#74: BLADE RUNNER (1982)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

7

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once, about 5 years ago

BEST SEQUENCE

When Roy Batty meets his maker, Eldon Tyrell

BEST LINE

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time... like tears in rain. Time to die."

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

89%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Misunderstood when it first hit theaters, the influence of Ridley Scott's mysterious, neo-noir Blade Runner has deepened with time. A visually remarkable, achingly human sci-fi masterpiece"

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space, and have returned to Earth to find their creator."

THOUGHTS

• OK, so I already know I'm going to lose some of you right away, but I just don't love this movie, and honestly, I'm not even entirely sure if I like it. I can appreciate some of the things it does well, some of the things it has to say, but as a movie it just doesn't grab me
• This world of the future is impressively realized, and the special effects are quite good. There are a number of visuals which are truly stunning - the enormous video billboards, the first shots of the city with fire rising into the sky, the blimp which advertises the Off-world colonies. But it's all in service of a story that I just don't find that engaging
• Side note, at this point "world of the future" is a little inaccurate. I regret to inform you that this movie is set in 2019
• Harrison Ford is one of the actors who appears on the AFI list the most, he's tied with Claude Rains for the number one spot, and he's fine in this. This is our first mention of Harrison Ford, but it's certainly not my favourite Harrison Ford performance (we'll be talking about that much later)
• Rutger Hauer's Roy Batty is the most memorable character, and he provides the biggest thrills. His confrontation with Tyrell is chilling, and his pursuit of Deckard during the climax is uniquely creepy and intimidating just in his physicality
• Daryl Hannah, as Pris, not so much. When she leaps on Deckard's shoulders and smacks the shit out of him from above, only to follow this up with a gymnastics attack, I find it very hard to take seriously
• So, who knows. Maybe I just came to this movie too late? Perhaps it would have had more of an impact on me if I'd seen it younger? I do think it's important to mention, there are quite a few different versions of this movie available. I thought I was watching The Final Cut, considered by many to be the quintessential version, but in hindsight and after doing some research, this wasn't The Final Cut and I don't actually know what version I watched. There was no voiceover, which was only present in the earliest versions, but there also wasn't the unicorn scene, which is only present in the later versions. My version also included the "happy ending". I've gone back and found footage of what I missed, and so while I haven't seen The Final Cut from start to finish, I think I got the idea. But perhaps what I really need to see is more of this story...

Up next: We're supplementing the list again, with Blade Runner 2049

#75: THE THIRD MAN (1949)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

8

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once, within the last few years

BEST SEQUENCE

The Ferris wheel scene

BEST LINE

"In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

99%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"This atmospheric thriller is one of the undisputed masterpieces of cinema, and boasts iconic performances from Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Pulp novelist Holly Martins travels to shadowy, postwar Vienna, only to find himself investigating the mysterious death of an old friend, Harry Lime."

THOUGHTS

• The first time I saw it, it didn't do much for me. I heard it recommended on the Judge John Hodgman podcast, and I watched it on a train, and I thought it was just fine. Maybe it needed a rewatch though, or maybe the viewing conditions just weren't ideal the first time; upon rewatch, this is a really excellent movie. I considered giving it an 8.5 on the Thrill Scale, but I think I'll leave it at 8
• I'm going to avoid spoilers, so by necessity I'll need to avoid talking about some of the more iconic aspects of the movie, but just know that they're iconic for a reason
• Great cinematography. I loved all the skewed camera angles (called Dutch Angles if we want to be pedantic about it)
• I also thought it was very clever to have so much German dialogue with no subtitles - the main character, Holly, is an American who struggles to understand what people are telling him at times, so we're right there with him
• So many great secondary characters, all of them fun to watch. I especially liked Calloway, the British Military police officer
• There's a climactic foot chase through the Vienna sewer system, and while it was very effectively shot, it seemed to run on a little long for me
• I loved the downbeat, pessimistic final scene - a perfect ending for the movie
• Finally, one last iconic piece of the movie is the score, performed on zither by Anton Karas. The music is certainly unique, and while I didn't always feel like the music matched the action on screen, perhaps that was entirely the point

Up next: Ridley Scott's back, and it's a big one. Blade Runner from 1982

#76: THELMA & LOUISE (1991)

TW: Sexual violence

THRILL SCALE 1-10

4.5

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Never, but this is one of those movies that entered the zeitgeist so I had a fair idea of what to expect

BEST SEQUENCE

The final car chase

BEST LINE

"So, how long before we're in goddamn Mexico?" - Thelma (Geena Davis) telling Louise (Susan Sarandon) that she's committed to the plan; also great for Louise's big grin after hearing this

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

86%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Simultaneously funny, heartbreaking, and peppered with action, Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise is a potent, well-acted road movie that transcends the feminist message at its core."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Two best friends set out on an adventure, but it soon turns around to a terrifying escape from being hunted by the police, as these two girls escape for the crimes they committed."

THOUGHTS

• OK, so it's not very thrilling. There are a few intense scenes, but the majority of the movie is more comedy/drama than thriller/action
• As to whether or not I liked the movie? Well, I saw it last week and the jury's still out
• When the movie was released, a lot was said about its strong feminist overtones, and this is absolutely not my issue. I'm all in for an action movie with a strong female hero (Terminator 2; Alien; Kill Bill) or an overt feminist message (Mad Max: Fury Road). What gets me wondering is whether or not Thelma & Louise earns its emotions or does justice to its characters
• The movie's plot begins with an extremely traumatic scene of attempted rape, which is harrowing to watch, but the rest of the movie's tone fluctuates wildly, becoming downright lighthearted and slapstick-y in some scenes. Now, I'm not a woman; I'm not trying to mansplain feminism or trauma. I'm just curious about some more current points of view. This movie came out in 1991. Does it still hold up when seen through a 2022 lens? I'd love to hear some more opinions about that
• Not to impugn Ridley Scott too harshly, but I might have been more trusting of the movie's intentions if it was directed by a woman. It was, at least, written by a woman though - Callie Khouri, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay
• Speaking of Ridley Scott, we'll be seeing more of him - Blade Runner is coming up two movies from now, and the aforementioned Alien is waaaay up on the list at #6
• I quite enjoyed the performances of both Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. Fun fact, this was the most recent movie to have two people nominated in the same category for either Best Actor or Best Actress
• A lot of southern accents, and they are all over the place. Gotta say, I think Harvey Keitel's might be the worst
• There's some beautiful scenery and a great soundtrack
• And finally, Brad Pitt is in this, and he is extremely hot. The (consensual) sex scene between him and Geena Davis is exceptionally steamy. You go, Brad and Geena!

Up next: The Third Man from 1949