Steven Spielberg: "I thought Ridley [Scott, director of Blade Runner] painted a very bleak but brilliant vision of life on earth in a few years. It's kind of acid rain and sushi. In fact, it's coming true faster than most science fiction films come true. Blade Runner is almost upon us. It was ultranoir."
http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/10.06/spielberg_pr.html
Alex
This time not a director but a director of photography.
John Toll (Legends Of The Fall, Braveheart, The Thin Red Line, Vanilla Sky, etc.): "I met Jordan right after he shot Blade Runner. I went to a screening of Blade Runner with him when he saw it from the beginning to end for the first time — other than in timing sessions. It was unbelievable. It was about two o'clock in the afternoon, and there were about 20 people in the theater. Bing Sokolsky and Ernie Holzman were there. We all did commercials together. I was Jordan's operator and Bing and Ernie were his assistants. We sat in the theater with Jordan watching Blade Runner. He was so enthusiastic it was like being with a kid at Christmas. It wasn't his work that excited him. He was almost detached from his specific work. He was actually watching the photography as part of a total story. He got very vocal as we were watching the film. He started whooping and hollering and it was genuine. You couldn't blame him, it was absolutely stunning. No one else in the theater seemed to mind."
Alex
Alex Rivera (Sleep Dealer): The most memorable things about Blade Runner is the ambiance of the world, this part-Chinese, part-Chicano future where robot slaves are rebelling. It’s the stew of the future and getting to see that which draws us into science fiction. Sleep Dealer is competitive with any sci-fi at that level. Its ideas of the future are more true, I think, than the ideas in Blade Runner.
Interviewer: I’ve long felt that the futuristic city depicted in Blade Runner is a false city because we all know it would be more Chicano than Chinese; it’s ethnically imprecise.
Alex Rivera: [Laughs.] Exactly. But Blade Runner and so many other science fictions tell us about a future where robots are built to work and all of a sudden they rebel and want to kill people. Then Harrison Ford or Will Smith or somebody has to kill the robots. Intellectually, that’s what they give us. What Sleep Dealer gives us is a lot more true. It’s a lot more real and a lot more imaginable. In terms of the ideas, Sleep Dealer is competitive with any science fiction film.
Clearly a case of a director 'quoting' Blade Runner to promote his own film.
Alex
True. kind of weird because what he says about Blade Runner has nothing at all to do with what Sleep Dealer is about.
The Trifecta of Cinematic Evil: Michael Bay > Uwe Boll > M. Night Shyamalan
I’ve long felt that the futuristic city depicted in Blade Runner is a false city because we all know it would be more Chicano than Chinese; it’s ethnically imprecise
This time a quote from a film producer:
Bill Mechanic(The New World): To me -- and I don't mean this with any disrespect at all to the film -- there was no best picture last year. Was "Gladiator" the best of the choices? Not for me to judge. ... "Gladiator" didn't transport my life, and nothing on those top five movies did. Erin Brockovich didn't change my life. They're good movies, well made, good pieces of entertainment. I enjoyed them. Do I think they're the ultimate test of greatness? Ridley Scott made "Blade Runner," and "Blade Runner" is, to me, a much better movie than "Gladiator." "Alien" is a better movie than "Gladiator." Those movies will stand the test of time or have stood the test of time.
Alex
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making hip hoppers funny 3 hours long sci-fi movies?
only for teens
...there was no best picture last year. Was "Gladiator" the best of the choices? Not for me to judge. ... "Gladiator" didn't transport my life...
I would humbly have to disagree with Bill Mechanic (presuming he's talking about the 2001 Academy Awards). I thought Gladiator was outstanding and never forgave the Acadamy for not giving the Oscar to Ridley Scott that year. Soderbergh's Traffic can't hold a candle to Gladiator, imho. As a double slap in the face, again mho, Joaquin Phoenix was robbed in the Best Supporting actor category. And finally John Mathieson should have won for Cinematography. At least the BFA had the sense to award Mathieson. I'm surprised they passed up Scott for Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon though. Of course this is all jmo:-) I don't eat and sleep by awards shows anyway. And from everthing I've read about Ridley Scott, I don't think he does either.
I've been having a look at Ridders' oeuvre. I don't see much after BL to write home about.
I never compare any of Ridley's later films to Blade Runner. It stands alone and it would be unfair to compare other films of Scott's or of any director to such greatness.
Have a better one...
I would have to agree with Mechanic. Gladiator didn't change my life either.
shareI would have to agree with Mechanic. Gladiator didn't change my life either.
Mechanic didn't say Gladiator didn't change his life - he said Gladiator didn't transport his life.
Gladiator didn't change my life either, but I certainly felt transported into Maximus' time by the film. Regardless of how much impact the film had on us individually, I still felt it was deserving of the Oscar it won but felt Ridley should also have had an Oscar for his direction. For we all know that Scott's films are almost entirely his own creations no matter how many others are involved in them.
Have a better one...
I am a Ridders fan, I didn't like Gladiator all that much. Joaquin Phoenix for an oscar? I hope you're kidding that was one of the hammiest performances north of William Shatner I'd seen in a long time. I probably would have like the film more if my seat wasn't like in the far front corner of a packed theater... the digital effects gave me a headache... and the opening scene (I totally dig barbarian warfare type scenes like that) was hard to watch. I've only caught parts of it on TV since I saw it in theaters, and if I watch it again beginning to end on high def I'm sure it will go up a few notches in my book but my initial impression was it was a bit corny, with good action, and mostly won being a harkening back to old Hollywood epics... and the Academy loves nothing more than to reward themselves.
I agree though Traffic was rubbish. I'd rather have my skin peeled off than watch that again.
IMDB TDK message board = 4CHAN
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Joaquin Phoenix for an oscar? I hope you're kidding....
Yes, I did like Phoenix as Commodus in the film. He was nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for his performance so there were a few people out there who thought the same. Obviously there were some who shared your sentiments sm, since he didn't actually win any of those awards, lol. I do think the Shatner comparison is a little harsh though. Er, Sorry squeeth;-)
and the opening scene (I totally dig barbarian warfare type scenes like that) was hard to watch..
Funny you should mention that. I watched Mongol the other day. The cinematography is phenominal. But when I watched the Mongol warfare scenes the first thing that came to mind was that opening scene in Gladiator. It irritated me too with the digital choppiness.
I never sit in the front of the cinema. Gives me a headache too. I guess everyone has their favorite spot. Mine's dead center with adjustments depending on the size of the theater. I saw 3:10 to Yuma on opening day in a smaller theater with stadium seating. The only seats left were all the way in the last row but the place was so small it was still good.
Have a better one...
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Soderbergh's Traffic can't hold a candle to Gladiator, imho
As a double slap in the face, again mho, Joaquin Phoenix was robbed in the Best Supporting actor category
So I guess you've never seen "Traffic??"
Lol, I did see Traffic when it came out, Evangelion. It's just one of those things. It's not my type of film and while both Benecio Del Toro and Michael Douglas are fine actors they aren't actors I'm drawn to. My opinion of Del Toro though, has changed considerably over the years.
He perfected the concpet of the "shaky-cam."
A filmatic device I'm not fond of. At least not in large doses.
In all fairness I should probably watch Traffic again one of these days. It wouldn't be the first time I've changed my mind about a film.
Gladiator isn't a popular film on this board and I respect all opinions posted but I'll still stand behind my statements.
Have a better one...
It's not my type of film
Christopher Nolan was highly influenced by "Blade Runner", in order to capture a dark, and very bleak atmosphere within "Batman Begins."
Now for "The Dark Knight", he used Michael Mann's "Heat" as an influence. And the cinematography in that film is different, but equally as gorgeous. And he used Michael Mann's way of navigating Las Angeles, as a way for him to navigate Gotham City, and go to different places. And like "Heat", it's more of an ensemple film, and a police procedral type of film, instead of a character study.
I'm getting kind of side-tracked here. But my point is that Ridley's influence with "Blade Runner" has no limits at this point. You can even see simularities in Zack Snyder's film adaptation of the "Watchmen." And there is an anime called "Ergo Proxy", that looks, and feels exactly like "Blade Runner." It's probably one of the best animes that I've seen at this point in my life.
P.S: I just wanted to mention that Nolan was also highly influenced by Stanley Kubrick, with "2001: A Space Odyssey." Which was pretty obviouse during "TDK."
Last Films Seen:
Free Willy(1993)- 7/10
Bowling for Columbine(2002)- 8.5/10
Enough talk of Gladiator. On to another director (and writers)
Interview with Michael Bay and writers on his film The Island by Mike Szmanski at scifi.com
Szmanski: What were some of the science-fiction influences in this story? Obviously people will make comparisons to Blade Runner and Logan's Run, and some from writer Philip K. Dick. Did screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci go back and look at some of those movies?
Bay: Logan's Run, sure, there will be some comparisons. I haven't seen that film since I was a kid, so I wasn't consciously aware of it.
Orci: We knew we were going to deal with this subject matter at some point or other, so we did some research, but we didn't necessarily go back and look at every cloning movie ever done, and there aren't that many, really. I never saw Logan's Run.
Kurtzman: But Blade Runner was deeply in our consciousness. Science fiction can be very distancing, and in this case they're exploring what it means to be a human. That's where we started from; we started with a guy who goes to work every day and realizes there's something very wrong with his life. And, yes, there's no doubt Philip K. Dick is an influence.
Have a better one...
Now let's find one by Uwe Boll!
share[deleted]
Now let's find one by Uwe Boll!
Oddly enough Alex, if one Googles 'Uwe Boll' 'Blade Runner' this message appears:
Your search - 'uwe boll' 'blade runner' - did not match any documents.
Not sure where I found the Michael Bay interview. It was one of those times when I was searching for something else and that one popped up, so I saved it for when we had a lull in our thread, lol.
Have a better one...
It's actually good to know that bad filmmakers do have great taste in cinema.
Uwe Boll loves "Apocalypse Now."
Last Films Seen:
Free Willy(1993)- 7/10
Bowling for Columbine(2002)- 8.5/10
Since using the name Michael Bay and Blade Runner in the same post seems to have brought this thread to a screaching halt let's move on.
Darren Lynn Bousman talking about his new film Repo:
"Some of my favourite movies were met with extreme opposition when they came out – Blade Runner, Brazil…these are movies that were revolutionary at the time they were made, but people didn’t get them. Blade Runner, the critics hated when they first saw it. It wasn’t until ten years later that people were like ‘Wow! Blade Runner’s amazing'....."
Have a better one...
Darren Lynn Bousman talking about his new film Repo!The Genetic Opera.
... a sci-fi movie with Paris Hilton who says:
"It (Repo!) reminds me of 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' meets 'Blade Runner.' Just the music is incredible, it's really futuristic. There's like a story to it as well though. There's a sweet story."
Alex
Margarita Jimeno: "Perhaps the road to go is to do something inspired by the book, the best film adaptations are the ones where something unique is brought to the story yet the novel shines though, like Blade Runner, or The Dead."
Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Sunshine): The great ones [everyone knows] are a huge inspiration [like Alien, Blade Runner, etc.]. You remember the first time you saw them and the effect they had on you, the spell of them.
Peter John Ross: "My favorite films are (in no particular order) Blade Runner, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Fellowship of the Rings, Star Wars (1977), A Clockwork Orange, and Porky's."
Alex
This time a comment by an actor:
Daniel Craig (James Bond): I walked into the cinema not knowing what was on, sat down with my drink and popcorn and Blade Runner came on. I didn't know Ridley Scott from Adam, but I wanted to make movies like that, to create beautiful images in a great story. The movie had a huge influence on my life.
Alex