Screening Log

This new site feature is a collective effort to summarize our viewing habits. Occasionally, you will find titles here that are coming to a theater near you, in addition to films viewed on television, and even films viewed in piecemeal. The screening log is archived each month; to view past entries select a month in the menu below.


August 2006 activity

Total Log Entries: 61

Total Comments: 60


Full Archive



A Scanner Darkly / USA / 2006

Though I’m not familiar with Dick’s novel, based on the few of his stories I have read, I assume Linklater’s film is far more cohesive than the author originally intended his narrative to be. However, sacrifices must be made for adaptation and – as its own work – the film faultlessly captures the casual paranoia and everyday logic of drug-addiction, aided considerably by Linklater’s advancement in rotoscoping imagery. Linklater is often labelled as a pretentious or immature filmmaker, but his latest examination of the politics of addiction is quite mature in its scope, intimacy, and familiarity (partially due to the cast he has assembled). The most lasting image for me is of Fred’s fatigued face slumped over while in the scramble suit after his realization that his concept of reality can no longer be trusted as he has been sacrificed by bureaucracy. While his expression remains fixed, his visage constantly shifts between numerous faces of seemingly ordinary people. It’s a marvellous method to capture the various faces of addiction and the dehumanizing effects of both political and corporate administration, which shows no mercy in achieving their goals. However, I’m pretty sure I’m alone in thinking that Robert Downey Jr. is getting far too much credit for essentially repeating the same performance in a multitude of films. He’s certainly excellent at what he does, but Downey Jr. isn’t exactly displaying his acting range in this performance.

by Chiranjit Goswami | Source: Warner Independent Pictures 35mm Print
01 Aug 2006 2:15 PM | Submit Comment


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