A Scanner Darkly

Advantages: Good Special Effects
Disadvantages: Not many

..."A Scanner Darkly" is based on the novel by Philip K Dick. Richard Linklater's film stars Keanu Reeves as undercover narcotics policeman; Bob Arctor. This is an interesting film but it didn't really move me deeply. There was some good acting but the story line was simply not exceptional. On deep reflection it is not a film that I would recommend. But if you want to watch it do so at your own risk. 1 hour forty mins Rating (15) The Product details The Actors: Rory Cochrane, Robert Downey Jr., Mitch Baker, Keanu Reeves, Sean Allen (II) Directors: Richard Linklater Format: PAL, Widescreen Language English Region: Region 2 ( DVD formats.) Aspect Ratio: Wide Screen:1 Number of discs: 1 Classification: 15 Studio: Warner Home Video DVD Release Date: 22 Jan 2007 Run Time: 120 minutes...

Nazuku 13.12.2007 (21.12.2007) · Read review
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Review of A Scanner Darkly (DVD)

Great Scanner

Advantages: good quality scanning
Disadvantages: software is rubbish, can take for ever to scan an image

...I bought myself this to scan various things (old photos, documents and some sheet music) and this does the job pretty well. It was a bit on the expensive side but I needed something that would give me good quality and I could trust that it would work well so I went for HP as they are well known for good quality products. TECHNICAL INFORMATION It can scan at up to 4,800 dpi (dots per inch) It has 96 bit colour It has a 216x311mm scanning screen Connects by USB It is 303x508x108mm (wxdxh) It weighs 5.2 kg So it can give you very good quality, it gets a lot of colours, it's got a decent sized scanning screen, it's pretty big and it's not a light weight utility. There is nothing in there to put me off though because I still bought it. A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT Scanners have been dying out because they are getting beaten by...

dbirse 11.03.2007 (11.04.2007) · Read review
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Review of HP ScanJet G4050 Photo Scanner

Top quality film scanner

Advantages: value for money, scan quality
Disadvantages: Install can be a pain, poor included software

...I researched several film scanners before selecting this one, and my main reason for purchasing it was the price: £200 for a film scanner with infra-red scratch correction is a bargain. I have heard many bad reviews about this scanner, and the one message I have is if you have problems (as I did) then with patience and perseverance it is worth it in the end! Out of the box With the scanner, you get two film holders and slide holders, a USB cable, a power adaptor, and a nice case to keep it dust free in. You also get an installation guide and a software CD which includes the drivers and 'free' SilverFast software. Installation This is where I had all the problems. It could be because I am using windows Vista, but I suspect that the fault actually lay with SilverFast. Once I had installed that, nothing worked and I...

schwana 29.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Plustek OpticFilm 7200i

A Scanner Darkly

Advantages: Very Stylistic, gerat soundtrack
Disadvantages: difficult to follow

...Having read Philip K Dicks book, A Scanner Darkly, I was eagerly awaiting the film adaptation. Upon hearing that George Clooney had optioned it no less, and that Richard Linklater was down to direct it I was kind of ecstatic. I have a lot of respect for George Clooney, following his efforts to turn out less main stream Hollywood films, in favour of thought provoking and interesting films. So when I heard that Keanu Reeves had go the lead role as Bob Arctor, my heart sank. To be fair to Reeves, his last couple of films have been stinkers. Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions were not bad down to his acting, more to the clunky direction of the Wachowski Brothers. But the lead character for A Scanner Darkly, in my opinion would always have needed someone who had a half decent range, and not someone who cam across as a bit of an airhead...

Lloyd1979 26.01.2007 · Read review
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Review of A Scanner Darkly (DVD)

More Scanners, not quite as good though

Advantages: Some good plot twists
Disadvantages: Doesn't add anything new to the previous movie

...The great thing about the original Scanners movie is it was a totally new idea combining elements of horror & science fiction with telepathy & telekinesis which gave the sinister but rather compelling story of good versus evil and brother against brother. Throw into that mix one of the first film roles for the awesome Micheal Ironside (as the evil brother) as well as the great film making ability of David Cronenburg and it made for a great underground cult horror 80's video nasty. The Scanners ability was caused by pregnant mothers taking a drug called Ephemerol, the child becoming a Scanner was its side effect. In this 2nd movie we mainly follow a lone good Scanner called David Kellum who it turns out is the son of the 2 surviving Male & Female Scanners from the original movie, he struggles to contain his power as we also see...

atytyut2434 02.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Scanners 2 - The New Order (DVD)

A Scanner Darkly

Advantages: Interesting depiction of future drug use and relationships
Disadvantages: Slightly dated dialogue, introverted like all Phillip K. Dick

...'A Scanner Darkly' is sci-fi, to be sure, and it's good sci-fi, no doubt about it- it gels together fantastic concepts and well thought out ideas with the mores and values of modern society, creating a fairly seamless blend of present and future. But mostly, it's about drugs. And that is partly why I would recommend it. The writing is classic Dick- snappy, looping dialogue, themes of paranoia, conspiracy and shifting interpersonal relationships. But the autobiographical element of the novel is what is most interesting, and that is largely centered around drug use. Despite a final epilogue where Dick laments the effects of drug abuse on himself and his circle, the writing is remarkably even handed during the novel itself. The side affects of 'Substance D' are the real driving force of the novel and its effects on the drug users...

earthbound23 19.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of A Scanner Darkly - Philip K. Dick

HP Improves There Scanners

Advantages: Very Good Quality, Excellent SilverFast Software
Disadvantages: Abit Large, Dust Removal Software Not Good

...The HP ScanJet 8300 is a Professional Image Scanner from HP's Scan jet series. This is one of the top end Scanners HP manufacture and is ideal for the business domain. There is also an 8300gp model of this scanner which is a Graphic Arts scanner and has a monitor color-meter calibrator as a added feature ideal for graphic designers. Now about the HP ScanJet 8300, the scanner has an OR (Optical Resolution) of 4800x4800dpi and will scan high dynamic range in 48bit colour. This is fine for transparency and negative scanning. The scanner has a max reflection area of around A4 size. HP includes film holders which will hold 3 strips, 6 frames of a 35mm film. The holders can be placed in the base of the scanner for storage. The ScanJet 8300 is supplied with HP's own photosmart software. I wasn't impressed with the scan pro scanning...

Surj1 04.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of HP ScanJet 8300 Professional Image Scanner

Very dissapointing for a scanner of this cost

Advantages: I cannot see any advantages with this product
Disadvantages: Software is convoluted and unreliable, paper jams are difficult to clear

..."Scan Document" (8) scan documents then save as? (9) if you don't like the results, go back to step 1 - If the software crashes on say, the 200th page, you lose it all. Furthermore you'll have do find the very large temporary directory yourself to clean up the mess Don't waste time and money on this scanner....

daveyspam 05.02.2007 · Read review
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Review of HP ScanJet 5590 Digital Flatbed Scanner

Dexxa Flatbed Scanner 4800

Advantages: well priced
Disadvantages: A bit larger than most modern scanners

...If you are looking for a well priced easy to use desktop scanner, look no further. In the past 12 to 18 months most hardware has seen dramatic price reductions and in the case of flatbed scanners there is no exception. The biggest problem here is knowing which makes and models will be most compatible to which computers, also what capabilities they have. The Dexxa 4800 Flatbed Scanner is very standard as far as looks go but handles virtually all types of materials to scan, if you placed your hand on the screen it would even scan that clearly. The scan range (resolution) is anything between 50 and 4800 DPI which I'm sure for anyone is more than enough, besides which the high end resolutions would take enormous amounts of memory and super powerful computers to be any use. For most people the Dexxa 4800 is ideal and will work easily...

Trev1000 15.01.2001 (28.12.2000) · Read review
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Review of Dexxa Flatbed Scanner 4800

Their Thoughts Can Kill

Advantages: Classic Cronenberg horror
Disadvantages: No special features, can be confusing

...time, and to be honest it gives the movie a lot of its charm. The lurid orange colours of the film stock that turn offer greenish tints at the drop of a hat, combined with the bland and often un-inspiring backgrounds and sets; make Scanners a unique looking movie before you even focus on the storyline. Scanners could be quite hard work for a casual viewer, there is a lot of fake scientific talk that is designed I assume to baffle its audience. Combined with over long sequences where plotlines are drawn together, any recent horror movie enthusiast will find this a little too difficult to get a grip of. Action sequences are elaborate but quickly executed then thrusting the story back into a lot of speech. I confess that on my first viewing of the movie over 20 years ago I was very unimpressed. I just never could understand the fascination...

sghawken 11.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Scanners (DVD)