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Blade Runner News Archive - 2003 (Jul-Dec)

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BRmovie.com is the Home of Blade Runner - the current Blade Runner FAQ, news, resources, links, quotes, scripts and everything else Blade Runner.


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Want the DVD? Or the BR Game? Don't know which books or music to get? Maybe you'd like a Deckard action figure? Make sure you check the BR Related section for all your BR choices.

 

Please note that most links are not revised. Although correct when originally written, the nature of news means that I cannot guarantee that any particular link will still be valid today.

23 Dec 2003

An interesting comparison: Nate Patrin in City Pages says about Dizzee Rascal's Boy in Da Corner music, "When you dance to it, the music feels like Pris's twitching death throes from Blade Runner."

23 Dec 2003

At FilmStew.com, Ian Spelling chats with New Zealand special effects maestro Richard Taylor about his fondness for Blade Runner and other DVDs. A man with good taste!

23 Dec 2003

Ben Affleck talks of Paycheck and mentions watching Blade Runner and reading DADoES as well.

13 Dec 2003

The NY Times has named names on why the Blade Runner Special Edition 3-DVD set is on hold. It is their report, not mine.

They say, "The avidly awaited, definitive version of Ridley Scott's science-fiction classic, "Blade Runner," won't be out on DVD anytime soon for stranger reasons.
When "Blade Runner" was being shot in the early 1980's, Bud Yorkin, a veteran television comedy producer, and Jerry Perenchio, now the C.E.O. of Univision, were the film's bond-completion guarantors. When the film went over budget, by contract they assumed ownership of the film. Paul Sammon wrote in his book "Future Noir: The Making of `Blade Runner' " that they hated the film, had bitter disputes with Mr. Scott and tried to take it away from him altogether.
The studio release, in 1982, contained superfluous narration and a tacked-on rosy ending. Mr. Scott removed both when he was allowed to make a "director's cut" in 1992, but it was, by his own account, a rush job.
Three years ago, Mr. Scott announced that he was working on a three-disc box set, which would offer all the versions of the film, including a new and polished director's cut with previously unseen footage and scads of bonus features. Then, at the end of 2001, Warner Brothers, which was planning to distribute the discs, pulled the plug. It did so, according to a producer who worked on the project, because Mr. Perenchio gave no sign that he would let them be released.
Mr. Perenchio, speaking through an assistant, had no comment on the situation. (Warner Brothers still sells the 1992 "director's cut," though the picture quality is mediocre.)
"

Now, you might already know, or have guessed most, if not all, of the above, but let me say that the project is not dead. We still hope for the possibility that the BR:SE DVD set will be finished and released in our lifetimes. I expect that writing to Mr Perenchio will do no good and of course is not something this website supports... ~ An address associated with him is:

Jerry Perenchio
Univision Communications Inc
1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 3050
Los Angeles, CA 90067
phone: (310) 556-7676
fax: (310) 556-3568
http://www.univision.com

02 Dec 2003

Back in October I mentioned that the philipkdick.com site was becoming official and relaunching. Well it has launched, so check out the great new design. There is of course a Blade Runner section and it includes the first 2 of 30 BR production sketches that were given to PKD (the rest to come). Whether you have seen these before or not, they certainly form the beginning of a superb web collection. Most fascinating of all (Exclusive content-Letters-Letter to Jeff Walker) is the letter dated October 11, 1981 where PKD is very positive about the upcoming Blade Runner film! Of course PKD fans will also find masses of other interesting stuff on the site as well. Read the full press release.

01 Dec 2003

If you can make it to London this Saturday (6th December) then you may be interested in a debate entitled From Dystopia to Myopia: "Metropolis" to "Blade Runner". Check the link for the Future Vision: Future Cities conference pages or get the pdf brochure. The debate at the LSE is "A look at the changing historic visions of the city using different cinematic examples from different periods. Has the image of the city become more dystopian? Can we achieve a useful examination of the subject through a cultural rather than a political critique? - A discussion with film clips. Kim Newman (novelist and critic) and Xan Brooks (editor, Guardian Film Online) in conversation with Dr Graham Barnfield (lecturer in journalism and print media, University of East London). Conference organiser Austin Williams."

01 Dec 2003

We know the future is already partly here. One more step is the Metreon in San Francisco, which Pop Cult Mag describes as "a fragment of our inevitable Blade Runner destiny: a four-story center of cool, glistening window displays and low-level lighting mixing uncomfortably with the natural sunlight peeking in."

18 Nov 2003

I like WIRED Magazine. Articles like, "The Second Coming of Philip K. Dick" which is now on-line are the reason why. With Paycheck coming out - yet another film based on a PKD story - there are going to be plenty of articles written about the film and PKD, etc. but if you only want to read one, then this is it.

15 Nov 2003

You should have already got the picture from reading the BR news reports in the last couple of years, but here is one more where RS clearly says it out loud. Asked the question, "Didn't you and Harrison disagree about what his character was?", he answered "I don't care. We've kissed and made up." Read the rest at About including talk of voiceovers.

13 Nov 2003

The Ithaca Times informs us on the visual art of Stephen Hendee. Inspired by SF film, dystopia and utopia, Gibson and PKD, not to mention working with BR Visual Futurist, Syd Mead, this is about more than just art.

13 Nov 2003

Philip K. Dick - the "unacknowledged godfather of The Matrix". Well perhaps so! Jessica Zafra talks some home truths at abs-cbnnews.com

12 Nov 2003

It amazes me how one of the most right wing politicians in UK history should be in the supposed left wing Labour party, but David Blunkett's policies are straight out of our worst dystopian SF, like 1984. His utterly stupid and much hated idea of introducing National ID cards which are to include biometric data even remind Iain Macwhirter of The Herald of the V-K in Blade Runner. Excuse me, let me just scan your eye and ask you some questions to check if you're one of "us".

09 Nov 2003

It's the New York Times again, this time with a perspective on Los Angeles, California and the future of politics and the city perceived in comparison to depiction in film, especially Blade Runner. Is the future an 'undifferentiated sprawl' flowing around the gated communities of secessionists?

08 Nov 2003

"Screenwriters Are (Obsessive, Creative, Neurotic) People, Too." Quentin Tarantino and Brian Helgeland discuss this for the New York Times. The discussion is interesting and at the end, a quick rundown of favorite screenplays has this selection by Helgeland, '''Blade Runner,'' by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples (''It wasn't all art direction -- the dialogue was terrific in that movie'')'

07 Nov 2003

You know you love those Best SF Film lists really. The Oregonian polled 15 writers and hardcore sci-fi buffs to rank the best science fiction films ever made - they came up with a list that I happen to think is pretty good. Alien and Blade Runner are at the top.

02 Nov 2003

"Intellectual strip-mining of pop culture by academics is as old as Socrates." So says Andrew Potter in Canada's National Post. The Matrix follows in a legacy that includes Blade Runner, but extends back thousands of years - philosophy encapsulated within a fiction which then itself becomes the source material for philosophical debate.

31 Oct 2003

There are many who have been inspired by Blade Runner, in many different ways, (as can be seen by regular reading of this page!) But despite its many influences on real life, the biggest derived inspiration must still be for other filmmakers. Such as Anthony Fankhauser who is following his dreams to make movies. Talking to his alma mater newsmag, he says, "I'm usually groovin' on the latest great flick I've seen, but my all-time favorite is Blade Runner. Blade Runner is what a movie should be. That movie is so good visually that if there were no dialogue it would still be good." Great inspiration indeed.

29 Oct 2003

Odd that I should find this press release on Yahoo Finance, but no matter. The Musical Journey of Vangelis Heard on Odyssey - The Definitive Collection, "celebrates his most famous and enduring recordings over 30 years, from 1973 to 2003, from his pioneering electronic music to the now classic 'Chariots Of Fire' to a new composition, 'Celtic Dawn'." - Includes music from Blade Runner (Love Theme and End Titles).

28 Oct 2003

Obviously plenty of Alien reviews in the news at the moment, I like this AP one that has the quote from Joel Silver, producer of "The Matrix" trilogy, "I think Ridley was incredibly groundbreaking with 'Alien' and later 'Blade Runner'. The whole idea of a decrepit future that was evident in both those pictures was a really monumental design choice. Yes, we were all affected by it." Of course we already knew that...

25 Oct 2003

I don't believe it! In a story initiated by the release of Alien again and looking at DCs generally, this Telegraph story reviews the Blade Runner DC changes and yet again perpetuates the myth that the unicorn dream footage came from Legend. IT DIDN'T!!! It was original footage shot for Blade Runner. See the FAQ!

24 Oct 2003

Nice job if you can get it. KnoxNews tells us that Jay Clayton, chairman of the English department at Vanderbilt University, (Tennessee, USA), has been awarded a $100,000 grant by the National Human Genome Research Institute (part of the National Institute of Health). "In collaboration with Professor Priscilla Wald of Duke University, he will lead a 12-member team to study and catalog the topic of genetics in literature, film and popular culture." Particularly cloning and of course including Blade Runner. Press release.

22 Oct 2003

The PhilipKDick site that has been the unofficial best source for everything PKD for many years is about to become the official site. In association with PKD's Estate and prompted by ever increasing interest in the author, the new official site launches next month to tie in with the release of the film 'Paycheck', based on one of PKD's stories.

16 Oct 2003

The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) did a survey of its members to find their choice of the most influential cinematographers in the history of filmmaking. ICG National President George Spiro Dibie, said "We invited them to choose the cinematographers who have done the most to influence the art form. More than 300 cinematographers received votes." The late Jordan Cronenweth, who brought the brilliant visuals of Blade Runner to life was voted into the Top Ten. Read the press release at Yahoo.

13 Oct 2003

Have you played Alone in the Dark? The new film adaptation of the video game stars Christian Slater who tells SciFiWire that it is like a cross between The X-Files and Blade Runner.

08 Oct 2003

We know Blade Runner is Sean Young's favourite film of those she's been in and also Rutger Hauer's and Ridley Scott seems to have a lot of affection for it. Well now, Daryl Hannah has told Fox News that the favourite of all her films is Blade Runner. Now, if Harrison would just come out and admit it....

03 Oct 2003

GameSpot talks more about the game Paradise Cracked, "inspired by movies such as Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell, and The Matrix."

03 Oct 2003

I don't know if I like Blade Runner being associated with the British Labour Party Conference, but when the association is more specific, i.e. "nightmarish vision of the future" and David Blunkett's (Home Secretary) very scary policies, then I get the picture. Read the Guardian report if you can stand Simon Hoggart's examination of the Labour government's hypocrisy and doubletalk.

01 Oct 2003

The Replicants in Blade Runner are not computers, Sebastian. They have DNA. If they were to come from an extension of today's technology, then it seems clear that they would arise from genetic engineering. But the majority of today's genetic research is in food production, to feed the increasing population of the world. M. Simon talks in The Sierra Times of a non-dystopian genetic future.

28 Sep 2003

I have already mentioned the busy life of Daryl Hannah quite recently, but there is one more element now. Apart from the many films, including Kill Bill (mostly the second one), according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, she is getting in loads of good acting jobs now because she wants to become a director in the future.

27 Sep 2003

Sir Ridley is mentioning Blade Runner quite a lot these days. The Age examines his work with some interesting comments from the man himself - 'Then comes the look. Always the look. How did he create it in, say, Blade Runner, the landmark 1982 sci-fi thriller that spawned the dark, wet, steamy atmospherics we later saw on MTV and in rock'n'roll shows? "I can draw. I did seven years of art school, so I damned well should be able to," he says. "I can draw a really, really, really good storyboard. I can start drawing buildings and I can start putting people in them. I start thinking about clothing and where would we be in 2019. Blade Runner was wholly influenced by my frequent trips to New York. I always thought of New York as a city of constant evolution and overload. In those days (the '70s), it was quite grim. I always thought of Blade Runner as a dark, romantic comic strip. You guys invented comic strips, and they're not funny. Orphan Annie is the blackest thing I've ever seen. Daddy Warbucks? He's like a serial killer. Annie has no pupils to her eyes. Superman and Batman are very dark inventions."'

24 Sep 2003

A Pacific News news story shows that modern Tokyo has more in common with BR than just some similar neon landscapes. The word is "kyosei" which means "living together" as in a multi-racial, multi-cultural harmony. When parts of Tokyo echo to the sound of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc. it is clear that globalisation and international movement of people to create new mixes of cultures is indeed global.

20 Sep 2003

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch report on the Toronto film festival comments on one particular documentary: "The richest documentary for diehard film fans was "L.A. Plays Itself," a three-hour analysis of how the real city of Los Angeles has been represented - and misrepresented - in the movies. (Its cheekiest assertion is that the LA depicted in "Blade Runner" is not a vision of dystopia but an urban planner's dream come true, a city steeped in neon, street life and multicuturalism.)"

20 Sep 2003

'Director Maximus' is how the Telegraph describes Ridley Scott in an interesting interview. On inspiration from where he grew up, he says, "After grammar school, art school was like the goddamn door opening - seven years in constant study of form and light. And then, I see things in a certain way. It probably goes back to industrial England, and, a lot of people would say, that's why you get Blade Runner. There were steelworks adjacent to West Hartlepool, so every day I'd be going through them, and thinking they're kind of magnificent, beautiful, winter or summer, and the darker and more ominous it got, the more interesting it got."

15 Sep 2003

Do Replicants feel human? Would it be like being an alien to one's own body and what of the love between Replicants? Blade Runner explores that in some ways. István Nyári uses dolls and mannequins in his art to explore the emotions of similar ideas. Well it gives me an excuse to link to the Budapest Sun anyway.

15 Sep 2003

At first sight, you might not think a film starring Bill Murray making friends with a much younger Scarlett Johansson as they hang out in a foreign city would be at all reminiscent of Blade Runner. But when you throw in a backdrop of Tokyo neon, a melancholy mood and dreamy music, there may be something here for BR fans in a different mood. See this review to see if it catches your attention.

12 Sep 2003

So hands up who thinks the voiceover in Blade Runnner is not necessary ... Ah Sir Ridley, I see your hand up ... read this article where he talks of this and many other things.

12 Sep 2003

This has only the vaguest reference to Blade Runner, but the idea of roller skating French police amused me, so here you are. And it is such a cool story, you can read it here too.

11 Sep 2003

Inspired by the Teesside chemical works and lit with thousands of fibre optic lights, it is of course the Hades set for Blade Runner. Or is it? Well yes, but it is also the Column of Light - a 26' column that is the latest street art in Middlesbrough town centre. Check it out.

09 Sep 2003

You should all know by now that Daryl Hannah's career is undergoing serious revival, but just in case you've missed out on the news of Kill Bill, etc. Zap2it brings you up to speed.

09 Sep 2003

Oh alright, I suppose I should include one article on Matchstick Men, directed by Sir Ridley. (And just for good luck, here is another focused on Scott himself.)

09 Sep 2003

The Ballyhoo Examiner does a city comparison to Blade Runner that I can only describe as ... well ... Irish.

08 Sep 2003

What if the various bits and pieces in JF Sebastian's apartment spotaneously assembled themselves into human form and started talking? Somehow, that doesn't seem that crazy. And it is pretty similar to what happens in Rhinocerous Eyes - a film showing in the Toronto Film Festival, (well you didn't really expect me to talk about Ridley's Matchstick Men did you? "Does the Pope poo in the woods?")

04 Sep 2003

It is 40 years since Dr Martin Luther King Jr made his famous "I have a dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. At SF BayView, Mumia Abu-Jamal compares the current condition of Black America to Blade Runner - a grim and dark future that is the bleak present for millions of Black American youth today.

01 Sep 2003

More Human than Human? You probably think you're not terribly interested in the San Francisco mayoral race (unless perhaps you live there, but maybe not even then). However, the SF Examiner tells you why you should be. At a pub in SF, they have used the Blade Runner VK test on the candidates. The pub is called The Wave and they have their own website where the results are published. Cool.

30 Aug 2003

Latest city to be compared to Blade Runner - Miami. Read about it in Infoshop News.

26 Aug 2003

If you've been reading a while, you know I think Tron is great. And while it cannot match the original film, because the world has changed by two decades, the Tron 2.0 game is still of interest. Out today in the US, it brings together the key creators including Syd Mead who did so much for both Tron and Blade Runner. Read about it here

16 Aug 2003

Read about Suba, a musician who dubbed Săo Paulo (the Brazilian city) "the Blade Runner of the Tropics". Sampa nova may not sound like the BR music of Vangelis, but its influences strike a similar chord.

07 Aug 2003

"Flickering lights from a gigantic screen on top of a skyscraper beams through a gloomy sky, showing a woman wearing a kimono and talking in a mystic language." - Blade Runner of course - except nowadays this is reality. Check this article from Korean JoongAng Daily.

01 Aug 2003

Some weeks ago I mentioned the auction of BR costumes and props to take place yesterday. Headlining the BR sales was one of Rachael's outfits which got one bid ... for $25,000. Then there was Deckard's blaster which got some interest and went up to $17,000. Zhora's plastic mac went for $1,600. Now, folks if anyone is interested in buying a seethru plastic mac, I'm sure I can get you one for a mere tenth as much. That's right - you give me $160 and I'll send you something that looks vaguely like Zhora's plastic coat...

25 Jul 2003

Thanks to WEKurtz for the link to these Blade Runner inspired Lego models. Excellent work. Also to this BR fan art of what a 1982 Vangelis album cover could have looked like (but didn't).

23 Jul 2003

You may have heard some of these before, but here is some Harrison Ford humour - expressed on the "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" chat show.

23 Jul 2003

If you're planning to watch the Edinburgh military tattoo this year, it seems you will have the pleasure of listening to some Vangelis theme music. Unfortunately not Blade Runner. No, it is the soundtrack to Ridley Scott’s film, 1492: Conquest of Paradise. Well, that is moderately interesting, but why it caught my attention was that it is reported in numerous places with Vangelis described as "Blade Runner film score composer Vangelis". True, but rather an odd choice of description for someone who has created so much including the Oscar winning music of Chariots of Fire...

15 Jul 2003

Not unusually, this article in the Pacific Times only contains a comparison to BR and not unsurprisingly, it refers to Tokyo. However, as the article addresses an important issue that affects not only Japan, but all countries, I thought I'd mention it. Resolving such issues is necessary if we are to follow a path that leads to a United Earth.

15 Jul 2003

frontwheeldrive.com has a most interesting posthumous interview with Philip K. Dick. I know it sounds strange, but it really is worth a read. Thanks to totojepast and Slashdot for the heads-up.

12 Jul 2003

Regular readers know I occasionally like to point to the obscure ways in which comparisons are made to Blade Runner. Although the film style, cityscape and characters are referred to every day somewhere in the news, it isn't often that pendant lights get the BR reference - so here you go.

09 Jul 2003

I have reported some of what Daryl Hannah has been up to recently, but for those who want to know more, Backstage.com has done a full feature on her, including details of her projects, plus some bio and interview stuff, including a revealing description of how she got the part in Blade Runner. Other perspectives from the various press meetings for all the films (particularly Northfork) she is in this year can be found in the Toronto Star report and Chicago's Daily Herald and the LA Times Calendar Live and FilmStew - all of which are interesting to contrast in their different reporting and what they choose to focus on - from the films, her life, her love life to how she eats chocolate. The reporting world is far stranger than the films she is in!

08 Jul 2003
Sir Ridley Scoot is congratulated by Giannina
Sir Ridley is congratulated by Giannina.

Sir Ridley Scott has attended the official ceremony where the Queen has bestowed his knighthood (announced in the New Year's Honours List). The picture to the left was published in the BBC report. The lady is Giannina Fascio (Ridley's partner). All hail Sir Ridley Scott! Although he deserves it just for creating Blade Runner he is actually being honoured for his services to the British Film Industry (some of which I have reported in this column).

08 Jul 2003

Rachael outfit for saleAre you interested in Blade Runner memorabilia? I'm not talking about tie-in merchandise, but the actual props used in the film. Then check out the Profiles in History site for summary details of a major Hollywood film and TV memorabilia auction - headlining with the original George Reeves' TV Superman costume. Auction is July 31. Blade Runner items include: Zhora's plastic raincoat, one of Rachael's outfits, Deckard pistol, etc. The auction is being held in conjunction with eBay Live Auctions, so you can check all the individual items here. Of course, if you actually want to buy any of this, you'll need some very serious cash! Even one of the ordinary license plates is estimated at $2,000+ and the Rachael dress is estimated to get a staggering $30,000-$50,000!!!

07 Jul 2003

Mind the machines, they're taking over - T3 giving cause to review the history of robots real and fictional. If you want to read a quick spin through certain highlights of Metropolis, Luddites, Star Wars, Blade Runner, etc. then here you go. And I agree that the Wachowskis owe a debt to the Terminator movies, but as an SF buff, I should mention the debt the Terminator owes to Westworld with Yul Brynner as the robot that relentlessly pursued its target. This is of note right now as I've heard Arnie wants to remake Westworld. Pity, as it is of its time (a pre-Star Wars time of some intelligent Science Fiction).

05 Jul 2003

In the Sydney Morning Herald, Fiona Williams writes a fascinating discourse on "Science Faction". Films like Blade Runner, Total Recall and Minority Report are linked by more than PKD, the films attempt to go to a specific place in SF called "Future Reality". That is not just making up complete fantasy, but extrapolating technology, etc. that may very well exist in our future and then examining how humans would interact with it. Fiona examines the loop that joins the science fiction creators and real life scientists and technologists - each inspiring the other.

04 Jul 2003

A few weeks ago, I mentioned the Ridley Scott Awards. Apple is joining the various companies sponsoring these awards. It was Ridley Scott of course who directed the stunning Apple '1984' commercial.

02 Jul 2003

Occasionally someone will seize on the latest movie releases to have a look at the theme of Humans and Robots, so with Matrix 2 articles seguing into T3 articles, there is no shortage recently. In The Age, the question of "Human or not?" starts off with KeaNeo in Matrix 2 when he "turned into a robot" - (though some might say he always was...), but then goes on to explore the concepts of humans, cyborgs, robots and the odd alien and questions what we consider to be a "person". Of course references BR with its major theme of the inhumanity of the humans versus the almost-human replicants.

01 Jul 2003

An interesting look at the whole concept of the "Director;s Cut" can be found at 24 Frames per Second. The irony of course is that the DC of BR is not the final cut as Ridley Scott was simply not given the time to make it so. But he did last year for the BR:SE. Unfortunately currently mired in legal issues.

If you see a Blade Runner article not listed, please send me the link so I can add it.