A Scanner Darkly (DVD)

America is in the midst of a future, dystopian battle against drugs. Using an intrusive system of State surveillance, the cops have set up a myriad network of informants and undercover operatives to counter the distribution of the widely available Substance D. Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) is an undercover agent assigned to infiltrate the drug supply chain by posing as a drug user and befriending crooks caught up in the drugs racket. When on-duty, Arctor's identity is protected by a constantly changing, digitized suit that continually scrambles his appearance. Code-named Fred, he reports regularly to his superior, Hank, along with the resident medics who keep a check on his ...  Read the complete review

There is something a bit boring about the average science fiction author. Lots of the time they are very intelligent blokes that do not always have the greatest social skills. However, some buck the trend and set out on their own path. One such author was Philip K. Dick. Why philosophise about the wonderment of future societies when you can get out of your gourd on top quality drugs? It was with this drug fuelled aura that Dick came up with some of his most impressive stories and strange titles. Who can forget ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ or ‘We Can Remember It For You Wholesale’? Better known in film form as ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Total Recall’. With these ...  Read the complete review

As an intellectual ("nerd") I read a lot of science fiction, and have a particular fondness for Philip K. Dick. His work has often been targeted by Hollywood - Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, Paycheck - mostly for his vivid visions of the future. As a writer, Dick often creates a general tone of morose confusion, and though his ideas are outstanding, it's always the feeling behind them that gives his work more emotional punch. Unfortunately, Joe Public doesn't always want something they have to ponder, so Mr Hollywood takes Dick's work and strips it down to the barest ideas, then adds a beefy actor and makes a fortune. It's like giving Ben Affleck ...  Read the complete review

Richard Linklater is one of the most diverse working directors today, having worked in a wide variety of genres, from coming of age comedy (Dazed and Confused), comic farce (School of Rock), romantic comedy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset), and now a drug thriller in A Scanner Darkly, a little known but supremely entertaining film that boasts outstanding visuals and some solid performances to boot. As you'll see from the film's poster, the film isn't live action in the traditional sense - it comes from a technique he pioneered on his film Waking Life, called rotoscoping, where a film is filmed in live action, and then drawn over with computers to give a ...  Read the complete review

I'll start out with an apology there there isn't much substance to the review of this movie. Its because i found it very hard to follow but here goes. I haven't read the book/story this is based on & the actual plot of the film is a bit difficult to follow but still very good. The whole filmed then hand drawn shading thing is brilliant. Keanu Reeves was pretty good, I loved Winona Ryder. Robert Downey Junior was brilliant as the paranoid doctor. Woody Harrelson equally brilliant as the stoner friend. This is a society blighted by super addictive drugs that are being created by the company who is trying to "cure" all those taking that ...  Read the complete review