esrosedotblog

ANOTHER BEST

Today's movie is not on the NYTimes Best1176 Film list. Maybe that is because it is about LA. The NYT hates LA.

But, a few weeks ago, the LA Times (a pretty good paper on its own) said that Blade Runner (1982) was one of the top 25 movies of all time.

So I put it in the Netflix queue. We can't have the NYT running all the show.

It is pretty good. Contrary to our policy, we could not get the theatrical version, so we saw the director's cut. It does not have the Harrison Ford voice-over, there are a few more scenes here and there, and the ending is bleaker.

It is an amazing film and I did not see it when it came around. The visuals—23 years old—are fantastic and are, apparently, the template from which all subsequent films have been made.

I loved all the 'business' in the interstices; the people, the scenery, the funny bits like the 58 Caddy that goes by, tailfins and all. It is Southern California for sure. You have never seen so many old cars as we have out here. No rust.

I am not usually too happy in this genré movie-wise even though I read a lot of books that 'read' like this movie.

It is basically cyber-punk literature brought to life. A Philip K. Dick novel was used as the basis for the story which is pretty thin. But almost all Dick novels are thin on story and high on atmosphere.

I actually 'saw' it as being more Gibson's Neuromancer (1984) or Stephenson's Snow Crash (1992). They both, presumably saw the movie too. I am sure they read Dick.

Who knows? These guys copy each other all the time.

This film is Ridley Scott the younger. He read all the books too. You can see Alien in all the wet technology.

And so on.

What am I saying? The movie seems derivative because it was there first. It is the real thing. It is all good. I think that this one gets special points for having a neat sense of humor.

I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5 although I don't think it is one of the best 25 movies of all time; even the LATime or the NYTime. Time is a long time.