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Jandrew

Back To the Past: Jandrew Gets Cultured. Maltese Falcon, Arsenic, Blair Witch, etc.

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I buy a lot of DVDs... used via amazon marketplace (differnet countries) or ebay.

 

Ebay can be interesting if taking the time to look out for colletions / big groups of movies sales, they often do not bother to list the title extra, sometimes only offer some pictures to see the titles via zoom

 

You need patience for that, but every few months you can get e.g. 100 DVDs for nealry no money with a high percentage of movie titles you are intrested in, It is a lot of work...

 

I buy internationally, take the post ways that partly need 2 months as they are cheap ship's transported and so on. Patience.... Look also for limits to stay tax/customs free.

 

I also find often cheaper versions of English audio included on Frech ... sites.Not sure about Canada?

 

Especially if a movie is older / since longer released withour extras,... in UK I gget them for literally one pence + postage (within Europe cheap)

 

 

 

But you might need a region code software or all regions-able DVD player or...

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So, Blade Runner. Yeah I may need more viewings. It wasn't really my thing. I wasn't feeling it until the last 20 minutes, and by then it was pretty much a horror movie. It just wasn't what I thought BR would be. I thought there'd be more than 4 antagonists, and I didn't think there'd be so much narration and dialogue. It took 59 minutes before Ford made his first kill. I admit I kept tapping the screen checking the time. 

 

I applaud Ridley's world making, even though it was very drab. For 1982, that was very impressive. The music was also good. I actually sat through the credits so I could hear the closing score. But other than that, I was just lost. I felt like the movie kept losing focus. And it went from thriller, to romantic drama, to horror to etc, I felt it was tonally lost. IDK maybe that was Ridley's intention? I read somewhere the film has noir elements. I was also confused because arent the Replicants supposed to be emotionless? So how did they cry and how did Rachael feel love and fear? 

 

The last 20 minutes were pretty psychologically twisted, but I liked it. As for the rest, it just felt all over the place, the deaths felt too quick for how much they were building up, and the story wasn't completely clear. I wasnt completely impressed with the acting either and it didn't sound like Ford was putting any effort into his narration. Well except Rutger Hauer. That last 20 minutes with him is brilliant. He was like the Joker or something and it worked. Ill watch again, but I don't get the praise, other than it's ambition. 

 

So now I need two movies for today. Preferably ones readily available lol.

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Eh, you're young. You'll get it later. :)

 

edit: you deserve more than a snarky one-line response. :lol: Part of the reason why it's acclaimed (and also why it's divisive) is because it doesn't fit into easy categorization. Usually when people first see it (mid- to late-teens, I'm guessing, for many of us) we're already familiar with a certain Harrison Ford archetype, the description makes it sound like a sci-fi thriller with action and lots of cool stuff... and the movie basically defies all that by essentially offering the reverse. It's basically a moody SF existential character study with moments of action. The lighting, the dour bleakness, the world-weary "detective" -- all that is essentially noir, capped off by the narration -- which, incidentally, is not in most versions. Sounds like you may have seen one of the earlier releases. How did the movie end for you?

 

Differences aside, it's a study of what it means to be human. You mention you were confused that the replicants are supposed to be these emotionless creatures -- that's what we're told, anyway... and yet the movie makes it a point of emphasis that the replicants are basically the only ones showing any emotion at all; the humans are mainly bottled-up, resigned hulks of meat walking around. There's also a lot of focus on what memories mean for our sense of identity... and in fact, whether memories are reliable at all. Depending on which version you saw, you might have missed one of the central driving revelations of the movie. It was originally buried pretty deep in sub-text but was made strikingly clearer in the later versions.

Edited by Telemachos
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I didnt know there was mutiple versions. I saw the HBO version. It ended with Rutger Hauer saving Ford and then he died, and then Ford went home to see if Rachel was alive and she looked dead, but sprung up, then they went on a road trip through the hills.

And yeah it didnt feel like false advertising or anything, it just wasnt what I expected out of the concept, especially considering all the scifi thrillers that have came after. And wow I notice that now. All the humans really were very stern, while the replicants had all the liveliness. Maybe thats the reason I wasnt impressed with the acting. I didnt get that connection until now. Okay I take that bit about the acting and narration back. Understanding this movies noir elements now, the narration actually wasnt off. Im already starting to appreciate the movie a little more now, Ill def give it another watch now that im noticing these things. And once I watch more noir movies, maybe thatll help this make even more sense. Thanks Tele for pointing that out.

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I'm not sure what you've seen and what you haven't, but for tonight I suggest something from the following:

 

Ferris Bueller's Day off (1986) - John Hughes' classic

Heathers (1988) - pitch-black comedy about high-school

Total Recall (1990) - Ahnuld!!!

The Conversation (1974) - Coppola, paranoia and wire-tapping

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1989) - warning, NC-17ish

The Thin Blue Line (1988) - set the template for modern documentaries

Night of the Living Dead (1968) - invented the modern movie concept of zombies

The Brother From Another Planet (1984) - awesome little low-budget movie about an alien trying to fit in on Earth even though he can't speak

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I didnt know there was mutiple versions. I saw the HBO version. It ended with Rutger Hauer saving Ford and then he died, and then Ford went home to see if Rachel was alive and she looked dead, but sprung up, then they went on a road trip through the hills.

And yeah it didnt feel like false advertising or anything, it just wasnt what I expected out of the concept, especially considering all the scifi thrillers that have came after. And wow I notice that now. All the humans really were very stern, while the replicants had all the liveliness. Maybe thats the reason I wasnt impressed with the acting. I didnt get that connection until now. Okay I take that bit about the acting and narration back. Understanding this movies noir elements now, the narration actually wasnt off. Im already starting to appreciate the movie a little more now, Ill def give it another watch now that im noticing these things. And once I watch more noir movies, maybe thatll help this make even more sense. Thanks Tele for pointing that out.

 

Ahhhh! Okay, you saw the original theatrical version. That's the one I saw first as well -- the other editions didn't even come out until the early 1990s. So, the next time you feel like checking it out, make sure you see the "Final Cut". As far as director's cut's go, the changes are minimal -- it's actually even slightly shorter than the version you saw. The narration is gone, and (without spoiling anything), there's one subtle but key moment added and the ending is changed. I'm betting you didn't even catch the hidden subtext about Harrison Ford, because it was really subtle originally and the subject of huge debate for years and years (think along the lines of arguing about the ending of INCEPTION). The Final Cut makes it much clearer.

Edited by Telemachos
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I'm not sure what you've seen and what you haven't, but for tonight I suggest something from the following:

Ive listed what Ive seen in the OP. Heathers is on Netflix. Thatll be one choice for today.

As Big Trouble for Litttle China got mentioned, Kurt Russel has birthday today... what about:

Escape from New York

Good suggestion. Ill see if its online or on streaming . If not Ill be sure to rent a little later!

...The Final Cut makes it much clearer.

Okay Ill awesome. Ill look out fo that version. No I didnt find the hidden texts about Ford, but Ill look out for it next time.

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Wow, I started to watch at YT JOHN CARPENTER - Interview (part 1) Discussing the making of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK,

I didn't knew that:

 

James Cameron (director of photography: special visual effects - as Jim Cameron) / (matte artwork - as Jim Cameron)

 

 

 

Thinking about interesting, pop-culture / cult-movies... and some action, speed or so. Tried to not suggest a title already named here

 

 

Platoon is an '80 movie I think you might like and haven't seen at the others suggestions

 

Kiss of the Spider Woman I think is an interesting film, atypical enough for your aim I hope? Not so much action in the usual way, but...

 

Das Boot (I prefer the longer version aka the 10 hour mini-series with the same actors.... ) I have no idea how the translation's quality is.

 

Brazil

 

The Fly

 

 

Movie that I think that are better then the ratings seem to be:

The Osterman Weekend

Enemy Mine

Dune

 

 

Some iconic moments, famous movie series starter......

 

The Untouchables (1987)

 

Lethal Weapon 1 & 2

 

Die Hard

 

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (my personal favorite Star Trek movie)

 

Highlander 1

 

 

'70:

One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest

The Deer Hunter

The Andromeda Strain

Harold and Maude

 

'60 and earlier I have to think about a bit

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I'm not sure what you've seen and what you haven't, but for tonight I suggest something from the following:

Ferris Bueller's Day off (1986) - John Hughes' classic

Heathers (1988) - pitch-black comedy about high-school

Total Recall (1990) - Ahnuld!!!

The Conversation (1974) - Coppola, paranoia and wire-tapping

The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1989) - warning, NC-17ish

The Thin Blue Line (1988) - set the template for modern documentaries

Night of the Living Dead (1968) - invented the modern movie concept of zombies

The Brother From Another Planet (1984) - awesome little low-budget movie about an alien trying to fit in on Earth even though he can't speak

That film brings back horrible memories. Outside of Helen Mirren's boobs and Gambon's incredible ham, it made for a torturous week in film studies. No! I don't care if it's a fucking Thatcher allegory!
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Man Ive never had a dark comedy give me anxiety and make my heart race. The ending of Heathers had me on edge. I really thought he was gonna do it. I knew she was gonna stop the bomb in the boiler room, but when they were both outside and he revealed the trigger under his jacket, I was aw damn...but everyone survived. What a big sigh of relief.

Great redommendation, Tele! The writting was superb and the cast was pretty good. It was like Natural Born Mean Girls. It started to drag a little once the red headed Heather become queen bee, but it picked back up when he revealed his bomb plans. Based on the way it started, I did not expect the way it finished. Very well made movie, good to see Wynona Ryder didnt end up a pyscho.

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Oh man, I just thought of one. 48 HRS. Dunno if it's available on streaming or not, but damn, check it out if you can. The movie that put Eddie Murphy on the big-screen map.

It is on Netflix and so is Another 48 Hours. I think Jandrew would really like it.

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