Blade Runner (1982)

"Wake up, Its time to Die"

Welcome to Ridley Scott's lurid slither into sci-fi noir. Blade Runner was definitely ahead of its time with a post-industrial, seemingly post-apocalyptic future, reminiscent of George Orwell's 1984. Ridley Scott has made movies in almost all the genre be it war ( Black Hawk Down), epic (GLadiator, Kingdon of Heaven), thriller (Hannibal/American Gangster), drama (Matchstick Men) and sci-fi (Aliens, Blade Runner). Scott set the sci-fi banchmark with Aliens which many directors tried to imitate afterwards. And which he himself broke with Blade Runner.

Set in a vast, vulcanized Los Angeles in the year 2019, complete with flying automobile and a neverending assault of rain, Deckard (Harrison Ford) is a "blade runner": a cop who's hired to "retire" androids. There are four dangerous androids who have escaped from an "off-world colony" and Deckard's duty is to track them down and kill them before they wreak havoc in this already dreary world.

Blade Runner is not an easy film to like. It has little overt characterization, a slow pace and a lot of background information to absorb before the whole thing makes any sense. Although the plot is a simple manhunt, the story stopped explored many issues. Things like 'what makes us human,'is it morally right to exploit the human
genome' and other classic science fiction themes are competently explored. The replicants are not just mindless killing machines. In fact, some of them were portraying more sympathetically than some of the human characters.

The acting is a bit unnatural, but that's obviously because of the movie's subject. There's minimum dialogue and maximum expression through nuance and innuendo in this movie. This kind of acting style is very effective in a

movie that successfully captures such a dark mood through its artistic direction. It's also fitting that all the characters have mechanical, robotic interactions with each other, signifying the often obscured line between humans and androids and the overall closetedness of emotional life in this bleak city.

What I really appreciate about Blade Runner is its acuity in visual detail. Ridley Scott has taken a lot of pains to make this an intensely visual experience. I've never seen such a variety of styles in lighting technique in a movie. Blade Runner utilizes darkness to set the tone of the plot - a harsh, fluorescent kitchen light, the rays of sharp illumination through a broken skylight from a passing blimp, and the reddish sunset that permeates the sky like a layer of smoke.

The movie also challenges us with some modern interpretations of genetic manipulation and human experimentations in being god. It serves as a horrible reminder of what could be and what is happening: a lot to deal with in the span
of two hours, but of course Blade Runner accomplishes that feat expertly.

In conclusion, this is one superb piece of filmmaking. It reached new heights in cinema in terms of its

cinematography, its audacious storytelling and its pessimistic outlook. A true classic.

Ace in the Hole (1951)

Ace in the Hole is a movie which has been made in 1951 but after watching the movie I firmly believe that the movie still holds valid in the current mad mad Fourth Estate race.


Ace in the Hole is directed by Billy Wilder and was a flop when it opened in 1951 that too one year after Wilder had provided a real treat in 'Sunset Blvd.' in 1950.

With all the venom that Wilder spewed at Hollywood in 'Sunset Blvd.', he outdoes himself here. His teeth are clenched, his fists are up and he's out for blood but this time his target is mass media as represented by newspaperman Chuck Tatum played by Kirk Douglas (Michael Douglas's dad). The film opens as he's driving through Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tatum stops by the local paper, The Sun-Bulletin, to ask for a job.

Kirk Douglas gives the fiercest performance of his career, an amoral newspaper reporter caught in dead end Albuquerque who happens upon the story of a lifetime, and will do anything to ensure he gets the scoop.

After months of living in a rut he finally stumbles upon the perfect story. Deep within some old Indian ruins, a treasure hunter has gotten himself stuck in a cave-in (Co-relate it with our own Prince story which bombarded our TVs couple of years back). Guy in a well. That'll sell papers, right? What follows is genius, as Tatum engineers the story to be far bigger than it really is. We watch as he manipulates the rescue engineers, the local sheriff, the victim's wife, all with the intent of prolonging the incident. He wants to keep the guy underground as long as possible. This gives Tatum time to write more stories, sell them at top dollar to other newspapers, become a major celebrity in his own right and land piles of cash.


When thousands gather outside the cave and a feverish media circus begins to grow, Tatum smells victory. But of course things go downhill from here.

Wilder has always been a master of tone and he continues that trend here. The film starts very funny in a dark, sadistic sort of way, but Wilder slowly lets the humor drain from the proceedings.Wilder often considered Ace in the Hole to be his greatest film and he'll get no argument from me. As of this writing, I can think of few films that are as timely and relevant as this one. It feels fresh and contemporary, and not dated in the least.