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Mikaelrznr - TheMike - Tumblr Blog
So, what do you do? I'm into, uh, well, murders and executions, mostly.
CHRISTIAN BALE AS PATRICK BATEMAN IN AMERICAN PSYCHO ( 2000 ), DIR. MARY HARRON.
Nine Inch Nails | Live at Ford Ampitheater
Tampa, FL
May 9th, 2009
Every Film I Watch In 2023:
262. The Crow (1994) -- fifty-billionth rewatch
part 1 | part 2
bonus:
So true_
We Live In An Age…
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 Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in rain… Time to die.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968)
an Analysis of the Philip K. Dick novel, as it pertains to Cyberpunk genre conventions..
Warning: Contains Spoilers, obviously..
Setting: San Francisco, 2021. Post World War Terminus. Most of the people on Earth have fled to Mars to escape the nuclear fallout that has consumed the entire planet. The immigrants are encouraged to move with the promise of a free android servant..
Characters
Protagonist: Rick Deckard
Rick is a bounty hunter. A form of the classical hard-boiled detective. He "retires" androids who have killed their human masters on Mars and escaped back to Earth.
John Isidore: a secondary protagonist. They call him by the derogatory term, "chickenhead." A man whose mental capacity has been diminished by Earth's radiation.
Iran Deckard: Rick's wife. Her moodiness and depression at the desolate state of post-apocalyptic Earth, are a major motivation for the actions Rick takes in the story.
Dave Holden: a senior detective, Rick's superior. He gets injured on the job, leaving the 6 android bounty to Deckard.
Rachel Rosen: An android spy. An original take on the classic "femme fatale" archetype.
Phil Resch: a fellow Blade Runner (android hunter) and a foil to Deckard.
The Andys
Pris Stratton: an android in the same model as Rachel Rosen. She hides from Deckard in the nearly-vacant building that John Isidore lives in.
Polokov: The andy who got the drop on Dave Holden.
Luba Luft: a German opera singer and one of the Nexus-6 target andys.
Garland: A police sergeant in a precinct Deckard knows nothing about. Also, it turns out, one of the 6 andys Rick is tasked to retire.
Irmgard Baty: Wife of Roy Baty. A naturally loving and affectionate android. Is she programmed this way? Is being kind the same thing as having empathy?
Roy Baty: The leader of the 6 fugitive androids who fled to Earth from Mars. Brave and Strong. Protector of the 3 Andys who chose to hideout instead of blend-in to society.
Plots
External Plots
Central Plot - Deckard vs. The Androids
The central plot of most successful stories is usually an external one. An Action Plot, that turns on the actions of the protagonist, not the revelation of information. Life and Death are the stakes. And it usually takes the form of a game. In this case it is a bounty hunt.
Inciting Incident: Deckard is given a case hunting 6 fugitive androids. The dramatic question is "will he catch the androids or will they escape?"
Conscious Desire: If Rick can successfully retire all 5 androids, he can have enough money to buy a real living animal, most of which have gone extinct. Since Deckard is a hardboiled detective, he also tries to act without emotion.
Plot Point 1: before Deckard can hunt the andys he has to meet with the creators of the Nexus-6 model of android, The Rosen Corporation. He has to prove the legitimacy of the methods they use to unmask an android. He uses the Voight-Kampf test to determine that their assistant, Rachel, is an android. They tell him that he is wrong. She grew up on Mars, so she feels no empathy for the questions asked. They have no relevance to her. But Deckard sees through this ruse and determines that she is indeed an andy..
Plot Point 2: Deckard meets with a soviet Blade Runner, only to find out that he is one of the andys in disguise. Polokov. A struggle ensues in Deckard's car. Polokov tries to shoot Deckard, but Deckard uses a wavelength that blocks laser guns from firing. Deckard uses a real revolver and slays Polokov..
Plot Point 3: Deckard meets with the opera singer, Luba Luft. He administers the Voigt-Kampf, but she speaks German natively. The test is ineffective. The sexual nature of some of the questions offends her (so she says..) and she calls the police. The detective doesn't recognize Deckard so they go to the station to verify his credentials..
Plot Point 4: Now we are confused.. Deckard and Resch (the other detective) go to another precinct. The strange thing is that Deckard has never heard of this precinct. Is this a dream? Worse, is it an implanted memory, like an andy would have? When they get to the precinct the sergeant, Garland, convinces Deckard of just that. He accuses Deckard of being an android. He convinces Deckard that the entire station is a sham. Every officer in the precinct is an andy. Even Resch. But Resch will deny it. Before he pulls his laser tube to kill Deckard, Resch shoots Garland in the face..
Plot Point 5: Garland was on Deckards list. They escape the precinct by putting Deckard in handcuffs and walking out..
Now Deckard and Resch go back to confront Luba Luft. They find her at an art museum where they isolate her and administer the Voigt-Kampf. But she hates Resch. She provokes him, because he has no bad feelings about retiring andys. She even accuses him of being an android. She enrages him, until he shoots her, and she dies graphically. Deckard swears he is going to quit..
Crisis Decision: Resch asks Deckard if he has ever slept with an android. Deckard says no..
Deckard calls Rachel. Because of her Android expertise, she would be an asset to retiring the remaining 3 andys. But she declines to help. She tries to talk him out of the bounty. So Deckard tells her to fly to SF and they will get a hotel, because of "situations involving android men and women.."
They meet up. And after some resistance from Deckard, he gets into bed. The next day they declare their love for each other. They discuss how Rick is going to quit bounty hunting. "No bounty hunter ever has gone on," Rachael said. "After being with me. Except one. Phil Resch.." This knowledge breaks the spell. Rick changes his mind. After this he makes the decision to hunt the 3 remaining andys..
Climax
The climax of any good Action plot ends with a game. In this case, a bounty hunt sets us up to expect "the capture". The showdown scene, where it's the bounty hunter vs. The fugitive.
Scene I: Deckard arrives at Conapt 3967-C, John Isidore's apartment building. Rick finds it because it's written on the bounty contract. Outside he finds John Isidore. Isidore accidentally lets it slip that he has 3 androids inside and 2 are women. As Deckard goes to enter the building Mercer appears before him. He tells Rick that even though he doesn't believe in his mission, he must do it anyway. Then Mercer warns Rick that there is an android behind him.. Suddenly Pris appears. She looks like Rachael. It seems she has the same femme fatale programming as Rachael. Pris says "for what we've meant to each other," as she dashes toward Rick. Rick now doesn't have to use the Voight-Kampf, because she attacked first. He pulls out his laser tube and kills her..
Scene II: Rick finds Isidore's apartment. He knocks on the door, pretending to be Isidore. Using the information Isidore gave him by accident to convince the Batys that he is not a bounty hunter. They open the door. Roy fires a laser tube at him. He misses, twice, then runs away to another room. Deckard kills Irmgard. He hears a scream from Roy. Is that empathy?
"Okay, you loved her," Rick said. "And I loved Rachael. And the special loved the other Rachael." He shoots Roy Baty...
Rick is successful. 6 androids retired in one day. Almost a record. But even though he achieved his conscious desire, I wouldn't say this is an up-ending story..
John Isidore vs. Alienation
Isidore just wants companionship. His affliction stops people from befriending him. Unfortunately, this subplot is a Pathetic Plot. A weak protagonist fails. Isidore takes in the andys so they will befriend him. But when Deckard kills them he ends up alienated.
Internal Plot
The real story in a multilayered plot happens inside of the protagonist. How does their worldview change?
Unconscious Desire: Subconsciously, Deckard wants to feel empathy for the androids. The fact that the androids can't feel empathy, makes it difficult. Like loving someone who you know feels nothing for you.
Exposition: We meet Rick and His Wife, Iran, and we are introduced to the desolation they feel. Life on a destroyed planet his usurped all meaning in their lives, and the lives of everyone else on Earth. We are also introduced to Rick's neighbor, and Rick's electric sheep that he owns so everyone else won't look down on him. Owning an animal has become a status symbol, and an act of empathy, because all animals are rare on Earth.
Inciting Incident: Meeting Rachel Rosen triggers feelings in Deckard. He discovers that she's an android, so he empathizes with her plight. But he also feels latent feelings of lust for her..
Plot Point 1: Meeting Luba Luft makes Rick feel admiration for the talented opera singer. Retiring her is a shame, because she adds value to the world. And she isn't hurting anyone by merely existing. His feelings of empathy turn to guilt and remorse at the sight of her gruesome death, at the hands of Phil Resch.
Midpoint: Upon receiving the payment for the first 3 andys, Rick impulsively buys a Goat. He takes it home to Iran. The arrival of the goat lifts Rick's morale. But, I think, it doesn't fulfill Rick's unconscious desire: to feel empathy for the andys he has killed. So, he decides to call Rachael Rosen..
Crisis Decision: To finally face these feelings of emptiness, Rick decides to have a tryst with Rachael Rosen. They get a nice hotel. They make love. The Revelation that Rachael is an android seductress, who stops detectives from hunting androids for the Rosen Corporation, sends Rick into despair. It drives Rick to seek revenge. He decides to hunt down the remaining andys. Including the android who supposedly looks just like Rachael.
Climax: At the final showdown scene, Rick confronts Pris. Now Rick is forced to gun down the doppelganger of someone he loves, taking us one step beyond the end of the line.
Aftermath: Rick drives to an abandoned part of Oregon to meet with Mercer. Or kill himself. It's uncertain at this point.
Mercer appears before Rick, telling him to have faith in life and hope for the future. Suddenly Rick finds a Toad! He takes it as a sign of hope. He takes the toad and goes home..
When he gets home he finds Iran looking distraught. She tells him that a female android came to their building and threw their goat off of the roof. Rick knows who it was. He shows his wife the toad. But they discover that the toad is electric. Rick ends the story feeling defeated.
Type of Plot: Disillusionment Plot
Rick starts out somewhat hopeful and ends the story in despair.
A great story will contain two main plots that run counter to each other. An external plot, that the audience will focus on. And an internal plot, that creates the feeling of the story. If one plot turns negative, the other one will turn to a positive value. And vice versa. Inevitably, this story ends positively on the external, and negatively on the internal. This creates an ironic feeling, a mixed feeling that resonates.
Themes Introduced
Android Civil Rights: what does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be alive? Is it really true that feeling empathy for other beings is what makes us human? I think it's clear by the end that Androids feel empathy for each other. Just not anything else. Some humans are also like that..
Transhumanism: The consequences of playing God, is that we have to lose what makes us human to correct our mistakes. We have to lose our empathy, and destroy with impunity. Can technology really improve human life?
High Tech, Low Life: everyone left on Earth are "low life" genetic outcasts and tainted lifeforms. The upper class fled to Mars.
Nuclear Consequences: cyberpunk is a sort of doomsday prediction. In this case, due to nuclear weapons. Also, it seems, arguing against A.I. and building androids.
Corporate Tyranny: The Rosen Corporation lies and decieves to stop Detectives from destroying their products.
Cool Tech
Penfield Mood Organ: like a digital clock that you can set to feel a specific emotion.
Buster Friendly: a 24 hour long TV show, and a host who is obviously an android. Everyone on Earth watches it because it is the only show. Buster Friendly competes with Mercerism for the hearts and minds of all people on Earh.
Mercerism Empathy Box: a home appliance that connects people in an alternate reality, so you don't feel completely alone. You are transported to the death scene of a modern day messianic figure named Mercer.
Electric Pets: Deckard owns an Electric sheep. But what he really wants is a real horse. They have a catalog called "Sidney's" where you can order real animals, at a high price..
Flying Cars: because what cyberpunk novel is complete without them. Comes with a car phone..
Laser Tubes: instead of handguns. Like the one Han Solo used in Star Wars.
Nexus-6 Android: almost indistinguishable from humans. You need to run bone marrow tests to find out if they are truly androids. Their main flaws are that they cannot feel empathy, and their battery life only lasts 4 years.
Off-World Colony: not necessarily "cool tech", but this section is more about examples of characterization and tropes. In this case, rich people emigrating to Mars, and the technology it would take to get there..
Implanted Memories: it seems like Philip K. Dick distorts reality in the plot to make us not trust our own memories. Details are glossed over. Whole sections are meant to make us question what is really happening.
NEED IT!!!
GIRLS, GUYS, AND GUTS WE HAVE NEWS
Its $480.00 dollars…. i'm crying omg
Cuántos te echo de menos nos callamos y no decimos por orgullo hasta que luego ya dan igual.
Nine Inch Nails - Get Down, Make Love April 11th, 1990 // New York City
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) dir. George Miller
“You will ride eternal, shiny and chrome.”
@americanpsycho @christianbale
American Psycho publicity stills,
2000.
Fuckin' A_
