Movie News, Reviews, & Reactions 2011

[Nepenthe]

Like the poster, it really works.

I'm also likng the news about Bladerunner having potential prequels and sequels. It makes my Cyberpunk instincts kick up again.

The only thing remotely cyberpunk about Bladerunner is the set dressing is reminiscent of Gibson's description of the Sprawl in Neuromancer a few years later. Primarily because their both built from noir themes and heavily incorporated Asia elements into the backdrop.

Bladerunner and cyberpunk are both dystopian, and while dystpoian is a necessary element of cyberpunk, it's not a sufficient element. Bladerunner is a sci-fi take on film noir, that's all.

Bladerunner:Film Noir::Outland:Western

Also, frankly, it doesn't need any prequels or sequels.

... I'd say that the core issue of the replicants and their relative humanity is about cyberpunk as things can get.

[Krensky]

... I'd say that the core issue of the replicants and their relative humanity is about cyberpunk as things can get.

Why? It's not really one of the themes of the style, and when it does come up it's more concerned with when does the human end and the machine begin or what the definition of human really is in the face of artificial intelligence and blurred subjective and objective reality. More typically it's concerned with the impact of information technology on human society.

If the replicants and their relation to reality make Bladerunner cyberpunk to you, then the Caves of Steel, and indeed almost all of Asimov's Foundation series cyberpunk.

[Mister Andersen]

It's not really one of the themes of the style, and when it does come up it's more concerned with when does the human end and the machine begin or what the definition of human really is in the face of artificial intelligence and blurred subjective and objective reality.

Really? You say this and don't think Blade Runner -- a story about disposable artificial lifeforms that are so human that it takes detailed psychological examination to tell them apart -- meets that description?

[Krensky]

No, because they are humans. They just don't have life experience or proper socialization and an artificially constrained lifespan.

The replicants are essentially sociopaths. The question presented is whether or not slavery is acceptable for a constructed human and to contrastt the sociopathic behavior of the replicants and that of society as a whole and Tyrell and Deckard and his fellow bladerunners.

The Voight-Kampf test isn't testing for whether someone is a replicant, it's testing for lack of affect. Non-replicants are quite capable of failing the test, if they're sociopaths.

Bladerunner influenced cyberpunk, but is not itself cyberpunk. Much like The Stars my Destination.

[MilitiaJim]

Bladerunner influenced cyberpunk, but is not itself cyberpunk. Much like The Stars my Destination.

Cyberpunk is dystopian and futurist, but not all futuristic dystopias are cyberpunk?

[RusVal]

So, we are in general agreement that Battle: LA will be metal-epic.  Well hold on to your socks, cause a day after B: LA is in theaters, SyFy will be airing their "version" of an alien invasion: Battle of Los Angeles.  

And if the trailers are anything to go by, it will be the quintessential SyFy "original" movie.  

[Crafty_Pat]

So, we are in general agreement that Battle: LA will be metal-epic.  Well hold on to your socks, cause a day after B: LA is in theaters, SyFy will be airing their "version" of an alien invasion: Battle of Los Angeles.  

And if the trailers are anything to go by, it will be the quintessential SyFy "original" movie.  

Oi. 

[Desertpuma]

Considering that Deckard himself is a replicant, according to Ridley Scott and the film, but he is not sociopathic nor does he remain unaffected by things around him, I'm finding a hole in that theory Krensky. The specific batch of replicants in Bladerunner went rogue because of their desire for survival and to live.

Both Cyberpunk and Bladerunner deal with remaining human amidst a dystopian information overloaded future. Hell, we're on our way their now with megacorps forming and overresearching information on the Net. Style over substance ... just look at TMZ. The amount of info on style of celebrities is overwhelming, especially during award season.

Now to switch gears here: I'm irritated I'll be missing the next few weekends of films. Hopefully, I'll get to see some of them when I leave the medical facility I'm in.

[glimmerrat]

Chavs vs. Aliens

I shit you not. Really.

[glimmerrat]

Battle of Los Angeles

Wait, they're airing a RAtM album?

[foproy]

Chavs vs. Aliens

I shit you not. Really.

its got nick frost, so it cant be all bad.

[ThunderMonkey]

Jeff Bridges' behind the scenes photography for "Iron Man".

[glimmerrat]

Apollo 18

Yeah, this is me being excited... 

[Crafty_Pat]

That Apollo 18 trailer does look mighty. In other news...

Of course Universal is nervous about At the Mountains of Madness (life is rarely that kind). At least they have good reason. Still sucks though.    Hope they and their Comcast overlords figure out how to make it work sooner than later, or never.

That Dylan Dog comic book-to-movie adaptation has a trailer now. 

So does Matt Forbeck and J.A. Dohm's adapatation of Jared Sorensen's InSpectres RPG.

Paul has a (surprisingly mild) red band trailer.

Sucker Punch has a dreadfully edited "Painter Trailer" that not even the Silversun Pickups can save.

Thor's second trailer finally gets it right, walking audiences through the concept from our world to Asgard, rather than the other way around, or worse, jumbling them together in some dismal, flash-cut mess. This trailer also does a really good job of showcasing the film's humor and action sense, something all the previous attempts ignored or similarly bungled.

Even so, none of these trailers are as jaw-droppingly awesome as this trailer for Legend of the Fist.

Speaking of Sucker Punch, how's about these awesome retro posters?

So much better than the latest one-sheet and banner for Thor (which are so bad they absolutely deserve this treatment).

The Hobbit movie titles are probably "There and Back Again" and "An Unexpected Journey."

Fresh off his Oscar win, Trent Reznor will be scoring Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (oh, and he'll have a small but pivotal cameo role in it as well).

X-Men: First Class got a couple wicked posters: one for Charles and one for Erik, and here's a glimpse inside the Hellfire Club's lair (sorry for the window resizing - all the other versions I found were teeny).

...and for those interested in Avengers spoilers, here's a low-down on the villains (I didn't particularly care about this one, as I know it'll be ruined by the trailers anyway - sad, but very true).

[Agent 333]

...and for those interested in Avengers spoilers, here's a low-down on the villains (I didn't particularly care about this one, as I know it'll be ruined by the trailers anyway - sad, but very true).

Laaaaaaaaame. Seriously. What about Ultron? Or Kang? Or Ultron?