A Scanner Darkly -New Linklater

[trainvedder]

I heard the trailer is supposed to be attached to Constantine this weekend?

Has anyone seen it and heard this?

I'm so excited this is my most anticipated film of 2005

[jaeufraser]

Well, I can't wait to see this movie in motion. Besides the excitement over abother PKD story getting the cinematic treatment, I love Linklater's usage of animation, and look forward to him taking what he did in Waking Life to a different level. The pictures I've seen of this look great.

[Geofferson]

The forums at IMDb say that it's been shelved indefinitely. Hopefully not true.

[Mordred]

The forums at IMDb say that it's been shelved indefinitely. Hopefully not true.That would be surprising. I did know they were behind on animation though. I read two weeks ago in the Austin Chronicle that they were looking to hire 10 (12?) new animators based here in Austin. Thought about seeing if I could get a job, but then remembered I already had one and that pays more, and I doubt they'd look kindly on me faking sick to go try and work on a movie :)

[Cygnet74]

so when will you post the "new link"?

[Duder]

so when will you post the "new link"?

"Later" is clearly specified. :P

Seriously, though... I wouldn't trust those IMDB rumors. That site is great when it comes to information about movies once they're made, but absolute garbage when it comes to rumors and speculation about stuff that hasn't been released or finished yet.

[jaeufraser]

I saw this trailer before Constantine. Definately looks interesting.

[scott1598]

I heard the trailer is supposed to be attached to Constantine this weekend?

Has anyone seen it and heard this?

I'm so excited this is my most anticipated film of 2005
it was also shown on Access Hollywood last night with a release date of Spring, so shelved...i don't think so. looks like "Waking Life"

[fumanstan]

I didn't see a trailer before Constantine :(

[Matthew Chmiel]

I didn't see a trailer before Constantine either. Instead, I got the likes of Sahara and House of Wax! Yeah! :thumbsup:

[/sarcasm]

Personally, A Scanner Darkly is one of my three most anticipated sci-fi films of this year. Right along with Serenity and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I have complete faith that Linklater won't screw it up.

[Duder]

<a href=http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2665143?htv=12&amp;htv=12>Scanner Darkly trailer</a>. So many of my fears have dissipated now that I've seen the art in motion. Damn does it look good.

[Matthew Chmiel]

Holy shit. Thanks for the link. The animation looks above and beyond that of Waking Life.

[Trigger]

cool... can't wait.

[RyoHazuki]

Any other links for the trailer? For some reason I can't get that ifilm link to work.

[Duder]

I haven't found any other links yet. I'm eagerly awaiting it to be posted at apple, though, so I can save the thing and not have to buffer it.

[RyoHazuki]

http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2665182_200.mov

[glassdragon]

so is this just filmed live action and then an artist goes over the frames with art? or is it entirely art. Looks like the former to me

[Drop]

Filmed and drawn over, it's called rotoscoping, and it's been done for a long time.

[fnordboy]

Wow. Ok I feel A LOT better about this film now. I had some faith, but not much. This is one of my favorite PKD books so I was hoping it would be ruined like most of his other stories. Looks awesome, but I don't know how it will do with people not in the know...or into (non kiddie) animation for that matter.

[DGibFen]

This may have Keanu's worst line delivery yet:

"Two hemispheres in my brain, competing??

[Duder]

Thanks for the direct link, RyoHazuki! *downloads*

And oddly, DGibFen, I thought Keanu delivered that line well. I still have my doubts about him playing the lead (when I read the book, I imagined a younger Jack Nicholson), but nothing in this trailer made me cringe.

[Matthew Chmiel]

Filmed and drawn over, it's called rotoscoping, and it's been done for a long time.
I'm just hoping that the inevitable DVD release includes a feature which includes scenes from the film in their original live action state (similar to Waking Life's DVD).

[Rival11]

That was some pretty cool shit...............I may just have to check this one out.

[Kudama]

http://www.cinema.art.br/multi_trailers_filme.asp?cod=1638

There's a link where you can download instead of streaming. This whole thing works for me due to the fact that I am an obsessive person who thinks that this is one of my favorite books ever read. Let’s put that person on my back burner for a moment…

I totally imagined the scrambler suits differently. I thought that they’d be cascading facial images at a frame rate equivalent to video. I like the gradual ID shift. Like: the suit is setting up resonant images that interfere with facial recognition for the whole day. More like walking through a large public event than having mug shots blasted at you. You naturally forget the mannerisms and voice as you would in a crowd.

I cannot wait. This looks right on so far. Even the parts with Arctor’s drug kingpin lifestyle complete with bizarre entourage of slacker junkies (fuckin’ perfect casting) still look as ‘70’s as they feel in the book.

I’m full of hope given that his living trust is involved. I guess we’ll see.

http://www.philipkdick.com/films_scanner-061204.html

(Douglas Adams’ family is supposed to be involved in Hitchhiker’ Guide, too. I guess we just have to wait and see.)

[thegame370]

Looks awesome! Keanu is the best!

[Third Baseman]

This may have Keanu's worst line delivery yet:

"Two hemispheres in my brain, competing??\\

:eek: Whoa.

The trailer looks amazing! :up:

[DonnachaOne]

http://img144.exs.cx/img144/3238/kanu2oq.jpg

This
Looks
Magnificent.

[Kudama]

I kinda liked how:

The last line in the preview, gives away the entire ending. (What happens if not how, The little blue flower scene.) They had better include that. or the whole thing's a bust.

[PopcornTreeCt]

Looks kewl.

[Kudama]

I’m almost done with my second read of the book and I have this to report.

Every line of dialogue in the preview (while slightly modernized) is accurate to a fault.
The Robert Downey line: “I could be mur-dered.” Is so Barris while he's in custody is painfully awesome. The "bathroom window" comment by Luckman (while apparently in front of Arctor's car on a flatbed) alludes to the whole gas pedal scene on the freeway (and the mysterious conversation about the front door activated tape recorder).

The association tests between the hands to diagnose Arctor are right on.

I can NOT wait!

(This novel gave me tears.)

If they get the last scene right (with the shoe and the flower), this will be one of my favorite films ever.

[Duder]

Thanks for the hope-raising comparisons! I need to read it again before the movie comes out.

[scott shelton]

It's now opening 3/06

[cupcake jesus]

It's now opening 3/06

That really sucks. It's easily one of my favorite novels, and since I saw the trailer, I've been waiting with baited breath for any and all new information, pictures, and footage. Damn.

cheers,

-the Jesus

[Kudama]

It's now opening 3/06

They better take that phrase "coming soon" off the end of the preview. People might get antsy.

"You don't want to see me when I'm antsy."

[Duder]

At first I read that as March 6th rather than March of 2006, and I got really excited. Ah well. I just hope it doesn't get delayed any more.

[Cygnet74]

http://www.latinoreview.com/films_2005/showest/scannerdarkly.jpg

[BizRodian]

I think both Donna and Bob/Fred are miscast. I can't really decide which one's worse. Still, I don't think that's a deal breaker.

Barris (especially) and Luckman seem really great though.

[redrum]

my buddy showed me the trailer this weekend, i didn't even know about this movie before that, looks pretty damn cool.

[DGibFen]

Twichfilm is reporting (http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/004469.html) that the music score of the film may be handled by none other than... Radiohead.

[slop101]

some screen-shots from the movie:

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/1.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/2.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/3.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/5.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/6.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/7.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/8.jpg

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/mailshoot/images/2006/jan/4.jpg

[RocShemp]

Looks cool. Never read the book but will definitely go see the movie.

[NatrlBornThrllr]

If the rumors prove true, I should be seeing this movie at 4:00 this afternoon. I saw a panel back in October or so that included the premiere of the trailer as well as a really cool demonstration of how the rotoscoping is done (the guys actually animated a frame of the movie to show us the painstaking process)...and that got me even more excited than I already was.

Anyway, keep an eye on my South by Southwest thread (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458641) for updates and my thoughts on the movie, if it is in fact what we're shown in today's "TBA" spot.

-JP

[purplechoe]

If the rumors prove true, I should be seeing this movie at 4:00 this afternoon. I saw a panel back in October or so that included the premiere of the trailer as well as a really cool demonstration of how the rotoscoping is done (the guys actually animated a frame of the movie to show us the painstaking process)...and that got me even more excited than I already was.

Anyway, keep an eye on my South by Southwest thread (http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=458641) for updates and my thoughts on the movie, if it is in fact what we're shown in today's "TBA" spot.

-JP

Please let us know how it is!!! I'm dying to see this bad boy and generally seem to have a similar taste in movies as you from what I read here. The trailer made me really excited about this one.

[NatrlBornThrllr]

I updated that thread with a few brief, scatter-brained thoughts about the movie. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

-JP

[LorenzoL]

Trailer number 2 (http://www.apple.com/trailers/warner_independent_pictures/ascannerdarkly/hd/)

[AnonomusBob15]

I can't believe Radiohead is doing the score, perfect, absolutely perfect. Other than what IMO feels like a few miscasts, this movie should be near perfect.

[NatrlBornThrllr]

I can't believe Radiohead is doing the score, perfect, absolutely perfect. Other than what IMO feels like a few miscasts, this movie should be near perfect.

Maybe it's because of the rotoscoping, but I thought the casting was perfect. I'll have to see it again once it gets released because the one thing that wasn't finished on our print was the music.

-JP

[Tyler_Durden]

Did I miss something? I thought Radiohead was not doing the score.

[AnonomusBob15]

Well, Warner Independent is now reporting that A Skanner Darkly is not going to be scored by Radiohead, but will feature their music, and a new song from Thom Yorke's upcomming solo album.

-www.ateaseweb.com


That sucks.

[iggystar]

Saw the trailer before "V for Vendetta". It looks cool, but I'm wondering if this movie will be a completely confusing head trip.

Will I need an instruction manual to understand it?

[NatrlBornThrllr]

Saw the trailer before "V for Vendetta". It looks cool, but I'm wondering if this movie will be a completely confusing head trip.

Will I need an instruction manual to understand it?

Nope, it wasn't at all difficult to follow.

[Kudama]

Will I need an instruction manual to understand it?

Nope.

Still, reading the book can only add to your enjoyment. Before this one I had only read Do Androids Dream...? and wasn't really into it. (I've read it since and it is way more powerful than I remembered. Hey! I was 13 years old.)

Then a friend recommended this one to me a coupla years ago and...well, I'm coming up on having read half of everything he's had published (his Exegis aside :) ) and this one is still my favorite. It's a close call with some stories, but this one still wins. If they had to pay special attention to getting just one of his books accurate, I am stoked that this turned out to be the one.

I really think it's worth reading the book first. I cannot emphasize that sufficiently.

[B.A.]

That trailer definitely has me wanting to see this. And I've never read any of PKD's work, but maybe I'll head up to the local library and see what they have in stock before the release day.

[henryfish]

Maybe it's because of the rotoscoping, but I thought the casting was perfect. I'll have to see it again once it gets released because the one thing that wasn't finished on our print was the music.

-JP

How was the music? Could you tell if they had Radiohead songs in it yet?

[NatrlBornThrllr]

How was the music? Could you tell if they had Radiohead songs in it yet?

Like I said, the music wasn't finished on the print that we saw so I have no clue what'll stay, what'll go, or what will be replaced.

-JP

[GrimTangent]

Official website is up and running. It's quite cool:
http://wip.warnerbros.com/ascannerdarkly/

[matome]

Man, really looking forward to this. Good to see Winona back in action.

[slop101]

Here's a great review I just found for this bad boy:


Keanu Reeves is taking the pill again. Over the past several years, Reeves has evolved into the premiere sci-fi film anchor, the guy whose presence gets the film made. He alternates these parts with roles in romantic comedies (House by the Lake is opening near-simultaneously) which probably pay the bills that allow him to appear in Constantine, the Matrix movies, and Johnny Mnemonic (though now Reeves is moving into the crime film genre). One wonders if the long gestating A Scanner Darkly, based on the cult Philip K. Dick novel that many people have tried to film over the past two decades, would have gotten off the ground without Reeves's presence.

The result is that Richard Linklater's film is about 25 per cent science fiction, 50 per cent stoner tale, 100 per cent animated and 100 per cent live action (because of the rotoscoping process, which requires live action footage that is then drawn over frame by frame at a cost of what is broadcast as 500 person hours per frame). I was curious to see if the rotoscoping process was even necessary to the story, but yes, it is, as it allows fantastical moments to be seamlessly installed into the narrative, moments such as various hallucinations and the bizarre technology that Dick imagined, such as the electronic suit that undercover cops use to cloud their identity, and which allows the key characters to shift personas.

Dick's source novel is ambitious, flawed, heartfelt, and paranoid all at once and the movie is a reasonably accurate adaptation of the source text. It concerns Bob Arctor (Reeves), one of Dick's characteristically jangly named characters (Anderton?). Bob lives in a suburban ranch house in southern California, which he shares with a few other stoners, Barris (Robert Downey, Jr.), in an exquisite performance), and Luckman (the cleverly cast Woody Harrelson). "Stoners" is probably not the proper term, as they take a speed like drug. A frequent visitor is Freck (Rory Cochrane), the very definition of an addict, with hyperactive eyes and mobile hair that hides and reveals his face like a curtain. But Bob is also known as Fred, to the police surveillance team he works for, We first meet Fred, really a cloaked Bob, giving a talk to a business group about the problems of undercover life and the evils of drugs, especially a deadly new drug called Substance D, nicknamed simply Death. It reminds me of the Red Death drug in Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead, but is really the speed that Dick and numerous friends were taking back in the 1970s, though Dick anticipated the current Meth crisis. Bob eventually ends up as "Bruce," working the fields that create Substance D for the corporation, New Path, which rules the whole endless cycle of abuse, from addition to recovery to supply and back again. Meanwhile, Bob loves Donna (Winona Ryder), a fellow addict whom he wrestles internally over betraying, and who is sexually frigid, though that proves to be associated with her own secret life.

Dick's vision of corporate criminality, one basically of fascism in its true definition, in which business and government join hands, is a product of the paranoid 1970s, just like the films Parallax View The Conversation, and Blow Out, but no less plausible for that. After a long series of directors attached to A Scanner Darkly over the decades (including, Terry Gilliam and, I think, Brian De Palma), Linklater, it turns out, proves to be the perfect helmer for the project (the film is co-produced by Steven Soderbergh, who, given his affection for '70s cinema, might also been a good choice). Linklater is also a child of the 1970s and feels the paranoia in his bones. He also simply knows drug culture, at least cinematically. With three perfectly cast actors at the heart of the film, who each represent in their own way aspects of popular drug culture, real or imagined, this is a film that feels true, observed, prescient and retrospective at the same time. Despite, or maybe because of, the rotoscoping shield, the actors give their best performances in years.

The trailer says the film is set seven years in the future, but it feels like "now," and the '70s at the same time. Surely we have all been to a house like Bob's. Dirty, cramped, cluttered, where the couch is the center of activity, where food scraps in the kitchen age like archeological finds, and no one seems to have any visible means of support. The non-stop "party" gravitates from couch to back yard and back depending on the weather, the light, and the underlying sociological rules of engagement. The urge is to be always "on" but without the confidence that anyone is listening and almost always in slow motion, and occasionally someone will marshal their resources and come out with a speculative riff that has everyone howling with laughter, and which, if you're lucky, you remember enough to put into a novel or screenplay later. Linklater, under the influence of Dick, captures this quality of life perfectly, along with its subsidiary settings, the broad bright streets of suburban arteries that serve malls and the diner. These characters have no background, no past, no future. They are collections of base animal needs augmented with intellectual pretensions.

A home away from home the car, and it is curious to see how car-oriented the movie is (I didn't get that sense from the book). The automobile represents vitality, man's god-given right to go where he chooses. It's an emblem of social and financial success. But like almost everything else in the film, the car is ultimately unreliable, even though all you really need it for is to go get more drugs. The car is there to suggest that, in this drug culture, mobility doesn't matter much, and the car grows literally and figuratively etiolated as the drug users slump deeper into inactivity. (Animals and cats is another theme or visual motif of the film.)

An important component of both Dick and Linklater's Scanner is the "vision of the future" in which we are all monitored at all times, a state of being that doesn't seem so "future." Bob goes to "work" where he sits in from of a console of monitors that show his own life passing before his eyes, via the numerous cameras hidden in his house, and he also sees what goes on when he isn't there, such as the odd drug overdose. Science fiction that was yet plausible when the book was published, this now feels like "reality," and it is difficult to conceive of this kind of monitoring lessening. All that saves us from complete 1984-style observation is the X factor, the human element, i.e., the kind of incompetence that we see at airports and in military strikes and police stings.

On the one hand the sci-fi elements have a Cronenberg-level viscosity, but on another broad level A Scanner Darkly is really just another movie about the workaday world, like Clockwatchers, American Beauty or Office Space (I call this genre, if it is one, Heroic Alienation). Bob is a guy doing a job, stuck with friends who don't work and drain him of his resources, and with a girl friend who won't fuck him We finally get to see Ryder's rack on screen, by the way; it's just that it's rendered as a cartoon. But that is also the point of the rotoscoping. It puts you another step away from the characters, which allows you to view them "objectively," while paradoxically making them seem cozier, the way that cartoons appeal to the kid in us. I think that this is a film that people will be watching over and over in years to come, because the characters feel familiar and the setting is so real (and also because of Downey's performance).

Linklater had the remarkable, Soderberghian happenstance of having two films at Cannes this year. Though he didn't win anything, the fact symbolized his progress since Slackers. It's a prolific career but also one like Michael Winterbottom's (or indeed Soderbergh's) in which you never know what kind of film he's going to make next. That's because, like these other two directors, Linklater has a big appetite: for films of all kinds, for knowledge, for people of all kinds.

[Suprmallet]

I am looking forward to this quite a bit, although I don't think Keanu was the best casting for the main character (I always imagined someone more faceless). Linklater's Waking Life was an awful, poor, poor excuse for a film, but if it was a trial run for this, then I would almost be willing to forgive it, presuming this one will be good.

Now, when do we see the CGI Rendezvous With Rama that Fincher was supposed to direct?

[Drop]

Linklater's Waking Life was an awful, poor, poor excuse for a film,

Going to have to disagree with that. Sure it was plotless, but damn was it interesting. Character has always taken precedent over plot for me, and that film had some of the most memorable.

I'm not sure how much you'll like ASD if you didn't like Waking Life. It seems the movie is pretty close to the book. Which is to say, it has a similar episodic feel to Waking life, but with a plot. Plus the characters are junkies who talk about weird things all the time.

[Suprmallet]

I read A Scanner Darkly and many other PDK books, so no problems on that front.

Movies that focus on character over plot are fine with me. The problem is, Waking Life did neither. The main character basically sucked up everything and didn't really change, and no other character was around long enough to make an impact. The fact that all the dialogue sounded like it was written by someone who flunked Philosophy 101 didn't help either. All the rotoscoping in the world isn't going to save bad writing. And for the record, I love Linklater's work. Waking Life is the only film of his that I dislike, but I think A Scanner Darkly will work out far better.

[dave-o]

Could it be that someone has finally done justice to one of Dick's books/stories (with the exception of Bladerunner, which is a great movie and pretty good adaptation IMO)? I hope so, this is one of my favorite books written by my favorite author, so I am quite excited for this one...

[Suprmallet]

I'm still waiting for a good Ubik adaptation...

[Kudama]

Could it be that someone has finally done justice to one of Dick's books/stories (with the exception of Bladerunner, which is a great movie and pretty good adaptation IMO)? I hope so, this is one of my favorite books written by my favorite author, so I am quite excited for this one...

Dick was pissed about that movie being made until R. Scott invited him over to watch the opening scenes of LA. After that he was totally behind the project. Even though it's completely different from the book, it still turned out great and became the career maker that would have made Dick rich. He died 4 months before it was released and never even got to see it. :(

I'm still waiting for a good Ubik adaptation...

Holy shit. Could you imagine a movie of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch with Perky Pat or whatever the dolls were called in that one? :eek:

[atari2600]

is this movie really in the style as those investment commercials (that wierd animation)

[TheDude]

Yup.

[Anubis2005X]

So, this was filmed live action and then animation was done over it correct? I really don't see how else they could do it...

[TomOpus]

So, this was filmed live action and then animation was done over it correct? I really don't see how else they could do it...Yes. If you can get your hands on Waking Life there's a cool extra that shows the process. It's basically rotoscoping taken to an interesting level.

[Kudama]

Here's a great review I just found for this bad boy:

Man. That reviewer totally spoilered with the comprehensive rundown on New Path! Geez. Some people might see this before reading the book.

I absolutely cannot stop watching those TV Spots on the official site. Those are some of the funniest, most brilliant ads I've ever seen. Well, thanks mostly to the original story, but I still think they are also structured mighty fine. I can't get a smooth feed off the stream, though, like I did at work, and my computer's faster than the one at work. Could it be bandwidth traffic / time of day?

The part in the "gear ratio commercial", where Barris says, "Total! Totally! Total! Total, total providence." ...I want that as a ring tone soooo bad. :drool:

[Tyler_Durden]

I absolutely cannot stop watching those TV Spots on the official site. Those are some of the funniest, most brilliant ads I've ever seen.Where can I find those?

[Kudama]

Where can I find those?

Load up the site and in the upper left hand corner click on "SURVEILLANCE" (in red letters). Let that page load and click on Woody Harrelson's face and they'll come up on the right side of the screen. Winona Rider's face gets you the trailer. Good stuff. :)

[slop101]

Uh oh - the critics are kinda beating up on this
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/scanner_darkly/

I'm sure I'll still like it, but being around 50% doesn't bode to well and, maybe rightfully, lowers my expectations a bit.

[Drop]

I wouldn't worry too much slop101, most critics seem to agree it is incredibly faithful to the book, which I love.

It will be a cult movie, and often critics tend not love them. You are either with it or not. The 64% rating it has now seems on target for a film like this.

[jarofclay73]

It sucks! I live in Honolulu, HI and there's NO theater carrying this movie! It's out today right?

"A Prairie Home Companion" and "An Inconvenient Truth" are playing here! Why not "A Scanner Darkly?"

:grunt:

[slop101]

It sucks! I live in Honolulu, HIThat does suck... :rolleyes:

Perspective, man.

[porieux]

Is this movie in full distribution yet? Only playing in 1 theater in the whole bay area?

[toddly6666]

SCANNER DARKLY was awesome. It's the second best Philip K. Dick movie I've seen (blade runner still number 1). Richard Linklater is a genius. The way Linklater handled the book was like Peter Jackson handling the Lord of the Rings. Excellent acting by everyone (especially Rory Cochrane), totally engrossing story, and amazing animation. Unlike WAKING LIFE, this movie was totally not hard to follow...and yes, Winona Ryder gets naked animated-style!

[Nausicaa]

I wouldn't worry too much slop101, most critics seem to agree it is incredibly faithful to the book, which I love.

It will be a cult movie, and often critics tend not love them. You are either with it or not. The 64% rating it has now seems on target for a film like this.

Yeah, the reason I was so excited about this film is because they said from the beginning that it would be faithful to the novel. I love the book, and I'm glad for once they aren't tampering with the source. Why is being true to the author's vision a bad thing all of a sudden? I thought critics usually hammered films about NOT doing that in the past. One reviewer even didn't like the fact that they didn't update the message of the book for today's audiences. Did he even read the book? It is as relevant today as ever! I'm going to see it tomorrow, and I KNOW I'm going to love it. This film is so up my alley it's ridiculous.

[FinkPish]

I saw this tonight at the Arclight and I was extremely impressed. Linklater always surprises me; I've seen it over and over, but his ability to jump from middle of the road stuff like School of Rock into something like this is still amazing. I was surprised how funny it was; Robert Downey Jr. was hilarious throughout. Definitely something I'd like to see again and have more info on in DVD form.

[Kudama]

My only complaint Reeves played Arctor at the very end as Reeves. In the book he was WAY more out of it. The gardener had to block his vision with his hand to change his attention span for instance. Not enough New Path scenes. Not to mention (as in an earlier post, griping about a spoiler review) they gave away New Path’s role way too soon.

Otherwise-Frikkin’ definitely my favorite film of the year and one of my top five ever. Everybody delivered.

Everything (almost)The original never (ever) said that Hank was not Donna and, in any case, that was a brilliant way to condense her betrayal.that was in there was faithfully from the book with only omissions. I especially loved how the “If I’d known it was harmless I would have killed it myself” sequence was only hinted at and somehow made an homage to the readers. The rotoscoping really did remind me of some trips I've had and really worked on the characters’ eyes. Of course Robert Downey Jr. shined. The part where he jumps up behind the potted plant in the police station…If you’ve ever found out you’re going into custody, well, he encompassed that feeling times 100

I cannot type enough good shit. They came through on my favorite book of my life. I’m going back today.

[Kudama]

Is this movie in full distribution yet? Only playing in 1 theater in the whole bay area?
I saw it at Embarcadero, but I could have sworn I saw a theater advertising it on Shattuck in Berkeley. That might be for the full release (yes i said it) next week.

And for the record: I really, really doubt that Winona Ryner got naked. See Body Double, then consider the film's technique.

[jarofclay73]

That does suck... :rolleyes:

Perspective, man.

I know it's weird that I'm saying that. Well, the weather IS nice but sometimes I feel we're treated like a foreign country. Smaller films like "Art School Confidential" has played here even while the blockbusters like the "X-Men" are playing. And even OLD films are still around like "Akeelah and the Bee." So, I'm not sure why "A Scanner Darkly" can't play in a theater here. Maybe the chains are deciding "Pirates" will need more theaters and they'll get around to "Scanner." Which is a shame. And maybe the Warner Independent label isn't help much either.

It's definitely not because of a lack of theaters here. I think per capita there's probably WAY TOO MANY theaters here!

[cupcake jesus]

To anyone who's seen this:

Is the scene where

Donna remembers a strung-out old friend who saw God while she is driving an OD'ing Arctor

in the movie? That's one of my favorite passages in any novel I've ever read.

cheers,

-the Jesus

[Matthew Chmiel]

I know it's weird that I'm saying that. Well, the weather IS nice but sometimes I feel we're treated like a foreign country. Smaller films like "Art School Confidential" has played here even while the blockbusters like the "X-Men" are playing. And even OLD films are still around like "Akeelah and the Bee." So, I'm not sure why "A Scanner Darkly" can't play in a theater here. Maybe the chains are deciding "Pirates" will need more theaters and they'll get around to "Scanner." Which is a shame. And maybe the Warner Independent label isn't help much either.

If A Scanner Darkly went into wide release this weekend, it would've been out of theaters by the 21st. A film like this has to build upon it's release so word of mouth spreads as Warner Indepedent isn't given too much money by it's parent to promote their films. Thus like any other indepedent release, a film is released in the major markets first to see how it preforms and then unleashed onto the rest of the country. The success and/or failure of an indepedent film decides where it'll travel after the major markets. Since A Scanner Darkly has a noteable cast and director plus buzz already surrounding it, it'll most likely hit most cities as the film begins to go wide next weekend.

You initially mentioned Art School Confidential in your post. I honestly believe Sony Pictures Classics fucked up the release of that film. There was little-to-no advertising regarding that film and it went into nearly 1000 locations it's second week in with no fanfare causing it's instant death. Granted, the film was a piece of shit and maybe Sony sabotaged the film for the better. :shrug: That film was out of all the theaters in Vegas by the next Friday. However, most indepedent film releases work the way I described them.

While I've been waiting to see A Scanner Darkly for two years now (since the project has been announced), I can wait until next weekend to see it as this weekend is strictly for Pirates.

[Kudama]

To anyone who's seen this:

Is the scene where

Donna remembers a strung-out old friend who saw God while she is driving an OD'ing Arctor

in the movie? That's one of my favorite passages in any novel I've ever read.

cheers,

-the Jesus
The part where he had the chance to go through the door to the Greek isle with the statue?
No. it's not in the movie. A lot of good stuff got left out. Fortunately, everything that was in the movie was straight from the book. It was like Sin City.

[FunkDaddy J]

Saw this last night in Denver. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Yes, very faithful to the book, but there's a little resonance lost, I think, simply because of omission. For example, Arctor's musings about "seeing through a scanner darkly" are well developed in the book but I can see how people who haven't read the book would be confused by his solilioquoy in the film.

The humor of the scenes between Downey, Harrelson, and Reeves is played up, and the audience I was with really lapped it up. But you lose that group dynamic about halfway through, and you miss it.

The rotoscoping is perfect, totally in service of the subject matter.

[cupcake jesus]

The part where he had the chance to go through the door to the Greek isle with the statue?
No. it's not in the movie. A lot of good stuff got left out. Fortunately, everything that was in the movie was straight from the book. It was like Sin City.

Bah! Still looking forward to seeing this, though - opens here tomorrow, and I'll be there. Glad to hear that PK Dick fans are liking this movie.

cheers,

-the Jesus

[mdc3000]

Really liked this movie a lot. Haven't read the book, but the performances were excellent, the rotoscoping looked awesome and the dialogue was mostly brilliant. The movie never dragged and it was fresh and entertaining throughout. I'll probably check out the book now that I've seen the flick. I'd like to see RDJ get a nomination for this baby.

MATT

[Dr. DVD]

Checking this out tonight, hopefully with a little alcohol involved before viewing.

[jarofclay73]

It's finally here in Honolulu. At the crappy theather that usually plays to small crowds. Disappointing. I'm used to my THX-certified theater.

I'll see it though. I hope my car doesn't get stolen. :grumble:

[Kudama]

Checking this out tonight, hopefully with a little alcohol involved before viewing.

That describes my evening plans to a tee. :D (do they have a buzzed up grinning smilie?)

Bonus: I’ve got a friend who loathes animation ( :rolleyes: don’t ask me) and I’ve convinced her to go. I offered a money back-satisfaction guarantee (which she probably won’t take me up on in the unlikely event that she doesn’t like or love it). This is going to blow her mind.

[Kudama]

Well, she loved it (paid me back in lager). Reflecting on my comparison of this to Sin City, I realize my mistake. The dialogue and pacing were completely adaptation material. I can totally see where I was fooled, though. The feel is absolutely faithful. A tenspeed becomes an eighteenspeed, monetary references are elevated and lines incorporate pop culture (lightly) and seem ad libbed at times. You know what? To absolutely no detriment. The reason I didn’t notice the liberties taken the first time I saw this was because the new dialogue is essentially the original, in spirit, and given new life by the cast. This time I actually got the tears I got when I finished the book the first time.

I paid more attention this time and realized the film did not give away New Path too soon. I especially loved how they had a contract with the government. Whoo. Chilly.

[Kudama]

I hope my car doesn't get stolen. :grumble:

Did you have a nice walk home? (Did you like the movie?)


(I miss Hawaii, and I was only there for two weeks. :( )

Jumpin' Jehosaphat! Am I padding this thread or what?

[LorenzoL]

For those who haven't seen it or are undecided, IGN has posted the first 24 minutes of this movie...

http://media.filmforce.ign.com/media/670/670907/vids_1.html

[Kudama]

That is the longest teaser yet. Thanks. :)

[Dr. DVD]

Saw it last night. Liked it overall, but the movie didn't seem to know at times whether it was serious sci-fi or stoner comedy. I'm still a little confused about the end, if someone can enlighten me. Obviously Reeves was set up to get addicted and go to the farm, but I didn't get the very end where he meets the guy in the business suit and picks up the flowers, which I assume is what they use to make the "D-drug"

[Matthew Chmiel]

Saw it last night. Liked it overall, but the movie didn't seem to know at times whether it was serious sci-fi or stoner comedy. I'm still a little confused about the end, if someone can enlighten me. Obviously Reeves was set up to get addicted and go to the farm, but I didn't get the very end where he meets the guy in the business suit and picks up the flowers, which I assume is what they use to make the "D-drug"
I am assuming the character Reeves met at the end was the "owner" (or some sort of higher-up) for New Path. The flower, as mentioned (and shown) earlier in the movie during Reeves' introduction, was the drug that New Path was using to make the drug.

[Kudama]

I am assuming the character Reeves met at the end was the "owner" (or some sort of higher-up) for New Path. The flower, as mentioned (and shown) earlier in the movie during Reeves' introduction, was the drug that New Path was using to make the drug.

The story is an indictment of our current (and always medieval) administration. It shows the loop. New Path is the CIA in our world. It’s like a dark Sesame Street; the drugs come from a mysterious source and lend power to the provider because they appear to be the protector.

[Kudama]

Saw it last night. Liked it overall, but the movie didn't seem to know at times whether it was serious sci-fi or stoner comedy. I'm still a little confused about the end, if someone can enlighten me. Obviously Reeves was set up to get addicted and go to the farm, but I didn't get the very end where he meets the guy in the business suit and picks up the flowers, which I assume is what they use to make the "D-drug"

In the book Arctor was way more spaced out. There were scenes at New Path where the residents were encouraged to scream and yell hurtful invectives at each other to break each other down. It was New Path's test. The book spent way more time on his brain damage. The "therapy" sessions were actually tests to screen out narcs. By the time Arctor got to the farm, he was fucked for life. It's kinda like The Passion of the Fred. Very perpendicular and thorny

[Heartagram]

Went and saw this last night. I was completly engrossed and had a grin from ear to ear the entire film. Excellent stuff.

[rossi46]

It's finally here in Honolulu. At the crappy theather that usually plays to small crowds.

LOL, I went to Varsity Theater to watch this as well. First time seeing anything at that place and was [b]not[/i] impressed. The audio was shite, the aspect ratio seemed to be off, and no stadium style seating.

Bad thing is they'll probably be the only place in town showing Gondry's new movie, "The Science of Sleeping."

And yes, I felt rather sketched out parking my S2000 in that area.

[Suprmallet]

Finally got a chance to see this. What a trip. I've read the book, and this was so faithful, it was amazing. But it had a life of its own. I really dug the whole thing.

Now, the big question is, were those Winona Ryder's actual tits?

[Zodiac_Speaking]

I liked it a lot too, but they should've expanded winona's role and where Reeves was at the end. I doubt that was really her tits anyway cuz the blonde chick had the same boobs prior to that morph into ryder, so I think they just changed heads.

[Suprmallet]

The nipples were a different color when it was Ryder, though.

[The Bus]

I got a chance to see it. I've never read any PKD stuff but I do enjoy Linklater and I thought the cast was interesting. From the trailer, it made it seem a bit more... exciting.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know this wasn't going to be an action movie or have explosions but right around the middle it seems to lose some of that steam, that paranoid edge, and it doesn't get it back until the last 15 minutes. Maybe that was on purpose, maybe that's how the book read, I don't know. Everything from the hammer chase scene to right before the last 10-15 minutes seemed to lack the vitality and energy of what preceded it. Certain aspects of the film, for one reason or another, didn't resonate that much with me.

That was probably my only qualm with the film, but it was a big one.

The animation was fantastic. It was almost too good, as I was focusing on that exclusively for the first few minutes. I thought the performances were great. Woody Harrelson's best work since Larry Flynt. The chemistry between them, especially during the bike scene, was phenomenal.