Episode 80: Ridley Scott Watch Series #3: BLADE RUNNER (1982)

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 Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die. Curtis and John return to the next film of the Ridley Scott watch series with 1982's BLADE RUNNER! We chat about this cinematic ur-text of the 'cyberpunk' genre, which inspired many works in film (The Matrix, Akira) and video games (Metal Gear Solid, Deus Ex). We discuss the film's influence and exploration of industrial late-stage capitalist dystopia and the questions it raises around the nature of artificial intelligence and the emergent police state. Lots to chew on here! Before talking about the film, the boys also cover what they watched this week as well as their latest additions to their watchlists. Tune in next week as Quinn and John return to the Henenlotter canon to discuss a double feature of the BASKET CASE sequels! TIME STAMPS 00:00:00 Introduction What We Watched This Week 00:02:30 Bunny Lake is Missing (John) 00:04:39 The Fourth Kind [2008] (John) 00:06:24 The Deeper You Dig (John) 00:08:10 The Passion of Joan of Arc (John) 00:11:15 Gretel and Hansel (John) 00:12:03 Succession [season one] (John) 00:16:20 The Last of Us [season one] 00:20:33 Mandabi [IFFO 2023] (John) 00:24:53 Tales from the Gimli Hospital (John) 00:20:16 Pakistan's Hidden Predators (Curtis) 00:31:20 Snow Angels [2007] (Curtis) 00:33:00 Detainment [2018] (Curtis) 00:33:52 The Toolbox Killer (Curtis) 00:36:01 The Lovely Bones (Curtis) Watchlist Additions 00:37:32 Avengement [2019] (John) 00:38:08 The Irishman (John) 00:39:40 Battleship Potemkin (John) 00:40:17 Dead Ringers [TV] (Curtis) 00:41:00 Tetsuo: The Iron Man (Curtis) 00:41:28 Crazy Rich Asians (Curtis) 00:42:50 The Devil and the Death Penalty (Curtis) 00:43:33 Fast Company (Curtis) 00:44:45 BLADE RUNNER Discussion 01:13:23 Our Ratings 01:18:58 Coming Up Next! CREDITS AND PLUGS Intro: Blade Runner Blues - Vangelis (Blade Runner OST) Outro: Love - Vangelis (Blade Runner OST) Quinn: @seatstruckreviews Curtis: https://curtisrunstedler.ca/ https://www.the-back-row.com/ - check out 'Runstedler's DVD Pick of the Month' John: johnnycakes.substack.com @johnnycakes on Letterboxd Check out John's other podcast Domestic Pints ONLY! @domesticpintsonly on IG; find them on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.