2019 Year End Review – Part 2: In Rememberence

Tears in rain

“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”

The famous line above is from the ending of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982), from the replicant Roy Batty, played by Rutger Hauer, just moments before he stops functioning, or “dies”. This was a line that Hauer added without Scott’s knowledge and it not only stayed in the film, but has referenced quite a bit since then, as it is now. The reason I bring it up here is twofold. First and most obviously is because Hauer is one of the names listed below that we lost in 2019. But secondly, this line may be about Batty’s memories, but when it comes to movies, and fans like us, they never will be lost, but will live on for decades to come. For each new generation of film lovers, they will discover these “moments”, some becoming etched in their psyche, while some even changing their lives. Continue reading

David Hedison & Rutger Hauer – Rest in Peace

I had been meaning to post about David Hedison’s passing, but now the news of Rutger Hauer has hit and it is a double dose of sadness.

David Hedison is one of those actors that only made a handful of genre appearances, but the ones that he did, definitely made an impact. Growing up watching a lot of TV, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea was basically Star Trek but underwater, so it had my attention. Of course, then seeing The Fly (1958) would forever make me know who David Hedison is. Even though his face is covered through a good part of the film, he was still able to make you feel for his character. That is the power of a good actor, that they can only appear in a few things you’ve seen, but it still makes a lasting impression.

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Movie Review: The Fly (1958)

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The Fly
(1958)
Directed by Kurt Neuman
Starring Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall, Charles Herbert

In the world of fantastic cinema, the mad scientist theme is one of the oldest sub-genres. Right from the beginning, storytellers have been weaving cautionary tales of men meddling with things best left alone. For those who try to push or break through those boundaries, there is usually a hefty price to pay: their life, or at the very least, their sanity. Most of these stories present a man trying to take over the world through some devious plan or device that he has created, corrupted either by visions of power or the invention in question having scrambled his brain to where he is no longer thinking rationally. Within these films, the dramatic action revolves around stopping this demented genius before it is too late; the end-credits lesson for the audience being that man is better off leaving things as they are, lest this fate befall them as well.

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