A Scanner Darkly, just saw it. Thought it was pretty good.

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  I went into the movie without very high expectations. I am a fan of Linklater (who adapted the Philip K. Dick story and directed the movie) having enjoyed the hell out of Slacker and been reasonably pleased with Waking Life, but I religiously go to RottenTomatoes.com to check movie reviews and it only had a ~60% positive rating.

  You can watch the first 24 minutes of A Scanner Darkly, right here and I did. It's not the best hook, the story starts to dig in quite a bit deeper literally after that portion, on the very next scene and onward.

  I recommend it highly. However, know that it's not a happy movie. You'll laugh quite a bit during it, but it covers very serious issues like paranoia, drug abuse, living in world just-clicking over from Freedom into Fascism, lack of empathy, lack of trust and a whole host of confusing questions about Identity and the ways in which we deal with reality.

  In short: A number of themes quite familiar to Americans living in 2006.

  Anyway, I recommend it. The showing I went to was at a little "art house" movie theater and while everyone was talking about this or that things quieted down very quickly once the movie was under way. By the time it was over every one of the 30 or so people who'd watched it with me walked out slowly, each seemingly lost in thought about the implications of the main character's dilemma and the world they were walking back into which was not all that different that his own.

PB

[qnr]

1. Thanks. I'm inclined to not go. I'm getting pretty sick of all these

Philip K. Dick movies getting made, to the exclusion of so many other excellent science fiction authors. I know I'm just being petty, after all, I do like Dick, but sheesh...

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4. Hollywood stagnation and nepotism of subjects. Augh. n/t

PB

[Skittles]

2. I enjoyed it

just one problem - I was so fascinated watching the faces change every couple of seconds I kept missing dialogue. I swear I saw Sean Penn in there more than once. :)

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3. Ha! Yeah, that rotoscoping or whatever it is reminds me of the way...

...a person's face can morph and change subtly and not-so-subtly when under the influence of Lucy. After about the first 10 minutes I found myself grateful that I wasn't under the influence of anything except a fresh-pulled espresso.

By the way, I know EXACTLY what you mean about Sean Penn- I swear, seriously, I remember thinking I could see him in there. I also thought I saw Keanu a bit while in his scramble suit and also could have sworn it was used to foreshadow another character, also in a scramble suit.

PB

[Skittles]

5. lol

an excerpt from a review - Keanu is more animated when he is animated than in real life ROFL

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6. I can't really argue with that. His "style" was good for the character...

...but I don't think I'd watch another style of drama with him, otherwise.

PB

[Skittles]

7. oh, I can't help it

I don't think he's a great actor by any means but I still find him entertaining, watchable - I just do. And I love his voice. :D