23
Dec 2003 |
An
interesting comparison: Nate Patrin in City
Pages says about Dizzee Rascal's Boy in Da Corner music,
"When you dance to it, the music feels like Pris's twitching
death throes from Blade Runner."
|
23
Dec 2003 |
At
FilmStew.com,
Ian Spelling
chats with New Zealand special effects maestro Richard Taylor
about his fondness for Blade Runner and other DVDs. A man
with good taste!
|
23
Dec 2003 |
Ben
Affleck talks of Paycheck and mentions watching Blade
Runner and reading DADoES as well.
|
13
Dec 2003 |
The
NY
Times has named names on why the Blade Runner Special
Edition 3-DVD set is on hold. It is their report, not mine.
They say, "The avidly awaited,
definitive version of Ridley Scott's science-fiction classic,
"Blade Runner," won't be out on DVD anytime soon
for stranger reasons. When
"Blade Runner" was being shot in the early 1980's,
Bud Yorkin, a veteran television comedy producer, and Jerry
Perenchio, now the C.E.O. of Univision, were the film's bond-completion
guarantors. When the film went over budget, by contract they
assumed ownership of the film. Paul Sammon wrote in his book
"Future Noir: The Making of `Blade Runner' " that
they hated the film, had bitter disputes with Mr. Scott and
tried to take it away from him altogether.
The studio release, in 1982, contained superfluous narration
and a tacked-on rosy ending. Mr. Scott removed both when he
was allowed to make a "director's cut" in 1992,
but it was, by his own account, a rush job.
Three years ago, Mr. Scott announced that he was working on
a three-disc box set, which would offer all the versions of
the film, including a new and polished director's cut with
previously unseen footage and scads of bonus features. Then,
at the end of 2001, Warner Brothers, which was planning to
distribute the discs, pulled the plug. It did so, according
to a producer who worked on the project, because Mr. Perenchio
gave no sign that he would let them be released.
Mr. Perenchio, speaking through an assistant, had no comment
on the situation. (Warner Brothers still sells the 1992 "director's
cut," though the picture quality is mediocre.)"
Now,
you might already know, or have guessed most, if not all,
of the above, but let me say that the project is not dead.
We still hope for the possibility that the BR:SE DVD set will
be finished and released in our lifetimes. I expect that writing
to Mr Perenchio will do no good and of course is not something
this website supports... ~ An address associated with him
is:
Jerry
Perenchio
Univision Communications Inc
1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 3050
Los Angeles, CA 90067
phone: (310) 556-7676
fax: (310) 556-3568 http://www.univision.com
|
02
Dec 2003 |
Back
in October I mentioned that the philipkdick.com
site was becoming official and relaunching. Well it has launched,
so check out the great new design. There is of course a Blade
Runner section and it includes the first 2 of 30 BR production
sketches that were given to PKD (the rest to come). Whether
you have seen these before or not, they certainly form the
beginning of a superb web collection. Most fascinating of
all (Exclusive content-Letters-Letter to Jeff Walker) is the
letter dated October 11, 1981 where PKD is very positive about
the upcoming Blade Runner film! Of course PKD fans will also
find masses of other interesting stuff on the site as well.
Read the full press
release.
|
01
Dec 2003 |
If
you can make it to London this Saturday (6th December) then
you may be interested in a debate entitled From
Dystopia to Myopia: "Metropolis" to "Blade
Runner". Check the link for the Future Vision: Future
Cities conference pages or get the pdf
brochure. The debate at the LSE is "A look at the
changing historic visions of the city using different cinematic
examples from different periods. Has the image of the city
become more dystopian? Can we achieve a useful examination
of the subject through a cultural rather than a political
critique? - A discussion with film clips. Kim Newman (novelist
and critic) and Xan Brooks (editor, Guardian Film Online)
in conversation with Dr Graham Barnfield (lecturer in journalism
and print media, University of East London). Conference organiser
Austin Williams."
|
01
Dec 2003 |
We
know the future is already partly here. One more step is the
Metreon in San Francisco, which Pop
Cult Mag describes as "a fragment of our inevitable
Blade Runner destiny: a four-story center of cool, glistening
window displays and low-level lighting mixing uncomfortably
with the natural sunlight peeking in."
|
18
Nov 2003 |
I
like WIRED Magazine. Articles like, "The
Second Coming of Philip K. Dick" which is now on-line
are the reason why. With Paycheck coming out - yet another
film based on a PKD story - there are going to be plenty of
articles written about the film and PKD, etc. but if you only
want to read one, then this is it.
|
15
Nov 2003 |
You
should have already got the picture from reading the BR news
reports in the last couple of years, but here is one more
where RS clearly says it out loud. Asked the question, "Didn't
you and Harrison disagree about what his character was?",
he answered "I don't care. We've kissed and made up."
Read the rest at About
including talk of voiceovers.
|
13
Nov 2003 |
The
Ithaca
Times informs us on the visual art of Stephen Hendee.
Inspired by SF film, dystopia and utopia, Gibson and PKD,
not to mention working with BR Visual Futurist, Syd Mead,
this is about more than just art.
|
13
Nov 2003 |
Philip
K. Dick - the "unacknowledged godfather of The Matrix".
Well perhaps so! Jessica Zafra talks some home truths at abs-cbnnews.com
|
12
Nov 2003 |
It
amazes me how one of the most right wing politicians in UK
history should be in the supposed left wing Labour party,
but David Blunkett's policies are straight out of our worst
dystopian SF, like 1984. His utterly stupid and much hated
idea of introducing National ID cards which are to include
biometric data even remind Iain Macwhirter of The
Herald of the V-K in Blade Runner. Excuse me, let me just
scan your eye and ask you some questions to check if you're
one of "us".
|
09
Nov 2003 |
It's
the New
York Times again, this time with a perspective on Los
Angeles, California and the future of politics and the city
perceived in comparison to depiction in film, especially Blade
Runner. Is the future an 'undifferentiated sprawl' flowing
around the gated communities of secessionists?
|
08
Nov 2003 |
"Screenwriters
Are (Obsessive, Creative, Neurotic) People, Too." Quentin
Tarantino and Brian Helgeland discuss this for the New
York Times. The discussion is interesting and at the end,
a quick rundown of favorite screenplays has this selection
by Helgeland, '''Blade Runner,'' by Hampton Fancher and David
Peoples (''It wasn't all art direction -- the dialogue was
terrific in that movie'')'
|
07
Nov 2003 |
You
know you love those Best SF Film lists really. The
Oregonian polled 15 writers and hardcore sci-fi buffs
to rank the best science fiction films ever made - they came
up with a list that I happen to think is pretty good. Alien
and Blade Runner are at the top.
|
02
Nov 2003 |
"Intellectual
strip-mining of pop culture by academics is as old as Socrates."
So says Andrew Potter in Canada's National
Post. The Matrix follows in a legacy that includes Blade
Runner, but extends back thousands of years - philosophy encapsulated
within a fiction which then itself becomes the source material
for philosophical debate.
|
31
Oct 2003 |
There
are many who have been inspired by Blade Runner, in many different
ways, (as can be seen by regular reading of this page!) But
despite its many influences on real life, the biggest derived
inspiration must still be for other filmmakers. Such as Anthony
Fankhauser who is following his dreams to make movies. Talking
to his alma
mater newsmag, he says, "I'm usually groovin' on
the latest great flick I've seen, but my all-time favorite
is Blade Runner. Blade Runner is what a movie should be. That
movie is so good visually that if there were no dialogue it
would still be good." Great inspiration indeed.
|
29
Oct 2003 |
Odd
that I should find this press release on Yahoo
Finance, but no matter. The Musical Journey of Vangelis
Heard on Odyssey - The Definitive Collection, "celebrates
his most famous and enduring recordings over 30 years, from
1973 to 2003, from his pioneering electronic music to the
now classic 'Chariots Of Fire' to a new composition, 'Celtic
Dawn'." - Includes music from Blade Runner (Love Theme
and End Titles).
|
28
Oct 2003 |
Obviously
plenty of Alien reviews in the news at the moment, I like
this
AP one that has the quote from Joel Silver, producer of
"The Matrix" trilogy, "I think Ridley was incredibly
groundbreaking with 'Alien' and later 'Blade Runner'. The
whole idea of a decrepit future that was evident in both those
pictures was a really monumental design choice. Yes, we were
all affected by it." Of course we already knew that...
|
25
Oct 2003 |
I
don't believe it! In a story initiated by the release of Alien
again and looking at DCs generally, this Telegraph
story reviews the Blade Runner DC changes and yet again perpetuates
the myth that the unicorn dream footage came from Legend.
IT DIDN'T!!! It was original footage shot for Blade Runner.
See the FAQ!
|
24
Oct 2003 |
Nice
job if you can get it. KnoxNews
tells us that Jay Clayton, chairman of the English department
at Vanderbilt University, (Tennessee, USA), has been awarded
a $100,000 grant by the National Human Genome Research Institute
(part of the National Institute of Health). "In collaboration
with Professor Priscilla Wald of Duke University, he will
lead a 12-member team to study and catalog the topic of genetics
in literature, film and popular culture." Particularly
cloning and of course including Blade Runner. Press
release.
|
22
Oct 2003 |
The
PhilipKDick
site that has been the unofficial best source for everything
PKD for many years is about to become the official site. In
association with PKD's Estate and prompted by ever increasing
interest in the author, the new official site launches next
month to tie in with the release of the film 'Paycheck', based
on one of PKD's stories.
|
16
Oct 2003 |
The
International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) did a survey of
its members to find their choice of the most influential cinematographers
in the history of filmmaking. ICG National President George
Spiro Dibie, said "We invited them to choose the cinematographers
who have done the most to influence the art form. More than
300 cinematographers received votes." The late Jordan
Cronenweth, who brought the brilliant visuals of Blade Runner
to life was voted into the Top Ten. Read the press release
at Yahoo.
|
13
Oct 2003 |
Have
you played Alone in the Dark? The new film adaptation of the
video game stars Christian Slater who tells SciFiWire
that it is like a cross between The X-Files and Blade Runner.
|
08
Oct 2003 |
We
know Blade Runner is Sean Young's favourite film of those
she's been in and also Rutger Hauer's and Ridley Scott seems
to have a lot of affection for it. Well now, Daryl Hannah
has told Fox
News that the favourite of all her films is Blade Runner.
Now, if Harrison would just come out and admit it....
|
03
Oct 2003 |
GameSpot
talks more about the game Paradise Cracked, "inspired
by movies such as Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and The
Matrix."
|
03
Oct 2003 |
I
don't know if I like Blade Runner being associated with the
British Labour Party Conference, but when the association
is more specific, i.e. "nightmarish vision of the future"
and David Blunkett's (Home Secretary) very scary policies,
then I get the picture. Read the Guardian
report if you can stand Simon Hoggart's examination of
the Labour government's hypocrisy and doubletalk.
|
01
Oct 2003 |
The
Replicants in Blade Runner are not computers, Sebastian. They
have DNA. If they were to come from an extension of today's
technology, then it seems clear that they would arise from
genetic engineering. But the majority of today's genetic research
is in food production, to feed the increasing population of
the world. M. Simon talks in The
Sierra Times of a non-dystopian genetic future.
|
28
Sep 2003 |
I
have already mentioned the busy life of Daryl Hannah quite
recently, but there is one more element now. Apart from the
many films, including Kill Bill (mostly the second one), according
to the Philadelphia
Inquirer, she is getting in loads of good acting jobs
now because she wants to become a director in the future.
|
27
Sep 2003 |
Sir
Ridley is mentioning Blade Runner quite a lot these days.
The
Age examines his work with some interesting comments from
the man himself - 'Then comes the look. Always the look. How
did he create it in, say, Blade Runner, the landmark 1982
sci-fi thriller that spawned the dark, wet, steamy atmospherics
we later saw on MTV and in rock'n'roll shows? "I can
draw. I did seven years of art school, so I damned well should
be able to," he says. "I can draw a really, really,
really good storyboard. I can start drawing buildings and
I can start putting people in them. I start thinking about
clothing and where would we be in 2019. Blade Runner was wholly
influenced by my frequent trips to New York. I always thought
of New York as a city of constant evolution and overload.
In those days (the '70s), it was quite grim. I always thought
of Blade Runner as a dark, romantic comic strip. You guys
invented comic strips, and they're not funny. Orphan Annie
is the blackest thing I've ever seen. Daddy Warbucks? He's
like a serial killer. Annie has no pupils to her eyes. Superman
and Batman are very dark inventions."'
|
24
Sep 2003 |
A
Pacific
News news story shows that modern Tokyo has more in common
with BR than just some similar neon landscapes. The word is
"kyosei" which means "living together"
as in a multi-racial, multi-cultural harmony. When parts of
Tokyo echo to the sound of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.
it is clear that globalisation and international movement
of people to create new mixes of cultures is indeed global.
|
20
Sep 2003 |
The
St.
Louis Post-Dispatch report on the Toronto film festival
comments on one particular documentary: "The richest
documentary for diehard film fans was "L.A. Plays Itself,"
a three-hour analysis of how the real city of Los Angeles
has been represented - and misrepresented - in the movies.
(Its cheekiest assertion is that the LA depicted in "Blade
Runner" is not a vision of dystopia but an urban planner's
dream come true, a city steeped in neon, street life and multicuturalism.)"
|
20
Sep 2003 |
'Director
Maximus' is how the Telegraph
describes Ridley Scott in an interesting interview. On inspiration
from where he grew up, he says, "After grammar school,
art school was like the goddamn door opening - seven years
in constant study of form and light. And then, I see things
in a certain way. It probably goes back to industrial England,
and, a lot of people would say, that's why you get Blade Runner.
There were steelworks adjacent to West Hartlepool, so every
day I'd be going through them, and thinking they're kind of
magnificent, beautiful, winter or summer, and the darker and
more ominous it got, the more interesting it got."
|
15
Sep 2003 |
Do
Replicants feel human? Would it be like being an alien to
one's own body and what of the love between Replicants? Blade
Runner explores that in some ways. István Nyári
uses dolls and mannequins in his art to explore the emotions
of similar ideas. Well it gives me an excuse to link to the
Budapest
Sun anyway.
|
15
Sep 2003 |
At
first sight, you might not think a film starring Bill Murray
making friends with a much younger Scarlett Johansson as they
hang out in a foreign city would be at all reminiscent of
Blade Runner. But when you throw in a backdrop of Tokyo neon,
a melancholy mood and dreamy music, there may be something
here for BR fans in a different mood. See this review
to see if it catches your attention.
|
12
Sep 2003 |
So
hands up who thinks the voiceover in Blade Runnner is not
necessary ... Ah Sir Ridley, I see your hand up ... read this
article where he talks of this and many other things.
|
12
Sep 2003 |
This
has only the vaguest reference to Blade Runner, but the idea
of roller skating French police amused me, so here
you are. And it is such a cool story, you can read it
here
too.
|
11
Sep 2003 |
Inspired
by the Teesside chemical works and lit with thousands of fibre
optic lights, it is of course the Hades set for Blade Runner.
Or is it? Well yes, but it is also the Column of Light - a
26' column that is the latest street art in Middlesbrough
town centre. Check
it out.
|
09
Sep 2003 |
You
should all know by now that Daryl Hannah's career is undergoing
serious revival, but just in case you've missed out on the
news of Kill Bill, etc. Zap2it
brings you up to speed.
|
09
Sep 2003 |
Oh
alright, I suppose I should include one
article on Matchstick Men, directed by Sir Ridley. (And
just for good luck, here is another
focused on Scott himself.)
|
09
Sep 2003 |
The
Ballyhoo
Examiner does a city comparison to Blade Runner that I
can only describe as ... well ... Irish.
|
08
Sep 2003 |
What
if the various bits and pieces in JF Sebastian's apartment
spotaneously assembled themselves into human form and started
talking? Somehow, that doesn't seem that crazy. And it is
pretty similar to what happens in Rhinocerous Eyes - a film
showing in the Toronto
Film Festival, (well you didn't really expect me to talk
about Ridley's Matchstick Men did you? "Does the Pope
poo in the woods?")
|
04
Sep 2003 |
It
is 40 years since Dr Martin Luther King Jr made his famous
"I have a dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington DC. At SF
BayView, Mumia Abu-Jamal compares the current condition
of Black America to Blade Runner - a grim and dark future
that is the bleak present for millions of Black American youth
today.
|
01
Sep 2003 |
More
Human than Human? You probably think you're not terribly interested
in the San Francisco mayoral race (unless perhaps you live
there, but maybe not even then). However, the SF
Examiner tells you why you should be. At a pub in SF,
they have used the Blade Runner VK test on the candidates.
The pub is called The Wave and they have their
own website where the results are published. Cool.
|
30
Aug 2003 |
Latest
city to be compared to Blade Runner - Miami. Read about it
in Infoshop
News.
|
26
Aug 2003 |
If
you've been reading a while, you know I think Tron is great.
And while it cannot match the original film, because the world
has changed by two decades, the Tron 2.0 game is still of
interest. Out today in the US, it brings together the key
creators including Syd Mead who did so much for both Tron
and Blade Runner. Read about it here
|
16
Aug 2003 |
Read
about Suba, a musician who dubbed Săo Paulo (the
Brazilian city) "the Blade Runner of the Tropics".
Sampa nova may not sound like the BR music of Vangelis, but
its influences strike a similar chord.
|
07
Aug 2003 |
"Flickering
lights from a gigantic screen on top of a skyscraper beams
through a gloomy sky, showing a woman wearing a kimono and
talking in a mystic language." - Blade Runner of course
- except nowadays this is reality. Check this
article from Korean JoongAng Daily.
|
01
Aug 2003 |
Some
weeks ago I mentioned the auction of BR costumes and props
to take place yesterday. Headlining the BR sales was one of
Rachael's outfits which got one bid ... for $25,000. Then
there was Deckard's blaster which got some interest and went
up to $17,000. Zhora's plastic mac went for $1,600. Now, folks
if anyone is interested in buying a seethru plastic mac, I'm
sure I can get you one for a mere tenth as much. That's right
- you give me $160 and I'll send you something that looks
vaguely like Zhora's plastic coat...
|
25
Jul 2003 |
Thanks
to WEKurtz for the link to these Blade
Runner inspired Lego models. Excellent work. Also to this
BR
fan art of what a 1982 Vangelis album cover could have
looked like (but didn't).
|
23
Jul 2003 |
You
may have heard some of these before, but here
is some Harrison Ford humour - expressed on the "Late
Night with Conan O'Brien" chat show.
|
23
Jul 2003 |
If
you're planning to watch the Edinburgh military tattoo this
year, it seems you will have the pleasure of listening to
some Vangelis theme music. Unfortunately not Blade Runner.
No, it is the soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s film, 1492:
Conquest of Paradise. Well, that is moderately interesting,
but why it caught my attention was that it is reported in
numerous places with Vangelis described as "Blade Runner
film score composer Vangelis". True, but rather an odd
choice of description for someone who has created so much
including the Oscar winning music of Chariots of Fire...
|
15
Jul 2003 |
Not
unusually, this article in the Pacific
Times only contains a comparison to BR and not unsurprisingly,
it refers to Tokyo. However, as the article addresses an important
issue that affects not only Japan, but all countries, I thought
I'd mention it. Resolving such issues is necessary if we are
to follow a path that leads to a United Earth.
|
15
Jul 2003 |
frontwheeldrive.com
has a most interesting posthumous interview with Philip K.
Dick. I know it sounds strange, but it really is worth a read.
Thanks to totojepast and Slashdot
for the heads-up.
|
12
Jul 2003 |
Regular
readers know I occasionally like to point to the obscure ways
in which comparisons are made to Blade Runner. Although the
film style, cityscape and characters are referred to every
day somewhere in the news, it isn't often that pendant lights
get the BR reference - so here
you go.
|
09
Jul 2003 |
I
have reported some of what Daryl Hannah has been up to recently,
but for those who want to know more, Backstage.com
has done a full feature on her, including details of her projects,
plus some bio and interview stuff, including a revealing description
of how she got the part in Blade Runner. Other perspectives
from the various press meetings for all the films (particularly
Northfork) she is in this year can be found in the Toronto
Star report and Chicago's
Daily Herald and the LA
Times Calendar Live and FilmStew
- all of which are interesting to contrast in their different
reporting and what they choose to focus on - from the films,
her life, her love life to how she eats chocolate. The reporting
world is far stranger than the films she is in!
|
08
Jul 2003 |
Sir Ridley is congratulated by Giannina.
|
Sir
Ridley Scott has attended the official ceremony where
the Queen has bestowed his knighthood (announced in
the New Year's Honours List). The picture to the left
was published in the BBC
report. The lady is Giannina Fascio (Ridley's partner).
All hail Sir Ridley Scott! Although he deserves it just
for creating Blade Runner he is actually being honoured
for his services to the British Film Industry (some
of which I have reported in this column).
|
|
08
Jul 2003 |
Are
you interested in Blade Runner memorabilia? I'm not talking
about tie-in merchandise, but the actual props used in the
film. Then check out the Profiles
in History site for summary details of a major Hollywood
film and TV memorabilia auction - headlining with the original
George Reeves' TV Superman costume. Auction is July 31. Blade
Runner items include: Zhora's plastic raincoat, one of Rachael's
outfits, Deckard pistol, etc. The auction is being held in
conjunction with eBay
Live Auctions, so you can check all the individual items
here.
Of course, if you actually want to buy any of this, you'll
need some very serious cash! Even one of the ordinary license
plates is estimated at $2,000+ and the Rachael dress is estimated
to get a staggering $30,000-$50,000!!!
|
07
Jul 2003 |
Mind
the machines, they're taking over - T3 giving cause to
review the history of robots real and fictional. If you want
to read a quick spin through certain highlights of Metropolis,
Luddites, Star Wars, Blade Runner, etc. then here you go.
And I agree that the Wachowskis owe a debt to the Terminator
movies, but as an SF buff, I should mention the debt the Terminator
owes to Westworld with Yul Brynner as the robot that relentlessly
pursued its target. This is of note right now as I've heard
Arnie wants to remake Westworld. Pity, as it is of its time
(a pre-Star Wars time of some intelligent Science Fiction).
|
05
Jul 2003 |
In
the Sydney
Morning Herald, Fiona Williams writes a fascinating discourse
on "Science Faction". Films like Blade Runner, Total
Recall and Minority Report are linked by more than PKD, the
films attempt to go to a specific place in SF called "Future
Reality". That is not just making up complete fantasy,
but extrapolating technology, etc. that may very well exist
in our future and then examining how humans would interact
with it. Fiona examines the loop that joins the science fiction
creators and real life scientists and technologists - each
inspiring the other.
|
04
Jul 2003 |
A
few weeks ago, I mentioned the Ridley Scott Awards. Apple
is joining the various companies sponsoring these awards.
It was Ridley Scott of course who directed the stunning Apple
'1984' commercial.
|
02
Jul 2003 |
Occasionally
someone will seize on the latest movie releases to have a
look at the theme of Humans and Robots, so with Matrix 2 articles
seguing into T3 articles, there is no shortage recently. In
The
Age, the question of "Human or not?" starts
off with KeaNeo in Matrix 2 when he "turned into a robot"
- (though some might say he always was...), but then goes
on to explore the concepts of humans, cyborgs, robots and
the odd alien and questions what we consider to be a "person".
Of course references BR with its major theme of the inhumanity
of the humans versus the almost-human replicants.
|
01
Jul 2003 |
An
interesting look at the whole concept of the "Director;s
Cut" can be found at 24
Frames per Second. The irony of course is that the DC
of BR is not the final cut as Ridley Scott was simply not
given the time to make it so. But he did last year for the
BR:SE. Unfortunately currently mired in legal issues.
|