it’s influence on the genre has been obvious over the years. A welcome counterpoint to Spielberg. James Cameron definitely picked up on Scott’s vibe and ran with it.
Think of the Fairy Tale as the pre-1850 version of Sci-Fi
If they’d lost their skill there’d be a change. There isn’t. Since the beginning of the movie industry the majority of all movies have been based on pre-existing material (books, plays, previous movies). It’s got nothing to do with skill and everything to do with cost. Until the modern age of pro-sports movies were the most expensive entertainment to put out, they have all the costs of plays plus the film costs and reproduction costs. Since day 1 nobody has wanted to spend that kind of money without some sort of “guaranteed” audience, and the best path to a “guaranteed” audience is to do something that already has one. So the film things that already built an audience, including remakes of movies and sequels.
There’s still tons of great movies being made, the skill is there. Nothing about the situation has changed for over 100 years, since before Hollywood was actually in Hollywood, conversions and remakes have ruled the industry.
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