MoeFOH's Movie of the Week... Week #13

[MoeFOH]

MoeFOH's Movie of the Week 🎥

Each week we're going to spotlight a movie... be it a classic, new release, hidden gem, or outright turd... and open it for discussion: i.e. post up your favourite quotes, clips, memories... or dive deeper and give us a critique on why you think it's great, overrated, or a complete train wreck... And finally score it for us...  

All contributors go into a monthly prize draw for a 3-cigar sampler! 

PM me with suggestions if there's a movie you want to nominate for next week's discussion. 

 

Week #12: Blade Runner (1982) 

Wake up, time to die! For me, I'm a fan, but Blade Runner sits in an odd sort of "I think I love it more than I actually do" type category. I still regard it as a landmark and influential piece but I don't seem to connect with it in the same way I used to, and I often have to temper my enthusiasm for it when not having viewed in a while. It's not a maturity disconnect, because god knows I haven't progressed far there, if at all, I just think there's something in the overall hype and personality of the movie that allows it to persuade me it's bigger and better than what it actually is, and that has continued to grow down the years... anyhow, as I said, it's still a top-shelf piece, albeit of the shifting target variety. 

Thanks to @Puros Y Vino for the suggestion. 

Over to you...

How do you rate it? Favourite scenes?

Best moments?... etc, and so on... post 'em up!!

If you've seen it, give us your score out of 10!

[MoeFOH]

 

[Chibearsv]

Some great visuals and a unique story and premise at the time. Oh, and my introduction to Daryl Hannah 😜 Nothing wrong with any of that. I won’t put it in “great” status, but it’s very good. 

[Ford2112]

I love it. Great cast, great effects for its time, I read the novel by Phillip K Dick. ,Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. But what makes this movie great was the soundtrack by Vangelis and those Japanese chicks eating cherries on the sides of buildings lol. Anyway,I rate it a 10. I watch it from time to time and I always enjoy it,

 

15 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

Some great visuals and a unique story and premise at the time. Oh, and my introduction to Daryl Hannah 😜 Nothing wrong with any of that. I won’t put it in “great” status, but it’s very good. 

Pris...

[RichG]

Gotta love the tears in the rain speech.

The good version 9/10.

Ridley Scott had issues with the studio on this one…he felt the original release was a travesty. Here’s an article ranking the different versions…https://screenrant.com/blade-runner-every-version-original-ranked/amp/

[Greenhorn2]

Never watched it so there ya go.

[bassistheplace]

cool movie

sci fi classic

just not a needle mover for me

6/10

[ayedfy]

First watched it in a highschool class on a glary tv broken up over the course of a few weeks. Didn't connect.

Next tried watching it on a friend's small tv one night over drinks, didn't connect.

When 2049 came out, local cinema played the original. In the cinema, I absolutely loved it, one of my all-time top 5 moments in a movie theatre.

That's not to say it's a shallow big screen glitz-and-glamour affair, it obviously isn't. But it's a film that requires (and rewards) total immersion. I'd never rush to put it on in the background or try and watch it in the family home where interruption by kids is an inevitability, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy tickets for a cinematic viewing again.

[Tdm_86]

11 hours ago, RichG said:

Gotta love the tears in the rain speech.

The good version 9/10.

Ridley Scott had issues with the studio on this one…he felt the original release was a travesty. Here’s an article ranking the different versions…https://screenrant.com/blade-runner-every-version-original-ranked/amp/

This makes a lot of sense, I must have seen a different version first. Didn’t think much of it the first time around. Then around 10 years ago I gave it another go and really liked it.

8/10 for (what must have been) the final cut

[Cigar Surgeon]

One of my top 10 movies of all time.

The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not without your help. But you're not helping.

[Puros Y Vino]

One of my all time favorites. I remember seeing it in the theater when it came out.  I bought the accompanying magazine, comic book, etc.  Over the years I hunted down a VHS copy of the " workprint cut" which had a few, never seen snippets.  Several years ago I saw the 2K Directors Cut on the big screen as well and wow has this aged well.  The cinematography is top notch and rivals anything made today.  I've probably seen it 30+ times.  I originally was a fan of the original cut with the narration, but several viewings of the directors cut changed my view.  The soundtrack by Vangelis(RIP) is a marvel unto itself.  I highly recommend reading "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner" by Paul M. Sammon. It really gets into the details of the production issues, the effects, different cuts, deleted scenes, etc.

After thinking I knew everything about this film, I picked up the BluRay special edition and was floored by how many deleted scenes were included that I had not heard of.  Some of them are quite long.  I'm sure someone out there has re-edited a cut to include the scenes where they make sense to.  This is a great movie to enjoy with a cigar and a nice drink. It's so immersive visually and aurally.  Lots of great performances by all.  Truly a piece of art on the silver screen.  It has aged well despite being panned by critics upon release.  It's cult status is firmly entrenched and well deserved. 

[JohnS]

It notoriously lost money when it came out in 1982 and was considered a flop. Ten years later, Ridley Scott released a Director's cut which famously removed Harrison Ford's narration and the 'happy ending' and the success of this film thereafter spawned the 'Director's Cut' phenomenon we often see when it comes to marketing film releases today.

I picked up the 5-disc release in 2007 (I think it's now out-of-print) and it's something I value greatly in my film collection.

[Cigar Surgeon]

11 minutes ago, JohnS said:

It notoriously lost money when it came out in 1982 and was considered a flop. Ten years later, Ridley Scott released a Director's cut which famously removed Harrison Ford's narration and the 'happy ending' and the success of this film thereafter spawned the 'Director's Cut' phenomenon we often see when it comes to marketing film releases today.

I picked up the 5-disc release in 2007 (I think it's now out-of-print) and it's something I value greatly in my film collection.

There's a really great YouTube channel I can't think of the name of at this moment, and he talks about bad film making practices. If it's a book, you tell and don't show. If it's a movie you show and don't tell.  The more you tell and don't show, the worse the movie / tv show is.

Narration is one of the prime sins of that.

Found it. Here's a fantastic breakdown that seems obvious when you watch it:

 

[Ford2112]

The Director's Cut is definitely the one to watch. The narration voice over was crap.

[dobbs]

one of my favorite pictures of all time, top 5 for sure. the theatrical release is crap, but once they removed the narration and the "driving into bliss" ending, it clicked.

the subtle editing is great, has tons of visual jokes, the set design is near perfect (for its time), the romance is laughably forced, and it all comes together with that score from vangelis. the picture asks us what is so important about being human, drops a bunch of hints about why deckard is and isn't so special, invented the visual style of a dystopian megalopolis which inspired so many good and bad imitators, wrapped it in a neo-noir package so tasty, and had rutger hauer releasing a dove!!!

what the hell more do you want?

10/10

-dobbs

[Nevrknow]

On 6/7/2022 at 9:59 PM, bassistheplace said:

cool movie

sci fi classic

just not a needle mover for me

6/10

Right there with you. I could never search it out but if there’s nothing else on and killing time, I’ll let it play.

[joeypots]

I think it’s a great movie. A brilliant mix of science fiction and film noir. M. Emmet Walsh? What’s not to love? 9 out of 10.

[Ken Gargett]

On 6/9/2022 at 1:32 AM, JohnS said:

It notoriously lost money when it came out in 1982 and was considered a flop. Ten years later, Ridley Scott released a Director's cut which famously removed Harrison Ford's narration and the 'happy ending' and the success of this film thereafter spawned the 'Director's Cut' phenomenon we often see when it comes to marketing film releases today.

I picked up the 5-disc release in 2007 (I think it's now out-of-print) and it's something I value greatly in my film collection.

john, stunned you say that. very different to my recollection. i remember huge hype about it and everyone wanting/needing to see it. i certainly do not recall it being seen as a flop. indeed, i enjoy it (yes, director's cut the one to see) but i have never got all that excited by it and i used to wonder what i was missing because i seemed out of step.

ford was huge at the time - star wars, empire, raiders - not many bigger. early days for hauer, daryl hannah and even that fruit bat sean young. 

perhaps it was mostly people i knew. just did the googling thingee and the reception mixed. would not say a flop but certainly not the success i thought. some loved it and some less so. it did come out at the same time as a number of top sci-fi style films (including ET) which might have slowed it to start. 

[JohnS]

5 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

john, stunned you say that. very different to my recollection.

Well what can I say? In the United States it lost money. It took awhile for it to be re-assessed as a Science Fiction critical masterpiece second only to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

[Ken Gargett]

6 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Well what can I say? In the United States it lost money. It took awhile for it to be re-assessed as a Science Fiction critical masterpiece second only to 2001: A Space Odyssey.

john, undoubtedly my memory. does play tricks. 

[Puros Y Vino]

8 hours ago, Ken Gargett said:

john, stunned you say that. very different to my recollection. i remember huge hype about it and everyone wanting/needing to see it. i certainly do not recall it being seen as a flop. indeed, i enjoy it (yes, director's cut the one to see) but i have never got all that excited by it and i used to wonder what i was missing because i seemed out of step.

ford was huge at the time - star wars, empire, raiders - not many bigger. early days for hauer, daryl hannah and even that fruit bat sean young. 

perhaps it was mostly people i knew. just did the googling thingee and the reception mixed. would not say a flop but certainly not the success i thought. some loved it and some less so. it did come out at the same time as a number of top sci-fi style films (including ET) which might have slowed it to start. 

My recollection is similar.  I was about 12 at the time when it came out. My brother and I lined up at the best theater in town to watch. For Torontonians, the old University theatre.  It held over 4000 seats and had a massive screen just south of IMAX sizes. Perfect place for such a movie.  The lineup was around the block and then some to get in.  Harrison Ford definitely was the draw coming off Star Wars.  I had never read the book at the time. My brother was a Sci-Fi fiction nut, so he did.  That initial interest was there, but in the long run, the box office take spoke for itself. I do remember Siskel & Ebert panning the film too.  I only learned this years later. To me, it was a hit. 

[Edicion]

It's one of the best movies (and particularly in the SciFi genre) ever made and I think many agree that it has aged pretty well for being 40 years old.

 

[BurstReynolds]

I’ll echo what others have said: sci-fi plus noir plus really excellent cinematography is a winning formula for me. 8/10