‘A Scanner Darkly’ Download and Reviews
“A Scanner Darkly” Movie Details
A Scanner Darkly tagline: What Does A Scanner See?
 A Scanner Darkly DVD Cover |
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| Directors: Richard Linklater | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.2/10 out of 38,974 votes |
“A Scanner Darkly” Movie Review
“A Scanner Darkly” Plot Summary
An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.
Imaginative and original
At first glance, you’d think A scanner darkly was style over substance. That is very much wrong. If you peeled away the trippy layers of rotoscoping, you’d still have a very cool and original movie. The writing is really tight and builds up a great and paranoid setting
The characters are very varied. Keanu Reeves, who does a decent job, is a somewhat apathetic washout, a role that fits him well. For all the Keanu-haters out there, I can say that he is not the sole star of the movie. This movie is much more about his friends, a mixed bag of drug-addicts and dopers
Robert Downey Jr. does a fantastic role as the manic, phony-eloquent pseudo-intellectual Barris. He’s very believable and you can’t help get a bit annoyed by him even as you laugh. He has some great lines, and he delivers them superbly
Winona Rider’s Donna is a character we don’t get to see enough of. The scenes she’s in are good, and she certainly looks and acts like a burnout
Rory Cochrane is even more creepy as Freck, the worst case of the little group. You can feel your skin crawling as soon as he goes on-screen. For those who have read the book: Yes, the opening sequence is the same
Then there’s the under-appreciated Woody Harrelson, funny and realistic as Luckman. His burned-out logical jumps and paranoid outbursts are perfect
A benefit of the rotoscoping is that supporting roles can for once look like natural people. Think about it. In your average Hollywood flick, there are professional small parts actors and actresses. The same small group of people perpetually turning up as doctors, gas station attendants, brokers… how real does that feel? I’m sure Linklater doesn’t care anyway, but it just seems more natural with unknowns when they’re drawn. A small point but there might be something to it
The real benefit of the rotoscoping, of course, is that it looks good. Every frame is like a cutout from a graphic novel or some pop art. For a drug movie, you couldn’t ask for anything better. As tempting as it must have been, the animation team has however limited the really trippy sequences to where it matters. All in all, there are only two or three hallucinatory scenes. The general floatiness of the animation, however, gives the movie a fluid and slightly hallucinatory look in general
Combine all of the above and add a healthy dose of paranoid music by Radiohead and you’ve got a cult classic and a great piece of art. Not to be missed by those who appreciate film.
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‘Ghost Busters’ Download and Reviews
“Ghost Busters” Movie Details
Ghost Busters tagline: Here To Save The World Again [re-release]
 Ghost Busters DVD Cover |
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Dean Yeager |
“Ghost Busters” Movie Review
“Ghostbusters” Plot Summary
Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
Comedy Classic
The 1980s was a decade known for its variety of unique entertainment, especially in film. As a child, I was raised on these movies, but none stand out more than that of Ghostbusters (1984). While not the most sophisticated piece of cinema to come out of that decade, it still stands as one of the most iconic. From the jumpsuits to the sigma, Ghostbusters made a permanent mark on popular entertainment. What makes the movie a classic comedy are not the iconic costumes and props, but the interactions between the Ghostbusters themselves
Each character has their own mold, which they fit into. Starting off, Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) portrays a typical scientist; dry, humorless and an avid collector of spores, molds and fungus. Although also highly intelligent, Ray Stantz (Dan Akroyd) plays the dimwit of the group with a major lack in common sense or just sense in general. This is blatantly apparent during the scene which he purchases a junker car that needs a plethora of tune-ups and replacements, but only cost them $4800. Peter Venkmen, played by Bill Murray, is a sarcastic quick-wit who plays off both Egon’s seriousness and Ray’s stupidity. Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) completes the Ghostbuster team by being the new guy with zero experience in paranormal investigation, yet still manages to fit in due to the remainder of the team’s lack of professionalism
Despite their unprofessional methods, the Ghostbusters still make good business and Venkmen is even able to get a date with customer Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver). Things go awry though when Barrett is possessed by the evil demons haunting her apartment and from here, the movie takes off into a hilarious yet apocalyptic direction. This in itself is another reason why Ghostbusters is such a good comedy
Speaking for myself, when I hear terms such as ‘Armageddon’ or ‘Judgment Day,’ hilarity usually does not ensue. However, these elements are very prevalent yet the movie still garners countless laughs. This occurs for two reasons. The first being the brilliant script written by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd who, as mentioned before, star in the film. The second can be accredited to Bill Murray’s trademark smug, sarcastic persona. One moment which comes to mind when Murray portrays this ideally is when he shares quips with the demon possessed Barrett. Murray’s acting and mannerisms supply the comedic lifeblood to the script like no other actor could
As stated above, Ghostbusters is not the most serious of films, but during some parts it can be a little too corny. This is most apparent during the scene where the frightening demons are finally seen on screen in clay animation, also known as ‘claymation’. I realize the film came out before movies featured giant spectacular effects; however I think by 1984 other options existed. Another minor gripe I have with the film is the acting done by Weaver during her demon possessed state. I really do not know how someone is supposed to act in such a state, but the entire scene where Dana, while being demon possessed, was talking to Ray felt a bit awkward. Her heavy panting came off as more of a person suffering from an asthma attack than a hellacious demon. However, do not let these two minor complaints stop you from enjoying this classic comedy
Looking at the film with a realistic point of view, Ghostbusters is a movie about four men trying to prevent Judgment Day from occurring due to two people’s demonic possessions. In actuality, the movie is based around four guys who enjoy their job and make light of even the grimmest of situations. For those who disagree with this; I have only one statement: ‘Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.’
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