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Donut Boy takes a trip on A SCANNER DARKLY - previewing the ComiCon Spectacular!
Hey folks, Harry here... The following report from Donut Boy covers some of the footage that'll show at ComiCon - and from what D.B. describes - it isn't quite all that I've heard will be shown in San Diego. However, he also saw a bit more than will be shown, just different things. Also - this report doesn't really lay Phillip K Dick's A SCANNER DARKLY - if you haven't read the book - then get ye to a book store/site and get it now - it really is essential sci-fi literature. You folks set to see this in San Diego are lucky as can be, I'm already envious.
A friend of mine is an artist on the Scanner Darkly project and invited me for a tour of his office. I got to see clips of the movie including the footage that will be shown at Comicon. Here is my review:
If you use this, call me Donut Boy.
To be honest, when I first saw the trailer for Scanner, I wasn’t too impressed. It looked like they took some kind of computer filter and simply transformed the video shots into some computer generated mumbo jumbo.
My friend is an artist on the project and invited me to Scanner Darkly Studios (or what ever they call the place) which is simply an old office building on IH 35 in Austin, TX for a tour. There was a hot receptionist who greeted me and walked me back past a bunch of empty Apple G5 boxes and into one of the art rooms. In this room sat ten hippie looking artists all hard at work on the film. My friend showed me the custom software they are using to create the movie which was actually really impressive. All of the artists use a tablet to draw directly on top of the film footage. My friend got really good at drawing Woody Harrelson so he became the Woody expert. I watched as he drew a scene involving Woody and a bicycle. I was very impressed with the amount of actual freehand artwork being put on top of the film footage. After meeting the artists in this room, I was given a tour of the rest of the studio which was really just a few other rooms with more artists. The whole vibe of the place was cool and everybody was really nice.
I got to meet one of the guys who is editing the film (I can’t remember his name) who had just put the Comicon footage together. He pulled it up and I watched a scene involving all of the major members of the cast including Woody, Keanu, Winona, and Robert Downy Jr. The animation was far better than the trailer on Apple’s QuickTime web site. It’s really hard to describe what I saw, so I’ll do my best.
Robert Downey’s character comes into a small apartment with this bicycle and he is so excited about the deal he got on it. Keanu and Winona are hanging out on the couch with Woody and are very skeptical about the deal that Downey got. The animation looks a bit 3d in a way that the shadows are drawn. The hair on the actors moves with amazing detail and was one of the features that I noticed right away. The whole thing is just visually amazing. It didn’t take me long to get totally into the scene I was watching and before long I was laughing at some of the jokes that came out of Woody. The scene was about 4 minutes long and I think it really demonstrates the true talent of the artists working on the project. .
After seeing the Comicon footage, I went into another room of artists to see who wanted to join us for lunch. I stood over one of the artists who had pulled up the entire movie in quicktime format. He was really proud of the “Vomit Scene” which he just finished in which Keanu is taken to a hospital and vomits on the floor. He fast forwarded through a lot of the movie until that scene came up. The vomit was very realistic and he froze the scene during a close up shot of the vomit. He started to point out all of the hidden items in the vomit. There was a shoe, a martini glass, and a couple of other hidden treasures that the typical movie patron would miss. When you get the DVD, pause on that scene and you’ll see it. I wonder how many other Easter eggs are hidden in this movie? (I forgot to ask.)
Right after seeing the vomit scene, I watched a few others including one that gave away a very important twist in the movie. I was told not to discuss it. (I don’t want my friend to get fired.) The scene involved one of the characters wearing some kind of suit which would hide their identity by changing the way they look. The visuals were really neat, almost like different character parts fading in and out. A left eye, a nose, an ear, hair color, all fading in and out. The artists explained to me the mathematical process they used to create these visuals. They had a big dry erase board and all kinds of stuff on it for the artists to follow in order to achieve this one visual effect.
The last thing I saw that I thought was interesting was some of the footage of Winona sitting at a table and speaking. This scene had yet to be animated and the first thing I saw was that she looked like she was sweating, she had no makeup on, and her hair was totally unkept. It was explained to me that they don’t need any makeup or hair because all of that stuff drawn by the artists. You could even see the microphone boom in a few of the shots.
I’m really excited to see this movie. Peace out..
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+ Expand All
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HAHA..DAKOTA FANNING IN LOLITA REMAKE!!..PREEVERTS REJOICE
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surfing tomorrow!!!
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the hairless twat!.. the crying!
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let the bitching begin
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to tower 21?
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..hitting the fan down here..rally today at EDSA..im taking Mark
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You have to see this trailer:
http://download.ifilm.com/qt/portal/2675197_300.mov
It's freaking awesome!!!! -
carlos and jas are here...check your email
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He's actually much worse than most people give him credit for. Although I hear he's a real nice guy.
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I'd like to apologize to the Donut Boy, Richard Linklater and the entire cast and crew involved in "A Scanner Darkly" for Winona Ryder's appearance. It was the result of hot sex with me, after which we both shoplifted clean underwear. Then she took off mumbling something about an "important meeting" and I figured she was just giving me the brush off. Had I known she was going to shoot a scene, I would have suggested she do something about her post-coital funkyness. I take full responsibility, it was my bad.
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and given how f**ked up Phillip K. Dick's stuff is, this could be a great movie.
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I met Keanu at the first day of shooting party for THE REPLACEMENTS in Baltimore years ago. He's a very cool guy. He's also the worst screen actor of his generation. He is the Brett Ratner of the acting corps. He is the George W. Bush of performers. He should remain indoors at all times. His acting hurts my head.
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considering keanu flicks rarely hold my confidence, although Point Break was a pleasant surprise eh. I've often wondered how good Sweet November would've been if they happened to draw over the frames in a cool way.
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Sounds cool!
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Right on.
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If you haven't read the book yet...why are you still at this Talkback? Order it. Now. Or leave the house, go to a bookstore (or, gasp!, a Library (yes kids we still have those)) and buy it. Then read it, but that doesn't do it justice, cuz it's an experience rather than a read. Ever done drugs? Pages of hysterical stoner speak (the kind you and your friends have that you wish you had recorded). Ever wonder about the nature of reality? Dick's a philospher posing as a Sci-Fi scribe. The duality and duplicity of undercover police work? Oh, big time check there. I'll steal the wiki definition here "MINDFUCK--means either a thing that messes with the minds of those exposed to it or the act of doing so". The casting is dead on (cept' maybe our favorite shoplifter of all time, but maybe not),hell Keanu's really good at "acting" befuddled so this is one part I think he could nail. I dig it all except...
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I'm really not digging the plot synopsis they're giving. "When one reluctant undercover cop is ordered to start spying on his friends" SOUNDS to me like Linklater took away one of the more intriguing natures of the book. For was B. Arctor/Fred (dig the B. Arctor-Bad Actor...Keanu is perfect!!!) a cop his whole life or was he just set up? Dick doesn't answer that. I'm really just hoping they didn't make it too Hollywood by having it clearly stated either way. Further cause for concern is with the cast credits that lists Arctors wife and daughter but the book is once again rather contrary on this as well (in anycase if he does have children, shouldn't he have two daughters?)...not only that they never "appear" in the book but rather they are mentioned and briefly remembered by Arctor.
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This is fun--Charlie Kaufman his screeplay online--CK hated what Clooney did with "Confessions"--Clooney is one of the producers of this. Should I be reading something into this or not?
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Uh... yeah, and I'm good with cats... oh and though Charlie Kaufman did write a screenplay, but that's not the one being used for this film. So maybe you should be reading something into this, but perhaps not that. Speaking of reading, yeah, anyone who has not read A Scanner Darkly should REALLY consider it. It's perhaps Dick's best work. Peace.
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man that was some really poor wording on my part. I realize Linklater's writing his own screenplay, just wondering if there's any bad blood between Kaufman and Clooney.
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Anybody know?
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With Keanu Reeves and the world's most famous convicted felon Winona, there is no way in hell this could be a good movie. I can't see how anyone is looking forward to it.
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Let's take this moment to look at Ms. Ryder's career. I mean, post Heathers, she was the hottest shit in the latrine. Hot, alternative, big tits, and, actually, a pretty darn engaging actress. She goes on to follow up her offbeat early successes with a bunch of hogshit, community-theatre type period pieces. Then she wacks out and goes on the shoplifting binge. Bottom line - theres no reason why this gal isn't the #1 female star in Hollywood. If she is even remotely interested in salvaging her career, she'd better get a personal trainer, get in shape, and get those damn clothes off ASAP. Team her up with some up-and-comer looking to hit it big time (Scarlett Johannsen ?) and let them play hot lesbos looking to take over the California porn industry or something.
Seriously, Winona, and I'm telling you this as someone who loved you early on in your career - get over your inhibitions and break those sweet, sweet melons out for us. -
fucking better not.
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If he wanted Keanu and Wynona, he had his reasons. Let's have some faith in the best american filmaker working today.
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Based on an incredibly well written story by Philip K. Dick, one of our greatest modern science fiction authors, and featuring a creative, striking visual style? Directed by a director who had the ability to create both mainstream, entertaining, money-making pap and a philosophical film with a unique visual hook? Yeah, I can't understand why anyone would want to see this movie, either.
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If you've read the book, you'll know that the main character (Bob Arctor) is totally f**ked up on drugs, out of his head, confused... sure, would have been more deftly played by say, a Fear and Loathing-style Johnny Depp, but I think Keanu fits the bill. I have faith in Linklater, and the trippy visuals. "Woah."
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Defo one of my favourite PKD books cause of the fucked up wierdness that goes on (like the demon with the list of sins) and it looks as if it's being translated pretty well into film. Can't wait - I'm looking forward to this much more than Kong.
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Just been reading some of the negativity towards casting and I don't get it. I've seen some of the stills on the PKD website and every actor looks almost exactly how I imagined they would when reading the book. I think the cast are perfect.
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Harrelson/Luckman, check. Downey/Barris, double check. Rory (Slater-san!!!)Cochrane as Freck...fuck man if that scene makes the movie and we see Freck/Slater absolutely bugging out holy mutha of god check. I'm just nervous cuz, well, the book gives you so many different ways to interpret it. But Linklater's really solid, he says he loves the material, and the rotoscoping looks a whole lot tighter than in "Waking Life". But it's not coming out till March 2006 (so I've read)...sniff, sniff, I want my "If I knew it was harmless I would have killed it myself" NOW!!!
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This looks like a very cool movie. the trailer makes me wanna go read the book.I have a theory about Reeves. He is good in certain roles, that can't be denied, but has anyone ever thought that maybe he just doesn't CARE about some films, and figures he's getting paid anyway, so why try?
There are far worse actors than him around.
I've only read the short stories collection with Paycheck in it by PKD, anyone know what it's called? his stories scare and fascinate me. Great. I can't remember the name of that book... -
pantheon books in 2002 put out a "best of" PKD short stories called "Selected Stories of PKD"...also in "Collected Stories #1: Beyond Lies the Wub"
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I believe it was beyond lies the wub!
Thank you, very much! -
Jul 12, 2005 12:49:58 PM CDT
I Have Official News Regarding Keanu Which I Shouldn't Break
by danielkurland
A friend of mine's sister knows Keanu, she actually plays the whore getting out of bed in the beginning of Johnny Mnemonic. Anyways, she knows his publicist, and Keanu is homosexual. His publicist has told him not to let it out though because the majority of his fanbase are girls, and that would cause a huge decrease in his draw in potential. Believe this or not, but it IS true.
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is that really news
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or any other child is just plain wrong and nasty.
You're sick.
Anyways... I predict Darkly to be a sleeper hit. Yeah, Keanu isn't an acting heavy, but if the story is good will it matter? It didn't in the first Matrix movie.
And Wynona, felon or not, is actually a pretty decent actress.... and cute as hell.
"C" cups? You sure about that Ban This? I dunno, they look pretty healthy to me.
Might have something to do with the fact that she's fairly short?
Count me in.
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...and didn't care.
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the reason u people hate him is because he has a surfer accent, get over it
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