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MOTW: A Scanner Darkly

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2014-05-19 10:11:11

Like Enter The Void, Richard Linklater’s A Scanner Darkly (2006) is another acid-trip of a movie.

Where to start?

Based on the novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, A Scanner Darkly stars Keanu Reeves, Pre-Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrolsen, Winona Ryder, and Rory Cochrane (who plays the funnest role of a paranoid hallucinating drug addict).

What makes the movie amazing is the rotoscoped technique used to make it animated, yet look exactly like the actors.  Most of the scenes were shot using the actors, and then sent through a vectorizing graphics effect created specifically for the movie, creating a wonderful Flash-animated style similar to the amazing 2008 animated documentary Waltz with Bashir.

A Scanner Darkly is explained on the Wikipedia page synopsis:

The film tells the story of identity and deception in a near-future dystopia constantly under intrusive high-technology police surveillance in the midst of a drug addiction epidemic.

5 stars out of 5
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Original Post title: FFOTD: A Scanner Darkly

MOTW: Logan’s Run

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2014-05-17 13:42:46

Logans Run posterThe year before Star Wars ruled the cinemas, Logan’s Run (1976) was released and impressed sic-fi lovers the world over. The craft put into the film is in nearly every shot. The models, miniatures, set design, and special effects are pretty good for the time.

The acting is not so great – especially by clearly gay trying-to-act-straight actor Michael York, who acts like he has a stick up his ass throughout. Jenny Agutter is beautiful and decent as she helps Logan escape the cult he has been devoted to all his life.

For old seventies eye-candy, an unforgettable segment with the always excellent Peter Ustinov, and an interesting story, check it out!

3 out of 5 stars, but 5 for retro sci-fi sets, effects and costumes.

MOTW: Enter The Void

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2014-05-16 01:28:31

Enter the Void movie posterToday’s Fave film is the king of Acid Trip movies Enter The Void.

Probably the closest you can ever come to frying on acid without having to actually consume LCD, Enter The Void is a mind-trip through the eyes of the kid brother / amateur drug dealer Oscar and his bordering inappropriate (read: too in love?) relationship with his older sister Linda, played by gorgeous Paz de la Huerta (Boardwalk Empire).

The entire movie is literally Oscar’s POV and memories from his troubled past. Paz is notorious for loving to be photographed without clothes so there is plenty of Paz eye-candy, including a disturbingly graphic abortion sequence and about 25 sex scenes. But the real treat is the incredible colors and camera shots as we follow Oscar through Tokyo’s seedy underground and witness his journey to nirvana.

Best seen in a “high” state of mind. Immerse yourself and prepare to be amazed!

5 of 5 stars
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MOTW: Bunraku

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Today’s Fave Film of the Day (FFOTD MOTW) is the insanely underrated visual masterpiece Bunraku (2011).

It takes balls of steel to make a movie like this. I don’t know about the history of this production but I can imagine it was difficult to get financed. The fact that it was even made is a true credit to the industry that we so often complain about.

Every image pops off the screen with colors and style reminiscent of Dick Tracy (1990). Worth watching for Art Direction alone!

My only complaint is that, as much as I love Ron Perlman in movies like Outlander and Hellboy, he was extremely dull in this. Best watched “high” (meaning in a good mood, not necessarily high on drugs).

4 of 5 stars

We rated these similar movies:

  • Dick Tracy (1990) 5 stars
  • Immortals (2011) 4 stars
  • 47 Ronin (2013) 4.5 stars