November 19, 2017
Blade Runner 2049: Review
I went to see Blade Runner 2049 on opening day, and watched it again a couple weeks later, and I can declare it certainly lived up to the hype. It is a cinematic masterpiece that honors the original and adds a deeply emotional layer to the world created by Phillip K Dick and Ridley Scott. Fans of the original can all thank Denis Villeneuve for this wonderful sequel. Obviously this blog post will be nothing but spoilers so if you haven’t seen the new Blade Runner stop reading!
This sequel is a gorgeous film. It honors the original’s visuals and expands with more impressive landscapes. I noticed the pipes spewing plums of fire into a darkened sky are replaced by streets covered snow or dust or rubble. The endless rain in Los Angles is still a fixture. This makes sense because at this point those unfortunate to still live on Earth are those who do not to have a means to leave to an off-world colony. Life is now nearly unbearable on this planet, which creates a surreal beauty that is unsettling. Perhaps humanity’s march towards progress has eased now that the world is nearly dead. The farmlands of central valley of California are shown as saturated to the point that all color is removed. San Diego is literally a mountain range of discarded rubble and trash. The lands surrounding Las Vegas are permeated by brilliant orange-hued storm of dust left over from a distant war that annihilated that region of the country. This movie is the most gorgeous film I’ve seen in many years. Roger Deakens should be a shoe-in for winning best cinematography for this film.
The musical score was an essential element to the feeling of the original Blade Runner. In the new film, the score by Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Walfisch sounds deeply influenced by the original by Vangelis, but distinct in a more menacing way. Where once was the occasional soft saxophone riff, that is now replaced with what I would describe as a aggressive distant mechanical grinding, almost like a like a large unseen machines are revving engines. To me it sounds like the death-gasp of industrialization. It powerful and unrelenting, and would let you know that 30 years after the original the world has fallen into a more sinister place. Hope is nearly gone. This greatly adds to the tension of the story.
This movie like the original centers around the relationship between humans and their genetically engineered ‘replicant’ slave labor force. On Earth, out of date replicants are eligible for ‘retirement’ i.e. execution. The plot of 2049 mostly centers around Officer K (played by Ryan Gosling), who is himself a replicant who’s job it is to hunt down an “retire” rogue replicants. As most replicants have above human levels of strength this is a difficult job, which is given the inexplicable name ‘Blade Runner’. K’s human boss at the Los Angeles Police Department is played by Robin Wright who shows the only bit of sympathy towards K while the rest of the world responds generally very hostile towards his existence.
K takes a small measure of enjoyment in life by having a relationship with an artificial intelligence who displays what feels very convincingly as genuine love for him. The movie is almost a Turing test for the AI companion to K, and really a test for K’s own since of authentic existence. The authenticity of that love becomes unclear, just like many of the big ideas in Phillip K Dick’s stories, which is why they are such interesting stories.
In the original Blade Runner the crisis of the story is that the replicants (Nexus 6 models) are searching for a way to extend their pre-determined shorter life spans. The sequel introduces an even more compelling dilemma. Replicants, specifically Rachel and Deckard from the first film, have broken down one of the most important barriers separating humans from replicants: they have had a child. It becomes officer K’s mission to locate that child which other parties are also very motivated to discover. I won’t say how the story resolves but I will say that it was unexpected, and deeply moving.
Where the original Blade Runner examined some pretty cerebral ideas about existence, the sequel sticks with that but ups the ante by adding a couple plot twists that add significant emotional gravity. There is one particular scene where K, visiting an orphanage, discovers an artifact that confirms his suspicions about his own unique existence that still gives me chills when I think about it. I won’t ruin that moment by describing in detail here, but it is a powerful moment that sticks.
Overall the movie is nearly perfect in all ways. There were no memorable pieces of dialogue like those in the original. There were no “if you could see what I’ve seen with your eyes” pronouncements or “like tears in the rain” syllogisms, or “too bad she won't live, but then who does?” philosophical moments. But that’s not a big deal. This film is about the emotional gravity set up by the mind-bending reality of the original. Overall Blade Runner 2049 is an astonishing accomplishment as a sequel.
Labels: Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, movies
September 30, 2017
Getting Ready For Blade Runner 2049
It’s less than a week until the sequel to Blade Runner comes to theaters. And I’m happy to report, many of the film nerds I follow on twitter who’ve had the privilege of seeing an advance screening are all giving it a lot of praise. That shouldn’t come as such as surprise considering the director is Dennis Villeneuve who really killed it with last year’s Arrival. And he’s working with cinematographer Roger Deakins who’s past work includes many of the Coen Brothers films as well as the work of Sam Mendes. This is crucial because the shots and the atmosphere are such a critically important element of the original.
Blade Runner may be my favorite film of all time. There is no question it’s my favorite science fiction film, not to mention my favorite film by Ridley Scott and my favorite adaptation of a Philip K Dick story.
I am looking forward to this sequel so much I thought it would make sense to put together a guide for getting ready:
First, and most obvious, you need to re-watch Blade Runner, preferably the Final Cut. And if you’re lucky enough to have a collection with multiple versions I suggest also watching at least the original theatrical cut, and possibly the Director’s Cut. In the theatrical cut, the narration by Ford gives it a distinctly different experience. It’s pretty much universally accepted that it’s much better without the narration (and apparently Ford was so against doing it that he intentionally made it as campy sounding as possible), but the narration does give some insights to the world of Blade Runner and the characters that make watching it very worthwhile. The theatrical version was the first I ever saw, when I rented it on VHS as a teenager. Now when I watch the high definition final cut It’s astonishing to me how much visual clarity is added.
Next you should watch the three teaser short films that bridge the gap between the original and 2049. Much like the teaser films leading up to Scott’s Alien prequel earlier this year, these short films give context to the characters we can expect to see in the sequel.
Just as important as the visuals are the sounds. This YouTube video does a great job explaining the history of the soundtrack of blade runner, and just how much of an impact it makes on the film.
If you really want to prepare yourself you might consider doing a marathon of movies based on Philip K Dick (PKD) stories. Many of them share the most intriguing sci-fi themes: altered states of reality, personal crises of identity, artificial intelligence and whether it is any less valid human consciousness, corruption in politics and corporations, and the ethics of scientific advances.
Many of the most mind-bending science fiction films are based on the work of PKD. Examples include: Minority Report, Total Recall, The Adjustment Bureau … and some lesser known gems like Imposter, and the Total Recall 2020 TV series which actually bears a closer resemblance to the world Blade Runner than Total Recall. Although not really sci-fi, A Scanner Darkly and The Man in the High Castle are equally mind-bending.
If you really really want to be ready for the sequel, you could also watch the 1998 movie Solider staring Kurt Russel. David Peoples (one of the writers who converted Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep into Blade Runner) has stated that the film Soldier, which he also wrote, shares the same cinematic universe as Blade Runner, and since Peoples contributed to pretty significantly it’s only fair that he be given some credibility.
Philip K Dick certainly left behind a legacy in sci-fi. I’ve read on twitter that the director Villeneuve had a lot of creative freedom with the sequel, which is great by me. He has proven his abilities with sci-fi, and its very exciting to hear from many institutions that the sequel may even exceed the original.
Labels: Anime, Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, movies, science fiction
May 15, 2017
Guardians of the Franchise
Well I did end up seeing Guardian's Vol 2, and while it was by no means a bad entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it was no where near as amazing as the original. It might not be fair to even make the comparison. After all, Guardian's Vol. 1 is in my view one of the best sci-fi films ever. It vastly transcends the MCU's other films in just being a solidly great film, perfectly balancing humor with adventure and nostalgia. It's a tall order to try to match that. So I wasn't too surprised that Vol. 2 didn't quite live up to the original, but it does seem to me that once a really cool unique film finds success that movie execs suddenly become risk-adverse. It's a shame. I wish they would just let the story continue taking us to really cool and unexpected narratives. But I guess they would rather stick to the script, to scrape in as much cash as possible using the techniques that are proven sucessful and ultimately boring.
The acting was great, the effects par for the course; it's just the story that was really flat. I also think there was a massive missed opportunity here [spoiler alert] in not connecting the story with other characters in the overall MCU, especially considering the several scenes depicting Earth. They could have easily shown Spidey or Nick Fury watching on TV as the strange phenomenon was occurring on Earth.
So overall, not bad but not even close to as awesome as Vol. 1. ... In other movie-related news, there is a new trailer for the Blade Runner sequel!
This is the only movie that really matters to me this year. Blade Runner is such an important film. It still has some of the most gorgeous imagery, the rain-drenched neon-lit dystopia. It has aged beautifully when compared to other films based on PKD's works. The story is deeply intriguing. The characters incredibly fascinating.
The sequel looks like it has everything going for it. A great cast featuring Ryan Gosling, and most importantly including Harrison Ford and Edward James Olmos reprising their roles. The cinematography from the trailers looks great. One of the writers (Micheal Green) contributed to Logan which was fantastic. The director (Denis Villeneuve) previously directed The Arrival which was also fantastic (he is also set to direct a new adaptation of Dune).
Labels: Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies
December 25, 2016
Sci-Fi Films in 2017
2017 should be a fantastic year for sci-fi films! It's almost amazing to think about what's in store! We have 3 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films, the final Wolverine film staring Hugh Jackman, a live-action remake of Ghost in the Shell, Star Wars Episode 8, Alien Covenant (another prequel to Alien/sequel to Prometheus), the story that inspired The Fifth Element, an adaptation of The Dark Tower … and most importantly … the long-awaited sequel to Blade Runner!!
As for Sci-fi shows there some strong ones there as well: the book Altered Carbon is coming to Netflix, which will also bring us three updates to the MCU (with: Iron Fist, The Defenders and The Punisher – a spin-off of Daredevil season 2).
Here are some trailers:
Blade Runner 2049
To say this is the film I'm most looking forward to would be an understatement. The original Blade Runner is my all time favorite sci-fi film. It is a masterpiece of cinema, and although it's getting some age on it, it visually still holds up with today's cinema, even as films made much later are looking far more dated by contrast. The original Blade Runner is a visual splendor. From the trailer it looks like this sequel will carry on that tradition. I have confidence that with Scott producing and Denis Villeneuve directing (who also directed this year's Arrival) this will be a great film.
Alien Covenant
The sequel to Prometheus prequel to Alien should hopefully answer some questions as to how the events in Prometheus lead to the events in Alien.
Valérian and the City of 1000 Planets
This might be the best science fiction film of the year. It's from Luc Besson and it's based on the French comic-book story that inspired elements of his The Fifth Element (such as the flying taxi-cabs and so on).
The Dark Tower – if you're a fan of Stephen King's work and you've read the Dark Tower series then you know that all of his creations are tied to this story. It has been hinted at in the past that there could someday be a cinematic adaptation. For instance, in the opening scenes of The Myst, the protagonist is painting a movie poster that is clearly inspired by Roland of the Gunslinger. A trailer hopefully coming soon...
Ghost in the Shell
It seems a bit odd to cast a character who is a Japanese android as a caucasian, but other than that it looks like a nearly shot for shot recreation of the original Anime. BTW, the protagonist of the original Ghost in the Shell is considered to be the inspiration of the character Trinity in the Matrix trilogy.
Logan – The trailer begins with the Johnny Cash song Hurt. I think that speaks a lot to what sort of movie this will me. The final performance of Hugh Jackman as Wolverion/Logan should be a real trip. Watch the trailer.
Six new entries into the MCU:
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. Watch the trailer.
Spiderman: Homecoming – Watch the trailer.
Thor Ragnarok – We don't yet have an actual trailer for Thor Ragnarok, but we do have this.
Iron Fist – Watch the trailer.
The Defenders – Watch the trailer.
The Punisher – No trailer yet, but you can re-watch a trailer for Daredevil season 2 for the origins of this character in the MCU.
Star Wars Episode 8.
We don't know the subtitle yet for the next, so a trailer might be a while off.
Labels: Alien, Blade Runner, Marvel Cinematic Universe, movies, science fiction, Star Wars
December 21, 2007
I [heart] Public Radio*
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I really really really love National Public Radio (NPR). (And thats an understatement.) Public Radio speaks to me in a way that almost no other form of media does. Its filled with relevant news, and entertaining and fascinating topics. I become both informed and entertained sublimely while listening.
I was thinking about this because I gave my friend Mike who I work with and who also loves NPR a radio for his birthday so we've been listening to NPR a lot lately work, and what a week it's been...
On Tuesday on The Diane Reams Show, they discussed one of my favorite books from childhood, A Wrinkle In Time, with a panel of experts and call-ins from fans. And later on Fresh Air, Terry Gross interviewed director PT Anderson about his latest film There Will Be Blood (IMDb), for which I'm really looking forward. And Wednesday, Terry Gross interviewed director Ridley Scott about his re-release of a new final version of 'Blade Runner', easily my favorite science fiction, and one of my most favorite films in general.
Blade Runner (IMDb) is a masterpiece that even today is so far ahead of its time. For a comparison with other science fiction films: Blade Runner (based on a novel by Phillip K Dick titled 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep?') was released in 1982, and eight years later another film based on a Dick novel, Total Recall (IMDb) (1990), was released starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, that now seems very outdated compared to Blade Runner.
Other notable science fiction films based on Dick's works include: Minority Report (2002) (IMDb), Impostor (2002) (IMDb), Paycheck (2003) (IMDb), A Scanner Darkly (2006) (IMDb) ... Some of the best science fiction, but Blade Runner is far superior to all of those.
During the interview Gross asked Scott if indeed Harrison Ford's character Decker was a 'Replicant' (which is just a word that means Android), and Scott confirmed that he was. This was interesting because I had just been listening to the latest podcast of TWIT (episode 125) where they were discussing a recent effort to create a computing program that is as well a new form of artificial intelligence and during this discussion (about 4 mins into the podcast) they arbitrarily reference the concept of Replicants in Blade runner and had a tangent conversation about if Decker was a Replicant and basically came to the conclusion that that he probably was.
It seems that from the interview, while Scott contends that Decker was a Replicant (and since he's the director I guess he can assert that), Ford believed that Decker should be a human. As for my opinion, I tend to think that it doesn't matter so much. One of my favorite aspects of Blade Runner is that the Replecants, despite being artificial, are the characters that demonstrate the most human emotions...wanting to meet/confront their creator...desperately wanting to grasp life for as long as possible.
Well enough about Blade Runner; if you're a fan you can listen to the interview here.
Earlier this week on Fresh Air, I listened to David Edelstein's 10 (or so) best films of 2007. I was particularly excited to listen to this segment because by chance I heard his 10 (or so) best films list of 2006 last year; and was surprised by his ability to examine film; and because I discovered two films that were coming out in early 07 that were amazing; they were Pans Labrynth (IMDb), and Children of Men (IMDb).
Besides reviewing films for NPR's Fresh Air, David Edelstein is a brilliant film critic for The New York Magazine, you can read his work here.
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So why is their an astrix in the title of this post...well it's obvious that I love Public Radio. But as it turns out, something that I've enjoyed so thoroughly for such a long time for it's informative nature is something I've somewhat misunderstood. For a long time I've confused NRP and public radio as the same thing, but actually public radio is comprised as several different entities.
Come to find out: some of my favorite public radio programming is not actually produced by NRP as I incorrectly assumed it was, but produced by Public Radio International (PRI), or American Public Media, and the like...
This American Life, one my favorite public radio shows, is produced by Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ), and is distributed by PRI. And Here And Now; which is produced by its local station WBUR in Boston but also distributed by PRI. PRI also produces and distributes one of my recent favorite programs, Fair Game with Faith Salie.
But wait! There's even more public radio producers and distributors...
The next biggest public radio producer/distributor is Minnesota Public Radio (MRP) (it's broadcasting/distribution arm is American Public Media). Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media are responsible for The Prairie Home Companion, Marketplace, The Splendid Table, and my favorite Weekend America.
There are other public radio forums in the US, including Pacifica Radio, which produces the show Democracy Now.
So I guess when it comes down to it: I [heart] NPR, PRI, and American Public Media/MPR, etc...
Labels: Blade Runner, Fresh Air, MPR, NPR, PRI, Public Radio, This American Life, TWiT 125