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[ManaByte]

55% so far:

"The movie probably involves more dialogue and less action than some people will expect; it’s about the nature of a life where you can never be sure what or who is real."
Click for Full Review
-- Roger Ebert, EBERT & ROEPER

"There are moments where not only does the lead character not know what’s going on, but I’m not sure if we’re supposed to know what’s going on and you have to go with it."
Click for Full Review
-- Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER

"Though not as impressive as Waking Life, and failing to update Dick's concerns, Scanner Darkly is a serviceable rotoscoping of the 1977 work with some striking set pieces and a dazzling hologrammed suit worn by Keanu Reeves with grand style."
Click for Full Review
-- Emanuel Levy, EMANUELLEVY.COM

And what is Warner thinking releasing this on the same day as Pirates? They should've delayed it a week or two.

 

[sharukins]

this will be nothing more than a cult hit ALA Donnie Darko. it has no commercial appeal but its going to be a good movie

 

[ZeoVGM]

And what is Warner thinking releasing this on the same day as Pirates? They should've delayed it a week or two.

uh its going to be in 17 theaters next weekend. i highly doubt pirates is going to hurt it. its a different audience that would go see a movie in one of 17 movies in the country.

it gets a wider release the week after pirates

 

[ManaByte]

uh its going to be in 17 theaters next weekend. i highly doubt pirates is going to hurt it. its a different audience that would go see a movie in one of 17 movies in the country.

it gets a wider release the week after pirates

Everyone I'm seeing Pirates with on Thursday night wants to see this as well.

 

[Fatghost]

I'll see this before Pirates. Love the book.

 

[ManaByte]

I still have this shirt from last year's comic con panel:

 

[White Man]

People are going to hate it. It's going to be a lot of exposition and not much else. I adore the book so I figure I'll like it on some level.

 

[__Andrea__]

I adore the book so I figure I'll like it on some level.

Same for me

 

[muttyeah416]

i got tickets for a free screening for thursday. i hope this doesnt turn into a beautiful snoresfest like waking life

 

[White Man]

i got tickets for a free screening for thursday. i hope this doesnt turn into a beautiful snoresfest like waking life

I have a feeling it just might be. I've looked over all the available reviews, and it appears it's a bit too tru to the book. This wasn't the best book to do an adaptaion of for a summer flick. I think it is going to be doomed to cult status.

 

[ManaByte]

I have a feeling it just might be. I've looked over all the available reviews, and it appears it's a bit too tru to the book. This wasn't the best book to do an adaptaion of for a summer flick. I think it is going to be doomed to cult status.

Philip K. Dick is never a snorefest though.

 

[White Man]

Philip K. Dick is never a snorefest though.

Yeah, but this movie is going to be like 90% exposition.

 

[ManaByte]

Yeah, but this movie is going to be like 90% exposition.

So? At least they did it so it's interesting to look at.

 

[White Man]

So? At least they did it so it's interesting to look at.

A Scanner Darkly is just barely a scifi book, with the exception of 2 plot elements. Making the movie look this way always came across as kind of useless. Yeah, it'll be interesting to look at, but it's kinda pointless.

 

[ChunderMan]

I'm still not sold on the animation style... On one hand, it looks interesting; but on the other hand, I feel like it will be extremely distracting from a story perspective. I think I'll constantly be like: "Hey, that animation looks just like Keanu Reeves! Hey, that animation looks just like Robert Downy, Jr!" I dunno... I already found that style a little annoying in those commercials from a few months ago. We'll see...

 

[ManaByte]

I'm still not sold on the animation style... On one hand, it looks interesting; but on the other hand, I feel like it will be extremely distracting from a story perspective. I think I'll constantly be like: "Hey, that animation looks just like Keanu Reeves! Hey, that animation looks just like Robert Downy, Jr!" I dunno... I already found that style a little annoying in those commercials from a few months ago. We'll see...

He did it in Waking Life as well...

 

[Phobophile]

I'm seeing a screener of this on Wednesday. I'm pretty excited.

 

[ChunderMan]

He did it in Waking Life as well...

Yeah, and unfortunately I thought that movie was a total snooze-fest. I'm hoping this movie is better. And speaking of Phillipe K. Dick, has anyone else noticed (and keep in mind that I like his stories), that all of his movies/fiction has almost the same theme; i.e., the main character is having some sort of identity crisis? For example:

Total Recall -

Spoiler

Arnold's character doesn't realized he's had his memories replaced.

Imposter -

Spoiler

Gary Senise doesn't realize that he's a robot (or was it a clone?) with a bomb inside of him.

Blade Runner -

Spoiler

Harrison Ford doesn't know whether he's a replicant or not.

Sixth Day -

Spoiler

Arnie doesn't know whether he's the original person or the clone.

There's more, and just about the only one I can think of where this wasn't the theme was Minority Report. Any thoughts?

 

[White Man]

Yeah, and unfortunately I thought that movie was a total snooze-fest. I'm hoping this movie is better. And speaking of Phillipe K. Dick, has anyone else noticed (and keep in mind that I like his stories), that all of his movies/fiction has almost the same theme; i.e., the main character is having some sort of identity crisis? For example:

Total Recall -

Spoiler

Arnold's character doesn't realized he's had his memories replaced.

Imposter -

Spoiler

Gary Senise doesn't realize that he's a robot (or was it a clone?) with a bomb inside of him.

Blade Runner -

Spoiler

Harrison Ford doesn't know whether he's a replicant or not.

Sixth Day -

Spoiler

Arnie doesn't know whether he's the original person or the clone.

There's more, and just about the only one I can think of where this wasn't the theme was Minority Report. Any thoughts?

That's one of his big themes.

 

[effzee]

there has been little to no marketing for this movie.

 

[ManaByte]

Someone once said about Philip K. Dick that if God were speaking directly to him, he wouldn't trust what God was saying. Probably one of the most paranoid people to ever live.

 

[White Man]

Someone once said about Philip K. Dick that if God were speaking directly to him, he wouldn't trust what God was saying. Probably one of the most paranoid people to ever live.

He did a lot of drugs.

He thought the government was after him for years. And they were.

 

[effzee]

He did a lot of drugs.

He thought the government was after him for years. And they were.

:lol

 

[master_shake_05]

Holy shit this is coming out on Friday? O_O

Wha-wha-what?! Nobody told me? NOBODY TOLD ME?!?!

 

[way more]

Someone once said about Philip K. Dick that if God were speaking directly to him, he wouldn't trust what God was saying. Probably one of the most paranoid people to ever live.

I don't think I would. I mean how can he really prove that he's the God.

Also, Philip K. Dick's wife died suddenly without cause and the impermanence stuck with him.

 

[White Man]

I don't think I would. I mean how can he really prove that he's the God.

Also, Philip K. Dick's wife died suddenly without cause and the impermanence stuck with him.

As far as I know, none of his five marriages ended as a result of death. All divorces.

EDIT
Tessa Busby (18 April 1973 - 26 March 1978) (divorced) 1 child
Nancy Hackett (1966 - 1973) (divorced) 1 child
Anne Williams Rubinstein (1958 - 1964) (divorced) 1 child
Kleo Apostolides (June 1950 - 1958) (divorced)
Jeanette Marlin (May 1948 - November 1948) (divorced)

 

[way more]

I don't know why I thought that. I some how misread this thematic breakdown and came up with that..

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.12/philip.html?pg=6

1. FALSE REALITIES
Today we are almost bored by the idea that reality is a just a construct - neuroscience, postmodernism, and The Matrix have made sure of that. But Dick remains the supreme mythmaker of the false reality. His 1959 novel, Time Out of Joint, was the original Truman Show, while his 1964 book, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, describes a society that succumbs to permanent hallucination. Faced with such illusions, Dick's characters have to ask, "What is real?" because their lives (and sanity) are on the line. That's why hipster Hollywood loves him: Dick turned metaphysics into a whodunit.

2. HUMAN VS. MACHINE
Dick wanted to know how, in a technological society, we can recognize the authentically human. He saw the line between people and machines become hopelessly blurred. So his human characters often behave like cruel robots, while spunky gadgets - like the automatic cabbie in Now Wait for Last Year - can be sources of wisdom and kindness. And in "The Electric Ant," when businessman Garson Poole discovers that he is actually an android, he doesn't despair. Instead, he begins to reprogram himself.

3. ENTROPY
One thing you learn from drug addiction, five marriages, and a visionary imagination is how easily your world can fall apart. Perhaps this was why Dick was obsessed with how things decay. He even invented a word for one of entropy's most ordinary manifestations: "kipple," which he defined as all the useless crap that creeps into our daily lives, like junk mail and gum wrappers and old newspapers. Don't bother fighting it - Dick's First Law of Kipple states that "Kipple drives out nonkipple."

4. THE NATURE OF GOD
Dick was a garage philosopher, an autodidact who read voraciously in religion and metaphysics. Sometimes his speculations leaked into everyday life. In 1974, undergoing a psychotic and/or mystical break, Dick encountered a cosmic force he later called Valis, which stands for Vast Active Living Intelligence System - a cybernetic God. But keep on your toes: To sneak into our fallen world, Valis must disguise itself as TV ads or trash - or pulpy sci-fi entertainment.

5. SOCIAL CONTROL
Dick was always pretty paranoid. But when thieves broke into his home in 1971, it sent him over the edge. Soon he came to believe that all political tyrannies were facets of one cosmic oppressor: the Black Iron Prison, a timeless archetype that he associated with the Roman Empire. Dick sometimes thought that history was an illusion and that the Nixon administration's dirty tricks only proved that "The Empire never ended." One wonders what he would think today.

 

[Mairu]

"The movie probably involves more dialogue and less action than some people will expect; it’s about the nature of a life where you can never be sure what or who is real."
Click for Full Review
-- Roger Ebert, EBERT & ROEPER

"There are moments where not only does the lead character not know what’s going on, but I’m not sure if we’re supposed to know what’s going on and you have to go with it."
Click for Full Review
-- Richard Roeper, EBERT & ROEPER

Sounds like the book! There wasn't much action and you don't really know what's going on at times so I look forward to an entertaining and accurate adaptation! Where is this opening up in? NY/LA?

 

[muttyeah416]

there has been little to no marketing for this movie.

i dont know, for an indie-ish inaccessible to the mainstreams movie, ive seen a lot of commercials, previews, and ads for it. i think they are doing a good job spreading the word

 

[Flynn]

And what is Warner thinking releasing this on the same day as Pirates? They should've delayed it a week or two.

It's called "counter programming" in the biz.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Man I can't wait for this. I love the book.

 

[Dan]

Someone once said about Philip K. Dick that if God were speaking directly to him, he wouldn't trust what God was saying.

That's the reaction all rational human beings should have.

*zing*

 

[master_shake_05]

That's the reaction all rational human beings should have.

*zing*

Who's the man behind the curtain? Can we trust him?

Spoiler

Who did he vote for in the last election?

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I will see this come hell or high water. My only wish is that it is like the book. I just got finished reading Minority Report and, well, Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise are ****ing hacks. I do believe the only thing the two stories had in common was the theme of PreCrime and some character names.

Is "Paycheck" any good? the short story was OK, but nothing great. I just need to find "We'll Remember It For You Wholesale" and whatever short stories that Sixth Day and Imposter are based off of now. I also need to see both of those movies as I didn't know they were PKD stories in the first place.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Paycheck was terrible

 

[EternalDarko]

I'm eagerly awaiting this movie. Not sure when it comes out in the UK though.

I will see this come hell or high water. My only wish is that it is like the book.

It is supposed to be very close to the book.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

It better come to Japan :/

 

[AgentOtaku]

looking forward to this one as well

haven't read the book though

Big fan of everyone involved in the film (especially Linklater). Though, I did fall into the catagory of people that found Waking Life a chore to sit through....

It is bs that this is getting such a limited release considering how long its been in development...

I've only read a handful of Phillip K. Dick short stories, Minority Report being of them. Boy, did they take liberties with that one

 

[sefskillz]

Everyone I'm seeing Pirates with on Thursday night wants to see this as well.

Do you seriously think they have the same target audience?

 

[VALIS]

Also, Philip K. Dick's wife died suddenly without cause and the impermanence stuck with him.

I believe you're thinking of his twin sister, who died in childbirth.

Anyway, I'll definitely be there on Friday.... with fingers crossed. Not a big fan of rotoscope and while I definitely like the subjects Linklater takes on, his movies, on the other hand... eh. So-so.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

Paycheck was terrible

Wait, is that about the short story where the guy gets his memory wiped after doing a job for this company that's wanted by the governemnt, then he's given all these clues that will lead him to figure out what he did, along with a some other stuff that would spoil the story?

 

[Solo]

Its gonna tank at the box office, but Im curious to see how GAF likes it. I may check it out if the general consensus is good.

 

[thetrin]

It better come to Japan :/

I agree. I really wanna see this.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Wait, is that about the short story where the guy gets his memory wiped after doing a job for this company that's wanted by the governemnt, then he's given all these clues that will lead him to figure out what he did, along with a some other stuff that would spoil the story?

Yeah. And a combination of John Woo and Ben Affleck = stinker

 

[Bad_Boy]

I want to see this movie pretty bad, just for the art/graphics alone. Simply amazing stuff. Finally some more orginality in theaters.

 

[Der Kommisar]

I LOVE Total Recall and I think it is far superior to "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"

WHATS IT ALL MEAN GAF?

 

[KingGondo]

I've read a bit of Dick (including most of A Scanner Darkly and The Man in the High Castle) and I didn't really enjoy it at all. From what I've read, Dick has better ideas than he has literary ability.

 

[vatstep]

Just got back from seeing it. Thought it was excellent. Obviously, everyone talks about the art direction and visuals, but they really did work well for this film. There are moments that are just gorgeous. The score was good, as well. Radiohead ended up declining it, though, right? Because at one point, there's a radio playing in the background and you can hear one of their songs on it (can't remember which one). It kind of threw me a bit.

Robert Downey Jr. completely steals the film. Reeves was okay - nothing really atrocious about his performance, which I'm sure is something people are concerned about.

But this is definitely not a "summer flick," and I hope people don't get confused about that.

 

[RedDwarf]

I saw a screening tonight. Meh. I fell asleep twice and when I awoke hadn't missed much. The friend I saw it with told me "I've never wanted a movie to end so badly" and I agreed. Interesting art direction, but what a borefest.

 

[White Man]

I saw a screening tonight. Meh. I fell asleep twice and when I awoke hadn't missed much. The friend I saw it with told me "I've never wanted a movie to end so badly" and I agreed. Interesting art direction, but what a borefest.

For the record, have you read or do you like PKD? I'm predicting non-fans won't like it very much (because I don't think this particular book would make an interesting movie).