'Blade Runner' Review

In the dystopian science fiction film noir Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott, based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, tells about human-made robots called “replicants” that look visibly identical to humans and are used by the Tyrell Corporation for hard labor. The replicants rebelling on Earth are searched for and “retired” (killed) by police operatives called “Blade Runners”. In the film, the replicants were genetically made to be emotionless androids that hold no empathy for others, but they appear to be compassionate, whereas humans in contrast appear rude and lack humanity. Thus, asking the question, “What does it mean to be human?”
In order to identify replicants from humans, they are given a test called "Voight-Kampff". Their empathy toward things is tested through their response to certain questions. Tyrell’s assistant, Rachael is an experimental replicant, but she believes she is human. Rachael’s mind is full of memories from her past. However, when Blade Runner, Deckard, tells her bluntly that her memories were inserted into her brain from a real human; she shows true emotion by crying. Though, she is forced to go through a more advanced version of the "Voight-Kampff" to check if she’s a replicant for sure. Rachael is depicted as a femme fatale replicant. She saves Deckard from being killed, but her relationship with him is depicted as dominated by Deckard.

The leader and most dangerous of the group of rebelling replicants was presented as Roy, who appeared to hold human, yet animalistic characteristics. When Roy manipulates genetic designer, J.F. Sebastian to get to his “creator” Tyrell to try to convince him to expand his 4-year lifespan, and is rejected, he kisses then kills his creator. While doing so, he seems to express regret when he kills Tyrell.
The epic battle towards the end of the film between Roy and Deckard exposed Roy’s animalistic side when he searches for a beaten Deckard and howls at the ceiling. When Deckard is falling off a building and is near death, a dying Roy saves him in time and tells him about all the things he has done and all the things he has seen and utters his last words: “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain. Time… to die”. Roy releases a dove, which could be represented as his soul or in Biblical images such as Noah’s Flood. Roy’s behavior towards the end of his life showed how compassionate and humanistic a very powerful replicant can be. As for the humans shown in the film, they were characterized as cold people. As Zhora, a rebel replicant, was being “retired”, the human population was oblivious of the event. They held their power over their creations by forcing them into being “mega-manufacturers”.
Blade Runner creates the idea that replicants are harsh, unsympathetic androids when in reality, they are compassionate with each other and show concern. Humans are revealed to be cold and lack humanity, while replicants’ humanity was shown many times, when a replicant would save a human’s life. The question “What does it mean to be human?” is not quite answered when the film adds that Deckard might be in fact, a replicant. Although, a replicant’s past and memories are inserted into their minds and come from a human’s; it is still possible for a human and replicant to have the same memories. But the question remains uncertain… until the sequel is released in October of 2017.

'Taxi Driver' Review

“You’re only… as healthy… as you… feel.”

This is what Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) says to himself as he poorly handles being ignored and despised by Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), with whom his date with did not go as well as he thought it would. Though, this to me, is when Travis’ mental state decreases.

In the 1976 film Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese, it highlights loneliness and alienation, which happens to be the theme for this year’s Film Society. A young, war veteran, Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro), takes up the job as a taxi driver and travels around New York picking up and dropping off different types of people. As Travis does his job, he becomes attracted to a woman, Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), who works as a volunteer for Senator Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris), who is running for President. After a date went wrong with Betsy, Travis finds himself involved with an underage prostitute, Iris (Jodie Foster), who Travis believes he can rescue her from her pimps. Although Travis starts as a taxi driver in the beginning of the film and survives death and endures obstacles along the way; at the end, he is still a taxi driver, but not the same person he was before.

Within the course of a few months, Travis changes drastically and it started after his terrible date with Betsy. He becomes fixated on getting stronger and getting muscles. He buys guns and spends time on gearing himself up for his end-goal, which remains unclear to me still. The film offers many elements to consider paying more attention to and draw out conclusions about. Though the question of whether Taxi Driver is a film noir or not, is a popular question. This question can be answered when looking at the character types and dissecting specific qualities the film may have that would be considered as film noir aspects.

Martin Scorsese is a name in the film industry that many people know. It is not only his directing that made Taxi Driver an iconic film, but I believe the score really stands out. Bernard Herrmann, who composed the music for the film also did the score for other film noirs, such as Citizen Kane and Psycho. The score consisted of mainly instruments, like the trumpet, saxophone, and drums. When Travis would see Betsy or experience a calm, content moment with someone, the music would be intimate and smooth like jazz. However, the instruments would play intensely when a person or situation appeared bad or suspicious came across Travis. The score helped move the film along and progress, as it was easy-going and not too distracting.

To avoid spoiling too much of the film to those who have not seen it yet, I would encourage those to skip over this paragraph and read the next. In the last leg of Taxi Driver, Travis goes on a mission which, as the audience might assume is to assassinate Senator Charles Palantine, goes wrong. When Travis’ initial plan does not go as planned, he rushes over to the apartment where Iris lives and does her work. At Iris’ apartment is where the bloodbath occurs. As Travis is killing pimps left and right, there is no sound except for Iris’ money collector yelling out “I’ll kill you” repeatedly and the splashing noise that comes from the bodies after the bullet goes through them. This long sequence features Travis attempting to kill or have himself killed twice, which made me think was this shoot-out planned or random? The scene that follows the bloody massacre, is of newspaper clippings of Travis recovering from a coma and being considered a hero for saving Iris’ life. This scene is almost oneiric, as it does not feel real. This ending felt unrealistic because throughout the film, Travis was mentally unstable. From the bad date he had with Betsy, the people he drove around, working out excessively, buying weapons, taking pills… all to the point of him killing men. People tend to always remember the quote "You talkin to me?" but what they don't pay much attention to is the line that follows, which is "Cuz, I'm the only one here." This adds to Travis' unhealthy mental state because not only is he alone in his room, but he is talking to himself in the mirror. He knows no one can hear him, yet he is talking as if someone else is in the room with him. When he is with other people, he is not really there, or at least not mentally. The only time when he is comfortable speaking aloud to others or speaking at all is through his journal, because it is for him only.

In all, it comes down to Travis being alienated in a world that he feels is unclean and filled with people who are scum. He wants to take out the garbage and start anew, but this is difficult for him when everyone around him is corrupted with something awful. He also wants to help others. He is socially awkward or not socially aware of what is acceptable and what is not. He believed the pornographic movie he brought Betsy to was a great idea, though it was not. When he killed the men that were with Iris, at the end, he was considered a hero for saving her. However this is unsure because there was a moment when Iris looked content with her pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel) as they danced together. It is as if Travis were the dead flowers in his apartment: quickly dying because they weren't given proper attention or care.