Writer, Philip K. Dick, in his later years, suffered from paranoia and (perhaps) a touch of schizophrenia, most likely brought on by continued drug abuse. These themes permeated his writings in such stories as “VALIS”, “Martian Time Slip”, and the basis for this week’s movie, “A Scanner Darkly”. A common theme is a main character who discovers that his reality is an illusion which peels away layer by layer (e.g. “We Can Remember That For You Wholesale” – which was made into the film Total Recall). This adaptation is very faithful to the book. Those of you who’ve read the book are probably wondering how the hell that is possible, and then thinking that this film must be very hard to follow. And to that I say, “What’s to follow? Just roll with it.” Now, this movie could have ended up a mess of wandering dialog and random disjointed scenes with no structure and an unfathomable plot, except that the film-maker, Richard Linklater, made a number of smart creative decisions.

One, he decided not to mess with the script – in other words, let the book stand on its own. The film follows the book’s plot and dialog very closely. This includes the characters’ drug induced paranoia, their sometimes drug induced attempts at conversation, based on drug induced logic (or lack thereof), and the characters’ sometimes uncertainty about what is real and what is drug induced. This decision could have been a big mistake, except for number two.

Two, he chose a perfect cast. Keanu Reeves as Robert Arctor, the drug addicted narc. He can exude a perfect befuddled persona (reminiscent of his Bill & Ted roll). Robert Downey Jr. is the know-it-all Barris who, if he wasn’t strung out on drugs, would be dangerous. Woody Harrelson is the good-hearted, but not too smart druggie, Luckman. And Winona Ryder as Donna, sometimes drug dealer and sometimes Arctor’s girl, or at least he’d like to think so. They’re all convincing stoners, every last one of them, yet in spite of that, they have the most amazing conversations. They’re totally whack, but they're amazing. Like WC Fields, Peter O’Toole, and Dudley Moore who can portray such classic drunkards, this cast plays captivating stoners. Still – this could have reverted to standard stoner movie fare, except for number three. Three, Linklater uses a roto-scope process. This is a technique whereby animators draw over live action footage – frame by frame. It’s a painstaking process but the result is a startlingly eerie atmosphere. The characters look exactly like their real-life counterparts, but the film-maker can add or distort reality to his whim. Linklater uses this freedom to visually depict the hallucinatory ever-shifting reality the characters habituate. Roto-scoping has been used in the past – even Richard Linklater used it in his 2001 film Waking Life. However, here, the effect is used to enhance the narrative, not just as a cool effect. A SCANNER DARKLY is worth noting for these reasons.

1. Philip K Dick based this story on his own drug experiences. Dude – how did he ever survive? I believe that the Robert Downey Jr. character was really Dick.
2. Is it animated or is it live action? You can think about that for a long time - in a drug induced state.
3. It’s really good.
4. Good sci-fi is hard to come by these days. You can throw a ton of money at a project and end up with a piece of crap like The Island, or you can concentrate on compelling ideas and expend your energies telling a good story.
5. Richard Linklater has an impressive portfolio which includes Slacker, Dazed and Confused, and The School of Rock, as well as some of my past recommendations such as the romance films Before Sunset and Before Sunrise.
6. Keanu Reeves plays an undercover narcotics agent who is so deep under cover that not even his superiors know his identity. Not even he’s sure of his identity. This is pure PK Dick.
7. Half the world seems to be addicted to the drug known as “substance-D”. Who is supplying it – that’s the question. Is there a huge conspiracy? It may be the government. It may be Martha Stewart – who knows? Nobody knows. In fact, nobody knows what they don’t know. This is also typical PK Dick.
8. The “Scramble Suit” concept is freaky. Roto-scope is probably the only way it could have been depicted. Still if you look at it too long, you'll go nuts.
9. This is a funny movie – when it’s not being dark and ominous and creepy.
10. It’s fun to watch people when they’re out of their minds.

Drop a few Tabs (the diet soft drink – not drugs) and watch A SCANNER DARKLY.

Enjoy.

[Submitted by FranksFilms]

It was 25 years ago that bands such as The Human League, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, OMD and Ultravox broke through and changed the face of the musical mainstream forever.

The way had already been shown by Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, but it wasn’t till '81 that the sound really took off in the mainstream. It was the dawning of 'synth pop' and popular music has never looked back since!

The influence of this time in particular is still felt across pop music today. Albums such as The Human Leagues 'Dare', Depeche Modes 'Speak And Spell' and Kraftwerks 'Computer World'' have been hugely influential and are still cited by many of todays bands and producers as being of huge importance.

It's the 25th anniversary since the arrival of these key albums so it’s a great time to celebrate them and their influence.

[Submitted by KonTroll]

The epitome of coolness.

There have been a ton of movies based on comic books. Some are good and others don't quite work. Comic book movies are very hard to do. One of the problems is that most comics are written to appeal to adolescent boys. Super powered heroes kicking the bad guy's butt, hard boiled detectives that shoot their way out of every situation and always get the girl - any girl, every girl. It's perfectly acceptable behavior, and all great fun in the comics - but it doesn't translate when you place it into the context of the real world (as you do in a movie). When you depict extreme violence, misogynic behavior and over the top dialogue in the real world, it feels false. SIN CITY is a notable exception. Directed by Robert Rodriguez, whose credits range from Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn to the Spy Kids series, SIN CITY exists in a world of its own.

This film has a very unique look. It's certainly film noir, and so it's always nighttime. It’s mostly filmed in noir and white. The femme fatales have ruby noir lips. The hard-boiled men narrate their own story with noir-ish monologue (a noiralogue). Victims, good and bad, bleed blood that’s noir or white or red or yellow or noir. Noir detectives habituate noir bars where the just and the unjust sit together to drink their noir whiskey and tell their noir tales with noir-ish noir. Now that’s pretty noir. The noir-ish of all is the city itself. Sin City is as much a character in the story as Marv or Hartigan or Goldie. It’s the kind of place where you can only survive with your wits, ......... and rubber tubing, gas, saw, gloves, cuffs, razor wire, hatchet, Gladys (your ’44), and your mitts. The kind of place where all your troubles can be packed into the trunk of a hardtop with a decent engine. SIN CITY tells three or four short stories from the Frank Miller comic series. The stories are independent and are not in chronological order. A lot has been said about how the film-makers preserved the exact look and feel of the comic – maybe more than any previous movie attempt. Frame by frame comparisons show this to be true. It is indeed a technically perfect recreation. But is that the main reason to watch this movie – NO. The dialogue is corny as hell. The acting is over the top. The actions and plot are exaggerated. The violence is extreme. And the art direction is breathtaking. No, the best reason to watch this movie is that this was the most fun I’ve had watching a film in a long ……… long ……..long time. Did I like this movie – you bet. Here’s why you should give it a try.

1. It’s more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
2. Have you ever had a barrel of monkeys? We’re talking high amplitude excitement here.
3. A barrel of snakes – not as fun!
4. No actual sex – but lots of skin.
5. Big stars like Bruce Willis, Micky Rourke, Jessica Alba, and ......... well, lots – that’s all.
6. Micky Rourke: Bet you forgot about him, didn’t you. He’s great in this film.
7. This is exactly what a film should be. Fun and exciting.
8. No need to read the comic first – in fact, probably better this way.
9. It's absudly violent, but the violence is not disturbing because Sin City doesn't exist in the real world.
   
10. Ranks #67 in IMDB top 250 movies between Rashômon and Raging Bull.
11. Lots of other reasons. Read Roger Ebert’s review here.

This is an easy movie to watch. It doesn’t take any effort to enjoy. But pay attention, a lot of stuff happens, fast. Enjoy.
[Submitted by FranksFilms]

Kraftwerk are the reason music sounds like it does today. Pioneers, 20 years before their time, they invented much of what we recognise as the tools of electronic music. But quite apart from being inventors they were funky as hell and became the most sampled artsits ever. Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos presents Kraftwerk, so much more than 4 geeky German guys who loved bicycles...

Kraftwerk website

Kraftwerk fan page

[Submitted by KonTroll]