"Blade Runner" & "Blast From the Past"

After "The Black Dahlia" I got a weeeeeee bit of a bolloxing from JP about not paying attention, not knowing the story and basically missing out on a good movie that he really enjoys. And then, I was informed that "Blade Runner" was another movie that I'd have to concentrate for.

So. We had to wait several days for a night where I wasn't exhausted from work and in a "Blade Runner" frame of mind. Then, when we finally did get to it, I made damn sure that I was alert, listening and concentrating so hard that I could tell you the script backwards. (ok, maybe not, but I didn't want another JP lecture, so I was concetrating pretty hard!)

"Blade Runner" was made in the 80's and set in 2019. I love movies set in the future, seeing what they imagine will happen based on life at the time. If life will be like "Blade Runner" then in just nine short years we will be flying cars, using computers with the technology of the 80's and dealing with robots so advanced they are just like humans and trying to take over the planet. We'll need to hire Blade Runners, men that look like a young Harrison Ford, that hunt and "retire" the robots. But we better be careful not to fall in love with one.

Harrison Ford kicks some serious butt in the movie. Daryl Hannah stars as one of the rogue robots, who appears completely normal at the start of the movie and is completely whack-a-doodle by the end. It's a good progression of charachter I'll say that. Ummm, I'm not really sure what else I can say about this movie. I wasn't overly enthralled by it all. There wasn't too much going on beyond Harrison chasing down robotic humans and lots of flying cars.

See it, don't. I'm ambivilant.

"Blast From the Past" is mine. Yay. This one was made in 1997 and is one of those movies that is just a feel-good, not thinking, fun movies. It was made when Alicia Silverstone was on top of the acting world, but she's the weak link in this one.

It stars great actors - Sissy Spacek, Brendan Fraser and the always brilliant Christopher Walkin. How can you go wrong with Christopher Walkin?!

The story starts in 1962 with an eccentric man that has built an underground bunker with all the ammenities to sustain life for 35 years. When a plane crashes in the back yard he makes it into his bunker with his pregnant wife and believes that a nuclear bomb has been dropped on LA. 35 years later the doors finally open and the son born in the shelter goes up top for the first time. He gets lost and uses his two weeks up top to get enough supplies to last them another 10 years. That is until he meets a girl and realises that life up top might not be so bad.

Of course, life in the bunker is stil in 1962 - decor, music, technology etc etc, making the son rather naive in the 90's, but also very gentlemanly. He manages to make some friends who find his quirks endearing. He even manages to discover that the "worthless" stocks his father gave him from 1962 are now worth millions.

Christopher Walkin does a great job as the eccentric father and Sissy Spacek is brilliant as the mother that hates her space and turns to cooking sherry to pass the time.

This movie doesn't require a lot of thought. It's fun and it's a wee bit different from most normal comedys you see these days. It's dated, but still very watchable. If you're looking for a bit of a laugh, something light-hearted, you'll enjoy it.

Next? "The Blue Lagoon" and "The Boat That Rocked".