A Scanner Darkly Film Review

Once again, dear readers, my esteemed blogger companion (Rachel of a Scientist Gone Wordy) and I have ventured into another of our parallel posts where we review and discuss a book at hand, and its film adaptation. She (with the speed reading ability) covers the literary material, and I tackle the celluloid version (since I have no such super-human powers). In this case (like in our first undertaking), it is another of the famed American writer/novelist Philip K. Dick's science fiction stories, A Scanner Darkly (adapted to the screen in 2006). Rachel's review of the 1977 science fiction novel can be found here:

A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

A brief synopsis of the film: In the not too distant future (this one a mere seven years from now... and counting), the ongoing and decades old War on Drugs (which was started way back during Nixon's presidency) has dragged the country down to a new level. The populace is in the midst of an epidemic involving the illegal and addictive narcotic known as Substance D, while government law enforcement has gone the totalitarian (surveillance-heavy) society route in an effort to eradicate the latest drug scourge. The story follows an undercover narcotics cop, Bob Arctor (code named Fred), who is living with a pair of addicts in an attempt to obtain fresh intel on the dealers higher up the supply chain. However, the cop (now thoroughly addicted to Substance D) has begun to lose his hold on his own identity, who he can trust, and the task at hand.

[spoiler warning: some key elements of the film are revealed in this review]

This movie review has been moved and updated to my current blog, which can be found here.

Minority Report Film/Disc Review

With the encouragement of the very kind Rachel over at Scientist Gone Wordy, I'm writing a post on one of the best sci-fi films to be released within the last ten years, IMO. Minority Report, the 2002 commercial hit directed by Steven Spielberg, is based upon a short story from the famed science fiction writer/novelist Philip K. Dick. For the last few decades, the late and influential author has given film studios plenty to work with in optioned novels and short stories, though with varying degrees of critical, box office, and sci-fi fan success (and that more than likely was due to the manner filmmakers re-interpreted his work). Though I'm sure I've taken in a short by PKD somewhere along the span of my life, I've hardly read any of his written pieces. My exposure to this fine author has been byway of the films Hollywood has adapted from his source material (with varying degrees of alteration). Rachel, whose blog and writing I really admire, has agreed to join me in this endeavor and will be posting in parallel on PKD's Minority Report short story and the differences between it and the film she so loves (see link below):

The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick

I think I may have my work cut out for me in keeping up with her (what have I gotten myself into?). Oh, well. My father had a saying he repeated often enough, and it may be appropriate here.

"God hates a coward."

This review has been updated and moved to my current blog, which can be found here.