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Please
note that most links are not revised. Although correct when originally
written, the nature of news means that I cannot guarantee that any
particular link will still be valid today.
30 Sep 2006 |
Maybe it is because
I haven't had any decent Indian food recently, but this article
made me salivate. The picture alone makes me hungry for a Biryani.
And makes me miss England where international cuisine
is vastly more available and much higher quality than in the
US Midwest where I currently exist. Oh, the article (in The
Australian - Travel section this time) - it says, "THE old
Indian city of Hyderabad feels as if it were built for the
future; prophetic, perhaps, because these days it's starting
to look like a science fiction vision far stranger than the
familiar fantasies of Blade Runner." |
30 Sep 2006 |
It seems that
short films are not what they used to be. The
Australian (Arts section) laments
the demise of narrative in short films and how that translates
to big movies. Pointed to are a trio of Cinema 16 DVDs of short
films - mostly created a long time ago by directors who are
now household names - like Ridley Scott for example and his
"Boy and Bicycle" which was made almost half a century
ago (actually I thought it was mid-60s, but hey, I'm only an
expert so what do I know...). |
28 Sep 2006 |
The future keeps
marching on and advertising takes advantage. Now in some cities,
taxi cabs carry a visual advertising display atop the roof
that changes the theme of advertising depending on location
(financial district, urban, suburban, etc.) Wireless communication,
bright visual digital displays, GPS - The Very Intelligent
Display is truly affordable 21st Century technology being applied
in our streets. Article. |
28 Sep 2006 |
What will the
city of the future look like? In 1982, "the future" was
the 21st Century, so almost a quarter century later, we are
living in what was the "near future" back then .
Self-evidently, what was dreamed of 50 years ago is now the
future 50 years hence. And while many of you reading this were
not born 50 years ago, some were, and I would guess the majority
of you are at least 25. So, 'that' future has arrived and
what? Oil consumption higher than ever, especially in a greedy
USA. Peak World oil production predicted even by oil companies
themselves to be within 15 years (and some predict much sooner.
So what of the city's transformation from back then to now
to the future? James
Howard Kunstler has
a pessimistic view. |
28 Sep 2006 |
Although many
reviewers have drawn Blade Runner as an obvious influence on
Renaissance, it is still nice that the creator has directly
acknowledged the influence as reported in this straight.com article. |
22 Sep 2006 |
If you want to
know a little more about the Renaissance movie, then I suggest
you read this IGN interview
with its creator, Christian Volckman. |
22 Sep 2006 |
I think the subject
of the last article is quite fascinating, but to truly get
all the way to the Edge, you need the urban Rooftop Cinema
where you can watch such wonderful films as Blade Runner while
sitting on your city rooftop quaffing wine. The
Age tells us of "The
new cinema, which will screen films via a digital projector,
will seat 200 viewers in deckchairs on synthetic grass, and
offer some of Melbourne's best views". This phenomenon
is spreading across Metopolises around the world. Sounds great
to me! |
22 Sep 2006 |
When is an umbrella
not just an umbrella? Of course BR fans will immediately start
thinking of umbrellas that light up, but that just isn't offbeat
enough. I'm out at the Edge and what I see are people turning
the umbrella into a mechanism to display their photos. Portable
telephone/mp3 player/camera not enough for you? Perhaps you
need an Umbrella
Photo Browser. |
20 Sep 2006 |
Forbes.com interviews
Colin Angle, co-creator/SEO of iRobot (creators of Roomba and
Scooba and more), about the realities of current commercial
robots and the immediate future of robotics in real life. Includes
a link to 25 seminal moments in robotics history. |
19 Sep 2006 |
Ronald D. Moore,
inspired by the Original Star Trek Series and writer for latter
day ST series, as well as Battlestar Galactica, puts forward
his inpiration of the positive ST-type future as opposed to
the dystopian BR-type future. His characters, in the footsteps
of Kirk, acknowledge the failings of humanity, but eternally
strive to rise above them. Article in the Herald
Tribune. |
18 Sep 2006 |
The Comic
Book Bin reviews the new "Eight Way Bandits". Set in
the very near future in a Cyberpunk type world, Bounyoy Pfau,
aka 'Boy', is genetically engineered to be superior in strength,
speed, intelligence, etc. than the men who engineered him...
He is "owned" by the megacorp that created him. And he is
the Bounty Hunter. Of course it rapidly gets more convoluted,
but sounds like the sort of thing some of you BR fans might
like. |
18 Sep 2006 |
This
article is titled 'Blade Runner' due
to it's association with helicopters. I include it as inspiration
for the real world where if you believe in a dream and are
prepared to work at it, you can make the dream come to life.
This is real life... |
18 Sep 2006 |
Oh, I can't resist
telling you about this. It is only vaguely related to BR, but
is just so fascinating. Apparently,
there is a certain area of New York (the East River Waterfront)
that is absolutely ripe for a certain real estate developer
to "redevelop". Problem
arises when certain people voice their opinion that certain
buildings should be preserved for "heritage". Oh,
but strangely, said buildings end up on fire and burning to
the ground. How unfortunate! Of course heritage protectors
can't protect a hole in the ground, so redevelopment is now
free to continue. And of course redevelopment entrepreneur
Mr Guttman had nothing to do with any arson. So says his lawyer
Israel Goldberg. You just can't make this up. Monty Python
or Not the Nine o' Clock News Or Saturday Night Live would
just die for material like this! |
09 Sep 2006 |
How do the street
vendors in BR speak? Well apparently the same way they speak
in Singapore. The Daily
Atorian has an article about Indonesia,
Riau and Singapore. |
09 Sep 2006 |
You've seen his
posters. He is the ultimate film poster creator. John Alvin
- read about him in the Washington
Post. |
05 Sep 2006 |
Syd Mead is well
known to BR fans. Here he contributes to an art exhibition
of the future. The Crewest Gallery in L.A. has an exhibition called “The Hidden Futures” which 'explores the
possibilities of tomorrow'. On 9 Sep - 8 Oct. |
05 Sep 2006 |
So what exactly
is the effect of the internet or any other 'future' technology
on our lives? Tyee
Books reviews the book "Future Hype" by
Bob Seidensticker which takes a somewhat cynical view of current
developments in technology. Are we really progressing as fast
as we think we are? Well, tell you what I think - you wouldn't
be reading what I think if it weren't for the internet. Nor
would you be able to read this book review unless you happened
to be a subscriber and quite frankly, I will always
read Wired magazine first. |
29 Aug 2006 |
I've mentioned
it before and now I'm mentioning it again, because you need
to know. The New Zealand Scoop makes
a strong recommendation for the animated movie 'Reniassance'.
See Renaissance
official site. |
29 Aug 2006 |
'Blond,
Blue Eyes' - Rutger Hauer of course! Or, more precisely, a documentary
covering two years of his life. He is the most internationally
famous Dutch actor of all time and you've probably seen him
in numerous movies, so this insight into his life should be
quite interesting. Filmed by Simone de Vries, according to
Expatica it will be shown at the Netherlands film festival
on 4th October. |
25 Aug 2006 |
Is this new "designer
garage" really like something out of Blade Runner? Commissioned
by Citroën, it will cost you £112,330. Made of light-transmitting
concrete and other high-tech stuff nobody needs, you can switch
between 'pride or hide modes'. Or you could make a decision
before you build your garage whether you want your car to be
hidden, (buy concrete walls), or if you want it to be seen,
(buy glass walls), ... and save yourself £100,000 (or
buy yourself a couple more cars). And if you have that sort
of money and want a terrace, you really don't need to make
it on top of your garage... Read the article at ... umm... findaproperty.com (Yeah,
I know, essential reading for the Cyberpunk futurist...) |
24 Aug 2006 |
What
can films such as "Blade Runner," "Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and "Super Size
Me" teach us about the ethical,
social and legal implications of bioethics? This question
will be asked by Arizona State University's Bioethics, Policy
and Law Program. This examination of biotechnology will show
several excellent films during the course, including BR.
I mention it not just for the inherent interest, but because
the films are free and open to the public. Read
more. |
21 Aug 2006 |
Digital 04 Studios
will be hosting a new Digital Art Conference in Montreal on
September 23/24. Syd Mead will be one of the guest speakers.
bytesector
article. |
18 Aug 2006 |
Full
Metal Apache: Transactions Between Cyberpunk Japan and Avant-Pop
America - By Takayuki Tatsumi (wow,
glad I can copy/paste that!) The
Daily Yomiuri Online reviews this book - an examination
of postmodern culture, subculture and literary/filmic Oriental/Occidental
recombination. Who is influenced by whom? In a world where
we are constantly reinventing ourselves and others, country
borders have little to do with the new world culture. Or to
cite an obvious example: BRmovie.com is an international website
reporting on an article in Japan's largest English language
newspaper reviewing a book by a Japanese university professor
about East-West cross-culturalism? I think I'm turning Japanese,
I really think so...
|
14 Aug 2006 |
Popular
Science discusses "The Fembot Mystique".
Why are we fascinated with the likes of Pris, Maria or any
Number 6 (e.g. from Battlestar Galactica or Tripping the
Rift, (but not The Prisoner!))? I shall refrain from suggesting
an answer, or why I want a Nexus 6 pleasure model for myself... |
11 Aug 2006 |
A film of cult
British SF show "The Prisoner"? According to Coming
Soon, it
is to be written by Janet and David Peoples, (David was second
scriptwriter for BR and together with his wife, they wrote
Twelve Monkeys). Potential director is Chris Nolan, who
is currently working on the sequel to Batman Begins - The Dark
Knight. I'm wary. Hollywoodized movies of cult British TV shows
are some of the most utterly crap movies ever made, because
they usually lose the very essence of what made the show popular
(on both sides of the Atlantic) in the first place. (e.g. The
Avengers, The Saint, Thunderbirds, HHGG...) And with The Prisoner,
part of what appeals is numerous episodes to tell the tale.
Can it be done effectively in two hours? I guess we'll just
have to wait and see. |
08 Aug 2006 |
I mentioned a
week ago that Bill Pullman was being hailed as a
bit of a Dick. Now Paul Giamatti is apparently also going to
play Philip K. Dick. "Also" because we're talking about another PKD
movie, that is, a movie about PKD rather than an adaptation
of one of his stories. As my mother would have said, "It never
rains, but it pours." |
04 Aug 2006 |
Sir Ridley Scott
was in charge of creation of the definitive future city of
L.A. 2019 and apartments of a few of the characters in Blade
Runner. He supervised creation of the most magical of forests
in Legend. So what about his own house? Well, perhaps he really
needs to rely on set designers...
The
Evening Standard reports on an interior designer's view
of exactly what is wrong with Ridley's own digs. |
04 Aug 2006 |
Apparently, according
to EURweb,
Mariah Carey will have lots of costume changes in each performance
of her new tour, starting with a "Blade Runer look" - apparently
a B&W R&B superhero... Okaaay..... |
31 Jul 2006 |
Cinema
Blend, Movieweb and
Dark
Horizons report on the Production Weekly story that Bill
Pullman may have been been given the role of Philip K. Dick
in "Panasonic".
It will be a fictional film, but based on the writings and
imagined worlds of PKD.
Update: Now confirmed. |
30 Jul 2006 |
Don't be surprised
when you visit Mawu Village in Beijing's Tongzhou District
and see a 1.8 metre (5'11") tall robot pulling a rickshaw.
This is the 25th robot creation of Wu Yulu who is a farmer
and creates robots just for fun. Read the China
Daily story
to find out about this interesting character. |
29 Jul 2006 |
I've probably
mentioned "Second Life" in the past few months. Well. Now I'm
mentioning it again! Until you get a virtual life in addition
to your real one, you are only existing. Timesonline takes
a look at the rapidly expanding Second
Life. Is it Blade Runner?
Well, it can be anything you make it. So go make it. |
28 Jul 2006 |
I suspect that
most of the regular readers here are at the very least open-minded
about scientific advancemenents and the people who discover
and create them. Blade Runner is one of many films that takes
things to an extreme and sees what happens. Not human cloning
as such, but creation of robot slaves from human DNA is only
one step away. Like most films of this nature, the scientist
behind it all is shown to be doing something that ultimately
is "morally bad", (even though it starts with the
best of intentions).
No wonder the general populace has an apprehensive view of
scientists and what they do. Brian J. Roseberg writes for the Harvard
Crimson Opinion page of The
Misunderstood Scientist and why The
modern myth must be debunked.
|
27 Jul 2006 |
In today's world,
does having a fanatical knowledge about films really have a
place? Well, I've devoted a quite large website (with the help
of many others' contributions) to just one film, so I think
you can guess my answer! Even many of the film scholars or
self-created critics would acknowledge that the fan interested
in the minutiae of the film, the making of the film, etc. has
an important place. Indeed, I suspect that two groups are actually
two sides of the same coin. So, where do the fine details come
from? One great source is the magazines devoted to film. PopMatters takes
a look at these, especially in the horror genre, but ends up
the first of two articles with a look at Cinefantastique. An
excellent source for film detail in the 70's and 80's, the
mags contain wonderfully in-depth information about Blade Runner.
The assignment to cover BR went to Paul M. Sammon which eventually
led him to write the book "Future Noir", widely referred to
by BR fans as "The BR Bible". Can we have too much information
about a film? ... No. |
23 Jul 2006 |
Film versus TV?
I strongly support both. No need to pretend one is "better"
than the other. Film is powerful, but TV has more scope and
much more time to build stories and characters. This is the
view expounded by The
Age - and how the best filmmakers really
should also make TV - and I quite agree. Take, for example,
the Scott Free produced "Numb3rs" - I am personally delighted
the show even exists, let alone is quite enjoyable. I am sufficiently
the math-whiz myself that I can appreciate it beyond the drama
and even criticize at that level, but still appreciate the
fact that I am watching a good detective show that incorporates
advanced mathematical theories into practical applications
to help solve crimes. Where else but TV? And who else but some
talented people willing to push past the soap operas and "reality"
TV dross? |
21 Jul 2006 |
So, I was watching
Stargate SG-1, as I still do, and they're still infusing it
with humour and references their audience will relate to.
Such as the reference to the "Knights who say 'Ni'" for Python
fans. Then when Vala (from another planet, but human) is studying
for a psych evaluation (so she can give the "right" answers)
reads off the computer, "You're in a desert. You look
down and see a tortoise lying on its back, its belly baking
in the hot sun and you're not helping. Why is that?" The
answer she comes up with for not helping is that she is also
a tortoise... |
20 Jul 2006 |
Watch out for
animated film "Renaissance", set in Paris, 2054 - some are
saying like Metropolis and Blade Runner. It has voice stars
Daniel Craig (the new James Bond) and Ian Holm (one of my all-time
fave actors - Alien, Brazil, Fifth Element, LotR amongst many
others). Check the official
site. |
18 Jul 2006 |
What do the
experts think are the Top 25 "must-see" films of all time?
Well who cares as long as BR is on the list! The Radio Times
"expert", Andrew Collins, is responsible for the
"Film Buff's Guide", according to The
Mirror, also reported in The
Scotsman. An interesting
selection - have you seen them all (probably not), some very
deservely on the list and definitely the odd film there that
I would strongly challenge. |
16 Jul 2006 |
sonicstate points
us to a collection of videos about Vangelis. Definitely worth
a look as genius musician Vangelis tends to steer away from
public view. Find out more about him and his music, (which
goes far beyond the soundtrack for BR). |
15 Jul 2006 |
"A
documentary, "Visual
Futurist: The Art and Life of Syd Mead," will debut in
Los Angeles next Sunday." Syd is the futurist behind
much of the look of Blade Runner and his visions have inspired
far beyond that. Last Monday, he was awarded a special commendation
at the National Design Awards, honoring his influence on how
others design for the future. The ceremony was held at the
White House. The Washington
Post takes a quick look at his visions
with comments by Syd on what he really thinks about them. I found
a trailer for
the film and that led me to this.
The film will be shown at the Dances
With Films Festival. This
year the festival runs July 21- 27 at the Laemmle's FAIRFAX 3.
Syd Mead will be there for a Q & A on July 23rd, 12:30 p.m.
showing. |
14 Jul 2006 |
abc
news has
a great summary (from PC Magazine) of all those gadgets and
technologies predicted in Science Fiction and where they
are in the real world of 2006. Article by David Gerrold,
SF author, who inflicted us with Star Trek's "The Trouble
with Tribbles" (amongst many other things). Don't you just
wish you could have one of those portable communication devices
from those old SF films - you know, you could walk around
a city with one and communicate with another person walking
around the city? Well, I got my first cellphone over 10 years
ago. Sometimes SF predicts the future, sometimes it inspires
people to create the future! |
13 Jul 2006 |
Instead of suggesting
you look at one of the reviews for "A Scanner Darkly",
(a few of which are good, some are factual and many make you
realise that any tosser can get a job as a movie reviewer
somewhere ...), I have something infinitely better: Well, actually IGN has
it - the first 24 minutes of the film for free viewing on the
internet. If you are not sure if you want to see the film,
then watch this. The plot of the film deepens further on in
the film, but you can at least identify if you will find it
watchable. There are also interview clips available here. |
06 Jul 2006 |
One of the many
influences BR has is on the fashion world. Even haute couture,
as The
Telegraph + 2 reports
of Galliano's latest collection for Dior, ("on Planet
Botticelli"). The Telegraph articles don't
have the relevant pictures - a better idea of what they look
like can be found at
Style.com -
I've set the link to page 3 of the collection which is where
the Pris-a-like models are. |
03 Jul 2006 |
So, Film Four
is finally going free. Whoopty doo... When I was living in
the UK, I sure as hell didn't think they were worth 7 quid
a month! So, they're celebrating by showing their 50 top films,
according to BrandRepublic, who point out their blindingly
obvious omissions. Notably Blade Runner, which never fails
to make the Top 20 of EVERY British film survey for many years.
No wonder Film Four have had to go free when they are so totally
out of touch with the tastes of the British public! |
If
you see a Blade Runner article not listed, please send
me the
link so I can add it.
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