BLADE RUNNER

Blade Runner.

5/5

………………………………...........................................

Director: Ridley Scott

Writer: Hampton Fancher; David Peoples

Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Darryl Hannah, Edward James Olmos

Released: 1982

Length: 116 minutes

Blade Runner Poster Courtesy of: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7a1V_80lDT1O7-dinvt96hyphenhyphenpIrbAb63T_0-EziXvebJDz94il8UANbZ7SEAMWl958Lvt2KDossvuKHfHJm3ui8cKE_EeXD7wNoCui-9prtvDozHxV9PgaNaYt0IGu2KtCHT_MD84-ZiS1/s1600/1280X1024_BR_09.jpg

Replicant

replicant [répplikənt] (plural replicants) n

Half-human, half-technological being: especially in science fiction, an imaginary being that has been constructed from organic and computerized components to look like a human being. See also cyborg

PLEASE NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a big fan of popular culture and I think it’s a fair reflection of the movies I’ve been reviewing lately. And as such, I feel obliged to talk about this particular film. Blade Runner, is in my opinion, vastly superior to any Star Wars film and I regard it as the best science fiction movie to date.

Set in 2019, Los Angeles, Deckard (Harrison Ford), is a Blade Runner, (A Blade Runner is a member of a special unit whose only objective is too hunt down replicants), who is called out of retirement to track down and terminate 4 replicants, who hijacked a ship in space and have returned to earth seeking their maker. The replicants are sentient robots of extremely high intelligence and superior strength, used as slave labour in aid of man’s quest to colonise outer space.

This brilliant film was directed by Ridley Scott and, was in 1982 released to an unreceptive audience who condemned it as overly cerebral. But like all cult classics, history has been decidedly kind to this brilliant film.

The four replicants have journeyed to earth in search of their maker, for you see the replicants are nearly indistinguishable from human’s save for their lack of empathy, and their status as replicant can only be determined by a test known as a Voight-Kampff, which tests pupil dilation in response to various hypothetical Questions designed to evoke certain emotions.

Replicants however have a flaw in which they develop their own emotional responses and thus due to lack of empathy and experience they may become violent and unstable, thus designers implemented another aspect; they can only live for four years.

As I mentioned earlier this film was underappreciated in it’s time, the original was hampered by an inane voice over narration and a typical Hollywood ending, but as I said, time and an original and unedited director’s cut and omission of the narrative have allowed it to be fully appreciated in all it’s glory, this movie is brilliant for many reasons, from it’s stylistic and visually stunning depiction of the future to its ground breaking storyline, but for me the best aspect of this film is it’s unresolved question: Is Deckard a human or a replicant? There is plenty of evidence to support either side, and the debate rages on to this day between hardcore fans of the film such as myself( I believe Deckard is a replicant, in case you were wondering).

Another aspect of this film I find endearing is the fact that Deckard is portrayed as a human right until the end of the film and thus the audience connects and sympathises with him, the replicants are portrayed as emotionally unstable and evil, thus we root for Deckard to kill them, but at the end the replicant saves Deckard, the very man who is trying to kill him, this raises questions about our own humanity over that of the replicant, and of course when the ending reveals to us, although not entirely, it is more implied that Deckard may be a replicant himself, raises even more questions about our perceptions of reality.

Indeed this is an EPIC film that has been regarded by many experts in the genre as the quintessential science fiction movie of all time and is certainly a favourite of mine.

I urge you to watch it yourself, and answer this question: is Deckard a replicant himself, or is he human?

for information click here to visit Imdb (internet movie database)

Ten things you can learn about the future from this film.

1. In the future despite man’s huge strides in A.I., transport and weaponry, we are yet to invent a better alternative to a simple umbrella.

2. Ceiling fans are still in use too.

3. The earth is home only to replicants and degenerates, and will be indistinguishable to a landfill.

4. Strange aliens feel that the planet earth provides a better home than their own planets, which raises the question, why colonise other planets? Imagine how horrible they must be if earth is a better alternative.

5. Coca-cola will still be around, and so will Budweiser…………Hooray!

6. Almost all the earths’ creatures are near extinction, but pigeons will still be in abundance. ……….. It figures

7. The future will sport an eighties-retro charm. I guess styles do go around in a cycle. The Bon Jovi look will be back in style. You may shed a tear.

8. H.D T.V. and cell phones seem to have fallen out of style and relevance.

9. We will have talking traffic lights though. . . . .

10. The replicants are more human than the humans are, if who you think are humans are actually humans, and not replicants, I guess it is a confusing film.

Bonus: Craig’s Top 5.……………

Horror Films

5: The Exorcist(William Friedkin)

4: Rosemary’s Baby (Roman Polanski)

3: The Shining(Stanley Kubrick)

2: Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero)

1:The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(Tobe Hooper)

Science Fiction Films

5: Star Wars: New Hope (George Lucas)

4: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick)

3: Alien (Ridley Scott)

2:The Matrix( The Warchowski Brothers)

1: Blade Runner (Ridley Scott)

General Interest Films

5: Lost Boys( Joel Schumacher)

4: American Psycho(Marry Harron)

3: Fight Club(David Fincher)

2: The Machinist

1:Memento(Christopher Nolan)

War Films

5: The Pianist

4: Jarhead( Sam Mendes)

3:Platoon(Oliver Stone)

2: Full Metal Jacket(Stanley Kubrick)

1: Apocalypse Now( Francis Ford Coppolla)

the film aficionado

The film aficionado

About me: my name is Craig Fish I am 22 years old and am currently studying journalism

About the Blog: this Blog will cover current movies, movie news, and will be updated weekly with reviews of new and old movies and movie news.

Inception

5/5

………………………………........

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Leonardo Dicaprio; Ellen Page

Tom Berenger; Joseph Gordon- Levitt

Run-time: 148 minutes

Written By: Christopher Nolan

………………………………........

Inception is not only a name that would be fitting for the title of this blog, it is also the name of one of the best and most original films of the past decade. At it’s heart inception is essentially a heist movie, but with a twist, as the tagline aptly states “your mind is the scene of the crime.” Indeed in the world that Christopher Nolan has created, Cobb(Dicaprio) is an “extracter” who enters dreams and steals your secrets, but after a bungled attempt Cobb is forced to do a more difficult task, that of inception; planting an idea in someone’s mind.

What happens next, unfolds as an intricate plot which leaves you guessing what is real. This movie is simply too good to divulge any plot points and I urge you to go see it for yourself.

This movie can only be described as the Matrix meets Memento.

Walking out of the cinema will leave you feeling hazy, like you’ve just awoken from a dream, wondering if you haven’t simply walked into another one , the cast is brilliant, the story original and fresh, and the special effects are second to none, but could you expect anything less from Christopher Nolan who is arguably one of Hollywood’s best directors who has brought you movies such as Memento, The Dark Knight , Batman Begins, and the Prestige.

........................................................

A Nightmare on Elm Street

2/5

Freddy’s back………………….again.

………………………………....................................................

Directed By: Samuel Bayer

Cast: Jackie Earle Hayley; Rooney Mara; Kyle Gallner; Patrick Lumb; Kellan Lutz

Run Time: 104 minutes

Written By: Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer

……………………………….....................................................

Twenty six years after its inception (yes folks it’s been that long), and the blades on Freddy Krueger’s fingers are looking a little dull. The original, crafted by horror maestro Wes Craven, was an instant cult classic. Indeed when I think of the original, fond memories of a fresh faced Johnny Depp float to the surface, Nancy, the sweet innocent girl next door still seems virginal and dole eyed, and who could forget the star of the show: Freddy, a grotesque aberration of molten flesh, firing out sardonic one-liners as he mercilessly hunts down his prey. Of course the success of the original inevetiably spawned a franchise of unnecessary sequels, each more pathetic than the last, thus immortalising Freddy into one of pop cultures most recognisable villains, and as each of those sequels were released giddy teens would flock to the movie theatres for a make out session, and afterward they would jokingly gush to their friends “You better not sleep tonight!” but alas eventually the franchise grew stagnant, and Freddy retired, reserved exclusively for nostalgia and a smile. Now Hollywood, bereft of new ideas and hungry for a big fat payoff, has created what we see here: ANOTHER BORING, WORSE THAN THE ORIGINAL REMAKE, it’s nothing new we’ve seen it before; Rob Zombie’s: Halloween, butchered the original, Tobe Hooper’s seminal Texas Chainsaw Massacre, massacred in the 2003 remake, and teen favourite, Friday the 13^th marred beyond recognition, just recently. Yes ladies and gentlemen it’s horrors’ greatest curse: the remake .

But lets get back to this years latest Remake: A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I must say, not that I haven’t made it abundantly clear already, it’s exactly that a nightmare, the original with it’s airy day scenes and forbidding night scenes created contrast and unease, for this version you may as well buy a set of night vision goggles. The world these haunted teens live in seems to be plunged into perpetual darkness, no wonder it’s so hard to stay awake. The performances are the scariest aspect of the film, with notable exception to Jackie Earle Hayley, his portrayal of Freddy is the only aspect which improves on the original, his mere presence is enough to send chills down your spine. Otherwise the films plot is almost an exact replication of the original: Teens haunted by a man in their dreams with a peaked hat and bladed gloves, all the while trying to unearth a deadly secret from their past which may hold a clue to their salvation, yet the charm and fright from the original is lost in translation, perhaps it’s because we’ve seen and done it all before.

Naturally new comers to the franchise might be caught in the furore of it all, it’s dark, gritty and deeply cynical, but those with fond memories of the original will simply be hoping its all just a dream.