You can pick up hundreds of DVD's for a round-pound each - it doesn't matter. Its never about quantity, its about quality. A-Z is my way of going through my collection, from A-Z, and justifying why I own the films... or you can tell me why I should sell 'em
#25 - Blade Runner
Why did I buy it?
I was so late on this one. I always knew about Blade Runner but ultimately - primarily through the awful releases prior to the 5-disc boxset - I never heard enough to hunt it down. I visited a close friend in Aberystwyth one weekend - Rhys BL - and we decided to watch a bunch of films either I had not seen or he had not seen. I enjoyed Blade Runner and could see what was good and knew that I would have to buy it eventually. (Amongst the viewings was This is England - for Rhys - and I Am Legend - for me. What was interesting about the latter was that, as we watched it on blu-ray, my virgin-viewing of the film was with the alternate ending. I watched the actual ending shortly afterwards and it was so much worse.)
Anyway, Blade Runner has so many multiple versions, I knew that eventually I would get this boxset and indeed I did: tin case, 5-discs, weird-plastic-recreated-thing-from-the-film.
Why do I still own it?
I was so late on this one. I always knew about Blade Runner but ultimately - primarily through the awful releases prior to the 5-disc boxset - I never heard enough to hunt it down. I visited a close friend in Aberystwyth one weekend - Rhys BL - and we decided to watch a bunch of films either I had not seen or he had not seen. I enjoyed Blade Runner and could see what was good and knew that I would have to buy it eventually. (Amongst the viewings was This is England - for Rhys - and I Am Legend - for me. What was interesting about the latter was that, as we watched it on blu-ray, my virgin-viewing of the film was with the alternate ending. I watched the actual ending shortly afterwards and it was so much worse.)
Anyway, Blade Runner has so many multiple versions, I knew that eventually I would get this boxset and indeed I did: tin case, 5-discs, weird-plastic-recreated-thing-from-the-film.
Why do I still own it?
Because of how it looks - it simply looks incredible. Ironically, after all those concerns with the releases prior to the 5-disc pack, now it has been released on Blu-Ray (an incredible version I managed to catch a glimpse of at my sisters house) you cannot get a version that has everything (The films on blu-ray and the special features on the DVD's in one boxset) so I shall stick with my current box-set. I haven't watched the film since I purchased it - partly because I don't know which one next to watch. My virgin-viewing was the Directors Cut so now I am due to show it to Sarah and I am thinking about watching the original Theatrical Cut with her... and its only a matter of time before I do watch it again. But I think there is no reason to shift this one yet - because it simply shows how a Sci-Fi should look (opposed to the story which, lets be honest, for all its Phillip K. Dick, its hardly ground-breaking).
Should I sell it though? Because, lets be honest, Unicorns ultimately don't exist.
Remember - you can always email The Simon and Jo Film Show directly using this email: simonandjoshow@gmail.com
This is a rare case of a sci-fi film getting better with age. It was somewhat shrugged off when it was first released, but its noir elements have helped it age so beautifully!
ReplyDeleteThis is also one of my favorite examples of holding off on buying a dvd for a long, long time since I knew a better edition would ultimately drop...and when it did good god was I in heaven!
That said, my favorite experience watching this film was a few summers ago at an outdoor screening downtown. It played at Dundas Square, which is right in the heart of downtown, surrounded by traffic, pedestrians, and loads of billboards...it was like watching the film while being a part of the environment the film predicts! Unreal!!
first off - when you say "good god i was in heaven" I ca completely hear your canadian voice saying that! Sounds like an incredible experience though on Dundas square - I need to watch it again. I would like to know this film inside-and-out!
ReplyDelete