Blade Runner, The Final Cut

Bowman9991 writes "A new promotional website is up and trailers for Blade Runner: The Final Cut have been released. I've been waiting ages for this one. SFFMedia has some details about the Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition on HD-DVD and Blu-ray with new footage. It's slated for a December 18th release. Apparently it's also being released in the cinemas again in the US."

Comments

Best movie news this year

[empaler]

Yay for Blade Runner! The plot may be a bit iffy, but the style is awexome.

Re:Best movie news this year

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw this last week on the big screen in West LA. It absolutely blew me away... Bladerunner NEVER looked, sounded, or felt so good, so powerful, so gripping... Although I've seen the film many times before, I never actually saw Bladerunner until last week. I just can't believe the difference... I refuse to watch another movie in the theater this year because it will so badly pale in comparison with that experience...

Re:Best movie news this year

[Anonymous Coward]

I've been trying to get Blade Runner to show in my theatre but I'm not having much luck. It seems pretty limited in release, even for small art house theatres that want to show it.

How many final cuts are there?

[Anonymous Coward]

My entire adult life, every few years there are expanded cuts, director cuts, ultimate cuts, supercuts, etc. of this particular movie. I'm waiting for the best boy & gaffer cut after this one.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Dunbal]

The Paper Cut is going to hurt like hell.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Nahooda]

Don't forget the Eyebrow Cut. A very bloody version!

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[The Dobber]

Is this the version that syncs up with Pink Floyds "The Final Cut"?

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[_Sprocket_]

Blade Runner: The Final Cut. This time, it's personal.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[no_pets]

The all can be summed up as the "Attempt to make more money Cut".

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Basehart]

I'm wondering whether it will even sync up with the original Vangelis soundtrack. They had some new music accompanying the trailer I saw on youtube. I'd bet that without Vangelis the film wouldn't have become the classic it has.

I finally buckled last year and bought the Gongo Records version of the soundtrack on Ebay and it was glorious to hear the original soundtrack although I do hope that Vangelis can one day release an "official" pristine remastered version from the master.

In the meantime there are a few versions to choose from here.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[SpectreBlofeld]

Will this cut explain why they have to use a psychological test to tell replicants apart from humans and not, say, a blood sample?

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Anonymous Coward]

No, it syncs up with the Beatles Sgt. Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[butlerdi]

And we all bitch about the RIAA wishing to chargew for each time we listen to a song ....

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Anonymous Coward]

better than to use a Captcha

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[empaler]

I especially like the scenes for 'Rocky Raccoon'. Must've taken ages to plan and cut to sync up so beautifully.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[mattpalmer1086]

Because replicants are biologically identical to us. They're bio-engineering, not AI devices. So one way to tell them apart is the lack of normal emotional responses. Which is why implanting memories in them is such a big deal - "to create a cushion"...

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[mattpalmer1086]

Sorry to reply to myself, but I just realised you had a much better point than I gave you credit for.

Since these replicants can plunge their hands into liquid nitrogen without harm, and apparently have an assortment of other enhanced physical capabilities, there must be some much easier tests than emotional response.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[AuMatar]

Read the book- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It makes far, far more sense there.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[mfnickster]

Since these replicants can plunge their hands into liquid nitrogen without harm, and apparently have an assortment of other enhanced physical capabilities, there must be some much easier tests than emotional response.

[sticks worker's hand into a beaker of liquid nitrogen]

"Oh, I guess you're human after all! Okay, you can go back to work now... Sorry about the hand, but you should still be able to carry out the trash with your good one." :)

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Conanymous Award]

That one is released right after Blade Runner: The Upper Cut.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[mihalis]

My entire adult life, every few years there are expanded cuts, director cuts, ultimate cuts, supercuts, etc. of this particular movie. I'm waiting for the best boy & gaffer cut after this one.

Are we talking about the same movie? On DVD at least there was just one lousy version for the entire history of the DVD format, until a slightly better version last year (Director's Cut, better transfer). Now this year we finally get some real new stuff. Ok so on tape there is some variety, and also on laserdisc, but really how many of us bother with those formats these days?

Chris (still has his original PAL VHS UK version of course)

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, I guess the next release will be called "Final Cut Pro".

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[s13g3]

No, in reference to P.F.'s 'The Wall', I believe you are looking for "The Nipple Cut."

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[minvaren]

It will be marketed with a remake of Street Fighter : The Movie in a special package called "Tiger Uppercut."

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[ravenshrike]

Hmm, depends on the replicant. Given the amount of gengineering going on in the fil, I'm pretty sure someone could by an arm that could do that. It's also irrelevant to how their brains are patterned.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[mattpalmer1086]

Good point :) I'm bemused that the engineers didn't build in some kind of obvious identifier to the replicants though. After all, the artificial snake scale contained a serial number!

Anyway, I like the Voigt-Kampff tests, and I think part of the point in the film was to emphasise just how similar they are to us and how hard it is to tell them apart.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[hitmark]

i would guess that any replicant going "rogue" would find a way to remove their obvious identifiers.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[jmoriarty]

What about "Blade Runner: The Repli-Cut" from the perspective of the replicants?

Maybe it is something a Fanboy can do on their own now they will have so much good material to edit from. Those fan edits and trailers are starting to get better than some of the Hollywood releases.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

But then they couldn't rule out the possibility that this person was just highly trained in martial arts or meditation. That's one thing that bugs me about many of the humans in Battlestar Gallactica, they have this missconception that humans can't learn to train their mind (and body) to a high level -- I'm not sure if this is intentional, in terms of the writers. Other reasons for lack of physical tests could be that genetic engineering, or something to the equivalent, could mess up the tests, or could require a brain biopsy or some other dangerous test. Psychological testing seems more practical. Of course, there's no point in getting too deep here, since we're debating fiction.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Anonymous Coward]

What the hell? You think you can "train your mind" to make it safe your to stick you hand in liquid nitrogen??? What the hell are you smoking?

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

I'm not sure if it is possible in this case, but I have seen videos linked from this very site of a science teacher who can partially dip his flat, wet hand into molten lead. I can't recall off the top of my head how long the replicant has their hand in the jug, so it might be too long for that explanation. So then there's the genetic engineering or artificial limb replacement type explanation I also gave.
BTW, I was more referring to the ability to overcome pain, not prevent major physical trauma.

Anyway, I think asking people to stick their hands into liquid nitrogen to prove they are human sounds a bit like drowning suspected witches. Or do you think that is probably ethically OK in the world of the Blade Runner movie? Remember that Deckard is still answerable to the law, and he might not have been satisfied himself that he wasn't actually harming another creature during the ordeal.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[mattpalmer1086]

Bizarrely enough, I have actually stuck my hand in liquid nitrogen* , albeit very, very briefly.

When I was about 10 years old, I was taken around the physics department at my local university. The guy showing me around demonstrated it, and let me have a go. Your hand is so hot compared to the liquid, it keeps a layer of evaporated nitrogen surrounding it. For a very short time only!

* at least, I remember it as being liquid nitrogen, but it was a long time ago - might have been another liquified gas.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[SpectreBlofeld]

I hadn't thought of that. That's the best argument I've heard so far.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

Yes! That's the same way it works with the guy and the molten lead: the steam from his wet hands creates an insulating barrier. It didn't occur to me that it would happen for the same reason with an extremely cold liquid. Physics is fun.

Re:How many final cuts are there?

[Anonymous Coward]

> What the hell? You think you can "train your mind" to make it safe your to stick you hand in liquid nitrogen??? What the hell are you smoking?

Doesn't matter - high-level martial arts masters can train their mind to make it safe to smoke ANYTHING!

Did you know ninjas can walk through walls...? It's true!

(see, in Japan they have walls made of paper...)

Dammit

[Anonymous Coward]

This is one of those movies I first watched accompanied with an audience of idiots who totally ruined it for me. Later viewings weren't much better, so now when I watch it, I just get pissed off because everybody calls it the greatest scifi flick of all time and yet it just doesn't move me at all.

I just thank god I had the common sense to go see Alien at a drive-in.

Yeah, I know, I'm old. Do you guys even know what a drive-in is?

Re:Dammit

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you guys even know what a drive-in is?

That's one of those video stores where you drive up to a window and they give you the DVD, right?

Re:Dammit

[The Dobber]

Silly wabbit, DVDs weren't invented yet, it was VHS.

Re:Dammit

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you guys even know what a drive-in is?

Yeah, it's where people meet every Saturday to buy and sell stuff.

Re:Dammit

[Jackmn]

Do you guys even know what a drive-in is?

I've seen a few drive-in theaters still running.

Re:Dammit

[chiph]

Or 12" LaserDisc.
Until DVD, it was the highest-quality video you could have in the home.

Chip H.

Corporate revisionism

[Anonymous Coward]

The replicants have been digitally replaced with toastmaster toasters, eliminating the potential abiguity of Decker's status.

They also have digitally replaced any guns. Decker simply unplugs the replicants. And the love scenes with the toastergirl don't have any impact.

Re:Corporate revisionism

[thegnu]

Actually, replacing Harrison Ford with some toast would probably improve the acting in most of his movies.

The first director's cut removed doubt...

[Chmcginn]

Gaff knew who the replicants were, and he marked Deckard as such. I don't see the need for having somebody come out and say it...

Re:The first director's cut removed doubt...

[Linzer]

Gaff knew who the replicants were, and he marked Deckard as such. I don't see the need for having somebody come out and say it... Thank you for reminding people of this. The scenario as described in TFA strictly matches the "Director's cut" released eons ago. This sounds like they removed a scratch here and there and re-released the very same friggin' thing. Which I loved, by the way, but it isn't new.

I know I am probably in the minority

[Shivetya]

but I want the voice over.

If not something I can select then please include that version. For some reason I like the version of the film I saw first, the voice over to me put me in the mood. Very 50s like and that is what I best remember. I actually never liked subsequent releases simply because of that feature being missing. Yes I know the arguments against but we are irrational beings and well...

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[gEvil (beta)]

If you want the voiceover then get the 5 disc set. It will contain all the released cuts of the movie, plus some extras.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[beowulf]

I just want a quality DVD release of the movie I saw in the theater 25 years ago. No updates/remixes/Han shot 2nd stuff... just the original. I know, too much to ask.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[morari]

The DVD release will see three versions this December. A basic two-disc edition with just the Final Cut and special features. A three-disc edition with the Final Cut, special features, and theatrical cut (what you're talking about) and original director's cut. Finally, a limited edition, numbered five disc version that includes all of that, an early workshop cut of the film, a unicorn figurine and a full-sized detective briefcase to hold it all in.

The workshop edit of the film is really the only thing that makes the super-huge edition appealing for me...

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[gEvil (beta)]

But too bad it won't contain this version...

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[Sesostris III]

If you are in a minority, it probably is quite a large (albeit silent) minority. Actually, on talking about this with people (in the flesh, face to face), I have not yet spoken to anyone who prefers the director's cut - like me, they prefer the original release version (assuming they've seen the original version).

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[ximenes]

This is included in some of the versions, but as you mention hasn't been on DVD before this. A far cry from someone who refuse to release the markedly superior initial versions of three films in a decent DVD format. Of course those movies in question have been forever tainted for me by the next two.

The story is that Blade Runner was repossessed by its creditors prior to release and changed, against the wills of various people who were involved in its making, in substantial ways for its theatrical release. Hence the Theatrical Version, which didn't do very well from a commercial standpoint -- possibly because its artistic vision was compromised.

Then there's the Director's Cut, which Scott has claimed does not really amount to such as he didn't have sufficient time to work on it.

Hence the interest in the Final Cut, which is claimed to be a real director's cut finally.

I'll withhold judgment until I see the Final Cut, but at this point it could be pretty good. If not, then the Director's Cut still exists and I'll try to forget that I ever saw the Final Cut. But there is the risk of the Final Cut ruining the movie in such a concrete way that I'll never watch the film again (see the director's cut of Donnie Darko).

Being against revisionism in cinematic works is one thing, but being against the restoration of a previously mangled work is another. Having said that, it's common for people to have an attachment with whatever version of a work they are originally introduced to. People tend to prefer the film version of a novel if they saw it first; they may prefer a remake over the original; etc. This is the peril of being introduced to derivative or inferior works before their superior counterparts, you have to actively discard what you saw first and it can be difficult.

For instance, if you saw Psycho (1998) before Psycho (1960) you may very well have ruined one of the best films ever made for yourself.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[The Dobber]

Actually it's a scaled down version of Deckards briefcase. More like a Blade Runner lunch box.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[suv4x4]

If you want the voiceover then get the 5 disc set. [amazon.com] It will contain all the released cuts of the movie, plus some extras.

Nice, I can finally put this to the 62 DVD set of Star Wars releases and the 536 DVD set of all Star Trek series, movies, cut, and uncut, in all languages it was ever dubbed in.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[Anonymous Coward]

That is because that movie is not Blade Runner. Different cast, story and name.

I wish the 5 disc blade runner set had goonies in it myself, but we can't all be happy.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[gEvil (beta)]

If you can't wait until December, the version that Amazon rents via Unboxed is the theatrical version with voiceover (assuming you don't mind using Unboxed). I rented it for 99 cents a few weekends ago only to discover that I apparently had a 99 cent credit with Amazon.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[Dun Malg]

If you are in a minority, it probably is quite a large (albeit silent) minority. Actually, on talking about this with people (in the flesh, face to face), I have not yet spoken to anyone who prefers the director's cut - like me, they prefer the original release version (assuming they've seen the original version).
That only proves that people with poor taste hang out together. The plural of "anecdote" is not "data". See, I hang out with people who can handle a complex movie without a voice explaining what's going on, with such prize-winner lines as "Sushi. That's what my ex-wife called me. Cold fish."; we all think the original cut is crap.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[wichenroder]

ditto

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw it a few days ago. It's a turd. A korean turd.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[sivadnitsuj]

I'm withholding judgement until release..

although, admittedly, I'm a bit dispassionate after Ridley Scott deviated from the original novel by marking Deckard definitively as a replicant.. I'm always interested in seeing what the director considers a truer version of their intention..

A great example of a movie salvaged from profit-driven editing is brazil, by Terry Gilliam. Wikipedia has a great article detailing the rather drastic differences between the released versions.

Re:I know I am probably in the minority

[elrous0]

I like the voiceover too. I really hate it when director's feel the need to go back and fuck with their original films. First of all, for all their talk of "fixing" the film, they usually just make it much worse. And the longer it is past the original release (and the more the director has changed over the years) the worse the changes get.

I know this is going to cost me my film buffs membership card, but you know what, SOMETIMES THE STUDIO IS RIGHT. Yes, there are notorious cases (as with Gilliam's Brazil) where the studio meddling is a bad thing. But there are also examples where the studio saves the director too. Look at "Army of Darkness" as a great example. Raimi was basically going to just do a complete retread of Evil Dead II, complete with a "Ash ends up in yet another shithole" ending. His cut was dull and pedestrian, just a rehash of what we had already seen in the previous film. The studio stepped in and made him reenvision it as a different kind of film, and made him change the Evil Dead II rehash ending to the S-mart ending. The result was much funnier, more dramatic, and much better suited as an end to the Ash trilogy than the initial cut. Had Raimi been left to his own devices, some of the most memorable scenes ("Hail to the King, baby," need I say more?) and lines would have been cut in favor of scenes stolen almost verbatim from Evil Dead II.

I really wish the Director's Guild would codify a requirement that a director must at least change the name of the movie if he releases a revised cut. I'm perfectly fine with "Apocalypse Now Redux." I'm NOT fine with Lucas trying to pass off his revised cuts of the original Star Wars trilogy as if they WERE the originals. -Eric

Leon shot first.

[ah.clem]

I'm just sayin'.

ah.clem

Revisionist

[The Dobber]

Does Rachael shoot first in this one?

Re:Revisionist

[je ne sais quoi]

No, Rachael's going to be dubbed over with an incredibly annoying CG alien with a faux jamaican accent: "Issa dis testin' whether Mesa'm a weplicant or a lesbian, Meester Deckard?

hey

[Anonymous Coward]

torrent plz

Re:hey

[The Dobber]

http://btjunkie.org/search?q=blade+runner+final+cut

Re:hey

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.mininova.org/tor/935102

Is deckard a cylon in this one?

[Werrismys]

Just wondering.

Thank you jesus

[Anonymous Coward]

Now I can stop calling girls Rachel in bed and instead dry hump my HDTV...this will save me tons of money on hookers that look like Sean Young.

Re:Thank you jesus

[The Dobber]

For some reason I confuse her with Rachel Ward, which means cold showers after Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid also

Re:Thank you jesus

[RayMarron]

...and Sharky's Machine. :-D

Re:Thank you jesus

[Anonymous Coward]

Is Sean Young the sexiest movie star of all time? Maybe the last thirty years? I think so. She is married though.

Re:Thank you jesus

[Anonymous Coward]

> Is Sean Young the sexiest movie star of all time? Maybe the last thirty years? I think so.

"Implants! Those aren't your mammaries, they're somebody else's. They're Tyrell's niece's." :)

Re:Thank you jesus

[dwywit]

Yeah, they never did make that sequel "with a possible nude scene by Juliet". Man, I waited years for that...

Beating a Dead Horse

[Anonymous Coward]

How many cuts are there going to be released? Okay, so we get another 2 minutes of unseen footage? Oh, we *finally* know Deckard is an android? Please, make us buy another overpriced DVD with promised new scenes and remastered video. I'll go ahead and add this one to the other 2 copies that are sitting on my shelf.

Re:Beating a Dead Horse

[Ferretman]

Besides....this movie ain't all that.....enough is enough already....

Ferretman

Re:Beating a Dead Horse

[DeadChobi]

Meanwhile this comes out at the exact time that I'll actually be able to afford to buy DVDs, meaning that I can buy this and finally have a copy of Blade Runner.

Re:Beating a Dead Horse

[Anonymous Coward]

Besides....this movie ain't all that.....enough is enough already....

Compared with the bullshit that masquerades as sci-fi these days marketed to the double-digit ADD riddled MTV tard brigade? Yes, it is all that.

Re:Beating a Dead Horse

[WilliamSChips]

Just because you can't follow something that isn't run at the speed of one plot point every 24 hours doesn't mean everyone else can't.

Re:Beating a Dead Horse

[Anonymous Coward]

Heh. Nice sentence structure. "Hey pal! Maybe you can't not not fail to enjoy Blade Runner, but some of us aren't not the opposite of huge fans, unlike yourself! OWNED!"

like tears in rain.

[Anonymous Coward]

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion, I watched C beams glitter near the Tan-Hauser gate."
"All these, memories will be lost; like tears in rain."
"Time to die."

Re:like tears in rain.

[Nexus7]

Apparently the Nexus 7 did not have the dying problem.

Re:like tears in rain.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're going to quote, at least have the decency to quote correctly:

"All these moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain

Note the parallels...

Re:like tears in rain.

[stjobe]

For shame, AC! What are you trying to do to my beloved quote?

Batty:
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

Time to die.

Re:like tears in rain.

[deathtopaulw]

Cookies on dowels!

Re:like tears in rain.

[gbjbaanb]

All those quotes will be lost in time, like tears in rain.

What is a drive-in?

[AHumbleOpinion]

Yeah, I know, I'm old. Do you guys even know what a drive-in is?

Yes, its a parking lot equipped with a large movie screen and speakers at each parking space. People either (a) drink lots of booze with their buddies or (b) get laid in the privacy of their car with fogged up windows. Either way people do not remember the movie. ;-)

Damn the critics...

[Anonymous Coward]

I much prefer the original narrated version. The Director's Cut release a couple of years back just removed the narrative and reversed the order of 2 scenes - and was worse for it. As for Ripley Scott changing his story about Deckard being a replicant - he's full of it. Rutger Howard's character would have figured this out. Him leaving Deckard alive at the end of the movie would be pointless if Deckard were a replicant.

Re:Damn the critics...

[Oktober Sunset]

Ohes noes, I don't understand the story so I need someone to tell me what is happening in a voice over... Once upon a time there was an android hunter called Deckard...

Re:Damn the critics...

[bennomatic]

Sounds like you were starting a limerick...

Once a blade runner named Deckard
Whose childhood memories were checkered
Found a hot babe
that he wanted to save
only to end up hen-peckered!

How's that?

Re:Damn the critics...

[Anonymous Coward]

How about a new theme song for the final cut:

"Blade runner / That Roy Batty's after you / blade runner / if he catches you, you're through!"

Re:Damn the critics...

[Dun Malg]

I much prefer the original narrated version(1). The Director's Cut release a couple of years back just removed the narrative and reversed the order of 2 scenes(2) - and was worse for it(3). As for Ripley Scott changing his story about Deckard being a replicant - he's full of it(4). Rutger Howard's(5) character would have figured this out(6). Him leaving Deckard alive at the end of the movie would be pointless if Deckard were a replicant(7). 1) What could possibly be wrong with you that you'd think that?
2) ...and changed the ending, and added back the footage hinting that Deckard might be a replicant the studio suits removed.
3) Only for those too dim to follow the story, like you, and those studio suits.
4) RS didn't change his story, the studio morons did. The DC version restores it to what it was originally.
5) Rutger Hauer. I begin to see your difficulty, watching films through that fog of illiteracy.
6) Who says he didn't?
7) Why kill him if he's going to die just like Roy? You really didn't understand the movie. See, Roy wasn't a Blade Runner, he was a replicant soldier. Deckard was the Blade Runner, and his job was to go find escaped replicants like Roy and "retire" them. Roy only wanted to live. He had no particular reason to go after Deckard, regardless of Deckard's status as human or replicant.

Re:Damn the critics...

[catchblue22]

I disagree with you about the narration. I've always thought that the original narration made the movie sound like a cheesy 50's show. You know...queue sound of a rainy city at night..."It rains hard in the city, hard enough to scrub the scum off the broken down sidewalks..." Getting rid of the narration made it far more contemplative, meditative, entrancing.

And as for the "happy ending" shot of them driving through the mountains, it seemed to me that it didn't really belong...it was a Hollywood ending for an otherwise ground breaking film. Good films should leave you thinking. They should not fill in the blanks for you.

Blade Runner has a way of taking me to a different place in they way that few films ever do. I am happy about the plot revisions.

Re:Damn the critics...

[gbjbaanb]

I got to disagree about the narration, it made it more reminiscent of a 50s film noir private eve detective movie. I mean, it was a 50s private eye movie complete with rainy city and hot dame with the bright red lippy. The narration was in keeping with all that.

The ending was better in the remake though. Perhaps the new one has bits of both, and to be honest they could put everything on the DVD so I could choose the options I want! Of course they won't, they'll just try to rip us off with the same movie, 2 deleted scenes, a voice-over from Rutger reminiscing about his Guiness adverts and charge us £15 for it. .. actually, if they put Rutger's Guiness adverts on the disc, it'd be worth every penny!

Re:Damn the critics...

[loganrapp]

This man speaks the truth.

Harrison Ford himself made it clear that he hated the voice-overs, that he intentionally did it so bad because he was hoping the studio execs would just throw it out on account of its shittiness.

He was wrong - they used the VOs. And I believe Ford, I doubt it's an excuse for his poor voice acting since he's been known to cop to it whenever he does something less-than-great.

Re:Damn the critics...

[mfnickster]

Harrison Ford himself made it clear that he hated the voice-overs, that he intentionally did it so bad because he was hoping the studio execs would just throw it out on account of its shittiness.

Do you have a source for that? I've always heard that Ford denied the rumor that he did it it poorly on purpose.

IMDB (admittedly not the most reliable source) reports it that way: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/trivia

Re:Damn the critics...

[Maxo-Texas]

There was an android hunter called Deckard...
who flew about in the sky
he tracked androids down
and got knocked around
until he found a pretty one to ply

Re:Damn the critics...

[Maxo-Texas]

I prefer the narrated version.

I do not even keep free copies of the other versions in my collection.

Re:Damn the critics...

[JavaManJim]

Thank YOU AC!!!

I have the director's cut. I was unaware of the absence of narration. Nor about the two scenes, whichever ones, being switched.

So....I am going to do retrograde move back to the original original Blade Runner.

Its like my mom used to do. When she was really old, she started painting pictures. She would create one that I liked. BUT THEN SHE WOULD TAKE IT OFF THE WALL AND KEEP ON ADDING TO IT. Ok, it was her work so I cannot complain. But we lose something when a film or artwork ventures beyond ornate.

Thanks again,
Jim

Re:Damn the critics...

[D-Fens]

I believe this was mentioned in Future Noir.
I'd have to dig up my copy to confirm that though.

Re:Damn the critics...

[Txiasaeia]

The 4 disk set includes the original North American theatrical version (voiceover), the international cut (same as theatrical but with more violence), the director's cut (different ending, no voiceover, deckard's a replicant), and the new ultra-director's cut (no idea what's on it). There's also a 5 disk collector's set that includes the original workprint. 4 disk set is currently about $25 on Amazon.com, and the 5 disk collector's cut is roughly twice that. You *can* just get the new version for $15 or so, but why bother? This is the first time that the theatrical version's been on DVD.

Re:Damn the critics...

[Lord Flipper]

BUT THEN SHE WOULD TAKE IT OFF THE WALL AND KEEP ON ADDING TO IT.

You bring up a very interesting notion. One of the things that is very similar between artists and children is that they can walk away from something; It is done, or 'finished', whereas most of us keep refining, 'adding to', the older we get. My mother painted late in her life, also. I don't recall that she kept adding to her oils. But I did have a few lady friends who would occasionally show me their paintings that were nearly 3D what with the thickness of the layers of oil in places. It was rather astonishing. Or peculiar. Or maybe just a graphic example of 'A woman's work is never done.' Who knows?

Re:Damn the critics...

[ukemike]

Future Noir quotes Katherine Haber, the Production Executive, as saying, "Bud Yorkin supervised that session, and Harrison hated it. He hadn't wanted to do voice overs in the first place and by now I think he was sick of the whole movie anyway. Harrison also didn't like what Kibbe had come up with. So he purposefully, I think, recited that narration badly. I think he was hoping they wouldn't be able to use it. And of course they did - that third narration was the one they released with the finished film."

Harrison was quoted in the same section of the book as saying, "It was in my contract that I do the voice-overs, but I hated them. Ridley hated them as well, but when the film went over budget, they made me do it. I went kicking and screaming to the studio to record it."

His attitude may have had an impact on the reading but I don't believe that he intentionally sabotaged the session.

Re:Damn the critics...

[Anonymous Coward]

Ridley Scott ?

Re:Damn the critics...

[novocastrian]

Me too. The narration added character to the movie, schlocky as it was. Without it the movie seemed dull and ponderous to me.

Re:Damn the critics...

[clem]

I prefer something a little more classy:

"Duhnananananuh duhnananananuh, Blade Runner!"

Come on, everyone sing along.

Flash video has its uses

[Jeremy Erwin]

but movie trailers are not one of them. I'd like to see this trailer in quicktime, perhaps even HD. It's unfair to subject the brilliant cinematography to the muted color gamut and harsh artifacts of youtube.

Re:Flash video has its uses

[MouseR]

Amen.

Re:Flash video has its uses

[netik]

There's nothing wrong with Flash Video. The upcoming flash release will have H.264 support for HD Video. It's just not out yet.

The best quality to bitrate ratio you're going to see right now is either DIVX or Quicktime H.264.

Re:Flash video has its uses

[MouseR]

Absolutely everything is wrong with flash-based video. Skip, fast-forward, replay control is always fucked up. Buf... wait... buf... wait... buffering is a constant issue and I dont care about features to come. Right now, flash based videos is a bit to use, a bitch to watch and a bitch to listen to.

As far as awfulness is concerned, I put in the same spot as Real player.

Re:Flash video has its uses

[Yakman]

That's because most people (YouTube included) serve the flash video file as a regular HTTP download - meaning you can't really skip forward reliably without downloading a whole bunch of extra data. If they used Flash Media Server which uses a proper streaming protocol most of these issues are resolved, you can freely jump around the stream and the FMS server will just start streaming your client the bits it needs.

Only downside is FMS ain't cheap, however there are some open source implementations.

Re:Flash video has its uses

[hitmark]

more correctly, what you want is h.264...

i would much rather have ogg theora...

Re:Flash video has its uses

[nutsy]

Your wish is my command, oh master: Blade Runner: The Final Cut trailer. Get it while it's hot!

Re:Flash video has its uses

[Jeremy Erwin]

Thanks. a nice standard divx-6.0 file

Deckard is a lesbian

[konstant]

Admittedly, the paper unicorn is not present in the original cut, nor the unicorn dream. Nonetheless, subsequent releases made it quite clear that Deckard is in fact a lesbian. Why are we still debating this?

Re:Deckard is a lesbian

[Anonymous Coward]

Deckard's unicorn dream was omitted from the original, but the paper unicorn was present. By the way, it takes a lesbian to know one, doesn't it?

Re:Deckard is a lesbian

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd always interpreted the paper unicorn as a simple indication of Gaff showing some human mercy to Rachel who - presumably - he should have retired once it was discovered she was an AWOL replicant also.

Re:Deckard is a lesbian

[Anonymous Coward]

Great way to pull chicks.

Final?

[aldheorte]

So is this the final director's cut or the final ultimate collection or the final on HD-DVD or the final but we'll add some new useless commentary in the next edition final, no truly final cut? I jest, but the continual trotting out of new editions of old movies to get people to buy the same thing over and over again is a tad ridiculous. I can acknowledge that there might be a theater release and a director's cut for timing reasons, but once that's done, it's time to move on and create something new.

Also, does anyone else share the feeling that the extra commentaries and features on DVDs are pretty much completely worthless? I remember thinking that it was very nifty when I first got a DVD player, but after watching a few, I haven't watched any in years. The only ones of any value I have seen are sometimes animated shorts that go with animated films. If anything, special features generally detract from the enjoyment of a good movie as you struggle to reconcile how a group of such insipid and insincere people could have pulled it off.

Re:Final?

[iknownuttin]

Also, does anyone else share the feeling that the extra commentaries and features on DVDs are pretty much completely worthless?

As for me - Depends. On those extra features, many times you get to see how they did the special effects and the production issues.

Re:Final?

[Scrameustache]

Also, does anyone else share the feeling that the extra commentaries and features on DVDs are pretty much completely worthless? Some are worthless, some add value.
I highly recommend the commentary on Robocop, with the director, writer and producer. It's hilarious.
I also really appreciated Whedon's commentary on the last episode of Firefly (objects in space), but some of the commentary on the other eps were, well, pointless.
I was glad to see the "making of" of A Scanner Darkly, I was sure they had some kind of automated process doing most of their rotoscopy by algorithm, turns out they did it by hand, the maniacs.

Re:Final?

[grumling]

That would be the goal. Society today finds it much more profitable to recycle than to produce new. That holds true for tires, soda cans, automobiles (both in resources and design), music (rappers just sample for the most part), and movies/television (both with reissues, remakes and the "CBS photocopier method" where a hit show is reworked just enough to avoid copyright infringement). Let's face it, the reason Steve Jobs is god is because he figured out that "creative borrowing" is much easier than creating something that has never been done before.

Re:Final?

[Threni]

> I highly recommend the commentary on Robocop, with the director, writer and producer. It's hilarious.

Perhaps you can explain something. A lot of people seem to like Robocop, but it always seemed really camp to me. A sort of robotic nazi with lipstick with homoerotic overtones...was it supposed to be like that? It seems to be more like some cult film that people can dress up to and lip synch with than a gritty vision of the future. What's your take on it?

Re:Final?

[noidentity]

I find most extras stupid, especially the heavily produced ones (as compared to commentary). Occasionally the commentary has been good, like for The Goonies.

Re:Final?

[nostriluu]

If anything, special features generally detract from the enjoyment of a good movie as you struggle to reconcile how a group of such insipid and insincere people could have pulled it off.

Only on Slashdot, where people are only interested in how the special effects were done.

Re:Final?

[Jack9]

I rent and watch DVDs a lot. If I like the movie enough (rare), I will usually listen to the director's/actor's commentary.
These commentaries often add a lot to the movie itself, and my understanding.

There's Nothing Out There - Good
Donnie Darko - Good
Brick - Not good (only actor commentary)
Anchorman - HORRIBLE (what a waste)

Re:Final?

[Anonymous Coward]

Also, does anyone else share the feeling that the extra commentaries and features on DVDs are pretty much completely worthless?

They're not just worthless, they're spoilers that "kill the illusion" so to speak. Seeing a movie taken to pieces with backstage footage and whatnot completely ruins it for me. Sometimes the commentary track can be fun to listen to if the actors/directors are actually good at it (i.e. if the have funny or interesting stories rathern than just reactionary comments like "Oh that's cool"), but this is extremely rare. I remember Hellboy having a rather fun commentary track.

In fact, I often make copies of my movies where I rip out everything except for the movie itself so when I pop in the DVD the movie starts instantly without me having to wait for FBI warnings and dig through menus to adjust subtitles and audio. I like having the movies in such a raw form.

I'm not alone am I?

Re:Final?

[Shadowplay00]

I highly recommend the commentary on Robocop, with the director, writer and producer. It's hilarious. I think Total Recall's commentary with director and star tops it. Not one but two morons making stupid comments about a silly movie in thick Austrian accents. Would make great party entertainment...

Re:Final?

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

"If anything, special features generally detract from the enjoyment of a good movie as you struggle to reconcile how a group of such insipid and insincere people could have pulled it off."

I've heard stories about people who have been a little too sincere during the extras filming and have been drummed out of the industry. I couldn't tell you if those stories are true, but it's enough to make you choose your words carefully when you're in front of a camera.

That said, if you want to see something amusing, rent the Director's Cut of Star Trek II and turn on the Michael Okuda commentary. It's a sub-titled (not audio) commentary from one of the art-department guys that takes a few amusing pokes at the movie. When the Enterprise is attacked, one of the main doors closes and people go pouring through it. A sentence will appear at the bottom that says something like "See those pipes the door's cutting through?" Later in the movie, Scotty says he cannot restore main power. Another caption appears "Maybe he should just re-open that door!"

That's about as close to 'sincere' as I've seen in a DVD-extra.

Re:Final?

[Scrameustache]

morons making stupid comments You could just stop posting.

Re:Final?

[Nephilium]

Nah... best commentary track ever is on Fight Club.

With Pitt, Carter, and Norton mocking Fincher for everything being dark... and Norton talking about the narrator meeting Tyler for the first time being his favorite scene in the book... even though it was a completely different meeting then the book, so you get Pitt asking Norton if he had even read the book...

Nephilium

Re:Final?

[PCM2]

A lot of people seem to like Robocop, but it always seemed really camp to me. A sort of robotic nazi with lipstick with homoerotic overtones...was it supposed to be like that?

So far as I know ... yes, it was totally supposed to be like that.

If you watched "RoboCop" taking it dead seriously as a futuristic actioner, you missed most of the point. It's cruel, inky-black social satire. In "RoboCop," the world of the future is falling apart under the weight of its own decadence. Corporations run the show, even social services like the police and fire department. RoboCop superficially seems like a comic-book hero come to save the day, but if you stop suspending your disbelief for even a minute -- and the movie strains credibility so far that you're all but forced to do so -- it's obvious that a world "saved" by RoboCop would be a fascist nightmare. The extreme violence and gore effects only drive home the point. The world of "RoboCop" is thoroughly, utterly irredeemable -- yet disturbingly familiar -- and, just to rub salt in the wound, it's served up as a camp joke. I think it's brilliant. And, incidentally, it's a great bookend to Verhoeven's other sci-fi black satire, "Starship Troopers."

Re:Final?

[JuliaNZ]

Also, does anyone else share the feeling that the extra commentaries and features on DVDs are pretty much completely worthless?

Yep, except for the first Black Books DVD, where it sounds a lot like the cast are gradually getting very pissed as they discuss what's going on. It's hilarious.

Re:Final?

[Scrameustache]

Nah... best commentary track ever is on Fight Club.

With Pitt, Carter, and Norton mocking Fincher for everything being dark... and Norton talking about the narrator meeting Tyler for the first time being his favorite scene in the book... even though it was a completely different meeting then the book, so you get Pitt asking Norton if he had even read the book...

Also good, but I usually don't find the actor's commentary as interesting as the behind-the-scenes people. The actors always end up arguing about the order in which scenes were filmed and chatting about the food on set or something.

Re:Final?

[Maxo-Texas]

While I do not agree they are completely worthless, I find that I watch them less and less.

Right now I have a roughly 170 hour backlog of current things to watch (as do most of my friends). There is too much good new stuff coming out to keep up.

Re:Final?

[Tim C]

Also, does anyone else share the feeling that the extra commentaries and features on DVDs are pretty much completely worthless?

I generally skim through the extras; deleted scenes and out-takes I usually watch, making of and commentaries never. As someone else said, it kind of spoils the magic when I know how it was done. I know the wires are there, but that doesn't mean I want to see them.

Re:Final?

[Anonymous Coward]

the only way we can be sure it's the final cut is if at the end of making it, they shoot ridley scoot, and burn the studio down.

or else, nuke it from orbit - it's the only way to be sure.

Re:Final?

[Rick Genter]

The world of "RoboCop" is thoroughly, utterly irredeemable -- yet disturbingly familiar -- and, just to rub salt in the wound, it's served up as a camp joke.

I'd buy that for a quarter!

And, incidentally, it's a great bookend to Verhoeven's other sci-fi black satire, "Starship Troopers."

Would you like to know more?

I agree. The satire in both movies was brilliant.

Re:Final?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd buy that for a quarter!

It's "for a dollar." Your line is from The Marching Morons by C.M. Kornbluth, presumably the inspiration for the Robocop version.

Re:Final?

[rhizome]

It seems to be more like some cult film that people can dress up to and lip synch with than a gritty vision of the future. What's your take on it?

All of Paul Verhoeven's English language movies have been vicious mockeries of American political and consumer society.

Re:Final?

[sakari]

Also, the commentary on some of the B5 episodes is hilarious, with the actors of Sheridan, Ivanova and Garibaldi commenting on the couple of episodes and sounding like they're drunk while doing it.

Material from the Sequels?

[infonography]

I had read the authorized sequels to 'Do Androids dream of electric sheep': Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human, and Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night by K. W. Jeter they paint a very interesting tangent to the movie and much closer to the story. It seems the movie may be following that plot line.

Re:Material from the Sequels?

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget Blade Runner 2: Electric Boogaloo. The one where Deckard dances.. with robot sheep.

Re:Material from the Sequels?

[Joe Tie.]

Do they ever bring up Mercerism in it? I thought that was one of the best parts of electric sheep, and a shame to have it fall out of the movie storyline.

Re:Material from the Sequels?

[aled]

I had read the authorized sequels to 'Do Androids dream of electric sheep': Blade Runner 2: The Edge of Human, and Blade Runner 3: Replicant Night

Authorized sequels to Philip K. Dick writings? This is just plain heresy!
This is like Radio Free Albemuth indeed! Does this means that the empire never ended?

Re:Material from the Sequels?

[Anonymous Coward]

not directly but after reading electric sheep, it explains all the animals in the movie and why anyone would want or pay for a replicant snake etc.

Old movies in a theatre are sometimes diminished

[AHumbleOpinion]

I just thank god I had the common sense to go see Alien at a drive-in.

Seeing old movies in the theatre sometimes diminishes them. I'm not referring to Alien, its not old - I was a teenager at the time :-), but I did see 2001 in a theatre after seeing it many times on a TV screen. I loved the movie, but on the big screen the greater details makes it obvious that some backgrounds are painted, messing with my suspension of disbelief. The african savannah scenes stuck out and my attention was drawn to implementing special effects and away from the story.

Forget the flying car!

[Anonymous Coward]

I want the Instabody drier! NOW! With Joanna Cassidy!

What do you mean, she doesn't come with the unit?

What about the "10th annual farewell cut"?

[Anonymous Coward]

Folks need to stop obsessing over this movie. It was new in nineteen eighty-something. It's like five week old Kraft dinner now.

Where the fuck is Deckards goat?

[Oktober Sunset]

If Deckard doesn't have a goat, a penfield mood organ and a close relationship with Mercer, then I don't wanna know.

Re:Where the fuck is Deckards goat?

[Mister Transistor]

Or his Mountibank Codpiece, for that matter!

Re:Where the fuck is Deckards goat?

[Anonymous Coward]

Seeing as Ridley Scott didn't even bother to read the book it was based on, you can't really moan. Blame the lazy script writers.

Re:Where the fuck is Deckards goat?

[Trendkill_84]

look i completly agree.

the book, "do andriods dream of electric sheep" explains a lot more about the world of decard.. i saw the movie and loved it (even though at the time it was for high school) and it wasnt until years later i picked up the book, which IMO, is a much better story, even though the ending is even more wacked.

what i dont understand though, is through out the blade runner discussion, the debate as to whether decard was a android or not, never stops and makes you think "wait, maybe thats the whole point, maybe the androids are so life like you simply cannot tell the difference, and does it really matter because of that"

in the book.. he comes some kind of vision of mercer (who isnt even mentioned in the movie.. ), and he finds out mercer was just an android all along, built to put faith into people while they are suffering (if i've missed something, correct me, as i would love more input into the ending)

maybe thats where the discussion stems from.

Re:Where the fuck is Deckards goat?

[Oktober Sunset]

no no, Mercer isn't an android, Mercer never existed, in the visions that empathy boxes project into the users eyes, he is played by a human actor on a low budget painted set (with brush strokes on the sky), who Buster Friendly (who is an andriod) finds and makes him confess the fraud, to try an destroy Mercerism, because androids are jealous of human empathy. Buster's plan fails as he doesn't understand either faith or empathy, and both John Isadore and Deckard see visions of mercer, and he tells isadore that he is fraud but that it doesn't matter.

There is a brief part of the book when Deckard runs into the android infested police station that he wnders if his memories are real, an if h is an android, and then the other bounty hunter also worries that he is an android untill he is tested and isn't, which seems to be where the who's human? element is from in the film.

Re:Where the fuck is Deckards goat?

[Doctor_Jest]

I think you need to dial your penfield mood organ to "calm" or perhaps "mildly irritated." :-)

Re:Old movies in a theatre are sometimes diminishe

[Oktober Sunset]

You can see the brush strokes on the sun!

The Best

[Soiden]

The best of this movie is Vangelis.

"I want more life, fucker"

[Saeger]

Roy said fucker, not father.
Oh, and Han shot first.

Re:"I want more life, fucker"

[Anonymous Coward]

it's ok to leave the scene in where he pokes his maker's eyes out, but calling him a fucker is over the top? yeah that makes sense.

Humanity ftw

[childprey]

Too bad Deckard as a replicant invalidates one of the greatest moral points of the movie.

Re:Humanity ftw

[mattpalmer1086]

No, it doesn't. Unless you believe that human life is worth intrinsically more than replicant life in the first place.

Im waiting for the holodeck directors version

[sjwest]

How many times is this dead horse going to flogged ? it cruel. Read the book, and dont buy this 'final director cut'

I waiting for the holodeck version thats way way better.

Or his wife, for that matter?

[itsdapead]

...and perhaps they could slap on a cheesy voiceover explaining that, if you'd read the book, you'd realise that the VK test questions were founded in the ficticious religion of Mercerism and had precious little to do with psychology...

Another release?!

[6350']

Good god, how many times are they going to try to sell me Blade Runner? Blade Runner, Blade Runner Director's Cut, Blade Runner Extended Cut, Blade Runner Extended Directors Edition, Blade Runner Complete Extended Director's Updated Cut, Blade Runner Extreme High Def Director's Extended Complete Uber Extras Extended Director's Extended Extension, Blade Runner High Def Reduced Calorie Low Saturation With Extended Extras Edition ....

Re:Another release?!

[nurb432]

They will keep going until we stop buying. it was a great film, on several levels

To bad they didn't do the sequel back then like was planned ( if they do one now, it will be ruined )

Personally im holding out for the uber directors cut.

Re:Another release?!

[MouseR]

How many Star Wars versions do you own?

Re:Another release?!

[Pollardito]

this is the last time. now they start merging it with other movies to release as a set. expect "Sling Blade Runner, Special Robot People Edition" and "The Blade Kite Runner, Oppressive Android Regime Edition" in the spring

Re:Another release?!

[wezeldog]

Heh. You left out "Sour Cream and Onion" and "Blade Runner 2007 Live Ultimate Edition w/ Halo 4 preview".

You're right

[Anonymous Coward]

Weesa all spousta hate da voice-ober yucky yucky!

Without the voiceover, the movie is painfully boring.

In the new version, Tyrell is also a replicant. The only one that wasn't a replicant was the geisha on the billboard.

Re:You're right

[Ticklemonster]

Gosh, thank you for that! I don't think I ever would have understood all of this without your insight. So .... okay, there once was a man named deckard, who's wife, not by him was peckered. He said with a grin, Pearl Harbor again! And his life is now sullied and checkered... no wait. How does Afghanistan fit into this again?

Re:You're right

[scottrocket]

The only one that wasn't a replicant was the geisha on the billboard.

I wonder if they'll clean up the pixelation?

What you can do with the 5 disc set

[Anonymous Coward]

If you have a PS3 with the Blu-Ray drive and a microphone headset, you can do this while watching Blade Runner:

"Pan left."
"Stop."
"Zoom in 31. Wait a minute. Pan left."

Except (slight book spoilers)

[itsdapead]

Deckard as a replicant with implanted memories is a crude, movie-friendly way of getting over one point of the book..

... in which Deckard isn't a replicant (probably - but he meets other unwitting replicants) but discovers that pretty much everything he knows and values is artificial (his religion, his favorite DJ, his pet animals...) so what is the difference?

Besides, the main evidence for the "inhumanity" of the replicants is their inability to participate in the bogus empathic communion of the fatalistic Mercerist "religion" which has been invented to keep the earthbound dregs of humanity content (the VK test is clearly inspired by Mercerism).

Re:Except (slight book spoilers)

[childprey]

Yes, but part of simplifying things down for moviegoers would have been nice to keep the "just because your different doesn't mean I can't accept you" theme.

Re:Old movies in a theatre are sometimes diminishe

[david.given]

I saw _Star Wars_ (the first time it got rereleased...) in a cinema, and had only ever seen it on television before. There's a film that works really well on the big screen. That first scene where the Star Destroyer flies over is mindblowing --- it's just so big...

These days, unfortunately, I don't go to the cinema much; too expensive, too many commercials, too annoying. I just wait and buy the DVD budget release instead. It's usually cheaper than a cinema ticket would be.

Hey, limey faggot!

[Anonymous Coward]

"Apparently it's also being released in the cinemas again in the US"

We don't have "cinemas" in the US, roast beef. We have "movie theaters" instead.

And brush your fucking teeth!

am i the only one?

[SirSmiley]

I watched the dvd of this movie...and I have to say, it was one of the most boring movies of all time. I'm sure when it came out it was , ooo look at the fancy graphics and setting..but seriously..this movie dragged and dragged..and my friends and I had this theme of renting "classic movies". The week previous we had watched apocolypse now redux..this has hands down got to be one of the worst movies of all time..it is long, it is pointless and it is very very boring does anyone even care about blade runner? i doubt it

Re:am i the only one?

[mfnickster]

this has hands down got to be one of the worst movies of all time..it is long, it is pointless and it is very very boring does anyone even care about blade runner? i doubt it

Maybe you find it boring, but it is FAR from pointless. That's why people still love it after all this time. Personally I love it because Ridley Scott puts so much detail on the screen, always giving you something interesting to look at while simultaneously giving you time to think about what's going on in the movie. It's not all slam-bang action. This is the kind of movie that's only boring if you try to watch it passively. Put some effort into watching it and it's far more rewarding.

Re:am i the only one?

[SpectreBlofeld]

I read the parent post...and I have to say, it was one of the most boring posts of all time. I'm sure when it came out it was , ooo look at the commentary and opinion..but seriously..this post dragged and dragged..and my friends and I had this theme of reading "classic posts". The week previous we had read the first beowulf cliche joke..this has hands down got to be one of the worst posts of all time..it is long, it is pointless and it is very very boring does anyone even care about the post? i doubt it

Re:am i the only one?

[Shadowplay00]

I was hoping you'd list other films you hate so I could beef up my Netflix queue. I'm sure I'm not the only slashdotter who loves both flicks

Re:am i the only one?

[PCM2]

The week previous we had watched apocolypse now redux..this has hands down got to be one of the worst movies of all time..it is long, it is pointless and it is very very boring

Well, duh. There was never any reason to re-edit "Apocalypse Now." The changes just made the plot wander all over the place even more than it already did. Go back and watch the real, original cut.

Re:am i the only one?

[Dun Malg]

The week previous we had watched apocolypse now redux..this has hands down got to be one of the worst movies of all time..it is long, it is pointless and it is very very boring My wife jokes about how no one in this town reads. You must be one of them. You know, people who, when you strike up a conversation and ask "do you read?", they say "yah, I read like, USA Today, and magazines and stuff". I'd bet you've never read any classics, like The Great Gatsby, or Heart of Darkness, unless you were forced to by your high school English teacher--- part of the 58% of americans who never read another book after graduating high school. Perhaps you might've gotten more out of Apocalypse Now if you had read Heart of Darkness, or at least had a more developed education and were capable of being intrigued by complex questions of morality. I suppose you were disappointed that it didn't have as much action as Rambo II, or The Kingdom. Clearly, you are the class of person they're aiming at when they green light another movie with Bernie Mac or Tim Allen. People like you are the reason Lost is going to irritate us with inane "didja see Lost last night?" chatter for 3 more fucking years while Firefly got the axe after only one. People like you are how Phillip-Morris, McDonalds, and Hummer dealerships stay in business.

If you get the idea that I am perhaps insinuating that you're stupid, that's because I am.

Re:am i the only one?

[callmetheraven]

Perhaps you might've gotten more out of Apocalypse Now if you had read Heart of Darkness,
You should also read "Dispatches" by Michael Herr if you want to understand Apocalypse Now. The movie is a blend of the two books.

Re:am i the only one?

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps you might've gotten more out of Apocalypse Now if you had read Heart of Darkness, or at least had a more developed education and were capable of being intrigued by complex questions of morality. I suppose you were disappointed that it didn't have as much action as Rambo II, or The Kingdom. But neither are movies expected to be the epitome of social wisdom. At least not nowadays, where even blockbusters perceived as intelligent ("complex questions of morality") are usually a belated crystallization of an idea or group of ideas that has already been accepted by society. Also, let us assume that not everyone has the intellectual training to unravel the logically complex, intermingling threads of morality that we see in films, but nonetheless, 'to be human' (from my POV at least) is to be able to appreciate the complex feelings evoked by such a plot. This should be moreso if we consider that successful films use various techniques available increasingly to modern cinematography to enhance emotional reactions. My point is that the poor reception of audiences, despite the favourable judgement of press critics and of individuals who praise its intellectual/moral meaning, may be due more to an ideological fault in the movie rather than the cognitive deficiency of the audience. Example: Movies that reduce controversial events to a moral equation (a complex equation - but an equation nonetheless). They could split the movie-going public into two groups: Those who support the moral equation therein, and those who do not support it for a reason - the complex feelings provoked by the underlying material of the film exceed the constraints of this moral equation. Often, they are accused of being incapable of comprehending the ideas that the film puts across. In fact, they are merely unable to rationalize the plot like the supposed intellectually-advantaged. Even for the intellectually-inclined, modern films are systematically devoid of intellectual vigor. When they are subversive, they contest past controversies rather than attack current ones. You will not see a film in 2007 entitled 'Putin's Russia' or 'The History of Corruption in the Bush Administration'. You will, in fact, not be allowed to produce it. So I think it is the film industry that deserves to be criticized rather than the people who watch their movies.

Re:am i the only one?

[Rick Genter]

If you get the idea that I am perhaps insinuating that you're stupid, that's because I am.

I got the idea that SirSmiley is too stupid to be able to insinuate that.

Apocolypse Now Redux boring? Wow.

I, for one, can't wait for Blade Runner, The Final Cut.

Re:am i the only one?

[WilliamSChips]

The "classics" tend to be horrible books(with the possible exception of the Crucible, which was a play). I'm sorry, but Nathaniel Hawthorne's prose should be considered a deadly form of psychological warfare.

Re:am i the only one?

[chuckymonkey]

Thank you for that, even though I work with a bunch of really smart people not a one of them can carry on a conversation deeper than what's put out by hollywood these days. They have no idea what a thought experiment is, don't understand what a moral dilemma is or why movies such as Apocolype Now and Bladerunner are great movies. It really saddens me and makes me lose faith in my fellow countrymen.

Re:am i the only one?

[localman]

[blade runner] is pointless

All movies are pointless! Life is pointless!

I'm sorry, I just hate that particular criticism of anything. It's so... pointless ;)

Re:am i the only one?

[SoupIsGoodFood_42]

You sound like an elitist who thinks that people who don't read books are stupid. The truth is, intelligence comes in many forms, and it's not always literature. Plus, some people don't have the time to sit around all day reading books. Perhaps you should stop thinking that you are better than everybody else just because you read more books than they do -- at least that's the impression I'm getting here.

Re:am i the only one?

[Anonymous Coward]

What's worse is an inability to find a woman who can carry on any sort of deeper conversation. I go out to bars and meet women or my friends introduce me to women, and on the whole they all tend to eventually bore me on one level or another. This past weekend one of my friends' girlfriends asked me why I wasn't dating anybody and I simply replied that I am picky -- which is enough of the truth, I guess. How on earth do you tell a woman that you're still single because you are bored to tears by most women.

My dream woman doesn't have to be drop dead gorgeous -- I've had enough of the pretty but not smart girls -- but she does need to be intelligent.

Re:am i the only one?

[Anonymous Coward]

You got all that from one comment? Don't be a pompous ass. I've read a lot of "classics" post high school and college. Most of them are not that great. I think people consider them classics simply because that are old. It's like artifacts. You bury a turd for a thousand years, and suddenly it valuable.

It's not ridiculous at all

[Colin Smith]

edition final, no truly final cut? I jest, but the continual trotting out of new editions of old movies to get people to buy the same thing over and over again is a tad ridiculous. It's fucking genius! You get to sell the same thing to the same idiots again and again.

It's amazing

[FatalTourist]

Saw it at the Ziegfeld in NYC. It looks and sounds incredible. Changes are quite minor, no Lucasing here. The best part was the remastered picture and audio. If you are a fan, you'll love it. If you are a nitpicking wiener, you'll hate everything, so stay at home and register your complaints on a message board.

Re:It's amazing

[pavon]

When you say the changes are quite minor, is that in comparison to the theatrical release or the directors cut? Just curious - I like both. I am glad that they are finally releasing it on DVD, and although it is annoying that I have to buy the 4 disc collectors edition to get it, $35 isn't a bad price.

Re:It's amazing

[maxume]

You could join netflix for a couple of months, or go to blockbuster. You don't have to buy it.

Re:It's amazing

[Anonymous Coward]

You are the ones who are the ball lickers, we're gonna fuck your mothers while you watch and cry like little whiney bitches, then we're make them eat our shit then shit out our shit then make them eat their shit which is made of our shit that we made them eat.

Deckard and Rachel

Re:It's amazing

[WilliamSChips]

"Lucasing" is not releasing the original. Nobody would have cared that Han no longer shot first had the originals continued to have been available for comparison back when they were released.

Re:It's amazing

[sam_paris]

I also went to see it at the Ziegfeld. I've no idea why the summary says it is "apparently" being released in cinemas.

Anyway, it was amazing, the visuals and sound were breath taking. The slight editing changes weren't particularly noticeable.

Screening information

[Anonymous Coward]

It is screening in NYC as part of the New York Film festival - see:
http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/nyff.html

Starting October 5th, BR will be playing in Los Angeles at:

The Landmark
10850 W Pico Blvd
LA CA 90064

theatrical release

[JeffSh]

i emailed my local theatre chain asking about blade runner. they responded that they had no clue about a theatre re-release. turns out that it is only being screened in new york and LA.

so, the theatrical release note is quite a bit misleading.

More info on the different releases.

[pavon]

The Digital Bytes has a page clarifying the details about exactly what is contained in each of the various sets that are being releasing.

The good news is the original version is finally available on DVD.
The bad news is that it is only available as part of a collectors edition.
The good news is that the 4-disc set is fairly reasonably priced at $35.

Re:More info on the different releases.

[glarbl_blarbl]

Man, with a slashdot UID that low -- you'd think you'd know the difference between a byte and a bit... ;-D

Hell yes, this is The Final Cut.

[MsGeek]

Commentary track on Repo Man DVD is teh awesome. You finally find out what was in the can of "Generic Food."

And I have seen BR:FC (at The Landmark theatre in West LA...4K projection for the win!) and it is unbelievably cool. It is tighter and flows better than the so-called "Director's Cut" which was basically put together based on notes from Ridley Scott, jotted down hastily on the set of Thelma and Louise. This time Scott and his longtime DVD producer Charles de Lauzirika actually were hands-on throughout the entire process, from start to finish. This has been 8 years in the making. They shot new footage of the lovely and talented Joanna Cassidy for face replacement during the death scene, which originally was an obvious stunt double. BTW she looks 99% like she did 25 years ago...I saw her at Comic-Con in person and she's amazing.

Unlike George Lucas' periodic childhood rapings, this is The Final Cut. Accept no substitutes.

For all your BR fannish needs, go to http://www.bladezone.com/. Beats the official website all to heck and back.

Re:Hell yes, this is The Final Cut.

[WilliamSChips]

Unlike George Lucas' periodic childhood rapings George Lucas wasn't the one that raped your childhood. It's just the fact that Star Wars is only good when you're 11, whether or not Han shoots first. Had Lucas not made the originals unavailable for so long "Han Shoots First" wouldn't have memetically infected the population.

fucker vs. father

[MsGeek]

This was an artistic decision on the part of Ridley Scott. He felt the line was more in keeping with the religious awe of the scene. Both lines were separate takes shot during the filming. I am still partial to "fucker" (it sounds more like Roy Batty's righteous indignation at being born a slave and deliberately given a four-year lifespan) but it makes sense.

If you have problems with the change, take it up with Ridley Scott. And four out of five versions you get in the super-bitchen set have the original line, so buy the big box and have it your way.

Re:fucker vs. father

[Chordonblue]

No, he purposely says, FAH-Ker. A blending of Father and Fucker. Intentional. Brilliant, as was Hauer's 'tears in rain' comment - also made on the spot.

Re:Old movies in a theatre are sometimes diminishe

[PietjeJantje]

Bladerunner ages remarkably well, especially considering movies from the same area. What disturbed me most last time I saw it, were the CRT screens. If only that was remastered, and the story set forward some 10 years or so, it would be hard to identify it as a movie from 1982.

Why the canadian ripoff?

[Anonymous Coward]

Why is the box set $25 higher in Canada?

Re:Why the canadian ripoff?

[Overzeetop]

(1) you get to copy stuff, right?
(2) the CAD used to be worth less and it's too much effort to change the printing presses in the US

and, the real reason,

(3) because they can!

Isn't government protected capitalism wonderful!

Re:Why the canadian ripoff?

[Dun Malg]

Why is the box set $25 higher in Canada? Because even though the Cnadian Peso isn't actually worth less than the US Dollar, it ought to be.

Lousy maple-sucking puck-slappers, coming here taking all the good jobs...

Re:Why the canadian ripoff?

[necro2607]

"(1) you get to copy stuff, right?"

Apparently not, actually, considering the CRIA threats sent to demonoid.com recently (thus causing Demonoid to block all Canadian users so as to avoid the legal trouble of having the CRIA after them)... Hey, CRIA assclowns, did I mention I want my fucking CDR/DVDR "levies" back?

Re:Why the canadian ripoff?

[Anonymous Coward]

They took ar jooooooooobs

The Web Has Its Uses...

[RobotRunAmok]

...but video isn't one of them.

Nothing beats the 'net for distribution, however, so we compromise. Water starts to taste like wine when your thirsty and its free.

Stop complaining...

[Anonymous Coward]

...about the number of different cuts being used to "milk" the fans. First of all the original theatrical release was butchered by the producers. The director's cut fixed it, but there has only been one crappy, early DVD release of it. Now it's finally getting a proper release (I especially look forwards to the high-definition version). Furthermore, if anyone prefers the original theatrical version: it will now finally be available too. I, for one, welcome our high definition replicants.

I wish the same proper treatment (remastering and releasing the proper versions) was given to some other classic films (*cough* Star Wars).

Because your the Fredo Corleone of the Anglosphere

[Anonymous Coward]

(typo in subject to fit the character limit)

It costs more because Canada is the Fredo Corleone of the Anglo-Sphere.
A loyal older sibling that got passed over, and is now bitter and hopelessly insecure.

Fredo Corleone: I'm your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over!
Michael Corleone: That's the way Pop wanted it.
Fredo Corleone: It ain't the way I wanted it! I can handle things! I'm smart! Not like everybody says... like dumb... I'm smart and I want respect!

FYI, the old DVDs sucked

[tentimestwenty]

Blade Runner was one of the worst mastered DVDs out there. For anybody who saw it in the theatre, especially the limited run 35mm print from around 2000, it's apparent that Blade Runner is one of the most beautiful films ever shot. The DVD was too dark and grainy, non-anamorphic and the sound plain sucked ass. It's probably the film that will get me to buy Blu-ray.

Crap Movie

[nicklott]

It was a poor film the first time, cut number eight is not going to make it better

s/goat/sheep

[Anonymous Coward]

There, fixed that for you. Turn in your nerd card at the door.

Re:s/goat/sheep

[Oktober Sunset]

wrong fucktard! I'll take your nerd card, Deckard had an electric sheep, but he bought a real goat. Get further than the first page before you try to get smug on someone next time fucker. PWNED.

Have it your way!

[PCM2]

This is actually a diabolical marketing scheme for Blu-Ray. The Blu-Ray version of the movie uses branching to offer "Blade Runner" the way YOU like it. Push a button on your remote and Deckard is a replicant. Or, make him a human. In a hidden Easter egg, Sean Young runs away with the unicorn.

Its milking a cow, but I like the milk

[davmoo]

I'll go buy this one, simply because I want the theatrical release on DVD. I'll watch the new cut, but I doubt I'm going to like it. Making Deckard a replicant simply places too many holes in the story to work around. Plus it ruins the "moral basis" for the story.

And finally, here's the really hard point to work around, at least in my mind. And that's the fact that Harrison Ford has stated in a number of interviews that when the movie was being made, Ridley Scott assured him that Deckard was in fact human.

I think Ridley's changing his mind now simply to milk that ol' cow even more.

Re:Its milking a cow, but I like the milk

[Anonymous Coward]

Think about it: Ford was playing a character who had no doubt he was human, why would any director tell him the character is really a replicant? RS has implied as much, but a director can't explicitly say he plays games with actors' heads.

What BS! Deckard shot first!!

[Lensar]

I can't believe they edited this version to make it so the Replicas always fired first... Is nothing sacred?!

Seconded, and I saw it at the Ziegfeld too

[StandardDeviant]

Long one of my favorite movies, but I was very small when it was in the cinema. Being able to see it in that environment was well worth the price of admission, as no home video system can quite compare. Plus, I have to admit, being in an auditorium packed with people who loved the film was a great experience: no talking, no crying babies, no cell phones, just total admiration for the film. Dead silence except for a cheer at the beginning and at the end.

Re:How many final cuts are there? (Up NEXT!)

[jon287]

Up next! The super-duper, mega, final-FINAL-THISTIMEWEPROMISEITSTHELASTONE, all-of-the-footage-of-the-actors-in-their-trailers-between-scenes-included, do you really think those suckers will buy the same movie one more time?, edition. In a gorgeous, leather bound, sweatshop made, tin box with little tiny replicas-ants? of the characters inside.

Oh, and a map of middle-earth, because damn, we've got to do something with all of these things!

Re:Damn the critics... SPOILERS

[Scooter]

I preferred the narrative too. I thought it lent a sort of gumshoe quality to the mood at the start. I feel you're a little confused though "about a great many things" to quote a bad guy from another galaxy. "Ripley" (Ellen) was a character in another movie - also by *Ridley* Scott. Rutger *Hauer* played the android Roy Batty. In the final scenes on the roof top, Batty came to realise he values *all* life, not just his own artificially short one. It makes perfect sense for him to save Deckard's life, replicant or not.

Not only was Deckard a replicant in the Philip K. Dick story the movie is based on, another bladerunner comes looking for Deckard. In the original release, the audience is left to wonder if Deckard may have been a replicant. In the 1991 cut, the decision is made for us by the inclusion of the unicorn "dream sequence" - which also clears up why Gaff leaves the paper unicorn for Deckard to find at the end - which implies he knew Deckard was a replicant, and had seen his dreams (or maybe even provided them). When I saw the dream sequence in the director's cut on DVD, I thought I'd sat on the TV remote and switched to a TV channel - it was badly integrated. The plot in the film is simplistic compared to the plot of "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?", but works really well.

I'm looking forward to getting a new copy of this - the current DVD is a really bad print - it doesn't even fill the frame in some scenes. I just hope Holden doesn't shoot first.....

You Do !gethismovie

[Chordonblue]

Or A.I. for that matter, I'll bet. Tell me, did you think the creatures at the end of A.I. were aliens too? Before it was excusable if you didn't get a movie, these days there are forums and reviews all over the Internet that can clear that sort of thing up for you BEFORE you post!

Re:You Do !gethismovie

[Nf1nk]

>Tell me, did you think the creatures at the end of A.I. were aliens too?

What creatures? For me that movie ended when the little robot sat in the submarine staring at the blue fairy. If something happened after that it was some sort of cartoon short with relationship to the movie. That way I can rationalize that movie into being a good movie .

Re:You Do !gethismovie

[sgant]

I too feel that they should have ended it right there, of him forever staring at the Blue Fairy making his wish.

Then ended they put on there just was weak.

Good DVD commentaries

[citizenc]

Fight Club - the commentary track with the author, Chuck Palahniuk, is the most amazing I've ever listened to. You learn SOOOO much about the story that you didn't know -- like the fact that the author knew people who would pee in soup, or the whole apartment-explosion thing was based on a real story. (His friends had linoleum on their kitchen floor and were using gasoline to peel it up. Fridge clicked on, BOOOM sent everyone out into the back yard.) Highly recommended. Mallrats - the track with Kevin Smith and crew. Jason Lee, Jason Mews, Ben Afleck, Scott Mosher. It's seriously laugh-out-loud funny the WHOLE way through. This page has the commentary available for streaming, apparently. Give 'er a listen. :) Actually, all of the Kevin Smith stuff is awesome that way.

Re:Old movies in a theatre are sometimes diminishe

[Anonymous Coward]

far out man

far fucking out

Oh my...

[Anonymous Coward]

That poor server has been slashdotted :(.
Does anyone have a mirror of the site? I would be very pleased if I also could read the details...

Re: Thirded, saw at the Landmark in LA

[angst_ridden_hipster]

What impressed me was how well most of the "low-tech" (e.g., not CGI) special effects held up. I know they did a little cleanup for this release, but, by and large, the models / matt-paintings / fog still make for a very impressive show.

It was also interesting to see all of the actors basically at the peaks of their careers. Most of them subsequently demonstrated that their acting ranges were pretty narrow, but Scott got pretty dead-on performances out of all of them.

The film really is the best of Hollywood dystopian science fiction noir police dramas involving implanted memories.

I want more cuts...

[Junior J. Junior III]

...fucker.

I also prefer the original version - A Opinion

[gadlaw]

You know everyone has an opinion. My opinion is that I like the original version, not the directors cut, the second directors version, the laser disk version, the version without the narration, the version released only in Nambia, the version released to the airlines, the tv version or any of that. Does that make me an idiot because my opinion differs from your self described superior opinion? Calling people illiterate or otherwise belittling their opinions to prove how smart you are or how superior you believe your own opinion to be is just sad. It's a movie, buy the super deluxe version and pull it off your shelf every once in a while and lecture your cat about how your opinion is better than anyone else's opinion. I'm sure the cat will be impressed.

And see some of the filming locations...

[libertynews]

at my new project MovieLandmarks.com (yes, we need more locations and contributors)

Alan Nourse title

[brassman]

I read Blade Runner in Analog magazine, back in the 70s. The producers of the "Electric Sheep" movie could have had two great movies, but they only bought Alan Nourse's story because they wanted its title -- which they wasted. The title is integral to Nourse's story, which was about a guy making his way as a smuggler in a devastated society, one where surgical supplies were especially precious and hard to get... supplies such as scalpels.

No, I'm not joking. The story was called Blade Runner because the lead character actually smuggled blades, the way a gun runner "runs" guns or a rum runner "runs" rum.

Re:Alan Nourse title

[Anonymous Coward]

I saw the book Blade Runner in the library once. It was pretty obvious that it was not the same story as the movie but I decided to read it anyway since the story seemed interesting. I remember it being a pretty good book.

Re:Damn the critics... VISTA it is!

[aqk]

You bring up a very interesting notion. One of the things that is very similar between artists and children is that they can walk away from something; It is done, or 'finished',, whereas most of us keep refining, 'adding to', the older we get. ....


Hmmnn... You bring up a very interesting notion. It's kinda like Computer software...

Re:Damn the critics... VISTA it is!

[Lord Flipper]

Hmmnn... You bring up a very interesting notion. It's kinda like Computer software...

Computer software, yes. Your comment can be taken a couple of ways, by me. Neither of which might be as it was intended. But, I don't want to paint the world of software development with one brush. It is diverse, and all that. But I have seen a large number of apps that, after versioning iterations, shoot themselves in the foot, and forget to do that "one thing really well" that made them 'great' at one time. (This is pretty subjective, so I won't list my personal examples, but we all see this at some point, I think). Perhaps that what you meant?

Of course, on the other hand, some apps roll with the punches of the OS they operate with (I'm thinking of DiskWarrior, on the Mac) and actually do their one or two things better, and faster, almost in spite of the two steps forward, one step back, changing nature of their OS environment. I use Windows a lot also (and like it, go figure) but don't understand its evolution enough to draw similar examples, but I have faith they exist. It's the nature of the business, and the individuals need to tinker (which can really pay off, or really blow up), it seems.

Slashdotted

[onosson]

That's all, nothing to see here.

Whine whine whine

[Card]

So is this the final director's cut or the final ultimate collection or the final on HD-DVD or the final but we'll add some new useless commentary in the next edition final...

Look, nobody is forcing you to buy this. If you want the Director's Cut and no frills, buy the single disc release which has been available for a year for $10 or less. If the print has run out or you want more extras, buy the two-disc set, it's only about $15. If that's not enough, there's also a 4 disc set. For us movie freaks they are offering the 5 disc set.

The previous release had horrible image quality. This new release fixes that, and you aren't forced to buy the extras. What exactly is your problem here?

Re:Damn the critics... SPOILERS

[Elvis Impersonator]

You said: Not only was Deckard a replicant in the Philip K. Dick story the movie is based on, another bladerunner comes looking for Deckard.

I'm sorry, but it appears you never read the "story". Its actually a novel called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
And Deckard's humanity is central to the story. He can and does join with Mercerism, something no Android can do.
Sure, the question about his humanity is raised but it ends up more as a comparison. His deadened humanity vs. Roy's life-affirming artificiality.
Its better to support your arguments with facts rather than recycled hearsay.

A replicant?

[AtomicRobotMonster]

I thought the point of the movie was that it didn't matter if Deckard was a replicant or not.

Re:How many final cuts are there? (Up NEXT!)

[dswensen]

Yeah, why can't things just go out of print, like they used to? That was much cooler.

Blade Runner, The Final Cut

[The MESMERIC]

Sounds like an advertisement for a award-winning avant-garde hairstylist

Re:Damn the critics... SPOILERS

[Scooter]

Yes I have read it although it was along time ago. Yes it is called "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" as I mentioned later in my post.

"recycled hearsay" hmm as I said, I read it some time ago so apologies if I mis-remembered some of it. I do seem to remember there being a very large question over Deckard's origins though. And didn't another cop from Russia come looking for Deckard? (perhaps for this reason). Maybe you're right - I shouldn't comment if I'm not sure. The curse of late night posting.

Spinal Tap commentary

[makohund]

The commentary on the Spinal Tap DVD is absolutely worth it.

The original cast (the band) does the whole thing entirely in character, as if they were watching an old documentary of themselves. It is hilarious, and like having an entirely new Spinal Tap movie that is nearly as good as the original.

Best commentary track ever.

Re:Damn the critics... SPOILERS

[Elvis Impersonator]

Well, yes - I agree there is a very large question about Deckard's humanity. It does start out as a doubt whether he's a replicant. But I think the question ends up - in the novel- as "Is Deckard's strained and weak humanity, better or worse than Roy Baty's manufactured humanity?" I'm pretty sure that the original film asks the question of Deckard's humanity but leaves us doubt - and room for thought. The second film seems to want to remove the doubt and the room it creates for thought.

Re:Damn the critics... SPOILERS

[Scooter]

I agree: the subjects of "what is life then exactly?" and quality versus quantity (of life) were central to the theme - Roy craved more, and Tyrell pointed out to him (in the film) that "the light that burns twice as bright, burns half as long, and you have burned so very brightly". I guess at this point, Batty figured that Tyrell had burned way too long, and in any case, was a smug git, and crushed his skull..

You are quite right about the re-cut, and I felt the way the doubt was removed was pretty crude too. If you've ever watched Star Trek IV and noticed the random stock footage of some humpback whales added at the end, this is how the dream sequence seemed to me - "and now some footage of a white horse we found on the cutting room floor of "Gay Cowboys Eat Beans III", which we've slowed down and drawn a unicorn's horn on". It's so out of whack with the style of the rest of the photography, there may as well have been a big flashing sign across that scene saying "remember this bit - it's an important clue"...

Annoyingly, I can't find my copy of the book - I'll have to go and buy another and read this again though.

Re:Old movies in a theatre are sometimes diminishe

[iainl]

Really? I saw a lovely restored 70mm print 2001 in, well, 2001. It was absolutely amazing, and a far superior experience to watching it at home on DVD for me. Some of the mattes were showing their age, sure, but the sheer screen-filling majesty of it was phenomenal.

Re:Damn the critics... VISTA it is!

[oliverthered]

Computer software doesn't get added to, they just re-write it in .net so that it runs much much slower and looks like they've added something to it.