I love PKD and with all of the crap movies that have been made from his books (I'm talking to you Affleck), it is a pleasure to be reminded how great a film can be.
My Dad took me to see the film in theatres back in 1982, I was so in awe of the film . When Roy Batty was chasing Deckard , it gave me a sense of true horror .
Putting on the 20/20 hindsight goggles, do we agree Dick is correct? He sounds like a flugelhorn for a PR machine, but the hyperbole is just eagerness and enthusiasm.
I think Dick was right to a degree. We are measuring other sci-fi products to the Blade Runner and PKD standard.
That, and if I have to say it again, pick up the damn remastered soundtrack by Vangelis. That album is a masterpiece in and of itself, and is still inspiring tech/downtempo/glitch music.
@gods-n-clods: I agree, click back to the main page, scroll down to the morning spoilers, and look at the "sci/fi" we are presented with today, garbage if you ask me. PKD represents a different kind of science fiction, the kind not to be taken lightly.
@disatess: I think he was right to an extent. Blade Runner defines the pop culture conception of science fiction. However, I think that there were probably amazing science fiction novels and short stories being written and perhaps published at this time - I find it hard to believe that the genre was ever "dead" or "dying".
People are always writing interesting stuff. It just doesn't always get a lot of attention.
@LovelyHue: there was a point before star wars , sci-fi movies seem to be a great joke and not taken seriously ,which almost made it die out or be come stale .
PS: Do not take this letter as implicit permission to rape my bibliography. For example, I would hate to see Paycheck turned into a mindless action movie. Seriously, I will haunt you, Hollywood.
@txtphile: If ever there was a PKD-based film I would love to see re-made, it's Paycheck. Seriously Woo and Affleck f-ing ruined this film that had such a great premise.
I wouldn't call it a commercial failure. A box office failure, yes. After you consider all the video, DVDs, Director's Cut DVDs, Special Edition DVDs, Final Cut DVDs, and Blu-Ray editions sold, I'm sure someone has made money off of this movie.
@Batmanuel: it didn't make back it's budget at the box office = commercial failure
that it, much later, was big on VHS and later DVD doesn't change that.
and while it's aesthetic/design/cultural etc influence can go without saying, it had a negative impact on sci-fi film at the time because of that commercial failure.
@rebelminion: Hell yes, and it looks GREAT. Well, it was actually remastered and recut for theatrical release as "The Final Cut". I see small details in this version that I never saw before. It is well worth picking up.
This is great to see. I love that movie, and it may well have started my sci-fi fascination when I was a kid. I'm glad that PKD thought it was great, too.
How could you not mention that Kay-em is played by Lisa Ryder who played Beka Valentine on Andromeda? The movie also stars Andromeda herself Lexa Doig.
@Cash907Censored: correct, this is exactly what I was going to write. It's scifi noteworthy that the two females leads from Andromeda are there, with their roles reversed. :)
I really like the android here, with the 'barbie' body. This is something I wanted to see portrayed in film or TV. The female androids are usually normal, physically functional, women with obedient personality, rather than the manufactured approximation body I think they would probably be.
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I think Dick was right to a degree. We are measuring other sci-fi products to the Blade Runner and PKD standard.
That, and if I have to say it again, pick up the damn remastered soundtrack by Vangelis. That album is a masterpiece in and of itself, and is still inspiring tech/downtempo/glitch music.
10/13/09
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People are always writing interesting stuff. It just doesn't always get a lot of attention.
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an amazing letter...all he got wrong was the commercial success part..but then, so did everyone else.
10/13/09
I wouldn't call it a commercial failure. A box office failure, yes. After you consider all the video, DVDs, Director's Cut DVDs, Special Edition DVDs, Final Cut DVDs, and Blu-Ray editions sold, I'm sure someone has made money off of this movie.
10/13/09
that it, much later, was big on VHS and later DVD doesn't change that.
and while it's aesthetic/design/cultural etc influence can go without saying, it had a negative impact on sci-fi film at the time because of that commercial failure.
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Hey, that new movie pitch is... FOUR sentences. Jeebus.
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The really amusing part? The roles were a complete 180 from their Andromeda roles.
Lisa was playing a badass android, and Lexa was playing the pragmatic reluctant leader.
10/12/09
"Hey, during the coming hiatus, who on this set wants to star in the next Jason movie?"
10/12/09
I really like the android here, with the 'barbie' body. This is something I wanted to see portrayed in film or TV. The female androids are usually normal, physically functional, women with obedient personality, rather than the manufactured approximation body I think they would probably be.