Catching up with Palisadians

The Post Goes Through Past Shows and Movies Featuring Locals

By LILY TINOCO | Reporter

The opportunity to write about our favorite television series and films has been a great one because it offers a bit more perspective about who we are at the Palisadian-Post to our readers.

Since we started this series I’ve been searching for a reason to write about one of my favorite films of all time: “Blade Runner 2049.” Since we’re doing a run-through of films and shows that feature locals and actress Ana de Armas has been spotted around Pacific Palisades with boyfriend Ben Affleck recently, I jumped at the chance.

The 2017 film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, is a sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 classic “Blade Runner” and is set in Los Angeles. When? You guessed it—the year 2049.

The sci-fi film follows K (Ryan Gosling) who works as a “Blade Runner” for the Los Angeles Police Department, retiring outdated replicants—bioengineered “humans”—until he finds himself questioning his own identity and origin.

After a series of discoveries, K believes he might be a miracle child, “woman born.” De Armas plays the role of K’s artificially intelligent hologram girlfriend, Joi, who joins him for the ride.

I could write pages (and I’ve written essays in college) about this film, but I’m not one to spoil a good movie. It’s beautiful and insanely articulate, from Harrison Ford’s reprise (he starred in the 1982 film) to the cinematography and a compelling allusion to Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Pale Fire.”

Musician Jared Leto and Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks are also in “Blade Runner 2049,” and deliver award-worthy performances. Hoeks is Luv and perhaps my favorite fictional character of all-time. She is Niander Wallace’s (Leto) stone-cold, right-hand but the film’s standout actress.

The film went on to win a number of awards for its cinematography and visual effects, including Academy Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards in 2018.

When I watched “Blade Runner 2049” for the first time, I watched it in IMAX—which was an experience to say the least. The film was still being played occasionally in IMAX theaters after its 2017 release, but since theaters remain closed, I recommend watching it in a way that mimics a theater-setting: home theater, surround-sound, 4K.

Any other way wouldn’t do the film justice, seriously.

“Blade Runner 2049” is rated R for violence, sexuality and language, with a runtime of 164 minutes. It isn’t available on any streaming services currently, but can be rented on digital platforms such as Amazon Video.