There are some folks who argue that only the very, very, very best films can change the way you think about all of filmdom.
For example, I've given up trying to explain to so many why Citizen Kane (1941) deserves all of the praise that's been heaped on it over the years. (No, I'm going to resist the temptation to give a full accounting as to the reasons why. If you don't know by now, then you're a total loss.) The problem with audiences today is that all of the tricks, gimmicks, and flourishes in there have been seen replicated thousands of times since ... and, yet, they don't understand that Kane was the motion picture that did most of them F-I-R-S-T. Furthermore, all of it was accomplished by a slate of industry outsiders -- folks who'd largely got their start in radio -- and the studio folks who were there kept insisting over and over "it can't be done." Well, they did it, and the completed film truly stands as a testament to what can be accomplished on raw, unabridged talent.
Now, I don't bring up 1990's Total Recall -- which celebrates its thirty-fourth theatrical anniversary today -- to in any way say that it's the intellectual equal to Citizen Kane. (It would make for a curious double-bill though, am I right?) My motivation is much humbler: it's merely to say that in the realms of the Fantastic this Paul Verhoeven flick stands head-and-shoulders so very many other Science Fiction and Fantasy projects. Its singular greatness likely swung open as many imitators as Kane did, and it --without any doubt -- confirmed Arnold 'Screw Your Freedom' Schwarzenegger's power at the international box office in ways like no other pictures could.
Generally speaking, genre efforts don't get such distinction often enough, but it's exceedingly rare to be one of those rare theatrical adventures that transcends space and time, delivering audiences with a near-perfect glimpse at what's possible to achieve on the silver screen. The talent is phenomenal -- across the board -- and the special effects work -- while occasionally a bit cheesy only because so much of it was accomplished practically as opposed to CGI -- holds up very well against things done years later. Based on a story from Philip K. Dick, the yarn of a man who may or may not be living out the fantasy of a lifetime is the kind of serial viewers can experience over and over, finding something a bit different to enjoy with each subsequent screening.
Indeed, Total Recall was a bit of a spectacle back in the day. At the 1991 Academy Awards, its effects team of Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern, and Alex Funke took home a 'Special Achievement Oscar' for their work in the picture. Additionally, the flick scored Saturn Awards at the Academy Of Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror Films 1991 ceremony with big wins in 'Best Costumes' and the much-coveted 'Best Science Fiction Film.'
So ... if you haven't seen it, then there's no better time than the present.
After all, the future awaits!
-- EZ
ExtraExtra Alert:
For those of you who'd like to know a bit more about Total Recall (1990), please check out the film's official page on SciFiHistory.Net right here.
For example, I've given up trying to explain to so many why Citizen Kane (1941) deserves all of the praise that's been heaped on it over the years. (No, I'm going to resist the temptation to give a full accounting as to the reasons why. If you don't know by now, then you're a total loss.) The problem with audiences today is that all of the tricks, gimmicks, and flourishes in there have been seen replicated thousands of times since ... and, yet, they don't understand that Kane was the motion picture that did most of them F-I-R-S-T. Furthermore, all of it was accomplished by a slate of industry outsiders -- folks who'd largely got their start in radio -- and the studio folks who were there kept insisting over and over "it can't be done." Well, they did it, and the completed film truly stands as a testament to what can be accomplished on raw, unabridged talent.
Now, I don't bring up 1990's Total Recall -- which celebrates its thirty-fourth theatrical anniversary today -- to in any way say that it's the intellectual equal to Citizen Kane. (It would make for a curious double-bill though, am I right?) My motivation is much humbler: it's merely to say that in the realms of the Fantastic this Paul Verhoeven flick stands head-and-shoulders so very many other Science Fiction and Fantasy projects. Its singular greatness likely swung open as many imitators as Kane did, and it --without any doubt -- confirmed Arnold 'Screw Your Freedom' Schwarzenegger's power at the international box office in ways like no other pictures could.
Generally speaking, genre efforts don't get such distinction often enough, but it's exceedingly rare to be one of those rare theatrical adventures that transcends space and time, delivering audiences with a near-perfect glimpse at what's possible to achieve on the silver screen. The talent is phenomenal -- across the board -- and the special effects work -- while occasionally a bit cheesy only because so much of it was accomplished practically as opposed to CGI -- holds up very well against things done years later. Based on a story from Philip K. Dick, the yarn of a man who may or may not be living out the fantasy of a lifetime is the kind of serial viewers can experience over and over, finding something a bit different to enjoy with each subsequent screening.
Indeed, Total Recall was a bit of a spectacle back in the day. At the 1991 Academy Awards, its effects team of Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, Tim McGovern, and Alex Funke took home a 'Special Achievement Oscar' for their work in the picture. Additionally, the flick scored Saturn Awards at the Academy Of Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror Films 1991 ceremony with big wins in 'Best Costumes' and the much-coveted 'Best Science Fiction Film.'
So ... if you haven't seen it, then there's no better time than the present.
After all, the future awaits!
-- EZ
ExtraExtra Alert:
For those of you who'd like to know a bit more about Total Recall (1990), please check out the film's official page on SciFiHistory.Net right here.
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