Blade Runner

The argument I feel like director Ridley Scott was trying to make with Blade Runner was that when the body and technology are mixed together, the result is a disastrous one. Man should keep its relationship with technology a distant one, making sure to keep the lines between robot and a living being, a very distinct one.

Alright, let me know if there was something else you wanted to know.

Prompt #12

I think Cronenberg uses violence in Videodrome because of how it affects the audience. I think Cronenberg was aiming for the reaction that Julia said she had. By causing such emotions, the audience will definitely remember what they saw. In Videodrome, the emotional reaction caused by the violence is what causes the hallucinations. I think this goes right along with my argument for my final project. The relationship with the body and the technology, showing a violent scene, affects the body enough to get some kind of response, usually a negative one (such a Julia's repulsion or Max's hallucinations). This relationship is not a beneficial one and any time it occurs, there are negative consequences. This relationship seems to be a constant one as seen in Videodrome, Neuromancer and Blade Runner.

Prompt #11 - Blade Runner

"Blade Runner" makes an interesting argument about the relationship the body and technology have with one another. This movie surrounds a group of "Replicants," which are basically robots made to be very, very human-like. These Replicants were given traits that you wouldn't usually think a robot would have, such as a five o'clock shadow, the ability to sweat or the fact that they may not even know whether they are human or Replicant. This movie has your classic elements from any futuristic sci-fi film, right down to the flying cars.

The basic argument I feel this movie is making with the relationship between the body and technology is that they are two very different things, and people should remember this, no matter how human-like the technology gets. In the movie, the Replicants are basically murderers who are on the run. I won't give away too much of the story in case anybody wants to watch it in the future.

From a cinematic standpoint, director Ridley Scott uses all the traditional tools, such as the rule of thirds and character points of view. These tools help the viewer get a more personal feel for the movie.

Post #10

In "Neuromancer," Case is the only live hacker, aka cowboy, that we encounter. Aside from the Rastafarians, he is the only character who has no physical body modifications. I see this as ironic because he is the only one who actually goes in to cyberspace, which requires psychological modifications. Case isn't interested in physical body modifications because cowboys, Case included, have a stern disregard for the body. Throughout the book, Case usually refers to the body as simply, "the meat." This shows that Case prefers to be in cyberspace and leave his body behind.

There is really only one time throughout the book that we actually get a good look at how Case really looks like. This is towards the end when he jacks into the Matrix and flips his simstem switch to see Molly looking at him. He is described as "wasted", unshaven, and sweaty. This obviously is an unflattering description, but he doesn't seem to care. He doesn't care about his looks because as I previously mentioned, Case has no attachment to his physical being.

Based on our experience with Case and how he repeatedly refers to the body as "the meat" I would imagine that other hackers share his opinion about the body. To them, their mind and central nervous system are the only things that are important because that is what allows them to jack into the Matrix.