Blade Runner

WARNING --- Contains some spoilers.

VIEW TRAILER

Blade Runner is a 1982 film starring Harrison Ford as a Bounty Hunter in search of human clones known as Replicants. The futuristic film is set in the year 2019, which looks ridiculously futuristic from today's perspective. Director Ridley Scott must have been suffering some pretty severe depression while filming this movie, seeing as nearly 90% of the film involves dark city streets during torrential downpours. This stormy and gloomy setting only helped reinforce the confusing and uncomfortable plot.

This film falls under an umbrella of films which many older folks or movie purists view as "classics", but in reality the film just wasn't that enjoyable (see: Cool Hand Luke). I understand that this film was probably pretty innovative and technologically impressive in its own time, but for me it just didn't work.

One of the main issues right off the bat was that the main issue in the film, the conflict of the replicants and the humans, was not fully explained. Or rather, not in a way that made me care. From there, as the battle between Harrison Ford and the various replicants intensified, I found it hard to decide who to root for. Scott seemed like he couldn't decide himself, and throughout the film portrayed the replicants as both vicious and innocent. It was as if a hunter was pursuing an animal that kept changing from a menacing lion to an innocent kitten and then back again.

The climax of the film is a perfect example of this. Deckard (Ford) kills a replicant named Pris, and then is pursued by the replicant leader, Roy (Rutger Hauer). Roy toys with Deckard as if he were his prey, but at the last second saves Deckard by pulling him up from the ledge of a building. This puzzling action leaves viewers wondering whether or not the replicants were the bad guys. The problem was, it wasn't as if the replicants were truly just innocent and misunderstood. Just minutes later, Roy had killed his maker in cold blood. Overall, the actions of the replicants were confusing and inconsistent.

Other than that, the film had very few bright spots. It seems the production crew couldn't decide between '50s outfits or neo-futuristic attire for the actors. Sometimes the actors has normal enough clothes on, but at other times they wore outfits that would make Lady Gaga uncomfortable. My personal favorite was what appeared to be a gigantic Ziploc bag that was dawned by one of the replicants as she fled from Deckard. In terms of the plot itself, it seemed a bit like they jumped in to the story too quickly, and didn't go back enough to do any explaining later on. This resulted in apathy towards the characters, both real and replicant. Overall, the film had its moments, though few, but I would not recommend it.

Will like if you enjoyed... - Star Wars, Artificial Intelligence, a young Harrison Ford

Stay Away if... - You didn't like A.I., if you are not a fan of older futuristic films, or if you are creeped out by excessive amounts of makeup and creepy toys.

Best Performance - Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard). Ford was actually one of the few bright spots in this film. It was fairly enjoyable to watch him do his thing, even though this role almost seemed like a poor man's Han Solo. Overall, he keeps the film bearable.

Worst Performance - Daryl Hannah (Pris, one of the replicants). She gets the nod here simply because she sucked in the film, looked like the unholy offspring of a clown and a cheap hooker, and had one of the most disturbing spasms I've ever seen when Harrison Ford finally plugged a futuristic bullet in her chest. Pris was probably what Ridley Scott pictured a coke-whore would be in 2019.

Quote of the Film -"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe....All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain... Time to die." -Quick Side note: This quote alone almost saved the film. It was beautiful, powerful, symbolic, and enigmatic all at the same time. Sometimes one great quote can make a film. (again, see: Cool Hand Luke)

Image I will Remember - Pris the Replicant attempting to snap Harrison Ford's neck between her thighs. Trust me, that's not a good thing.

RATING - 4/10. I have to give this film the benefit of the doubt because it is from the 1980s, and of course everyone in the 1980s knew that by the year 2000 we would all be going to work and school by way of hovercraft. The concept of the film somehow managed to seem over used, even though it was a fairly original idea. Something about this movie just didn't do it for me.

A River Runs Through It

VIEW TRAILER

A River Runs Through It was the first film that I am reviewing for my blog. Bare with me.

This film is a sentimental drama set in the early 1990s in the backwoods of Montana. The story is a classic coming of age film, with the main character, Norman (played by Craig Sheffer), experiencing the universal joys and sorrows of adulthood. The film is one of those movies that doesn't exactly have a direct purpose in its plot, yet still manages to be enjoyable for the most part. However, I did get the sense that this film tried to grasp at something bigger than what it was.

For me, the most enjoyable aspect of the film was the way in which Norman and his younger brother Paul (played by Brad Pitt) interact. So many of us can relate to one or the other in our own lives. On the one hand you have Norman, the older, more responsible, brother who goes off to college and pursues a career in teaching. On the other hand is Paul, the younger, more adventurous, free spirited brother who is the apple of his parents' eye, yet has haunting problems that he keeps hidden from his family. This dynamic was played out very well by both characters, but I thought the father (minister, overbearing, can-do-no-evil) and mother (quiet, subservient, an afterthought in the household) were both less-than-imaginative characters.

This film did have its fair share of slow and sometimes downright awkward moments. I would not recommend it for someone who heads to the movies with the hopes of being visually assaulted by action and special effects. I would recommend it to sentimental folks, especially fathers or sons with fond fishing memories.

• Will like if you enjoyed... - A Beautiful Mind, Dances with Wolves, My Dog Skip, Simon Birch, Field of Dreams
• Stay Away if... - You don't enjoy the outdoors, if you need action in your films, if you are looking for an easily defined plot
• Best Performance - Brad Pitt (Paul Maclean), who plays the younger brother who is impossible to dislike, yet destined to fail. He lights up the screen, and displays a side of his acting arsenal that most people aren't familiar with.
• Worst Performance - Stephen Shellen (Neal Burns). His character wasn't likable in the film, or as part of the plot in general. Never really got a grasp of why he was even in the film.
• Quote of the Film - "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and fly fishing."
• Image I will Remember - Paul Maclean walking into Lolo's as Norman drives off.
• RATING - 6.5/10. This film was good, but it wasn't great. To relate it to fishing (which this film deals with greatly) it nibbled at my emotions here and there, but never took the bait hook line and sinker. If you are in the mood for a slightly uplifting, slightly depressing film, give this one a go.

Again, this is my first film, so I am hoping to make improvements and adjustments as I go.