NEWS: "A Scanner Darkly" Doesn't Suck

CULTURE: "A Scanner Darkly" Doesn't Suck

Ain't It Cool News has a few (p)reviews of the upcoming Richard Linklater film "A Scanner Darkly," which was screened in Houston, Texas recently. The film is based on the Philip K. Dick novel of the same name, and is animated in a style reminiscent the of the trippy 2001 Linklater film "Waking Life."

The review contains no spoilers, for those of you who worry about such things.

Of course, Ain't It Cool is somewhat known for its overly-effusive reviews of films. To offset the gushing first review, they've included a second, slightly-more-critical review:

The actual reviews are a bit longer and more detailed. Personally, I'm looking forward this one, but I'm still trying to decide if I want to pay the extra dollars see it at the sound-and-picture-perfect Arclight in Hollywood... or if I should wait for video.

Wow, I am so excited now.

Nothing make me warier than a glowing, ecstatic review from AICN. Its as if they think people forget the praise they heaped on shit like Hitchhiker's Guide and Serentity.

Lines like this do not inspire confidence:

Sure they do! They let PKD devotees find their own!

And no, I'm not letting myself get my hopes up about this yet.

why would it suck?

what's wrong with "Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy" movie?

Hmm. The word of mouth in my part of the world holds that the Hitchhiker's Guide was great, as long as you were a Hitchhiker's geek going in, and I haven't heard anyone say anything bad about Serenity. You're the first. Congratulations.

I didn't think it would. Everybody thinks suck when they hear Keaneau Reeves, Mainly because he does suck. But anybody who's seen "Waking Life" knows that Ethan Hawke sucks too, but when animated he's pretty cool!

As for Hitchhiker's and Serenity, just like Scanner Darkly, they are films that essentially appeal to a very Narrow audience, perhaps AICN is just keeping that in mind when they review films like that? Plus, Serenity was the first movie in five years I've been able to watch from the third row without feeling sick, there are very few people in hollywood nowadays who don't have a hard-on for handheld camera fight scenes.

Hitchhikers did suck though, I was entertained, but extremely disappointed. But Humma Kavula was awesome.

Both of those movies were somewhere between "OK" and "decent," but what I was referring to was AICN's reviews hailing each movie as the best thing ever, which they clearly were not. I don't have a problem with good reviews, as long as they aren't the breathless, sycophantic types that Aint It Cool is famous for. Besides, If you haven't heard anyone criticise Serenity, you've been hanging with fanboys too long.

I've been looking forward to seeing this since I saw the preview earlier this spring.

Aint It Cool News, however, can lick my stinky fuckin' kumquats.

the best page of that book 4 neone whos lazy like me is the last one;philip k dick knew how to do *lists*
god bless

I really really hope this movie doesn't suck. I've been trying to avoid reading anything about it because I've often been disappointed by movies that I've looked forward to in the past. And the PkD movies I've seen were either enjoyable but nothing like the book, or really sucky.

It's been a while since I read the book but I kind of thought the point was that he couldn't tell the difference between real reality and what he thought was reality? Like when they're all struggling over the number of gears that a bike has.

Because there exists a line, in the preview at least that goes "What does the scanner see... does it see into me? clearly or darkly?" The problem of course is that last word in the sentence, what the fuck does it mean?
Hey Bob has your vision cleared up? No, I'm still seeing pretty darkly.

i really recommend reading the book. its fuckin great.

PLANT

I am so happy. I have been waiting to see this movie for MONTHS. I think I first saw the trailer at the beginning of the year or there abouts. It looks awesome.

On Aint it Cool? Say it aint so!!

it freaked me out when I read "Cry My Tears The Policeman Said" in one quick reading then to watch Waking Life for the first time right after... when he talked about PKD writing it like it was channeled, and I read it like i was channeling, I got the good shivers and excited twitchiness..

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php?date=2002-06-24

Heh.. yeah, I'm generally of the same opinion... however, it wasn't Harry writing these two reviews.

oooh...crappy acting covered in crappy animation. It's like two retarded ninjas trying to hide behind each other.

Everybody thinks they can turn a PKD story into a movie. Noone has succeeded yet. Unless you count throwing away his story and substituting another one for it (Bladerunner, for example). Which I don't.

I remember a rumor when Bladerunner came out (yes I'm that old) that the movie studio wanted PKD to do a novel based on the script and have it replace the original Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? on the bookshelves. The ultimate Hollywood slap in the face to a great writer. He said no, of course.

I want to see this movie. I don't care what any other opinionated asshole thinks or says in print about it.

in my universe it's this opinionated asshole's take that counts.

While the movie is definitely intriguing, I have my worries about the fact that it stars Keanu Reeves. Mr. Reeves has an unnerving ability to make good or alright movies...less so.

man. . .I can't wait for this.
It's been a while since there was a decent PKD movie.