You can say what you like about Los Angeles, but we have Hollywood, which means we have the movies – and lots of movie-lovers to go with it; consequently, there are actually a handful of theatres, even in this era of home video, that continue to offer repertory and revival programming. This results in wonderful opportunities to re-experience movies on the big screen, where they were meant to be seen. A recent example of this is the “Final Cut” of BLADE RUNNER, which I recently saw at the New Beverly Cinema in L.A. Of course it was interesting to note how this (presumably last) version of the film stacked up against its predecessors, but I could have done that on DVD (or even, heaven forbid, on Netflix Instant Viewing). The real joy of the experience was once again seeing the sights of 2019 Los Angeles splayed out larger than life before my eyes, filling not only the screen but also my brain with an overwhelming rush of visual input that few films ever match. Continue reading “Blade Runner on the big screen – The Final Cut”
I didn’t make it out to the San Diego Comic Con last week, but I heard it was great. Among many other things there was a panel for the long-awaited release of the Five-Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition of BLADE RUNNER (which will be available on DVD, HD DVD, and Blu-ray). Harrison Ford and Daryll Hannah were no-shows (boo!), but director Ridley Scott and cast members Joe Turkel, Joanna Cassidy, Sean Young, and James Hong (“Seinfeld, party of four!”) were there. The enthusiastic response of the audience full of fans dwarfed that given to the other big panel put on by Warner Brothers, dedicated to the home video release of this year’s blockbuster, 300.