Scanners (1981)

[alexpeden2000]

If anyone is looking for a copy of the German Subkultur Digipack I have one for sale here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=274094

[deepseababy]

Does the Aussie Blu ray release by Umbrella Entertainment have the teal look?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by deepseababy

Does the Aussie Blu ray release by Umbrella Entertainment have the teal look?

No, Criterion is the only one with that look

The site did a review of the Umbrella release with screenshots

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Scann.../63269/#Review

[dwiesel]

There's a Japanese blu-ray that no one's commented on (at least in the last 10 pages), is that any good?

[V40LLY]

Who would want this???

It's unwatchable [emoji42]

[TripleHBK]

Originally Posted by V40LLY

Who would want this???

It's unwatchable [emoji42]

[dwiesel]

Why is the Japanese Blu ray unwatchable?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by dwiesel

Why is the Japanese Blu ray unwatchable?

I believe he was referring to the Criterion edition because of the blanket green tint and lesser grain than the DE release.

[GasmaskAvenger]

Originally Posted by deepseababy

Does the Aussie Blu ray release by Umbrella Entertainment have the teal look?

I wouldn't call the Criterion print's color scheme "a teal look" to be honest.

It's more of a colder palette, yes, but it does not resemble the infamous "teal and orange" color palette that plagued Hollywood movies several years ago at all.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by GasmaskAvenger

I wouldn't call the Criterion print's color scheme "a teal look" to be honest.

It's more of a colder palette, yes, but it does not resemble the infamous "teal and orange" color palette that plagued Hollywood movies several years ago at all.

Replace the word 'teal' with green: http://www.screenshotcomparison.com/...n.php?id=83904

[Ray Jackson]

I watched this last night on Hulu for the first time.

It definitely has that old school Cronenberg, B-picture feel to it...which is a good thing. The actor who plays the good scanner though...one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

What the heck was Cronenberg thinking?

...a terrible misstep that hurt the movie imo.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched this last night on Hulu for the first time.

It definitely has that old school Cronenberg, B-picture feel to it...which is a good thing. The actor who plays the good scanner though...one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

What the heck was Cronenberg thinking?

...a terrible misstep that hurt the movie imo.

Agreed, absolutely horrible. By far the weakest part of an otherwise good film

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Agreed, absolutely horrible. By far the weakest part of an otherwise good film

The strongest part of the movie: A car exploding after crashing into a wall at moderate speed.

[StingingVelvet]

Pretty sure the main dude is supposed to seem totally out of it and detached. I can see not enjoying it, but I don't think Cronenberg "mess up" really, just made a decision to have him be that way.

[Bugg]

Originally Posted by Ray Jackson

I watched this last night on Hulu for the first time.

It definitely has that old school Cronenberg, B-picture feel to it...which is a good thing. The actor who plays the good scanner though...one of the worst actors I've ever seen.

What the heck was Cronenberg thinking?

...a terrible misstep that hurt the movie imo.

He is a terrible actor, but I feel that his awkward performance sort of fits the odd tone of the film.

[MifuneFan]

The manner in which Scanners was financed left it open to some serious interference with certain aspects of the production. One such element was the casting of Stephen Lack (pictured) as the primary protagonist, a man going by the name of Cameron Vale. I will not link to Mr. Cranky’s review here because for reasons that have persisted for far too long with a site that is meant to be a commercial enterprise, loading the site usually brings a continuous stream of coding errors. But Cranky points out, correctly, that Scanners‘ claim to fame mostly rests on two things. The first is a scene in which a man’s head explodes (and this scene is awesome beyond words). The other is Stephen Lack‘s performance, which has caused acting tutors all over the world to redefine the art of acting by using Stephen as an example of what it is not. You can defend Stephen in many scenes by stating that his flat, emotionless performance is pretty consistent with how the mentally ill felt whilst under the influence of many of the medications designed to “stabilise” them. Melaril being a particularly cruel example thereof. But Lack is completely emotionless even in scenes where he should be roused to anger, or more.

https://stillfinditsohard.wordpress....ners/#more-502

[rickah88]

[Ray Jackson]

Stephen Lack was definitely lacking in something.

Namely the ability to act.

...I love this crowd!

[JohnCarpenterFan]

I see nothing wrong with Stephen Lack's performance, and I feel that his detached state adds a lot to the film. This is certainly not a misfire by Cronenberg. If you've seen any of his other films then you should realize that he likes to get surreal and odd performances out of his actors. I'm pretty sure the apathetic and confused state was intentional. Plenty of actors in David Lynch films behave in a similar fashion, but nobody ever complains about that.

I feel the same way about Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.

[Darkstream]

Originally Posted by JohnCarpenterFan

I see nothing wrong with Stephen Lack's performance, and I feel that his detached state adds a lot to the film. This is certainly not a misfire by Cronenberg. If you've seen any of his other films then you should realize that he likes to get surreal and odd performances out of his actors.

Totally agree.

Stephen Lack in Scanners...
James Woods in Videodrome...
Christopher Walken in The Dead Zone...
Jeff Goldblum in The Fly...
Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers...
Peter Weller in Naked Lunch...


All odd quirky actors/characters, which is what makes them interesting.