No comments about Visual Futurist: The Art & Life of Syd Mead.

5 comments about Blade Runner - The Director's Cut (Remastered Limited Edition).

1. Rated only 1 star because you (Amazon) must make it crystal clear what the user is getting here, as there are now three versions - the original, the director's cut, and the most recent director's final cut!!!



2. Nobody does sets better than Ridley Scott. The sets on Blade Runner do not suffer from the dreaded "outdated technology set" that often plagues science fiction movies after they have been out a while and this is attributable to Ridley Scott. The gritty Sci/Fi setting is perfect. The acting across the board is amazing. The movie is full of iconic images and lines. Leon alone has a couple iconic lines, "Let me tell you about my mother" and "Wake up, time to die" and who can forget the lines and image of Roy at the end of the movie? Blade Runner is a timeless classic!
   
   There is an updated version of the movie now available and would recommend that to fans of the movie and this version to people just wanting to add to their collection.



3. (the review below was originally written on Yahoo! movies on Apr 17th, 2005)
   
   I came to know about this movie from the track 'Love theme' (by Vangelis) that I randomly heard on an internet radio station not too long ago. It was a really great composition and made me interested in the movie. I read some reviews on imdb and almost all of them were very positive. So when I got hold of the Director's Cut DVD yesterday and started watching, my expectations were pretty high. In most of my past experiences in such cases, I hadn't been totally satisfied at the end. But surprisingly, that wasn't the case with this movie. It's amazing.. surely one of the best movies ever made. It's a sci-fi, but obviously not one of those movies that don't go beyond laser gun firing and strange looking creatures. It has a very touching human side to it, something which most movies of this genre lack. It is most definitely a cult movie and a milestone in the art of movie making.
   
   I'm particularly impressed by the direction. Ridley Scott did such an excellent job of portraying a future LA. Nothing seems far-fetched, rather I can't help but wonder about how immaculate his vision was even about twenty five years ago. The movie is dark, bleak and atmospheric. All the main characters are depicted beautifully. Their inner conflicts, vulnerability, pride, fear, love, hatred - seems like a canvas painted with human emotions. Not often do we find such depth in character development, especially in sci-fi's. It's not just a movie, it's more like a poetry in motion. Who can forget that quote of Roy before he dies: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain." And the music by Vangelis is exquisite.
   
   This is most probably my favorite movie of all time. Definitely a masterpiece, in all sense of the term. A movie much ahead of its time..



4. This is the one. Buy it. Watch in on a wide-screen. Decide for yourself, is Deckard a replicant...?
   
   How does Roy Batty know Deckard's name...?
   
   Why did Gaff make an oragami unicorn...?



5. Blade Runner was a five star movie that had an exceptionally good plot. It also featured astounding special effects which were amazing to see on the big screen. Much of this work was done with large scale models and fog machines that really helped to establish the atmosphere and feel of the film visually. Several of the screen and sound effects were taken from Ridley Scott's Alien, including computer graphic screens and miscellaneous electronic sound effects. In addition, the sets, models, and costumes were wonderfully organic, as were the original sets of Giger's from Alien.
   
   The story concerns humaniod robots in the first quarter of the 21st century that have intelligence and agility at least as great as that of the genetic engineers who designed them. The robots are called Replicants because they are physically equivalent to human beings down to their organs, blood and bone structure. The strength and speed of these androids is much greater than that of a human, and they can be a great deal of trouble to deal with.
   
   The story takes for granted that such advanced robots possess true consciousness and are quite willing to fight and even kill human beings in order to continue their existance which has been intentionally limited to a life span of four years. This is one of the few robot films to come out of Hollywood which does not depend on Asimov's three laws of robotics for the story.
   
   One new science fiction twist on robotics used in this film is the implanting of false memories of childhood, parents and a long prior existance. Though false, these implanted memories mean a great deal to the androids at the "emotional" level who carry photos of their false history, parents and childhood homes even when they are aware that these memories are false. This was a totally new concept to me as a long time fan of robots in science fiction film and gave me a new perspective on the value of memories.
   
   The film stars Harrison Ford who plays a special law officer or Blade Runner. As a Blade Runner he is authorized to use deadly force in the pursuit of "Replicants" to terminate (or retire) them on the planet Earth where their use has been banned. The story becomes even more interesting when the Blade Runner falls in love with a beautiful female Replicant who is used to calibrate the andoroid detection software used by Blade Runner detectives.
   
   One scene which was particularly effective involved Harrison Ford revealing to the female android that she is artificial, something she has been unaware of since activation because of her false memory implants. This is the scene in which Harrison Ford falls in love with this very beautiful "woman" because of her well portraid vulnerability, emotions and sadness at learning that she is artificial. She is deeply hurt and shattered by the new knowledge and the tough Blade Runner instantly falls in love when she breaks down and silently cries after hearing his revelation and convincing evidence.

5 comments about Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition) [HD DVD].

1. One doesn't have to care about the philosophical underpinnings of this visually stunning film (made well before the advent of CGI technology) to be entertained by it, because not everyone looks for anything but entertainment in movies of whatever kind. Ridley Scott's objective, however, is never simply to entertain, though he does so superbly well, at least in my opinion. His filmography bears me out.



2. There is no other vertion of theis movie to get. if you are a true fan of Blade runner then you have to own this addition.



3. This is by far the best treatment this movie has ever seen! You can feel the attention it got!
   
   Now I hope I can sell it to get the Blu-Ray version!



4. This is a review of the HD-DVD Blade Runner Final Cut only. To put it in prospective I have the Laser Disk and the Director's Cut on DVD.
   
   If you have an upscaling DVD player then there is not too much visual improvement to the orginal Director's Cut DVD. What has really improved is the Dolby 5.1 sound. The improvement in the sound quality in the regular Director's Cut to a HD-DVD,Blu-Ray, Regular DVD Final Cut is great.The opening scene when the ships pass over the city, first from front to back L, then from back to front,R, are grealty improved in rear sound quality.
   
   Your ears will feel the diference.



5. I had been wanting to add this 5 Disc Blu-ray release to my collection for a while now, and finally picked it up during amazon's "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" special. It has been beautifully remastered for this Blu-ray release and I personally like the 2007 "Final Cut" the best! Of course, the original theatrical version is the one folks identify with the most, but hey, I'm open-minded enough to enjoy the sharper, remastered "Final Cut" just as much! If you plan to watch this movie with a front projection system and large screen (110" or more) this Blu-ray release is for you. It doesn't get any better than this, folks! Kudos Warner Bros!

5 comments about Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray].

1. The first Blu-Ray I've purchased/seen. Much greater detail than NTSC or than I remeber as on the big screen at the movies.



2. For anybody who considers himself to be either a science fiction fan or a movie lover definitely a must own!! Besides the fact that this is the final and only version of Blade Runner there should have been, this edition covers almost anything you could want to know about the background and making of this film. You can't possibly get more at this price...



3. If you liked blade runner before the hi def version will blow you away!!! A+ Buy



4. I bought the five disc ultimate edition having never seen Blade Runner before. Then I watched each version, and now I absolutely love it. I've seen all the features save for disc 2's bonus thing.
   
   But here's my complaint... I spent 50 dollars, to get this, and I get two original versions (US and International), a Director's Cut, a Final Cut, and a SUPER DUPER RARE ULTRA AWESOME Workprint Release... and it's all the same.
   
   The cuts have no differences in scenes. The only major differences are sorted into two camps: crappy happy ending and Ford's voiceover narration (US and International), and noirish ending without voiceover narration (everything else).
   
   The other differences are so miniscule you'd barely notice. Aside from digital enhancing and such, they've done little more than tweak and move things around, change some things here, fix other things, "restore" things that you would barely even notice if they didn't boldly proclaim it, fix some dialogue that leaves the fate of the fifth and sixth replicants unknown, as well spending who knows how much money on SUPER DUPER AWESOME TECHNOLOGY just to get Harrison Ford's son to come in, mouth some dialogue, and digitally place his mouth over Deckard's during the scene where he questions the snake dealer, because apparently his mouth didn't originally sync up with the dialogue.
   
   As great a movie as this is, and whichever version you prefer (sadly for me, I hate the happy ending, love the Director's Cut ending, and yet I hate the lack of narration, preferring the feel it gives to the film), it's simply not a very good deal to spend 50 dollars for a fifth version of the same thing you get in four other versions of the movie.



5. Loved seeing this again - the visual was better than before and the additional Special stuff was great!

5 comments about Blade Runner (The Director's Cut).

1. Rated only 1 star because you (Amazon) must make it crystal clear what the user is getting here, as there are now three versions - the original, the director's cut, and the most recent director's final cut!!!



2. Nobody does sets better than Ridley Scott. The sets on Blade Runner do not suffer from the dreaded "outdated technology set" that often plagues science fiction movies after they have been out a while and this is attributable to Ridley Scott. The gritty Sci/Fi setting is perfect. The acting across the board is amazing. The movie is full of iconic images and lines. Leon alone has a couple iconic lines, "Let me tell you about my mother" and "Wake up, time to die" and who can forget the lines and image of Roy at the end of the movie? Blade Runner is a timeless classic!
   
   There is an updated version of the movie now available and would recommend that to fans of the movie and this version to people just wanting to add to their collection.



3. (the review below was originally written on Yahoo! movies on Apr 17th, 2005)
   
   I came to know about this movie from the track 'Love theme' (by Vangelis) that I randomly heard on an internet radio station not too long ago. It was a really great composition and made me interested in the movie. I read some reviews on imdb and almost all of them were very positive. So when I got hold of the Director's Cut DVD yesterday and started watching, my expectations were pretty high. In most of my past experiences in such cases, I hadn't been totally satisfied at the end. But surprisingly, that wasn't the case with this movie. It's amazing.. surely one of the best movies ever made. It's a sci-fi, but obviously not one of those movies that don't go beyond laser gun firing and strange looking creatures. It has a very touching human side to it, something which most movies of this genre lack. It is most definitely a cult movie and a milestone in the art of movie making.
   
   I'm particularly impressed by the direction. Ridley Scott did such an excellent job of portraying a future LA. Nothing seems far-fetched, rather I can't help but wonder about how immaculate his vision was even about twenty five years ago. The movie is dark, bleak and atmospheric. All the main characters are depicted beautifully. Their inner conflicts, vulnerability, pride, fear, love, hatred - seems like a canvas painted with human emotions. Not often do we find such depth in character development, especially in sci-fi's. It's not just a movie, it's more like a poetry in motion. Who can forget that quote of Roy before he dies: "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain." And the music by Vangelis is exquisite.
   
   This is most probably my favorite movie of all time. Definitely a masterpiece, in all sense of the term. A movie much ahead of its time..



4. This is the one. Buy it. Watch in on a wide-screen. Decide for yourself, is Deckard a replicant...?
   
   How does Roy Batty know Deckard's name...?
   
   Why did Gaff make an oragami unicorn...?



5. Blade Runner was a five star movie that had an exceptionally good plot. It also featured astounding special effects which were amazing to see on the big screen. Much of this work was done with large scale models and fog machines that really helped to establish the atmosphere and feel of the film visually. Several of the screen and sound effects were taken from Ridley Scott's Alien, including computer graphic screens and miscellaneous electronic sound effects. In addition, the sets, models, and costumes were wonderfully organic, as were the original sets of Giger's from Alien.
   
   The story concerns humaniod robots in the first quarter of the 21st century that have intelligence and agility at least as great as that of the genetic engineers who designed them. The robots are called Replicants because they are physically equivalent to human beings down to their organs, blood and bone structure. The strength and speed of these androids is much greater than that of a human, and they can be a great deal of trouble to deal with.
   
   The story takes for granted that such advanced robots possess true consciousness and are quite willing to fight and even kill human beings in order to continue their existance which has been intentionally limited to a life span of four years. This is one of the few robot films to come out of Hollywood which does not depend on Asimov's three laws of robotics for the story.
   
   One new science fiction twist on robotics used in this film is the implanting of false memories of childhood, parents and a long prior existance. Though false, these implanted memories mean a great deal to the androids at the "emotional" level who carry photos of their false history, parents and childhood homes even when they are aware that these memories are false. This was a totally new concept to me as a long time fan of robots in science fiction film and gave me a new perspective on the value of memories.
   
   The film stars Harrison Ford who plays a special law officer or Blade Runner. As a Blade Runner he is authorized to use deadly force in the pursuit of "Replicants" to terminate (or retire) them on the planet Earth where their use has been banned. The story becomes even more interesting when the Blade Runner falls in love with a beautiful female Replicant who is used to calibrate the andoroid detection software used by Blade Runner detectives.
   
   One scene which was particularly effective involved Harrison Ford revealing to the female android that she is artificial, something she has been unaware of since activation because of her false memory implants. This is the scene in which Harrison Ford falls in love with this very beautiful "woman" because of her well portraid vulnerability, emotions and sadness at learning that she is artificial. She is deeply hurt and shattered by the new knowledge and the tough Blade Runner instantly falls in love when she breaks down and silently cries after hearing his revelation and convincing evidence.

5 comments about Blade Runner (Five-Disc Ultimate Collector's Edition).

1. One doesn't have to care about the philosophical underpinnings of this visually stunning film (made well before the advent of CGI technology) to be entertained by it, because not everyone looks for anything but entertainment in movies of whatever kind. Ridley Scott's objective, however, is never simply to entertain, though he does so superbly well, at least in my opinion. His filmography bears me out.



2. There is no other vertion of theis movie to get. if you are a true fan of Blade runner then you have to own this addition.



3. This is by far the best treatment this movie has ever seen! You can feel the attention it got!
   
   Now I hope I can sell it to get the Blu-Ray version!



4. This is a review of the HD-DVD Blade Runner Final Cut only. To put it in prospective I have the Laser Disk and the Director's Cut on DVD.
   
   If you have an upscaling DVD player then there is not too much visual improvement to the orginal Director's Cut DVD. What has really improved is the Dolby 5.1 sound. The improvement in the sound quality in the regular Director's Cut to a HD-DVD,Blu-Ray, Regular DVD Final Cut is great.The opening scene when the ships pass over the city, first from front to back L, then from back to front,R, are grealty improved in rear sound quality.
   
   Your ears will feel the diference.



5. I had been wanting to add this 5 Disc Blu-ray release to my collection for a while now, and finally picked it up during amazon's "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" special. It has been beautifully remastered for this Blu-ray release and I personally like the 2007 "Final Cut" the best! Of course, the original theatrical version is the one folks identify with the most, but hey, I'm open-minded enough to enjoy the sharper, remastered "Final Cut" just as much! If you plan to watch this movie with a front projection system and large screen (110" or more) this Blu-ray release is for you. It doesn't get any better than this, folks! Kudos Warner Bros!

5 comments about Blade Runner (Four-Disc Collector's Edition).

1. The first Blu-Ray I've purchased/seen. Much greater detail than NTSC or than I remeber as on the big screen at the movies.



2. For anybody who considers himself to be either a science fiction fan or a movie lover definitely a must own!! Besides the fact that this is the final and only version of Blade Runner there should have been, this edition covers almost anything you could want to know about the background and making of this film. You can't possibly get more at this price...



3. If you liked blade runner before the hi def version will blow you away!!! A+ Buy



4. I bought the five disc ultimate edition having never seen Blade Runner before. Then I watched each version, and now I absolutely love it. I've seen all the features save for disc 2's bonus thing.
   
   But here's my complaint... I spent 50 dollars, to get this, and I get two original versions (US and International), a Director's Cut, a Final Cut, and a SUPER DUPER RARE ULTRA AWESOME Workprint Release... and it's all the same.
   
   The cuts have no differences in scenes. The only major differences are sorted into two camps: crappy happy ending and Ford's voiceover narration (US and International), and noirish ending without voiceover narration (everything else).
   
   The other differences are so miniscule you'd barely notice. Aside from digital enhancing and such, they've done little more than tweak and move things around, change some things here, fix other things, "restore" things that you would barely even notice if they didn't boldly proclaim it, fix some dialogue that leaves the fate of the fifth and sixth replicants unknown, as well spending who knows how much money on SUPER DUPER AWESOME TECHNOLOGY just to get Harrison Ford's son to come in, mouth some dialogue, and digitally place his mouth over Deckard's during the scene where he questions the snake dealer, because apparently his mouth didn't originally sync up with the dialogue.
   
   As great a movie as this is, and whichever version you prefer (sadly for me, I hate the happy ending, love the Director's Cut ending, and yet I hate the lack of narration, preferring the feel it gives to the film), it's simply not a very good deal to spend 50 dollars for a fifth version of the same thing you get in four other versions of the movie.



5. Loved seeing this again - the visual was better than before and the additional Special stuff was great!

5 comments about Blade Runner - The Final Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition).

1. One doesn't have to care about the philosophical underpinnings of this visually stunning film (made well before the advent of CGI technology) to be entertained by it, because not everyone looks for anything but entertainment in movies of whatever kind. Ridley Scott's objective, however, is never simply to entertain, though he does so superbly well, at least in my opinion. His filmography bears me out.



2. There is no other vertion of theis movie to get. if you are a true fan of Blade runner then you have to own this addition.



3. This is by far the best treatment this movie has ever seen! You can feel the attention it got!
   
   Now I hope I can sell it to get the Blu-Ray version!



4. This is a review of the HD-DVD Blade Runner Final Cut only. To put it in prospective I have the Laser Disk and the Director's Cut on DVD.
   
   If you have an upscaling DVD player then there is not too much visual improvement to the orginal Director's Cut DVD. What has really improved is the Dolby 5.1 sound. The improvement in the sound quality in the regular Director's Cut to a HD-DVD,Blu-Ray, Regular DVD Final Cut is great.The opening scene when the ships pass over the city, first from front to back L, then from back to front,R, are grealty improved in rear sound quality.
   
   Your ears will feel the diference.



5. I had been wanting to add this 5 Disc Blu-ray release to my collection for a while now, and finally picked it up during amazon's "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" special. It has been beautifully remastered for this Blu-ray release and I personally like the 2007 "Final Cut" the best! Of course, the original theatrical version is the one folks identify with the most, but hey, I'm open-minded enough to enjoy the sharper, remastered "Final Cut" just as much! If you plan to watch this movie with a front projection system and large screen (110" or more) this Blu-ray release is for you. It doesn't get any better than this, folks! Kudos Warner Bros!

5 comments about Blade Runner (5-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [HD DVD].

1. One doesn't have to care about the philosophical underpinnings of this visually stunning film (made well before the advent of CGI technology) to be entertained by it, because not everyone looks for anything but entertainment in movies of whatever kind. Ridley Scott's objective, however, is never simply to entertain, though he does so superbly well, at least in my opinion. His filmography bears me out.



2. There is no other vertion of theis movie to get. if you are a true fan of Blade runner then you have to own this addition.



3. This is by far the best treatment this movie has ever seen! You can feel the attention it got!
   
   Now I hope I can sell it to get the Blu-Ray version!



4. This is a review of the HD-DVD Blade Runner Final Cut only. To put it in prospective I have the Laser Disk and the Director's Cut on DVD.
   
   If you have an upscaling DVD player then there is not too much visual improvement to the orginal Director's Cut DVD. What has really improved is the Dolby 5.1 sound. The improvement in the sound quality in the regular Director's Cut to a HD-DVD,Blu-Ray, Regular DVD Final Cut is great.The opening scene when the ships pass over the city, first from front to back L, then from back to front,R, are grealty improved in rear sound quality.
   
   Your ears will feel the diference.



5. I had been wanting to add this 5 Disc Blu-ray release to my collection for a while now, and finally picked it up during amazon's "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" special. It has been beautifully remastered for this Blu-ray release and I personally like the 2007 "Final Cut" the best! Of course, the original theatrical version is the one folks identify with the most, but hey, I'm open-minded enough to enjoy the sharper, remastered "Final Cut" just as much! If you plan to watch this movie with a front projection system and large screen (110" or more) this Blu-ray release is for you. It doesn't get any better than this, folks! Kudos Warner Bros!

5 comments about Blade Runner (Five-Disc Complete Collector's Edition) [Blu-ray].

1. One doesn't have to care about the philosophical underpinnings of this visually stunning film (made well before the advent of CGI technology) to be entertained by it, because not everyone looks for anything but entertainment in movies of whatever kind. Ridley Scott's objective, however, is never simply to entertain, though he does so superbly well, at least in my opinion. His filmography bears me out.



2. There is no other vertion of theis movie to get. if you are a true fan of Blade runner then you have to own this addition.



3. This is by far the best treatment this movie has ever seen! You can feel the attention it got!
   
   Now I hope I can sell it to get the Blu-Ray version!



4. This is a review of the HD-DVD Blade Runner Final Cut only. To put it in prospective I have the Laser Disk and the Director's Cut on DVD.
   
   If you have an upscaling DVD player then there is not too much visual improvement to the orginal Director's Cut DVD. What has really improved is the Dolby 5.1 sound. The improvement in the sound quality in the regular Director's Cut to a HD-DVD,Blu-Ray, Regular DVD Final Cut is great.The opening scene when the ships pass over the city, first from front to back L, then from back to front,R, are grealty improved in rear sound quality.
   
   Your ears will feel the diference.



5. I had been wanting to add this 5 Disc Blu-ray release to my collection for a while now, and finally picked it up during amazon's "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" special. It has been beautifully remastered for this Blu-ray release and I personally like the 2007 "Final Cut" the best! Of course, the original theatrical version is the one folks identify with the most, but hey, I'm open-minded enough to enjoy the sharper, remastered "Final Cut" just as much! If you plan to watch this movie with a front projection system and large screen (110" or more) this Blu-ray release is for you. It doesn't get any better than this, folks! Kudos Warner Bros!